cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hardware accelerated Scalable Parallel Random Number Generators for Monte Carlo methods

Monte Carlo methods often demand the generation of many random numbers to provide statistically meaningful results. Because generating random numbers is time consuming and error-prone, the Scalable Parallel Random Number Generators (SPRNG) library is widely used for Monte Carlo simulation. SPRNG supports fast, scalable random number generation with good statistical properties. In order to accelerate SPRNG, we develop a hardware accelerated version of SPRNG that produces identical results. To demonstrate HASPRNG for Reconfigurable Computing (RC) applications, we develop a Monte Carlo pi-estimator for the Cray XD1 and XUP platforms. The RC MC pi-estimator shows 8.1 times speedup over the 2.2 GHz AMD Opteron processor in the Cray XD1.
A derivation of the complex fast Kalman algorithm

A derivation of a complex-domain recursive linear prediction algorithm with a reduced number of computations is presented. It is denoted the complex fast Kalman algorithm by virtue of its similarity to the real domain algorithm of that name. It is seen to be very similar to real domain fast Kalman, when complex conjugation is considered in formulating the error measure.
Effect of Artificial Stimulants on Cryopreserved Spermatozoa from Cancer Patients

ABSTRACTPurpose: We determined whether cryopreserved sperm samples obtained from cancer patients before treatment respond to artificial motility stimulants and if this response is related to the extent of disease.Materials and Methods: Pre-freeze distribution of disease stage in the different types of cancer and the percentage of the population with or without oligospermia before cryopreservation were examined. Cryopreserved semen samples from 17 cancer patients (10 with testicular cancer, 5 with Hodgkin's disease and 2 with other metastatic disease) were examined for a relationship between post-thaw sperm motion characteristics and patient age or status (survived versus died) and type of disease. Motion characteristics (curvilinear velocity, straight line velocity, average path velocity, linearity and amplitude of lateral head displacement) were analyzed on a computer assisted semen analyzer before (time 0), and 30 and 60 minutes after addition of a 2.5 mM. concentration of pentoxifylline and 2-deoxyaden...
Cloning and characterization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 variants diminished in the ability to induce syncytium-independent cytolysis.

Abstract The phenomenon of interference was exploited to isolate low-abundance noncytopathic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) variants from a primary HIV-1 isolate from an asymptomatic HIV-1-seropositive hemophiliac. Successive rounds of virus infection of a cytolysis-susceptible CD4+ cell line and isolation of surviving cells resulted in selective amplification of an HIV-1 variant reduced in the ability to induce cytolysis. The presence of a PvuII polymorphism facilitated subsequent amplification and cloning of cytopathic and noncytopathic HIV-1 variants from the primary isolate. Cloned virus stocks from cytopathic and noncytopathic variants exhibited similar replication kinetics, infectivity, and syncytium induction in susceptible host cells. The noncytopathic HIV-1 variant was unable, however, to induce single-cell killing in susceptible host cells. Construction of viral hybrids in which regions of cytopathic and noncytopathic variants were exchanged indicated that determinants for the noncytopathic phenotype map to the envelope glycoprotein. Sequence analysis of the envelope coding regions indicated the absence of two highly conserved N-linked glycosylation sites in the noncytopathic HIV-1 variant, which accompanied differences in processing of precursor gp160 envelope glycoprotein. These results demonstrate that determinants for syncytium-independent single-cell killing are located within the envelope glycoprotein and suggest that single-cell killing is profoundly influenced by alterations in envelope sequence which affect posttranslational processing of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein within the infected cell.
Using the BacMam Baculovirus System to Study Expression and Function of Recombinant Efflux Drug Transporters in Polarized Epithelial Cell Monolayers

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily includes several membrane-bound proteins that are critical to drug pharmacokinetics and disposition. Pharmacologic evaluation of these proteins in vitro remains a challenge. In this study, human ABC transporters were expressed in polarized epithelial cell monolayers transduced using the BacMam baculovirus gene transfer system. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of BacMam baculovirus to transduce cells grown in monolayers. In a porcine kidney cell line, LLC-PK1 cells, baculoviral transduction is successful only via the apical side of a polarized monolayer. We observed that recombinant ABC transporters were expressed on the cell surface with post-translational modification. Furthermore, sodium butyrate played a critical role in recombinant protein expression, and preincubation in the presence of tunicamycin or thapsigargin enhanced protein expression. Cells overexpressing human P-glycoprotein (P-gp) showed vectorial basolateral-to-apical transport of [(3)H]-paclitaxel, which could be reversed by the inhibitor tariquidar. Similarly, coexpression of human P-gp and ABCG2 in LLC-PK1 cells resulted in higher transport of mitoxantrone, which is a substrate for both transporters, than in either P-gp- or ABCG2-expressing cells alone. Taken together, our results indicate that a high level of expression of efflux transporters in a polarized cell monolayer is technically feasible with the BacMam baculovirus system.
Implementation of the MediSend Program: a multidisciplinary medical surplus recovery initiative at an academic health science center

As a second year medical student my focus was narrowly on navigating and absorbing the enormous amount of information that I needed to pass my courses—it was not one year at a time, rather it was o...
Brief Information on Hot-pressing of Oxides

Hot-pressing technique has become common in the laboratories and even in the production lines. In this paper, basic studies on hotpressing, and some properties and applications of hot-pressed oxides are briefly described. A list of the papers and the literatures on hot-pressing and related subjects, though not completed, is provided for the convenience of referring specific subjects.
Heparin and the Agglutination of Platelets in Vitro.

