cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synoptic and mesoscale processes supporting vertical superposition of the polar and subtropical jets in two contrasting cases

Observational studies have shown that the tropopause characteristically exhibits a three-step Pole-to-Equator structure, with each break between steps in the tropopause height associated with a jet stream. While the two jet streams, the polar and subtropical jets, typically occupy different latitude bands, their separation can occasionally vanish, resulting in a relatively rare vertical superposition of the two jets. A cursory examination of several historical and recent high-impact weather events over North America and the North Atlantic suggests that superposed jets are a component of their evolution. This study examines the processes that support the production of a polar/subtropical jet superposition during two such events; the 18–20 December 2009 Mid-Atlantic Blizzard and the 1–3 May 2010 Nashville Flood. Given that ageostrophic transverse circulations and convection have both been shown to be capable of restructuring the tropopause within a single jet environment, the analysis focuses on the role these same processes play within the more complex double-jet environment. The results demonstrate that ageostrophic transverse circulations play a primary role in the production of a superposition during the December 2009 case by placing subsidence, and a downward protrusion of high potential vorticity (PV) air, between the two jet cores, thereby contributing to the production of the single, steep tropopause wall characteristic of the superposed jet environment. Furthermore, convection fundamentally influences the existence and structure of the subtropical jet stream in both cases, through its associated latent heat release and irrotational outflow as well as the geostrophic adjustment process that responds to upper-tropospheric mass deposition from convection on the anticyclonic shear side of the jet.
Effect of Overlapping Intrinsic Spin Resonances on e-Lens Lattices from FY13 Polarized Proton Run

During the 2013 Polarized Proton run RHIC was run with a lattice designed to accommodate the phases necessary for the Electron lens. This lattice resulted in significant changes in magnitude and distribution of the intrinsic resonances. The overall magnitude of the strong intrinsic resonances were smaller, however the neighbouring weak intrinsic resonances grew. We present results from 2D direct tracking with 5,000 particles and 2D lattice independent tracking .
Comparisons of single-oospore isolates of Phytophthora species from naturally infected cocoa pods in Brazil

Soil, mummified cocoa pods on trees, and pods from husk piles were examined for species of Phytophthora in several experimental cocoa field plots in Brazil. Phytophthora capsici and P. citrophthora were recovered from soil and from husk piles. Compatibility types Al and A2 of P. capsici were isolated from a single pod. Plerotic oospores of Phytophthora with amphigynous antheridia still attached to the oogonial stalk were found in pods from husk piles. Fifteen percent ofthe oospores removed from pods germinated. Twenty single-oospore isolates were compared with respect to colony and sporangia morphology, sporangium production, stalk lengths, and compatibility type. Most cultures from ger? minated oospores resembled P. capsici but some had unique characteristics that included noncaducous sporangia and large (> 50 /nm in length) sporangia. The majority of single-zoospore isolates from singleoospore cultures were similar to their respective parent cultures. However, some differed with respect to size of sporangia, caducity of sporangia, and compatibility type.
Analysis of staff C,syphilis,HBsAg and ALT in newcomers in prison

Objective:To understand the new supervisor of the prison staff in hepatitis C,syphilis,HBsAg,ALT test results,grasp the end of the case,the reasons for abnormal results of the analysis for the formulation of the crowd control measures to provide a scientific basis.Methods:745 new prison comers have been anti-HCV,syphilis,HBsAg,ALT testing and so on.Results:114 cases of anti-HCV-positive,the positive detection rate of 15.30%;13 cases of syphilis positive,the positive detection rate of 1.74%;HBsAg positive 121 cases,the positive detection rate of 16.24%;ALT abnormal in 93 cases,abnormal rate of 12.68%.Conclusion:The new supervisor of the prison personnel in anti-HCV,syphilis,HBsAg,ALT abnormal test results,in addition to syphilis,the positive rates of several other high,over 10%.
Close, but no cigar: certain cigars are pseudo-cigarettes designed to evade regulation

An abundance of evidence suggests that the tobacco industry's response to increased regulation imposed on cigarettes has been the development of little cigars and filtered cigars which are tobacco products that are merely cigarettes in disguise. Emphasising these products' physical attributes, the tobacco industry has offered cigar products to its consumers as pseudo-cigarettes. For decades, tobacco manufacturers' response to increased cigarette regulation and taxation has been to exploit policy loopholes by offering these little cigars and filtered cigars pseudo-cigarettes that are exempted from this regulatory oversight. As a result, in spite of increased regulations and taxes on cigarettes, smokers can purchase cigars that are almost physically indistinguishable from their cigarettes at a lower cost. This commentary describes the recent evolution of the cigar market in response to federal regulation, and highlights historical cigar industry attempts to evade taxation, capitalise on product features that are off-limits to cigarettes, and capture the shrinking market of cigarette smokers. We present the case that little cigars and filtered cigars, differing very little physically from cigarettes, are products deserving the same regulatory scrutiny.
Purple hands in multiple system atrophy Global anhidrosis with preserved acral sweating

