cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular causes of transcriptional response: a Bayesian prior knowledge approach

Motivation: The abundance of many transcripts changes significantly in response to a variety of molecular and environmental perturbations. A key question in this setting is as follows: what intermediate molecular perturbations gave rise to the observed transcriptional changes? Regulatory programs are not exclusively governed by transcriptional changes but also by protein abundance and post-translational modifications making direct causal inference from data difficult. However, biomedical research over the last decades has uncovered a plethora of causal signaling cascades that can be used to identify good candidates explaining a specific set of transcriptional changes. Methods: We take a Bayesian approach to integrate gene expression profiling with a causal graph of molecular interactions constructed from prior biological knowledge. In addition, we define the biological context of a specific interaction by the corresponding Medical Subject Headings terms. The Bayesian network can be queried to suggest upstream regulators that can be causally linked to the altered expression profile. Results: Our approach will treat candidate regulators in the right biological context preferentially, enables hierarchical exploration of resulting hypotheses and takes the complete network of causal
Sagittal plane pelvis motion influences transverse plane motion of the femur: Kinematic coupling at the hip joint

Previous studies have suggested that internal femur rotation can influence sagittal pelvis motion. This indicates that there may be kinematic "coupling" of these two segments. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether there is a consistent and predictable kinematic relationship between the pelvis and the femur. Sixteen healthy subjects (nine females, seven males) performed three trials of maximum anterior and posterior pelvis tilt at four different hip flexion angles (0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°). Ordinary least squares regressions were used to calculate the ratio of transverse femur motion to sagittal pelvis motion using the mean kinematic curves during maximum anterior and posterior pelvis tilting. R(2) values were used to assess the strength of the kinematic relationship between these segments at each hip flexion angle. The ratios of transverse femur motion to sagittal pelvis motion were consistent across all hip flexion angles during anterior and posterior pelvis tilting (range 0.23-0.32; R(2) values greater than 0.97). On average, for every 5° of anterior pelvis tilt there was 1.2-1.6° of internal femur rotation and the converse was true for posterior pelvis tilt and external femur rotation. Our findings suggest that altered pelvis movement in the sagittal plane may influence transverse femur motion. The observed coupling behavior between the pelvis and femur may have implications for musculoskeletal conditions in which excessive internal femur rotation has been deemed contributory to symptoms (i.e. femoroacetabular impingement).
Identifying functional connectivity of motor neuronal ensembles improves the performance of population decoders

Estimating the response properties of cortical neurons is an essential step to decode movement intentions in cortically-controlled brain machine interface applications. Among these properties is the variable degree of interaction between neurons while subjects carry out similar motor tasks. In this paper, we use a dynamic model of motor encoding, previously shown to fit experimental data from primary and supplementary motor areas in nonhuman primates, to demonstrate the utility of identifying interaction patterns in improving decoding performance. Neuronal interaction is quantified by estimating the functional connectivity among neurons in a cooperative network that are driven by heterogeneously-tuned neurons in an input noncooperative network. A reward-based functional plasticity is induced in the model during repeated execution of a center-out reach task and the connectivity is continuously estimated to track changes in the interaction patterns. Results demonstrate that the ability to track cortical adaptation can contribute significantly to improvement in motor control of neuroprosthetic devices.
Exemplar learning in fuzzy decision trees

Decision-tree algorithms provide one of the most popular methodologies for symbolic knowledge acquisition. The resulting knowledge, a symbolic decision tree along with a simple inference mechanism, has been praised for comprehensibility. The most comprehensible decision trees have been designed for perfect symbolic data. Over the years, additional methodologies have been investigated and proposed to deal with continuous or multi-valued data, and with missing or noisy features. Recently, with the growing popularity of fuzzy representation, a few researchers independently have proposed to utilize fuzzy representation in decision trees to deal with similar situations. Fuzzy representation bridges the gap between symbolic and non-symbolic data by linking qualitative linguistic terms with quantitative data. In this paper, we overview our fuzzy decision tree and propose a few new inferences based on exemplar learning.
Aerosol Retrievals from Individual AVHRR Channels. Part II: Quality Control, Probability Distribution Functions, Information Content, and Consistency Checks of Retrievals

Abstract This second part of a two-part study evaluates retrievals of aerosol optical depths, τ1 and τ2, in Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) channels 1 and 2 centered at λ1 = 0.63 and λ2 = 0.83 μm, and an effective Angstrom exponent, α, derived therefrom as α = −ln(τ1/τ2)/ln(λ1/λ2). The retrievals are made with the Second Simulation of the Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum (6S) radiative transfer model from four NOAA-14 AVHRR datasets, collected between February 1998 and May 1999 in the latitudinal belt of 5°–25°S. A series of quality control (QC) checks applied to the retrievals to identify outliers are described. These remove a total of ∼1% of points, which presumably originate from channel misregistration, residual cloud in AVHRR cloud-screened pixels, and substantial deviations from the assumptions used in the retrieval model (e.g., bright coastal and high altitude inland waters). First, from examining histograms of the derived parameters it is found that τ and α are accurately fi...
Modeling Multi-point Correlations in Wall-Bounded Turbulence

