cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emerging Systemic and Targeted Therapies

Pancreatic cancer is a systemic disease in the majority of newly diagnosed patients, including those who present with localized resectable disease. Systemic therapy with or without radiotherapy has become a standard of care for patients with localized pancreatic cancer (LPC), (NCCN guidelines version 2.2015), and the role of radiotherapy continues to be debated. Over the past decade there have been an increasing number of systemic agents that have demonstrated clinical benefit in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, these advances have been modest at best. Furthermore, despite continued improvements in our knowledge of the molecular biology of pancreas cancer, improvements in survival with multiple target agents have also been poor. The complexity of genetic and epigenetic abnormalities in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and the lack of clear driver mutations challenge the successful development of targeted agents. Newer treatment approaches such as targeting the signal pathways in the stroma and immunotherapy hold promise for the future. In this chapter we will provide an overview of the current therapies, highlight some of the failed treatment strategies, and describe the newer approaches that are currently in development.
Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP)

Our piece of cosmic real estate, the heliosphere, is the domain of all human existence – an astrophysical case history of the successful evolution of life in a habitable system. By exploring our global heliosphere and its myriad interactions, we develop key physical knowledge of the interstellar interactions that influence exoplanetary habitability as well as the distant history and destiny of our solar system and world. IBEX is the first mission to explore the global heliosphere and in concert with Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 is discovering a fundamentally new and uncharted physical domain of the outer heliosphere. In parallel, Cassini/INCA maps the global heliosphere at energies (~5-55 keV) above those measured by IBEX. The enigmatic IBEX ribbon and the INCA belt were unanticipated discoveries demonstrating that much of what we know or think we understand about the outer heliosphere needs to be revised. This paper summarizes the next quantum leap enabled by IMAP that will open new windows on the frontier of Heliophysics at a time when the space environment is rapidly evolving. IMAP with 100 times the combined resolution and sensitivity of IBEX and INCA will discover the substructure of the IBEX ribbon and will reveal, with unprecedented resolution, global maps of our heliosphere. The remarkable synergy between IMAP, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 will remain for at least the next decade as Voyager 1 pushes further into the interstellar domain and Voyager 2 moves through the heliosheath. Voyager 2 moves outward in the same region of sky covered by a portion of the IBEX ribbon. Voyager 2's plasma measurements will create singular opportunities for discovery in the context of IMAP's global measurements. IMAP, like ACE before, will be a keystone of the Heliophysics System Observatory by providing comprehensive measurements of interstellar neutral atoms and pickup ions, the solar wind distribution, composition, and magnetic field, as well as suprathermal ion, energetic particle, and cosmic ray distributions to diagnose the changing space environment and understand the fundamental origins of particle acceleration. This paper, the first citable reference for IMAP, is similar to an unpublished whitepaper that was presented to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Committee for Solar and Space Physics. We provide the IMAP objectives and instrument straw man traced from the Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey. It is fitting that our paper is published in the volume of papers that celebrates the 80th birthday of Ed Stone.
A major selection problem

Corey Jones, Kathleen Campbell Garwood and Alicia Graziosi Strandberg dig into US Census data to investigate the gender pay gap, and the gender imbalance in college major enrolments
Compressive Privacy: From Information\/Estimation Theory to Machine Learning [Lecture Notes]

Most of our daily activities are now moving online in the big data era, with more than 25 billion devices already connected to the Internet, to possibly over a trillion in a decade. However, big data also bears a connotation of lbig brotherr when personal information (such as sales transactions) is being ubiquitously collected, stored, and circulated around the Internet, often without the data owner's knowledge. Consequently, a new paradigm known as online privacy or Internet privacy is becoming a major concern regarding the privacy of personal and sensitive data.
Contribution of G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) to 17β-estradiol-induced developmental toxicity in zebrafish.

Abstract Exposure to 17β-estradiol (E2) influences the regulation of multiple signaling pathways, and E2-mediated disruption of signaling events during early development can lead to malformations such as cardiac defects. In this study, we investigated the potential role of the G-protein estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) in E2-induced developmental toxicity. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to E2 from 2 h post fertilization (hpf) to 76 hpf with subsequent transcriptional measurements of heart and neural crest derivatives expressed 2 (hand2), leucine rich repeat containing 10 (lrrc10), and gper at 12, 28 and 76 hpf. Alteration in the expression of lrrc10, hand2 and gper was observed at 12 hpf and 76 hpf, but not at 28 hpf. Expression of these genes was also altered after exposure to G1 (a GPER agonist) at 76 hpf. Expression of lrrc10, hand2 and gper all coincided with the formation of cardiac edema at 76 hpf as well as other developmental abnormalities. While co-exposure of G1 with G36 (a GPER antagonist) rescued G1-induced abnormalities and altered gene expression, co-exposure of E2 with G36, or ICI 182,780 (an estrogen receptor antagonist) did not rescue E2-induced cardiac deformities or gene expression. In addition, no effects on the concentrations of downstream ER and GPER signaling molecules (cAMP or calcium) were observed in embryo homogenates after E2 treatment. These data suggest that the impacts of E2 on embryonic development at this stage are complex and may involve multiple receptor and/or signaling pathways.
The challenge of nutritional profiling of a protein-free feed module for children on low protein tube feeds with organic acidaemias.

