cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-constrained optimal path selection

Providing quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees in packet networks gives rise to several challenging issues. One of them is how to determine a feasible path that satisfies a set of constraints while maintaining high utilization of network resources. The latter objective implies the need to impose an additional optimality requirement on the feasibility problem. This can be done through a primary cost function (e.g., administrative weight, hop count) according to which the selected feasible path is optimal. In general, multi-constrained path selection, with or without optimization, is an NP-complete problem that cannot be exactly solved in polynomial-time. Heuristics and approximation algorithms with polynomial and pseudo-polynomial-time complexities are often used to deal with this problem. However, existing solutions suffer either from excessive computational complexities that cannot be used for online network operation or from low performance. Moreover, they only deal with special cases of the problem (e.g., two constraints without optimization, one constraint with optimization, etc.). For the feasibility problem under multiple constraints, some researchers have proposed a nonlinear cost function whose minimization provides a continuous spectrum of solutions ranging from a generalized linear approximation (GLA) to an asymptotically exact solution. We propose an efficient heuristic algorithm for the most general form of the problem. We first formalize the theoretical properties of the above nonlinear cost function. We then introduce our heuristic algorithm (H MCOP), which attempts to minimize both the nonlinear cost function (for the feasibility part) and the primary cost function (for the optimality part). We prove that H MCOP guarantees at least the performance of GLA and often improves upon it. H MCOP has the same order of complexity as Dijkstra's algorithm. Using extensive simulations on random graphs with correlated and uncorrelated link weights, we show that under the same level of computational complexity, H MCOP outperforms its (less general) contenders in its success rate in finding feasible paths and in the cost of such paths.
HNF4α Regulates Claudin-7 Protein Expression during Intestinal Epithelial Differentiation

The intestinal epithelium is a dynamic barrier that maintains the distinct environments of intestinal tissue and lumen. Epithelial barrier function is defined principally by tight junctions, which, in turn, depend on the regulated expression of claudin family proteins. Claudins are expressed differentially during intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) differentiation. However, regulatory mechanisms governing claudin expression during epithelial differentiation are incompletely understood. We investigated the molecular mechanisms regulating claudin-7 during IEC differentiation. Claudin-7 expression is increased as epithelial cells differentiate along the intestinal crypt-luminal axis. By using model IECs we observed increased claudin-7 mRNA and nascent heteronuclear RNA levels during differentiation. A screen for potential regulators of the CLDN7 gene during IEC differentiation was performed using a transcription factor/DNA binding array, CLDN7 luciferase reporters, and in silico promoter analysis. We identified hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α as a regulatory factor that bound endogenous CLDN7 promoter in differentiating IECs and stimulated CLDN7 promoter activity. These findings support a role of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α in controlling claudin-7 expression during IEC differentiation.
Age at immigration and second language proficiency among foreign-born adults

Sociologists typically assume that immigrants' acquisition of English as a second language follows the opportunities and motivations to become proficient in English, while many linguists argue that second language acquisition may be governed by maturational constraints, possibly biologically based, that are tied to the age at onset of language learning. In this article, I use U.S. census data to investigate the relationship between age at onset of second language learning and levels of English language proficiency among foreign-born adults in the United States. The overarching conclusion is that proficiency in a second language among adults is strongly related to age at immigration. Part of that relationship is attributable to social and demographic considerations tied to age at entry into a new country, and part may be attributable to maturational constraints. (Age at immigration, acquisition of language, English as second language, second language proficiency)* When investigating second language (L2) acquisition among immigrants, sociologists and economists often rely on "exposure" or "human capital" frameworks, in which L2 learning is prompted by opportunities and motivations to become proficient in English. Much of this research shows that social and demographic factors, such as length of residence in the U.S. and educational attainment, strongly predict levels of proficiency in English among foreign-born adults. Linguists, by contrast, start from the premise that language acquisition is a multidimensional phenomenon to be explained through a combination of linguistic, neurolinguistic, and psycholinguistic processes. Much of their research suggests that L2 acquisition, like that of a first language (Li), is bound by maturational constraints which are tied to age at onset of language learning - typically measured through age at immigration - and which may be biologically based. Each of these approaches has merits and failings. Linguists and psychologists empirically investigating the impact of age at immigration often use small, socially homogeneous samples of respondents, and so are unable to observe (or to control for) important social factors, such as educational attainment, which strongly
Machinability of Nodular Cast Irons: Part I—Tool Forces and Flank Adhesion

Three grades of nodular cast iron (60, 80, and 100) were tested to determine the cutting and feed forces required to machine the materials, to determine the performance of several grades of carbide and oxide cutting tools, and to investigate the flank adhesion phenomenon. Cutting characteristics for grade 80 and grade 100 were found to be the same as for high-strength gray cast irons with similar Bhn values. Flank adhesion, with accompanying sharp increases in cutting force values, was encountered only when grade 60 was machined with carbide tools. An attempt was made to correlate tool composition and flank adhesion.
Variations of X Chromosome Inactivation Occur in Early Passages of Female Human Embryonic Stem Cells

