cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Memories: Exploiting Them and Developing Them

The disciplines of process development, circuit design, and microarchitecture too often remain isolated. This paper on memories explores the benefit of their unification by taking a retrospective look at a L1 cache memory design, a current view of embedded DRAM, and a speculative peek at emerging memories (e.g. MTJ MRAM). In the midst, a novel refresh operation is proposed for DRAM that relies on read and write activity ongoing within a cache to refresh the DRAM.
Opposing Roles for Two Molecular Forms of Replication Protein A in Rad51-Rad54-Mediated DNA Recombination in Plasmodium falciparum

ABSTRACT The bacterial RecA protein and its eukaryotic homologue Rad51 play a central role in the homologous DNA strand exchange reaction during recombination and DNA repair. Previously, our lab has shown that PfRad51, the Plasmodium falciparum homologue of Rad51, exhibited ATPase activity and promoted DNA strand exchange in vitro . In this study, we evaluated the catalytic functions of PfRad51 in the presence of putative interacting partners, especially P. falciparum homologues of Rad54 and replication protein A. PfRad54 accelerated PfRad51-mediated pairing between single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and its homologous linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in the presence of 0.5 mM CaCl 2 . We also present evidence that recombinant PfRPA1L protein serves the function of the bacterial homologue single-stranded binding protein (SSB) in initiating homologous pairing and strand exchange activity. More importantly, the function of PfRPA1L was negatively regulated in a dose-dependent manner by PfRPA1S, another RPA homologue in P. falciparum. Finally, we present in vivo evidence through comet assays for methyl methane sulfonate-induced DNA damage in malaria parasites and accompanying upregulation of PfRad51, PfRad54, PfRPA1L, and PfRPA1S at the level of transcript and protein needed to repair DNA damage. This study provides new insights into the role of putative Rad51-interacting proteins involved in homologous recombination and emphasizes the physiological role of DNA damage repair during the growth of parasites. IMPORTANCE Homologous recombination plays a major role in chromosomal rearrangement, and Rad51 protein, aided by several other proteins, plays a central role in DNA strand exchange reaction during recombination and DNA repair. This study reports on the characterization of the role of P. falciparum Rad51 in homologous strand exchange and DNA repair and evaluates the functional contribution of PfRad54 and PfRPA1 proteins. Data presented here provide mechanistic insights into DNA recombination and DNA damage repair mechanisms in this parasite. The importance of these research findings in future work will be to investigate if Rad51-dependent mechanisms are involved in chromosomal rearrangements during antigenic variation in P. falciparum. A prominent determinant of antigenic variation, the extraordinary ability of the parasite to rapidly change its surface molecules, is associated with var genes, and antigenic variation presents a major challenge to vaccine development.
Reduced Mortality Among Department of Veterans Affairs Patients With Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder Lost to Follow-up and Engaged in Active Outreach to Return for Care

Objectives. We determined whether contacting Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders (serious mental illness [SMI]) who had dropped out of care for prolonged periods resulted in reengagement with VA services and decreased mortality.Methods. We developed a list of patients with SMI who were last treated in fiscal years 2005 to 2006, and were lost to follow-up care for at least 1 year. VA medical centers used our list to contact patients and schedule appointments. Additional VA administrative data on patient utilization and mortality through May 2009 were analyzed.Results. About 72% (2375 of 3306) of the patients who VA staff attempted to contact returned for VA care. The mortality rate of returning patients was significantly lower than that for patients not returning (0.5% vs 3.9%; adjusted odds ratio = 5.8; P < .001), after demographic and clinical factors were controlled.Conclusions. The mortality rate for returning patients with SMI was almost 6 times less th...
Images on the path to the digital museum

At first glance, a museum may appear to be a nice place to visit a painting or some dinosaur bones. However, museums are much more than warehouses of valuables. Museums create presentations of their holdings, supported by descriptive narratives; in aesthetically pleasing environments. Indeed, it is the presentation of museum holdings that provides us with the museum experience. To support the creation of presentations, museums engage in the creation, gathering, and organization of information about their holdings. This paper discusses how imaging technology has been used, primarily in IBM-related projects; to help museums research, organize and present their holdings. Can the digital museum be far away?.
Evidence for DNA Hairpin Recognition by Zta at the Epstein-Barr Virus Origin of Lytic Replication

