cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Context-Driven Testing on the Cloud

Context-Driven Testing (CDT) is the practice of validating and verifying software systems based on their most recent status. CDT is both an art and a science; ultimately, CDT is about not accepting a specific pre-defined set of best practices, it is about making decisions based on what the current context entails. This chapter introduces a context scheme deployed within a software engineering lifecycle; specifically through a testing method that utilizes a context-based philosophy for testing systems implemented on the cloud. The proposed method is called Context-Assisted Test Case Reduction (CATCR). In CATCR, the results of previous test cases are used to influence the selection of test cases in the next testing iteration. Using contextual inputs for reducing testing time/effort is the main goal of CATCR. Furthermore, through selecting appropriate cloud sites and automatically evaluating the situation, contextual testing helps the engineers make better timely decisions. To evaluate the proposed context-based method, an experimental assessment is performed using Amazon’s Cloud. Experiment results are recorded and presented.
Remarks on limit theorems for reversible Markov processes and their applications

Abstract We propose some backward–forward martingale decompositions for functions of reversible Markov chains. These decompositions are used to prove the functional Central limit theorem for reversible Markov chains with asymptotically linear variance of partial sums. We also provide a proof of the equivalence between asymptotic linearity of the variance and convergence of the integral of 1 / ( 1 − t ) with respect to the associated spectral measure ρ . We show a result on uniform integrability of the supremum of the average sum of squares of martingale differences. We also study the asymptotic behavior of linear processes having as innovations mean zero square integrable functions of stationary reversible Markov chains. We include in our study the long-range dependence case. We apply this study to several cases of reversible stationary Markov chains that arise in regression estimation.
Identity Paper/Work/s and the Unmaking of Legal Status in Mae Sot, Thailand

Arguing for renewed attention to legal status as a problem of material forms and the practices around them, this paper builds, from an examination of documents in use, a theory of how competing notions of personhood shape legal status for Burmese people in Mae Sot, Thailand. It finds that there exist in Mae Sot two modes of documentary practice through which the legal status of Burmese people is apprehended. “Modes of documentary practice” refer not only to records, papers, certificates, cards, and forms, but to the patterns of filling in, wielding, explaining, and referencing a variety of print matter. The two modes identified in this paper exist in a feedback loop, with the result that Burmese people in Mae Sot are increasingly individuated as being part of a group for whom legal status is irrelevant and legal indistinctiveness is the norm.
Expression of Elafin in Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

Background:Elafin is a serine protease inhibitor that has various epithelial cell regulatory and immunomodulatory effects including inactivation of neutrophil elastases. This later role originated the interest of elafin in certain neutrophil-rich dermatoses. Interestingly, it has been speculated tha
The Quality In-Training Initiative: Giving Residents Data to Learn Clinical Effectiveness.

Background Training programs are expected to provide clinical outcomes data to residents. Few systems have the necessary infrastructure. We evaluated initial adoption and use of the Quality In-Training Initiative (QITI) platform linking National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) data to trainees. Study Design Proportions of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education general surgery residency programs with differing levels of NSQIP and QITI affiliation were calculated and program characteristics were compared. All NSQIP sites that captured QITI custom field data from July 2013 to June 2016 were included in case analysis. Differences in case collection were compared between participating (P) sites that actively participated in QITI and nonparticipating (NP) sites that did not. Resident participation by procedure type was examined. Results Of 268 accredited general surgery residency programs, 92% ( n = 248) is affiliated with a NSQIP hospital and 61% of all clinical months is spent at NSQIP sites. For 42% of all programs ( n = 114), the primary teaching hospital is affiliated with the QITI. In all, 74 P sites and 89 NP sites captured a total of 417,816 cases. The median number of cases captured per site was statistically higher for P sites (3063) compared with NP sites (2307, p A total of 68.3% of all cases captured had resident participation indicated by postgraduate year ( n = 285,469). The most common procedures with resident participation were laparoscopic appendectomy ( n = 17,082, 6.0%) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy ( n = 15,502, 5.4%). Percentage coverage rates ranged from 17.3% to 91.8%. Conclusion Most general surgery rotations are at NSQIP sites. Identifying resident participation in captured NSQIP cases is feasible on a large scale. Captured cases reflect national case-mix. The platform has the potential to collect data on institutional and program-level variation in resident operative experience that may be used to improve training.
A Decision-Support Approach for Provider Scheduling in a Patient-Centered Medical Home

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has been proposed as a viable and medically effective model of primary care delivery. The fundamental principles of a PCMH address increased access and offer new ways to organize a practice. Creating provider schedules able to satisfy the operational and organizational constraints imposed by this type of delivery model is a challenging, complex, and time-consuming task.This article presents a two-step approach for scheduling providers and prospectively assessing the consequences of various schedules on patient throughput without experimenting on the real-world system. The first step uses an original integer programming model to address the tactical planning problem of assigning provider duties to defined shifts while incorporating a number of constraints. Given provider scheduling preferences and availability, a monthly schedule is determined to satisfy the expected demand. The second step consists of quantifying capacity increases that result from adjustments to operating hours, physician availability, and examination room availability. A discrete-event simulation model is used to assess the impact of various proposed operating configurations on patient throughput.
Optimizing accuracy of protocols for measuring dry matter and nutrient yield of forage crops.