Background Enteral tube feeding for children with organic acidaemias (OA) is recommended. Protein restriction, providing minimum safe levels of protein intake, is advocated. Standard paediatric tube feeding formulae provide more than the minimum safe protein requirements and are unsuitable in OA without modification. Modified paediatric enteral feeds consist of several modular ingredients. The aim of this prospective longitudinal interventional study was to assess the efficacy of a premeasured novel protein-free module developed for children aged over 12 months compared to conventional practice. Methods In total, 15 children with OA (11.6–31 kg) needing enteral feeding were recruited. The protein-free module, from either a protein-free infant feed or modular ingredients, was replaced by the study feed. To ensure metabolic stability, energy and protein intake were unchanged. Dietary intake, anthropometry and nutritional biochemistry were recorded at baseline and week 26. Results Dietary intakes of magnesium (P = 0.02), sodium (P = 0.005), vitamin D (P = 0.04), docosahexaenoic acid (P = 0.01) and arachidonic acid (P = 0.001) significantly improved; plasma selenium (P = 0.002) and whole blood glutathione peroxidase (P = 0.02) significantly increased. Feed preparation accuracy as measured by composition analysis showed consistent errors both in pre- and study feeds. Conclusions A protein-free module improved nutritional intake and biochemistry, although feed preparation errors remained a common finding
Nonlinear modeling of forced magnetic reconnection in slab geometry with NIMROD

The nonlinear, extended-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code NIMROD is benchmarked with the theory of time-dependent forced magnetic reconnection induced by small resonant fields in slab geometry in the context of visco-resistive MHD modeling. Linear computations agree with time-asymptotic, linear theory of flow screening of externally applied fields. The inclusion of flow in nonlinear computations can result in mode penetration due to the balance between electromagnetic and viscous forces in the time-asymptotic state, which produces bifurcations from a high-slip state to a low-slip state as the external field is slowly increased. We reproduce mode penetration and unlocking transitions by employing time-dependent externally applied magnetic fields. Mode penetration and unlocking exhibit hysteresis and occur at different magnitudes of applied field. We also establish how nonlinearly determined flow screening of the resonant field is affected by the square of the magnitude of the externally applied field. These r...
Investment, Western Business and Mixed Enterprise

The analysis has been concerned up to this point with the case for the mixed enterprise from the standpoint of business on the one side and the public interests on the other. In this chapter, it is desirable to focus the study on the investment aspects with special attention to foreign-domestic considerations. What are the prospects of these enterprises taking over an important function as a device for the mobilization of capital and a channel for investment in the development process? Is the mixed enterprise a solution to the dilemma of shy Western foreign capital versus nationalistic welfarist state? To establish a background for the problem, the first part of this chapter reviews the role of savings and investment in underdeveloped countries. Then the mobilization of foreign capital is considered, followed by a section on the concept of mutuality. The approach will be theoretical, though utilizing the Indian documentation wherever possible. At the same time, the method of looking for advantages to particular groups in society will be continued. Thus this chapter will cover both the advantages to the development process as well as the gain to particular groups and conclude with a discussion of the total gain of the institution.
Toward a Biopsychosocial Ecology of the Human Microbiome, Brain-Gut Axis, and Health.

ABSTRACTObjectiveRapidly expanding insights into the human microbiome and health suggest that Western medicine is poised for significant evolution, or perhaps revolution—this while medicine continues on a trajectory from reductionism to a biopsychosocial (BPS) paradigm recognizing biological, psycho
Coordinating microgrid procurement decisions with a dispatch strategy featuring a concentration gradient

Abstract A mathematical model designs and operates a hybrid power system consisting of diesel generators, photovoltaic cells and battery storage to minimize fuel use at remote sites subject to meeting variable demand profiles, given the following constraints: power generated must meet demand in every time period; power generated by any technology cannot exceed its maximum rating; and best practices should be enforced to prolong the life of the technologies. We solve this optimization model in two phases: (i) we obtain the design and dispatch strategy for an hourly load profile, and (ii) we use the design strategy, derived in (i), as input to produce the optimal dispatch strategy at the minute level. Our contributions consist of: combining a year-long hourly optimization procurement strategy with a minute-level dispatch strategy, and using a high-fidelity battery model at the minute-level derived from electrochemical engineering principles that incorporate temperature and voltage transient effects. We solve both phases of the optimization problem to within 5% of optimality and demonstrate that solutions from the minute-level model more closely match the load, more closely capture battery and generator behavior, and provide fuel savings from a few percent to 30% over that provided by the hour-level model for the tested scenarios.
Hybrid.poly: An Interactive Large-Scale In-memory Analytical Polystore