The Epstein-Barr virus immediate-early protein (Zta) plays an essential role in viral lytic activation and pathogenesis. Zta is a basic zipper (b-Zip) domain-containing protein that binds multiple sites in the viral origin of lytic replication (OriLyt) and is required for lytic-cycle DNA replication. We present evidence that Zta binds to a sequence-specific, imperfect DNA hairpin formed by an inverted repeat within the upstream essential element (UEE) of OriLyt. Mutations in the OriLyt sequence that are predicted to disrupt hairpin formation also disrupt Zta binding in vitro. Restoration of the hairpin rescues the defect. We also show that OriLyt DNA isolated from replicating cells contains a nuclease-sensitive region that overlaps with the inverted-repeat region of the UEE. Furthermore, point mutations in Zta that disrupt specific recognition of the UEE hairpin are defective for activation of lytic replication. These data suggest that Zta acts by inducing and/or stabilizing a DNA hairpin structure during productive infection. The DNA hairpin at OriLyt with which Zta interacts resembles DNA structures formed at other herpesvirus origins and may therefore represent a common secondary structure used by all herpesvirus family members during the initiation of DNA replication.
Power-Performance Implications of Thread-level Parallelism on Chip Multiprocessors

We discuss power-performance implications of running parallel applications on chip multiprocessors (CMPs). First, we develop an analytical model that, for the first time, puts together parallel efficiency, granularity, and voltage/frequency scaling, to quantify the performance and power consumption, delivered by a CMP running a parallel code. Then, we conduct detailed simulations of parallel applications running on a power-performance CMP model. Our experiments confirm that our analytical model predicts power-performance behavior reasonably well. Both analytical and experimental models show that parallel computing can bring significant power savings and still meet a given performance target, by choosing granularity and voltage/frequency levels judiciously. The particular choice, however, is dependent on the application's parallel efficiency curve and the process technology utilized, which our model captures. Likewise, analytical model and experiments show the effect of a limited power budget on the application's scalability curve. In particular, we show that a limited power budget can cause a rapid performance degradation beyond a number of cores, even in the case of applications with excellent scalability properties. On the other hand, our experiments show that power-thrifty memory-bound applications can actually enjoy better scalability than more "nominally scalable" applications (i.e., without regard to power) when a limited power budget is in place
Post-traumatic Stress Response to Life-Threatening Illnesses in Children and Their Parents

Symptoms of PTSD have been reported in response to a variety of life-threatening medical illnesses and injuries in adults and children. Emerging data suggest that children often experience medical treatment and hospitalization as traumatic, putting caregivers and medical personnel in the role of the unintended accomplice. Adequate pain control by pharmacologic and behavioral means; child and family psychological support using evidence-based CBT, dynamic psychotherapy, and other techniques; and meticulous attention to communication via a team-based approach are the cornerstones of pediatric palliative care in general and PTSD prevention and treatment in particular. Emerging evidence suggests that PTSD in life-limiting pediatric illness can be ameliorated, if not prevented, and treated when it occurs, contributing materially to the quality of life of a child and family. A landmark finding of PTSD research with medically ill children and their families is that parents are at least as symptomatic, or more, as their children, underlining the importance of a family-directed approach addressing every family mem-ber. Pediatric caregivers increasingly recognize their therapeutic role when curative therapy is no longer possible is as pivotal as in the setting of acute illness.
Comparative genomic analyses of the vibrio pathogenicity island and cholera toxin prophage regions in nonepidemic serogroup strains of Vibrio cholerae.

Two major virulence factors are associated with epidemic strains (O1 and O139 serogroups) of Vibrio cholerae: cholera toxin encoded by the ctxAB genes and toxin-coregulated pilus encoded by the tcpA gene. The ctx genes reside in the genome of a filamentous phage (CTXφ), and the tcpA gene resides in a vibrio pathogenicity island (VPI) which has also been proposed to be a filamentous phage designated VPIφ. In order to determine the prevalence of horizontal transfer of VPI and CTXφ among nonepidemic (non-O1 and non-O139 serogroups) V. cholerae, 300 strains of both clinical and environmental origin were screened for the presence of tcpA and ctxAB. In this paper, we present the comparative genetic analyses of 11 nonepidemic serogroup strains which carry the VPI cluster. Seven of the 11 VPI+ strains have also acquired the CTXφ. Multilocus sequence typing and restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of the VPI and CTXφ prophage regions revealed that the non-O1 and non-O139 strains were genetically diverse and clustered in lineages distinct from that of the epidemic strains. The left end of the VPI in the non-O1 and non-O139 strains exhibited extensive DNA rearrangements. In addition, several CTXφ prophage types characterized by novel repressor (rstR) and ctxAB genes and VPIs with novel tcpA genes were found in these strains. These data suggest that the potentially pathogenic, nonepidemic, non-O1 and non-O139 strains identified in our study most likely evolved by sequential horizontal acquisition of the VPI and CTXφ independently rather than by exchange of O-antigen biosynthesis regions in an existing epidemic strain.
Maximum likelihood pixel labeling using a spatially variant finite mixture model

