cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synergy, Redundancy, and Independence in Population Codes

A key issue in understanding the neural code for an ensemble of neurons is the nature and strength of correlations between neurons and how these correlations are related to the stimulus. The issue is complicated by the fact that there is not a single notion of independence or lack of correlation. We distinguish three kinds: (1) activity independence; (2) conditional independence; and (3) information independence. Each notion is related to an information measure: the information between cells, the information between cells given the stimulus, and the synergy of cells about the stimulus, respectively. We show that these measures form an interrelated framework for evaluating contributions of signal and noise correlations to the joint information conveyed about the stimulus and that at least two of the three measures must be calculated to characterize a population code. This framework is compared with others recently proposed in the literature. In addition, we distinguish questions about how information is encoded by a population of neurons from how that information can be decoded. Although information theory is natural and powerful for questions of encoding, it is not sufficient for characterizing the process of decoding. Decoding fundamentally requires an error measure that quantifies the importance of the deviations of estimated stimuli from actual stimuli. Because there is no a priori choice of error measure, questions about decoding cannot be put on the same level of generality as for encoding.
Expression and purification of the cytoplasmic tail of an endocytic receptor by fusion to a carbohydrate-recognition domain.

Abstract Gene fusion has been used to produce the cytoplasmic domain of an endocytic receptor. DNA sequences coding for the 52 COOH-terminal amino acids of the mannose receptor from human macrophages, including the 41-amino acid cytoplasmic tail, were fused to the codons specifying the carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD) of rat mannose-binding protein. The fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified in one step on mannose—Sepharose, making use of the carbohydrate-binding activity of the CRD. The tail peptide was released from the fusion protein using endoproteinase Arg-C. This method provides an alternative to chemical synthesis for the production of midlength peptides.
Unified DSC Constitutive Model for Pavement Materials with Numerical Implementation

Need for unified and mechanistic constitutive models for pavement materials for evaluation of various distresses has been recognized; however, such models are not yet available. There have been efforts to develop unified models; however, they have been based usually on ad hoc combinations of models for special properties such as elastic, plastic, creep and fracture, often without appropriate connections to various coupled responses of bound and unbound materials, they may result and in a large number of parameters, often without physical meanings. The disturbed state concept (DSC) provides a modeling approach that includes various responses such as elastic, plastic, creep, microcracking and fracture, softening and healing under mechanical and environmental (thermal, moisture, etc.) within a single unified and coupled framework. A brief review is presented to identify the advantages of the DSC compared to other available models. The DSC has been validated and applied to a wide range of materials: geologic,...
Average outage duration of diversity systems over generalized fading channels

A "classical" probability density function (PDF)-based approach relying on the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the combined output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as well as the joint PDF of the combined output SNR and its time derivative, is used to obtain exact closed form expressions for average outage duration (AOD) of maximal-ratio combiners (MRC) over independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh and Rice fading channels. On the other hand, relying on numerical techniques for inverting Laplace transforms of CDFs and for the computation of the joint characteristic function (CF) of the combined output SNR random process and its time derivative, a CF-based approach is adopted to calculate the AOD of MRC over non-i.i.d. Rician diversity paths. The mathematical formalism is illustrated by presenting some numerical results/plots showing the impact of the power delay profile and the distribution of the angle of arrivals on the AOD of diversity systems operating over typical fading channels of practical interest.
Denominational Variations Across American Jewish Communities

This article explores the Jewish identity of different Jewish denominational identification groups using the Decade 2000 Data Set with its 19,800 interviews of Jewish households in 22 American Jewish communities. We relate the Jewish identity of individuals in each denominational group (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform/Reconstructionist) to the denominational composition of the community. Communities are clustered via k-means cluster analysis based on their denominational profiles. We examine the extent to which individual Jewish identification varies by the denominational composition of the community in which an individual resides, finding that considerable variation exists in Jewish identity measures depending on the type of denominational profile that exists in the individual’s community. That is, Orthodox Jews, for example, behave differently in a community with a significant Orthodox population than in a community with few Orthodox, but many Reform Jews. Implications for Jewish communities, as well as for the broader interreligious community, are considered.
Cardiovascular fitness after stroke: Role of muscle mass and gait deficit severity.