X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is a dosage compensation mechanism essential for embryonic development and cell physiology. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived from inner cell mass (ICM) of blastocyst stage embryos have been used as a model system to understand XCI initiation and maintenance. Previous studies of undifferentiated female hESCs at intermediate passages have shown three possible states of XCI; 1) cells in a pre-XCI state, 2) cells that already exhibit XCI, or 3) cells that never undergo XCI even upon differentiation. In this study, XCI status was assayed in ten female hESC lines between passage 5 and 15 to determine whether XCI variations occur in early passages of hESCs. Our results show that three different states of XCI already exist in the early passages of hESC. In addition, we observe one cell line with skewed XCI and preferential expression of X-linked genes from the paternal allele, while another cell line exhibits random XCI. Skewed XCI in undifferentiated hESCs may be due to clonal selection in culture instead of non-random XCI in ICM cells. We also found that XIST promoter methylation is correlated with silencing of XIST transcripts in early passages of hESCs, even in the pre-XCI state. In conclusion, XCI variations already take place in early passages of hESCs, which may be a consequence of in vitro culture selection during the derivation process. Nevertheless, we cannot rule out the possibility that XCI variations in hESCs may reflect heterogeneous XCI states in ICM cells that stochastically give rise to hESCs.
Acid tolerance of gastrointestinal pathogens

The ability of pathogenic bacteria to survive in the face of host defense systems is intimately linked to virulence. This is exemplified by gastrointestinal pathogens that must survive exposure to extreme acid conditions within the stomach and organic acid conditions within the small intestine. These organisms have evolved complex systems to respond to acid stress, and recent work has revealed new genetic components involved in survival and virulence. Here, we review recent work on four gastrointestinal pathogens, focusing on studies that reveal both acid-inducible resistance systems and inherent (basal state) acid-resistance systems.
Online Discovery of Feature Dependencies

Online representational expansion techniques have improved the learning speed of existing reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms in low dimensional domains, yet existing online expansion methods do not scale well to high dimensional problems. We conjecture that one of the main difficulties limiting this scaling is that features defined over the full-dimensional state space often generalize poorly. Hence, we introduce incremental Feature Dependency Discovery (iFDD) as a computationally-inexpensive method for representational expansion that can be combined with any online, value-based RL method that uses binary features. Unlike other online expansion techniques, iFDD creates new features in low dimensional subspaces of the full state space where feedback errors persist. We provide convergence and computational complexity guarantees for iFDD, as well as showing empirically that iFDD scales well to high dimensional multi-agent planning domains with hundreds of millions of state-action pairs.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Institutional Survival and Sustainability: A View From the HBCU Business Deans’ Perspective

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States are facing turbulent environments that include increased accountability and assessment measures, competition, state mandates, declining budgets, changes in the classroom and pedagogical landscape, and diminutive endowments. These factors are further heightened by an ongoing debate regarding the relevance of HBCUs and a paradigm shift that calls for more entrepreneurial-based leadership in the decision-making process and business-based strategies aimed at institutional survival. However, HBCU leadership, which often ascends from the faculty ranks, does not possess the business degrees or marketing experience that would equip them for the evolving and complex demands of the higher education marketplace. To assist HBCU leadership in navigating the market-driven environment in higher education, this descriptive study explores the factors and issues critical to the survival and sustainability of HBCUs from the perspective of HBCU busines...
Reimagining Women's History in the Fiction of Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Anne Enright, and Kate O'Riordan

Reimagining Women's History in the Fiction of Eilis Ni Dhuibhne, Anne Enright, and Kate O'Riordan New Irish women writers' historical fiction uses history to represent what history has omitted; much like postcolonial history, women's fiction shows how memories and records of women are constituted by denial, hostility and neglect. This article looks at how the historical fiction of Eilis Ni Dhuibhne, Anne Enright, and Kate O'Riordan represents absent women through narrative strategies that demonstrate the pitfalls and suggest remedies to the challenges of postcolonial women's history. This historical fiction manages to represent the absence of the colonized woman, without committing Spivak's error, the allegedly inevitable usurpation of the subaltern's voice. Ni Dhuibhne's short fiction uses ancient Irish legend to show how women's participation in history could be denied and suggests some consequences. Ni Dhuibhne's narrative technique of intertextualizing old Irish myth in her fiction emphasizes the consequences of silencing women in history. Her postmodern method exceeds direct parallels to myth, but rather re-imagines the motifs of ancient Irish myth in a contemporary context, suggesting new modes of interpretation for both. Ni Dhuibhne's use of myth suggests the enormity of the exclusion of women from history; she creates a voice for that absent presence, without speaking for her. In short stories from The Portable Virgin, as well as in her latest novel, The Pleasure of Eliza, Anne Enright illustrates the possible effects of misogyny on history. Enright's narrative technique employs metaphor and symbols to situate Eliza in a long tradition of colonizing adventurers. Enright revises the alledgedly historical biographies of Eliza, which she characterizes as "sneering excess," but unlike Eliza's biographers, Enright gives Eliza a voice that suggests both her disempowered subject position--herself a victim of imperialism and gender discrimination both in Ireland and Paraguay--and her power as an icon of sexuality, beauty, and nationalism. The title of the novel, The Pleasure of Eliza, indicates the ambivalence of Eliza as subject and agent. Kate O'Riordan's historical fiction focuses on the process of recovering lost historical records of women's past. Her The Boy in the Moon emphasizes the scarcity of records and artifacts in both the history of women and in the history of a colony. O'Riordan's protagonist acts like a contemporary scholar or researcher who recovers lost texts and learns how to read them. She finds, reads, and interprets an extremely sparse journal that reveals the history of her mother in law, a barely literate farm woman in the West of Ireland. O'Riordan's fiction gives a voice to this previously silenced women. All three of these writers demonstrate how art presents the unrepresentable, while avoiding the postcolonial error, usurpation of the subaltern's voice.
Competition and Host Discrimination between Two Species of Tobacco Budworm Parasitoids

