cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensor-on-CMOS dielectric characterization using temperature modulation

In this paper, on-chip temperature modulation is applied in a CMOS-based dielectric sensor for the determination of sample temperature coefficients in a microfluidic setting. System uncertainties are taken into account by a multi-step calibration with the use of on-chip metal-based switched-capacitors. Using de-ionized water as reference, the temperature coefficients of saline and methanol-water mixture are extracted at 17.5 GHz with temperature spanning from 32 ∼ 37 °C.
The Kyoto Protocol's Emissions Trading Scheme: Realistic or Unjust Solution for Potential Developing Nation Signatories?

Divergent legal obligations among major greenhouse gas emitters are a roadblock to establishing an effective climate change mitigation treaty. The United States, and now Canada, Japan, and Russia, have rejected time-bound, legally binding emissions reduction obligations unless major developing country emitters such as China and India undertake comparable binding obligations to reduce their emissions. While scholars and policymakers have considered arguments for including all major emitters, the legal capacity of developing countries to participate and implement market mechanism solutions under the Kyoto Protocol has received little attention. Even if developing countries were to sign the Protocol, they lack the legal and administrative capacity to implement the emissions trading scheme, which is a core solution to climate change mitigation under the Protocol.
Compression of Bonded Rubber Blocks

Abstract Many practical rubber component designs involve the compression of rubber blocks bonded to rigid metal plates. The rigorous analysis of such components is very difficult. However, a simple approximate method developed by Gent gives reasonably satisfactory predictions for stiffness and stress distribution provided deformations are kept small. Gent's “pressure” method is briefly reviewed for the classical cases of a long strip and a cylindrical disk. The method is then applied to more complex cases of a rectangular block and an annulus. The usual “incompressibility” assumption is relaxed to “near incompressibility” to yield more accurate solutions. Predictions have been verified using linear finite element analysis.
The ultrastructure and development of sporangia in Gilbertella persicaria.

SUMMARYThe ultrastructural features of sporogenesis in the mucoraceous fungus Gilbertella persicaria are illustrated and described, with emphasis on cytokinesis and spore wall formation. During cleavage, the principal structural changes involve pattern transformations of protoplasmic membranes. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is one of the most changeable membrane components, transforming from a complex fenestrated and branching form to a simpler sheet-like form during the course of cleavage.During precleavage, small vesicles are formed, apparently from special cisternae. The disappearance of these initial vesicles coincides with the appearance of cleavage vesicles. Cleavage vesicles are distinguished by the presence of granules on the inner surface of the vesicle membrane. Prior to cleavage, the nuclei, ER, and cleavage vesicles form an inter-associated system. Cleavage is initiated endogenously by the coalescence of cleavage vesicles to form a ramifying tubular cleavage apparatus. The cleavage apparatus dema...
Terminal differentiation surface antigens of myelomonocytic cells are expressed in human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL60) treated with chemical inducers.

The expression of two surface antigens present on the cell membrane of both human granulocytes and monocytes was studied during the process of myelomonocytic differentiation using two monoclonal antibodies (B9.8.1 and B13.4.1). These surface antigens are not present on immature myeloid cells nor on nonmyeloid hematopoietic cells, but can be detected when the cells are terminally differentiated. Among the bone marrow cells, B13.4.1 binds to metamyelocytes and B9.8.1 to metamyelocytes and a fraction (30%) of myelocytes. HL60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells did not react with such monoclonal antibodies. However, when such cells were induced to differentiate in vitro into mature myeloid elements by treatment with retinoic acid or dimethyl sulfoxide, 70%--90% of the differentiated cells expressed both surface antigens. Cell sorting studies on these treated HL60 cells indicated that myelocytes and metamyelocytes were the most immature cells expressing such markers. Expression of the two surface antigens was also observed when HL60 cells were induced to differentiate into monocyte/macrophage cells by treatment with the tumor promoter 12-O- tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate. Thus, human promyelocytic leukemia cells induced to differentiate in vitro by treatment with specific chemical agents express membrane antigens in the same pattern as normal bone marrow myeloid cells at the corresponding stage of differentiation.
Preparation and Properties of Low-loss Core-cladding Structure Ge-Te-Se Fiber Based on the Extrusion Technology

Using chemical and physical purification method,Ge20Te20Se60 and Ge20Se80glasses with high transmittance were prepared,respectively as the core and cladding material.Based on the rheological properties of chalcogenide glass and the dependence of viscosity to temperature,the fibers were prepared with completed core-clad structure,low structure defect and better ovality by flat mould extrusion method.This study shows that fiber loss decreased obviously after glass purification.As a result,the average fiber loss reduces to 8.5dB/m,and the lowest loss decreases to 6.8dB/m in 4.25μm wavelength.Using the flat mould extrusion method,the crystallization tendency of the Ge20Te20Se60 glass composition could be avoided.The resulting Te fiber with a clear core-cladding interface,good uniformity and low loss value,meets the demand for ideal transmission and sensor of infrared light,and has a potential application value in the far infrared optical field.
Effect of CPAP Therapy on Symptoms of Nocturnal Gastroesophageal Reflux among Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Study Objectives:Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux (nGER) is common among patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Previous studies demonstrated that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ...
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis‐associated acute subglottic stenosis in a 13‐year‐old boy: a case report