The authors propose a spatially-variant mixture model for pixel labeling. Based on this spatially-variant mixture model they derive an expectation maximization algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation of the pixel labels. While most algorithms using mixture models entail the subsequent use of a Bayes classifier for pixel labeling, the proposed algorithm yields maximum likelihood estimates of the labels themselves and results in unambiguous pixel labels. The proposed algorithm is fast, robust, easy to implement, flexible in that it can be applied to any arbitrary image data where the number of classes is known and, most importantly, obviates the need for an explicit labeling rule. The algorithm is evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively on simulated data and on clinical magnetic resonance images of the human brain.
Anomaly Detection in Hyperspectral Imagery: Comparison of Methods Using Diurnal and Seasonal Data

The use of hyperspectral imaging is a fast growing field with many applications in the civilian, commercial and military sectors. Hyperspectral images are typically composed of many spectral bands in the visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and have the potential to deliver a great deal of information about a remotely sensed scene. One area of interest regarding hyperspectral images is anomaly detection, or the ability to find spectral outliers within a complex background in a scene with no a priori information about the scene or its specific contents. Anomaly detectors typically operate by creating a statistical background model of a hyperspectral image and measuring anomalies as image pixels that do not conform properly to that given model. In this study we compare the performance over diurnal and seasonal changes for several different anomaly detection methods found in the literature and a new anomaly detector that we refer to as the fuzzy cluster-based anomaly detector. Here we also compare the performance of several anomaly-based change detection algorithms. Our results indicate that all anomaly detectors tested in this experimentation exhibit strong performance under optimum illumination and environmental conditions. However, our results point toward a significant performance advantage for cluster-based anomaly detectors in the presence of adverse environmental conditions.
Thermally-Activated Magnetic Reversal Induced by a Spin-Polarized Current

We have measured the statistical properties of magnetic reversal in nanomagnets driven by a spin-polarized current. Like reversal induced by a magnetic field, spin-transfer-driven reversal near room temperature exhibits the properties of thermally activated escape over an effective barrier. However, the spin-transfer effect produces qualitatively different behaviors than an applied magnetic field. We discuss an effective current vs field stability diagram. If the current and field are tuned so that their effects oppose one another, the magnet can exhibit telegraph-noise switching.
Effect of various dietary arginine: lysine ratios on performance, carcass composition and plasma amino acid concentrations of growing-finishing swine.

Summary Crossbred growing-finishing pigs (112 barrows, 48 gilts) were used to determine the effect of reducing excess dietary arginine, through feedstuff variation, on performance, carcass composition and plasma amino acid concentrations. Diets contained five, four, three or two times the NRC requirement for arginine. Lysine in all diets was formulated to be equal to NRC requirements, and all diets contained at least 100% of the NRC recommendations for all other essential amino acids. Initial weight, final weight and days on test for the grower phase were 26.7 kg, 44.2 kg and 28 d, respectively. Weight gain and gain/feed were not different among treatments but feed intake showed a quadratic response during the grower phase, being highest at four times the NRC requirement for arginine. Initial weight, final weight and days on test for the finisher phase were 44.2 kg, 96.9 kg and 67 d, respectively. Weight gain during the finisher phase and for the total experiment exhibited a quadratic response, being highest for the pigs fed the intermediate arginine levels. Gain/feed for the finisher phase followed the same trend as weight gain. Feed intakes for the finisher phase and total experiment were not different among treatments. Carcass data were collected on all
How the Fanconi Anemia Pathway Guards the Genome

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is an inherited genomic instability disorder, caused by mutations in genes regulating replication-dependent removal of interstrand DNA crosslinks. The Fanconi Anemia pathway is thought to coordinate a complex mechanism that enlists elements of three classic DNA repair pathways, namely homologous recombination, nucleotide excision repair, and mutagenic translesion synthesis, in response to genotoxic insults. To this end, the Fanconi Anemia pathway employs a unique nuclear protein complex that ubiquitinates FANCD2 and FANCI, leading to formation of DNA repair structures. Lack of obvious enzymatic activities among most FA members has made it challenging to unravel its precise modus operandi. Here we review the current understanding of how the Fanconi Anemia pathway components participate in DNA repair and discuss the mechanisms that regulate this pathway to ensure timely, efficient, and correct restoration of chromosomal integrity.
Safety and efficacy of second-generation versus first-generation cryoballoons for treatment of atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis of current evidence

Background The newer second-generation cryoballoons (CB-2 or Arc-Adv-CB) have been shown to achieve significantly lower temperature and faster pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) time in comparison with first-generation cryoballoons (CB-1 or Arc-CB). To test the premise that second-generation cryoballoons can improve clinical outcomes in comparison to first-generation cryoballoons in terms of safety and efficacy, we pooled data for systemic review and meta-analyses from all available literature comparing their clinical performance.
Design and simulation of pyroelectric detectors with nanometer size spider-web for low thermal conductance