Host discrimination and competition involving both superparasitism and multiparasitism of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), by the parasitoids Cardiochiles nigriceps Viereck and Campoletis perdistinctus (Viereck) were investigated. Results of host discrimination indicated that C. nigriceps did not discriminate between a host previously parasitized once by C. nigriceps and nonparasitized larvae up to 5 days following the initial parasitism. Following superparasitism by C. nigriceps , a marking pheromone was detected which reduced further acceptance of superparasitized larvae by the female parasitoid. C. nigriceps did not discriminate between nonparasitized larave and larvae previously parasitized by C. perdistinctus . C. perdistinctus did not discriminate between nonparasitized larvae and larvae parasitized once by C. perdistinctus but did discriminate against superparasitized larvae immediately following superparasitism. An internal factor that reduced oviposition following ovipositor insertion into the host by C. perdistinctus was later observed. The internal factor was observed 3 days following parasitism and within 4 hours following superparasitism. C. perdistinctus did not discriminate between nonparasitized larvae and parasitized larvae immediately following parasitism by C. nigriceps . However, C. perdistinctus did not oviposit eggs in hosts parasitized by C. nigriceps 5 days earlier. Results of competition by parasitoids in hosts superparasitized by C. nigriceps demonstrated that elimination by competitors of similar age or older was through combat. Elimination of younger competitors by older parasitoids was often through physiological suppression. Competition of C. perdistinctus larvae in superparasitized hosts showed that physical attack was most often employed by 1- to 2-day-old larvae. Older C. perdistinctus larvae suppressed development of both eggs and young larvae. Interspecific competition between C. nigriceps and C. perdistinctus larvae in multiparasitized hosts indicated that C. perdistinctus had a slight advantage. Elimination of competitors was through physical attack and later through physiological suppression.
Hydrogen evolution catalyzed by an iron polypyridyl complex in aqueous solutions.

Iron complexes containing tetradentate monophenolate ligands have been found to be highly active for the electrocatalytic reduction of protons to hydrogen gas. Catalysis occurs at −1.17 V vs SCE in CH3CN with a turnover frequency of up to 1000 s–1 and a 660 mV overpotential. Interestingly, the catalyst activity is enhanced in the presence of water, achieving turnover frequencies of 3000 s–1 with an overpotential of 800 mV, making it one of the most active iron electrocatalysts currently reported. The catalyst is also capable of generating hydrogen from purely aqueous buffer solutions of pH 3–5 with Faradaic efficiencies of 98%.
Effect of growth hormone on water metabolism in hypophysectomized dogs.

Summary and ConclusionsContinued administration of purified growth hormonc significantly improves the hypophysectomized dog's impaired response to water load. Concomitantly it increases the daily water exchange to levels seen in surgically induced diabetes insipidus. Growth hormone increases the glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow of hypophysectomized dogs but not to the pre-operative levels. It is suggested that growth hormone is one of the factors concerned with the maintenance of normal water metabolism.
On Management Innovation

Management activity is an important part of the practice of human beings As innovation is the soul of successful management, management innovation is necessarily needed if it is required to improve the level and quality of managementManagement innovation consists of three aspects, that is, conceptual innovation, organizing innovation and system innovation While organizing innovation is the concrete realization of management innovation, system innovation provides fundamental insurance for the realization of management innovationHowever, management innovation is different from technical innovation They are both interrelated and distinct Management innovation is based on technical innovation, and the accomplishment of technical innovation needs the support from management innovation
RN-1, a New and Potent Lsd-1 Inhibitor, Increases γ-Globin Expression In a Humanized Sickle Cell Mouse Model