A patient developed parkinsonism at age 60 years followed by autonomic involvement with orthostatic hypotension and urinary incontinence, consistent with multiple system atrophy (MSA). Quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test revealed intact postganglionic sudomotor function, while thermoregulatory sweat test (figure) showed global anhidrosis, indicating a preganglionic/central lesion of sudomotor pathways consistent with MSA.1 Acral sweating was preserved.
An Interview with Dr. Ofelia García on the Past, Present and Future of Language Policy

Dr. Ofelia Garcia is Professor in the Ph.D. programs of Urban Education and of Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Languages at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She has been Professor of Bilingual Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College, Dean of the School of Education at the Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University, and Professor of Education at The City College of New York. Among her best-known books are Bilingual Education in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective; Translanguaging; Language, Bilingualism and Education (with Li Wei); Educating Emergent Bilinguals (with J. Kleifgen), Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity (with J. Fishman), Negotiating Language Policies in Schools: Educators as Policymakers (with K. Menken), Imagining Multilingual Schools (with T. Skutnabb-Kangas and M. Torres-Guzman), and A Reader in Bilingual Education (with C. Baker). She is the General Editor of the International Journal of the Sociology of Language and the co-editor of Language Policy (with H. Kelly-Holmes). For the past four years, Garcia has been co-principal investigator of CUNY-NYSIEB (www.cunynysieb.org). Garcia’s extensive publication record on bilingualism and the education of bilinguals is grounded in her life experience living in New York City after leaving Cuba at the age of 11, teaching language minority students bilingually, educating bilingual and ESL teachers, and working with doctoral students researching these topics. The interview published in this Special Issue was conducted in the May 2016, following the author’s participation in a graduate seminar entitled Global Perspectives on Language and Education Policy taught by Dr. Ofelia Garcia and Dr. Carmina Makar. In this interview, several issues relating to the past, present and future of the language policy were discussed.
Discussion of depressed states and indolealkylamines.

Publisher Summary Reserpine and tetrabenazine used in the treatment of hypertension produce a depression in 15% of the cases. Because these two compounds cause a depletion of tissue stores of both catecholamines and indolealkylamines, the findings support a biogenic amine hypothesis of depression. The use of these compounds does not permit discrimination between the catecholamine and the indoleamine hypotheses. 85% of the patients respond to the use of these drugs with some relief of the symptoms of hypertension and with psychic tranquilization rather than depression. The 40%–60%, improvement rate in clinical depressions treated with monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors also supports a biogenic amine hypothesis but fails to discriminate between the catecholamines and the indoleamines. Tryptophan plus an MAO inhibitor is therapeutically more effective than dopa plus an MAO inhibitor.
New parallel iterative schemes and the AOR method

On presente une famille de schemas iteratifs paralleles pour la solution des systemes d'equations lineaires. On etablit les conditions de consistance et de convergence
Computing Random Match Probability from DNA Profile Data Using Population Databases

If a DNA profile of a suspect does not match the profile produced from biological material obtained from the crime scene, then the suspect is not considered as the donor of the biological evidence. However, if the DNA profile from the crime scene matches with a given suspect, it does not necessarily imply that a given individual is the exclusive donor of the material; indeed, it is important to correctly and precisely determine how common or rare the event is. In this experiment, the probability of a random match and the discriminating power for a multiplex STR DNA typing profile will be computed using a population database. Mendelian genetics and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium will be observed.
Evaluation of pregnancy outcomes from the Tysabri® (natalizumab) pregnancy exposure registry: a global, observational, follow-up study

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or Crohn’s disease (CD) being treated with natalizumab (Tysabri®, Biogen) who are planning to become pregnant or discover they are pregnant after exposure to natalizumab are currently advised to balance the potential benefits and potential risks of exposure when considering treatment options. This study was undertaken to evaluate pregnancy outcomes of women with MS or CD who were exposed to natalizumab at any time within 3 months prior to conception or during pregnancy. A pregnancy registry was created to better understand the effect of natalizumab exposure on pregnancy outcomes. The Tysabri Pregnancy Exposure Registry was a global, observational exposure registration and follow-up study. Evaluations included spontaneous abortions (<22 weeks gestational age), fetal losses (≥22 weeks gestational age), ectopic pregnancies, elective or therapeutic terminations, stillbirths, birth defects, and live births. Birth defects were reviewed and coded in accordance with the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program (MACDP) classification of birth defects. A total of 369 patients with MS and 7 patients with CD were enrolled prospectively, of whom 355 patients (99.4 %; 349 MS and 6 CD) had known pregnancy outcomes (including 8 twin sets). The spontaneous abortion rate was 9.0 % (n = 32; 95 % confidence interval [C. I.], 6.3–12.5 %). An independent advisory committee review determined the major birth defect rate to be 5.05 % (16 of 316 live births + 1 elective abortion; 95 % C. I., 2.9–8.1 %). The mean gestational age of the live-born infants was 38.3 weeks, and the mean birth weight was 3158.3 g. Although the overall rate of birth defects was higher than that observed by the MACDP, these registry outcomes showed no specific pattern of malformations that would suggest a drug effect, and the spontaneous abortion rate was consistent with that of the general population. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00472992 (11 May 2007).
Learning from Big Malwares