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the variety of Big data is one of the most challenging problems in Computer Science research today [Stonebraker, 2012], [Ou et al., 2017], [Guo et al., 2016], [Bai et al., 2016]. First, Big data comes at us from a myriad of data sources, hence its shape and flavor differ. Second, hundreds of data management systems which work with Big data support different APIs and storage/indexing schemes while exposing data to the users through the data model lens, specific to each system. These differences can impede work for users who simply want an accessible interface which can handle relevant unstructured data that is stored within a back-end system. Naturally, such discrepancies in formats, sizes, and shapes can also complicate the development of analytical algorithms which could be implemented on top of large-scale, heterogeneous datasets. [Gubanov, 2017b] introduced a consolidated polystore engine, designed to seamlessly ingest and query any type of large-scale data. In this paper we describe a variety of complex analytical workloads that can be processed by such polystore as well as associated research challenges.
Changes in Body Mass Index and Physical Activity Predict Changes in Vitality During a Weight Loss Trial in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Background Breast cancer survivors rank fatigue (e.g., decreased vitality) as their number one concern affecting quality of life. Excess adiposity is associated with decreased vitality in breast cancer survivors, yet weight loss intervention trials report inconsistent effects on this parameter. Methods This is a secondary analysis of the Exercise and Nutrition to Enhance Recovery and Good Health for You trial, in which 692 overweight or obese breast cancer survivors ≤5 years from diagnosis, initiated weight loss interventions, and completed assessments semi-annually for 2 years. Assessments included the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire and the SF-36 MOS vitality subscale as an inverse measure of fatigue. Multilevel structural equation models estimated the direct effects of physical activity on vitality and indirect effects through body mass index (BMI) changes. Results Within-person findings show that at assessments with greater physical activity, BMI was significantly lower (B = -0.07, p < 0.001) and vitality was higher (B = 0.22, p < 0.001). However, there was no direct relationship between lower BMI and higher vitality (B = -0.11, p = 0.262) after controlling for the relationship of physical activity with BMI and physical activity with vitality. The between-person indirect effect of physical activity change through BMI change to vitality was significant (B = 0.03, p < 0.001). Participants whose physical activity was above the mean (B = 0.37, p < 0.001) and whose BMI was below the mean (B = -1.05, p < 0.001) were more likely to report greater vitality. Conclusion Improvements in vitality are primarily associated with increases in physical activity rather than BMI changes in this trial. Vitality was lower among survivors with higher BMI, although within-individual changes in BMI had no effect on vitality. Physical activity and weight loss share mechanistic links to vitality with physical activity potentially increasing (e.g., in an additive or synergistic manner) the effect of BMI reduction on vitality.
Associations between Race and Dementia Status and the Quality of End-of-Life Care.

Abstract Background: Non-Hispanic black and dementia patients receive more invasive and futile treatment at end of life (EOL) relative to others. Little is known about the relationship between race/ethnicity, dementia, and EOL care quality. Objective: Identify the relationship between race/ethnicity, dementia, and proxy reporters' evaluation of EOL care quality in older adults. Design: Latent class analysis (LCA) of national survey data. Setting: 1588 deceased Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011–2016). Measurements: LCA identified three types of quality EOL care using nine measures of symptom management, quality of healthcare encounters, and dignified treatment. Race and dementia were primary predictors of EOL care quality type. Adjusted models controlled for decedent education, sex, marital status, age, number of illnesses, number of hospitalizations, self-rated health, place of death, hospice involvement, and proxy relationship to decedent and fa...
Child Psychiatry and the Undergraduate Curriculum

The author surveyed child psychiatrists, general psychiatrists, family practitioners, and pediatricians about the role of child psychiatry in the undergraduate medical curriculum. While the four groups were in high agreement on the importance of most topics, nonpsychiatric physicians differed on: the diagnosis of learning disorders, understanding and management of common behavioral problems, adolescent drug abuse, and ability to do brief supportive psychotherapy. A model curriculum is proposed based on survey results.
An Integrated formulation for selecting the best from several normal populations in terms of the absolute values of their means: common known variance case