We report the design and simulation of uncooled pyroelectric detectors which utilizes a nanometer sized mesh or truss to support the suspended detector. Pyroelectric detector is a class of thermal detector in which the change in temperature causes the change in the spontaneous polarization in the sensing material. Ca modified lead titanate (PCT) was selected as the thermometer in the detector because of its high pyroelectric figure of merit. The design and simulation of pyroelectric detectors have been conducted by simulating the structure with Intellisuite. Finite element method (FEM) was used to simulate the structural and thermal properties of the device. The simulated detectors had a spider web-like structure with each of the strut (ring) of spider web had a width of 100 nm. In the design, the pyroelectric detectors utilized Ni0.8Cr0.2 absorber, PCT sensing layer, Ti electrodes, Al2O3 structural layer to obtain low thermal conductance between the detector and Si substrate. Three different types of pyroelectric detectors were designed and analyzed. The first design had linear electrode and simple spider web support. The value of the thermal conductance of this detector was found to be 3.98 × 10ź8 W/K. The second design had a longer thermal path than the first one and the thermal conductivity of this device was found to be 2.41 × 10ź8 W/K. High detectivity was obtained by reducing the thermal conductance between the sensing layer and the substrate or the heat sink in the third design. The design was optimized for the best result by modifying the shape, dimension and thickness of various layers namely absorber, electrodes, sensing layer, and struts. The thermal conductance between the sensor and the substrate using the third design was found to be as low as 4.57 × 10ź9 W/K which is significantly lower than previously reported values. The thicknesses of the web structure, web support, electrodes, sensing layer, and absorber of the final structure were 2, 1, 0.5, 2, and 0.2 µm respectively for this value of thermal conductance. The absorber diameter was 50 µm and the diameter of the spider web was 200 µm. A total of 80 struts with 100 nm width were used in the design.
Comparison of the effect of diabetogenic agents on the microdissected pancreatic islet tissue of the rat. 1.

SummaryInsulin content and peptidase activity were determined in microdissected rat islet tissue at various intervals following a single diabetogenic dose of streptozotocin. The islet insulin content was decreased to approximately 53% of the normal control value at 12 hr and to 4% at 24 hr after the administration of the drug. The plasma insulin levels in general paralleled the islet insulin content.Islet peptidase activity showed significant changes following streptozotocin administration. After 12 hr the enzyme activity was considerably decreased, but after 24 hr there was a sharp increase in the peptidase activity. When the values for insulin content and peptidase activity of islet tissue obtained from rats made diabetic with alloxan and streptozotocin were compared, it was evident that the proteolytic enzyme was elevated at about the same time that islet insulin had completely disappeared.When either drug was injected in the rats and an hour later a load of glucose was administered intraperitoneally, ...
Abstract 5586: NK cell killer Ig-like receptor (KIR) genotype as a novel biomarker for neuroblastoma patients receiving Anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody 3F8

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Background: Natural killer (NK) cells are regulated by inhibitory killer Ig-like receptors (KIRs) that recognize specific HLA class I ligands. KIR-HLA genotypes are tightly linked to NK cell function and clinical outcomes in allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Because NK cells contribute to antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, we hypothesized that specific KIR-HLA genotypes may predict NK cell responsiveness to mAb therapy, and thus, may be useful clinically to identify patients likely to respond to mAb therapy. Methods: 76 children with high risk neuroblastoma received cyclophosphamide-containing induction chemotherapy followed by murine IgG3 monoclonal antibody 3F8 against ganglioside GD2 between 1993 and 2007. HLA and KIR genotyping was performed, and patients were segregated into KIR-HLA groups based on known functional KIR-HLA ligand relationships: KIR2DL2/2DL3 with HLA-CAsn80(HLA-C1 group), KIR2DL1 with HLA-C Lys80(HLA-C2 group), and KIR3DL1 with HLA-Bw4. Overall survival and progression-free survival were estimated by Kaplan-Meier method and hazard ratios by Cox regression. No adjustments were made for multiple comparisons. Comparisons of each end point were based on the log-rank statistics. Results: 63% of the 76 children lacked at least 1 HLA ligand for his/her inhibitory KIR. At 3 years, 80% of patients lacking any KIR ligand (n=46) were alive compared with 69% of patients with all HLA ligands present (n=30) (HR 0.41; 95% CI 0.17-0.98; P=0.04). 23/23 (100%) patients specifically lacking the HLA-Bw4 ligand for KIR3DL1 were alive at 3 years compared with 34/52 (67%) patients exhibiting HLA-Bw4 for KIR 3DL1 (n=52) (HR 0.20; 95% CI 0.05-0.87; P=0.02). Conclusion: KIR-HLA immunogenetics may be a novel biomarker for neuroblastoma patients receiving chemo-immunotherapy. The milieu of HSCT may not be required for NK cells to behave according to “missing ligand,” and KIR-HLA combinations may be predictive of outcome for other malignancies similarly treated with mAb. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5586.
X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy of the Interface Between Diamond Films and Tantalum Substrates