Increased levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) decrease symptoms and increase life expectancy in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). DNA Methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and Lysine Specific Demethylase-1, (LSD-1), a mono- and dimethyl-histone H3 K4 demethylating enzyme, are components of the DRED multiprotein complex, a repressor of γ-globin expression (Cui et al Mol Cell Biol 31:3298, 2011). While DNMT1 inhibitors are well known to induce high levels of HbF in non-human primates and SCD patients, it was recently shown that the LSD1 inhibitor tranylcypromine (TC) increased γ-globin expression in cultured human erythroid progenitors and human βYAC mice (Shi et al Nat Med 19:291, 2013). We tested the effect of TC in non-human primates by administering varying doses of TC (2-6mg/kg/d; 10d; sc; n=4) to anemic baboons. Small increases in HbF were observed at the highest TC dose (ΔHbF=4%; n=2) that were 10-15 fold less than in baboons treated with decitabine (DAC; 0.5mg/kg/d; 10d). To identify LSD1 inhibitors with increased potency that may be more powerful in vivo inducers of HbF, a screening assay for LSD1 activity was developed based on the recent report that TC in combination with low-dose ATRA induced differentiation of AML cells (Shenk et al Nat Med 18:605, 2012). The U9367 cell line was treated with various LSD1 inhibitors in combination with low-dose ATRA. Effects on differentiation were assessed by measurement of the differentiation marker CD11b by flow cytometry. The TC derivative RN-1 induced differentiation with a 64 fold increased potency compared to TC. Experiments were then conducted to compare the effects of TC and RN-1 on γ-globin expression in cultured baboon erythroid progenitors. Cultures (n=2) were treated with varying doses of either RN-1 or TC on d7 and d10 and globin chain expression measured by HPLC. Low level γ-globin expression (0.021, 0.048 γ/γ+β) was observed in controls. TC (5μM) increased γ-globin expression (0.32 γ/γ+β) in the absence of cytotoxicity while similar levels of γ-globin (0.24, 0.36 γ/γ+β) were induced by non-cytotoxic doses of RN-1 that were 20-70 fold lower (0.25, 0.07μM). We next compared the effects of RN-1, TC, and DAC on HbF induction in a knock-in humanized mouse model. Humanized B6;129- Hba tm1(HBA)Tow Hbb tm3(HBG1,HBB)Tow /J mice were treated with phenylhydrazine for 2 days followed by varying doses of DAC, TC or RN-1 for 3 days. Analysis of F cells and γ-globin mRNA performed on d8 and 10 showed that F cells were increased 2-3 fold (p Hba tm1(HBA)Tow Hbb tm2(HBG1,HBB*)Tow/ J model. Mice were injected for four days with RN-1 (10mg/kg). F cells in RN-1 treated mice were increased 2.6 fold (p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Trends in Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Use in Adolescents and Young Adults: New Estimates Accounting for Sexual Experience.

Abstract Purpose The purposes of the analysis were to compare long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) use estimates that include all reproductive age women with estimates that are limited to women at risk for unintended pregnancy and to examine trends for adolescents (15–19 years) and young adults (20–24 years). Methods Using the 2006–2010 and 2011–2013 National Surveys of Family Growth, we compared LARC estimates for all women with estimates limited to women at risk for unintended pregnancy (those who were sexually experienced, and neither pregnant, seeking pregnancy, postpartum or infecund). We used t tests to detect differences according to the population included and to evaluate trends for adolescents and young adults. Results Among adolescents and young adults, 56% and 14%, respectively, have never had vaginal intercourse, versus 1%–4% for women aged 25–44 years. Given the high percentage of adolescents and young adults who never had vaginal intercourse, LARC estimates were higher for these age groups ( p p = .07), and no further increase occurred from 2008–2010 to 2011–2013 (3.2%); by contrast, among young adults at risk, LARC use increased from 2006–2008 (3.2%) to 2008–2010 (6.9%) and from 2008–2010 to 2011–2013 (11.1%). Conclusions Because many adolescents and young adult women have never had vaginal intercourse, for these groups, including all women underestimates LARC use for pregnancy prevention. Among young adults, use of LARC for pregnancy prevention has increased but remains low among adolescents.
Kontexte und Pakete

In jeder interaktiven Sprache, die eine grose Anzahl von eingebauten und benutzerdefinierten Funktionen enthalt, kann es schwierig sein, all ihre Namen auseinanderzuhalten. Genau aus diesem Grund hatten wir das Module-Konzept eingefuhrt. Kontexte und Pakete sind weitere, in Mathematica eingebaute Konzepte, die helfen Namenskonflikte zu vermeiden, wenn ganze Dateien von Werten und Funktionsdefinitionen vorliegen.
Aerobic glycolysis promotes T helper 1 cell differentiation through an epigenetic mechanism

Aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) is a metabolic hallmark of activated T cells and has been implicated in augmenting effector T cell responses, including expression of the proinflammatory cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ), via 3' untranslated region (3'UTR)-mediated mechanisms. Here, we show that lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) is induced in activated T cells to support aerobic glycolysis but promotes IFN-γ expression independently of its 3'UTR. Instead, LDHA maintains high concentrations of acetyl-coenzyme A to enhance histone acetylation and transcription of Ifng Ablation of LDHA in T cells protects mice from immunopathology triggered by excessive IFN-γ expression or deficiency of regulatory T cells. These findings reveal an epigenetic mechanism by which aerobic glycolysis promotes effector T cell differentiation and suggest that LDHA may be targeted therapeutically in autoinflammatory diseases.
Infections in Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients

Infections after kidney transplant in children remain a significant problem. Infections can be viral (Epstein–Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and BK virus), bacterial (urinary tract infections, wound infections, and pneumonia), or fungal (candidiasis and Pneumocystis jirovecii , formerly Pneumocystis carinii ); all can have a significant negative impact on graft survival. Infections are typically defined as early (0–30 days posttransplant), intermediate (1–6 months posttransplant), or late (> 6 months posttransplant) depending on how far after transplant they occur. Here, we will review some of the common infections in children postkidney transplant.
Coarse and fine “fish hook” inflections in hydrocyclone efficiency curves

The literature contains many cases where the shape of hydrocyclone efficiency curves vary from the ideal “S” shape. These often appear as changes in slope, or inflections. These inflections can be divided into two categories: “coarse” inflections, which are caused by differences in the density of the minerals being separated, and “fine” inflections, for which there are a number of competing hypotheses concerning their cause. The existing literature addresses either the fine inflection or the coarse inflection, but no studies have reported both types of inflection occurring at once in a single hydrocyclone test. This paper presents hydrocyclone results from both in-plant studies and laboratory experiments that show both coarse and fine inflections. The industrial significance of both types of inflections is discussed.
THE INFLUENCE OF BACTERIAL ENDOTOXIN ON THE DIELECTRIC RELAXATION OF BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN

ABSTRACT Dielectric studies on bovine serum albumin, BSA, with the addition of endotoxin produced skewed Cole-Cole plots and a decrease in the dielectric increment. Addition of Zn+2 enhanced the interaction of the endotoxin with BSA to decrease markedly the dielectric increment. Dielectric measurements on lipid A and polysaccharides isolated from endotoxin in the presence and absence of the divalent zinc ion illustrated that it is the polysaccharides which are greatly influenced by the zinc ion. The addition of vitamin C to BSA-endotoxin solutions produced changes in the dispersion curves as expected from the resulting pH change.
Development and initial validation of a marijuana cessation expectancies questionnaire.

Abstract Background The present research examines anticipated consequences of ceasing or reducing marijuana use with initial development and psychometric validation of a measure of marijuana cessation expectancies. Methods The 46-item Marijuana Cessation Expectancies Questionnaire (MCEQ) was initially developed from the content validity analysis of free responses about expected outcomes of stopping and decreasing marijuana use generated by 94 participants. The closed-ended MCEQ was subsequently administered to 151 non-treatment seeking regular marijuana users (used on M = 64.7% of the prior 60 days, SD = 25.1%; Mage = 21.4, SD = 3.96; 38.4% female). Results Exploratory factor analyses identified six MCEQ factors that accounted for 61% of variance, which were related to expected improvement in: 1) performance/motivation, 2) problems with authority, and 3) interpersonal functioning, and expected worsening of 4) mood states and 5) fun experiences, and 6) changes in appetite/weight from cessation/reduction of marijuana use. Internal consistency of full scale items was good (α = 0.86) and moderate to high for all factors (α’s = 0.60–0.89). The MCEQ items showed good concurrent validity with key measures and incremental associations with change indices (prior history of cessation/reduction attempt, benefits of reduction, importance of change), beyond the effects of marijuana use expectancies. Conclusions These data provide initial support for the MCEQ and suggest it is closely linked to reduction/cessation decisions in marijuana users. MCEQ may be used clinically to enhance existing behavioral treatments and motivational interventions for problem marijuana use.
Review of antireflux procedures for proton pump inhibitor nonresponsive gastroesophageal reflux disease

Up to 40% of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) report persistent symptoms despite proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. This review outlines the evidence for surgical and endoscopic therapies for the treatment of PPI nonresponsive GERD. A literature search for GERD therapies from 2005 to 2015 in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews identified 2928 unique citations. Of those, 45 unique articles specific to surgical and endoscopic therapies for PPI nonresponsive GERD were reviewed. Laparoscopic fundoplication (n = 19) provides symptomatic and physiologic relief out to 10 years, though efficacy wanes with time. Magnetic sphincter augmentation (n = 6) and transoral incisionless fundoplication (n = 9) improve symptoms in PPI nonresponders and may offer fewer side effects than fundoplication, though long-term follow-up is lacking. Radiofrequency energy delivery (n = 8) has insufficient evidence for routine use in treating PPI nonresponsive GERD. Electrical stimulator implantation (n = 1) and endoscopic mucosal surgery (n = 2) are newer therapies under evaluation for the treatment of GERD. Laparoscopic fundoplication remains the most proven therapeutic approach. Newer antireflux procedures such as magnetic sphincter augmentation and transoral incisionless fundoplication offer alternatives with varying degrees of success, durability, and side effect profiles that may better suit individual patients. Larger head-to-head comparison trials are needed to better characterize the difference in symptom response and side effect profiles.
Clinical Outcomes for Cystinuria Patients with Unilateral Versus Bilateral Cystine Stone Disease.