Functional disability after hemiparetic stroke may be compounded by physical deconditioning and muscular wasting, factors related to disuse and advancing age. However, the role of body composition, severity, and chronicity of gait deficits as determinants of exercise fitness after stroke is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether oxygen consumption during peak exercise (VO2 peak) is associated with body composition, the severity, or duration of gait deficits in chronic (>6 months) hemiparetic stroke patients. Twenty-six patients (22 men, 4 women), aged 66 ± 9 years (mean ± standard deviation [SD]), completed a progressive graded treadmill test until fatigue to measure VO2 peak (1.3 ± 0.4 L/minute). Timed 30-foot walks were used to determine self-selected floor walking velocity (0.63 ± 0.31 m/s), an index of gait deficit severity. Percent body fat (30.4% ± 10.6%), total lean mass (52.0 ± 9.3 kg), lean mass of the paretic and nonaffected legs (17.2 ± 3.7 kg), and lean mass of the paretic and nonaffected thighs (13.2 ± 2.7 kg) were determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Total lean mass (r = 0.60), lean mass of both legs (r = 0.58), paretic leg lean mass (r = 0.55), lean mass of both thighs (r = 0.64), and self-selected floor walking velocity (r = 0.53, all P < .01) correlated with VO2 peak. In contrast, percent body fat and latency since index stroke were unrelated to VO2 peak. In a stepwise regression analysis, lean mass of both thighs (r = 0.64, P < .001) and self-selected walking velocity (cumulative r = 0.78, P < .001) were independent predictors of VO2 peak and explained 61% of the variance. These results suggest that hemiparetic stroke patients are profoundly deconditioned, regardless of the latency since stroke, and that lower lean thigh mass and greater gait deficit severity predict even poorer peak exercise capacity.
Duration of exposure to suboptimal atmospheric moisture affects nymphal blacklegged tick survival.

The biological processes affecting Ixodes scapularis Say survival are complex. Under- standing these processes will be beneÞcial for predicting tick distribution and population dynamics. This research shows that the duration for which nymphal ticks are exposed to drying air is an important factor for their survival. Experimental analysis of variance results show that duration of exposure to dry air (duration) is as important as vapor pressure deÞcit (relative humidity) (duration, relative humidity, P 0.0001). Ticks do not survive when exposed to dry air for long periods; however, the return of humid air within 4 Ð 8 h has as large a positive impact on tick survival, as does constant humid air. This experiment exposes nymphal ticks to conditions of suboptimal humidity for different durations and then returns them to saturated conditions that are more typical of daily relative humidity suctuations experienced during summer in southern New England forests.
Ontology-guided organ detection to retrieve web images of disease manifestation: towards the construction of a consumer-based health image library.

Background Visual information is a crucial aspect of medical knowledge. Building a comprehensive medical image base, in the spirit of the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), would greatly benefit patient education and self-care. However, collection and annotation of such a large-scale image base is challenging. Objective To combine visual object detection techniques with medical ontology to automatically mine web photos and retrieve a large number of disease manifestation images with minimal manual labeling effort. Methods As a proof of concept, we first learnt five organ detectors on three detection scales for eyes, ears, lips, hands, and feet. Given a disease, we used information from the UMLS to select affected body parts, ran the pretrained organ detectors on web images, and combined the detection outputs to retrieve disease images. Results Compared with a supervised image retrieval approach that requires training images for every disease, our ontology-guided approach exploits shared visual information of body parts across diseases. In retrieving 2220 web images of 32 diseases, we reduced manual labeling effort to 15.6% while improving the average precision by 3.9% from 77.7% to 81.6%. For 40.6% of the diseases, we improved the precision by 10%. Conclusions The results confirm the concept that the web is a feasible source for automatic disease image retrieval for health image database construction. Our approach requires a small amount of manual effort to collect complex disease images, and to annotate them by standard medical ontology terms.
Effects of state-level policy changes on homicide and nonfatal shootings of law enforcement officers

Objective To evaluate the impact of state-level policy changes on assaults on law enforcement officers (LEOs) in the USA. Methods Pooled time series and cross-sections with negative binomial regression were used to estimate the impact of state-level changes of right-to-carry (RTC), three-strikes and permit-to-purchase (PTP) handgun laws on fatal and non-fatal assaults of LEOs. LEO assaults were stratified by weapon type (all methods, handgun and non-handgun) and whether or not the assault was fatal. Data were collected from the Federal Bureau of Investigation9s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted database and analysed for the period 1984–2013 for fatal assaults and 1998–2013 for non-fatal assaults. Results RTC laws showed no association with fatal (p>0.4) or non-fatal (p>0.15) assaults on LEOs. Three-strikes laws were associated with a 33% increase in the risk of fatal assaults on LEOs. Connecticut9s PTP law was not associated with fatal (p>0.16) or non-fatal (p>0.13) assaults. Missouri9s repeal of its PTP legislation was marginally associated with a twofold increased risk of non-fatal handgun assaults (p=0.089). Conclusions This research indicates that three-strikes laws increase the risk of fatal assaults. RTC laws are not associated with increased risk of assault. Missouri9s PTP repeal may increase the risk of non-fatal handgun assaults.
Transition of New Graduate Nurses to the Workforce Challenges and Solutions in the Changing Health Care Environment

New graduate nurses face a host of challenges that impact successful transition to practice. Health care organizations thus need to understand how changes in the health care landscape impact new graduate nurses who are transitioning to the practice environment. This commentary discusses challenges and possible solutions to successful transition of new graduates into the work environment.
Child Welfare Research and Training: A Response to David Stoesz.

