cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A nonlinear higher order shear deformation shell element for dynamic explicit analysis: part I. formulation and finite element equations

This work presents the "nite element formulation of a higher order shear deformation shell element for nonlinear dynamic analysis with explicit time integration scheme. A corotational approach is combined with the velocity strain equations of a general third-order theory in the formulation of a four-noded quadrilateral element with selectively reduced integration. A bilinear isoparametric formulation is utilized in the shell plane resulting in nine degrees of freedom per node. The formulation requires C0 continuity for the nodal variables. The "nite element implementation of the new element in a general explicit "nite element code is described in details, including boundary conditions and nodal mass calculation. A simple formula for the explicit time integration critical time step of the higher order element is developed. The described element is capable of correctly representing the through thickness distribution of the transverse shear, which makes it suitable for composite and sandwich shells analysis. In addition, the developed shell can be used for better representation of plastic #ow through thickness in isotropic materials. It has been added to the element library of the nonlinear explicit"nite element code DYNA3D. Its performance has been evaluated through a series of standard shell veri"cation test problems, which show great promise for many applications. The results are presented in Part II of the present work. ( 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Statistical Multiplexing of MDFEC-Coded Heterogeneous Video Streaming

In this paper, we propose an approach that combines statistical multiplexing and Multiple Description with Forward Error Correction (MDFEC) coding to make the optimal use of server bandwidth, taking into account the dynamically evolving content (complexity) of the different videos being streamed by the server, and path bandwidths and loss rates experienced by the users. We formally pose and analyze the complexity of the MDFEC statistical multiplexing problem, and present a dynamic programming based polynomial-time algorithm to compute the optimum solution. We also evaluate the performance of the proposed approach against those that do not use either MDFEC or statistical multiplexing, based on the experimental results obtained from real video sequences. Besides optimizing the overall distortion across all users, our approach is quite effective in providing differentiation between user groups with significantly different path bandwidths, particularly when a weighted version of our approach is used.
Does obesity impact postoperative outcomes following robotic-assisted surgery for rectal cancer?

Obesity has been identified as a risk factor for both conversion and severe postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing laparoscopic rectal resection. Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) is proposed to overcome some of the technical limitations associated with laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer. The aim of our study was to determine if obesity remains a risk factor for severe morbidity in patients undergoing robotic-assisted rectal resection. This study was a retrospective review of a prospective database. A total of 183 patients undergoing restorative RAS for rectal cancer between 2007 and 2016 were divided into 2 groups: control (BMI 0.99). Obesity did not impact conversion, anastomotic leak rate, length of stay, or readmission but was significantly associated with increased postoperative morbidity (29 vs. 45%; p = 0.04) and especially more postoperative ileus (11 vs. 26%; p = 0.01). Obesity and male gender were the two independent risk factors for postoperative overall morbidity (OR 1.97; 95% CI 1.02–3.94; p = 0.04 and OR 2.23; 95% CI 1.10–4.76; p = 0.03, respectively). ‎Obesity did not impact severe morbidity or conversion rate following RAS for rectal cancer but remained a risk factor for overall morbidity and especially postoperative ileus.
Side-to-Side Anastomosis Training Model Using Rat Common Carotid Arteries.

Background The side-to-side anastomosis is one of the difficult bypass configurations that may be used in various complex cerebral vascular and neoplastic cases. Few pure arterial models exist for practicing this bypass subtype. Objective To provide an optimized side-to-side anastomosis training model using rat common carotid arteries (CCA). Methods Bilateral CCAs were exposed in the neck of 10 anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. The arteries were juxtaposed in parallel, using temporary aneurysm clips applied proximally and distally. CCA caliber and the length of CCA juxtaposition were measured. Side-to-side anastomosis was completed and ischemia time was recorded. Unintended complications were recorded for further analysis. Results Anastomosis was completed successfully in all animals. The CCAs were approximated in all animals without any difficulty or undue tension. In 2 rats, death occurred prior to completion of anastomosis, which was attributed to injury to the external jugular vein during vessel exposure. Mean ischemia time was 35 min with an average of 22 sutures done to complete the anastomosis. The average CCA caliber was 1.1 ± 0.2 mm and the arteries could be juxtaposed for an average length of 10.2 ± 1.5 mm. Conclusion Full exposure of the cervical segment of the CCAs enables tension-free approximation of adequate length of the vessel for a side-to-side anastomosis. Avoiding complications during exposure helps in prevention of animal death during the ischemia period.
Implementing community health worker-patient pairings at the time of hospital discharge: A randomized control trial