Abstract Farmers around the world must precisely manage nutrients applied to and removed from crop fields to maintain production and without causing nutrient pollution. This study is the first to quantify the baseline accuracy of current industry measurement protocols and achievable accuracy from intensifying protocols for measuring dry matter (DM), nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P) yields from forage crops harvested for silage. The ‘true’ DM and nutrient yields of three fields each of corn, sorghum, and small grain were intensively measured by weighing and sampling every truckload of harvested forage. Simulations quantified the accuracy of practical sampling protocols by repeatedly subsampling the complete dataset for each field to measure average truckload weight and average DM and nutrient concentrations. Then uncertainty was propagated to DM, N, P, and K yield calculations using standard error equations. Yields measured using current industry protocols diverged from the true yields of some fields by more than ± 40%, emphasizing the need for improved protocols. This study shows that improving average DM and nutrient concentration measurements is unlikely to improve accuracy of yield measurements if average load weight is not precisely measured. Accuracy did not come within 27% of true yields without weighing all truckloads on some fields even when DM and nutrient concentration measurements were perfectly accurate. Once all truckloads were weighed, the timing of forage sample collection to measure average DM concentration had the greatest impact on accuracy; precision improved by an average of 6.2% when > 3 samples were evenly spaced throughout the harvest compared to the same number of consecutive samples. All crop fields are affected by within field variation in growing conditions that results in heterogeneity in DM and nutrient yield. Globally, this study provides foundational methodology to quantitatively evaluate and improve yield measurement protocols that ultimately support sustainable crop production.
Reproduction and Fertility Beliefs, Perceptions, and Attitudes in People Living with HIV

People living with HIV (PLWH) have distinct needs when it comes to reproductive health, specifically regarding fertility, family planning, and pregnancy, and these needs are often complicated by HIV status. While there is ample research that focuses on reproductive health in PLWH through a quantitative lens, there is a lack of research using qualitative methods, namely, the narrative interview model. We searched PubMed and relevant abstracts to identify 72 articles published from 1997 to 2016 that described a qualitative framework for exploring the behaviors and perceptions regarding family planning, abortion, pregnancy, parenthood, fertility, and forced sterility in PLWH. The inclusion criteria initially showed 147 articles, which were further screened to exclude those that did not address fertility and family planning specifically. Our final sample of articles included articles related to qualitative research on reproductive attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of PLWH. Several of these articles were mixed-methods analyses, but our focus was on the qualitative portion only. Further qualitative works in this area will not only contribute to gaps quantitative research in the field cannot capture by design, but also inform clinical practice, policy, and interventions through systematic, in-depth evaluation.
Do stress response genes play a role in maintaining MDSC survival and suppression? (100.17)

Myeloid- derived suppressor cells (MDSC) contribute to immune suppression in tumor bearing individuals. Their suppression and survival are increased by inflammation. MDSC production of toxic radicals is the primary mechanism of suppression but the toxic mediators do not affect the MDSC themselves. We are investigating stress response genes that may maintain MDSC survival and facilitate suppression. BALB/c mice were injected with BALB/c derived mammary carcinoma 4T1 or 4T1 constitutively expressing the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β (4T1/IL-1β). Primary tumors were surgically removed after 25 days. At 35 days, spleens were harvested and assayed for the percentage of Gr1+ CD11b+ MDSC. Surgical removal of 4T1 results in a regression of the MDSC population, however MDSC do not regress in mice bearing 4T1/IL-1β tumors, confirming that inflammation increases MDSC survival. Western blots and confocal microscopy of MDSC induced by 4T1 and 4T1/IL-1β tumors localize Nrf2 in the nucleus, demonstrating that Nrf2 is activated in MDSC. Catalase, a protein transcriptionally regulated by Nrf2, when added to a T cell activation assay eliminates MDSC suppressive activity. Addition of catalase to T cells co-cultured with MDSC and peptide causes a synergistic effect, activating T cells to a greater level than peptide alone. Collectively these data suggest that stress genes may play a role in maintaining MDSC survival and suppressive activity.
Wildfire and debris flows affect prey subsidies with implications for riparian and riverine predators