In this response to David Stoesz’ critique, “The Child Welfare Cartel,” the authors agree that child welfare research and training must be improved. The authors disagree, however, with Stoesz’ crit...
Determinants of the Perceived Value of Information in Information Search Contexts

While considerable research has examined information search behavior, little is known about factors that impact how individuals judge the value of the information they receive. We argue that the extent to which an information seeker judges information to be valuable depends on the breadth and depth of the information provider's expertise relative to that of other information providers who respond to that same information seeker. Information value is also impacted by the relative responsiveness the information provider - that is, how quickly, how frequently and how elaborately they respond to the information seeker's query. Importantly though, we find that these effects are moderated by the information seeker's goals - that is, whether they are searching for information so as to learn something new (a learning goal) or whether they are searching for information to decide what to do (a decision making goal).
A Self-Evaluation Method of Reliability for Smart High Voltage Switchgear

It is one of key technologies for the smart high-voltage switchgears to complete self-evaluation on their operation reliability and control reliability locally and independently according to sensor information. The evaluation is divided into two steps: firstly, the information from single sensor is evaluated, and then on this basis the synthetic evaluation on the information from multi sensors is completed. In the first step, the threshold method, the tendency method and the fingerprint method are discussed, and one of the methods, suitable for the information from the single sensor, is selected. In the second step, at first the independence among information from sensors are analyzed in depth and three kinds of probable incidence relations are proposed and applied in the computation of synthetic evaluation results, in which the reliability corresponding to the value of specific sensor is substituted by empirical value, thus it makes the analysis method executable. Finally, two application cases are given, and the self-evaluation results of the application cases are in line with the evaluation results by experts, therefore the effectiveness of the proposed self-evaluation method is validated.
Human neutrophils release the Leu-8 lymph node homing receptor during cell activation

The Leu-8 molecule, the human homologue of the murine MEL-14 peripheral lymph node homing receptor, is expressed on neutrophils in both species and may be important in localization of cells to sites of inflammation. Most circulating human neutrophils express the Leu-8 molecule, and activation of neutrophils with phorbol myristate acetate causes a rapid decline in Leu-8 membrane fluorescence staining within 15 minutes. Northern blot analysis of total cellular RNA from neutrophils demonstrated two species of Leu-8 messenger RNA, a major one of 2.4 kb and a minor one of 1.9 kb. Because two different Leu-8 cDNA clones were obtained from human lymphocytes that were predicted to encode both transmembrane and phosphatidylinositol (PI)-anchored forms of the molecule, experiments were conducted to determine whether Leu-8 is anchored to neutrophils by a PI-anchor. There was a slight decrease in expression of Leu-8 on neutrophils when they were treated with PI-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC). However, Leu-8 was abundant on neutrophils obtained from a patient with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. To determine the fate of the Leu-8 molecule during cell activation, neutrophils were labeled with 125I-anti-Leu-8. During activation antibody was rapidly lost from the cell surface and was not internalized, suggesting that Leu-8 is released from the cell membrane during cell activation. When cell extracts of neutrophils were compared with extracts of lymphoid cells by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting, the Leu-8 species expressed on neutrophils had a significantly higher and more variable relative mobility (70 to 120 Kd for neutrophils v 70 Kd for Jurkat T cells). In addition, Leu-8 molecules were detected in the supernatants of activated neutrophils. These results indicate that human neutrophils express a high-molecular-weight form of the Leu-8 molecule that has a conventional transmembrane anchor and is rapidly released from the membrane during activation. The loss of the Leu-8 membrane glycoprotein during activation may be a mechanism for rapid alteration of neutrophil adhesion characteristics.
Human Meprin Alfa Metalloprotease Is Differentially Expressed in Peripheral Blood Cells.

Meprin metaloproteases are highly expressed in the apical brush-border of the intestinal and renal proximal tubule epithelia. However, the expression and function of these metaloproteinease in other tissues have not been well established. Using a specific antisera raised against rat but cross-reactive with human Meprin Alfa, we examined the expression of this protein in human peripheral blood cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the post-, but not the pre-, immune sera stained strongly for the CD14+ monocytes and moderately for CD56+ NK cells, but not for CD3+ T and CD19+ B cells. To confirm Meprin Alfa expression at the RNA level, peripheral blood cells were fractionated based on the expression of the above surface markers, followed by detection of Meprin Alfa message RNA by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Consistent with the flow cytometry data, Meprin Alfa messages were detected only in cell fractions containing monocytes and NK cells but not T and B cells. Subsequent sequencing of the PCR amplified fragments confirmed the specificity of the PCR amplification. Interestingly, flow cytometry analysis further revealed that while the expression of Meprin Alfa was maintained in the macrophages differentiated in vitro from isolated monocytes, its expression was reduced in monocytes-derived immature dendritic cells (DC) and diminished in mature DC. The differential expression of Meprin Alfa in the peripheral blood cells suggests important physiological function of this protein in the immune system.
Developing a Health-Related Quality-of-Life Measure for People with Intellectual Disability.

