cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-robot belief propagation for distributed robot allocation

Establishing collaborative behavior is an important factor in coordinating teams of robots. Multi-robot task allocation is one aspect of group coordination that deals with the assignment of robots to subtasks. Toward this end, we propose multi-robot belief propagation (MRBP), a synthesis of distributed probabilistic inference and notions of theory-of-mind for the purpose of multi-robot task allocation. MRBP does not rely upon a central planner or fixed decision hierarchy, but allows to inter task assignments locally through Bayesian belief propagation. The belief propagation algorithm provides us with a tool to incorporate task-related intentions and beliefs of robots into the assignment process. An assignment process in which each individual robot probabilistically decides, based on its own observations and the intentions and beliefs of other robots, which task it should allocate itself to. As a result, MRBP provides a means for collaborative group behavior without explicit protocols and command hierarchies. We present a sample implementation of MRBP for the chain-of-sight task allocation problem and show the results obtained from physically simulated robot teams.
The relationships among teacher characteristics and perceived caring

When asked to describe what characteristics or behaviors make teachers effective, a sample of pre‐service and experienced teachers mentioned caring more often than any other variable (Perry & Rog, 7992). The primary purpose of this research was to identify specific teacher characteristics or behavior patterns that communicate caring to students and to identify teacher characteristics or “misbehaviors”; that disrupt the students’ perceptions of caring. Respondents in the study were 249 students (142 males and 107 females) enrolled in Communication classes at a large mid‐Atlantic university. The target teachers were those the participants had in the classes they took immediately prior to the class in which the data were collected. Students’ perceptions of their teachers’ caring was found to be positively related to their perceptions of their teachers’ immediacy, responsiveness, and assertiveness while negatively related to teacher verbal aggressiveness. Teacher immediacy, responsiveness, assertiveness, and ...
Recent Developments in Substantive Criminal Law: A Continuing Education

The decisions of the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) during the 2002 term reflect four intriguing trends. This article analyzes the four trends in detail. First, the CAAF decided three cases involving indecency offenses. The cases indicate that the court will closely scrutinize "consensual" sex offenses to ensure the evidence supports all the required elements. The court will pay particular attention to the elements that convert acceptable consensual sexual activity into criminal conduct, such as the indecent or open and notorious nature of the acts. Second, the CAAF provided guidance regarding the necessity of proving actual physical or mental harm to sustain convictions for some offenses. While the first trend may signal the court's desire to limit the field of proscribed conduct in the area of consensual sexual activity, the second trend shows the court's willingness to expand the reach of some offenses even when an accused causes no actual physical or mental harm to a victim. The third and fourth trends seen during the term build on decisions from the 2001 term. The court definitively reiterated the principle touched on in United States v. New, that military judges may properly decide whether orders are lawful as interlocutory questions of law. The CAAF also provided clarity to its previous rulings regarding multiplicity and conduct unbecoming an officer by reiterating that the government may not obtain multiplicious convictions under Article 133, UCMJ, and another substantive offense for the same underlying misconduct.
Prevalence of Hyperoxaluria in Urinary Stone Formers: Chronological and Geographical Trends and a Literature Review

Abstract Purpose: To report chronological trends and geographical distributions related to the prevalence of hyperoxaluria in stone-forming patients. Materials and Methods: We systematically reviewed the existing literature between 1982 and 2013 seeking studies that assessed for hyperoxaluria (>45 mg/day [499.5 μmol/24 hour]) in recurrent stone formers. Studies that performed 24-hour urine analysis for urine oxalate in patients with recurrent urinary stones were included. Studies were divided chronologically and by geographical region, and prevalence rates of hyperoxaluria were compared between groups. Results: Our literature search provided 22 peer-reviewed articles involving 3636 patients in total. Ten studies were performed between 1982 and 2000, and 12 studies were performed between 2001 and 2013. The prevalence of hyperoxaluria in stone-forming patient cohorts was 24.8% and 45.1% (p = 0.019) in studies performed between 1982 and 2000 and 2001 and 2013, respectively. Hyperoxaluria rates were significa...
Spring-Mass Walking With ATRIAS in 3D: Robust Gait Control Spanning Zero to 4.3 KPH on a Heavily Underactuated Bipedal Robot

We present a reduced-order approach for dynamic and efficient bipedal control, culminating in 3D balancing and walking with ATRIAS, a heavily underactuated bipedal robot. These results are a development toward solving a number of enduring challenges in bipedal locomotion: achieving robust 3D gaits at various speeds and transitioning between them, all while minimally draining on-board energy supplies. Our reduced-order control methodology works by extracting and exploiting general dynamical behaviors from the spring-mass model of bipedal walking. When implemented on a robot with spring-mass passive dynamics, e.g. ATRIAS, this controller is sufficiently robust to balance while subjected to pushes, kicks, and successive dodge-ball strikes. The controller further allowed smooth transitions between stepping in place and walking at a variety of speeds (up to 1.2 m/s). The resulting gait dynamics also match qualitatively to the reduced-order model, and additionally, measurements of human walking. We argue that the presented locomotion performance is compelling evidence of the effectiveness of the presented approach; both the control concepts and the practice of building robots with passive dynamics to accommodate them.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
An Introduction to International Criminal Tribunals – Challenges, Opportunities and Future Developments