Abstract Background In 2011, there were approximately 3.3 million adult 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions in the US generating $41.3 billion in hospital costs. Community health worker (CHW) care delivery is one of very few interventions demonstrated to reduce health care utilization among populations with chronic disease. While there are a number of studies demonstrating improved disease-specific outcomes with CHW interventions, studies examining the effect of CHW care delivery on 30-day readmission rates are rare. Methods This study is a randomized control trial designed to determine if linking hospitalized patients with chronic disease to community health workers (CHWs) can decrease 30-day readmissions. Participants were randomly assigned to receive the 30-day CHW intervention or usual care (no CHW). All study participants completed surveys at baseline and the end of the study 30 days post-discharge. The primary outcome was 30-day readmission and secondary outcomes included emergency department visits, missed appointments, and patient satisfaction. Results We plan to enroll 1200 hospitalized patients during a 24-month intervals. As of December 2017, 350 patients have been consented and randomly assigned to either the intervention or control arm. A number of challenges have been encountered in implementing a CHW initiative at the time of hospital discharge. Conclusion This trial tests the effectiveness of CHW care delivery at the time of hospital discharge in reducing 30-day readmission rates and improving outcomes among patients with chronic disease. We describe and discuss challenges in launching this CHW intervention and strategies utilized to overcome these obstacles. Clinical Trials.gov registration submitted 3/14/2017: Protocol ID# 2017A050810 and Clinical Trials.gov ID# NCT03085264 Community Health Worker Care Transitions Study (C-CAT).
A Terminal Sliding Mode Approach for the Rotor Side Converter of a DFIG-Based Wind Energy System

This paper proposes a terminal sliding mode approach for the rotor side converter of a DFIG-based wind turbine. It aims at enabling the wind turbine to satisfactorily operate under unbalanced grid conditions such as voltage sags, while ensuring high performance dynamic responses in the presence of uncertainties and external disturbances. The controller was derived using a novel terminal sliding mode structure based on the tracking errors of the rotor currents. The controller parameters were auto-tuned using a fuzzy logic approach. The performance of the proposed approach was assessed using realistic settings including voltage sags of various depths and parameter variations. A comparison analysis with a standard SMC was also carried out.
Coupled horizontal and rocking vibrations of a rigid circular disc on a transversely isotropic and layered half-space with imperfect interfaces

Abstract A new semi-analytical method is developed for solving the coupled horizontal and rocking vibrations of a rigid circular disc on the surface of a transversely isotropic multilayered half-space with imperfect interfaces. By virtue of the dual variable and position method, the recursive relation among different layers is established so that the final expansion coefficients of the displacement and traction vectors corresponding to the surface loading can be expressed in terms of the cylindrical system of vector functions. The physical-domain response by the surface loading (i.e., the forward solution) is obtained by carrying out the semi-infinite line integral involved. To solve for the corresponding coupled interaction problem between the surface rigid disc and layered elastic medium, the loading disc area is discretized into annular load-rings containing basic horizontal constant and vertical linear loads with unknown weights. These weights are then determined by applying an integral least-square approach with a Lagrange multiplier. Finally, the coupled time-harmonic compliances are derived by virtue of the equilibrium of the applied load on the disc and the reaction force on the half-space side. Selected numerical examples on the horizontal, moment and coupling compliances are presented to study the effect of material layering, anisotropy, interface behavior as well as input frequency. The coupling compliance is investigated in detail for the first time as compared to the horizontal and moment ones. The fully coupled, semi-coupled and decoupled schemes are also discussed with numerical examples so that one can easily access the relative accuracy among them when an actual layered structure is under both horizontal and rocking vibrations. This is important since the coupling compliance could significantly contribute to the vibrational behavior of the layered system at certain frequency.
100.14 To Stress or Not to Stress? Pre-Kidney Transplant Cardiac Evaluation and Post-Transplant Outcomes in the Modern Era

Cardiovascular disease, a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in chronic kidney disease and kidney transplant patients, is closely evaluated prior to transplant. We aim to characterize pre-transplant cardiac testing practices and post-transplant cardiac outcomes. We conducted a single-
Quickest Detection of Significant Events in Structured Networks

We study the problem of quickest detection of dynamic significant events in structured networks. At some unknown time, an event occurs, and a subset of nodes in the network are affected, which undergo a change in the statistics of their observations. It is assumed that the event propagates dynamically along the edges in the network, in that the affected nodes form a connected subgraph. The event propagation dynamics are assumed to be unknown. The goal is to design a sequential algorithm that can detect a “significant” event, i.e., when the event has affected no fewer than $\eta$ nodes, as quickly as possible, while controlling the false alarm rate. We construct a Network-CuSum (N-CuSum) algorithm that exploits network structure in a computationally efficient way. We show that N-CuSum is adaptive to unknown propagation dynamics, and first-order asymptotically optimal as the false alarm rate goes to zero.
Habits of Encountering Singularity Through Performances of Poetry and Caring