We present a case of a child with granulomatosis with polyangiitis, admitted with acute respiratory distress attributed to subglottic stenosis. The anesthetic management and potential complications are described.
Misrepresenting Health Conditions Through Fabrication and Exaggeration: An Adaptation and Replication of the False Alarm Effect

This article reports on a series of studies of the false alarm effect (FAE), suggesting that individuals’ perceptions that relational partners are fabricating and exaggerating their health conditio...
Criteria of assessing introduced varieties of the genus Heuchera L.

Мета . Визначити та охарактеризувати основні критерії, що використовують у процесі сортовивчення та оцінювання декоративних і господарсько-біологічних ознак сортів роду Heuchera L. в умовах інтродукції. Методи . Інтродукційні, аналітичні, морфологічні та біометричні. Результати . На основі порівняльного морфологічного аналізу інтродукованих сортів роду Heuchera виявлено істотні відмінності їхніх ознак, зокрема таких, як висота рослини, висота й ширина прикореневої розетки листків, висота генеративного пагона. Зафіксовано значну різницю у показниках кількості генеративних пагонів у межах однієї рослини, кількості квіток на одному генеративному пагоні, рясності цвітіння. За результатами дослідження виділено 17 груп сортів за домінуючим забарвленням адаксіальної поверхні листкової пластинки та 7 груп – за забарвленням суцвіття. На основі даних феноспостережень визначено групи й зазначено строки початку цвітіння рослин сортів Heuchera та його тривалість в умовах інтродукції. Результати проведених досліджень є необхідною основою для вивчення та оцінювання сортименту цієї культури, мають велике значення для селекційної роботи та озеленення. Висновки. На основі результатів дослідження морфологічних особливостей інтродуцентів роду Heuchera визначено ознаки й параметри для групування сортів, а також декоративні та господарсько-біологічні ознаки, які підлягають оцінюванню.
siRNA silencing of mitochondrial thioredoxin-2 or peroxiredoxin-3 increases expression of glutaredoxin-2 and select members of the mitochondrial thioredoxin antioxidant pathway

1942 Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is a serine protease and initiates the activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) as well as the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin. Furthermore, uPA is correlated with migration and invasiveness of normal and cancer cells. To gain insight on relationship between invasion of SW480 E- and R-type cells and uPA gene expression, mechanism of transcriptional regulation of uPA gene and signal transduction pathway by TPA in SW480 E- and R-type cells have been investigated. uPA mRNA were increased with maximal stimulation reached in 2 and 24 hours by TPA in SW480 E- and R-type cells, respectively. The inductions of uPA mRNA were dependent on the concentration of TPA. TPA-dependent induction of uPA mRNA was reduced by pretreatment of actinomycin-D but it was increased by cycloheximide. CAT activity of transfected p-uPA-CAT (-2345) was increased by TPA in SW480 E-type cells, but p-uPA-CAT (-72) was no effect. In DNase I footprinting analysis, the nuclear factors interacting with important three cis-elements were identified in the TPA-reated SW480 E- type cells; PEA3/AP-1 (-1965), AP-1 (-1881) and putative AP-1 (-1685), but NF-kB (-1579) was not detected. The trans-acting factors were bound to each cis element-specific and in proportion to the concentration of nuclear extract. In DNA mobility shift assay, the binding activities of PEA3/AP-1, AP-1 and NF-kB (-1859) were increased by TPA in SW480 E-type cells. TPA-dependent increase of uPA mRNA was inhibited by total protein kinase C inhibitor, Ro 31-8220 and partial inhibited by Rottlerin (protein kinase Cδ inhibitor). Go 6976 (protein kinase Cα, β and μ inhibitor) was no effect. SB 203580 (p38 MAP kinase inhibitor) partially inhibited TPA-dependent increase of uPA mRNA in SW480 E-type cells but PD 98059 (Erk1/2 inhibitor) was no effect. In DNase I footprinting and DNA mobility shift assay, TPA-dependent inductions of PEA3/AP-1, AP-1 and putative AP-1 were vanished by pretreatment of Ro 31-8220, but were not changed by PD 98059 and SB 203580. In zymography, TPA-dependent induction of uPA activity was inhibited by Ro 31-8220 and partially inhibited by SB 203580. TPA-dependent increase of uPA mRNA was inhibited by sulfasalazin and PDTC, and the binding activity of NF-kB (-1579) was also inhibited. TPA-dependent increase of invasiveness of SW480 E-type cells was inhibited by staurosporin as dose-dependent manner. These result suggest that TPA-dependent induction of uPA mRNA is differentially regulated SW480 E- and R type cells, and PEA3/AP-1, AP-1 and NF-kB (-1579) are important to transcriptional regulation of uPA gene. Moreover, protein kinase Cδ and p38 MAP kinase signaling pathway are related to TPA-dependent induction of uPA mRNA.
School Context and American Indian Substance Use.