Atrocity law in application is a series of incompatible goals. It is a struggle between great ideals — the end of impunity perhaps the most important — and local needs, including issues such as stability and restitution. Global norms, individualized trials, victim participation, and defendant’s rights are all (to some degree) at odds, but must also complement one another. While the task is daunting, as Musema’s case confirmed for me, the need plainly exists. The ad hoc tribunals have run their course. The potential for additional situation-specific, internationally created and funded tribunals remains, but is significantly lessened by the existence of the ICC. Hybrid tribunals, those reflecting some combination of national and international features, have had their day in the spotlight with mixed results. The ICC is intended to be a court of last resort, and, practically, it simply does not have the resources to pursue all of the atrocity crimes that occur. Countries adopting the Rome Statute must reform their laws to ensure that activity covered by the Rome Statute is also criminalized locally. Coupled with the complementarity principle, this should result in many more domestic prosecutions for international crimes.Significant opportunity both for involvement in international criminal law litigation and advocacy/support for international criminal law norms exists at every level, with the potential for significant expansion in domestic proceedings. Related cases including those involving human rights issues at international and local levels provide unique opportunities for lawyers to contribute to the field. Each contribution, big or small, is essential to the maturation of international criminal law.
Spatial plasticity of the auditory cortex in single-sided deafness.

Objectives/Hypothesis To evaluate spatial plasticity of the auditory cortex in single-sided deafness (SSD). Study Design Cross-sectional study comparing a cohort with adult-onset, idiopathic SSD to a cohort with normal hearing. Methods Demographic, audiometric, magnetoencephalographic imaging, and magnetic resonance imaging data were collected for 13 SSD adult subjects and 13 normal-hearing controls. Locations of peak activation corresponding to the M100 response in auditory cortices ipsilateral and contralateral to tonal stimuli (0.5 kHz and 4 kHz) were extracted from advanced biomagnetic source imaging analyses. Spatial extent of frequency representation across the 0.5 kHz to 4 kHz zone was computed for the two hemispheres. Results Spatial separation distance between peak locations for 0.5 kHz and 4 kHz stimuli in SSD showed increased activation spread distance in the hemisphere contralateral to the only hearing ear and decreased distance in the ipsilateral hemisphere. In contrast, normal hearing controls had nearly the same activation spread distance in the two hemispheres for ipsilateral and contralateral inputs. The difference between interhemispheric activation spread distance in SSD is significantly increased to 6.5 mm, when compared to 1.7 mm in normal controls (P < .05). Conclusions Loss of unilateral peripheral input in SSD is associated with spatial reorganization of the auditory cortex in both hemispheres. This change in central auditory functional organization may in turn lead to higher order hearing deficits that rely on interhemispheric processing. Hearing optimization in the only hearing ear may require remediation of both spatial and temporal central auditory changes in SSD. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope, 2016
Flood Control in New England

Problems of river and coastal floods in New England and methods used by Corps of Engrs for their control; control problems of following rivers: Housatonic-Naugatuck, Connecticut, Thames, Blackstone and Merrimack; hurricane tidal flooding and design criteria for tidal barriers along New England coast.
Abstract 3550: Differences in immune escape in HPV+ versus HPV- head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the 6th most common cancer worldwide and has not seen an improvement in survival in decades. Current standard-of-care treatments including surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiation still lead to high rates of recurrence and loco-regional metastasis contributing to the poor prognosis in these patients. It is well established that HNSCC are highly immune-modulatory tumors and may therefore benefit from immunotherapy treatment regimens. Better methods are therefore needed to match patients with the appropriate immunotherapy. Recently, human papillomavirus (HPV) was implicated in the etiology of a subset of HNSCC arising in younger patients without a history of alcohol and tobacco use. Approximately 30% of HNSCC tumors are HPV+ and despite late stage presentation, often have a better prognosis and response to therapy. This study examines how host immune recognition and response varies between HPV+ and HPV- HNSCC, with the goal of identifying new targets for immunotherapy. The immune profile and HPV infection status of 41 HNSCC patient tumor samples obtained from surgical resection was characterized by qRT-PCR, PCR, and IHC techniques. Tumor samples were analyzed for the expression of 40 genes involved in immune activation and suppression in the tumor microenvironment to generate an immune profile. Gene expression levels were normalized to GAPDH and compared across HPV+, HPV- and normal tissue groups by ANOVA and post-test pairwise analysis. HPV infectivity of tumor biopsies was determined using HPV consensus primers (MY09/MY11 and GP5+/GP6+) and confirmed with p16 immunohistochemistry. From these studies, eight of 41 (20%) HNSCC biopsies were HPV+ by PCR and IHC analysis. HPV+ tumors demonstrated statistically significant increased expression of genes related to immunosuppression including regulatory T (CD4, FoxP3, CTLA-4, and FasL) and myeloid suppressor cell markers (CD11b and IL-6, an inducer of these suppressor cells), as well as negative-regulators (SOCS1) (p Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3550. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3550
Analysis of memory as a feedforward control mechanism