In this chapter, the implications of being open to meeting the unique strangeness of the other—confronting the singularity of the other—in poetry or in people are explored. Every poem is a singularity, a unique grouping of words framed by form and brought to life by a performance whether that be a public or private reading. Similarly, every encounter with a person is a singularity with a unique opportunity to transition our understanding from the unfamiliar (or less familiar) to the familiar, making rich care possible. There are three parts to the journey of this chapter. The first is an exploration of the notion of singularity as it applies to poetry as well as confronting the singular other who may need our care. The second part of the chapter engages the phenomenon of encountering singularity in terms of performance. The final part of the chapter suggests that if encountering singularity is central to enacting care then what poetry can facilitate is establishing an openness or hospitality toward the unfamiliar other. We introduce the idea of disponibilite or the openness and availability of someone emotionally, intellectually, materially, etc. as the performative disposition necessary for engaging singularity.
Biocompatible Herder for rapid oil spill treatment over a wide temperature range

Abstract Oil spills caused by damaged oil rigs, ruptured pipelines, and tankers can have immediate and long-term detrimental effects on marine systems and aquatic life. Herein we further develop the merit of an oil spill recovery technique called oil herding. A herder is an amphiphilic oil-collecting surfactant which is applied to spray around the oil spill areas and is able to retract oil slicks, transforming them from a large thin layer to a small thick bulk. This herding treatment greatly simplifies further in-situ burning and the recycle process. The natural konjac glucomannan (KGM) material could be functionalized and examined here as an oil herder, which has the great advantage of nontoxicity, biocompatibility, and adaptability. Moreover, functionalized KGM is a non-ionic surfactant with no Krafft temperature. The absence of Krafft temperature gives KGM surfactants the unique ability to retain surfactant ability at temperatures nearing 0 °C. It unlocks a new direction for efficient oil herders within low temperature water areas, especially for oil spills treatment in Arctic waters, in the offshore safety control.
Is freezing of gait a balance disorder

Abstract Freezing of gait (FoG) is a brief, episodic inability to step, with the perception that the feet are glued to the floor. FoG eventually affects a majority of people with Parkinson disease (PD) and is often associated with falls. PD with FoG shows more balance disorders than nonfreezers, particularly in anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) and dynamic balance during gait. Both structural and functional abnormalities in widespread cortical and subcortical brain circuitry are present in people with FoG compared to nonfreezers, although it is difficult to control for presence of FoG and severity of disease. Levodopa is a partially effective treatment for FoG. DBS is generally not indicated for FoG and sometimes worsens it. External cueing can produce short-term improvement in prevention and reduce the duration of FoG events but shows habituation. Balance and gait and aerobic exercise have not resulted in long-term improvements in freezing of gait.
A case report of Histoplasma capsulatum prosthetic valve endocarditis: an extremely rare presentation with characteristic findings.

Background Histoplasma capsulatum is an extremely rare cause of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) and can present with non-specific symptoms leading to a delay in diagnosis with unfavourable outcomes. Case summary A 65-year-old male patient with a history of a bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement and non-obstructive coronary artery disease was admitted for altered mentation, failure to thrive, and a 20-pound unintentional weight loss over the past 4 months. Upon examination, he was lethargic but afebrile and haemodynamically stable. A late peaking ejection murmur was heard on exam. Skin exam was significant for embolic phenomenon involving the extremities. Inflammatory markers and serum calcium were elevated. A bedside echocardiogram showed severe obstruction across the aortic valve prosthesis. Two years prior, he had an echocardiogram with a normal functioning prosthesis. Routine blood cultures were negative and serologic screening was unrevealing. Urine Histoplasma antigen screen was positive on hospital day 3 and on hospital day 10, fungal blood cultures were positive for H. capsulatum. Unfortunately, the patient died shortly afterwards as a result of multiorgan failure from embolic manifestations of the infection. Discussion Based on our patient's findings and those of previously reported cases in the literature, H. capsulatum PVE should be strongly considered in patients from endemic areas with non-specific symptoms and negative routine blood cultures.
POSTER: Exploiting Multi-Level Task Dependencies to Prune Redundant Work in Relax-Ordered Task-Parallel Algorithms

Work-efficient task-parallel algorithms enforce ordering between tasks using queuing primitives. Such algorithms offer limited parallelism due to queuing constraints that result in data movement and synchronization bottlenecks. Speculatively relaxing order of tasks across cores using the Galois framework shows promise as false dependencies generated by strict queuing constraints are mitigated to unlock task parallelism. However, relaxed ordering results in redundant work, for which Galois relies on static measures to improve work-efficiency. This paper proposes a dynamic multi-level parent-child task dependency checking mechanism in Galois to prune redundant work by exploiting monotonic properties of shared data values. Evaluation on a 40-core Intel Xeon multicore shows an average of 2 performance improvements over state-of-the-art ordered and relax ordered graph algorithms.
HAVE I GOT A JOB FOR YOU: OCCUPATION-RELATED ASTHMA THROUGHOUT LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES

Work exposures to asthma triggers can cause or aggravate asthma, which affects twenty-five million Americans including many older workers, and retirees who want to work or need to do so for income. Asthma trigger exposures have particular risk for older workers. Older adults who develop asthma have poorer health outcomes than people who had childhood asthma, yet older workers with low incomes may have limited ability to leave a job despite health risks. We studied occupation-related asthma using the nationally representative Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) (1968-2015, n=13,957, 205,498 person-years). We compared asthma outcomes in occupations with likely asthma trigger exposures to those in occupations with limited exposures. Methods included: prevalence ratios; incidence risk ratios (log-binomial regression adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, atopy, current and past smoking, and survey design); attributable risk fractions; population attributable risks; and microsimulation. The adjusted prevalence ratio comparing high risk occupations to low was 4.1 (95% confidence interval, CI 3.5-4.8); adjusted risk ratio 2.6 (CI 1.8-3.9); attributable risk 16.7% (CI 8.5-23.6); population attributable risk 11.3% (CI 5.0-17.2). In microsimulations, 14.9% (CI 13.4-16.3) with low trigger exposures reported asthma during working life, compared with 23.9% (CI 22.3-26.0) with high exposures. Asthma triggers at work may cause or aggravate more than 10% of adult asthma, and increase asthma risk by 60%. Lung health contributes importantly to well-being, and the ability to work at older ages. Results highlight needs for policies and employer actions to reduce asthma trigger exposures, and for public education about lung health.
Electrodeposition of Fe–Ni alloy on Au(111) substrate: Metastable BCC growth via hydrogen evolution and interactions

Abstract The electrodeposition of Fe–Ni alloy is usually complicated by the effects of anomalous codeposition and hydrogen evolution. Although the influence of the deposition conditions on the alloy composition has been studied extensively, very few works considered the influence of growth conditions on the phase constitution. In this work, various electrodeposition conditions were investigated to grow Fe–Ni alloy films (
Virginia Woolf’s Modernist Path: Her Middle Diaries & the Diaries She Read, by Barbara Lounsberry

In this era of political superlative abuse, perhaps simple, direct words will most clearly convey my high praise for this work: you should read Barbara Lounsberry’s excellent book, Virginia Woolf’s...
Example of indeterminacy in classical dynamics

The case of a particle moving along a nonsmooth constraint under the action of uniform gravity is presented as an example of indeterminancy in a classical situation. The indeterminacy arises from certain initial conditions having nonunique solutions and is due to the failure of the Lipschitz condition at the corresponding points in the phase space of the equation of motion.
Chronic optogenetic stimulation of hippocampal engrams variably modulates social behaviors in mice

The hippocampus processes both spatial-temporal information and emotionally salient experiences. To test the functional properties of discrete sets of cells in the dorsal dentate gyrus (dDG), we examined whether chronic optogenetic reactivation of these ensembles was sufficient to modulate social behaviors in mice. We found that chronic reactivation of dDG cells in male mice was sufficient to enhance social behaviors in a female exposure task when compared to pre-stimulation levels. However, chronic reactivation of these cells was not sufficient to modulate group differences in a separate subset of social behaviors, and multi-region analysis of neural activity did not yield detectable differences in immediate-early gene expression or neurogenesis, suggesting a dissociation between our chronic stimulation-induced behavioral effects and underlying neural responses. Together, our results demonstrate that chronic optogenetic stimulation of cells processing valent experiences enduringly and unidirectionally modulates social interactions between male and female mice.
Risk Assessment and Considerations for Proper Management of Elderly Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review

Abstract Context Treatment decisions for elderly men with prostate cancer are complicated by the intersection of competing risks of cancer, potential complications of treatment, and individual patients’ comorbidities. Objective To perform a systematic review of data guiding the assessment of elderly prostate cancer patients that addresses the risk from cancer and treatment, and to discuss a patient-centered approach to incorporating these factors into decision making. Evidence acquisition Evidence was gathered via a systematic review of the current literature. The search strategy used the terms prostate cancer, elderly, geriatric, >75 yr of age, risk assessment, and treatment in several combinations, and was limited to phase ≥ II clinical trials published between January 2008 and November 2018. Additional supporting literature for the discussion was pulled by hand search. Evidence synthesis The benefits of treatment identified for systemic therapies commonly used to treat men with prostate in general extend to elderly patients. Evidence supports a multifaceted assessment of the risks of cancer and aging, and an understanding of the side effects of treatment to optimally guide therapeutic decision making for elderly patients. There is little evidence defining a geriatric risk stratification system specific to prostate cancer, and recommendations are predominantly based on adapted geriatric oncology approaches and expert consensus. Conclusions The care of elderly men with prostate cancer should incorporate a review of cancer risk, an assessment of aging, and an understanding of the effects of treatment to provide the patient with thorough and personalized guidance for treatment decisions. Future studies of elderly men with prostate cancer can define and validate ideal risk stratification methods as well as management approaches that may be distinct from those for younger populations. Patient summary Treatment decisions for elderly men with prostate cancer require consideration of the risk posed by the cancer coupled with an understanding of the patient’s general health status.
Acute Abdominal Pain in a COVID-19 Patient