Heparin inhibits both the coagulation of the blood and the agglutination of platelets. A much higher concentration, however, is required for the latter. Solandt and Best1 have shown that over 300 mg per kg of body weight must be injected intravenously to prevent the intravascular clumping of platelets. The object of the present study was to determine the minimum amount of heparin that is required for the prevention of platelet agglutination in vitro.Blood was drawn into a dry sterile syringe, and immediately distributed in 1 cc amounts to a series of small test tubes containing 0.1 cc of heparin solution (Roche Organon Liquaemin∗) of varying concentrations as recorded in the table. After thorough mixing, the blood was drawn to the 0.5 mark in a red blood cell pipette and the pipette filled with 0.85% sodium chloride solution. The platelet count was made in the usual manner.A concentration of more than 0.1 mg (or 10 Toronto units) per cc of human blood is required to prevent clumping of platelets. No decre...
Screening for bronchogenic carcinoma: The surgical experience

A screening project consisting of 10,362 men was designed to detect early lung cancer. Half of the subjects had sputum cytologic studies and chest radiographs, and the other half had chest radiographs. Seventy cases of bronchogenic carcinoma were detected. Eight patients had malignant cells in their sputum and normal chest radiographs, and 62 patients had radiographic evidence of bronchogenic carcinoma. After clinical assessment including bronchoscopy, percutaneous needle biopsy, mediastinoscopy, and mediastinotomy in selected cases, 48 of the patients underwent exploratory thoracotomies. Six patients had benign disease. Thirty-nine of the remaining 42 patients had tumors resected for cure, an overall resectability rate of 55%. Staging was accomplished after resection and histologic examination of the operative specimens. Five patients with Stage 0 carcinoma have survived a median of 36 months without evidence of recurrence. Twenty-six patients had Stage I disease, and 77% have survived a median of 36 months without recurrence. Four of these patients have developed second primary tumors. Of the seven patients with Stage II disease, three are alive 40 to 50 months following operation. Seventeen patients had Stage III disease, two of whom have survived. Nine patients with oat cell carcinoma were treated by irradiation and chemotherapy, and all are dead. The median survival was 8 months. The results of this study are encouraging. However, long-term follow-up is necessary to demonstrate whether early detection by sputum cytologic studies and chest radiographs and the apparently improved survival of these paitents will result in a decreased death rate from bronchogenic carcinoma. The high initial survival rates may be due simply to earlier intervention in the natural history of the disease.
Consultation between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Pawnee Tribe

Construction of the Fullerton Canal in central Nebraska affected several archaeological sites. These sites include a National Historic Landmark and some Native American burials. Both are directly associated with the Pawnee Tribe, now located in Oklahoma. Consultation began with the National Historic Landmark and four associated burials. It has now expanded to include other human remains and interpretive signs for town sites and religious sites associated with the Pawnee Tribe. Despite many unexpected complications, this case study shows the many benefits possible from consultation for both the federal agency and the Indian tribes. These include the possibility of using archaeological materials for interpreting tribal history and using resultant publicity to educate the public about respect for unmarked burials. Negative effects, such as publicizing sacred areas and drawing the attention of vandals to little known sites, must also be addressed.
Slug Plays an Essential Role in the Radioprotection of Hematopoietic Progenitors In Vivo by Antagonizing p53-Mediated Apoptotic Pathways.