The properties of memory as a feedforward control mechanism of perception and motion have been investigated by requiring Ss to project in active space-time an observed stimulus wave pattern. Memory...
Polybrominated Biphenyl Isomer Distribution in Raw and Cooked Chicken and Chicken Broth

Abstract The distribution of seven PBB isomers in raw and pressure-cooked breast pieces, drumsticks, thigh meat, and thigh skin from hens fed 30 to 90 ppm of Firemaster® FF-1 as well as in the broths from these pieces were determined. Piece affected the proportion of all isomers but one; however, only the proportion of the heptabromobiphenyl isomer was lower in cooked tissue than in the raw. The level of PBB fed the hens resulted in changes in proportion of 3 peaks. The proportion of the major peak, 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexabromobiphenyl, was highest in tissues from hens fed 30 ppm PBB while the proportion of the heptabromobiphenyl peak was greatest in tissues from hens fed 90 ppm PBB. Moreover numerous interactions were found to be significant.
Beyond moore computing research challenge workshop report.

We summarize the presentations and break out session discussions from the in-house workshop that was held on 11 July 2013 to acquaint a wider group of Sandians with the Beyond Moore Computing research challenge.
A Distributed Computing Framework for Real-Time Detection of Stress and of Its Propagation in a Team

Stress is one of the key factor that impacts the quality of our daily life: From the productivity and efficiency in the production processes to the ability of (civilian and military) individuals in making rational decisions. Also, stress can propagate from one individual to other working in a close proximity or toward a common goal, e.g., in a military operation or workforce. Real-time assessment of the stress of individuals alone is, however, not sufficient, as understanding its source and direction in which it propagates in a group of people is equally—if not more—important. A continuous near real-time in situ personal stress monitoring system to quantify level of stress of individuals and its direction of propagation in a team is envisioned. However, stress monitoring of an individual via his/her mobile device may not always be possible for extended periods of time due to limited battery capacity of these devices. To overcome this challenge a novel distributed mobile computing framework is proposed to organize the resources in the vicinity and form a mobile device cloud that enables offloading of computation tasks in stress detection algorithm from resource constrained devices (low residual battery, limited CPU cycles) to resource rich devices. Our framework also supports computing parallelization and workflows, defining how the data and tasks divided/assigned among the entities of the framework are designed. The direction of propagation and magnitude of influence of stress in a group of individuals are studied by applying real-time, in situ analysis of Granger Causality . Tangible benefits (in terms of energy expenditure and execution time) of the proposed framework in comparison to a centralized framework are presented via thorough simulations and real experiments.
Paralleled optimal power flow algorithm based on subarea division of the power system

With the continuous expansion of the grid scale, the traditional centralized optimal power flow calculation has the difficulties of long computing time and higher dimension matrix. This paper presents a paralleled optimal power flow algorithm based on subarea division, which divides the actual grid into several independent subareas geographically according to the decomposition and coordination method, and uses the auxiliary problem principle (APP) in parallel computing. In each subarea, the multicenter-correction interior point method is used to solve the optimization problem of the subarea system. The example shows that the algorithm has good convergence and faster computing speed.
Comparisons of Methods for Numerical Internal Wave Simulation in Long-Range Acoustical Propagation

The only technique currently known for estimating all the statistical properties of an acoustical field propagating through a randomizing ocean is Monte Carlo simulation. The standard model in deep ocean propagation asserts that the randomization is due to sound speed perturbations caused by the vertical fluid displacements of random internal waves. The Henyey–Reynolds algorithm (Henyey and Reynolds in Numerical simulator of ocean internal waves for long-range acoustics, 2013 [4]) provides a computationally efficient method for generating these displacements for an ocean with range-independent stratification. This method, which is free from the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin approximation, uses vertical internal wave modes parameterized only by horizontal wavenumber magnitude, i.e., along only one dimension, as opposed to throughout the two dimensional horizontal wavenumber plane. Results are shown for the standard horizontally isotropic Garrett–Munk spectral model, and compared to the Colosi–Brown algorithm (Colosi and Brown in J Acoust Soc Am 103(4):2232–2235, 1998 [3]). Accurate models of the oceanographic mechanisms causing sound speed randomization will be needed in the estimation of the parameters of ocean mixing processes via inversion of acoustical fluctuation statistics.
Statin use at the time of initiation of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and time to progression (TTP) in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