In large eddy simulation (LES), one is generally not interested in the large-scale or filtered quantities computed in the simulation, but rather the corresponding characteristics of the underlying real turbulence. One approach to reconstructing the statistics of turbulence from the filtered statistics of an LES is to employ models for the small separation multi-point velocity correlations, which can be parameterized using the statistics of the LES. This has been employed to good effect in isotropic turbulence, but to employ this technique for near-wall turbulent shear flows requires a model for the anisotropy and inhomogeneity in the correlations. Here we explore the use of multi-point correlation models in LES modeling and reconstruction, and propose a anisotropy/inhomogeneity model for the two-point second-order correlation.
Large Lecture Transformation: Adopting Evidence-Based Practices to Increase Student Engagement and Performance in an Introductory Science Course

ABSTRACT This study investigated students' attitudes, engagement, satisfaction, and performance in Introduction to Environmental Science after it was transformed from a typical large lecture to a student-centered learning environment. The instructors of the course collaborated with the Office of Teaching, Learning & Technology and radically redesigned the course by adopting evidence-based pedagogical methods and instructional technology to offer a rich active learning environment. Students' engagement, satisfaction, and performance in the transformed course were compared to the students in the same course that was traditionally taught in a previous semester in order to measure the effect of the transformed course on student learning. Four self-reported surveys and a focus group interview were administered during the semester, and performance scores, prior learning data, and demographic information were collected at the end of the semester. The assessment results indicate that the students in the transform...
Effect of elevated atrial pressure on plasma renin activity in hypotensive fetal lambs

In adults, renin secretion is stimulated by reductions in arterial pressure and inhibited by increases in atrial pressure. In the late gestation fetus, a fall in arterial pressure stimulates renin secretion, but it is unknown whether elevation of atrial pressure will alter such an increase. Therefore we studied the effect of elevated atrial pressure on renin secretion in the presence of nitroprusside-induced arterial hypotension. Thirteen fetal lambs at 127.9 +/- 0.9 days of gestation were prepared 5 days before study with inflatable pulmonary artery occluders and right atrial, vascular, and amniotic catheters. Each fetus underwent two protocols (hypotension and hypotension with occlusion) using a randomized block design. Nitroprusside reduced arterial pressure by 34% in both groups. Right atrial pressure during the course of hypotension was significantly higher in the occlusion group (F = 14.2, P = 0.001). Plasma renin activity increased similarly in both groups during hypotension (F = 6.0, P = 0.003). Elevated right atrial pressure did not alter hypotension-induced renin secretion in the fetus.
Energy Absorption of Axial Members With the Inclusion of Functionally Graded Cellular Structure

Axial members are commonly used in automotive structures and are responsible for absorbing significant portion of impact energy in the event of an accident. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of inclusion of functionally graded cellular structures in thin walled members under compressive axial loading. A compact functionally graded cellular structure was introduced inside a 352 mm long square tube with side length and wall thickness of 74 mm and 3.048 mm, respectively. The tube wall material was aluminum. The cellular structure’s geometry was observed in the cross-section of a banana peel that has a specific graded cellular packing in a confined space. This packing enables the peel to protect the internal soft core from external impacts. The same cellular pattern was used to construct the structure in present study. The study was conducted using non-linear finite element analysis in ABAQUS. The hybrid structure (tube and graded cellular structure) was fixed on one side and on the other (free end) side, was struck by a rigid mass of 300 Kg travelling at a velocity of 35 mph (15.64 m/s) along the axis of the square tube and perpendicular to the in-plane direction of the graded cellular structure. The tube and cell walls were discretized using reduced integration, hourglass control, 4 nodes, and hexahedral shell elements. The impact plate was modeled with 4 node rigid shell elements. General contact conditions were applied to define surface interaction among graded structure, square tube, and rigid plate. The parameters governing the energy absorbing characteristics such as deformation or collapsing modes, crushing/ reactive force, and energy curves, were evaluated. The results showed that the inclusion of graded cellular structure increased the energy absorption capacity of the square tube by 41.06%. The graded structure underwent progressive stepwise, layer by layer, crushing mode and provided lateral stability to the square tube thus delaying local tube wall collapse and promoting outward convex localized folds on the tube’s periphery as compared to highly localized and compact deformation modes that are typically observed in an empty square tube under axial compressive loading. The variation in deformation mode, large contact areas, presence of graded cellular structure resulted in enhanced stiffness of the hybrid structure, and therefore, high energy absorption by the structure. The results of this preliminary study show a potential of functionally graded cellular materials to significantly improve the energy absorbing capacities of thin walled members under axial loading by altering member’s crushing deformation modes.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Cardiac Troponin Levels in Neonates Who Require ECMO for Noncardiac Indications Are Elevated in Nonsurvivors.