Abstract The present study extends prior research exploring the role of school contextual factors in predicting individual adolescent substance use by examining how a school’s racial composition is associated with American Indian adolescent tobacco and marijuana use. Using a subsample of 523 American Indian students from the restricted use Add Health data, we consider both individual and school contextual factors across 99 schools. Our results suggest that a school’s racial composition is associated with individual tobacco and marijuana use among American Indian youth, but in different ways depending upon the substance. Our findings illustrate the importance of extending research on the correlates of substance use for racial and ethnic minorities beyond studies examining African-Americans and/or Hispanics.
Does compact development increase or reduce traffic congestion

Abstract From years of research, we know that compact development that is dense, diverse, well-designed, etc. produces fewer vehicle miles traveled (VMT) than sprawling development. But compact development also concentrates origins and destinations. No one has yet determined, using credible urban form metrics and credible congestion data, the net effect of these countervailing forces on area-wide congestion. Using compactness/sprawl metrics developed for the National Institutes of Health, and congestion data from the Texas Transportation Institute's (TTI's) Urban Mobility Scorecard Annual Report database, this study seeks to determine which opposing point of view of sprawl and congestion is correct. It does so by (1) measuring compactness, congestion, and control variables using the best national data available for U.S. urbanized areas and (2) relating these variables to one another using multivariate methods to determine whether compactness is positively or negatively related to congestion. Our model (and earlier studies by the same authors) suggests that an increase in compactness reduces the amount of driving people do, but also concentrates the driving in smaller areas. The former effect is slightly larger than the latter. The relationship between compactness and congestion falls short of statistical significance at the conventional 0.05 level. This analysis does not support the idea that sprawl acts as a “traffic safety valve,” as some have claimed. However, it also does not support the reverse idea that compact development offers a one-stop solution to congestion, as others have claimed. Developing in a more compact manner may help at the margin, but the greatest reduction in congestion appears to be achievable through expansion of surface streets and higher highway user fees.
Prediction of sub-surface 37 Ar concentrations at locations in the Northwestern United States.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which is intended to prevent nuclear weapon test explosions and any other nuclear explosions, includes a verification regime, which provides monitoring to identify potential nuclear explosions. The presence of elevated 37Ar is one way to identify subsurface nuclear explosive testing. However, the naturally occurring formation of 37Ar in the subsurface adds a complicating factor. Prediction of the naturally occurring concentration of 37Ar can help to determine if a measured 37Ar concentration is elevated relative to background. The naturally occurring 37Ar background concentration has been shown to vary between less than 1 mBq/m3 to greater than 100 mBq/m3 (Riedmann and Purtschert, 2011). The purpose of this work was to enhance the understanding of the naturally occurring background concentrations of 37Ar, allowing for better interpretation of results. To that end, we present and evaluate a computationally efficient model for predicting the average concentration of 37Ar at any depth under transient barometric pressures. Further, measurements of 37Ar concentrations in samples collected at multiple locations are provided as validation of the concentration prediction model. The model is shown to compare favorably with concentrations of 37Ar measured at multiple locations in the Northwestern United States.
Child Physical Abuse, Non-anemic Iron Deficiency and Behavior Problems.

Abstract Purpose Child abuse is regarded as a life-course social determinant of health problems. However, little is known about the nutritional status of physically abused children and their cumulative effect on child behavior. The present study aimed to examine the non-anemic iron deficiency status of abused children and the combined effect of physical abuse and non-anemic iron deficiency on child behavior in China. Methods This cross-sectional study comprised 314 children aged 11–14 (12.30 ± 0.57) years old from Jintan, China. Children self-reported their physical abuse experiences and behavior problems. Blood iron and hemoglobin concentrations were also measured. Results Thirty-eight percent of children reported physical abuse experience, 17.5% had non-anemic iron deficiency, and the two risk factors co-occurred in 8.0% children. Physically abused children were more likely to be affected by non-anemic iron deficiency than their non-abused counterparts. Children who had experienced both physical abuse and non-anemic iron deficiency reported more behavior problems than children with neither or either risk factors. Conclusions Physically abused children are more likely to have non-anemic iron deficiency. Children with the presence of both physical abuse experience and non-anemic iron deficiency have more behavior problems. There is a need to prevent both child abuse and non-anemic iron deficiency simultaneously to maintain normal child behavior development.
Searching for gaydar: Blind spots in the study of sexual orientation perception

ABSTRACTThere is a growing debate in the research literature and subsequently in the news media and public about the accuracy and utility of ‘gaydar’. Although many gaydar studies report that peopl...
A Graph Based Approach to Sentiment Lexicon Expansion.