This paper calls for the attention to investigate real-world malwares in large scales by examining the largest real malware repository, VirusTotal. As a first step, we analyzed two fundamental characteristics of Windows executable malwares from VirusTotal. We designed offline and online tools for this analysis. Our results show that malwares appear in bursts and that distributions of malwares are highly skewed.
Different types of combat experiences and associated symptoms in OEF and OIF National Guard and reserve veterans.

Objective It is well established that exposure to combat is a risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The experiences of military personnel serving in combat zones vary widely however, leading to increased attention to the impact of different types of combat trauma. The present study examined the relationships among 3 conceptually based categories of combat exposure with 4 PTSD symptom clusters (reexperiencing, avoidance, numbing, and hyperarousal) and symptoms of guilt, depression, and anxiety. Method Participants were 206 National Guard and Reserve members who had recently returned from deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. Results As hypothesized, findings from a multivariate multiple linear regression analysis showed that exposure to personal life threat predicted symptoms of hyperarousal, and exposure to death or severe injury of others predicted symptoms of depression. Hypotheses that personal life threat would predict anxiety symptoms, exposure to death or injury of others would predict numbing, and having killed would predict guilt were not supported. Conclusions The relative degree of exposure to life threat and death/loss events in a war-zone may impact the development of different types of symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of considering different types of trauma exposure in future research. (PsycINFO Database Record
IgA Anticardiolipin Antibodies as a Risk Factor for Arterial and Venous Thrombotic Events.

Background: Many studies have concluded that the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies is associated with both venous and arterial thrombotic events. The role of IgA anticardiolipin has been studied previously with conflicting results. Some of this disparity is thought to be due in part to the lack of international standards in measuring these levels. Objective : To further evaluate the role of IgA anticardiolipin anitbody as a risk factor for thrombosis. Patients and Methods: We conducted a single institution retrospective review of all patients with elevated IgA anticardiolipin antibodies extracted from a database of 20,000 patients for whom IgA anticardiolipin had been measured. Results: One hundred forty-eight patients were identified with elevated IgA anticardiolipin antibodies as measured by semiquantitative indirect Elisa. Patients had a median age of 52.5; 52% were African American, 38% Caucasain and 9% of other ethnic background. Of these patients, 67 had associated arterial or venous thrombotic events: 15.9% were pulmonary embolisms, 47.5% were deep venous thromboses and 36.6% were arterial thrombotic events. Patients were further evaluated for other thrombotic risk factors including IgG and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies; lupus anticoagulant; pt 20210; activated protein C resistance/Factor V Leiden; hyperhomocysteinemia; antithrombin; protein C/protein S deficiency; active malignancy with or without concurrent chemotherapy; tamoxifen, oral contraceptive or hormone replacement therapy; catheter-related risk; pregnancy; myeloproliferative disorders and hyperviscosity syndromes; sickle cell disease; and surgery, trauma or immobilization within 6 weeks of the event. In 35.8% of evaluated patients with elevated IgA and thrombotic events, there was was no concommitant elevation of IgG or IgM anticardiolipin. In 33.3% of patients with thrombotic events, none of the other predetermined risk factors were present. Conclusion: IgA anticardiolipin may be an independent risk factor for development of venous and arterial thrombotic events. A large case-controlled or prospective, randomized trial with standardized measurement will likely be needed to further clarify this issue.
Delay of Gratification: Explorations of How and Why Children Wait and Its Linkages to Outcomes Over the Life Course.

The inability to delay of gratification is frequently offered as a behavioral marker of “impulsivity” or the lack of “willpower.” This paper presents an historical review of the “Marshmallow Test,” the highly popular paradigm for examining children’s ability to wait. Early experimental investigations demonstrated that children’s ability to wait is powerfully impacted by the physical presence of rewards, but that this challenge is readily overcome by instructions that modify if and how children attend to the rewards. These investigations also show that in the absence of instructions to do otherwise, preschoolers typically focus attention on rewards, making waiting difficult. Longitudinal follow-ups that now span nearly 40 years show patterns of direct relations indicative of more adaptive functioning over the life course by those children who waited during preschool. Most importantly, these relations are only found for children who were tested in experimental settings where rewards were present and children were left to their own coping strategies. Preschool waiting also moderates potentially maladaptive relations in adults, suggesting that self-control can be a protective buffer for other vulnerabilities. Finally, recent work documents connections between lifelong patterns of self-control and neural processing related to both cognitive control and the efficiency of working memory. Collectively, these findings suggest that children’s ability to wait as preschoolers derives in large part from deliberate strategies deployed by children to deal with the challenge they face. This interpretation raises important questions about the role of impulsivity in children’s waiting as well as the types of psychological processes that might be central to demonstrations of willpower.
An Exploratory Study of Driver Response to Reduced System Confidence Notifications in Automated Driving