Ecosystems are connected through fluxes of nutrients, organic matter, and organisms. Disturbances that alter structure and function of one ecosystem may have consequences for other linked ecosystems. We investigated how wildfire and subsequent debris flows altered fluxes of invertebrates from tributaries in the Salmon River Basin, Idaho, USA. We compared fluxes of invertebrates downstream through drift and laterally via insect emergence from streams with varying disturbance histories (unburned, burned, and burned + debris flow) during two summers (3–4 years post fire and 2–3 years post debris flow). We observed that the combination of wildfire and debris flow increased the biomass export of invertebrates from tributaries to main-stem ecosystems 2–3 × compared to other streams. In contrast, aquatic insect emergence did not differ in magnitude among streams of different disturbance histories, but instead diverged in timing. Underwater surveys indicated trout in the main-stem river selected confluence habitats, with a tendency for stronger selection of confluences with burned streams. In a behavioral comparison between confluence and non-confluence habitats, rates of agonistic behavior were 4–6 × higher in confluence areas, indicating that confluences may be worth defending. Abundances of web-spinning spiders that depend on emerging insects did not vary with disturbance history in early-mid summer, but tended to be highest in riparian areas along burned streams by August. Because wildfire and debris flows are predicted to increase, our results elucidate potential pathways by which altered disturbance regimes may affect coupled aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems.
Pseudocapillaria tomentosa in laboratory zebrafish Danio rerio: patterns of infection and dose response

Parasites in wild populations almost always exhibit aggregation (overdispersion), in which relatively few hosts are infected with high numbers of the parasites. This pattern of infection has also been observed in laboratory studies, where many of the sources of natural variation are removed. Pseudocapillaria tomentosa (Nematoda) is common in zebrafish (Danio rerio) facilities. We describe here patterns of infections in zebrafish experimentally infected with larvated P. tomentosa eggs in various trials with defined numbers of eggs. One trial with eggs delivered in a gelatin diet is also included. Fish were exposed at 25, 75, and 200 eggs fish-1, and the minimal infectious dose was estimated to be 1.5 eggs fish-1. The ID50 (50% infective dose) was calculated to be 17.5 eggs fish-1. We also included data from a trial and 2 previously published experiments with undefined doses in which zebrafish were exposed to infectious water and detritus from a tank that previously contained infected fish. All doses resulted in a high prevalence of infection (>70%), except at the 25 eggs fish-1 dose, where the prevalence was 43-46%. Mean abundance of worms corresponded to dose, from 0.57 worms fish-1 at 25 eggs fish-1 to 7 worms fish-1 at 200 eggs fish-1. Variance to mean ratios (V/M) and the k parameters showed aggregation across the 8 separate trials, including the gelatin diet. Aggregation increased with increased parasite abundance. Given the consistent observation of aggregation across our experiments, the zebrafish/P. tomentosa system provides a potentially robust, high-throughput model to investigate factors that influence differences in host susceptibility within defined populations.
Theories of Cultural and Educational Exchange, Intercultural Competence, Conflict Resolution, and Peace Education

How do cultural and educational exchanges affect relations between the populations of rival states and societies? Before this question can be answered, it is important to step back and explore foundational theories that contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities of issues underlying such exchanges. As the issue of cultural and educational exchanges in rival states is an inherently interdisciplinary one, theoretical understandings of the topic from a diversity of academic fields can be employed as frameworks for analysis, as demonstrated in the chapters in this volume. This chapter highlights some of the major theoretical frameworks that underpin cultural and educational exchanges, including those in intercultural competence and other intercultural development theories, conflict resolution, and peace education. As demonstrated by chapters in this volume, no single framework can adequately describe the complex processes involved in bringing resolution to rivalries between states and societies, and more context-specific and holistic understandings of the embedded issues can lead to a greater potential for encouraging effective cultural and educational exchange programs. While it is not possible for this chapter to cover all the relevant theories needed to inform these complex processes, the theories briefly explored here, from different disciplinary perspectives, provide a more holistic, systems view that can be applied to the intricate issues inherent in cultural and educational exchanges in rival states.
Laboring to Make Sex “Safe”: Sexual Vigilance in Young U.S. College Women

Definitions of “safe sex” often focus on the use of condoms and contraception, but largely ignore other dimensions of safety, such as efforts to feel emotionally or physically safe. These gaps in the definition of the term safety demand greater attention to how being safe and feeling safe are interpreted by individuals who live and engage in sexual lives marked by social and political inequality. In the current study, we draw on interviews with 17 young women ages 18–28 from a U.S. urban university to examine efforts they used to protect themselves in sexual relationships. When having sex with men, we found young women relied on a range of efforts to keep themselves safe, such as controlling their own sexual desire, developing strict contraceptive regimens, and building relational contexts characterized by physical and emotional safety. We argue that sexual safety labor (i.e., “good” contraceptive behavior, “waiting” to have sex, and “careful” decision-making) offers evidence of what safe sex requires of young women. We examine this range of cognitions and behaviors as forms of labor directed at making sex feel and be safe; however, young women did not describe these efforts in terms of their own time or energy. In our analysis, we suggest that vigilance in sexual relationships has become part of young women’s required repertoire of safe sex behaviors, but largely goes unnoticed by them. We connect these findings with public health campaigns that teach young people about safety and offer alternatives for researchers looking to understand and study what is imagined as “safe sex.”
Prospective recruitment of women receiving prenatal care from diverse provider arrangements: a potential strategy.