Objective The aim of the study is to determine the utility of cardiac troponin (cTnI) as a marker of mortality and morbidity in newborn infants who require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Study Design Retrospective medical chart analysis of term or near-term newborn infants treated with ECMO from 2002 to 2012 at a single Level III neonatal intensive care unit. Data analyzed included serial serum cTnI measurements, clinical and demographic characteristics, pre-ECMO laboratory values, and ECMO laboratory values and outcomes. Results Survival (27/46) was significantly related to birth weight (3,413.9 ± 662.3 vs. 2,667.7 ± 478.3 g, p p = 0.0021), and the absence of a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (22/30 vs. 5/18, p = 0.0021). Mean peak cTnI did not differ between survivors and nonsurvivors but when peak cTnI was 2.8 ng/mL ( p = 0.0224; odds ratio = 0.160, 95% confidence interval = 0.0292–0.8778). By multivariate analysis, peak cTnI > 2.1 was a significant risk factor for nonsurvival, p = 0.0497. The area under the curve of a receiver-operator analysis using peak cTnI > 2.1, birth weight, and birthplace was 0.89, p Conclusion cTnI is an independent biomarker for poor outcome in neonates who receive ECMO therapy for noncardiac generations.
Vital capacity of quadriplegic patients treated with hyperbaric oxygen.

(1984). Vital Capacity of Quadriplegic Patients Treated With Hyperbaric Oxygen. The Journal of The American Paraplegia Society: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 8-9.
Transesophageal echocardiography predicts successful withdrawal of ventricular assist devices.

Transesophageal echocardiography has been found to be an effective technique for the real-time assessment of myocardial and valvular function in postoperative patients. To determine the value of transesophageal echocardiography in patients with mechanical assist devices, we performed daily, bedside transesophageal echocardiography on 16 patients with right (n = 3), left (n = 1), or biventricular assist devices (n = 12). We obtained four-chamber and short-axis views in all patients. Valvular function and the presence of left-to-right shunts were evaluated by means of color flow Doppler imaging. During the echocardiographic study ventricular assist device flow was diminished to less than 1.5 L/min, and inotropic agents (dobutamine or epinephrine) were given to assess ventricular reserve. Changes in day-to-day ventricular function were assessed in comparisons made by two observers (one unaware of the study sequence) using a semiquantitative method for wall motion analysis. The left ventricular wall motion scores in the patients successfully weaned from left or biventricular assist devices (n = 5) improved (14.2 ± 1.6 versus 8.2 ± 1.5, p horac C ardiovasc S urg 1992;104:1410-6)
Preparing Future Faculty Symposium: The CO–CA Cluster - Initiatives for Preparing Future Faculty

In Golde and Dore's succinct analysis, “doctoral programs and doctoral students are operating at cross purposes.” (2001, 44) While many factors contribute to this assessment, two are especially germane to the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) initiative: the question of mismatch and the limited notion of scholarship emphasized in many doctoral programs.
Utopimierung: Ideetraum der wahren Menschen

Wahre Menschen stellen ihr Leben unter ein Konzept, eine Idee, in der sie sich selbst verwirklichen wollen. Sie sind Teil dieser Idee. Sie mogen wahre Christen sein, meditieren, Buddhisten oder Taoisten sein, sie kampfen fur die Rettung der Umwelt oder der Wale, sie engagieren sich fur Weltfrieden und Waldorf-Schulen, schwarmen fur Kunstausstellungen oder Museen, uben Rettungsschwimmen, helfen Flutopfern und so weiter. Es ist nicht die Pflicht, die sie treibt, sondern die innere Berufung fur eine Idee. Viele Wissenschaftler lieben ihren Wissenschaftszweig in diesem Sinne, viele Kunstler leben in einem, in ihrem Stil, viele Technologen widmen sich ganz ihrer neuen Richtung, sind heute zum Beispiel Linux-Junger in der OpenSource-Bewegung.
Characterizing the immune microenvironment in high-risk ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

Purpose The recent increase in the incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has sparked debate over the classification and treatment of this disease. Although DCIS is considered a precursor lesion to invasive breast cancer, some DCIS may have more or less risk than is realized. In this study, we characterized the immune microenvironment in DCIS to determine if immune infiltrates are predictive of recurrence.
Investigating the Redox Toxicology of Ambient Air Pollutants