### Case Report A 69-year-old woman with a medical history of diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and acute embolic cerebrovascular event postcardiac catheterization in 2016 presented to the emergency department with acute abdominal pain. Before this, she had been evaluated for symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, and myalgias which were conservatively managed with improvement. She now presented with intermittent pain of diffuse, nonspecific distribution, associated with nausea and nonbloody emesis. The patient also had lower back pain but not in either flank region. She denied history of trauma or urinary symptoms. Her medications included aspirin, clopidogrel, furosemide, and insulin. Examination was significant for diffuse nonspecific abdominal tenderness without rebound or guarding. Laboratory assessment revealed creatinine of 1.10 mg/dl, elevated level of c-reactive protein at 20 mg/dl, sedimentation rate of 112 …
The human C-reactive protein gene (CRP) and serum amyloid P component gene (APCS) are located on the proximal long arm of chromosome 1.

The genes encoding two pentraxins, C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid P component (SAP), are located on the proximal long arm of human chromosome 1. Mapping of the CRP and SAP genes between the centromere and band q32 was achieved by Southern blot analysis of DNA from a panel of human × Chinese hamster somatic cell hybrids carrying defined fragments of human chromosome 1. Both genes were localized more precisely between bands q12 and q23 by in situ hybridization to human metaphase chromosomes.
User Independent Estimations of Gait Events With Minimal Sensor Data

Goal : The purpose of this study was to provide an initial examination of the utility of the Beta Process - Auto Regressive - Hidden Markov Model (BP-AR-HMM) for the prior identification of gait events. A secondary objective was to determine whether the output of the model could be used for classification and prediction of locomotion states. Methods: In this study we utilized the output of the BP-AR-HMM to develop user-independent identification of gait events and gait classification from an idealized three-dimensional acceleration signal. The input acceleration data were collected from two walking (1.4 and 1.6 ms−1) and two running (2.6 and 3.0 ms−1) steady state speeds, and during two dynamic walk to run and run to walk transitions (1.8–2.4 and 2.4–1.8 ms−1) on an instrumented force treadmill. Results: The BP-AR-HMM identified 9 unique states. Of these, two states, 4 and 1, were utilized to estimate initial contact and toe off, respectively. The lead time from the first instance of state 4 to initial contact was 0.13 ± 0.02 s. Similarly, the first instance of state 1 occurred 0.14 ± 0.03 s before toe off. Two other states (3 and 7) were examined for possible utilization in a probabilistic model for the prediction of pending locomotion state transitions. Conclusion: The identification of gait events prior to their occurrence by the BP-AR-HMM appears to be an approach that can minimize the quantity of sensor data in an offline approach. Furthermore, there is evidence it could also be used as a basis to build a probabilistic model to estimate locomotion transitions.
Heterogeneous Response Intensity Ranges and Response Probability Improve Goal Achievement in Multi-agent Systems

Inter-agent variation is well-known in both the biology and computer science communities as a mechanism for improving task selection and swarm performance for multi-agent systems. Response threshold variation, the most commonly used form of inter-agent variation, desynchronizes agent actions allowing for more targeted agent activation. Recent research using a less common form of variation, termed dynamic response intensity, demonstrates that modeling levels of agent experience or varying physical attributes and using these to allow some agents to perform tasks more efficiently or vigorously, significantly improves swarm goal achievement when used in conjunction with response thresholds. Dynamic intensity values vary within a fixed range as agents activate for tasks. We extend previous work by demonstrating that adding another layer of variation to response intensity, in the form of heterogeneous ranges for response intensity values, provides significant performance improvements when response is probabilistic. Heterogeneous intensity ranges break the coupling that occurs between response thresholds and response intensities when the intensity range is homogeneous. The decoupling allows for increased diversity in agent behavior.
Modeling the Multicomponent Compositional Effects of Asphaltenes on Interfacial Phenomena

The polydisperse nature of asphaltenes is not usually considered in studies of asphaltenes adsorption effects at interfaces, e.g., water–oil interfaces. We recently proposed a methodology that take...
Unearthing the Ancient Origins of Antiviral Immunity.

The human genome encodes an arsenal of proteins that protect us against deadly viruses. Could microbes provide clues regarding the origin of these pathogen defenses? In a recent study published in Nature, Bernheim et al. demonstrate that the mammalian antiviral protein viperin is far more ancient and conserved than previously appreciated.
Enantioselective Palladium-Catalyzed Allylic Alkylation Using E- and Z-Vinylogous Sulfonates

The E- and Z-vinylogous sulfonates of β-phenylcinnamyl alcohol derivatives 1 and 2 undergo rapid and enantioselective palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation (≥90% ee) with the palladium complex of ...
MANDA: On Adversarial Example Detection for Network Intrusion Detection System