An exploratory study in a moving-base simulator with 34 volunteers examined the effects of automated driving system reduced-confidence notifications on driver response. Reduced confidence in this context is defined as a system performance level that is lower than optimal, yet not so low as to disable the system. The threshold for such a level is essentially a policy decision based on perceived costs and benefits of keeping the automation engaged versus disengaging it. So, a reduced-confidence notification was designed to simply indicate that the driver should be especially vigilant to the increased potential to have to take manual control of the vehicle. An actual manual takeover request from the automated system would require the driver to take manual control of the vehicle. To investigate this, a 32-min highway driving scenario was constructed for this exploratory investigation that included 16 potential loss-of-lane tracking segments within this time frame. Three factors at two levels (low/high) each were crossed and presented in a between-subjects experimental design. One factor was system confidence/competence match, which refers to the ratio of the number of actual automation system failures over the number of reduced-confidence notifications. A second factor was the consequence of automation failure, i.e., drifting toward a busy traffic lane or drifting toward a wide shoulder. The third factor was detectability, or being able to see versus not see why the automated driving system began to drift out-of-lane. Data analyses indicated that automated driving with reduced-confidence notifications was judged to be both useful and acceptable regardless of the manipulated factors. However, the lowest incidence of preemption (i.e., manual takeovers prior to the start of a lane drift) was associated with low automation competence/confidence match and low detectability, regardless of consequences. It was also associated with responding later by some drivers. On the other hand, when the reduced-confidence notifications were perfectly matched with the need to manually takeover, there were fewer instances of delayed driver responses. Results are discussed in terms of “cry wolf” effects.
Heating–freezing effects on the pore size distribution of a kaolinite clay

This study aims to quantify the effect of heating and freezing temperatures on the pore size distribution of saturated clays. Three kaolinite clay specimens were subjected to different temperatures: 20, 70, and − 10 °C. Upon achieving the desired temperature for each specimen, the specimens were flash frozen in liquid nitrogen to preserve their microstructure. Each specimen was, then, freeze-dried for 24 h after which consecutive two-dimensional (2-D) SEM images were taken using a dual focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope. The produced 2-D images of each specimen were used to reconstruct three-dimensional tomographies of the specimens, which were analyzed to determine the pore size distribution at each temperature. Compared to the specimen at room temperature, the pores in the specimen subjected to − 10 °C were larger; this is believed to be due to the formation of ice lenses inside the pores upon freezing and potential merging between initial pores to form larger pores. On the other hand, the heated specimen showed an increase in the volume of the smaller pores and a decrease in the volume of the larger pores compared to the specimen at room temperature. This opposite behavior between the small and large pores in the heated specimen is justified considering (1) the easier flow of water out of the larger pores compared to that in the smaller pores and (2) the anisotropic nature of the thermal expansion of the clay particles.
GUIDE: a scalable information directory service to collect, federate, and analyze logs for operational insights into a leadership HPC facility

In this paper, we describe the GUIDE framework used to collect, federate, and analyze log data from the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF), and how we use that data to derive insights into facility operations. We collect system logs and extract monitoring data at every level of the various OLCF subsystems, and have developed a suite of pre-processing tools to make the raw data consumable. The cleansed logs are then ingested and federated into a central, scalable data warehouse, Splunk, that offers storage, indexing, querying, and visualization capabilities. We have further developed and deployed a set of tools to analyze these multiple disparate log streams in concert and derive operational insights. We describe our experience from developing and deploying the GUIDE infrastructure, and deriving valuable insights on the various subsystems, based on two years of operations in the production OLCF environment.
Do characteristics of pollinator‐friendly gardens predict the diversity, abundance, and reproduction of butterflies?