Diamond films were deposited in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) system on Ta substrates using a mixture of hydrogen and methane gases. The films were grown for varying lengths of time to provide samples with no diamond growth to a continuous diamond film. These films were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in order to understand the time dependent interactions between the substrate and the incoming carbon flux. Photoelectron peaks in the Ta 4f, C 1s and O 1s regions have been analyzed. In the initial stages of growth, a layer of carbide forms on the substrate. As the substrate becomes supersaturated with carbon, graphite starts to form on the surface. A diamond peak begins to appear after about 30 minutes of deposition.
ON A PROBABILISTIC STRAIN-BASED FATIGUE LIFE ESTIMATION

Probabilistic approaches in the design and analysis of aerospace vehicle have been attracting attention in recent times. In particular, the fatigue life prediction and risk assessment of structural components is of importance in the aging aircraft. In this paper, we discuss the application of Monte Carlo simulation technique for determination of fatigue material constants to be used in the strain-based approach to fatigue. Service loadings on many components of structures are exposed to occasional severe events that are evaluated by strain-based approach. The strain-based approach considers the total strain as comprised of elastic and plastic strains. The deterministic relation based on the relationship between these two strain componets and the number of cycles for failure consists of four fatigue constants. In this paper, we have developed a method to generate life prediction of components. Using experimental data reported on a selected aluminum alloy, several probability density functions are fit to the data. Details of the goodness-of-fit are presented for different distributions. Monte Carlo simulation is used to vary the mean value of the fatigue parameters to develop a strain-life band. The strain range is covered in three segments, the low-cycle, high cycle, and transient regions. Graphs showing the total strain versus number of reversals to failure are shown. The simulated strain-life band using the proposed approach encompasses the entire test data and thus is a useful tool for probabilistic fatigue life estimation. *Presently at NAVAIR, Patuxent River, MD
Interparental Conflict and Child Adjustment

This chapter reviews empirical knowledge on the association between interparental conflict and child adjustment problems. We begin with a brief historical overview. We then deconstruct the concept of interparental conflict, describing key dimensions of incidents of such conflict (topic, behavioral tactics, emotions, and resolution) that have been linked to children's adjustment. Next, we turn to a presentation of theories on the link between interparental conflict and child adjustment problems, highlighting key variables and processes implicated by these theories. We examine child attributes and family and community factors that influence how interparental conflict can contribute to child adjustment problems. We then discuss translational implications of this research, providing examples of how it has been used to inform practice. We conclude with suggestions for future research. Throughout the chapter, we illustrate how the use and contributions of disparate assessment methods and how principles of developmental psychopathology have contributed to and strengthened knowledge on this topic. Keywords: marital discord; child adjustment problems; interparental conflict; marital conflict; family conflict; child psychopathology
Some Unusual Manifestations of Rheumatoid Arthritis

(1967). Some Unusual Manifestations of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Postgraduate Medicine: Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 309-318.
Evaluating the Biopsychosocial Milieu of Chronic Pain

The biopsychosocial model was developed in the 1970s in psychiatry and spread to other fields, gaining special prominence in chronic pain assessments. Currently, most treatment guidelines for chronic pain recommend psychosocial assessments for all patients and multidisciplinary biopsychosocial assessments for patients who fail to respond to routine treatment or patients with complicating psychopathology, including substance usage. There is strong evidence for the association between chronic pain and psychosocial factors and for the efficacy of psychosocial treatments in chronic pain. However, there is limited existing evidence showing the benefits of performing a multidisciplinary biopsychosocial assessment largely due to limited randomized controlled trials. This chapter explores the history of the biopsychosocial model, evidence in support of its usage, and provides tips on performing this assessment. We include a section on special concerns for patients with substance use disorders.
Population-Level Measures to Predict Obesity Burden in Public Schools: Looking Upstream for Midstream Actions.

Purpose:To estimate school-level obesity burden, as reflected in prevalence of obesity, based on the characteristics of students’ socioeconomic and geographic environments.Design:Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data.Setting:Public schools (N = 504) from 43 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania.Participants:Kindergarten through grade 12 students (N = 255 949).Measures:School-level obesity prevalence for the year 2014 was calculated from state-mandated student body mass index (BMI) measurements. Eighteen aggregate variables, characterizing schools and counties, were retrieved from federal data sources.Analysis:Three classification variables—excess weight (BMI ≥ 85th percentile), obesity (BMI ≥ 95th percentile), and severe obesity (BMI > 35% or 120% of 95th percentile)—each with 3 groups of schools (low-, average-, and high-prevalence) were created for discriminant function analysis, based on state mean and standard deviation of school distribution. Analysis tested each classification model to reveal school- ...
ChDuino: A real-time controller for Arduino