Ambient air pollution is a leading global cause of morbidity and mortality. Millions of Americans live in areas in which levels of tropospheric ozone exceed air quality standards, while exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) alone results in 3.2 million excess deaths annually worldwide. Evidence from epidemiological and clinical studies points to a link between inhalation of air pollutants and adverse cardiovascular and pulmonary outcomes. Laboratory studies support an inflammatory basis for these effects, as exposure to a wide variety of environmental agents leads to inflammatory signaling and gene expression in human lung cells. Investigations aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of signaling activation in cells exposed to broadly disparate ambient air contaminants converge on protein sulfenylation and a loss of protein tyrosine phosphatase activity as key initiating events that are dependent on an accompanying elevation in intracellular concentrations of H2O2. Interventions with ectopic expression of catalase and metabolic inhibitors implicate both mitochondrial respiration and redox cycling as potential sources of the H2O2 response. Studies using various model particles show that in addition to bearing adsorbed electrophiles, surface moieties on carbonaceous particles can directly present radical and non-radical oxidative stress to cells. Investigating the redox toxicology of environmental electrophiles (e.g., ozone, metal ions, quinones) presents unique pitfalls and potential artifacts that can confound methodological approaches, including fluorogenic live-cell imaging and extracellular flux analyses. Nonetheless, an increasing body of evidence points to oxidative dysregulation of intracellular signaling in the initiation of the inflammatory effects of air pollution inhalation. This abstract of a proposed presentation does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.
Association between Concussions and Suicidal Behaviors in Adolescents.

While there is increasing evidence on the long-term risks associated with concussions, the association between hopelessness, suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicidal attempts in high scho...
Transforming Growth Factor-β2 Downregulates Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) I and MHC II Surface Expression on Equine Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Without Altering Other Phenotypic Cell Surface Markers

Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising cell source for treating musculoskeletal injuries in horses. Effective and safe allogeneic therapy may be hindered, however, by recipient immune recognition and rejection of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched MSCs. Development of strategies to prevent immune rejection of MHC-mismatched MSCs in vivo is necessary to enhance cell survival and potentially increase the efficacy and safety of allogeneic MSC therapy. The purposes of this study were to evaluate if transforming growth factor-2 (TGF-2) downregulated MHC expression on equine MSCs and to determine if TGF-2 treatment altered the phenotype of MSCs. Equine bone marrow-derived MSCs from 12 horses were treated with 1, 5, or 10 ng/ml TGF-2 from initial isolation until MHC expression analysis. TGF-2-treated MSCs had reduced MHC I and MHC II surface expression compared to untreated controls. TGF-2 treatment also partially blocked IFN--induced upregulation of MHC I and MHC II. Constitutive and IFN--induced MHC I and MHC II expression on equine MSCs was dynamic and highly variable, and the effect of TGF-2 was significantly dependent on the donor animal and baseline MHC expression. TGF-2 treatment did not appear to change morphology, surface marker expression, MSC viability, or secretion of TGF-1, but did significantly increase the number of cells obtained from culture. These results indicate that TGF-2 treatment has promise for regulating MHC expression on MSCs to facilitate allogeneic therapy, but further work is needed to maintain MHC stability when exposed to an inflammatory stimulus.
Public Opinions Toward Diseases: Infodemiological Study on News Media Data

Background: Society always has limited resources to expend on health care, or anything else. What are the unmet medical needs? How do we allocate limited resources to maximize the health and welfare of the people? These challenging questions might be re-examined systematically within an infodemiological frame on a much larger scale, leveraging the latest advancement in information technology and data science. Objective: We expanded our previous work by investigating news media data to reveal the coverage of different diseases and medical conditions, together with their sentiments and topics in news articles over three decades. We were motivated to do so since news media plays a significant role in politics and affects the public policy making. Methods: We analyzed over 3.5 million archive news articles from Reuters media during the periods of 1996/1997, 2008 and 2016, using summary statistics, sentiment analysis, and topic modeling. Summary statistics illustrated the coverage of various diseases and medical conditions during the last 3 decades. Sentiment analysis and topic modeling helped us automatically detect the sentiments of news articles (ie, positive versus negative) and topics (ie, a series of keywords) associated with each disease over time. Results: The percentages of news articles mentioning diseases and medical conditions were 0.44%, 0.57% and 0.81% in the three time periods, suggesting that news media or the public has gradually increased its interests in medicine since 1996. Certain diseases such as other malignant neoplasm (34%), other infectious diseases (20%), and influenza (11%) represented the most covered diseases. Two hundred and twenty-six diseases and medical conditions (97.8%) were found to have neutral or negative sentiments in the news articles. Using topic modeling, we identified meaningful topics on these diseases and medical conditions. For instance, the smoking theme appeared in the news articles on other malignant neoplasm only during 1996/1997. The topic phrases HIV and Zika virus were linked to other infectious diseases during 1996/1997 and 2016, respectively. Conclusions: The multi-dimensional analysis of news media data allows the discovery of focus, sentiments and topics of news media in terms of diseases and medical conditions. These infodemiological discoveries could shed light on unmet medical needs and research priorities for future and provide guidance for the decision making in public policy. [J Med Internet Res 2018;20(5):e10047]
Predominant bacteria and patterns of antibiotic susceptibility in urinary tract infection in children with spina bifida.