An antiapoptotic role for Slug/Snail in mammals was suggested by studies in C. elegans, where CES-1/Scratch, a member of the Slug/Snail superfamily, was found to control the apoptotic death of NSM sister neurons by acting as a transcriptional repressor of EGL-1, a BH3-only proapoptotic protein. Identification of Slug as the target gene of the E2A-HLF oncoprotein in human pro-B leukemia cells led us to demonstrate its antiapoptotic function in IL-3-dependent murine pro-B cells. In contrast to its aberrant expression in pro-B leukemia cells, endogenous Slug is normally expressed in both LT-HSC and ST-HSC, as well as committed progenitors of the myeloid series, but not in pro-B and pro-T cells, implying its function in myelopoiesis. Using Slug −/− mice produced in our laboratory, we showed that these knockouts are much more radiosensitive than Slug +/− and wild-type mice, and that apoptotic cells increase significantly in the hematopoietic progenitor cells of Slug −/− mice as compared to wild-type mice following γ-irradiation, indicating a radioprotective function in vivo. We showed here that although the development of myeloid progenitors is not impaired under steady-state conditions, their repopulation is incomplete γ-irradiated in in Slug −/− mice. We demonstrate further the radiation-induced death of Slug −/− mice is exclusively a result of bone marrow failure with no apparent contribution from systemic injures to other tissues. By two-way bone marrow transplantation, we provide firm evidence that Slug protects mice from γ-irradiation-induced death in a cell-autonomous manner. Interestingly, regenerative capacity of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) was retained in irradiated Slug −/− mice, which could be rescued by wild-type bone marrow cells after irradiation, indicating that Slug exerts its radioprotective function in myeloid progenitors rather than HSCs. Furthermore, we establish that Slug radioprotects mice by antagonizing downstream of the p53-mediated apoptotic signaling through inhibition of the p53-resposive proapoptotic gene Puma, leading in turn to inhibition of the mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway activated by γ-irradiation in myeloid progenitors. More interestingly, we observed that Slug is inducible by γ-irradiation in a p53-dependent manner. Together, our findings implicate a novel Slug-mediated feedback mechanism by which p53 control programmed cell death in myeloid progenitor cells in vivo in response to γ-irradiation.
Interaction of the Mineralocorticoid Receptor With RACK1 and Its Role in Aldosterone Signaling

The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is a member of the steroid-thyroid hormone receptor superfamily of ligand-dependent transcription factors with diverse functions including the biological actions of aldosterone. Identification of the various transcriptional coregulators of MR is essential for understanding the complexity of MR signaling pathways under physiological and pathological conditions. We used a yeast two-hybrid system to find proteins that interact with a full-length MR and found, among other proteins, that MR interacted specifically with receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1), a scaffolding protein. Overexpression of RACK1 using a tetracycline-inducible lentivirus in mouse cortical collecting duct M1 cells stably expressing the rat MR and a Gaussia luciferase gene reporter under a hormone-response element promoter resulted in enhanced agonist-dependent MR transactivation. Knockdown of RACK1 protein expression by short hairpin RNAs led to a significant reduction in MR activation of the reporter gene and the endogenous genes Ctla2α and Psca. We also demonstrated that RACK1 regulation of MR action is mediated through phosphorylation by the PKC-β signaling pathway. MR and RACK1 were coimmunoprecipitated using an MR antibody in male Sprague-Dawley brain tissue and M1-rMR cells, and colocalization in M1-rMR cells and male rat brains was confirmed by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. The scaffolding protein RACK1 is associated with MR under basal and agonist-stimulated conditions and facilitates agonist-stimulated MR actions through PKC-β. These findings indicate that RACK1 is a newly described coactivator of MR.
DeepAD: A Generic Framework Based on Deep Learning for Time Series Anomaly Detection

This paper presents a generic anomaly detection approach for time-series data. Existing anomaly detection approaches have several drawbacks such as a large number of false positives, parameters tuning difficulties, the need for a labeled dataset for training, use-case restrictions, or difficulty of use. We propose DeepAD, an anomaly detection framework that leverages a plethora of time-series forecasting models in order to detect anomalies more accurately, irrespective of the underlying complex patterns to be learnt. Our solution does not rely on the labels of the anomalous class for training the model, nor for optimizing the threshold based on highest detection given the labels in the training data. We compare our framework against EGADS framework on real and synthetic data with varying time-series characteristics. Results show significant improvements on average of 25% and up to \(40-50\)% in \(F_1{\text{- }}score\), precision, and recall on the Yahoo Webscope Benchmark.
Love in the Shadow of a Linden Tree

Some time during the early days of the First World War, Thomas Mann, then a man of forty years, heard a performance of Hans Pfitzner’s Palestrina. Surprised by the rapidity with which he had penetrated and comprehended the difficult work, he explains it by ...an unusual tension of readiness and receptivity which the time and its hostility had engendered within me.
Behavioural “Self-Feedback” Control of Endocrine States

Neural and endocrine bases of behavioural and physiological events leading to successful breeding have been the subjects of major research endeavours in the field of hormones and behaviour. While most studies have focussed on the action of hormones on various aspects of reproductive behaviour and physiology, this paper will deal with the reverse relationship: specifically, how behavioural patterns induced by hormones in an individual animal can in turn have feedback control on the individual’s own reproductive endocrine system, i.e., behavioural “self-feedback” control. This feedback control may be exerted by sensory stimuli from results of a particular behaviour, by proprioceptive stimuli from the actual performance, or by both types of stimuli.
Small Molecule Agents

The prognosis for patients with malignant gliomas remains poor despite investigation of multiple novel therapies. Ongoing discovery of many of the genetic alterations associated with the transformed phenotype has permitted the development of new therapeutic approaches focused specifically on attacking these changes in neoplastic cells. Targeted therapies can be divided into three categories: (1) monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), (2) antisense oligonucleotides, and (3) small molecule drugs (SMDs). SMDs target growth factors and their receptors, downstream signaling signal transduction cascades, cell-cycle control molecules, and modulators of apopotosis, or invasion factors. This chapter focuses on the rationale for using small molecule targeted therapy for the treatment of malignant gliomas, and on progress made in the development of this class of drugs for clinical use. In the future, molecular profiling of gliomas will provide a basis for individualized “tailored therapy” using targeted molecules along with traditional cytotoxic therapies.
Somatic tumor profiling of DNA mismatch repair deficient (MMR-D) colorectal cancers (CRC).