Abstract Introduction: Cystinuria is a genetic disorder marked by elevated urinary cystine excretion and recurrent cystine nephrolithiasis. Interestingly, despite seemingly similar contralateral renal anatomy, a subset of cystinuric patients consistently form stones in only one kidney. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes in unilateral vs bilateral cystine stone formers. Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective case–control study of cystinuric patients evaluated and treated at the University of California, San Francisco between 1994 and 2015 and categorized patients as either unilateral or bilateral stone formers. Clinical presentation, baseline patient demographics, stone procedures, medical therapy regimens, and long-term renal function were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 42 cystine stone patients (22 female, 20 male) were included in the analysis. The median age at first presentation was 18.5 years and median age at study conclusion was 45.5 years. Two-...
Piezoelectric behavior of three-dimensionally printed acrylate polymer without filler or poling

We report the piezoelectric behavior of three-dimensionally layer-by-layer printed (bottom-up stereolithography, 21–46-µm layer thickness) polymer without filler or poling, using unmodified ultraviolet-curable resins (acrylate ester for Resin 1, and methacrylated monomers/oligomers for Resin 2) that are not known to be piezoelectric. The smaller is the layer thickness, the greater is the shear stress in printing, the more is the molecular alignment, the higher is the out-of-plane electric permittivity, and the stronger is the out-of-plane direct piezoelectric effect, as shown by the electric field output decreasing reversibly and the capacitance increasing reversibly upon out-of-plane compression (stress ≥ 0.3 kPa). The piezoelectric effect is not merely due to the applied stress increasing the permittivity. The decrease in the electric field output is quite linear up to a stress of ~ 33 kPa. Decrease in the layer thickness from 46 to 26 µm increases the relative permittivity from 5.3 to 6.1 and increases the piezoelectric coupling coefficient d from 0.13 to 0.24 pC/N. Resin 2 gives a higher d than Resin 1 (0.43 vs. 0.24 pC/N), probably due to the higher viscosity and consequent higher shear stress during printing. The fractional change in capacitance due to the applied stress increases with decreasing layer thickness, is greater for Resin 2 than Resin 1, and increases with decreasing applied electric field, which causes a converse piezoelectric effect. The capacitance increases with increasing applied electric field used to measure the capacitance. The fractional change in capacitance due to the applied electric field decreases with increasing stress.
Quantum Artificial Intelligence for Natural Language Processing Applications: (Abstract Only)

Natural Language Processing and Semantic Web include several NP complete/hard problems that are intractable for classical computing machines. Even though distributed computing has provided remarkable advances (more precisely in dealing with big data), non-decomposable NP problems are still intractable in many real-world applications. And, from quantum computing perspective, solving complex problems with universal quantum gates requires developing of quantum algorithms. Considering commercializing quantum annealing machines by D-Wave, achieving global optimum for discrete optimization problems has been realized. In this study, a novel approach has been introduced to convert symbolic AI problems into quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) form. More narrowly, this method represents classification of text documents (fragments) as optimizing a QUBO function. After embedding the train corpus into a QUBO function, D-Wave quantum annealer is used to classify new observations with finding the minimum energy level of the system.
Concurrent Robotic Pyelolithotomy and Partial Nephrectomy: Tips and Tricks.

Objective With the evolution of robot-assisted surgery in the urology field, this technology is being applied to treat many genitourinary conditions. 1 Although incidence of urolithiasis and renal neoplasm has increased, encountering both entities in a single kidney is noteworthy. Our video exhibits the concurrent management of a renal calculus and an ipsilateral renal neoplasm using a robotic platform. Materials and Methods A 53-year-old man was diagnosed with a 1.7-cm left renal pelvis calculus and a 4.7-cm enhancing ipsilateral upper pole renal mass (R.E.N.A.L score 8a) after an episode of flank pain. After reviewing preoperative imaging, a single-setting approach using a robotic platform was planned. Main steps of our robotic technique on the case included (1) kidney defatting and mobilization, (2) hilum and ureter dissection up to the renal pelvis, (3) intraoperative ultrasound for tumor demarcation and stone localization, (4) anterior robotic pyelolithotomy, 2 (5) double J stent placement and pyelotomy closure, (6) excision of renal mass, and (7) renorrhaphy. Perioperative outcomes were recorded. Results The operative time was 180 minutes and the estimated blood loss was 100 mL. Warm ischemia time was 17 minutes. There were no intra- or postoperative complications. The patient was discharged home on postoperative day 3. Final pathology reported a 3.4-cm mass consistent with a clear cell renal carcinoma, with a tumor, nodes, metastases (TNM) staging pT1aNx and negative surgical margin. The double J stent was removed after 4 weeks, and the patient remained asymptomatic at 1 month postoperatively. Conclusion Pyelolithotomy and robotic partial nephrectomy can be performed effectively when treating patients with concurrent kidney mass and renal stone using the same surgical access. This minimally invasive approach should be contemplated as an option when managing patients with both conditions in an ipsilateral kidney. Furthermore, it will diminish the necessity of various surgeries while preserving renal function and maintaining oncological outcomes. We underline that the association of both procedures increases the likelihood of technical complications and risk for clot-related or stone-related ureteral obstruction, infection, and urine leak.
¿Qué significa estudiar la "cultura española moderna"?