Lexicons are a crucial aspect of any method that aims analyze textual sentiment. In this paper we aim to provide an algorithm in which we can obtain meaningful polarity values for words using a graph constructed from their synonyms. We show that this polarity graph can provide polarity values within a lexicon where needed (i.e. where another method such as a classifier left gaps). We then assess the value of this algorithm against other recent methods of sentiment lexicon expansion. We conclude that this method supplies significant, yet highly nuanced utility in terms of supplying necessary semantic orientation for words without.
Perturbations in serum chloride homeostasis in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: insights from TOPCAT.

AIMS Prior cohorts demonstrating the importance of serum chloride levels in heart failure either excluded or had partial representation of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We aimed to examine the relationship between serum chloride concentration and outcomes in HFpEF. METHODS AND RESULTS We included participants from the Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure with an Aldosterone Antagonist Trial (TOPCAT) who met the following criteria: met inclusion by the natriuretic peptide stratum, had recorded serum chloride levels, and were from the Americas (n = 942). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models tested the association of serum chloride with clinical outcomes, and mixed effects modelling tested the association of spironolactone or loop diuretic on serial serum chloride levels. The median serum chloride level was 102 [25th-75th percentile 100-105 mmol/L (range 84-114 mmol/L)]. After multivariable adjustment, every standard deviation decrease in serum chloride (4.05 mmol/L) was associated with ∼50% increased risk for cardiovascular death [hazard ratio (HR) 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11-2.06, P = 0.008] and ∼30% increased risk for all-cause death (HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.02-1.62, P = 0.04), but not with the primary composite endpoint or heart failure hospitalization (P > 0.3 for both). There were no significant interactions between spironolactone use and the serum chloride-risk relationship (P > 0.1) for each endpoint. Spironolactone was not (P = 0.33) but loop diuretic use was associated with lower serial serum chloride levels (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Lower serum chloride was independently associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and all-cause death in HFpEF. Loop diuretic use, but not spironolactone, lead to a decrease in serum chloride levels over time.
The Multiple Perspective Concept: Bridging the Gap Between Analysts and Decisionmakers

Modern systems analysis really began as “scientific management” with Frederick Taylor in 1911, gathered steam with World War II’s operations research, and was propelled forward by complex weapon system design and strategic analysis in the 1950s. It then burst full force onto the national scene with RAND’s systems analysts in the early 1960s. By 1967, Max Ways wrote in FORTUNE’S survey “The Road to 1977”: The further advance of this new style (systems analysis) is the most significant prediction that can be made about the next ten years. By 1977, this new way of dealing with the future will be recognized at home and abroad as a salient American characteristic. (1967: 94)
AN EVALUATION OF AERATION, NITROGEN, pH AND SALINITY AS FACTORS AFFECTING SPARTINA ALTERNIFLORA GROWTH: A SUMMARY

In a greenhouse experiment simulating a variety of salt marsh substrate aeration regimes, growth of Spartina alterniflora was positively correlated with increasing redox potentials. A field experiment supported these findings except where high redox potentials were associated with drying of natural marsh substrate with a subsequent decrease in pH to below 5. Interactions between pH and salinity were observed in another greenhouse experiment making main effect conclusions difficult; generally, however, biomass was significantly greater in pH 6 vs pH 4 and 8 treatments. The average effect of aerated in comparison to unaerated substrate was a 2.49 times increase in S. alterniflora biomass. In the same experiment, there was a 2.01 times increase in S. alterniflora biomass with an addition of 168 kg/ha equivalent (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 -N to the natural marsh substrate. The combined effect of N and aeration increased S. alterniflora biomass 4.53 times. An increase in salinity from 15‰ to 45‰ decreased biomass by 66%. Low salinity (15‰), nitrogen enriched, aerated treatments produced 11 times more biomass than high salinity (45‰), nitrogen poor, unaerated treatments. These experiments suggest that nitrogen and aeration (drainage) are both able to reduce detrimental effects of high salinity. It is also suggested that, in addition to nitrogen and salinity, pH and aeration may regulate S. alterniflora growth in the field.
A Quantitative Entropic CLT for Radially Symmetric Random Vectors

A quantitative entropic central limit theorem is established for the sum of i.i.d. radially symmetric random vectors having dimension greater than one. In contrast to recent related work, strong regularity assumptions - such as positive spectral gap or log-concavity of densities - are not needed. However, this added flexibility comes at the expense of an assumption of radial symmetry.
Predicting risk for non-adherence to oral 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) results from the Children's Oncology Group AALL03N1 study.

10531Background: Poor adherence to oral 6MP (measured electronically [MEMS]) increases relapse risk in children with ALL (JAMA Oncol 2015); non-adherers are significantly more likely to over-report...
Assessment of multiple stressors on the growth of larval green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris: implications for recruitment of early life-history stages.