Objectives: This study describes the use of a Medicaid managed care list to prospectively recruit into a research project pregnant women receiving care from a variety of providers. Method: A list of women enrolled in Medicaid managed care was used to recruit pregnant African-American and Latina women into a study of prenatal care satisfaction. Due to privacy concerns, the researchers were not able to directly access names from the list. Instead, a managed care contract agency sent recruitment letters to 1009 pregnant African-American and Latina Medicaid recipients. Response rates by ethnicity and several other key variables are calculated. The biases associated with this method of recruiting pregnant women from a variety of providers are discussed. Results: Thirty-five percent of the women contacted returned consent forms and agreed to have researchers approach them; the response rate for African-American women was 43% and for Latinas was 29% (p < 0.0001). Respondents were younger and later in their pregnancies than nonrespondents, but did not differ from them by zip code of residence. The women recruited into the study obtained prenatal care from a diverse group of providers. Conclusions: While the use of a prospectively generated list of pregnant Medicaid recipients to recruit low-income pregnant women into a research study may be associated with some selection bias, the potential cost savings, decreased effort, and diminished recall bias may make their use a feasible sampling alternative, particularly when the researcher desires to recruit women seeking care from a variety of provider arrangements.
Water Relations in Controlled Environments and the Field

Water availability is often a primary limitation to biomass production. With the aim of explaining and predicting water use in the field, plant physiologists frequently study the fundamental biology of water uptake, transport and evaporation in controlled environments (glasshouses, growth chambers). However, despite the accumulation of knowledge, an understanding of the fundamental biological principles operating in controlled environments rarely leads to improved predictions of plant water relations in the field. This paper discusses some of the factors contributing to these apparently irreconcilable differences. Of the many possible sources of error in controlled environment experiments, a few predominate. Common problems are: (1) rooting restrictions resulting from using plants grown in pots; (2) the use of plants at an inappropriate developmental stage, usually very early in their life cycle and; (3) environmental conditions which fail to simulate the field environment adequately, and are critical because they fundamentally alter plant water status or responses to water status. In many cases, resistance to water stress in the field varies with developmental changes in the water transport capacity of the root system as the plant matures. To study such effects in controlled environments requires mature plants, grown in large pots that do not alter normal root development, and an evaporative demand sufficient to reveal hydraulic limitations imposed by the root system. Studies in controlled environments can never completely match those in the field, but the gap between the two can be narrowed. The sources of error in controlled environments are often easily addressed. Focussing on such critical factors will remove obstacles to interpreting results, improve relevance to the field, and speed the application of basic principles to predicting performance under field conditions.
College alcohol belief and alcohol use: testing moderations by cultural orientations and ethnicity

Alcohol is considered an integral part of the college life; students who hold stronger college alcohol beliefs typically consume more alcohol and experience more negative drinking consequences. Asian Americans are increasingly at risk for hazardous alcohol use, yet little research has focused on whether college alcohol beliefs are conceptualized similarly in this group and whether individuals' cultural orientations moderate the relations between college alcohol beliefs and alcohol involvement. Asian American (N = 439; Mage = 22.77, 42.6% women) and Euro American (N = 161; Mage = 21.04; 41.6% women) undergraduate students were recruited to test measurement invariance of the College Life Alcohol Salience Scale and the Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale. We examined the relations between college alcohol beliefs and alcohol involvement, and the degree to which cultural orientations and ethnicity moderated these relations. Scores from a 14-item College Life Alcohol Salience Scale and a 26-item Stephenson Multigroup Acculturation Scale demonstrated scalar invariance across Asian and Euro American groups. Bivariate correlations showed robust associations between college alcohol beliefs and alcohol involvement. Among Asian and Euro Americans who were not immersed in their ethnic heritage society, students were at greater odds of being a drinker when they endorsed stronger college alcohol beliefs, and drinkers consumed more alcohol when they endorsed lower college alcohol beliefs. Interventions aimed to prevent alcohol use and misuse can assess and target students' college alcohol beliefs and promote greater connectedness to their ethnic heritage cultures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Interpreting Socioeconomic Changes in 17th-Century England and Port Royal, Jamaica, Through Analysis of the Port Royal Kaolin Clay Pipes

The Port Royal pipes reflect a growing consumerism in 17th-century English economy. The desire for tobacco fueled a tobacco-growing economy in the Chesapeake colonies, which then contributed to England's economic growth. This growth was aided by small preindustrial manufactures like clay pipes, which helped supplement family household incomes, so that small luxuries could be purchased. Along with tobacco smoking, novel types of food and drink were consumed, resulting in the adoption of new customs and habits, particularly in frequenting public institutions like coffeehouses and taverns in both England and Port Royal.
Morphologies of the topside ionosphere observed by COSMIC at high-latitudes during the 17 March 2013 magnetic storm