Consider k (≥ 2) normal populations with unknown means μ i (i = 1,…,k) and known common variance σ 2. Let θ i = |μ i |. Rizvi (1971) investigated the problem of selecting the population associated with the largest θ i under the indifference zone approach of Bechhofer (1954) and the subset selection approach of Gupta (1956, 1965). We consider here an integrated formulation of the problem combining features of the two classical approaches. For the proposed procedure we establish the form of the least favorable configurations over the indifference zone and the preference zone, and obtain results regarding determination of the sample size and constants associated with the procedure in order to guarantee minimum probability of correct decision for each zone. Properties of some operating characteristics are also studied.
Computer Graphics in Molecular Biology

We are applying computer display techniques to research work on the three-dimensional structure of macromolecules, biologically interesting smaller molecules, and to the three-dimensional neural anatomy of small invertebrates. In order to understand the precise nature of the interactions between molecules and the relationships between structural elements of living organisms, one needs techniques for presenting a description of three-dimensional objects in a convenient form. Since the parameters of interest are often ill defined and sometimes unknown beforehand, visualization of a three-dimensional abstraction of the physical object or system seems to be the most useful technique available to us at present. Construction of three-dimensional physical models has been the traditional method in this approach, although stereoscopic diagrams have also been used. Physical models are severely limited when the molecule or structure becomes highly complex. In that case only a few models are constructed and often only a useful representation of the final stage of the analysis is actually made, while intermediate models are simply not done.
Polytype control of MoS2 using chemical bath deposition.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has a wide range of applications from electronics to catalysis. While the properties of single-layer and multilayer MoS2 films are well understood, controlling the deposited MoS2 polytype remains a significant challenge. In this work, we employ chemical bath deposition, an aqueous deposition technique, to deposit large area MoS2 thin films at room temperature. Using Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we show that the deposited MoS2 polytype can be changed from semiconducting 2H MoS2 on hydrophobic –CH3 and –CO2C6F5 terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to semimetallic 1T MoS2 on hydrophilic –OH and –COOH terminated SAMs. The data suggest that the deposition of MoS2 polytypes is controlled by the substrate surface energy. High surface energy substrates stabilize 1T MoS2 films, while 2H MoS2 is deposited on lower surface energy substrates. This effect appears to be general enabling the deposition of different MoS2 polytypes on a wide range of substrates.Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has a wide range of applications from electronics to catalysis. While the properties of single-layer and multilayer MoS2 films are well understood, controlling the deposited MoS2 polytype remains a significant challenge. In this work, we employ chemical bath deposition, an aqueous deposition technique, to deposit large area MoS2 thin films at room temperature. Using Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we show that the deposited MoS2 polytype can be changed from semiconducting 2H MoS2 on hydrophobic –CH3 and –CO2C6F5 terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to semimetallic 1T MoS2 on hydrophilic –OH and –COOH terminated SAMs. The data suggest that the deposition of MoS2 polytypes is controlled by the substrate surface energy. High surface energy substrates stabilize 1T MoS2 films, while 2H MoS2 is deposited on lower surface energy su...
Robotic Cutting: Mechanics and Control of Knife Motion

Effectiveness of cutting is measured by the ability to achieve material fracture with smooth knife movements. The work performed by a knife overcomes the material toughness, acts against the blade-material friction, and generates shape deformation. This paper studies how to control a 2-DOF robotic arm equipped with a force/torque sensor to cut through an object in a sequence of three moves: press, push, and slice. For each move, a separate control strategy in the Cartesian space is designed to incorporate contact and/or force constraints while following some prescribed trajectory. Experiments conducted over several types of natural foods have demonstrated smooth motions like would be commanded by a human hand.
Exploring the Development of a Standardized Respiratory Care Language

Background: Standardized terminologies support unambiguous, concise descriptions of health problems and conditions to facilitate clear and consistent communication between caregivers, patients, and the public. The benefits of recording and maintaining indexed terminologies include: increased transparency regarding the association between interventions and outcomes, enhanced safety and quality of care through more effective clinical documentation, and demonstration of healthcare providers9 value. It is apparent that there is an urgent need for a standardized language for the respiratory care profession. Our objective was to create a standardized terminology relevant to cardiopulmonary problems for which respiratory therapists provide diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Methods: Practicing respiratory therapists and respiratory therapy students worked in small groups to develop a standardized terminology of frequently encountered problems specific to cardiopulmonary dysfunction guided by the grounded theory approach. Descriptive labels were sourced from discussions of clinical practice, experience in the clinical setting, respiratory care coursework, textbooks, peer-reviewed journals, and detailed content outlines for respiratory care licensing examinations. Each group developed a list of 20 patient problems encountered on a daily basis by respiratory therapists. Content validity of the descriptive labels and initial definition of each patient problem was assessed by expert respiratory therapists. Results: A fragment of a respiratory care domain ontology was generated from the finalized patient problem lists. Six categories and fourteen sub-categories of respiratory care patient problems were identified based on similarity of etiological characteristics. Conclusions: Standardized terminologies such as the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine — Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) and the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) have improved many aspects of the healthcare process. Our work demonstrates that a respiratory care ontology can be created, validated, and expanded in the future to include additional patient problems. However, it would require testing in clinical applications before adoption and mapping to SNOMED-CT.
Why not uncivil disobedience