Pollinator declines have motivated efforts to plant nectar and host plants for butterflies and other pollinators, but whether gardens promote pollinator conservation requires further investigation. We established garden plots to determine whether plant type (native vs. exotic) and weed maintenance (low or high) influence adult butterfly abundance and species richness, and the abundance and survival of immature stages of four species (monarch, queen, black swallowtail, and gulf fritillary). To assess how predator activity and mortality of immature stages might differ inside gardens compared to other suitable habitat patches, we compared caterpillar survival on sentinel host plants placed within and outside of plots. The abundance and species richness of adult butterflies (all taxa) increased with the number of flowering plants per plot, but did not depend on plant type or weeding treatment. Exotic plots had greater adult monarch and gulf fritillary abundances, greater monarch and queen egg counts, and lower black swallowtail caterpillar counts relative to native plots. The survival of immature stages (egg to instar 5) ranged from 2 to 13% and was similar across plots, except for gulf fritillary larvae, which had higher survival in exotic plots. Monarch caterpillar mortality risk was higher on sentinel plants placed inside plots, relative to those outside of plots. This study suggests that garden plots attracted a diversity of adult butterflies and supported the reproduction of focal species. Given lower immature monarch survival within versus outside of plots, further work is needed to examine natural enemy pressure within pollinator gardens.
Short-Term Resilience of New Jersey Tidal Marshes to Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the USA on October 29, 2012 and had devastating impacts on human-dominated landscapes in the mid-Atlantic and New England states, but its effects on tidal marsh habitats remain largely undescribed. We evaluated the short-term resilience (a resistance to change or a rapid return to pre-storm conditions) of tidal marshes on Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey by comparing vegetation cover/composition, meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) relative abundance, and predation rates on artificial bird nests, from three to six months pre-hurricane with seven to 11 months post-hurricane. These three metrics show a high degree of resilience to Hurricane Sandy. Vegetation cover/composition remained similar pre- and post-hurricane, except for five site-specific changes. Although meadow voles were significantly less abundant following the hurricane, we detected a rapid increase from June to July 2013, indicating resiliency via rapid recovery in the population. We also did not observe widespread changes in nest predation rates on artificial nests. Our findings indicate that management actions intended to recover vegetation, small mammals, and nest predators following a large hurricane disturbance may be of less importance than long-term strategies to avoid gradual changes that can reduce ecosystem resilience.
The Perspective of Bioelectrochemistry

The subject matter of this school Nerve-Muscle Function is usually considered in the domain of physiology, but it can be taught in other contexts depending upon the desired emphasis. For example, the context can be anatomy if the emphasis is on structure, biochemistry if the emphasis is on the molecular components and their reactions, biophysics if the focus is on the kinetics of the membrane potential changes and the energetics of the component processes, etc. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the subject, it is important to present the problems from many points of view and to integrate them. Bioelectrochemistry aims at this type of integration catalyzed by the addition of a strong input from a non-biological discipline, electrochemistry. Electrochemistry emphasizes the physical chemistry of the system and helps us to see what happens when one treats the problems as if the detailed structures were unknown and only the electrical potentials, charge densities, etc. determine the properties. This approach is really a first approximation, but it can often provide considerable insight.
Reward and attentional control in visual search.

It has long been known that the control of attention in visual search depends both on voluntary, top-down deployment according to context-specific goals, and on involuntary, stimulus-driven capture based on the physical conspicuity of perceptual objects. Recent evidence suggests that pairing target stimuli with reward can modulate the voluntary deployment of attention, but there is little evidence that reward modulates the involuntary deployment of attention to task-irrelevant distractors. We report several experiments that investigate the role of reward learning on attentional control. Each experiment involved a training phase and a test phase. In the training phase, different colors were associated with different amounts of monetary reward. In the test phase, color was not task-relevant and participants searched for a shape singleton; in most experiments no reward was delivered in the test phase. We first show that attentional capture by physically salient distractors is magnified by a previous association with reward. In subsequent experiments we demonstrate that physically inconspicuous stimuli previously associated with reward capture attention persistently during extinction—even several days after training. Furthermore, vulnerability to attentional capture by high-value stimuli is negatively correlated across individuals with working memory capacity and positively correlated with trait impulsivity. An analysis of intertrial effects reveals that value-driven attentional capture is spatially specific. Finally, when reward is delivered at test contingent on the task-relevant shape feature, recent reward history modulates value-driven attentional capture by the irrelevant color feature. The influence of learned value on attention may provide a useful model of clinical syndromes characterized by similar failures of cognitive control, including addiction, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and obesity.
Synthesis and Characterization of VO 2 on III Nitride Thin Films Using Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition for Sensing Applications

The sharp transition in electrical and structural properties of Vanadium dioxide during the Metal-Insulator Transition (MIT) is highly attractive for various electronic, optoelectronic and sensing applications. In this work, we have studied Chemical Vapor Deposition based synthesis of VO 2 on Gallium Nitride (GaN) thin films and compared them with those synthesized on Silicon and Sapphire. Thin film vanadium metal (70 nm) was deposited on the various substrates, followed by oxidation under controlled conditions to obtain VO 2 films. The effect of deposition time, oxygen flow rate, substrate temperature, radiative cooling time and furnace pressure systematically studied to obtain the best quality films. Synthesis was carried out on large area vanadium deposited samples as well as on microscale vanadium patterned samples. The as-grown VO 2 films were characterized using AFM and XRD technique to determine their structural and crystalline qualities. VO 2 films synthesized under optimal CVD growth conditions on were successfully utilized for in GaN MEMS devices for highly sensitive deflection transduction.
On the Openness of Unique Pure-Strategy Nash Equilibrium

This paper investigates whether small perturbations to a game with continuous strategy spaces and unique Nash equilibrium also yields a game with unique equilibrium. The answer is affirmative for games with smooth payoffs, differentiable strict concavity in own actions, and transversal intersection of best response curves. Though intuitive for games with unique interior equilibrium, this result holds even for equilibria at the boundaries of strategy sets.
Risk Factors of QTc Prolongation in Women With Hormone Receptor‒positive/Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2‒negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis of Health Care Claims Data.