Summary Background Urinary tract infection is more common in children with spina bifida (SB) than neurologically intact children, and Escherichia coli is the most common urinary pathogen in the general pediatric population. Less is known of the pathogens responsible for urinary tract infections (UTI) in the pediatric SB population or their evolving antimicrobial resistance patterns. The goal of this study is to determine the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance patterns of SB-associated urinary pathogens. Methods Between January 1996 and August 2013, 231 patients aged 1 month to 18 years were identified with a diagnosis of SB-NB and at least one symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) event ( Table ). Two-hundred and thirty-one normally voiding children with a single symptomatic UTI were age-matched based on age at diagnosis of UTI at a 1:1 ratio. Chi-square tests and Generalized Estimating Equation analysis, controlling for clinicopathological factors, were performed to compare rates of pathogen-associations with UTI between groups and likelihood of UTI with multi-drug resistant (MDR) organisms. Results Children in the SB-NB group had a higher rate of non-E. coli UTI compared with controls (64% vs. 41%, p Conclusions Children with SB-NB are more likely to have non-E. coli UTI, UTIs with MDR organisms, and urosepsis than the general pediatric population. Table . Demographics of study population and risk factors associated with E. coli UTI and multi-drug resistant UTI. Spina bifida with neurogenic bladder Healthy children p-value Gender N = 231 (%) N = 231 (%) Male 85 37% 64 28% Female 146 63% 167 72% 0.02 Age at UTI N = 965 (%) N = 231 (%) Birth–47 months 306 32% 49 21% 48–155 months 447 46% 101 44% 156–227 months 212 22% 81 35% Race N = 231 (%) N = 231 (%) White 147 64% 109 47% Black 35 15% 60 26% Hispanic 30 13% 30 13% 0.92 Asian 4 2% 5 2% 0.77 Native American 1 0% 2 1% 0.40 Other 14 6% 25 11% 0.05 Circumcision N = 85 (%) N = 64 (%) Yes 52 61% 14 22% No 26 31% 18 28% Unknown 7 8% 32 50% Clean intermittent catheterization N = 231 (%) N = 231 (%) Yes 155 67% N/A Comorbidities:# of children w/diagnosis N = 231 (%) N = 231 (%) Hydronephrosis 100 43% 14 6% Vesicoureteral reflux 63 27% 19 8% Hypertension 28 12% 7 3% Chronic kidney disease 23 10% 4 2% Sepsis 7 3% 1 0.4% Stones 18 8% 5 2% Bladder reconstruction 44 19% N/A Bladder augment 26 59% N/A Catheterizable channel 18 41% N/A OR 95% CI p-value E. coli UTI Spina bifida and neurogenic bladder 0.42 0.30–0.58 Age at diagnosis of UTI 1.01 0.98–1.03 0.52 Total number of UTIs 0.99 0.96–1.02 0.63 Female gender 3.16 2.31–4.32 Multi-drug resistant UTI Spina bifida and neurogenic bladder 1.6 1.05–2.59 0.03 Age at diagnosis of UTI 0.97 0.92–1.01 0.17 Total number of UTIs 1.02 0.99–1.04 0.07 Prophylactic antibiotics 1.48 0.94–2.32 0.09
Processes for the Deposition of Metallic Coatings

This chapter focuses on metallic coatings that can be deposited on a substrate from an aqueous solution of a metal salt if there are sufficient electrons available to neutralize the metal ions in solution. This allows a metal to form in zero-valent state. There are two main sources of such electrons, each forms the basis of a technologically important process. The first of these is the electroless or chemical deposition, which does not involve any external source of voltage or electron source. The hallmark of this type of process is the absence of any external power source. A major advantage of chemical (electroless) deposition is that it can be used to metallise non-conductive surfaces, such as plastics, glass or ceramics. The best-known and perhaps economically most significant example is the metallizing of printed circuit boards, and in particular, the through-holes in order to provide a conductive path from one side of a board to the other, or through a multilayer stack. The second is the electrolytic deposition, where electrons are supplied from an externally applied voltage.
Towards Integrated Wideband High Resolution Optical Synthesizers

In the absence of optical frequency dividers, stable optical frequency combs are often used to provide a direct frequency relationship between a laser and an RF source in an optical frequency synthesizer. Here, an optical frequency synthesizer is presented where an integrated electro-optical phase-locked loop (EO-PLL) is used to phase-frequency lock a tunable laser (TL) to the teeth of an optical frequency comb. Frequency synthesis is performed in two phases. In the coarse tuning phase, the TL is continuously tuned, passing through reference comb teeth, while a tooth indexing system selects the desired tooth as the reference frequency to the EOPLL. Once the TL is phase-locked to the selected comb tooth, fine tuning is done using a heterodyning RF local oscillator. The implemented synthesizer is capable of optical frequency synthesis over a 5 THz range with sub-Hz resolution and a tuning speed of 0.5 THz/sec at 20 MHz coarse resolution.
Relationship between concentration ratio and Herfindahl-Hirschman index: A re-examination based on majorization theory.