An impressive body of recent literature posits that traditional notions of civil disobedience prevent us from properly considering potentially legitimate types of ‘uncivil’ political lawbreaking. W...
Mentoring Undergraduate Research in Statistics: Reaping the Benefits and Overcoming the Barriers

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs), whether within the context of a mentor-mentee experience or a classroom framework, represent an excellent opportunity to expose students to the independen...
Creating Spaces for Justice-Oriented Research: Critical Reflections of a Researcher/Teacher and Her Advisor

This article explores the critical reflections of a doctoral candidate and her advisor on the design and implementation of the candidate’s study, how space was created for such scholarship, and the challenges and catalysts for successfully navigating and shifting trenchant epistemological and methodological positions. Adopting an autoethnographic stance, we examine our navigation of the conceptual, structural and interpersonal tensions of doing critical research in a mainstream institution. The results highlight our experiences in a) re-conceptualizing the purpose of research by moving beyond doing “hit-and-run” research to research as praxis in marginalized communities, b) re-conceptualizing data gathering and analysis as justice-oriented rather than as “methodolatry” and c) understanding reflexively the tensions caused in the final stages of the dissertation as the novice advisor privileged a product-orientation over a person-orientation in her mentoring stance. This study underscores the importance of ensuring that humanizing pedagogy is employed consistently and unambiguously through the doctoral advising process. Keywords : doctoral advising, justice-oriented research, critical doctoral research, critical reflection, critical pedagogy/advising
Genome wide association mapping of epi-cuticular wax genes in Sorghum bicolor.

Sorghum accumulates epi-cuticular wax (EW) in leaves, sheaths, and culms. EW reduces the transpirational and nontranspirational (nonstomatal) water loss and protects the plant from severe drought stress in addition to imparting resistance against insect pests. Results presented here are from the analysis of EW content of 387 diverse sorghum accessions and its genome-wide association study (GWAS). EW content in sorghum leaves ranged from 0.1 to 29.7 mg cm−2 with a mean value of 5.1 mg cm−2. GWAS using 265,487 single nucleotide polymorphisms identified thirty-seven putative genes associated (P < 9.89E−06) with EW biosynthesis and transport in sorghum. Major EW biosynthetic genes identified included 3-Oxoacyl-[acyl-carrier-protein (ACP)] synthase III, an Ankyrin repeat protein, a bHLH-MYC, and an R2R3-MYB transcription factor. Genes involved in EW regulation or transport included an ABC transporter, a Lipid exporter ABCA1, a Multidrug resistance protein, Inositol 1, 3, 4-trisphosphate 5/6-kinase, and a Cytochrome P450. This GWA study thus demonstrates the potential for genetic manipulation of EW content in sorghum for better adaptation to biotic and abiotic stress.
A Modified Technique of Tacking Acellular Dermal Matrix to Increase Keratinized Mucosa Around Dental Implants as an Alternative to a Free Gingival Graft: A Case Report.

Introduction Free autogenous graft was the gold standard to increase the keratinized mucosa (KM) and vestibular depth. The major downfall of this technique is the postoperative morbidity at the donor site. The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate a modified technique using acellular dermal matrix (ADM) to increase the KM around implants to achieve faster healing with less postoperative morbidity. Case presentation Patient presented with inadequate keratinized tissue band and shallow vestibule at submerged implant sites bilaterally. Initially, surgical procedure of vestibuloplasty in conjunction with free gingival graft (FGG) was performed at one side. However, patient opted for the allograft as a substitute for the other side due to the postoperative discomfort from palatal donor site. On the left side, the FGG procedure was performed in a conventional way stabilizing with sutures. On the right side, the ADM was stabilized with tacks only at recipient site and left exposed. The new vestibule was established and stabilized with tacks. A significant gain of KM and vestibule depth was observed at the site of using ADM when compared with baseline. For the site of using FGG, KM was increased. However, the vestibule was rebounded compared with the site of using ADM with tacks. Conclusions The use of ADM stabilized with tacks is a predictable procedure that can increase KM and establish stable vestibule around dental implants. It can lead to less chair time, faster healing, and reduced postoperative morbidity compared with autogenous soft tissue graft.
Daytime sleepiness and napping in nursing-home eligible community dwelling older adults: A mixed methods study:

Objectives:To describe perceptions and beliefs about daytime sleepiness and napping along with subjective and objective daytime sleep characteristics in nursing-home eligible community dwelling old...
Application of Lean Engineering to Bridge Inspection

Abstract Biannual bridge inspections are federally mandated for hundreds of thousands of bridges in the United States. This represents a significant expenditure of labor and equipment resources. Le...
An ontology to represent synthetic building occupant characteristics and behavior

Abstract Since the introduction of the occupant behavior Drivers-Needs-Actions-Systems (DNAS) framework in 2013, researchers have used the framework or further developed it based on their case studies, which include efforts to collect new data on occupant behaviors. The effort is often costly for the relatively few new data points added. Problems emerge when the already collected data do not meet the modelers' interoperability requirements. Previous studies addressed this issue by developing more sophisticated ontologies that enable integration with other datasets and synthetic data methodologies that would meet unique research applications. This paper presents an extension of the DNAS framework for the representation of synthetic occupant data to support various applications and use cases across the building life cycle. An agent-based modeling application is one of our motivations that requires more elaborate characteristics of an occupant-agent or a group-of-agent. The extension, built upon a review of the literature, introduces new elements to the framework that fall into five categories, including socio-economic, geographical location, activities, subjective values, and individual and collective adaptive actions. On-going research includes identifying occupant datasets and developing data fusion methods to generate synthetic occupants, as well as to demonstrate its applications in agent-based modeling coupled with building performance simulation.
Early Warning System for Crisis in SMEs: Preliminary Evidence from Finland and the UK.

This paper presents a model for predicting crises in small businesses using early-warning signals. It summarises the results of two separate studies carried out in Finland (with 72 percent response) and the UK (26 percent) on the decision process of corporate analysts (Finland) and bank managers (UK) in predicting the failure of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Both studies consist of seven main headings and over 40 sub­headings of possible factors leading to failure. Weighted average were used for both studies to show the importance of these factors. There are significant similarities in the results of the two studies. Management incompetence was regarded as the most important factor, followed by deficiencies in the accounting system and attitude towards customers. However, low accounting staff morale was considered a very important factor in Finland but not in the UK. Unlike Finland, the UK results emphasised the importance of accounting systems and internal control. These two studies differ from previous studies as managerial auditing elements like the importance of internal control departments (UK evidence) and budgetary control systems were included. Similarities in the results of these surveys conducted under two separate EU environments imply that it would be interesting and beneficial to extend these studies to other member states. MANAGERIAL AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS • Investors, lenders, auditors and managers would benefit from a formal early-warning system to predict crises in SMEs. • In both Finland and the UK, there is a need for owners and managers in SMEs to continuously improve their managerial and accounting skills, acquiring necessary knowledge on appraising investments and focusing on the needs of proper internal accounting control systems. • SMEs should pay special attention to external changes.
A Spike-based Cellular-Neural Network Architecture for Spatiotemporal filtering

The foundation and architecture for a spike-based, neuromorphic cellular neural network is presented. Spike information from an event-based, dynamic vision sensor is processed asynchronously by the architecture in parallel. An array of $N^{2}$ processing elements (PEs) with eight neighbor clique is the primitive unit of the processor. Spatiotemporal filtering of spike data is accomplised via mixed-signed, embedded morphological processing using a simplicial piecewise linear approximation. Preliminary simulation and modeling on data acquired from event-based sensors show a clear pathway towards the realization of the architecture in hardware.
Subjective Well-Being and Prosociality Around the Globe: Happy People Give More of Their Time and Money to Others:

Subjective well-being (SWB) is positively related to prosocial giving and helping others, but so far, research has not explored the association of individual aspects of well-being with prosocial be...
Unemployment Dynamics across OECD Countries

The European Community and the U.S. have experienced vastly different unemployment dynamics over the last two decades. This paper investigates whether these differences are due to exposure to different shocks or reacting differently to the same shocks. With the premise of a search theoretic framework and a structural VAR methodology, the paper robustly identifies aggregate versus reallocative shocks. With the exception of Spain where most of the dynamics seems to be driven by reallocation, it is found that most differences in unemployment dynamics arise because of differences in responses to shocks. In particular the U.S. Labor market is quicker to adjust than the European Community. This implies that EEC economies might be dynamically "sclerotic," even if the size of the steady state labor market flows give the impression that European Labor markets are quite active. Various identifying assumptions, additional labor supply shocks and different variables are used so that the results seem to be robust.
A Poisson binomial based statistical testing framework for comprehensive comorbidity discovery across massive Electronic Health Record datasets