Abstract Purpose In addition to biomarker status, treatment selection for metastatic breast cancer (mBC) includes individual patient and clinical characteristics such as tumor burden, timing of disease recurrence, and comorbidities. Women with mBC may take medications that can increase the risk of drug-induced toxicities, including prolongation of cardiac repolarization (prolongation of QT interval). Corrected QT (QTc) prolongation, a toxicity associated with many cancer treatments, can lead to potentially life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. As such, it is important to identify patients at risk for QTc prolongation due to comorbid conditions, concomitant medications, or electrolyte abnormalities. This real-world study estimated the proportion of women with hormone receptor‒positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2‒negative (HER2‒) mBC who may be at risk of developing QTc prolongation. Results in the elderly are also included. Methods This retrospective, cross-sectional cohort study used the Truven Health MarketScan and Optum Clinformatics administrative claims databases. Patients' medical and pharmacy data were evaluated to assess the risk of QTc prolongation. Prescription and medication administration claims were evaluated during the 7-day period before the index date (ie, first secondary neoplasm diagnosis). In addition, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth/Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification, codes were evaluated 12 months before the index date to describe congenital long QT syndrome, cardiac disease, and electrolyte abnormalities. Findings A cohort of 24,340 women with HR+/HER2‒ mBC were identified, including 5059 women aged 65–74 years and 4851 aged ≥75 years. Based on an overall analysis of risk factors (congenital long QT syndrome, cardiovascular disease, electrolyte abnormalities, or concomitant medications), 29.5% of all patients, 33.2% of patients aged 65–74 years, and 40.5% of patients aged ≥75 years had risk factors for QTc prolongation. Implications This analysis of real-world data indicates that almost 1 in 3 women with HR+/HER2‒ mBC had congenital long QT syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and/or electrolyte abnormalities or received a concomitant medication that could increase the risk of developing QTc prolongation. The risk factors for congenital long QT syndrome, cardiovascular disease, or electrolyte abnormalities were more common in older patients. This analysis emphasizes the importance of individualized benefit/risk assessment during treatment decisions, especially when considering drugs with known or possible QTc prolongation risk.
Improving the Health Outcomes of Somali Women: A Collaborative Diabetes Prevention Project

This article assesses whether a culturally tailored diabetes prevention intervention improved the knowledge and changed the perception on diabetes, healthy eating, and physical activity among a group of Somali women in Mankato, South-central Minnesota. Five Somali women participated in all phases of the project which included educational and group discussion meetings. A mixed methods approach was utilized with data collected using pretest/posttest surveys and content analysis of focus group discussion. The average score for pretest surveys was 4.01 (SD=0.8) and for posttest survey 4.08 (SD=1.1) showing a slight overall change in diabetes knowledge and attitudes. Key themes emerged from the group discussions including: inadequate diabetes knowledge and attitudes prior to the intervention, inadequate knowledge of the risks of diabetes, lack of knowledge about the impact of lifestyle, diet, and exercise on diabetes risk, barriers to a healthy lifestyle, the value of group support, the benefits of a culturally tailored program, identifying readiness for change and intent to share knowledge with family and the community. While the quantitative findings cannot demonstrate a statistically significant change due to a small sample size, the qualitative data and project results have implications for health care providers and the design of education program, particularly the role that culturally tailored interventions may play in improving the health outcomes of culturally diverse populations.
Diffusion MRI using two-dimensional single-shot radial imaging (2D ss-rDWI) with variable flip angle and random view ordering.