Early developmental stages of fishes are particularly sensitive to changes in environmental variables that affect physiological processes such as metabolism and growth. Both temperature and food availability have significant effects on the growth and survival of larval and juvenile fishes. As climate change and anthropogenic disturbances influence sensitive rearing environments of fishes it is unlikely that they will experience changes in temperature or food availability in isolation. Therefore, it is critical that we determine the effects of each of these potential stressors on larval growth and development, as well as understand the additive, synergistic or antagonistic effects of both. We reared threatened green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris (initial age ca. 32 days post hatch) at four temperatures (11, 13, 16 and 19°C) and two food availability rates (100% and 40% of optimal) to assess the effects of these stressors and their interactions on larval growth. We compared the overall size (fork length, total length and mass), growth rates (cm day-1 and g day-1 ) and relative condition factor of these larval and juvenile fish at 3 week intervals for up to 12 weeks. Our results indicated that temperature and food availability both had significant effects on growth and condition and that there was a significant interaction between the two. Fish reared with limited food availability exhibited similar patterns in growth rates to those reared with elevated food rates, but the effects of temperature were greatly attenuated when fish were food-limited. Also, the effects of temperature on condition were reversed when fish were reared with restricted food, such that fish reared at 19°C exhibited the highest relative condition when fed optimally, but the lowest relative condition when food was limited. These data are critical for the development of relevant bioenergetics models, which are needed to link the survival of larval sturgeons with historic environmental regimes, pinpoint temperature ranges for optimal survival and help target future restoration sites that will be important for the recovery of sturgeon populations.
Buildings and businesses

To start this new role-play eye openers series, Judith Harries shares ideas on encouraging building and businesses-themed role-play, such as train stations, schools, hotels, offices and libraries.
A bioinspired, photostable UV-filter that protects mammalian cells against UV-induced cellular damage

While commercially available suncare products are effective at absorbing ultraviolet (UV)-light, recent studies indicate systemic toxicities associated with many traditional chemical and physical UV-filters. We demonstrate the application of xanthommatin, a biochrome present in arthropods and cephalopods, as an alternative chemical UV-filter that is cytocompatible while maintaining its photostability and photoprotective properties.
Resilient Distributed Causal Memory in Client-Server Model

We study distributed causal shared memory (or key-value pairs) in an asynchronous network under crash failures. Causal memory, introduced by Ahamad et al. in the context of multi-processor environment in 1994, is an abstraction which ensures that nodes agree on the relative ordering of read and write operations that are causally related on key-value pairs. Inspired by the recent interests in geo-replicated causal storage systems (e.g., COPS, Eiger, Bolt-on), we systematically study the fault-tolerance property of the causal shared memory in the client-server model in this work. We identify that 2f + 1 servers is both necessary and sufficient to build a resilient causal memory in the presence of up to f crashed servers. We provide both the necessity proof and a new optimal algorithm that matches the bound. For evaluation, we implement our algorithm in Golang and compare the performance with state-of-the-art fault-tolerant algorithms that ensure strong consistency in the Google Cloud Platform.
The Cultural Cross-Pollination of Shōjo Manga

This chapter demonstrates how shōjo manga has had a strong cultural impact on recent generations of pop culture fans in North America. Since the 1990s, fan production has nourished diverse interests in Japanese cultural products, which have in turn exerted a strong influence on mainstream geek media. Using American artist M. Alice LeGrow’s graphic novel series Bizenghast and Cartoon Network’s animated series Steven Universe as focal points, this chapter argues that contemporary American entertainment media has been shaped both by the visual styles and narrative tropes of shōjo manga and by the creative production of transnational fandom communities.
Influence of nanoparticle properties and laser settings on the surface features created by microscale pulsed laser remelting

Abstract Pulsed laser remelting is a manufacturing technique to alter the surface properties of materials. When the pulse is active, the intensive laser beam irradiates an area causing rapid melting. When the pulse is turned off, rapid solidification occurs as heat diffuses into the bulk from the relatively small melt zone. The technique can alter the microstructure, chemical distribution, and surface geometry simultaneously, and hence is an inexpensive and scalable alternative to creating patterned multi-material surface layers. In this study, S7 tool steel surfaces were coated with three different nanoparticles (SiC, Al2O3, and Ho2O3) and then pulsed laser remelted. During pulsed laser remelting, nanoparticles were found to either agglomerate on the surface forming clusters or mix with the molten substrate forming alloyed regions. The formation of the clusters or alloyed regions depends on nanoparticle properties and laser parameters. Nanoparticles with good wettability, solubility, and reactivity with the molten substrate form alloyed regions, whereas nanoparticles lacking these properties form clusters. Moreover, higher laser powers result in stronger fluid flow and assisted in mixing of nanoparticles with the substrate. The clusters exhibited improved bonding to the substrate compared to an as-coated layer. The alloyed regions exhibited considerable enhancements in hardness and wear resistance due to the strengthening effect of the nanoparticles well-dispersed in the S7 tool steel matrix.
ElasticBroker: Combining HPC with Cloud to Provide Realtime Insights into Simulations.