With the rapid advancement in machine learning (ML), ML-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) are widely deployed to protect networks from various attacks. Yet one of the biggest challenges is that ML-based IDSs suffer from adversarial example (AE) attacks. By applying small perturbations (e.g. slightly increasing packet inter-arrival time) to the intrusion traffic, an AE attack can flip the prediction of a well-trained IDS. We address this challenge by proposing MANDA, a MANifold and Decision boundary-based AE detection system. Through analyzing AE attacks, we notice that 1) an AE tends to be close to its original manifold (i.e., the cluster of samples in its original class) regardless which class it is misclassified into; and 2) AEs tend to be close to the decision boundary so as to minimize the perturbation scale. Based on the two observations, we design MANDA for accurate AE detection by exploiting inconsistency between manifold evaluation and IDS model inference and evaluating model uncertainty on small perturbations. We evaluate MANDA on NSL-KDD under three state-of-the-art AE attacks. Our experimental results show that MANDA achieves as high as 98.41% true-positive rate with 5% false-positive rate and can be applied to other problem spaces such as image recognition.
Pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum in patients with COVID-19 infection: A case-control study of risk factors and patient characteristics

RATIONALE: Severe cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are frequently associated with the development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) which can be complicated by the appearance of pneumothorax and/or pneumomediastinum (PaoP). This single-network, multi-hospital study examines PaoP in a retrospective COVID-19 cohort, including patient characteristics and overall incidence. In addition, risk factor determination is conducted using case-matched COVID-19 controls, hypothesizing that the need for mechanical ventilation and pulmonary comorbidities are associated with PaoP. METHODS: This is an IRB-exempt, retrospective case-control study involving patients with COVID-19 diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction and admitted to the hospital network 03/01/2020-11/30/2020. A total of 25 patients who developed PaoP were matched to COVID-19 patients without PaoP in 1:4 ratio according to age, gender and APACHE 2 score. Detailed chart review included patient demographics, BRIXIA, MuLBSTA, supplemental oxygen use, mechanical ventilation, inflammatory markers (CRP, ferritin, IL-6), pulmonary comorbidities (asthma, COPD, OSA, tobacco use), nonpulmonary comorbidities (diabetes, morbid obesity, malignancy, cardiovascular and renal diseases), and hospitalization characteristics (hospital length of stay or HLOS, ICU admission). Univariate results (Table 1) with significance level of P<0.20 were included in subsequent binary logistic regression to determine factors independently associated with PaoP.RESULTS: A total of 125 patients were evaluated (25 PaoP cases and 100 matched controls). Group characteristics included median age of 72 years [IQR 58-80];84% male sex;56% Caucasian;Median APACHE II 15.6 [6.8-41.0]. There were no significant differences in terms of CRP, ferritin, or IL-6 between the two groups. Patients with PaoP underwent chest tube placement in 76% cases and had significantly higher mortality (68% vs. 43%, p<0.025). In our multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with PaoP included longer hospitalization (OR 1.047, 95%CI 1.001-1.096) and mechanical ventilation (OR 3.271, 95%CI 1.066-10.035). CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that longer HLOS and the requirement for mechanical ventilation are independently associated with PaoP. However, our data do not support the hypothesis that pulmonary comorbidities (asthma, COPD, OSA, tobacco use) are significantly associated with PaoP. This, combined with the finding that the level of PEEP did not appear to be a significant risk factor for PaoP, highlights the need for better understanding of the underlying pulmonary pathology. The current series is among the largest studies of this important phenomenon in COVID-19 patients, and provides important insight into our understanding of this rare but prognostically important complication.
A Metric for Species Representation in the US Potato Genebank

Crop genebanks keep a sample of the diversity in wild and cultivated germplasm. Knowing the structure of diversity within and among populations informs best decisions on efficient collecting, preservation and use. The US Potato Genebank has over 90 Solanum species, ranging in representation from only a few populations to several hundred. In a previous study we showed that populations of three species captured nearly all AFLP bands in polymorphic loci when represented by 100 populations that had been added over time to the genebank. In the current study we add analysis of two additional species and propose a simple metric, L100, to compare the expected marker diversity capture of 100 populations among different species. L100 detects when there is less population overlap and more rare markers, indicating that more populations are needed to capture the available diversity in a species.
Vergleich der Stoßwellenmethode mit anderen Verfahren zur Untersuchung von schnellen chemischen Reaktionen und Erscheinungen bei hohen Temperaturen

Die Untersuchung von Erscheinungen bei hohen Temperaturen und von schnell ablaufenden Reaktionen stellt an die Versuchstechnik sehr hohe Anforderungen. Besonders auf dem Gebiet der Verbrennungsvorgange sind deshalb noch zahlreiche Fragen ungeklart. Auch lassen sich hohe Temperaturen, wie sie z. B. fur die Astronomie von Interesse sind, im Laboratorium unter Gleichgewichtsbedingungen nur schwer erzeugen, weil es keine Materialien gibt, in die man Gase solcher Temperatur einschliesen konnte. Weiter gibt es unter extremen Bedingungen viele so schnell verlaufende Reaktionen, das es schwer ist, diese Bedingungen am Reaktionsbeginn schnell genug definiert herzustellen und dann den Reaktionsablauf oder auch die Relaxationserscheinungen zu verfolgen.
Differential Precipitation Applications for Metals Separation and Recovery