Abstract Purpose The main objective of this study is to develop a 2D single-shot radial-DWI (2D ss-rDWI) technique to reduce motion artifacts and geometric distortion in DW images. Method A diffusion-preparation module is developed and applied prior to the data acquisition. Because the diffusion-prepared longitudinal magnetization is measured over multiple RF excitations in each shot, 2D ss-rDWI is subject to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We used variable-flip angle (VFA), random view ordering (RVO), and sliding spokes, and compared the performances to constant flip angle (CFA), smooth view ordering (SVO), and identical spoke averaging, respectively. For each technique, we performed numerical simulation and MRI experiments on a fluid phantom as well as in-vivo human brain studies with a 3 T MRI system. Results Using VFA, optimal SNR was acquired for 2D ss-rDWI. Using SVO, the high signal is clustered at specific quadrant in 2D k-space: the first quadrant using high initial flip angle or the last quadrant using the low flip angle. This clustered signal in k-space led to geometric distortion in image space. 2D ss-rDWI using RVO spreads the high signaled spokes over all angular directions and removes the view-order-related distortion. The in-vivo images using 2D ss-rDWI with VFA and RVO show no geometric distortion at the skull base brain, but greatly reduced SNR compared with those using 2D ss-DWEPI. Conclusion 2D ss-rDWI is optimized by using VFA with RVO. The resultant DWI using 2D ss-rDWI is insensitive to motion-induced artifacts and geometric distortion. Even with low SNR, it may be useful for DWI of organs limited by severe susceptibility-induced geometric distortion.
Acute Rodent Tolerability, Toxicity, and Radiation Dosimetry Estimates of the S1P1-Specific Radioligand [11C]CS1P1

In preclinical studies with rodent models of inflammatory diseases, [11C]CS1P1 has been identified as a promising imaging agent targeting sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1) in the central nervous system and other tissues. In preparation for USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of [11C]CS1P1 for human use, an acute biodistribution study in mice and an acute tolerability and toxicity evaluation in rats were conducted. Acute organ biodistribution and excretion data was obtained using male and female Swiss Webster mice intravenously (IV) injected with 4.8–10 MBq of [11C]CS1P1. The organ residence times for each harvested organ were calculated using the animal biodistribution data, and were entered in the program OLINDA/EXM for C-11 to obtain human radiation dosimetry estimates. Acute tolerability and toxicity studies were conducted in male and female Sprague Dawley rats. Rats were administered an IV bolus of either the vehicle control or 0.3 mg/kg CS1P1. Blood samples were collected and a gross post-mortem examination was conducted at day 2 or day 15 post-injection. The extrapolated human radiation dose estimates revealed that the highest organ dose was received by the liver with 24.05 μGy/MBq in males and 32.70 μGy/MBq in females. The effective dose (ED) estimates of [11C]CS1P1 were calculated at 3.5 μSv/MBq in males and 5.9 μSv/MBq in females. The acute tolerability and toxicity study identified 0.3 mg/kg as a no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) dose, which is a ~ 300-fold dose multiple of the human equivalent dose of the mass to be injected for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies in humans as a no-observable-effect limit. The toxicity study in rats suggested that injection dose of radiotracer [11C]CS1P1 with mass amount < 10 μg is safe for performing a human PET study. The dosimetry data supported an injection of 0.74 GBq (20 mCi) dose for human studies would be acceptable.
AN ANNOTATED LIST OF LATE QUATERNARY EXTINCT BIRDS OF CUBA

Abstract · Within the Antilles, Cuba has a peculiarly diverse fossil avifauna. However, information on this avifauna is scattered among the specialized literature. Here I provide an updated annotated taxonomic list of the fossil birds from Cuba. This list includes 35 taxa, of which 17 are endemic, 12 actually extirpated, and 6 are undefined species identified only to genus level. The list is richly diverse in raptors with varied adaptations, including giant owls with limited flight and four large barn-owls, all with anatomical adaptations that suggest pronounced ground-dwelling. The raptor list includes five hawks, five falcons, and three vultures. There are also records of an egret, a stork, a crane, a snipe, and a nighthawk. Most species seem to have become extinct in Cuba, probably during the Late Holocene. Resumen · Lista de la avifauna fosil de Cuba Cuba tiene una avifauna fosil peculiarmente diversa. No obstante, la informacion taxonomica al respecto se encuentra dispersa en la literatura especializada. Se presenta aqui una lista actualizada sobre la taxonomia de la avifauna fosil de Cuba, reconociendose 35 taxones extintos, incluyendo 17 endemicos y 12 taxones localmente extinguidos o extirpados y 6 taxones identificados solo al nivel de genero. Entre la fauna extinguida conocida prevalecen las aves rapaces, incluyendo buhos gigantes, lechuzas y, un teratornitido con adaptaciones que indican capacidades nulas o limitadas de vuelo. Ademas, hay cinco gavilanes, cinco halcones y tres buitres. Tambien se registran una grulla, una ciguena, una garza, un alcaravan y otras aves que se han extinguido localmente, posiblemente durante el Holoceno tardio o periodo colonial.
Pool boiling enhancement using vapor channels in microporous surfaces