148 Background: Statin use has been associated with a decreased risk of recurrence after local therapy and a lower risk of prostate cancer mortality. There is little known about the association between statin use and prostate cancer progression among men newly initiating ADT. We undertook an analysis of the association between statin use at the time of ADT initiation and TTP. Methods: We queried our institutional clinical database (Prostate CRIS), which captures clinicodemographic data, treatment details, and clinical outcomes of our prostate cancer patients (pts), to identify pts treated with ADT for biochemical recurrence or metastatic disease. Date of progression and statin use at ADT initiation were collected by medical record review. Progression was defined as 3 PSA rises. Date of progression was defined as date of first rise (nadir + >0.02 ng/ml). The association between statin use and TTP on ADT was estimated from multivariable Cox regression, adjusting for known prognostic factors: biopsy Gleason ...
Comparative techno-economic analysis of steam explosion, dilute sulfuric acid, ammonia fiber explosion and biological pretreatments of corn stover.

Pretreatment is required to destroy recalcitrant structure of lignocelluloses and then transform into fermentable sugars. This study assessed techno-economics of steam explosion, dilute sulfuric acid, ammonia fiber explosion and biological pretreatments, and identified bottlenecks and operational targets for process improvement. Techno-economic models of these pretreatment processes for a cellulosic biorefinery of 113.5 million liters butanol per year excluding fermentation and wastewater treatment sections were developed using a modelling software-SuperPro Designer. Experimental data of the selected pretreatment processes based on corn stover were gathered from recent publications, and used for this analysis. Estimated sugar production costs ($/kg) via steam explosion, dilute sulfuric acid, ammonia fiber explosion and biological methods were 0.43, 0.42, 0.65 and 1.41, respectively. The results suggest steam explosion and sulfuric acid pretreatment methods might be good alternatives at present state of technology and other pretreatment methods require research and development efforts to be competitive with these pretreatment methods.
Surface chemistry of propanal, 2-propenol, and 1-propanol on Ru(001)

Adsorption and thermal chemistry of propanal, 2-propenol, and 1-propanol on Ru(001) were studied using temperature programmed reaction spectroscopy (TPRS) and reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). The results show that each molecule adsorbs molecularly at 90 K and displays the same spectral features as observed for the corresponding liquids after 1.0 L exposures. 2-Propenol was found to molecularly desorb at 200 K, dehydrate to yield propene around 130 K, isomerize to propanal at 180 K, and hydrogenate to 1-propanol at 220 K. Propanal, however, does not undergo isomerization on the surface but desorbs molecularly at 175 and 280 K. Similarly, 1-propanol also desorbs molecularly with two peaks centered at 227, and 298 K. Formaldehyde desorption was observed for each molecule. Furthermore, a reversible hydrogenation-dehydrogenation process was observed between propanal and 1-propanol in the range of 200 to 320 K. These results provided further insights into previous studies on hydrogenation pathways of acrolein on the Ru(001) surface and into the challenges of selectively increasing the yield of the unsaturated alcohol.
18F-Labeled droplets and biodistribution

1238 Objectives: Our ultimate goal is to develop micro droplets, which can carry chemotherapeutical agents to cancer. The droplets could be vaporized using ultrasound to occlude blood flow to tumor and locally release the therapy agents. Biodistribution of in vivo administrated 18F-labeled droplets are important for understanding the droplet behavior and selecting shell and core materials of droplets. Methods: [18F]fluorobenzoic acid hexadecyl ester has been synthesized from its corresponding trimethylammonium precursor based on published method. This 18F-labeled ester was then mixed with bovine serum albumen in saline, followed by dodecafluoropentane. The vial was sealed and shaken at 5000 cps for 30 seconds to make droplets. After washing and filtration, ~ 30 μCi of 18F-labeled droplets was injected to each rat through the lateral tail vein. Animals were sacrificed at different time points post-injection. Organs and tissues of interest were removed, weighed and radioactivity counted for 18F using γ-counter. The percent injected doses per gram of tissue values were calculated. Results: The radiochemical synthesis of [18F]fluorobenzoic acid hexadecyl ester was reliable with radiochemical yield greater than 50% and purity greater than 95%. The droplets made from bovine serum albumen and dodecafluoropentane was able to incorporate 50% of [18F]fluorobenzoic acid hexadecyl ester, but 80% of 18F-labeled droplets were filtered away by 5 μm filter. Overall yield of injectable 18F-labeled droplets was ~5 % of starting 18F. In vivo biodistribution of 18F-labeled droplets in rats has shown in Figure 1. Lung has the highest initial uptake (13.5%), followed by liver (2.7%), spleen (2.5%) and brain (0.07%). Conclusions: 18F-labeled droplets have been synthesized in moderate yield. The high percentage of activity accumulated in lung suggested that better size control during processing would be desire in future work.
Donor pulmonary intravascular nonclassical monocytes recruit recipient neutrophils and mediate primary lung allograft dysfunction