1528Background: MMR-D in CRC may be caused by a somatic event, characterized by presence of BRAF V600E/MLH1-promoter hypermethylation (BRAF/HM+), or by a germline mutation in an MMR gene, diagnostic of Lynch syndrome (LS). In patients with Lynch-like syndrome (LLS), the etiology of the MMR-D remains unclear (LS germline-, BRAF/HM-) and these patients receive LS cancer screening recommendations. We sought to determine whether somatic tumor profiling of 1) BRAF/HM+, 2) LS and 3) LLS tumors may illuminate inherent biologic differences among MMR-D CRCs. Methods: We sequenced 410 genes in tumor and normal samples of 53 MMR-D patients who had undergone germline evaluation. Somatic mutation profiles were compared among subgroups. Results: Among 15 BRAF/HM+, 25 LS and 13 LLS cases, mean numbers of mutations were equivalent. Comparison of BRAF/HM+ and LS cases revealed differentially mutated genes with LS cases more frequently mutated in APC (80% vs 27%, p = 0.009), KRAS (60% vs 13%, p = 0.004) and MSH6 (36% vs 7%...
Intersection of E-Cigarette Use and Gender on Transitions in Cigarette Smoking Status: Findings Across Waves 1 and 2 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study

Introduction Cigarette smokers report using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to reduce or quit smoking, but findings are mixed regarding the benefit and risk of e-cigarettes in this population, and effects of gender are unknown. Methods The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH; waves 1 and 2; adult interviews) was used to evaluate relationships among wave 1 e-cigarette use (daily, nondaily, never) and gender and their association with transitions (quit vs. current; relapse vs. former) in cigarette smoking status across waves 1 and 2 of the PATH study. Results Daily e-cigarette users had higher odds of quitting smoking (odds ratio [OR] = 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12 to 2.18) compared with never e-cigarette users. Conversely, daily and nondaily e-cigarette users were at greater risk of smoking relapse (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.15 to 2.94 and OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 0.99 to 3.46, respectively) compared with never e-cigarette users. Women were less likely to quit smoking compared with men independent of e-cigarette use (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.59 to 0.99). In stratified analyses, daily or nondaily e-cigarette use did not increase the likelihood of quitting or relapse in women. In men, daily and nondaily e-cigarette users were at greater risk of smoking relapse (OR = 2.96, 95% CI = 1.49 to 5.86 and OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.29 to 7.17, respectively) compared with men who were never e-cigarette users. Conclusions Findings identify e-cigarettes as a potential aid for smoking cessation but also as a potential risk for smoking relapse in men only. Overall, women were less likely to quit smoking, and e-cigarette use did not impact their ability to quit or to stay quit. Implications Cigarette smokers report using e-cigarettes to reduce or quit smoking, but findings are mixed regarding the benefit and risk of e-cigarettes in this population. Using data from the newly available PATH (waves 1 and 2; adult interviews), our findings identify e-cigarettes as a potential aid for smoking cessation but also identify e-cigarettes as a potential risk for smoking relapse in men only. These findings may have implications for the regulation of e-cigarettes by the Food and Drug Administration and the benefit-cost ratio of e-cigarette use in smokers.
Differences in survival outcomes in advanced endometrial cancer due to variation in adjuvant therapy and histology.

5588Background: To determine the impact on overall survival (OS) of the sequence-order of adjuvant radiation (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) on different advanced endometrial cancer (EC) histologies. Me...
High-pressure versus low-pressure auxiliary condensers in distillation vapor recompression

Abstract A recent paper studied the separation of ethylene and ethane using several types of distillation systems in which cryogenic cooling is required. The economics of a conventional column using a very low-temperature expensive refrigerant in the condenser were compared with several configurations using process compressors. The alternative configurations involve the pressure in the auxiliary condenser and the fraction of the column overhead vapor sent through the compressor. Low pressure in the condenser requires a very low-temperature expensive refrigerant but has lower compressor costs. The purpose of this paper is to show that all of the vapor from the column should be compressed and then split, with some going to the reboiler and the rest going to an auxiliary condenser that operates at high pressure so that a higher-temperature less-expensive refrigerant can be used.
Optimal Exergy-wise Predictive Control for a Combined MicroCSP and HVAC System in a Building