Abstract The present study considers effects on the topside ionosphere at high-latitude (|MLat| ≥ 60°) during the magnetic storm on 17 March 2013. We divide the day into two segments, with magnetic conditions quiet during the first 6 h and disturbed thereafter, thus allowing comparisons of differences between these two states. The COSMIC data source consisted of 272 electron density profiles (EDPs) measured by COSMIC satellites using Abel inversions that assume the absence of horizontal plasma density gradients. We compared resultant EDPs with predictions of the International; Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model for the same altitudes along individual tangent-point lines. As conditions allowed, we also compared EDPs with densities measured by nearby DMSP satellites. During the pre-storm quiet period, 65 of the sampled 68 EDPs were highly correlated with IRI predictions. The remaining 3 EDPs showed significant irregularities along parts of the 800–200 km altitude range. We divided stormtime 204 COSMIC EDPs into three morphological categories. In the first group, 130 EDPs exhibit shapes similar to IRI-predictions. Of these, 72 (9) had larger (smaller) than predicted magnitudes. The second group consisted of 37 EDPs that showed little variation in magnitude over the designated altitude range. The remaining group had another 37 EDPs marked by significant irregularities. We found that the deepest EDP irregularity resulted from GPS signals passing through a deep plasma density trough observed by DMSP. The trough extended along the equatorward boundary of the evening-side, auroral oval. We suggest that EDP irregularities reflect density gradients along or near EDP tangent point lines.
Game-Changing Military Technologies: Adoption and Governance

This chapter offers an analysis and discussion of disruptive technology and revolutions in military affairs. It explores factors that influence technology adoption and analyzes whether certain legal and diplomatic responses (e.g., treaties, bans, and prohibitions) to weapons innovations are an effective governance tool for limiting proliferation. Examining the outcome of governance tools on the adoption and proliferation of technology can elucidate trends, uncover relationships, and inform better approaches to international security, diplomacy, and policy. Knowing what relationships exist is important to developing a clear picture of viable options and possible leverage points. Investigating the interaction between technology and governance enhances the knowledge base from which national security decisions are made and may contribute to increased effectiveness in governance approaches. Making the best, most inform decisions, is an imperative aspect in maintaining superiority.
Characterization of human norovirus binding to gut-associated bacterial ligands.

Research suggests human norovirus binding to histo-blood group antigen (HBGA)-like molecules on enteric bacteria may enhance viral pathogenesis; however, the properties of these bacterial ligands are not well known. Previous work identified, but did not characterize, seven norovirus-binding bacteria. To further examine this bacteria–virus binding interaction, enteric bacteria were analyzed via Western blot with anti-HBGA antibodies and lectins targeting HBGA-associated sugar components. Virus overlay assays using capsids from six different human norovirus strains further identified responsible ligands and strain dependent binding properties. Each bacterial species possessed varying degrees of HBGA-like activity, and lectin binding further elucidated potential sugar residues involved (N-acetyl-galactosamine, α-d-galactose or α-l-fucose). Both GI and GII norovirus capsids bound specific bacterial ligand sizes, and generally corresponded to anti-HBGA Western blot patterns. A 35-kDa band reacted with all HBGA antibodies, bound all six of the noroviruses tested, and had a high affinity for the lectins. Collectively, this work characterizes the varying carbohydrate residues potentially responsible for norovirus–bacteria interactions and provides a basis for future ligand identification.
Third‐Party Intervention in Peer Victimization: Self‐Evaluative Emotions and Appraisals of a Diverse Adolescent Sample

African American, European American, Mexican American, and Native American adolescents (N = 270) described how they felt and appraised their own actions in response to a peer's victimization. Analyses compared times they had calmed victim emotions, amplified anger, avenged, and resolved conflicts peacefully. Adolescents felt prouder, more helpful, more like a good friend, and expected more peer approval after calming and resolving than after amplifying anger or avenging peers. They also felt less guilt and shame after calming and resolving. Avenging elicited more positive self-evaluation than amplifying. Epistemic network analyses explored links between self-evaluative and other emotions. Pride was linked to relief after efforts to calm or resolve. Third-party revenge reflected its antisocial and prosocial nature with connections between pride, relief, anger, and guilt.
Dynamic Network Modeling from Motif-Activity

Graph structure in dynamic networks changes rapidly. Using temporal information about their connections, models for dynamic networks can be developed and used to understand the process of how their structure changes over time. Additionally, higher-order motifs have been established as building blocks for the structure of networks. In this paper, we first demonstrate empirically in three dynamic network datasets, that motifs with edges: (1) do not transition from one motif type to another (e.g, wedges becoming triangles and vice-versa); (2) motifs re-appear in other time periods and the rate depends on their configuration. We propose the Dynamic Motif-Activity Model (DMA) for sampling synthetic dynamic graphs with parameters learned from an observed network. We evaluate our DMA model, with two dynamic graph generative model baselines, by measuring different graph structure metrics in the generated synthetic graphs and comparing with the graph used as input. Our results show that employing motifs captures the underlying graph structure and modeling their activity recreates the fast changes seen in dynamic networks.
Effects of SiO2 inclusions on sintering and permeability of NiCuZn ferrite for additive manufacturing of power magnets

