cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blood Pressure in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Hypertension is present in up to 84% of patients presenting with acute stroke, and a smaller proportion of patients have blood pressures that are below typical values in the context of cerebral ischemia. Outcomes are generally worse in those who present with either low or severely elevated blood pressure. Several studies have provided valuable information about malignant trends in blood pressure during the transition from the acute to the subacute phase of stroke. It is not uncommon for practitioners in clinical practice to identify what appear to be pressure-dependent neurologic deficits. Despite physiologic and clinical data suggesting the importance of blood pressure modulation to support cerebral blood flow to ischemic tissue, randomized controlled trials have not yielded robust evidence for this in acute ischemic stroke. We highlight previous studies involving acute-stroke patients that have defined trends in blood pressure and that have evaluated the safety and efficacy of blood-pressure modulation in acute ischemic stroke. This overview reports the current status of this topic from the perspective of a stroke neurologist and provides a framework for future research.
From Feudal Land Contracts to Financial Derivatives: The Treatment of Status Through Specific Relief

This paper is about financial derivatives in light of the economic collapse. Specifically, it examines why derivatives were singled out for special and favored treatment by Congress. For example, derivatives are accorded special treatment under the Bankruptcy Code that is not available to other kinds of contracts. Unlike other papers on this topic which may address the mechanics of derivatives or proposals to reform the derivatives market, this paper takes a bird's eye view of the matter to explore the reasons why derivatives enjoy such special treatment. In doing so, this paper examines the parallels between derivatives and feudal land contracts. Despite their dissimilarity, the comparison is helpful because both types of contracts are (or were) protected by specific relief. This paper contends that the reason why such an extraordinary remedy is the available relief is because both of these types of contracts embody and solidify status and status relationships.
Plastic cap evolution law derived from induced transverse isotropy in dilatational triaxial compression.

Mechanical testing of porous materials generates physical data that contain contributions from more than one underlying physical phenomenon. All that is measurable is the (3z(Bensemble(3y (Bhardening modulus. This thesis is concerned with the phenomenon of dilatation in triaxial compression of porous media, which has been modeled very accurately in the literature for monotonic loading using models that predict dilatation under triaxial compression (TXC) by presuming that dilatation causes the cap to move outwards. These existing models, however, predict a counter-intuitive (and never validated) increase in hydrostatic compression strength. This work explores an alternative approach for modeling TXC dilatation based on allowing induced elastic anisotropy (which makes the material both less stiff and less strong in the lateral direction) with no increase in hydrostatic strength. Induced elastic anisotropy is introduced through the use of a distortion operator. This operator is a fourth-order tensor consisting of a combination of the undeformed stiffness and deformed compliance and has the same eigenprojectors as the elastic compliance. In the undeformed state, the distortion operator is equal to the fourth-order identity. Through the use of the distortion operator, an evolved stress tensor is introduced. When the evolved stress tensor is substituted into an isotropic yield function, more » a new anisotropic yield function results. In the case of the von Mises isotropic yield function (which contains only deviatoric components), it is shown that the distortion operator introduces a dilatational contribution without requiring an increase in hydrostatic strength. In the thesis, an introduction and literature review of the cap function is given. A transversely isotropic compliance is presented, based on a linear combination of natural bases constructed about a transverse-symmetry axis. Using a probabilistic distribution of cracks constructed for the case of transverse isotropy, a compliance expression is presented that demonstrated a decrease in lateral stiffness, but leaves axial stiffness unchanged. A demonstration of how the distortion operator could be used in the elastic/plastic analysis of a von Mises surface loaded in TXC is also presented. « less
Child Abuse and Neglect: A Priority Problem for the Private Physician

The syndrome of child abuse and neglect is protean in its manifestations, abstruse in its etiology, and complex in its management. It is the clear responsibility of the physician to understand all aspects of the problem so that the child who is a victim of abuse may be properly recognized and managed.
Current concepts on burn wound conversion—A review of recent advances in understanding the secondary progressions of burns

Burn wound conversion describes the process by which superficial partial thickness burns convert into deeper burns necessitating surgical intervention. Fully understanding and thus controlling this phenomenon continues to defy burn surgeons. However, potentially guiding burn wound progression so as to obviate the need for surgery while still bringing about healing with limited scarring is the major unmet challenge. Comprehending the pathophysiologic background contributing to deeper progression of these burns is an essential prerequisite to planning any intervention. In this study, a review of articles examining burn wound progression over the last five years was conducted to analyze trends in recent burn progression research, determine changes in understanding of the pathogenesis of burn conversion, and subsequently examine the direction for future research in developing therapies. The majority of recent research focuses on applying therapies from other disease processes to common underlying pathogenic mechanisms in burn conversion. While ischemia, inflammation, and free oxygen radicals continue to demonstrate a critical role in secondary necrosis, novel mechanisms such as autophagy have also been shown to contribute affect significantly burn progression significantly. Further research will have to determine whether multiple mechanisms should be targeted when developing clinical therapies.
Self-Falsifying Prophecies