Primary graft dysfunction is the predominant driver of mortality and graft loss after lung transplantation. Recruitment of neutrophils as a result of ischemia-reperfusion injury is thought to cause primary graft dysfunction; however, the mechanisms that regulate neutrophil influx into the injured lung are incompletely understood. We found that donor-derived intravascular nonclassical monocytes (NCMs) are retained in human and murine donor lungs used in transplantation and can be visualized at sites of endothelial injury after reperfusion. When NCMs in the donor lungs were depleted, either pharmacologically or genetically, neutrophil influx and lung graft injury were attenuated in both allogeneic and syngeneic models. Similar protection was observed when the patrolling function of donor NCMs was impaired by deletion of the fractalkine receptor CX3CR1. Unbiased transcriptomic profiling revealed up-regulation of MyD88 pathway genes and a key neutrophil chemoattractant, CXCL2, in donor-derived NCMs after reperfusion. Reconstitution of NCM-depleted donor lungs with wild-type but not MyD88-deficient NCMs rescued neutrophil migration. Donor NCMs, through MyD88 signaling, were responsible for CXCL2 production in the allograft and neutralization of CXCL2 attenuated neutrophil influx. These findings suggest that therapies to deplete or inhibit NCMs in donor lung might ameliorate primary graft dysfunction with minimal toxicity to the recipient.
The feasibility of using pedometers for self-report of steps and accelerometers for measuring physical activity in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across an 18-month intervention

Background Improving physical activity in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) is recommended to improve weight loss and general health. However, in order to determine the success of physical activity interventions, identification of feasible methods for assessment of physical activities is necessary. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of adults with IDD to track daily steps and wear an accelerometer. Methods Overweight/obese adults with mild to moderate IDD followed a diet and physical activity program for 18 months. All participants were asked to wear a pedometer and track steps daily by using a pedometer and to provide accelerometer data for 7 days at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months. Adherence to the pedometer protocol and plausibility of the number of recorded steps were assessed, and these measures along with average wear time of the accelerometer were recorded. Results Data were collected from 149 participants (36.5 ± 12.2 years of age, 57% female). Participants recorded a step value on 81.5% of days across the 18-month study, with 40.9% of written days classified as plausible. When wearing the accelerometer, 26.8% of participants met the recommended 4-day/10-h wear time criterion at baseline, and 22.6, 24.8 and 18.8% met the criterion at 6, 12 and 18 months, respectively. Conclusions Adults with IDD will adhere reasonably well to wearing a pedometer long term, but may be unable to record the step data accurately. Furthermore, adults with IDD have poor compliance with accelerometer protocols, and future studies should determine if a shorter wear time protocol would produce valid data in this population.
Polarimetric Radar and Surface-Based Precipitation-Type Observations of Ice Pellet to Freezing Rain Transitions

AbstractRecent studies document a polarimetric radar signature of refreezing. The signature is characterized by a low-level enhancement in differential reflectivity ZDR and a decrease in the copolar correlation coefficient ρhv within a region of decreasing radar reflectivity factor at horizontal polarization ZH toward the ground, called the refreezing layer (RFL). The evolution of the signature is examined during three winter storms in which the surface precipitation-type transitions from ice pellets to freezing rain. A modified quasi-vertical profile (QVP) technique is developed, which creates inverse-distance-weighted profiles using all available polarimetric data within a specified range from the radar location. Using this new technique reveals that the RFL descends in time prior to the transition from ice pellets to freezing rain and intersects the ground at the approximate transition time. Transition times are estimated using both crowdsourced and automated precipitation-type reports within a specifi...
Charge Transfer Doping Induced Conformational Ordering of a Non-Crystalline Conjugated Polymer

Charge transfer doping of a nominally disordered conjugated polymer induces long-range conformational ordering (stiffening) of backbone segments. Addition of [2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone (DDQ) to dilute solutions of poly[2-methoxy-5-(3′,7′-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV) results in quantitative charge transfer in the ground electronic state of the polymer. Following charge (hole) injection, greater MDMO-PPV monomer coplanarity is evident in electronic, Raman, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra over a broad range of dopant loadings. New transitions emerge at lower energies with spectral patterns distinct from pristine materials but closely resemble minority low energy conformers selectively that can be prepared by careful control of processing conditions. We further demonstrate that characteristic Raman patterns of PPV systems actually contain signatures of a minority ordered form that interacts preferentially with the dopant. Subsequent additions of dopant al...
Distributed effects in voltage ripple analysis of integrated voltage regulator based power delivery