This paper presents a new control method to minimize the energy consumption of a micro-scale concentrated solar power (MicroCSP) system and building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. A new realtime optimal control method is proposed using the concept of “exergy” and model predictive control (MPC) techniques. To achieve this, first law of thermodynamics (FLT) and second law of thermodynamics (SLT) based mathematical models of MicroCSP are developed and integrated into a model of an office building located at Michigan Technological University. Then, an exergy-wise MPC framework is designed to optimize MicroCSP operation in accordance with the building HVAC needs. The new controller reduces exergy destruction by 28%, compared to a common rule-based controller (RBC). This leads to 23% energy saving, compared to the applied RBC.
Numerical investigation of the cascaded central moment lattice Boltzmann method for non-Newtonian fluid flows

Abstract We present a cascaded lattice Boltzmann (LB) method based on central moments and multiple relaxation times for the simulation of the non-Newtonian fluid flows. In this regard, we consider nonlinear constitutive relations for the power law fluids encompassing shear thinning and shear thickening characteristics and the Bingham fluids that model fluids with yield behavior. This involves local adjustment of the relaxation times during the collision step for the second order moments, which are related to the magnitude of the shear rate. The latter is related to the second invariant of the strain rate tensor whose components are computed locally based on non-equilibrium moments. Such relations also account for the additional corrections needed to eliminate the cubic velocity errors arising from the aliasing effects associated with the standard lattices to enable simulations of non-Newtonian flows with high fidelity. We then perform the validation of the resulting method for a variety of non-Newtonian flow problems, including the lid driven cavity flow, flow over a cylinder and a pair of cylinders in a tandem configuration. Results demonstrate accurate solutions, second order grid convergence and improvements in numerical stability to enable higher Reynolds number computations of non-Newtonian fluid flows achieved with the use of the cascaded LB method when compared to other collision models.
Fetal gene therapy and pharmacotherapy to treat congenital hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction

Disabling hearing loss is expected to affect over 900 million people worldwide by 2050. The World Health Organization estimates that the annual economic impact of hearing loss globally is US$ 750 billion. The inability to hear may complicate effective interpersonal communication and negatively impact personal and professional relationships. Recent advances in the genetic diagnosis of inner ear disease have keenly focused attention on strategies to restore hearing and balance in individuals with defined gene mutations. Mouse models of human hearing loss serve as the primary approach to test gene therapies and pharmacotherapies. The goal of this review is to articulate the rationale for fetal gene therapy and pharmacotherapy to treat congenital hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. The differential onset of hearing in mice and humans suggests that a prenatal window of therapeutic efficacy in humans may be optimal to restore sensory function. Mouse studies demonstrating the utility of early fetal intervention in the inner ear show promise. We focus on the modulation of gene expression through two strategies that have successfully treated deafness in animal models and have had clinical success for other conditions in humans: gene replacement and antisense oligonucleotide-mediated modulation of gene expression. The recent establishment of effective therapies targeting the juvenile and adult mouse provide informative counterexamples where intervention in the maturing and fully functional mouse inner ear may be effective. Distillation of the current literature leads to the conclusion that novel therapeutic strategies to treat genetic deafness and imbalance will soon translate to clinical trials.
Reconsidering the Early History of Leprosy in Light of Advances in Palaeopathology

Despite advances in DNA and molecular studies, relatively little is known about the early history of leprosy. Fanciful theories about disease transmission across the Indian Ocean world have contributed an element of empty speculation to the literature, and it is necessary to refocus on the actual evidence available. This chapter reviews the palaeopathological, archaeological and literary evidence and argues that DNA analysis has provided a great deal of new data on the history of leprosy, but the interpretation of this new evidence has proven to be problematic. Given the limitations of this rapidly developing DNA sequencing technology, there are still many unanswered questions about the role of the Indian Ocean world in the early history of leprosy. This chapter first defines leprosy, then evaluates the hypotheses for the early history of leprosy based on the literary and archaeological evidence, third analyses the claim that DNA evidence can fill some of the gaps in the literary and archaeological record and finally examines recent hypotheses that attempt to reconcile the literary, archaeological and DNA evidence for the early history of leprosy.
"Hot Zones" for Otolaryngologists: Assessing the geographic distribution of aerosol-generating procedures amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract Objective Given high COVID-19 viral load and aerosolization in the head and neck, otolaryngologists are subject to uniquely elevated viral exposure in most of their inpatient and outpatient procedures and interventions. While elective activity has halted across the board nationally, the slow plateau of COVID-19 case rates prompts the question of timing of resumption of clinical activity. We sought to prospectively predict geographical “hot zones” for otolaryngological exposure to COVID-19 based on procedural volumes data from 2013 to 2017. Methods Otolaryngologic CPT codes were stratified based on risk-level, according to recently published specialty-specific guidelines. Using the Medicare POSPUF database, aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) were mapped based on hospital referral regions, against up-to-date COVID-19 case distribution data, as of April 24, 2020. Results The most common AGPs were diagnostic flexible laryngoscopy, diagnostic nasal endoscopy, and flexible laryngoscopy with stroboscopy. The regions with the most AGPs per otolaryngologist were Iowa City, IA, Detroit, MI, and Burlington, VT, while the states with the most COVID-19 cases as of April 24th are New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Conclusions Our study provides a model for predicting possible “hot zones” for otolaryngologic exposure based on both COVID-19 case density and AGP-density. As the focus shifts to resuming elective procedures, these potential “hot zones” need to be evaluated for appropriate risk-based decision-making, such as “reopening strategies” and allocation of resources.
Augmented Cognition in the Operating Room