Abstract While the two most widely used measures of market (industrial) concentration, the m-firm concentration ratio C R m and the Herfindahl-Hirschman index H, have no precise functional relationship, they can be related by means of boundary formulations. Such bounds and potential relationships, which have been considered in some earlier reported studies, are being re-examined, corrected, and reformulated in this paper. The underlying analysis uses a different approach based on majorization theory and the results are supported by computer simulation. Such boundary relationships make it possible to determine approximate values of H from those of C R m and vice versa for any given set of market shares. Much more accurate predictions of H-values can be obtained with knowledge of the individual market shares of the m largest firms within a market (industry), with or without knowledge of the total number of firms.
Restricting Control Flow During Speculative Execution

Speculative execution is one of the key techniques that modern processors use to boost performance. However, recent research shows that speculative execution can be used to steal sensitive data. We present a software-based solution to mitigate Spectre attacks by restricting the control flow of speculatively-executed instructions.
Measuring the information content of disclosures: The role of return noise

Disclosure is of fundamental interest to accounting research. When the sign/magnitude of disclosed news is unclear, research infers the information content of disclosures using the ratio of return volatilities during disclosure event and non-event windows (Beaver, 1968). We show the ratio is associated with error because it also reflects return noise (due to microstructure frictions and mispricing). Much time series and cross-sectional variation in the ratio is due to variation in return noise. We use the exogenous shock to return noise created by the SEC’s Tick Size Pilot program to confirm causality and to evaluate alternative approaches to control for the effect of return noise. The most promising approach is to use the difference, rather than the ratio, of return volatilities during event and non-event windows. We illustrate its benefits by re-examining the evidence relating to the 2004 amendments to Form 8-K filings.
Tolerance Bound Calculation for Compact Model Calibration Using Functional Data Analysis

Measurements performed on a population of electronic devices reveal part-to-part variation due to manufacturing process variation. Corner models are a useful tool for the designers to bound the effect of this variation on circuit performance. To accurately simulate the circuit level behavior, compact model parameters for devices within a circuit must be calibrated to experimental data. However, determination of the bounding data for corner model calibration is difficult, primarily because available tolerance bound calculation methods only consider variability along one dimension and, do not adequately consider the variabilities across both the current and voltage axes. This paper presents the demonstration of a novel functional data analysis approach to generate tolerance bounds on these two types of variability separately and these bounds are then transformed to be used in corner model calibration.
Effect of Chronotype on Sleep Quality in a Laboratory Setting.

Sleep is undoubtedly important for human health as insufficient sleep has been associated with a plethora of diseases. Adequate sleep assessment is critical in clinical and research settings, however current sleep assessment protocols fail to account for circadian rhythms, despite the fact that sleep is a well-recognized circadian process. Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine if circadian parameters, such as chronotype, influence sleep quality in a sleep laboratory setting. Methods In order to investigate this, twenty participants (10 men and 10 women) aged 18-31 years old had their sleep recorded by electroencephalography in a sleep lab. Participants also complete surveys which provided data on chronotype, social jet lag and subjective sleep quality. Participants were allowed to self-select sleep time for the study, and sleep discrepancy, defined as the difference between reported and experienced mid-sleep, was determined. Results Interestingly, results indicated a significant correlation between self-reported sleep quality and social jet lag, with those who typically experience more social jet lag being more satisfied with their sleep during the study (r = 0.549, p = 0.012). In addition, when participants were separated into groups based on chronotype, sleep discrepancy and social jet lag, sizeable differences were noted for parameters such as sleep onset latency, number of awakenings, and percent of time spent in REM sleep. Conclusion These results suggest circadian parameters serve as predictors of both subjective and objective sleep quality, and thus illuminates a necessity for these parameters to be taken into account in the assessment and research of sleep.
Ease of articulation: A replication.

Researchers, as well as the lay public and the popular press, have become increasingly concerned about the lack of reproducibility of research findings. Despite this concern, research has shown that replications of previously published work comprise a very small proportion of published studies. Moreover, there are fewer published direct replications of research studies by independent investigators, and this type of replication is much less likely to confirm the results of the original research than are replications by the original investigator or conceptual replications. A search of the communication disorders research literature reveals that direct replications by independent investigators are virtually non-existent. The purpose of this project was to describe the major issues related to research reproducibility and report the results of a direct replication of a study by Locke (1972) regarding ease of articulation. Two methods for rating ease of articulation were employed. We were able to reproduce the results of the original study for the first method, obtaining a moderate positive correlation between our rankings of phoneme difficulty and Locke’s rankings. We obtained a very high positive correlation between our phoneme rankings and rankings obtained in the original study for the second method. Moreover, we found a higher correlation between difficulty rankings and order of speech sound acquisition for American English than was found in the original study. Direct replication is not necessary for all studies in communication disorders, but should be considered for high impact studies, treatment studies, and those that provide data to support models and theories.
Content-specific noticing: A large-scale survey of mathematics teachers’ noticing