Abstract 3D-printing has the potential to ease fabrication of novel magnetic components that lead to miniaturization of power electronic devices. The main challenge lies in the lack of functional magnetic feedstock that has many choices of different magnetic permeabilities. NiCuZn ferrite feedstock was developed of which the permeability was tailored by adding different fractions of silica particles. This paper developed a formulation guideline of the feedstock, which prescribes the fraction of silica to add from the target permeability of the feedstock. To study the mechanisms of the effects of silica on permeability of the ferrite feedstock, the feedstock was 3D printed into toroid cores and the permeability, density, and microstructure were characterized. Formulas from existing models describing the different aspects of the silica’s effects on the ferrite were evaluated and combined to build the guideline. The guideline accurately predicted permeability of the composite ferrite when silica was
Impact of Obesity on Voriconazole Pharmacokinetics among Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients.

Voriconazole (VCZ) is an antifungal agent with wide inter- and intrapatient pharmacokinetic (PK) variability and narrow therapeutic index. Although obesity was associated with higher VCZ trough concentrations in adults, the impact of obesity had yet to be studied in children. We characterized the PK of VCZ in obese patients by accounting for age and CYP2C19 phenotype. We conducted intensive PK studies of VCZ and VCZ N-oxide metabolite in 44 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients aged 2 to 21 years who received prophylactic intravenous VCZ every 12 hours (q12h). Blood samples were collected at 5 and 30 minutes; at 1, 3, 6, and 9 hours after infusion completion; and immediately before the next infusion start. We estimated PK parameters with noncompartmental analysis and evaluated for an association with obesity by multiple linear regression analysis. The 44 participants included 9 (20%) with obesity. CYP2C19 metabolism phenotypes were identified as normal in 22 (50%), poor/intermediate in 13 (30%), and rapid/ultrarapid in 9 patients (21%). Obesity status significantly affects the VCZ minimum concentration of drug in serum (C min) (higher by 1.4 mg/liter; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0 to 2.8; P = 0.047) and VCZ metabolism ratio (VCZRATIO) (higher by 0.4; 95% CI, 0.0 to 0.7; P = 0.03), while no association was observed with VCZ area under the curve (AUC) (P = 0.09) after adjusting for clinical factors. A younger age and a CYP2C19 phenotype were associated with lower VCZ AUC. Obesity was associated with decreased metabolism of VCZ to its inactive N-oxide metabolite and, concurrently, increased VCZ C min, which is deemed clinically meaningful. Future research should aim to further characterize its effects and determine a proper dosing regimen for the obese.
Higher level phylogeny of baleen whales

Abstract The phylogenetic history of the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) has been investigated intensively using ever-increasing samples of molecular data. By integrating this genomic information with evidence from the fossil record, divergence times can be estimated using “molecular clock” models. Recent hypotheses of cetacean phylogeny place the bowhead within Mysticeti (baleen whales), sister to the genus Eubalaena (North Atlantic, North Pacific, and southern right whales) in the family Balaenidae. The pygmy right whale (Caperea; Neobalaenidae) does not cluster with the skim-feeding balaenids and is instead positioned sister to Balaenopteroidea (rorquals and gray whale). Although a consensus has emerged regarding the divergence time between Mysticeti and Odontoceti (toothed whales) at ~36–39 Ma in the latest Eocene, the timing of evolutionary splits within Mysticeti remain contentious. Accurate dating of the baleen whale tree is complicated by lineage-specific rates of molecular evolution, gene flow among distantly related mysticete taxa, as well as contradictory results when different data and methodological approaches are applied.
Turning up the Heat on MYC: Progress in Small-Molecule Inhibitors

MYC is a highly validated oncogenic transcription factor and cancer target. However, the disordered nature of this protein has made it a challenging target, with no clinical stage, direct small-molecule MYC inhibitors available. Recent work leveraging a large in silico chemical library and a rapid in vivo screen has expanded the chemotypes of direct small-molecule inhibitors (MYCi). Novel MYCi represent a class of improved MYC chemical probes that bind directly to MYC to inhibit its function and to promote its degradation by enhancing GSK3β-mediated phosphorylation. One of these compounds, MYCi975, has shown remarkable tolerability and efficacy in vivo and is associated with a selective effect on MYC target gene expression. Additional effects of MYCi on the tumor immune microenvironment including immune cell infiltration and upregulation of PD-L1 expression provide a rationale for combining MYCi with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy to enhance antitumor efficacy. Our strategy for developing MYCi demonstrates an efficient way to identify selective and well-tolerated MYC inhibitors. The new MYCi provide tools for probing MYC function and serve as starting points for the development of novel anti-MYC therapeutics.
Consumer preferences for black coffee are spread over a wide range of brew strengths and extraction yields.