Using principles of community-based participatory research we developed a new theory-based measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for individuals with intellectual disability (ID). We recruited adults with ID (n = 129) to take part in interviews and review successive versions of HRQOL items. Critical input about content and understandability shaped the items, as did input from four focus groups of parents/caregivers (n = 16) and representative stakeholders from community-based agencies (n = 7). The resulting HRQOL measure, called the HRQOL-IDD, contains 42 items. The response format depicts a gradient of fluid-filled cups ("none" to "full") to represent frequency of experience of each item on a 5-point scale.
Dietary Fatty Acid Modification for the Treatment of Aspirin-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease: A Prospective Pilot Trial

Background The high levels of eicosanoid production and the clinical efficacy of leukotriene-modifying pharmacotherapies for patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) suggest that other interventions targeting arachidonic acid dysregulation may also improve disease control. Objective To assess the utility of a high omega-3/low omega-6 diet for the treatment of AERD. Methods Prospective, nonblinded dietary intervention in 10 adult patients with AERD at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. The primary objective was for subjects to reduce dietary omega-6 fatty acid consumption to less than 4 g/d and increase omega-3 intake to more than 3 g/d. The primary outcome was change in urinary leukotriene E 4 , with changes in other eicosanoids, platelet activation, lung function, and patient-reported questionnaires also assessed. Results Of the 10 subjects who screened for the study, all 10 completed the dietary intervention. Urinary leukotriene E 4 decreased by 0.17 ng/mg (95% CI, −0.29 to −0.04; P = .02) and tetranor prostaglandin D-M decreased by 0.66 ng/mg creatinine (95% CI, −1.21 to −0.11; P = .02). There was a 15.1-point reduction in the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test score (95% CI, −24.3 to −6.0; P = .01), a 0.27-point reduction in the 7-item Asthma Control Questionnaire score (95% CI, −0.52 to −0.03; P = .03), and no change in FEV 1 % predicted ( P = .92) or forced vital capacity % predicted ( P = .74). All patients lost some weight over the 2-week intervention period, and there were no diet-associated adverse events. Conclusions A high omega-3/low omega-6 diet may be an appropriate adjunct treatment option for patients with AERD.
Building superlattices from individual nanoparticles via template-confined DNA-mediated assembly

DNA programmable assembly has been combined with top-down lithography to construct superlattices of discrete, reconfigurable nanoparticle architectures on a gold surface over large areas. Specifically, the assembly of individual colloidal plasmonic nanoparticles with different shapes and sizes is controlled by oligonucleotides containing “locked” nucleic acids and confined environments provided by polymer pores to yield oriented architectures that feature tunable arrangements and independently controllable distances at both nanometer- and micrometer-length scales. These structures, which would be difficult to construct by other common assembly methods, provide a platform to systematically study and control light-matter interactions in nanoparticle-based optical materials. The generality and potential of this approach are explored by identifying a broadband absorber with a solvent polarity response that allows dynamic tuning of visible light absorption.
MS-PyCloud: An open-source, cloud computing-based pipeline for LC-MS/MS data analysis

Rapid development and wide adoption of mass spectrometry-based proteomics technologies have empowered scientists to study proteins and their modifications in complex samples on a large scale. This progress has also created unprecedented challenges for individual labs to store, manage and analyze proteomics data, both in the cost for proprietary software and high-performance computing, and the long processing time that discourages on-the-fly changes of data processing settings required in explorative and discovery analysis. We developed an open-source, cloud computing-based pipeline, MS-PyCloud, with graphical user interface (GUI) support, for LC-MS/MS data analysis. The major components of this pipeline include data file integrity validation, MS/MS database search for spectral assignment, false discovery rate estimation, protein inference, determination of protein post-translation modifications, and quantitation of specific (modified) peptides and proteins. To ensure the transparency and reproducibility of data analysis, MS-PyCloud includes open source software tools with comprehensive testing and versioning for spectrum assignments. Leveraging public cloud computing infrastructure via Amazon Web Services (AWS), MS-PyCloud scales seamlessly based on analysis demand to achieve fast and efficient performance. Application of the pipeline to the analysis of large-scale iTRAQ/TMT LC-MS/MS data sets demonstrated the effectiveness and high performance of MS-PyCloud. The software can be downloaded at: https://bitbucket.org/mschnau/ms-pycloud/downloads/
History of the Discovery of Hepatitis A Virus

Disease outbreaks resembling hepatitis A have been known since antiquity. However, it was not until World War II when two forms of viral hepatitis were clearly differentiated. After the discovery of Australia antigen and its association with hepatitis B, similar methodologies were used to find the hepatitis A virus. The virus was ultimately identified when investigators changed the focus of their search from serum to feces and applied appropriate technology.
Noncoronary sinus of valsalva aneurysm rupture into right atrium.