Abstract Teachers’ noticing is an important skill for learning from and improving their teaching. We investigated what teachers noticed in short video clips of a real classroom teacher’s interaction with students around a mathematics problem by collecting data from 496 U.S. fourth- and fifth-grade teachers from 48 states. Our analyses indicated that 67.5% of teachers’ responses focused on content-specific teaching and learning events, whereas 14% of them attended to the content-specific issues at the heart of students’ confusion. In-depth analyses of 5300 teachers’ responses showed that the teachers noticed and analyzed teaching-related issues from a wide range of angles.
Decision-making in a social world: Integrating cognitive ecology and social neuroscience.

Abstract Understanding animal decision-making involves simultaneously dissecting and reconstructing processes across levels of biological organization, such as behavior, physiology, and brain function, as well as considering the environment in which decisions are made. Over the past few decades, foundational breakthroughs originating from a variety of model systems and disciplines have painted an increasingly comprehensive picture of how individuals sense information, process it, and subsequently modify behavior or states. Still, our understanding of decision-making in social contexts is far from complete and requires integrating novel approaches and perspectives. The fields of social neuroscience and cognitive ecology have approached social decision-making from orthogonal perspectives. The integration of these perspectives (and fields) is critical in developing comprehensive and testable theories of the brain.
Utilization and Cost sharing for Preventive Cancer Screenings

Abstract Objective The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) eliminated cost sharing for certain preventive cancer screenings beginning in September 2010. This paper examines the policy change’s impact on three preventive screenings, mammography, colonoscopy, and cervical screening, among commercially insured individuals. Methods A retrospective longitudinal quasi-experimental design was utilized. Individuals in grandfathered plans were used as a comparison group because grandfathered plans are not subject to the preventive cost sharing benefit changes of the ACA. A multivariate logistic regression model matched individuals in treatment and comparison groups via propensity scoring. Monthly prevalence rates over the study period (2007–2014) were calculated as well as prevalence rates for the proportion of procedures with greater than 0 cost sharing. An interrupted time series regression analysis was conducted with the primary outcome variable the rate of preventive service utilization per person per month. Results The overall trend in utilization of preventive mammography and cervical cancer screening slightly decreased as a result of the ACA cost sharing benefit policy change. There was a non-significant decrease for colonoscopy utilization as a result of the ACA policy change. Conclusion The ACA’s cost benefit policy change is not having the desired impact of increasing preventive screening utilization. Further research is needed to determine whether providing educational materials covering the cost sharing benefit at policy enrollment might increase procedure uptake.
PRAME immunohistochemistry is useful in the diagnosis of oral malignant melanoma.

Abstract Objectives While the incidence of cutaneous melanoma has dramatically increased in recent years, oral malignant melanoma (OMM) remains a rare form of noncutaneous melanoma with poor survival. PRAME (PReferentially expressed Antigen in MElanoma) is reported to have diagnostic and some prognostic utility in cutaneous melanomas and some head and neck malignancies. We sought to explore the diagnostic utility of PRAME in OMM. Methods A total of ten specimens from eight unique cases of OMM were identified from the Oral Pathology Biopsy Service (OPBS) at University of Washington School of Dentistry between 2005 and 2019. For all cases, standard histology and immunohistochemistry stains were performed, including a stain against PRAME. The diagnoses were reviewed and confirmed by two pathologists. Clinical and epidemiologic features were described. Results Patient ages ranged from 55 to 82. The group consisted of five males and three females. All eight cases were located on the hard palate. Six cases represented invasive melanoma while two were early melanoma in situ. PRAME immunohistochemistry was successfully performed on seven of eight cases: six were positive (86%), one was negative (14%) and one case lacked sufficient tissue for staining. Conclusions Our results suggest that PRAME immunohistochemistry may be useful in the diagnosis of OMM, including early melanoma in situ. Further studies with clinical follow-up and a larger number of cases are needed to explore prognostic value as well as the ability to distinguish between benign, intermediate and malignant melanocytic proliferations of the oral cavity.
Machine Tools and Manufacturing Equipment

This chapter deals with manufacturing equipment, particularly machine tools. It follows the chapter on manufacturing processes because machines are basically the “embodiment” of processes, and it precedes the chapters on manufacturing systems because machine tools are the “building blocks” of manufacturing systems.
Augmenting performance for distributed cloud storage