For large-scale scientific simulations, it is expensive to store raw simulation results to perform post-analysis. To minimize expensive I/O, "in-situ" analysis is often used, where analysis applications are tightly coupled with scientific simulations and can access and process the simulation results in memory. Increasingly, scientific domains employ Big Data approaches to analyze simulations for scientific discoveries. However, it remains a challenge to organize, transform, and transport data at scale between the two semantically different ecosystems (HPC and Cloud systems). In an effort to address these challenges, we design and implement the ElasticBroker software framework, which bridges HPC and Cloud applications to form an "in-situ" scientific workflow. Instead of writing simulation results to parallel file systems, ElasticBroker performs data filtering, aggregation, and format conversions to close the gap between an HPC ecosystem and a distinct Cloud ecosystem. To achieve this goal, ElasticBroker reorganizes simulation snapshots into continuous data streams and send them to the Cloud. In the Cloud, we deploy a distributed stream processing service to perform online data analysis. In our experiments, we use ElasticBroker to setup and execute a cross-ecosystem scientific workflow, which consists of a parallel computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation running on a supercomputer, and a parallel dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) analysis application running in a Cloud computing platform. Our results show that running scientific workflows consisting of decoupled HPC and Big Data jobs in their native environments with ElasticBroker, can achieve high quality of service, good scalability, and provide high-quality analytics for ongoing simulations.
Hashimoto Encephalopathy With Status Epilepticus

Hashimoto encephalopathy (HE) is a heterogenous neurological syndrome that can manifest with encephalopathy, seizures, headaches, and variable neuropsychiatric disturbances. The underlying mechanism remains unclear; however, autoimmune pathogenesis is suspected due to its association with autoimmune thyroid disease, high titers of anti-thyroid antibodies, and quick response to steroid therapy. We report a 59-year-old female patient with a remote history of hypothyroidism who presented with status epilepticus and complaints of chronic headaches and cognitive impairment. The presence of sharp frontal waves was identified on her EEG. The patient was initially started on anti-epileptics only; however, her headaches and memory loss escalated, further diagnostic workup was pursued, which revealed high anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies with normal thyroid function tests. The only cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) abnormality noticed was an elevated protein concentration. MRI showed non-specific right frontal lobe pial enhancement. Remaining infectious, rheumatologic, and neurologic testing was unremarkable. The patient was started on a steroid regimen with successful resolution of symptoms and return of cognitive baseline. Hashimoto's encephalopathy is a diagnosis of exclusion; however, it should be considered in patients with high titers of anti-thyroid antibodies and neurological symptoms that cannot be explained by thorough infectious, metabolic, and autoimmune testing. It is essential to recognize this neurological entity as fast clinical improvement may be achieved with steroids and other immunotherapies.
Halide Effects in BiVO4/BiOX Heterostructures Decorated with Pd Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B as a Model Organic Pollutant

In this contribution, a single pot approach was employed to synthesize nanoscale BiVO4/BiOX/Pd, where the halogen was varied over Cl, Br, and I. These materials were used to study the effect of the...
The Mississippi model: Dangers of prison reform in the context of fiscal austerity:

Over the past decade, the political landscape in the realm of criminal justice policy has shifted towards broad support for prison reform. Recent calls for defunding as a solution to the problems o...
Genome-wide mediation analysis: bridging the divide between genotype and phenotype via transcriptomic data in maize

Mapping genotype to phenotype is an essential topic in genetics and genomics research. As the Omics data become increasingly available, genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been widely applied to establish the relationship between genotype and phenotype. However, signals detected by GWAS usually span broad genomic regions with many underneath candidate genes, making it challenging to interpret and validate the molecular functions of the candidate genes. Under the context of genetics research, we hypothesized a causal chain from genotype to phenotype partially mediated by intermediate molecular processes, i.e., gene expression. To test this hypothesis, we applied the high dimensional mediation analysis, a class of causal inference method with an assumed causal chain from the exposure to the mediator to the outcome, and implemented it to the maize diversity panel (N=280 lines). Using 40 publicly available agronomic traits, 66 newly generated metabolic traits, and published RNA-seq data from seven different tissues, we detected N=736 unique mediating genes, explaining an average of 12.7% phenotypic variance due to mediation. Noticeably, 83/736 (11%) genes were identified in mediating more than one trait, suggesting the prevalence of pleiotropic mediating effects. Among those pleiotropic mediators, benzox-azinone synthesis 13 (Bx13), a well-characterized gene encoding a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase, was identified mediating 40 agronomic and metabolic traits in different tissues. Further genetic and genomic analyses of the Bx13 and adjacent mediating genes suggested a 3D co-regulation modulation likely affect their expression levels and eventually lead to phenotypic consequences. Our results suggested the genome-wide mediation analysis is a powerful tool to integrate Omics data in providing causal inference to connect genotype to phenotype.
Evaluating health technology engagement among family caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation

Purpose: Digital health technology-based interventions have the potential to support caregivers in their caregiving responsibilities and in managing their own health and well-being. Designing digital health technologies to support caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation requires evaluating their engagement with these technologies. The objective of this study was to examine the association between caregiving characteristics and different types of digital health technologies used. Methods: We conducted an online cross-sectional, national survey of 948 unpaid family caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation. Results: Almost two-thirds (65.4%) of respondents reported using an app for fitness or step counting, while 41.3% reported using a smartwatch. The average number of apps used was 3.3 (range 0-9). In adjusted models, adult children who were caregivers (OR=5.82, p<0.005) and caregivers of another relative (OR=2.51, p<0.005) were significantly more likely to use a fitness tracker than caregivers of a child. Caregiving for six months or greater was associated with use of fewer apps compared with caregiving for less than six months in adjusted models (OR=0.80, p<0.005). Caregivers of patients receiving an allogeneic transplant used more apps on average than caregivers of patients receiving an autologous transplant, in adjusted (OR=1.36, p<0.005) models. Conclusion: Digital health technologies may reflect promising avenues for supporting caregivers of patients undergoing HCT. The rapid insurgence of telehealth, propelled by the current COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizes the need for a better understanding of digital health technology for future study design.
Analysis of human movement in the Miami metropolitan area utilizing Uber Movement data

Abstract Over the past decade, transportation network companies (TNCs) have disrupted the urban transportation landscape. These services are replacing many traditional vehicle for hire services within people's daily lives. Uber is at the leading edge of this development, with a presence in cities on every continent. In this study, we have analyzed aggregated Uber trip data during 2018 for Miami Metropolitan Area (MMA). Specifically, data on trip source and destination were utilized to visualize connectivity at the census tract level. We further examined the influence of socio-demographic and land use patterns on these levels of connectivity. The results of our analysis found clustering of higher connectivity in census tracts adjacent to major travel thoroughfares. These transit adjacent census tracts had a tendency towards a higher spatial influence as a trip destination. In addition, the results of a geographically weighted regression (GWR) indicated a substantial role of percent commercial land use on tract level connectivity throughout the study area. The findings of our study demonstrate the relevance of detailed trip data from TNCs for a more in-depth understanding of human movement and efficient transportation planning at the local level.
Predicting a Correct Program in Programming by Example

We study the problem of efficiently predicting a correct program from a large set of programs induced from few input-output examples in Programming-by-Example (PBE) systems.
Comparing linguistic complexity and efficiency in conversations from stimulation and conversation therapy in aphasia

The ultimate goal for speech language pathology interventions for people with aphasia (PWA) is to be able to converse as normally as possible (Armstrong & Mortensen, 2006). However, there are numerous approaches to aphasia therapy as well as various outcome measures. For instance, Stimulation therapy (ST) relies on structured repetition and drill to elicit language, while conversation therapy (CT) uses client-clinician conversation and conversation analysis to improve everyday language. Most speech language pathologists use standardized tests or rating forms to measure treatment progress rather than measuring conversations (Boles, 1998). We aimed to compare differences in linguistic complexity and efficiency in conversational outcomes in two treatment types, ST and CT. Researchers have examined the verbal abilities of PWA and aging adults by analyzing language samples (Capilouto et al., 2005; Kemper & Sumner, 2001); however few people have examined linguistic complexity in conversation as a treatment outcome measure. Conversational efficiency measured in Correct Information Units (CIUs)/minute is a valid and reliable way to measure improvement in connected speech (Nicholas and Brookshire, 1993). Efficiency can be measured by calculating CIUs/minute or % CIUs. Researchers have used %CIUs to measure efficiency in conversations (Doyle, Goda & Spencer, 1995) and CIUs/minute in story-telling (Jacobs, 2001). However, no one has reported using CIUs/minute to measure efficiency during conversational interactions. To address this we asked the following questions: 1. Does CT lead to a greater increase in linguistic complexity than ST based on the following measures of linguistic complexity: a) Mean length of utterance (in words) (MLU)? b) Type/token ratio (TTR)? c) Number of different words (NDW)? d) Percent of utterance responses? e) Percent of simple utterances? f) Percent of complex utterances? g) Propositional density? 2. Does ST lead to improved efficiency of conversation? 3. Does CT lead to improved efficiency of conversation? 4. Is conversational efficiency different when ST is compared to CT? 5. Is there a difference between clinician and participant total talk time during conversation probes taken during both treatments?
Clinical utility and reproducibility of visceral adipose tissue measurements derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in white and African American adults