With the tremendous advances in technology and computational systems that occurred in the last three decades, we have integrated novel technologies in virtually all human activities, with the ultimate goal of improving performance and enhancing safety in the workplace. As a high-stakes, high-risk human activity, with increasing level of complexity, surgery has also incorporated computational systems to the clinical workflow in the operating room (OR) in order to optimize processes and support the surgical team. In the OR, cognition is extended outside individual team members’ minds toward the entire surgical team and, even further, throughout all human and nonhuman systems involved during surgery. In this chapter, we describe the foundations that underpin augmented cognition in the OR, as well as the existing evidence in this realm. Lastly, we discuss future implications and applications of cognitive augmentation in the surgical setting.
Student Voices: Child Perspectives on the Impact of Working With Teacher Candidates via Clinically Based Teacher Preparation Programs

This study seeks to understand the perspectives of children who work with teacher candidates in classrooms that partner with clinically based teacher preparation programs. Researchers interviewed 3...
SARO: Scalable Attack-Resistant Logic Locking

Intellectual property (IP) protection against piracy and reverse engineering (RE) has emerged as a critical area of research in the field of hardware security. Logic locking has been studied as a promising technique to provide robust protection against these attacks. However, a vast body of recent works has presented successful attacks to break existing locking methods in terms of retrieving the secret key and restoring the original functionality. In this paper, we propose SARO, a scalable attack-resistant logic locking that provides a robust functional and structural design transformation process. SARO treats the target circuit as a hypergraph (G), and performs partitioning of G to produce a set of sub-graphs, then applies an efficient Truth Table Transformation (T3) process to each partition. Further, to mitigate specific attacks (such as SAT-based analysis), SARO implements distributed attack resistance , which integrates random SAT-hard functions (obtained from an automatic function generator, RanSAT) into select partitions. RanSAT produces non-biased and non-deterministic design transformations, where added locking mechanisms are not distinguishable from the original circuit. Finally, it implements a concept of a derived key generation that simultaneously helps to minimize the required key size through judicious reuse of key bits, as well as enhancing the structural alterations. Unlike state-of-the-art logic locking solutions, which focus on primarily enhancing robustness against functional query-based attacks, the proposed transformation steps provide the following unique benefits: (1) high scalability to large designs obtained through partitioning; (2) high structural obfuscation leading to resistance to structural attacks; and (3) low key size, while maintaining strong resistance against functional attacks. To quantitatively represent the level of structural and functional transformation, we also propose the $T3_{metric}$ . We evaluate SARO on ISCAS85 and EPFL benchmarks, and provide comprehensive security and performance analysis of our proposed framework.
Photocatalytic Reforming of Sucrose and Dextrose for Hydrogen Production on Pd/TiO 2

Photocatalytic reforming of sucrose and dextrose was performed on TiO2 supported Pd (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 wt%) catalysts under UV light irradiation. Hydrogen production increases with increasing the sucrose concentration. Semiconductor TiO2 has shown benefit from palladium additions up to about 0.5–1.0 wt%; however, the further metal increase has no benefits. Kinetics study reveals that the apparent reaction rate for hydrogen evolution follows the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) mechanism. The equilibrium constant (K) determined was 1.078 for 1 %Pd/TiO2, while 2 %Pd/TiO2 exhibited 0.122, which is an order of magnitude less than the former catalyst. Hydrogen yield from dextrose is higher than sucrose under similar reaction conditions. Furthermore, the catalyst pretreated by sodium borohydride displayed higher activity for dextrose reforming than untreated, implying that metallic Pd enhanced hydrogen production.
Measuring evaporation rate constants of highly volatile compounds for use in predictive kinetic models.

Abstract A kinetic model was previously developed in our laboratory to predict evaporation of compounds as a function of gas chromatographic retention index (IT). To define the initial model, evaporation rate constants were experimentally determined for compounds in the range IT = 800–1400 at temperatures from 5 to 35 °C. While the predictive accuracy was demonstrated, broader application of the model requires extension of the IT range to include more volatile compounds. However, such extension requires experimental determination of rate constants, which is challenging due to the explosive hazard and rapid evaporation of volatile compounds. In this work, rate constants of highly volatile compounds were experimentally determined and used to extend the kinetic model to predict evaporation. Prior to experimental evaporations, theoretical calculations were performed to optimize experimental parameters and to ensure that the vapor generated remained below the lower flammability limit for each compound. Compounds were then experimentally evaporated at three different temperatures (10, 20, and 30 °C) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The evaporation rate constants for each compound, corrected for condensation, were determined by regression to a first-order rate equation. These rate constants were combined with previously collected data to extend the kinetic model at each temperature. Comparison of predicted and experimentally determined chromatograms of an evaporated validation mixture indicated good model performance, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.955 to 0.997 and mean absolute percent errors in predicting abundance ranging from 3 to 26%.
MPC-based Locomotion Control of Bipedal Robots with Line-Feet Contact using Centroidal Dynamics.