Improved treatment efficiencies and increased opportunities for metals recovery can be achieved through a better understanding of the factors influencing the solubility of metals. This research describes the modelling and treatability results for a complex industrial inorganic wastewater from air pollution scrubbing of a copper refining facility. The wastewater is acidic, and high in copper, cadmium, zinc, and lead. Significant ligands affecting metals solubilities are chloride, carbonate and hydroxide. The high temperature of the wastewater also has an impact upon the solubility of the metals. This paper presents the results of modelling and treatability studies on the subject wastewater.
Microbial Respiration of Anodes and Cathodes in Electrochemical Cells

The microbial fuel cell for bioenergy production from renewable fuels is one of many potential applications of microbial catalysis in electrochemical cells. Numerous investigators have proposed analogous bioelectrochemical cells for engineering applications in bioremediation and biohydrogen production. This chapter summarizes and discusses the interactions between microbes and electrodes for energy generation and environmental applications. The electrode of an electrochemical cell may serve as either an electron acceptor or an electron donor, depending on the needs of the application. The chapter emphasizes the microbial communities that develop on both anodes and cathodes of electrochemical cells, the known bacteria which conserve energy and grow on electrodes, and the current state of understanding for the molecular basis of electron transfer between bacteria and electrodes of electrochemical cells. Reduction products from microbial respiration accumulate in the sediment and result in the development of a depth-dependent potential gradient as measured by a reference electrode. Researchers have recently demonstrated ammonium-dependent electricity generation in a microbial fuel cell, where ammonium was amended to the medium as an electron donor, rather than produced as a primary metabolite.
Validation of a continuous cardiac output measurement using arterial pressure waveforms

Intermittent bolus thermodilution cardiac output (ICO) and continuous cardiac output (CCO) measurements with pulmonary artery catheters (PAC) are the most commonly preferred methods of cardiac output (CO) measurement for guiding hemodynamic therapy in the clinical setting. A novel arterial pressure cardiac output (APCO) measurement method requires only access to a radial or femoral artery via a standard arterial catheter and does not require use of venous access or injection of a dilution medium for calibration.
Eigenvectors, diagonal loading and white noise gain constraints for robust adaptive beamforming

In this paper, the use of Initial diagonal loading in addition to a white noise gain constraint (WNGC) is investigated for robust adaptive beamforming. The WNGC controls both the amount of self-nulling loss and the resolving capability. The fundamental problem with WNGC is the setting of the maximum WNG must vary to achieve satisfactory self-nulling protection for different levels of array errors. Since array errors are usually not known precisely, the WNGC is set overly conservative to avoid self-nulling losses causing degraded resolution performance. Initial diagonal loading is a means of preventing self-nulling losses on weak signals and allows the WNGC setting to be much more aggressive, thus improving resolution. The philosophy behind the approach is to use initial diagonal loading to protect weak signals and the WNGC to preserve other stronger signals for which a small amount of self-nulling loss is tolerated. In addition, the performance of this robust ABF approach using WNGC with initial diagonal loading is compared to robust ABF methods that model steering vector uncertainties.
The Drosophila homeotic target gene centrosomin (cnn) encodes a novel centrosomal protein with leucine zippers and maps to a genomic region required for midgut morphogenesis

The products of the homeotic genes in Drosophila are transcription factors that are necessary to impose regional identity along the anterior-posterior axis of the developing embryo. However, the target genes under homeotic regulation that control this developmental process are largely unknown. We have utilized an immunopurification method to clone target genes of the Antennapedia protein (ANTP). We present here the characterization of centrosomin (cnn), one of the target genes isolated using this approach. The spatial and temporal expression of the cnn gene in the developing visceral mesoderm (VM) of the midgut and the central nervous system (CNS) of wild-type and homeotic mutant embryos is consistent with the idea that cnn is a homeotic target. In the VM, Antp and abdominal-A (abd-A) negatively regulate cnn, while Ultrabithorax (Ubx) shows positive regulation. In the CNS, cnn is regulated positively by Antp and negatively by Ubx and abd-A. Characterization of a cDNA encoding CNN predicts a novel structural protein with three leucine zipper motifs and several coiled-coil domains exhibiting limited homology to the rod portion of myosin. Immunocytochemical results demonstrate that the cnn encoded protein is localized to the centrosome and the accumulation pattern is coupled to the nuclear and centrosome duplication cycles of cleavage. In addition, evidence suggests that the expression of the cnn gene in the VM correlates with the morphogenetic function of Ubx in that tissue, i.e., the formation of the second midgut construction. The centrosomal localization of CNN and the involvement of microtubules in midgut morphogenesis suggest that this protein may participate in mitotic spindle assembly and the mechanics of morphogenesis through an interaction with microtubules, either directly or indirectly.
The Innovative Academic Library: Implementing a Marketing Orientation to Better Address User Needs and Improve Communication