Brewing is the final and key step in the production of the coffee beverage. Extraction related metrics such as the total dissolved solids (TDS), percentage extraction yield (PE) of solutes, and brew temperature (BT) are widely believed to govern the flavor and corresponding consumer acceptance of the resulting brew, as summarized in the industry standard "Coffee Brewing Control Chart." In this study, we investigated how the three factors of TDS, PE, and BT affected consumer acceptance of a medium roast, single-origin coffee and whether consumer preference segmentation would be observed based on these variables. A cohort of 118 mostly college-age, self-reported consumers of black coffee tasted coffees that varied in BT, TDS, and PE. For each coffee, consumers rated overall acceptance on the 9-point hedonic scale; the adequacy of serving temperature, flavor intensity, acidity, and mouthfeel using 5-point just-about-right (JAR) scales; and described the flavor using a check-all-that-apply list of 17 attributes. Cluster analysis revealed two consumer segments whose preferences varied most strongly with TDS. Response surface methodology relating liking to TDS and PE produced dome- and saddle-shaped surfaces for the two segments, respectively. External preference mapping and penalty analysis indicated that overall flavor intensity as well as acidity heavily influenced the preferences of the two clusters. The Coffee Brewing Control Chart's "ideal" coffee should therefore be reconsidered to reflect consumer preference segmentation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This research informs the way coffee brewers manipulate brew strength and extraction of drip brew coffee for optimal consumer acceptance; and justifies a reform of the standard "Coffee Brewing Control Chart" in its representation of an "ideal" coffee as we uncovered two consumer preference segments with different positive and negative sensory drivers of liking.
Car Accidents and 3G Coverage: New Evidence Using Cell Phone Tower Construction

Digital distraction, or the myopic use of technology at the expense of longer-term utility, is of growing importance as technology with the potential to distract becomes ubiquitous. We examine the consequences of digital distraction among drives in California by examining the relationship between 3G coverage -- crucial for smartphone use -- and traffic accidents. To address the endogeneity between cell phone use and traffic accident propensity, we use the rollout of 3G cellular coverage on California's roads between 2001 and 2013. We construct road-level event studies computing the increase in traffic accidents when a road receives 3G coverage, controlling for traffic volume and road-level fixed effects. We use machine learning techniques to recover the historical relationship between road-level 3G coverage and cellular towers. We find that accidents rates increase by 1.1 percentage points when a road receives 3G coverage. The accidents most responsive to 3G coverage are non-severe crashes, those that take place in highly trafficked areas, and those driven by younger drivers. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that 3G coverage resulted in 3,300 additional accidents in California alone, implying digital distraction may have meaningful aggregate consequences.
Alveolar Hemorrhage and Renal Microangiopathy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Immune Complex Small Vascular Injury With Apoptosis

c Context.—Acute alveolar hemorrhage in systemic lupus erythematosus usually occurs as a pulmonary-renal syndrome. In most cases, the lungs show ‘‘bland’’ alveolar hemorrhage with little or no inflammation. Whether this alveolar injury is similar to the better-defined noninflammatory renal lupus vasculopathy is unresolved. Objectives.—To investigate the relationships and the mechanisms of small vascular injury in the lung and kidney of 2 lupus patients who died of diffuse AH. Methods.—We investigated the relationship of AH to immune complex deposition in the lungs of 6 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and correlated the findings with glomerular and vascular disease in the kidney. Lung and kidney were studied by light, immunofluorescence, and/or electron microscopy; apoptosis was investigated using in situ nick-end labeling. Results.—The clinical course of 2 patients was complicated by alveolar hemorrhage, and the lungs of these patients revealed alveolar wall immune complex deposits and bland alveolar hemorrhage. These 2 patients had World Health Organization class IV lupus nephritis and renal arterioles involved by a noninflammatory lupus vasculopathy. Apoptosis was identified in the lupus microangiopathy and in alveolar walls within areas of alveolar hemorrhage. Alveolar wall immune complex deposits were not found in 4 patients who had a lupus glomerulonephritis but did not have renal lupus vasculopathy. Apoptosis was not seen in renal arterioles or lungs of these 4 cases, except in areas of diffuse alveolar damage or herpesvirus pneumonia. Conclusions.—Our findings indicate that alveolar hemorrhage in systemic lupus erythematosus, characterized by bland alveolar wall changes, is pathogenetically similar to the lupus microangiopathy of the kidney. In both lung and kidney, the pathogenesis of the microvascular injury appears to be related to immune complex deposition and the induction of apoptosis. (Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2001;125:475‐483)
Delayed rise of oral fluid antibodies, elevated BMI, and absence of early fever correlate with longer time to SARS-CoV-2 RNA clearance in an longitudinally sampled cohort of COVID-19 outpatients