Recently we have seen a lot of progress done in dynamic locomotion with quadrupedal robots using the Single-Rigid Body Model, which contains simplified dynamics that considers the robot a single “potato”. This approach performs poorly when the robot contains heavy links, because those links take a considerable momentum to move and because they also change the overall inertia of the robot. In this paper, we generalize the SRBM using the Centroidal Dynamics model plus an orientation variable, whose dynamics contain the linearized effects of other links’ momentum and variable inertia. We are designing this Enhanced Centroidal Dynamics using the Full-Body Dynamics, so the trajectories we obtain are instantaneously dynamically feasible. We show our approach in a full-body dynamic simulation of the MIT Humanoid, a biped with line-feet contact, and we show a simplification in the modeling of the wrenches that can be applied with line-feet.
Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Promote T Cell Exhaustion in the Tumor Microenvironment

While neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are important for directly promoting cancer growth, little is known about their impact on immune cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME). We hypothesize that NETs can directly interact with infiltrating T cells to promote an immunosuppressive TME. Herein, to induce a NET-rich TME, we performed liver Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) in an established cancer metastasis model or directly injected NETs in subcutaneous tumors. In this NET-rich TME, the majority of CD4+ and CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes expressed multiple inhibitory receptors, in addition these cells showed a functional and metabolic exhausted phenotype. Targeting of NETs in vivo by treating mice with DNAse lead to decreased tumor growth, decreased NET formation and higher levels of functioning T cells. In vitro, NETs contained the immunosuppressive ligand PD-L1 responsible for T cell exhaustion and dysfunction; an effect abrogated by using PD-L1 KO NETs or culturing NETs with PD-1 KO T cells. Furthermore, we found elevated levels of sPDL-1 and MPO-DNA, a NET marker, in the serum of patients undergoing surgery for colorectal liver metastases resection. Neutrophils isolated from patients after surgery were primed to form NETs and induced exhaustion and dysfunction of human CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. We next targeted PD-L1 in vivo by injecting a blocking antibody during liver I/R. A single dose of anti-PD-L1 during surgery lead to diminished tumors at 3 weeks and functional T cells in the TME. Our data thus reveal that NETs have the capability of suppressing T cell responses through metabolic and functional exhaustion and thereby promote tumor growth. Furthermore, targeting of PD-L1 containing NETs at time of surgery with DNAse or anti-PD-L1 lead to diminished tumor growth, which represents a novel and viable strategy for sustaining immune competence within the TME.
Automated, High-throughput Surveillance Systems for Public Health

Modern public health is a relatively recent innovation, a mid-nineteenth century response to explosive epidemics of infectious diseases, including plague, influenza, and cholera, that periodically ravaged human settlements. Public health practice is distinguished from most other medical services by a focus on the prevention of illness at the level of whole communities or populations, motivated by the fact that timely and effective preventive or curative intervention, directed at susceptible individuals, can be an extremely cost-efficient way of improving health at the level of a population. Routine childhood vaccination against polio and diphtheria and targeted interventions to minimize the spread of tuberculosis are well-known examples. Ideally, public health service delivery is informed, evaluated, and improved using objective criteria and data provided by a variety of population-based routine surveillance systems. These collect and summarize information needed for intervention and evaluation, ranging from identifiable, clinical case details to aggregate summaries of new cases by time and location, for illnesses of potential public health importance. Statutory health care practitioner initiated reporting is the basis for most of these collections and often requires paper forms to be completed, submitted, and processed manually, with associated delay, missing data, and poor reliability. More recently, automated, high-throughput surveillance methods adding value to large collections of electronic health records (EHR) have been shown to improve the timeliness, completeness, and reliability of surveillance data, and are the main focus of this chapter. Some of the associated issues of privacy protection, governance, validation, and evaluation, together with practical technical options for constructing secure, automated, portable, and high-throughput systems, adding value to existing EHR or personally controlled health records, are reviewed. The importance of establishing external validity and public health utility is emphasized, because these measures are fundamental to evaluating, improving, and justifying ongoing investment in information systems, competing in a modern, resource-constrained public health service delivery environment.
Search space preprocessing in solving complex optimization problems

We look at the complexity placed by big search spaces, dominated by the number of variables and domain of each variable, in search and optimization problems. While a large, even infinite, search domain impairs the effectiveness and efficiency of search, a complex structure of constraints further increases the difficulty in that the search space becomes highly irregular. We propose in this position paper that data mining and dimension reduction techniques have a potential in addressing the pressing issues in both combinatorial optimization and continuous optimization. By preprocessing the original search space, data mining can help boost the speed of search by guiding the search effort to a reduced, more promising area.
Gluconeogenesis in mouse kidney cortex. II. Glucose production and enzyme activities in newborn and early postnatal animals.