ChDuino is a cross-platform GUI based tool for managing Arduino boards and controlling them with connected USB cable or wirelessly through Bluetooth communication. The primary purpose of this software is to simplify the procedure of learning Arduino and embedded systems so that people from various areas and K-12 students can also learn the concepts of microcontrollers. This paper presents the design and mechanism of ChDuino for real-time controlling Arduino boards. ChDuino supports multiple ways to communicate with a board, through USB or Bluetooth. It detects Arduino boards automatically with which libcharduino allows users to program an Arduino board in Ch without tedious compilation and other low-level technical issues.
AFM study shows prominent physical changes in elasticity and pericellular layer in human acute leukemic cells due to inadequate cell-cell communication.

Biomechanical properties of single cells in vitro or ex vivo and their pericellular interfaces have recently attracted a lot of attention as a potential biophysical (and possibly prognostic) marker of various diseases and cell abnormalities. At the same time, the influence of the cell environment on the biomechanical properties of cells is not well studied. Here we use atomic force microscopy to demonstrate that cell-cell communication can have a profound effect on both cell elasticity and its pericellular coat. A human pre-B p190BCR/ABL acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line (ALL3) was used in this study. Assuming that cell-cell communication is inversely proportional to the distance between cells, we study ALL3 cells in vitro growing at different cell densities. ALL3 cells demonstrate a clear density dependent behavior. These cells grow very well if started at a relatively high cell density (HD, >2 × 105 cells ml-1) and are poised to grow at low cell density (LD, <1 × 104 cells ml-1). Here we observe ∼6× increase in the elastic (Young's) modulus of the cell body and ∼3.6× decrease in the pericellular brush length of LD cells compared to HD ALL3 cells. The difference observed in the elastic modulus is much larger than typically reported for pathologically transformed cells. Thus, cell-cell communication must be taken into account when studying biomechanics of cells, in particular, correlating cell phenotype and its biophysical properties.
Defects by design: synthesis of palladium nanoparticles with extended twin defects and corrugated surfaces

Recent catalytic work has highlighted the importance of grain boundaries in the design of highly active catalyst materials due to the high energy of atoms at strained defect sites. In addition, undercoordinated atoms have long been known to contribute to the catalytic performance of metal nanoparticles. In this work, we describe a method for deliberately increasing the coverage of defect boundaries and undercoordinated atoms at the surfaces of well-defined, symmetric palladium nanoparticles. Careful control of the competitive interactions of chloride and bromide ions with the surface of twinned palladium nanoparticles is used to drive the growth of fin-like structures to extend the area of exposed twin boundaries while also inducing corrugation at the particle surface to add further undercoordinated sites. Mechanistic studies show surface passivation by bromide and etching by chloride in the presence of a low concentration of surfactant to be the key factors that tailor the surface of these nanoparticles, while the internal defect structure is controlled by reaction kinetics. Importantly, these basic principles of competition between surface passivation and etching as well as kinetic control of twin structure are not unique to palladium, and thus this method has the potential to be extended to the enhancement of surface defect density for nanoparticles composed of other catalytically relevant metals.
A vehicle routing heuristic: Derived from altered problem constraints

We present an heuristic algorithm for producing solutions to the Vehicle Routing Problem which is motivated by examination of routing problems within tree structures. We first examine conditions related to solution efficacy within graphs based on minimum distance trees, and subsequently introduce an adaptation that extends operational efficiency within non-tree graphs. Whereas most practical algorithms for solving VRPs utilize the tour constraint, clustering, or other cycle-building method to construct a solution, we presume a partial path solution, and develop decision criteria for completion of the delivery set trajectory which can be implemented as a bounded recursive search. Our algorithm approaches the common pragmatic CVRP domain, and is phrased in such a way as to make the procedure flexible in terms of fleet capacities.
Integer-Valued and Discrete Random Variables

In this chapter, we introduce the concept of random variables and their distributions. In some sense, the entire subject of probability and statistics is about distributions of random variables. Random variables, as the very name suggests, are quantities that vary over time or from individual to individual, and the reason for the variability is some underlying random process. We try to understand the behavior of a random variable by analyzing the probability structure of that underlying random mechanismor process. Random variables, like probabilities, originated in gambling. Therefore, the random variables that come to us more naturally are integer-valued random variables; e.g., the sum of the two rolls when a die is rolled twice. Integervalued random variables are special cases of what are known as discrete random variables. We study integer-valued and discrete random variables and their basic properties in this chapter. Random variables with an intrinsically more abstract and complex structure will be studied after we introduce probability density functions.
Atelocynus microtis (Round-eared dog, small-eared dog)