Since this work deals with ‘modern Spanish culture’, it seems crucial to reflect upon the relationships between those three words and the theoretical consequences of how we choose to define ‘culture’. I will look first at the changes in the meaning of the word ‘culture’ in the modern era and then raise some of the theoretical questions that underlie recent scholarship on such topics, including high and low culture, gender and culture, culture and politics, and what we mean by Spanish culture.
Effects of Nb3Sn Heat Treatment on the Strength and Toughness of 316LN Alloys with Different Carbon Contents

A series of six 316LN-type alloys with different carbon contents were evaluated for suitability as conduit-sheath materials for the Nb3Sn superconductors that will be used in high-field magnets. Impact energies (at 76 to 295 K) and tensile strengths (at 4, 76, and 295 K) of annealed and “sensitized” alloys were compared. Embrittlement by aging at 700°C for 100 h (the Nb3Sn reaction conditions) was determined to be a function of carbon content; alloys with very low carbon content retained adequate toughness.
A Static Diffie-Hellman Attack on Several Direct Anonymous Attestation Schemes

Direct Anonymous Attestation (DAA) is an anonymous signature scheme designed for anonymous attestation of a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) while preserving the privacy of the device owner. In 2004, Brickell, Camenisch, and Chen provided the first DAA scheme based on the strong RSA assumption and decisional Diffie-Hellman assumption. This scheme was adopted by the Trusted Computing Group in the TPM 1.2 Specification and has been implemented in hundreds of millions of computer platforms. Since then, multiple DAA schemes have been developed, many of which are based on bilinear maps. In this paper, we discover that in a large number of DAA schemes, including the original one adopted in TPM 1.2, a malicious user can treat a TPM as a static Diffie-Hellman (DH) oracle, therefore security of these schemes are based on the hardness of the static DH problem. However, this security feature has not been analyzed in the security proofs of most of these schemes. Brown and Gallant showed that one can break the Static DH problem in a group of order ρ with only O(ρ 1/3) oracle queries and O(ρ 1/3) group operations. Our discovery means that the security level of these DAA schemes can be significantly weaken, only roughly 2/3 of the claimed security level. We discuss the impact of our discovery and present how to patch the affected DAA schemes to avoid this attack.
The Role of Gas Analysis and Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing

Apart from the measurement of the vital signs, evaluation of exercise performance constitutes one of the most crucial parameters in the clinical assessment of a patient. Many different methods are currently employed by the health care providers in this regard, but most remain un-standardized and arbitrary. Generally, physicians depend on the clinical history and the information provided by the patients about their own ability to walk a certain distance or climb a certain number of steps. Physicians, then, assign the patients a “grade” by arbitrarily ascribing a New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, I–IV, to provide some semblance of objectivity to obtain a measure of their level of peak exercise ability. The information so obtained, however, still remains inherently subjective since it can be influenced by bias from both the patient and the physician. Furthermore, the exercise stress tests routinely performed for evaluation of chest pain do not adequately assess the exercise performance since the acquired parameters, such as “exercise duration” and “maximum heart rate achieved”, do not necessarily show concordance with exercise capacity [1]. Medical literature, on the other hand, has consistently shown that the “accurate level” of exercise performance is highly predictive of and correlates strongly with the occurrence of future adverse cardiovascular events. The need, therefore, for evaluation of exercise performance with greater objectivity and precision cannot be overstated. The use of gas analysis with stress testing, known as cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) testing, is just such a test that can easily be performed in an outpatient setting by minor modifications to the regular stress testing assembly. CPX testing adequately provides the obviously much-needed precise and objective assessment of exercise performance. In addition to obtaining the electrocardiogram, heart rate, and blood pressure similar to a routine stress test, the CPX test also assesses breathby-breath analysis of ventilation (VE), oxygen uptake (VO2), and carbon dioxide production (VCO2) and provides a much more comprehensive evaluation of the functional ability of a patient. Such information not only helps prognosticate future
Customizing Sentiment Classifiers to New Domains: a Case Study