Integrated voltage regulators (IVRs) are central to Intel microprocessor power delivery since the Fourth Generation Core™ products with advantages of lower board cost and area, distributed power management, higher dynamic power, and smaller package size. This paper focusses on IVR generated voltage ripple distinguishing it from a lumped element design for a low frequency discrete component voltage regulator (VR), and emphasizing combined power conversion and power integrity (PI) analysis including package parasitics, spatial distribution of loads, inductor implementation, and capacitance. The voltage ripple reduces effective minimum voltage for computational logic and increases jitter for analog circuits. It is shown that detailed accurate modeling and combined PI and power conversion techniques are essential for analysis and design.
The anesthetic management of button battery ingestion in children

Injuries related to button battery ingestion are common in children. This review provides an outline of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, management, and anesthetic implications in children who have ingested a button battery. A literature search was conducted in the United States National Library of Medicine PubMed database using the terms “button battery ingestion” and “children’ and “removal” and “surgery” and “anesthesia”. Ninety-six articles published in English were found from 1983–2017, and 62 of these articles were incorporated into this review. Additionally, the Internet was searched with the terms “button battery ingestion and children” to identify further entities, organizations, and resources affiliated with button battery ingestion in children. These additional sources were studied and included in this review. Button batteries are ubiquitous in homes and electronic devices. Since 2006, larger-diameter and higher-voltage batteries have become available. These are more likely to become impacted in the esophagus after ingestion and lead to an increase in severe morbidity and mortality due to caustic tissue injury. Children at the highest risk for complications are those under six years of age who have ingested batteries > 20 mm in diameter and sustain prolonged esophageal impaction at the level of the aortic arch with the negative pole oriented anteriorly. Anesthesiologists need to know about the epidemiology, pathophysiology, complications, and anesthetic management of children who have ingested button batteries.
Bayesian design for two-arm randomized Phase II clinical trials with endpoints from the exponential family using multiple constraints

Frequentist design for two-arm randomized Phase II clinical trials with outcomes from the exponential dispersion family was proposed previously, where the total sample sizes are minimized under multiple constraints on the standard errors of the estimated group means and their difference. This design was generalized from an approach specific for dichotomous outcomes. The two previous approaches measure the central tendency of each group and treatment effect based on mean and difference in means. Other measures such as median or hazard ratio are more appropriate under certain situations. In addition, the frequentist approaches assume that unknown parameters are fixed values. This does not reflect the reality that uncertainty always exists for unknowns. Compared to the frequentist methods, the Bayesian approach offers a flexible way to measure central tendency and treatment effect, and incorporate uncertainty in parameters of interest into considerations. In this article, we generalize a Bayesian design for Phase II clinical trials with endpoints in the exponential family from the two previously developed frequentist approaches. The proposed design minimizes the total sample sizes under pre-specified constraints on the expected length of posterior credible intervals for measures of treatment effect and central tendency in each group. The design is applicable for trials with fixed or optimal randomization allocation ratio and can be applied under adaptive procedure. Examples of method implementations are provided for different types of endpoints from the exponential family in both fixed and adaptive settings.
Polymers, Dk, and contact lenses: now and in the future.

Purpose : The polymers used in conventional contact lenses are briefly reviewed as are the factors that contribute to their gas permeability. The chemistry and gas permeability of future hydrogel contact lenses are discussed. Results : Interchain packed zones in polymers are less permeable than the amorphous zones. Polymers with thick bulky groups in rigid gas permeable lenses hinder interchain packing, allowing oxygen and carbon dioxide to diffuse through the polymer voids. Also, the flexibility of the siloxane groups facilitates the diffusion of gases. In hydrogel contact lenses, the polymer segments are separated by the aqueous phase. The gas diffusivity increases with hydration, but is limited by the rigid polymer network. Research on new hydrogel contact lenses aims to develop hydrogels with gas permeability enhancing polymers. In these hydrogels, the gas permeability depends not only on their hydration but also on the permeation of the gas through the polymer phase. Conclusions : The new hydrogel contact lenses will contain highly permeable polysiloxane domains. A potential problem with the new hydrogels is decreased wettability due to the migration of hydrophobic moieties to the lens surface.
Longitudinal Study of the Ocular Complications of AIDS: 1. Ocular Diagnoses at Enrollment

Objective To report the prevalence of ocular complications of AIDS in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Design Cohort study. Participants Patients with AIDS, 13 years or older. Methods History, eye examination, and laboratory testing at enrollment. Main Outcome Measure Frequency of ocular complications at enrollment. Results As of March 31, 2003, 1632 participants with AIDS were enrolled. The cohort had a history of severe immune deficiency, as evidenced by a median nadir CD4+ T-cell count of 30 cells per microliter. At enrollment, the median CD4+ T-cell count was 164 cells per microliter. CD4+ T-cell counts were Conclusions Although there is the possibility of oversampling patients with AIDS and ocular complications (as compared with a random sample), which would lead to increased estimates of prevalent and incident ocular morbidities, these data still suggest a substantial decline in the incidence of CMV retinitis from the pre-HAART era. Nevertheless, new cases of CMV retinitis continue to occur, and there is a population of patients with long-standing retinitis who will require management.
An Approach to Math-Similarity Search