A 27-year-old man emergently presented with shortness of breath and hemoptysis. He had hypoxia, tachypnea, and tachycardia, as well as a continuous murmur across the precordium with maximum intensity over the left sternal border. Chest radiographs revealed moderate congestion. Computed tomograms of the chest showed multiple bilateral pulmonary emboli. Transesophageal echocardiograms revealed severe tricuspid insufficiency with vegetation on the tricuspid valve and a shunt between the noncoronary sinus of Valsalva and the right atrium (Fig. 1). Fig. 1 Transesophageal echocardiograms show A) the sinus of Valsalva aneurysm preoperatively (3-dimensional view), B) the shunted flow (arrow) from the aorta into the right atrium and then into the right ventricle preoperatively (color-flow Doppler mode), ... Diagnostic cardiac catheterization, including thoracic aortography, yielded a large sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SVA) with signs of shunting into the right atrium (Fig. 2). The patient underwent surgical repair of the ruptured noncoronary cusp with use of a CorMatrix ECM® tissue patch (CorMatrix Cardiovascular, Inc.; Roswell, Ga), augmentation of the septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve with a CorMatrix patch, and annuloplasty ring placement. Postoperative images showed well-functioning aortic and tricuspid valves. The ruptured SVA with shunt flow directed toward the septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve might have predisposed the patient to endocarditis of the tricuspid valve.1 Fig. 2 Thoracic aortogram (left anterior oblique projection) shows the sinus of Valsalva aneurysm and the contrast jet (arrow) between the noncoronary sinus and the right atrium.
β-LIPOTROPIN, CORTICOTROPIN AND β-ENDORPHIN: PHOSPHORYLATION BY CYCLIC AMP-DEPENDENT AND INDEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASES

The biologically active peptides human β-endorphin and corticotropin as well as the β-endorphin precursor β-lipotropin could be phosphorylated by either the purified catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase or a cyclic nucleotide-independent kinase partially purified from rat brain. Parathyroid hormone and secretin served also as substrates for either kinase suggesting that phosphorylation may be a commonly occurring covalent modification of peptides. The potential role of phosphorylation for peptide processing and function is discussed.
Bayesian Estimates for the Rate of three Mile Island Type Releases

The Bayesian approach described in this paper uses two kinds of information to estimate the rate of Three Mile Island (TMI) type releases: prior information contained in the prior distribution for the rate and experimental information from the operating experience with pressurized water reactors (PWR). Two prior distributions, but the same operating experience — expressed as total reactor years — are used to obtain the posterior distributions for the rate. One prior distribution is uniform over a finite range, the other one is the lognormal prior for PWR-9 releases given in the Rasmussen (WASH-1400) report. The probability of occurrence of a PWR-9 release by a certain total operating experience (reactor years) is calculated for uniform priors with difference ranges and for the lognormal prior for a PWR-9 release. The information defined as entropy — contained in the lognormal prior is compared with the information in the posterior distribution bases on the uniform prior. It is found that the lognormal PWR-9 prior contains considerably more information than the posterior resulting from the operating experience and a uniform prior. An alternate, conceptually more satisfying method to measure information learned through experience and expected sample information is sketched briefly. The same PWR operating experience up to the end of 1981 (651. reactor years) produces a post-posterior based on the lognormal PWR-9 prior with a mode at a rate of 2.8 × 10−4 per reactor year and a post-posterior stemming from the uniform prior with a modal rate of 1.5 × 10−3 per reactor year. Remarks on how Bayesian techniques should be used to estimate rates of radiation-induced cancers after accidental radioactive releases from reactors conclude the paper.
Directional Solidification: Theoretical Methods and Current Understanding

The patterns formed via the directional solidification of binary mixtures are paradigmatic of the type of structures which can arise in non-equilibrium dissipative systems. This paper will review the current status of our attempts to understand these patterns. We will focus in turn on phenomena in shallow cell systems, the highly non-equilibrium deep cell regime and the transition to dendritic growth.
Introduction: The Southern Question