Sentiment classification is a very domain specific problem; classifiers trained in one domain do not perform well in others. Unfortunately, many domains are lacking in large amounts of labeled data for fully-supervised learning approaches. At the same time, sentiment classifiers need to be customizable to new domains in order to be useful in practice. We attempt to address these difficulties and constraints in this paper, where we survey four different approaches to customizing a sentiment classification system to a new target domain in the absence of large amounts of labeled data. We base our experiments on data from four different domains. After establishing that naive cross-domain classification results in poor classification accuracy, we compare results obtained by using each of the four approaches and discuss their advantages, disadvantages and performance.
Calorie information and dieting status modulate reward and control activation during the evaluation of food images.

Several public health departments throughout North America have responded to the obesity epidemic by mandating that restaurants publish calories at the point of purchase—with the intention of encouraging healthier food decisions. To help determine whether accompanying calorie information successfully changes a food’s appetitive value, this study investigated the influence of calorie information on brain responses to food images. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, dieting (N = 22) and non-dieting (N = 20) participants viewed pictures of food with and without calorie information and rated their desire to eat the food. When food images were paired with calorie information, not only did self-reported desire to eat the food decrease, but reward system activation (Neurosynth-defined from the term “food”) decreased and control system activation (the fronto-parietal [FP] control system) increased. Additionally, a parametric modulation of reward activation by food preferences was attenuated in the context of calorie information. Finally, whole brain multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) revealed patterns of activation in a region of the reward system—the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)—that were more similar for food images presented with and without calorie information in dieting than non-dieting participants, suggesting that dieters may spontaneously consider calorie information when viewing food. Taken together, these results suggest that calorie information may alter brain responses to food cues by simultaneously reducing reward system activation and increasing control system activation. Moreover, individuals with greater experience or stronger motivations to consider calorie information (i.e., dieters) may more naturally do so, as evidenced by a greater degree of representational similarity between food images with and without calorie information. Combining an awareness of calories with the motivation to control them may more effectively elicit diet-related behavior change.
On Opinion Characterization in Social Sensing: A Multi-view Subspace Learning Approach

Social sensing has emerged as a new application paradigm in networked sensing where data is collected from humans or devices on their behalf. This paper focuses on the opinion characterization problem in social sensing where the goal is to accurately characterize opinion attributes of the participants (e.g., analyze the sentiments, understand the opinion bias) from their sensor measurements. Several important challenges exist in solving the opinion characterization problem. First, human sensors often generate unstructured data (e.g., text, image, video) in which the opinion attributes are deeply embedded. Second, human sensors naturally generate measurements in different data modalities which encode the opinion attributes differently. Third, the possible imbalance between different data modalities may lead to potential bias in the opinion characterization results. To address the above challenges, this paper develops a Multi-View Opinion Characterization (MVOC) scheme to accurately characterize opinion attributes using a multi-view subspace learning approach. We evaluate the MVOC scheme through the real-world social sensing task of classifying the sentiments of reports from Twitter users. The evaluation results show that our scheme significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines in solving the opinion characterization problem.
Cerebral metabolism in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease characterized by two-photon fluorescence lifetime microscopy of intrinsic NADH.

Disruptions and alterations to cerebral energy metabolism play a vital role in the onset and progression of many neurodegenerative disorders and cerebral pathologies. In order to precisely understand the complex alterations underlying Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression, in vivo imaging at the microscopic level is required in preclinical animal models. Utilizing two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and the phasor analysis method, we have observed AD-related variations of endogenous fluorescence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) in vivo. We collected NADH FLIM images from the cerebral cortices of both APPswe:PS1dE9 mice to model amyloid β plaque accumulation and corresponding age-matched wildtype controls. Distinct variations in NADH fluorescence lifetime between wildtype and AD mice, as well as variations related to proximity from amyloid plaques, are obvervable via the phasor method. The combination of NADH FLIM and phasor analysis allows for a minimally invasive, high-resolution technique to characterize the adverse effects of amyloid β accumulation on mitochondrial energy metabolism and could guide our understanding of preclinical AD pathology.
Fast Electromagnetic Transient Simulation Model of Photovoltaic Power System

Because of the converter power electronic equipment, photovoltaic (PV) power system electromagnetic transient simulation is small step and slow. For practical simulation of large-scale PV power system, it is essential to have numerically efficient models. Based on the principle of PWM modulation, the simplified equivalent AC-DC controlled source model by averaged switching function was established and the unified averaged equivalent DC-DC model in the discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) and continuous conduction mode (CCM) was proposed. And the convert normal operation and the low-voltage-ride-through control strategies were also researched. Finally, the fast electromagnetic transient simulation model of PV power system based on the averaged convert models with control strategies was established based on PSCAD/EMTDC simulation software, and the model validation was carried out from model correctness, simulation step adaptability and simulation speed.