Abstract We investigate the enhancement in the critical heat flux (CHF) and the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) during pool boiling for deionized (DI) water using microporous surfaces with micromachined vapor channels. During pool boiling, a vapor layer forms and grows within the microporous coating, which results in the CHF being determined by the viscous-capillary limit rather than the hydrodynamic-instability limit. Controlling or preventing the growth of this vapor layer is the key to the enhancement of pool boiling on microporous surfaces. By fabricating channels in the microporous coatings which allows for the efficient releasing of the vapor, a significant enhancement is achieved both in CHF and in HTC, being more than four times greater than that for flat surfaces. However, it was observed that the vapor layer was not completely eliminated and results in a decrease in HTC with increasing heat flux and that the CHF is controlled by the viscous-capillary limit. A viscous-capillary analysis revealed that the lateral vapor flow through pores as well as acceleration by phase change are the dominant pressure drops that causes the vapor-layer growth. Using this knowledge, we demonstrate through the placement of additional vapor channels in the substrate under the microporous coating, the pressure drop can be reduced. This design exhibits a nearly constant HTC up to CHF which is beneficial for eliminating the variance in HTC under high heat flux conditions. By optimizing the vapor channel design, the CHF would be reach to the hydrodynamic-instability limit.
Game Design for Eliciting Distinguishable Behavior

The ability to inferring latent psychological traits from human behavior is key to developing personalized human-interacting machine learning systems. Approaches to infer such traits range from surveys to manually-constructed experiments and games. However, these traditional games are limited because they are typically designed based on heuristics. In this paper, we formulate the task of designing behavior diagnostic games that elicit distinguishable behavior as a mutual information maximization problem, which can be solved by optimizing a variational lower bound. Our framework is instantiated by using prospect theory to model varying player traits, and Markov Decision Processes to parameterize the games. We validate our approach empirically, showing that our designed games can successfully distinguish among players with different traits, outperforming manually-designed ones by a large margin.
Sewing terror: price dynamics of the strawberry needle crisis

In September 2018, a former strawberry‐picking supervisor for a strawberry farm in New South Wales was arrested for inserting sewing needles in hundreds of punnets of fresh strawberries sold in retail stores across several Australian states. This paper analyses the 2018 Australian strawberry needle scare as a case study on the market impacts of agro‐terrorism events. We develop a novel four‐step procedure to estimate the effects of the strawberry needle contamination on wholesale fresh strawberry prices. Our results indicate a drop in wholesale fresh strawberries prices of about 20% while the needle crisis was ongoing. However, public and private supply restrictions caused wholesale prices to rise by up to 94% relative to expected dynamics over several weeks in the immediate wake of the incident.
MECHANISMS FOR FALSE THIN-CAP FIBROATHEROMAS IDENTIFIED BY OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY

The correct identification of thin-cap fibroatheromas (TCFAs) with optical coherence tomography (OCT) is crucial. Superficial macrophage infiltration and tangential light drop-out are known to cause “false TCFAs.” We identify additional false TCFA mechanisms and quantify the frequency of true
Precursory eruptive activity and implied cultural responses to the Late Bronze Age (LBA) eruption of Thera (Santorini, Greece)

Abstract The Late Bronze Age (LBA) eruption (ca. 1650 BCE) of Thera (Santorini) was one of the largest known in history, burying and destroying a thriving Theran (Cycladian) culture that occupied the island and surrounding islands. The consequent thick tephra deposit provides detailed information on the eruptive sequence and vent mechanics – it also provides details on that culture through burial of towns, farmsteads, and landscapes, the most prominent being the town of Akrotiri on the south coast of Thera. Here stratigraphic relationships between volcanic and archaeological deposits/constructions clearly indicate this eruption was signaled by seismic and minor eruptive events precursory to the main Plinian eruption. Because no casualties have yet been found beneath the tephra, inhabitants had advance notice of the impending disaster by a precursory eruption whose deposits are well preserved both within the archaeological site and in geological exposures throughout southern Thera island – and escaped by boat. Yet archaeological sites on nearby islands rarely record an influx of new arrivals at this time. Accordingly, it is suggested here that those escaping were incinerated at sea by pyroclastic density currents that swept across the ocean surface during the second phase of the Plinian eruption.
Rapid Assessment of T-Cell Receptor Specificity of the Immune Repertoire

Accurate assessment of TCR-antigen specificity at the whole immune repertoire level lies at the heart of improved cancer immunotherapy, but predictive models capable of high-throughput assessment of TCR-peptide pairs are lacking. Recent advances in deep sequencing and crystallography have enriched the data available for studying TCR-p-MHC systems. Here, we introduce a pairwise energy model, RACER, for rapid assessment of TCR-peptide affinity at the immune repertoire level. RACER applies supervised machine learning to efficiently and accurately resolve strong TCR-peptide binding pairs from weak ones. The trained parameters further enable a physical interpretation of interacting patterns encoded in each specific TCR-p-MHC system. When applied to simulate thymic selection of a T-cell repertoire, RACER accurately estimates recognition rates for tumor-associated neoantigens, foreign peptides, and allogeneic T-cells, thus demonstrating its capability in handling the large computational challenge of reliably identifying tumor antigen-specific T-cells at the level of an individual patient9s immune repertoire.