800x600 While academic librarians have long engaged in marketing, it has typically been in the limited sense of promotion and advertising. Application of the marketing concept, with the realization of a marketing orientation as a long term goal, redirects the library to actively seek out user needs and then to design and provide services and resources that will meet those needs. When fully realized, marketing is a bidirectional process in which user needs are determined, services developed, and feedback obtained to assess how effectively the library has addressed the needs. This eliminates the necessity to âsellâ services, allowing the library to spend the majority of its efforts on further innovation. The article provides an explanation of the marketing concept and orientation contrasted with the much more common production orientation. The concepts are illustrated through models and a description of the marketing effort as it has developed in the W. Frank Steely Library at Northern Kentucky University. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
Meeting the challenge of applying cellular concepts to LEO SATCOM systems

The authors discuss challenges encountered in satellite-based cellular systems that will employ low Earth orbiting (LEO) constellations to provide continuous worldwide coverage, with some minimum grazing angle. Motorola's Iridium system will utilize spot beams to form cells on the Earth's surface similar to terrestrial cellular radio. However, for LEO constellations, the geometric relationship between cells will no longer be constant, as with terrestrial systems. To execute channel reuse, it will be necessary to maintain sufficient distance between reuse cells to assure that interference levels do not degrade performance. Due to the dynamics of the cell movement, relative to the subscribers, calls must be handed off, from cell-to-cell and/or from space vehicle-to-space vehicle, during a call. Cell hand-off will be transparent to the subscribers at both ends of the call, and can occur several times during a normal call. The Iridium program will operate with a seven-cell frequency reuse pattern. On a global basis, there will typically be 1628 cells on to ensure worldwide coverage, and the seven-cell pattern will reuse each frequency over two hundred times. Within the contiguous US alone, Iridium will achieve more than five times frequency reuse. >
Solute transport with equilibrium aqueous complexation and either sorption or ion exchange: Simulation methodology and applications

Abstract Methodologies that account for specific types of chemical reactions in the simulation of solute transport can be developed so they are compatible with solution algorithms employed in existing transport codes. This enables the simulation of reactive transport in complex multidimensional flow regimes, and provides a means for existing codes to account for some of the fundamental chemical processes that occur among transported solutes. Two equilibrium-controlled reaction systems demonstrate a methodology for accommodating chemical interaction into models of solute transport. One system involves the sorption of a given chemical species, as well as two aqueous complexations in which the sorbing species is a participant. The other reaction set involves binary ion exchange coupled with aqueous complexation involving one of the exchanging species. The methodology accommodates these reaction systems through the addition of nonlinear terms to the transport equations for the sorbing species. Example simulation results show (1) the effect equilibrium chemical parameters have on the spatial distributions of concentration for complexing solutes; (2) that an interrelationship exists between mechanical dispersion and the various reaction processes; (3) that dispersive parameters of the porous media cannot be determined from reactive concentration distributions unless the reaction is accounted for or the influence of the reaction is negligible; (4) how the concentration of a chemical species may be significantly affected by its participation in an aqueous complex with a second species which also sorbs; and (5) that these coupled chemical processes influencing reactive transport can be demonstrated in two-dimensional flow regimes.
A Comparison of Long Coastal Trapped Wave Theory with Observations off Peru

Abstract The agreement between coastal trapped wave theory and observation is studied for the case of observations made off Peru during the 1977 CUEA JOINT-II experiment. Wave properties are calculated using a numerical model with realistic, horizontally uniform stratification and realistic bottom topography. These properties are then explored as a function of the ratio of the first internal Rossby radius of deformation to the shelf-slope width. The agreement of observed and calculated first-mode, free wave phase speeds (230 cm s−1) is excellent, while modal structures agree more poorly. A forced wave calculation, using observed winds and currents as input, is used to hindcast alongshore currents and sea level in the frequency band where Smith (1978) observed free coastal trapped waves during 1977. The model suggests that most of the observed sea level and alongshore velocity fluctuations in the 5–10 day period band are due to free waves originating equatorward of 5&deg's, while winds between 5&deg's and ...
The semiotics of survival: Street cops read the street

Urban police officers must learn to approach the street as a text and to decode its myriad messages as a primary survival tactic. The street is a text common to all, yet, as with all complex texts, its interpretation depends upon the awareness and skill of the reader. In interviewing more than 150 Chicago police officers for two collections of police narratives, What Cops Know and Pure Cop, the author learned that police officers place a high value upon what they term “reading the street,” The ability to decipher messages that often demand immediate action, and, if read incorrectly, can result in tragedy. Understanding the complexities in reading the street may shed some light on police successes and failures in interpreting the streets many‐layered messages and may have significant carryover into the reading of semiotic texts for all “strangers in a strange land.”