The unique structural syntax and the variety of semantic equivalences of mathematic expressions make it a challenge for a keyword-based text search engine to effectively meet the users’ search needs. Many existing math search solutions focus on exact search where the notational matching determines the relevance rank, while the structural similarity and mathematical semantics are often missed out or not addressed adequately. One important research question is how to effectively and efficiently find math expressions that are similar to a user’s query, and how to do relevance ranking of hits by similarity. This paper focuses on (1) conceptualizing similarity between mathematical expressions, (2) defining metrics to measure math similarity, (3) utilizing those metrics for math similarity search, and (4) evaluating performance to validate advantage of the proposed math similarity search. Our results show that the performance of math-similarity search is superior to that of keyword-based math search.
Predictive Accuracy of Surrogate Indices for Hepatic and Skeletal Muscle Insulin Sensitivity.

Context Surrogate indices of muscle and hepatic insulin sensitivity derived from an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) are frequently used in clinical studies. However, the predictive accuracy of these indices has not been validated. Design In this cross-sectional study, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic glucose clamp with tritiated glucose infusion and a 75-g OGTT were performed in individuals (n = 659, aged 18 to 49 years, body mass index of 16 to 64 kg/m2) with varying degrees of glucose tolerance. A calibration model was used to assess the ability of OGTT-derived, tissue-specific surrogate indices [hepatic insulin resistance index (HIRI) and muscle insulin sensitivity index (MISI)] to predict insulin sensitivity/resistance indices derived from the reference glucose clamp [Hepatic-IRbasal, a product of fasting plasma insulin and hepatic glucose production (HGP), Hepatic-IRclamp, reciprocal of the percent suppression of HGP during the insulin clamp corrected for plasma insulin concentration, and Muscle-ISclamp, a measure of peripheral glucose disposal]. Predictive accuracy was assessed by root mean squared error of prediction and leave-one-out, cross-validation-type square root of the mean squared error of prediction. Results HIRI and MISI were correlated with their respective clamp-derived indices. HIRI was negatively related to Muscle-ISclamp (r = -0.62, P < 0.0001) and MISI correlated with Hepatic-IR derived from the clamp (Hepatic-IRbasal: r = -0.48, P < 0.0001 and Hepatic-IRclamp: r = -0.41, P < 0.0001). However, the accuracy of HIRI and MISI to predict Hepatic-IR (basal or during clamp) was not significantly different. Likewise, the ability of HIRI and MISI to predict Muscle-ISclamp was also similar. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the surrogate indices derived from an OGTT are accurate in predicting insulin sensitivity but are not tissue specific.
The Beauty and Bane of Pressure-Directed Embolotherapy: Hemodynamic Principles and Preliminary Clinical Evidence.

OBJECTIVE. Particulate emboli are passive agents that follow blood flow. Deployed antireflux devices obstruct blood flow. CONCLUSION. The aim of this review is to describe the complex hemodynamic a...
Polynomials Defining Teichmüller Curves and Their Factorizations mod p

We investigate the arithmetic nature of Teichmuller curves in the spirit of the theory developed for classical modular curves. We focus on the Weierstrass curves for square discriminants introduced...
Characterization of a β-lactamase that contributes to intrinsic β-lactam resistance in Clostridioides difficile

ABSTRACT Clostrididioides difficile causes severe antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis. C. difficile is an anaerobic, Gram-positive spore former that is highly resistant to β-lactams, the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. The resistance of C. difficile to β-lactam antibiotics allows the pathogen to replicate and cause disease in antibiotic-treated patients. However, the mechanisms of β-lactam resistance in C. difficile are not fully understood. Our data reinforce prior evidence that C. difficile produces a β-lactamase, which is a common β-lactam resistance mechanism found in other bacterial species. We identified an operon encoding a lipoprotein of unknown function and a β-lactamase that was greatly induced in response to several classes of β-lactam antibiotics. An in-frame deletion of the operon abolished β-lactamase activity in C. difficile strain 630Δerm and resulted in decreased resistance to the β-lactam ampicillin. We found that the activity of this β-lactamase, herein named BlaD, is dependent upon the redox state of the enzyme. In addition, we observed that transport of BlaD out of the cytosol and to the cell surface is facilitated by an N-terminal signal sequence. Our data demonstrate that a co-transcribed lipoprotein, BlaX, aids in BlaD activity. Further, we identified a conserved BlaRI regulatory system and demonstrated via insertional disruption that BlaRI controls transcription of the blaXD operon in response to β-lactams. These results provide support for the function of a β-lactamase in C. difficile antibiotic resistance, and reveal the unique roles of a co-regulated lipoprotein and reducing environment in β-lactamase activity. IMPORTANCE Clostridioides difficile is an anaerobic, gastrointestinal human pathogen. One of the highest risk factors for contracting C. difficile infection is antibiotic treatment, which causes microbiome dysbiosis. C. difficile is resistant to β-lactam antibiotics, the most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics. C. difficile produces a recently discovered β-lactamase, which cleaves and inactivates numerous β-lactams. In this study, we report the contribution of this anaerobic β-lactamase to ampicillin resistance in C. difficile, as well as the transcriptional regulation of the gene, blaD, by a BlaRI system. In addition, our data demonstrate co-transcription of blaD with blaX, which encodes a membrane protein of previously unknown function. Furthermore, we provide evidence that BlaX enhances β-lactamase activity in a portion of C. difficile strains. This study demonstrates a novel interaction between a β-lactamase and a membrane protein in a Gram-positive pathogen, and due to the anaerobic nature of the β-lactamase activity, suggests that more β-lactamases are yet to be identified in other anaerobes.
Automated Forelimb Tasks for Rodents: Current Advantages and Limitations, and Future Promise.