In this introductory chapter, DiMaria provides an overview of the historical, cultural, and literary context that for over a century has informed and inflamed the debate on the Question of the South or Questione del Mezzogiorno. He traces the controversy from the nineteenth century, when anthropologists labeled Southerners an inferior race, to the rise of the Northern League (1990s), which rekindled the racist rhetoric of old. He offers an unbiased analysis of the environment that led to the 1860 annexation of the South. The evidence leads him to conclude that most Southerners, contrary to recent claims, were willing to join the new Kingdom of Italy. Resistance to the unification came mostly from Bourbon loyalists who hoped to restore the toppled regime.
On the Growth of the Prime Numbers Based Encoded Vector Clock

The vector clock is a fundamental tool for tracking causality in parallel and distributed applications. Unfortunately, it does not scale well to large systems because each process needs to maintain a vector of size n, where n is the total number of processes in the system. To address this problem, the encoded vector clock (EVC) was recently proposed. The EVC is based on the encoding of the vector clock using prime numbers and uses a single number to represent vector time. The EVC has all the properties of the vector clock and yet uses a single number to represent global time. However, the single number EVC tends to grow fast and may soon exceed the size of the traditional vector clock. In this paper, we evaluate the growth rate of the size of the EVC using a simulation model. The simulations show that the EVC grows relatively fast, and the growth rate depends on the mix of internal events and communication events. To overcome this drawback, the EVC can be used in conjunction with several scalability techniques that can allow the use of the EVC in practical applications. We then present a case study of detecting memory consistency errors in MPI one-sided applications using EVC.
Enterourachal Fistula as an Initial Presentation in Crohn Disease

Crohn disease has a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and rarely can present with complications such as a bowel stricture or fistula. In this case report, we describe a 17-year-old male who presented with a history of recurrent anterior abdominal wall abscesses and dysuria. He was diagnosed with Crohn disease and also found to have a fistulous communication between the terminal ileum and a patent urachus. An ileocecectomy with primary anastomosis and complete resection of the abscess cavity was performed. He is on azathioprine for maintenance therapy and currently in remission. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for this complication in Crohn disease patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of urachal anomalies such as suprapubic abdominal pain, dysuria, umbilical discharge, and periumbilical mass.
A 58-Year-Old Woman With Back Pain and an Unusual Diagnosis

Case Presentation A 58-year-old postmenopausal woman presented to her primary care physician with lower back pain. She denied respiratory symptoms. Her medical history is significant for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and prediabetes. Her surgical history consists of a tonsillectomy and a remote dilatation and curettage procedure. She denied a history of smoking, alcohol use, or recreational drug use. A review of systems was otherwise negative.
Machine learning and AI for long-term fault prognosis in complex manufacturing systems

Abstract Recent advances in sensors and other streaming data sources of plant floor automation and information systems open an exciting possibility to predict the risks of faults and breakdowns across a manufacturing plant over much longer time horizons than what is conceivable today. This paper introduces a Manufacturing System-wide Balanced Random Survival Forest (MBRSF), a nonparametric machine learning approach that can fuse complex dynamic dependencies underlying these data streams to provide a long-term prognosis of machine breakdowns. Experimental investigations with a 20 machine automotive manufacturing line suggest that MBRSF reduces prediction errors (Brier scores) by over 90% compared to other methods tested.
Therapeutic approaches to treat human spliceosomal diseases

Mutated RNA splicing machinery drives many human diseases and is a promising therapeutic target for engineering and small molecule therapy. In the case of mutations in individual genes that cause them to be incorrectly spliced, engineered splicing factors can be introduced to correct splicing of these aberrant transcripts and reduce the effects of the disease phenotype. Mutations that occur in certain splicing factor genes themselves have been implicated in many cancers, particularly myelodysplastic syndromes. Small molecules that target splicing factors have been developed as therapies to preferentially induce apoptosis in these cancer cells. Specifically, drugs targeting the splicing factor SF3B1 have led to recent clinical trials. Here, we review the role of alternative splicing in disease, approaches to rescue incorrect splicing using engineered splicing factors, and small molecule splicing inhibitors developed to treat hematological cancers.
Playground Politics, Power, and Privilege in the Workplace: How Bullying and Harassment Impacts Employees

In this chapter, we examine bullying perpetration and victimization in the workplace. First, we set forth a definition of workplace bullying, then we discuss prevalence, costs, and the impact on victims. We relate workplace bullying to other forms of perpetration and victimization and discuss salient issues in policy and practice strategies.
The Government Role in VLSI