Abstract Discovery of comorbidities (the concomitant occurrence of distinct medical conditions in the same patient) is a prerequisite for creating forecasting tools for downstream outcomes research. Current comorbidity discovery applications are designed for small datasets and use stratification to control for confounding variables such as age, sex, or ancestry. Stratification lowers false positive rates, but reduces power, as the size of the study cohort is decreased. Here, we describe a Poisson Binomial based approach to comorbidity discovery (PBC) designed for big-data applications that circumvents the need for stratification. PBC adjusts for confounding demographic variables on a per-patient basis, and models temporal relationships. We benchmark PBC using two datasets, the publicly available MIMIC-IV; and the entire Electronic Health Record (EHR) corpus of the University of Utah Hospital System, encompassing over 1.6 million patients, to compute comorbidity statistics on 4,623,841 pairs of potentially comorbid medical terms. The results of this computation are provided as a searchable web resource. Compared to current methods, the PBC approach reduces false positive associations, while retaining statistical power to discover true comorbidities.
Addressing Post-COVID Symptoms: A Guide for Primary Care Physicians.

Background: Post-COVID symptoms, defined as symptoms lasting >4 weeks postinfection, have been identified not only among those patients who were hospitalized with severe symptoms but also among those who were asymptomatic or with only mild symptoms. Primary care providers (PCPs) will often be the first point of contact for patients experiencing potential complications of post-COVID symptoms. The aim of this article is to present a post-COVID management tool for PCPs to use as a quick reference and guide to the initial workup and management of the most common post-COVID symptoms. Methods: Published guidance, recent literature, and expert specialist opinion were used to create the structure outlining the outpatient evaluation and treatment for post-COVID symptoms. Results: A quick-reference guide for management of post-COVID symptoms was created for PCPs. Educational materials were created for clinicians to share with patients. Our article reviews several common complaints including respiratory, cognitive, and neurological symptoms, chronic fatigue, dysautonomia, and anosmia and presents recommendations for management. Conclusions: Data on long-term effects of COVID-19 are still emerging, and rapid dissemination of this data to front-line PCPs is crucial. This table was our effort to make the currently available evidence accessible for our PCPs in a simple, easy-to-use format.
Midsagittal Plane First: Building a Strong Facial Reference Frame for Computer-Aided Surgical Simulation

ABSTRACT Purpose A facial reference frame is a 3-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system that includes 3 perpendicular planes: midsagittal, axial and coronal. The order in which one defines the planes matters. The purposes of this study were to determine: 1) what sequence (axial-midsagittal-coronal versus midsagittal-axial-coronal) produced more appropriate reference frames, and 2) whether orbital or auricular dystopia influenced the outcomes. Materials and Methods This was an ambispective cross-sectional study. Fifty-four subjects with facial asymmetry were included. The facial reference frames of each subject (outcome variable) were constructed using 2 methods (independent variable): axial-plane-first and midsagittal plane-first. Two board-certified orthodontists together blindly evaluated the results using a 3-point categorical scale based on their careful inspection and expert intuition. The covariant for stratification was the existence of orbital or auricular dystopia. Finally, Wilcoxon signed rank tests were performed. Results The facial reference frames defined by the midsagittal plane-first method was statistically significantly different from ones defined by the axial-plane-first method (P=0.001). Using midsagittal plane-first method, the reference frames were more appropriately defined in 22 (40.7%) subjects, equivalent in 26 (48.1%) and less appropriately defined in 6 (11.1%). After stratified by orbital or auricular dystopia, the results also showed that the reference frame computed using midsagittal plane-first method was statistically significantly more appropriate in both subject groups regardless of the existence of orbital or auricular dystopia (27 with orbital or auricular dystopia and 27 without, both P Conclusion The midsagittal plane-first sequence improves the facial reference frames compared with the traditional axial-plane-first approach. However, regardless of the sequence used, clinicians need to judge the correctness of the reference frame prior to diagnosis or surgical planning.
Clay Minerals in Thin Loess, Ohio River Basin, U.S.A.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the different aspects of the clay minerals in the thin loess of the Ohio River basin in the U.S.A. The Ohio River basin occupies about 261,500 km 2 above the mouth of the Wabash River in southwestern Indiana and is emplaced eastward across the geologic structure, the Cincinnati arch. Eastward from the mouth of the Wabash River to near Cincinnati, Ohio, successively older bedrock is crossed from Pennsylvanian clastic rocks and coal measures, to Mississippian carbonate rocks, Devonian shales, Silurian limestones, and Ordovician carbonate, and clastic rocks. Wisconsin loess covers a large part of the uplands in the Ohio drainage basin and is >5 inches thick just east of the Wabash River valley in southwestern Indiana and also western Kentucky. Excluding near-surface horizon effects caused by agricultural liming such as high Ca, base saturation, and pH, the chemical properties of the profile are independent of lithologic stratification. It is found that extractable Ca and Mg and base saturation decrease to minimum values across the textural contact and then increase with depth.
Crystal structure of a bacteriophage T7 DNA replication complex at 2.2 Å resolution