Rodent tests of function have advanced our understanding of movement, largely through the human training and testing and manual assessment. Tools such as reaching and grasping of a food pellet have...
Galerkin finite element method for generalized Forchheimer equation of slightly compressible fluids in porous media

We consider the generalized Forchheimer flows for slightly compressible fluids. Using Muskat's and Ward's general form of Forchheimer equations, we describe the fluid dynamics by a nonlinear degenerate parabolic equation for the density. We study Galerkin finite elements method for the initial boundary value problem. The existence and uniqueness of the approximation are proved. A prior estimates for the solutions in L∞(0,T;Lq(Ω)),q⩾2, time derivative in L∞(0,T;L2(Ω)) and gradient in L∞(0,T;W1,2−a(Ω)), with a∈(0,1) are established. Error estimates for the density variable are derived in several norms for both continuous and discrete time procedures. Numerical experiments using backward Euler scheme confirm the theoretical analysis regarding convergence rates. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of brain subnetworks within the context of their whole-brain networks

Analyzing the structure and function of the brain from a network perspective has increased considerably over the past two decades, with regional subnetwork analyses becoming prominent in the recent literature. However, despite the fact that the brain, as a complex system of interacting subsystems (i.e., subnetworks), cannot be fully understood by analyzing its constituent parts as independent elements, most studies extract subnetworks from the whole and treat them as independent networks. This approach entails neglecting their interactions with other brain regions and precludes identifying potential compensatory mechanisms outside the analyzed subnetwork. In this study, using simulated and empirical data, we show that the analysis of brain subnetworks within the context of their whole-brain networks, that is, including their interactions with other brain regions, can yield different outcomes when compared to analyzing them as independent networks. We also provide a multivariate mixed-effects modeling framework that allows analyzing subnetworks within the context of their whole-brain networks, and show that it can better disentangle global (whole-brain) and local (subnetwork) differences when compared to standard t-test analyses. T-test analyses may produce misleading results in identifying complex global and local level differences. The provided multivariate model is an extension of a previously developed model for global, system-level hypotheses about the brain. The modified version detailed here provides the same utilities as the original model-quantifying the relationship between phenotypes and brain connectivity, comparing brain networks among groups, predicting brain connectivity from phenotypes, and simulating brain networks-but for local, subnetwork-level hypotheses.
Modern Discrimination in Organizations

This review describes the history, current state, and future of modern discrimination in organizations. First, we review development of discrimination from the early 1900s to the present day, speci...
Exhibiting an Unapologetic Fascist: Mario Sironi

Benito Mussolini's Fascist dictatorship over Italy in the period between world wars remains a troubling element of the nation's history. It has heavily affected the contemporary politics and public displays of in addition to scholarship about the thriving artistic scene of that time, yet, the weight of Italy's Fascist legacy has either comprised the primary focus of or been entirely absent from studies on art in the 1920s-1930s until a recent academic interest in reinvestigating the political and cultural atmosphere of the period. This paper underlines the importance of such renewed critical interests in chapters of painful history and how those interests can influence public perceptions of national history and its outreach into contemporary culture. Specifically, I will examine the written and exhibited discrepancies between the life of the painter Mario Sironi under the regime and the life of selected paintings that perpetuate his existence in contemporary Italy. By comparing La Famiglia del Pastore in "Roma Anni Trenta: La Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Le Quadriennali (1931 - 1935 - 1939)" at the Galleria d'Arte Moderna and La Solitudine in "Time is Out of Joint" at the Galleria Nazionale I will analyze how exhibitions of art shape the Italian public's reception of this period. I contend that certain exhibiting styles can either deepen public reception and consideration for a work of art and the time from which it stems or can reduce understanding to that inspired by instantaneous connections, dependent on the institution's or curator's approach to context. For, no trip to a museum is simply a trip to a museum – whether actively or passively, museums shape how the public approaches the works in its halls and through these works, how the public approaches themselves and the world surrounding them.