The device people use to capture multimedia has changed over the years with the rise of smart phones. Smart phones are readily available, easy to use, and capture multimedia with high quality. While consumers capture all of this media, the storage requirements are not changing significantly. Therefore, people look towards cloud storage solutions. The typical consumer stores files within a single provider. They want a solution that is quick to access, reliable, and secure. Using multiple providers can reduce cost and improve overall performance. We present a middleware framework called Distributed Indexed Storage in the Cloud (DISC) to improve all aspects a user expects in a cloud provider. The process of uploading and downloading is essentially transparent to the user. The upload and download performance happens simultaneously by distributing a subset of the file across multiple cloud providers that it deems fit based on policies. Reliability is another important feature of DISC. To improve reliability, we propose a solution that replicates the same subset of the file across different providers. This is beneficial when one provider is unresponsive, the data can be pulled from another provider with the same subset. Security has great importance when dealing with consumers data. We inherently gain security when improving reliability. Since the file is distributed using subsets, not one provider has the full file. In our experiment, performance improvements are observed when delivering and retrieving files compared to the standard approach. The results are promising, saving upwards of eight seconds in processing time. With the expansion of more cloud providers, the results are expected to improve.
When "The Research" is Me: Women's Experiences as Contingent Instructors in the Contemporary Academy

This paper is a small auto/biographical slice from a long-term qualitative project on the experiences of female adjunct instructors and graduate teaching assistants in the contemporary academy. The author, a contingent faculty member, juxtaposes contextual information about female contingent instructors with her own experiences and reflections on the teaching/research process, as well as personal narratives from women who have taught in varied college and University settings in a mid west state, to contribute to the continued expansion of feminist work on narrative forms. These women, with varying degrees of elation and despair, have helped to constitute the category of A¢â¬Acontingent workerA¢â¬Â imperative to the machinations of the contemporary University.
Fibrin induction of thrombospondin in corneal endothelial cells in vitro.

PURPOSE Fibrin deposition in the anterior chamber of the eye occurs in response to injury or inflammation and can permanently damage the corneal endothelium. Fibrin functions as a mediator of inflammation and wound healing by affecting cell morphology and function in a variety of cells, including corneal endothelial cells. We hypothesized that fibrin can directly induce corneal endothelial cells to express injury-related proteins (eg, thrombospondin [TSP]) necessary for corneal repair processes. METHODS Bovine corneal endothelial cells (BCECs) were pulse- or continuously labeled with 35S-methionine in the presence or absence of in situ polymerized fibrin (2 mg/ml). BCECs were harvested after 3-48 hr, and 35S-labeled proteins were analyzed by SDS-PAGE, autoradiography, and immunochemical techniques. RESULTS Fibrin selectively induced BCECs to express a high molecular weight (MW) protein that was present extracellularly in conditioned medium and fibrin matrix. This induction represented a 3-5 fold increase relative to nonfibrin-treated BCECs, was not accompanied by corresponding changes in 35S-labeled intracellular proteins, and was evident at early (3 hr) or late times (24 hr) post-fibrin treatment. The induced protein had an apparent MW of 180 kD (reduced) and > 420 kD (nonreduced), consistent with the characteristics of TSP. A polyclonal antibody to human TSP recognized the reduced form (180 kD) on Western blots and the native form (> 420 kD) in immunoprecipitation studies. CONCLUSIONS Fibrin induces BCECs to express TSP, a matrix protein involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions and implicated in wound healing.
An accidental Simula user

It was a simple choice, really, on an IBM 370 in the 70's, between APL, Fortran, Lisp 1.5, PL/1, COBOL, and Simula'67. Nothing could come close to Simula's combination of strong typing, garbage collection, and proper string processing. Separate compilation (prefix classes) and coroutines were nice bonuses. And then there were these . . . "objects" but, well, nothing is perfect. Hot topics in those days were the freshly invented denotational semantics (which Simula didn't have), formal type systems (which objects didn't have), and abstract data types (which seemed to have confusingly little to do with classes). Still, Simula was the obvious choice to get something done comfortably because, after all, it was an improved Algol. It even had the functional programming feature of call-by-name by default. So, it became my first favorite language, for every reason other than it being object-oriented.The story I am going to tell is the very, very slow realization that Simula was the embodiment of a radically different philosophy of programming, and the gradual and difficult efforts to reconcile that philosophy with the formal methods that were being developed for procedural and functional programming. Along the way, domain theory helped rather unexpectedly, at least for a while. Type theory had to be recast for the task at hand. Landin's lambda-reductionism had to be partially abandoned. Always, there seemed to be a deep fundamental mismatch between objects and procedures, well described by Reynolds, that made any unification impossibly complicated. But in the end, both object-oriented and procedural programming have benefited from the clash of cultures. And the story is far from over yet, as witnessed by the still blooming area of program verification for both procedural and object-oriented languages.
Assessing communication literacy

Problems in assessing functional communication are seen as growing directly from conceptual ambiguity. The origins of this conceptual ambiguity are traced to initial distinctions between linguistic competence and performance, thence to the broadening of the competence perspective to include communicative competence. Communicative competence is contrasted with functional communicative effectiveness, which is treated as a more appropriate construct for describing the communication abilities of other than young children.