Skin biopsies of one male and one female specimen were kindly made available by Dr. C. Gray, National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C., USA. The male had consistently 74 chromosomes in this skin culture; a few of the female cells possessed two additional minute chromosomes. Because of the difficulties encountered in the culture of this animal we believe these few cells to be abnormal. Perhaps they represent a phenomenon similar to that described in the red fox. In several of the smaller autosomes distinct short arms are seen. There are no marker chromosomes.
An Innovation Management Class in a Polytechnic Environment

Innovation is a central driver of our country’s economic prosperity. Industry sees innovation as the key to sustainable growth. Building on these ideas, a motto of the University of Wisconsin-Stout is “Inspiring Innovation.” To support innovation on campus at UW-Stout, a one credit, on-line, self-paced course has been developed to teach innovation management basics to a wide variety of students. The only prerequisite is that the student comes to the course with a product idea, either from a class project or from extra-curricular ideas. In the course, students will learn intellectual property, market assessment, prototype development, and basic business plans. The class assignments relate these four topics to their product idea. As part of the polytechnic focus of the university, students come from a wide variety of majors, including Engineering, Technology, Business, and Art and Design. Faculty and lab support from all of these areas are also available in all these disciplines. One end result of the course is for students to decide to stop their product because in some way it is not commercially viable. This is not seen as a failure, but as a first-time learning experience. If a student wishes to pursue commercialization, one route is continued development at Stout through a variety of other class projects. Another route is direct commercialization to a manufacturer. Finally, continued development of larger and more innovative products could be supported through Manufacturing Extension Partners, the state of Wisconsin or other new business support organizations. Future work is to expand and refine the routes forward by piloting the linkages with other classes and outside agencies. Successful products will be promoted to help grow the course enrollment.
Experimental Measurement of the Effect of Particle Concentration on the Specific Heat Capacity of Silica Nanofluids

Controversies abound in the literature for the specific heat capacity data involving nanoparticle suspensions dispersed in various solvents (nanofluids). Reports show significant enhancement in the specific heat capacity on mixing with nanoparticles for ionic liquids (e.g., molten salts, [Cnmim][NTf2], etc.) and oils (e.g., poly-alpha-olefins/PAO) but substantial reduction for polar liquids (e.g., water, Ethylene Glycol/ EG, etc.). Recent studies have attributed the anomalous enhancement in specific heat capacity to the morphology of the solvent molecules that are adsorbed on the surface of the nanoparticles (leading to the formation of a “compressed nano-layer” - with higher density than the surrounding bulk phase of the solvent) - which in turn act as thermal capacitors with elevated levels of energy storage density. Analytical estimates show that the compressed nano-layer contributes only a fraction of the net enhancement of the specific heat capacity data of the nanofluids. In this study, a detailed parametric experimental study was performed to investigate the effect of the particle concentration on the specific heat capacity of silica nanofluids using the T-history method. The results showed progressive increase in the level of specific heat capacity enhancement of the propylene glycol nanofluid samples on increasing the mass concentration of the nanoparticles. This result is consistent with general trend of specific heat capacity change observed for different types of solvents reported in the literature. The result implies that the transport mechanisms modulating the specific heat capacity enhancement of nanofluid samples is dominated by chemisorption of the ions from the solvent phase on to the surface of the nanoparticles.
Tracking the Strength of the Walker Circulation with Stable Isotopes in Water Vapor.

General circulation models (GCMs) predict that the global hydrological cycle will change in response to anthropogenic warming. However, these predictions remain uncertain, in particular for precipitation [IPCC, 2013]. Held and Soden [2006] suggest that as lower-tropospheric water vapor concentration increases in a warming climate, the atmospheric circulation and convective mass fluxes will weaken. Unfortunately, this process is difficult to constrain, as convective mass fluxes are poorly observed and incompletely simulated in GCMs. Here, we demonstrate that stable hydrogen isotope ratios in tropical atmospheric water vapor can trace changes in temperature, atmospheric circulation and convective mass flux in a warming world. We evaluate changes in temperature, the distribution of water vapor, vertical velocity (ω) and advection, and water isotopes in vapor (δD V ) in water isotopeenabled GCM experiments for modern vs. high CO 2 atmospheres to identify spatial patterns of circulation change over the tropical Pacific. We find that slowing circulation in the tropical Pacific moistens the lower troposphere and weakens convective mass flux, both of which impact the δD of water vapor in the mid-troposphere. Our findings constitute a critical demonstration of how water isotope ratios in the tropical Pacific respond to changes in radiative forcing and atmospheric warming. Moreover, as changes in δD V can be observed by satellites, our results develop new metrics for the detection of global warming impacts to the hydrological cycle and, specifically, the strength of the Walker Circulation.
Using Virtual Reality to Assess the Street Crossing Behavior of Pedestrians With Simulated Macular Degeneration at a Roundabout