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the government role in VLSI. The government role in the development of VLSI is a complex one because VLSI itself can be perceived in several ways. From one perspective, it is an active current research effort with clear-cut, long-term applications in electronic systems. From another perspective the term represents the widely acknowledged future direction of a major American industry. From yet another perspective, it represents the cornerstone of the new computer or communications age that will see a pervasive use of intelligent electronics systems and may lead to major social and economic changes. It is probably safe to say that as a result of this spectrum of perceptions, every agency of the executive branch of the federal government and every congressional office and committee has some level of interest in VLSI. The Department of Defense (DoD) and related agencies see VLSI as important to their mission, and they have developed significant programs intended to hasten its development. This role is consistent with DoDs long term experience with electronics and its significant role in the development of integrated circuits.
Janus Kinase Inhibitors and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer

JAK (janus kinase) inhibitors are becoming increasingly prescribed for various conditions from dermatologic diseases to graft versus host disease in bone marrow transplant recipients. This class of drugs has been found to be truly life-changing for many, though they are not without potential adverse effects. While JAK inhibitors have not been shown to significantly increase the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in large scale clinical trials, NMSC is one of the most concerning possible adverse events, and there have been several reported cases of aggressive squamous cell carcinomas, especially in our already immunosuppressed patient populations. In these patients, it is incredibly important that patients are on the lowest possible dosage of the JAK inhibitor. In addition, these patients must be routinely screened by a dermatologist with a comprehensive skin exam to ensure early detection if skin cancer was to develop. For those patients diagnosed with skin cancer, early intervention is key to optimize outcomes, and at times, multi-disciplinary care coordination is needed. In the future, large-scale studies with longer follow-up of patients would help determine whether JAK inhibitors significantly increase the risk of NMSC.
The Health and Development of Young Children Who Witnessed Their Parent’s Arrest Prior to Parental Jail Incarceration

Most U.S. incarceration occurs in jails, with more than 10 million annual admissions, and most individuals in jail are parents of minor children. In this short-term longitudinal study, we examined the health and development of young children who did or did not witness their parent's arrest prior to parental jail incarceration. 228 individuals in 76 triads (incarcerated parents, children, at-home caregivers) were enrolled from four jails in two states. Jailed parents and caregivers reported on whether the child witnessed the parent's arrest or crime. Children's caregivers completed questionnaires about children's emotional symptoms during the prior 6 months and demographics, as well as children's emotional reactions to separation from the parent and child health at the initial assessment and 2 weeks later. Trained researchers conducted a developmental assessment with children while waiting to visit parents. Results of regression-based moderated mediation analyses indicated that when their emotional symptoms were high, children who witnessed parental arrest were more likely to have poorer health initially and more intense negative reactions to the parent leaving for jail. In addition, when children's general emotional symptoms were low, children who witnessed their parent's arrest were more likely to exhibit developmental delays, especially in their early academic skills, compared to children who did not witness the arrest. Witnessing the parent's crime related to missed milestones in social and adaptive development. Findings have implications for policies regarding safeguarding children during parental arrest and referrals for health- and development-promotion services following parental criminal justice system involvement.
Locating drainage tiles at a wetland restoration site within the Oak Openings region of Ohio, United States using UAV and land based geophysical techniques

Drainage tiles were used to drain wetlands in the midwestern United States to convert them into farmlands. With decades of farm operations, utility maps showing tiles’ locations are now mostly inaccurate or simply do not exist. However, knowledge of the location of tile networks is needed to effectively restore these farmlands to their original wetlands’ conditions. With many fields spanning several hectares, efficiently locating drainage tiles at large farm fields can be problematic. Drainage tiles create variations in soil physical properties including moisture content, surface temperature and dielectric permittivity within and around the pipes which can be sensed by geophysical methods. Our study assesses the application of electromagnetic radiation via visible and thermal infrared imaging using an unmanned aerial vehicle and ground penetrating radar (GPR) to locate drainage tiles at large farm field scale. The study was conducted at the Sandhill Crane wetland, a 1.1 km2 old agricultural field located in Swanton, Ohio. A UAV equipped with visible and thermal infrared cameras acquired imagery on a regular grid and about 100 GPR lines were measured using a 250 MHz radar system. Both visible and thermal infrared images identified the drainage tiles and their orientations. GPR profiles reveal the drainage tiles mostly in a parallel East-West direction. By using a UTV to pull the GPR system, we efficiently collected data along profiles covering the entire site. The delineated tile network will improve management of the anthropogenically altered hydrology at the site as it is being restored into its original wetland conditions.
Extracellular vesicles derived from inflammatory-educated stem cells reverse brain inflammation—implication of miRNAs