DNA polymerases change their specificity for nucleotide substrates with each catalytic cycle, while achieving error frequencies in the range of 10−5to 10−6. Here we present a 2.2 A crystal structure of the replicative DNA polymerase from bacteriophage T7 complexed with a primer–template and a nucleoside triphosphate in the polymerase active site. The structure illustrates how nucleotides are selected in a template-directed manner, and provides a structural basis for a metal-assisted mechanism of phosphoryl transfer by a large group of related polymerases.
Explanatory and Predictive Analysis of Corporate Bond Indices Returns

This paper studies the behavior of corporate bond indices. We find that a 2-factor model with unobservable factors is adequate in capturing the variation of corporate bond portfolio returns, however we cannot identify any linear regression model with observable variables that would be able to do so. Including several economic variables as regressors, like the Fama-French factors, liquidity factors, and allowing for time-varying coefficients did not save the model. Principal component analysis revealed that the residuals from our regressions are highly correlated, with the first factor explaining around 86 percent of the remaining variation. Furthermore, there is a big difference in the R2's, and the coefficients of the factors between the high and low-grade bonds. We view our findings as evidence in favor of segmentation between the Treasury, equity, and corporate bond markets, as well as evidence of segmentation within the corporate bond market. In addition, not only are corporate bond excess returns predictable, but the big missing factor is also predictable. This is particularly important for investing and hedging with corporate bonds.
Existence and Testable Implications of Extreme Stable Matchings

We investigate the testable implications of the theory that markets produce matchings that are optimal for one side of the market; i.e. stable extremal matchings. A leading justification for the theory is that markets proceed as if the deferred acceptance algorithm were in place. We find that the theory of stable extremal matching is observationally equivalent to requiring that there be a unique matching, or that the matching be consistent with unrestricted monetary transfers. We also present results on rationalizing a matching as the median stable matching. We work with a general model of matching, which encompasses aggregate and random matchings as special cases. As a consequence, we need to work with a notion of strong stability, and extend the standard theory on the existence and structure of extremal matchings.
The application of commercial processing technologies to the airborne military environment

The OSCAR/Harrier II program has broken new ground in terms of introducing COTS avionic applications. Our customers are requiring performance definitions significantly in excess of those required in the past for point solution designs. While they are attempting to tailor requirements from old military specifications to the "real" operational environment, their requirements are still challenging. While the solutions provided to customers are employing commercial standards and off-the-shelf products, a major role to be played by the integrating organization is to become the "trusted subsystem integrator.". The organization will "put wrappers" around the commercial technologies so as to meet customers' needs.
A novel passive islanding detection technique for converter-based distributed generation systems

With the increased popularity of distributed generation (DG) in power systems, issues such as unintentional islanding should be efficiently resolved. Islanding condition occurs when part of the electrical power system is disconnected from the rest of the grid and is still energized by a DG unit. Conventional passive islanding detection approaches utilize the power system parameters such as the change of voltage magnitude, frequency deviation, and voltage phase displacement. The main challenge in these approaches is the dependency of these parameters on the islanding conditions which can render some of these approaches ineffective. This paper proposes a novel and a computationally inexpensive passive islanding detection technique for converter-based distributed generation systems. The proposed technique utilizes the converter-induced ripples in the instantaneous voltage amplitude at the point of common coupling to detect islanding. The proposed technique was modeled in a converter-based DG network with photo-voltaic arrays. The proposed technique model was tested using a wide range of islanding and non-islanding conditions and was able to accurately detect islanding under all DG loading conditions.
Product definition using a user-centered design method

This paper communicates the author's experiences defining the external user interface specification for a new workstation product using a user-centered design team. The multidisciplinary team consisted of a technical writer, a programmer, and a human factors specialist to leverage the different skill sets of each profession. The work was familiar to all involved, but each professional represented their profession's perspectives and experiences in the product definition task. In so doing, the work took on several new characteristics that are described in this paper. In particular, the focus on the user and on the user's tasks was far greater than had been traditionally the case. Inside IBM, as in the software industry in general, two forces have been playing an increased role in software development. First, there has been focus on reduced cycle time. Secondly, there has been focus on providing customers with solutions that address the types of tasks they do in their jobs. To address these forces, IBM's Software Solutions Laboratory in Toronto, Ontario has been experimenting with different approaches to designing software. The experiences related here come from designing a new product's interface using a multidisciplinary design team. >