This work investigates how pedestrian street crossing behavior at a virtual traffic roundabout is affected by central visual field loss. We exposed participants with normal vision to a first-person virtual experience of central visual field loss of variable size in the form of a simulated scotoma, an area of the visual field with degraded visual acuity. A larger size of scotoma influenced people to select longer gaps between traffic, and to wait longer before initiating a crossing. In addition, a gender difference was found for risk taking behavior. Male subjects tended to take more risk, as indicated by the selection of shorter gaps in traffic and a shorter delay before the initiation of a crossing. Our findings generally replicate those of studies done in real-world conditions using participants afflicted with genuine central vision loss, supporting the hypothesis that virtual reality is a safe and accessible alternative for investigating similar issues of public concern.
Manufacturing Better Outcomes in Cardiovascular Intervention: 3D Printing in Clinical Practice Today.

Describe and evaluate the integration of 3D printing-related innovations into current cardiovascular treatment paradigms and examine the state of regulatory and reimbursement hurdles ahead. Mounting years of clinical experience have established the utility of printed models of patient anatomy in numerous treatment and teaching scenarios, most notably as pre- and intra-procedural planning tools guiding decision-making for congenital heart disease and catheter-based interventions. In part due to a continued lack of reimbursement and under-defined (and slow to evolve) regulatory status, these use cases remain largely investigational even as they grow increasingly routine. Patients, physicians, and/or imaging centers therefore remain burdened by the associated cost to create such models, and the perceptual and decision-making enhancements, while demonstrable and significant, still may not clearly or independently justify a potentially high cost. Simulation and implantable device applications may represent a deeper well of unrealized value in cardiovascular intervention; however, further development of these applications relies on—and is throttled by—progress in material science and tissue-engineering research. The relevance of simulation applications in recent years is also now in competition with digital analogs including augmented and virtual reality. Innovative incorporation of alternative manufacturing processes such as porous scaffold infusion, injection molding, and vascular mesh forming can provide immediate access to more realistic tissue-mimicking materials and custom implantable devices, while comparable and directly printable materials continue to be developed. Tissue-engineering applications remain years if not decades away from a more substantive role in translatable clinical research. Regulatory challenges associated with in-house manufacture of implantable investigational devices are complex and subject to change, and the success of some in navigating these hurdles in non-cardiovascular applications is instructive and encouraging. Complex geometries characterizing cardiovascular anatomy are an ideal use case for translating the perceptual advantages of printed models of patient anatomy into better decision-making, especially so in the setting of congenital or post-surgical anatomy. Procedural planning applications take further advantage of the demonstrably robust dimensional reproduction of patient anatomy, with notably rapid integration into surgical and catheter-based intervention workflows. Despite a continued lack of codification in the healthcare system, 2018 could be a milestone year for 3D printing services, pending a successful application for a CPT Category III designation.
Health Information Technology Use and Patient Safety: Study of Pharmacists in Nebraska.

This study aimed to describe the impact of 13 different health information technologies (HITs) on patient safety across pharmacy practice settings from the viewpoint of the working pharmacist. A cross-sectional mixed methods survey of all licensed practicing pharmacists in 2008 in Nebraska (n = 2195) was developed, pilot-tested and IRB approved. One-fourth responded (24.4%). A database of pharmacists’ responses to closed-ended quantitative questions and in vivo qualitative responses to open-ended questions was built. Qualitative data was coded and thematically analyzed, transformed to quantitative data and descriptive and relational statistics performed. One-third were involved in an error of any kind in the six months preceding the survey, and half observed an error or “near miss”. Most errors or near misses were attributed to workload. When asked specifically about the 13 HITs, these participants reported 3252 observations about the types of errors that were associated with each. These were reports about either error types reduced or eliminated by integration of HIT (n = 1908) or occurring in association with a specific technology’s use (n = 1344). Integration of HIT into pharmacy practice also introduced new error types such as excessive alert programming in the pharmacy computer systems clinical information support causing pharmacists to experience alert fatigue and ignore warnings or bar code scanners mismatching NDC codes of products resulting in wrong drug product identification. Continued vigilance is essential to identifying patient safety issues and implementing safety strategies specific to each HIT.
Putting phage to work in deubiquitinase ligand discovery

Inhibiting deubiquitinase (DUB) function is a promising strategy for the treatment of cancers and other human diseases. Of the hundreds of human DUBs, USP11 has emerged as an ideal therapeutic target, as it regulates DNA double-strand break repair by homologous recombination (HR) and other functions central to eukaryotic cell survival. A new study by Spiliotopoulos et al. cleverly uses next-generation phage display (NGPD) to identify peptide ligands that bind USP11 in a unique pocket that impacts HR. The study provides an important step toward novel DUB inhibitors that may reduce the resistance of some cancers to current treatment options.