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine reproducibility and clinical thresholds for DXA-derived visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Design and Methods The sample included 2317 white and African American adults 18-74 years of age. VAT areas (cm2) were measured using a Hologic DXA scanner equipped with APEX 4.0 software. Reproducibility was assessed using repeated measurements on 101 participants scanned 14 days apart. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess clinical utility and select thresholds that identified elevated cardiometabolic risk, defined as the presence of ≥2 risk factors. Results Reproducibility of DXA-VAT was 8.1%. The areas under the ROC curves ranged from 0.754 in African American men to 0.807 in white women. The thresholds were higher in white men (154 cm2) and women (143 cm2) compared to African American men (101 cm2) and women (114 cm2). Conclusion The results demonstrated that DXA VAT is a useful clinical marker of cardiometabolic risk; however, further research is required to determine associations with health outcomes using longitudinal studies.
Molecular monitoring of chronic myelogenous leukemia: identification of the most suitable internal control gene for real-time quantification of BCR-ABL transcripts.

Monitoring breakpoint cluster region-Abelson kinase (BCR-ABL) levels in patients treated for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) has become an integral part of patient management. Real-time reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction is the method of choice for this purpose because of its high analytical sensitivity and reproducibility. Given the variation of RNA quality and quantity in clinical specimens, accurate quantitative assessment of BCR-ABL depends on normalization of the BCR-ABL signal to an appropriate internal reference. However, the controls used by different laboratories vary, and there is no clear consensus on an ideal reference due to limited investigations. In this study, we compared nine commonly used control genes for three criteria: mRNA abundance, levels in CML and non-CML cells, and their degradation kinetics in comparison with BCR-ABL. We found that β-glucuronidase (GUSB) is the most suitable among the nine genes tested. Although ABL is most widely used, our data suggest that the amount of ABL is different in CML and non-CML cells. Moreover, ABL levels are regulated by cellular stress. These findings have a direct impact on current clinical laboratory practice and patient care because the use of a proper control gene affects the reported levels of BCR-ABL transcripts used for patient management decisions.
Pushing Too Hard: Using Door-in-the-Face to Get Voters out the Door

Get-out-the-vote campaigns have utilized a variety of tools and techniques to encourage registered voters to participate on election day. This paper reports the results of a study that uses two randomized field experiments to test the viability of the door-in-the-face (DITF) technique developed by Cialdini et al. (1975) as a way to increase voter turnout. The first experiment was a small pilot conducted in November 2010 among registered voters who are students at a college in the western United States. The second, larger-scale experiment was conducted in November 2011 with registered voters in San Mateo County, California. Results from both the pilot and full field experiments suggest that DITF is not an effective tactic for increasing voter turnout. Voters receiving a simple get-out-the-vote script were more likely to vote than were those in the control group, but voters receiving the DITF script were no more likely to cast ballots.
Transluminal extraction catheter atherectomy in long saphenous vein grafts.

Lesions in distal coronary vasculature present unique problems for catheter-based interventions. We report two cases of attempted transluminal extraction catheter (TEC) atherectomy for very distal lesions in long circular saphenous vein grafts. One case succeeded with a simple modification of the TEC device; another failed because of excessive tortuosity in the proximal graft. This experience helps define the potential and limitations of TEC. © 1995 Wiley-Liss. Inc.
Evaluation of spatial filters to create smoothed maps of health data.

Spatial filters have been used as an easy and intuitive way to create smoothed disease maps. Birth weight data from New York State for 1994 and 1995 are used to compare the traditional filter type of fixed geographical size with a filter size of constant or nearly constant population size. The latter are more appropriate for mapping disease in geographic areas with widely varying population density, such as New York State. Issues such as the choice of population size for the filter, the scale of smoothing, the ability to detect true spatial variation and the ability to smooth over random spatial noise are evaluated and discussed.
THEORETICAL STUDIES OF TRANSIENT RAMAN SCATTERING OF NON-EQUILIBRIUM CARRIERS IN SEMICONDUCTORS — EFFECTS OF CARRIER COLLISIONS

We present a comprehensive theory for time-resolved Raman scattering from non-equilibrium electrons in direct bandgap semiconductors. Specifically, we include (1) the effects of probing with ultrashort laser pulse: (2) the effects of finite carrier collision time; (3) the effects of band structure; and (4) the effects of damping in the optical transition, in the calculations of Raman scattering cross section. Both elastic and inelastic scattering processes are taken into account in formulating the effects of carrier collision time. The effects of damping in the optical transitions have to be considered for the experimental condition of probing with above-bandgap laser excitations even if under some circumstances they do not drastically change the lineshape of the single-particle-scattering spectrum due to spin-density fluctuations.
Insensible Losses: When The Medical Community Forgets The Family

When a patient’s health suddenly deteriorates, a medical student delivers difficult news to a family whom no one has time for.
Justus Möser and the German enlightenment

(1988). Justus Moser and the German enlightenment. History of European Ideas: Vol. 9, No. 6, pp. 746-747.