Inflammation plays a key role in the development of age-related diseases. In Alzheimer's disease, neuronal cell death is attributed to amyloidbeta oligomers that trigger microglial activation. Stem cells have shown promise as therapies for inflammatory diseases- because of their paracrine activity combined with their ability to respond to the inflammatory environment. However, the mechanisms underlying stem cell-promoted neurological recovery are poorly understood. To elucidate these mechanisms, we first primed stem cells with the secretome of lipopolysaccharide- or amyloidbeta-activated microglia. Then, we compared the immunomodulatory effects of extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted from primed and non-primed stem cells. Our results demonstrate that EVs from primed cells are more effective in inhibiting microglia and astrocyte activation, amyloid deposition, demyelination, memory loss and motor and anxiety-like behavioral dysfunction, compared to EVs from non-primed cells. MicroRNA (miRNA) profiling revealed the upregulation of at least 19 miRNAs on primed-stem cell EVs. The miRNA targets were identified, and KEGG pathway analysis showed that the overexpressed miRNAs target key genes on the toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) signaling pathway. Overall, our results demonstrate that priming mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with the secretome of activated microglia results in the release of miRNAs from EVs with enhanced immune regulatory potential able to fight neuroinflammation.
Reaction Dynamics by Molecular Beams

The detailed molecular dynamics of elementary chemical reactions can be studied using the crossed molecular beam scattering technique. The present paper presents only a glimpse of the kinds of experiments which have provided insights into the microscopic mechanism of chemical reactions. It is neither a review of the literature nor a “case study” of the most sophisticated experiment in the field. It is, rather, a partial overview of the subject, together with a few examples of recent crossed beam studies of reactions of possible interest in laser chemistry.
Surface Energetics and Structural Reliability of Adhesive Bonded Metal Structures

All metals, except gold, are chemically reactive with oxygen and moisture at ambient temperature and tend to form oxide or hydrated oxide layers. In addition to oxidative chemical reaction, these high energy surfaces are subject to physical adsorption by water vapor and volatile organic contaminants. Earlier studies have shown for structural aluminum alloy AL-2024-T3 that the kinetics of surface aging, subsequent to acid etching, can be followed by wettability measurements and expressed on surface energy maps of dispersion and polar components of solid-vapor surface tension. Weibull statistics have recently been applied by Wegman and co-workers to investigate the effects of both surface exposure time (SET) and bond exposure time (BET) to high moisture upon the shear bond strengths of metal joints. In this study the surface chemistry and related surface energy of both metal adherends and adhesives are analyzed prior to bonding. The theory of interfacial adhesion and thermodynamics of fracture are combined to predict the effects of both SET and BET on long term bond strength and reliability. Structural adhesive joints of both aluminum and titanium structural alloys bonded with epoxy-phenolic adhesive are shown to degrade according to surface energetics predictions. Aging is shown to lower average strengths without broadening the Weibull strength distributions. Results are discussed in terms of structural reliability of adhesive bonded metal structures.
Neurotransmitters of Helminths

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the chemical signals affecting the neuromuscular systems of adult parasitic helminths with emphasis on putative transmitters and modulators in the trematodes, cestodes, and nematodes. The chapter contrasts the parasitic platyhelminths and parasitic nematodes, and emphasizes on selected species as representative of each phylum (trematodes : Fasciola hepatica and Schistosoma mansoni ; cestodes: Hymenolepsis diminuta ; nematodes : Ascaris suum ). It also presents supplementary information about the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and other parasitic helminthes. Parasitic helminths exhibit a variety of putative intercellular signaling molecules. These include classical small molecule transmitters, modulators, and neuropeptides. In many cases, there is close spatial association of cell bodies or neurites containing certain signaling molecules with muscle tissue or with motoneurons. This provides evidence that these chemicals represent putative transmitters or modulators that are involved in neuromuscular activity The establishment of neurotransmitter or neuromodulator status for a given ligand at a neuromuscular junction depends on pharmacological studies using simultaneous intracellular recordings with microelectrodes in an identified presynaptic motoneuron and a postsynaptic muscle cell. For the parasitic nematodes putative neurotransmitters and neuromodulators include acetylcholine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and glutamate neuromuscular junctions. The study of neuropeptides in nematodes has revealed the strong candidacy of the family of FMRFamide-like peptides and in particular the AF peptides, which have specific physiological effects.
The ideal of Sierpinski-Zygmund sets on the plane.

We say that a set $X \sq \real^2$ is {\it Sierpi{\'n}ski-Zygmund\/} (or {\it SZ-set\/} for short) if it does not contain a partial continuous function of cardinality continuum $\cont$. We observe that the family of all such sets is $\cf(\cont)$-additive ideal. Some examples of such sets are given. We also consider {\it SZ-shiftable sets\/}; that is, sets $X \sq \real^2$ for which there exists a function $f\colon \real \to \real$ such that $f+X$ is a SZ-set. Some results are proved about SZ-shiftable sets. In particular, we show that the union of two SZ-shiftable sets does not have to be SZ-shiftable.