ABSTRACT Background Sustained molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the upper respiratory tract (URT) in mild to moderate COVID-19 is common. We sought to identify host and immune determinants of prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection. Methods Ninety-five outpatients self-collected mid-turbinate nasal, oropharyngeal (OP), and gingival crevicular fluid (oral fluid) samples at home and in a research clinic a median of 6 times over 1-3 months. Samples were tested for viral RNA, virus culture, and SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronavirus antibodies, and associations were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. Results Viral RNA clearance, as measured by SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, in 507 URT samples occurred a median (IQR) 33.5 (17-63.5) days post-symptom onset. Sixteen nasal-OP samples collected 2-11 days post-symptom onset were virus culture positive out of 183 RT-PCR positive samples tested. All participants but one with positive virus culture were negative for concomitant oral fluid anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The mean time to first antibody detection in oral fluid was 8-13 days post-symptom onset. A longer time to first detection of oral fluid anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antibodies (aHR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92-0.99, p=0.020) and BMI ≥ 25kg/m2 (aHR 0.37, 95% CI 0.18-0.78, p=0.009) were independently associated with a longer time to SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA clearance. Fever as one of first three COVID-19 symptoms correlated with shorter time to viral RNA clearance (aHR 2.06, 95% CI 1.02-4.18, p=0.044). Conclusions We demonstrate that delayed rise of oral fluid SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies, elevated BMI, and absence of early fever are independently associated with delayed URT viral RNA clearance.
Serial use of existing clinical decisions aids can reduce computed tomography pulmonary angiography for pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism (PE) remains a diagnostic challenge in emergency medicine. Clinical decision aids (CDAs) like the Pulmonary Embolism Rule-Out Criteria (PERC) are sensitive but poorly specific; serial CDA use may improve specificity. The goal of this before-and-after study was to determine if serial use of existing CDAs in a novel diagnostic algorithm safely decreases the use of CT pulmonary angiograms (CTPA). This was a retrospective before-and-after study conducted at an urban ED with 105,000 annual visits. Our algorithm uses PERC, Wells’ score, and D-dimer in series, before moving to CTPA. The algorithm was introduced in January, 2017. Use of CDAs and D-dimer in the 24 months pre- and 12 months post-intervention were obtained by chart review. The algorithm’s effect on CTPA ordering was assessed by comparing volume 5 years pre- and 3 years post-intervention, adjusted for ED volume. Mean CTPAs per 1000 adult ED visits was 11.1 in the 5 pre-intervention years and 9.9 in the 3 post-intervention years (p < 0.0001). Use of PERC, Wells’ score and D-dimer increased from 1.1%, 1.1%, and 28% to 8.8% (p = 0.0002) 8.1% (p = 0.0005), and 35% (p = 0.0066), respectively. Pre-intervention, there were six potentially missed PEs compared to three in the post-intervention period. Introduction of our serial CDA diagnostic algorithm was associated with increased use of CDAs and D-dimer and reduced CTPA rate without an apparent increase in the number of missed PEs. Prospective validation is needed to confirm these results.
Migrant workers and environmental amenities and infrastructure in urban China: from the lens of environmental justice

Although the environmental justice literature has extensively examined a number of notable demographic backgrounds (e.g. race/ethnicity, class, gender, age), it is relatively limited in exploring t...
Analysis of Time Trends in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Using Partitioning Approach.

BACKGROUND Understanding the dynamics of epidemiologic trends in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) and their epidemiologic causes is vital to providing important insights into reducing the burden associated with these conditions. OBJECTIVE To model the time trends in age-adjusted AD/ADRD prevalence and incidence-based mortality (IBM), and identify the main causes of the changes in these measures over time in terms of interpretable epidemiologic quantities. METHODS Trend decomposition was applied to a 5%sample of Medicare beneficiaries between 1991 and 2017. RESULTS Prevalence of AD was increasing between 1992 and 2011 and declining thereafter, while IBM increased over the study period with a significant slowdown in its rate of growth from 2011 onwards. For ADRD, prevalence and IBM increased through 2014 prior to taking a downwards turn. The primary determinant responsible for declines in prevalence and IBM was the deceleration in the increase and eventual decrease in incidence rates though changes in relative survival began to affect the overall trends in prevalence/IBM in a noticeable manner after 2008. Other components showed only minor effects. CONCLUSION The prevalence and IBM of ADRD is expected to continue to decrease. The directions of these trends for AD are not clear because AD incidence, the main contributing component, is decreasing but at a decreasing rate suggesting a possible reversal. Furthermore, emerging treatments may contribute through their effects on survival. Improving ascertainment of AD played an important role in trends of AD/ADRD over the 1991-2009/10 period but this effect has exhausted itself by 2017.