Summary The postnatal development of gluconeogenic capacity in mouse kidney cortex tissue was studied by measuringin vitro glucose production and enzyme activities. At birth glucose synthesis from both oxaloacetate and succinate was lower than in adult tissue. In the presence of oxaloacetate it rose, reaching a peak value at 14 days of age, and then declined to the adult level by 28 days of age. With succinate as precursor, gluconeogenesis rose steadily from birth to 28 days. Enzyme activities also were below adult levels at birth. Glucose-6-phosphatase, fructose-1, 6-diphosphatase, fumarase, lactic dehydrogenase and triosephosphate isomerase activities increased, reaching or slightly exceeding adult levels at 28 days. On the other hand, PEP-car☐ykinase activity rose sharply postnatally and was about 5-fold higher at the end of the second week. After this age activity decreased toward the adult value. Gluconeogenesis was also studied in neonatal guinea pig kidney cortex. It was found, in contrast to the mouse, that glucose synthesis and PEP-car☐ykinase activity were high at birth and declined rapidly to the adult level.
Role of acidic intracellular compartments in the biosynthesis of Dictyostelium lysosomal enzymes. The weak bases ammonium chloride and chloroquine differentially affect proteolytic processing and sorting.

Abstract Radiolabel pulse-chase and subcellular fractionation procedures were used to analyze the transport, proteolytic processing, and sorting of two lysosomal enzymes in Dictyostelium discoideum cells treated with the weak bases ammonium chloride and chloroquine. Dictyostelium lacks detectable cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptors and represents an excellent system to investigate alternative mechanisms for lysosomal enzyme targeting. Exposure of growing cells to ammonium chloride, which increased the pH in intracellular vacuoles from 5.4 to 5.8-6.1, slowed but did not prevent the proteolytic processing and correct localization of pulse-radiolabeled precursors to the lysosomal enzymes alpha-mannosidase and beta-glucosidase. Additionally, ammonium chloride did not affect transport of the enzymes to the Golgi complex, as they acquired resistance to the enzyme endoglycosidase H at the same rate as in control cells. When the pH of lysosomal and endosomal organelles was raised to 6.4 with higher concentrations of ammonium chloride, the percentage of secreted (apparently mis-sorted) precursor polypeptides increased slightly, but proteolytic processing of intermediate forms of lysosomal enzymes to mature forms was greatly reduced. The intermediate and mature forms of alpha-mannosidase and beta-glucosidase did, however, accumulate intracellularly in vesicles similar in density to lysosomes. In contrast, in cells exposed to low concentrations of chloroquine the intravacuolar pH increased only slightly (to 5.7); however, enzymes were inefficiently processed and, instead, rapidly secreted as precursor molecules. Experiments involving the addition of chloroquine at various times during the chase of pulse-radiolabeled cells demonstrated that this weak base acted on a distal Golgi or prelysosomal compartment to prevent the normal sorting of lysosomal enzymes. These results suggest that although acidic endosomal/lysosomal compartments may be important for the complete proteolytic processing of lysosomal enzymes in Dictyostelium, low pH is not essential for the proper targeting of precursor polypeptides. Furthermore, certain amines may induce mis-sorting of these enzymes by pH-independent mechanisms.
Clay Times Three: The Tale of Three Nashville, Indiana, Potteries

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Kathy M. McKimmie Year: 2010 Pages: 108 Publisher: Indiana University Press ISBN: 978-0-253-35589-8 (hard cover). Prices: $29.95 USD(hard cover).
The MuCap experiment: A measurement of the muon capture rate in hydrogen gas

We have recently measured the rate of nuclear muon capture by the proton, using a novel technique which involves a time projection chamber operating in ultraclean, deuterium‐depleted hydrogen gas. The target's low gas density of 1% compared to liquid hydrogen is key to avoiding uncertainties that arise from the formation of muonic molecules. The capture rate from the hyperfine singlet ground state of the μp atom was obtained from the difference between the μ− disappearance rate in hydrogen and the world average for the μ+ decay rate, yielding ΛS = 725.0±17.4 s−1, from which the induced pseudoscalar coupling of the nucleon, gP(q2 = 0.88mμ2) = 7.3±1.1, is extracted. This result is consistent with theoretical predictions for gP that are based on the approximate chiral symmetry of QCD.
Multiplexing of multimode fiber optic strain sensors using an artificial neural network

This paper introduces a relatively simple multimode fiber optic sensor built for on-line use and a package that multiplexes two fiber sensors. The multiplexing is achieved by the random nature of the multimode fiber output intensity variation (so called speckle pattern). The demultiplexing is performed by a neural network. The dynamic range of each sensor is 0.8- 120 micrometers over an effective length of 11 m. The sensors operate in 68-94 degrees F.
The Occurrence of Sporadic E during the IGY

Abstract This paper presents maps of total E s occurrence and considers the temporal variations of the E s types observed on ionograms along a meridian chain of stations.