Those general perceptions of the macroeconomic environment that are specifically related to the stability properties of the system may be referred to as regime perceptions. Such perceptions affect economic behavior, and hence determine actual levels of volatility or regime realizations. A fixed point of this mapping from perceptions to realizations is a level of perceived volatility that is self-fulfilling. Using a simple nonlinear business cycle model to illustrate, it is shown that there may exist no such fixed point, in which case all regime perceptions are self-falsifying. This happens because volatility need not vary continuously with the underlying parameters of the model.
Variations, during Development, in the Resistance of the Grasshopper Egg to a Toxic Substance

In a series of experiments with dyes it has been shown that the hydropyle of the grasshopper egg, and certain of the other egg coverings as well, undergo striking changes as development proceeds (Slifer, 1949). During the first five days, at 25°C, after it is laid only the chorion of the intact, living egg stains and no dye passes beyond the thin, primary wax layer which waterproofs the inner surface of the shell. As soon as the hydropyle is secreted (as a part of the chitinous cuticle) between the 5th and 7th days the primary wax layer breaks down and dyes are then able to reach the newly-formed hydropyle and to stain it. Before diapause sets in, ten to twelve days later, the hydropyle loses its capacity for staining. This is due to the waterproofing, at this time, of the outermost portion of the hydropyle by a secondary wax or wax-like layer which is secreted by the hydropyle cells. This layer protects the egg during diapause throughout which period the hydropyle is highly resistant to staining. Towards the end of diapause the secondary wax layer is disrupted and during the later stages of development the hydropyle agains stains readily. The dyes which were used penetrate only so far as the inner edge of the striated layer of the hydropyle and have no effect on the embryo which continues its development unharmed.
Analysis of detection results of drinking water in Qiannan District

Objective:Understanding Qian Nan-chou life the index sign fluid matter of the drinking water bacteriology condition and it variety regulation,is further improvement residents life drinking water fluid matter,open exhibition water body environment to manage,control headwaters disease dissemination provide sciencebasis.Methods:1980～1983 and 1984～1986 year difference according to 《life the examination method of the drinking water fluid matter》 version 1,version 2,1987～2006 according to GB 5750-85 《 life the drinking water fluid matter examination method》.11 kinds of to 12 counties(city) in Qian Nan-chou water kind with 1115 headwaters carry on an examination.The usage SPSS13.0 statistics a software package to carry on a data processing.Results:The bacteriology index sign is super the limit′s value′s percentage be higher,particularly is total coliform.12 fluid matter germ index sign in the county City more is all evenly,worse is three all county,Li wave county,rest the county(city) be placed in in the center level.11 kinds of fluid matter bacteriology of the headwaters type index sign more is deep well water,secondly is a running water,is an again shallow well water,reservoir water,spring and dissolve hole water,lake water,river water,ditch water,worse is pond water,river water.Plentiful water period,even water period,withered water period bacteriology index sign super limit value all Gao,surface water bacteriology the index sign be obvious Gao at the groundwater(P0.01),city area outside germ total amount,coliform obvious Gao at the city area inside(P0.01).Conclusion:Qian Nan-chou life the index sign qualified rate of the drinking water bacteriology year by year exaltation,but still existence problem,should strengthen headwaters direct management,guarantee residents life drinking water of health quality,insured Qian south people of healthy body.
Identifying At-Risk Individuals for Insomnia Using the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test

STUDY OBJECTIVES A primary focus of the National Institute of Mental Health's current strategic plan is "predicting" who is at risk for disease. As such, the current investigation examined the utility of premorbid sleep reactivity in identifying a specific and manageable population at elevated risk for future insomnia. METHODS A community-based sample of adults (n = 2,892; 59.3% female; 47.9 ± 13.3 y old) with no lifetime history of insomnia or depression completed web-based surveys across three annual assessments. Participants reported parental history of insomnia, demographic characteristics, sleep reactivity on the Ford Insomnia in Response to Stress Test (FIRST), and insomnia symptoms. DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were used to determine insomnia classification. RESULTS Baseline FIRST scores were used to predict incident insomnia at 1-y follow-up. Two clinically meaningful FIRST cutoff values were identified: FIRST ≥ 16 (sensitivity 77%; specificity 50%; odds ratio [OR] = 2.88, P < 0.001); and FIRST ≥ 18 (sensitivity 62%; specificity 67%; OR = 3.32, P < 0.001). Notably, both FIRST cut-points outperformed known maternal (OR = 1.49-1.59, P < 0.01) and paternal history (P = NS) in predicting insomnia onset, even after controlling for stress exposure and demographic characteristics. Of the incident cases, insomniacs with highly reactive sleep systems reported longer sleep onset latencies (FIRST ≥ 16: 65 min; FIRST ≥ 18: 68 min) than participants with nonreactive insomnia (FIRST < 16: 37 min; FIRST < 18: 44 min); these groups did not differ on any other sleep parameters. CONCLUSIONS The current study established a cost- and time-effective strategy for identifying individuals at elevated risk for insomnia based on trait sleep reactivity. The FIRST accurately identifies a focused target population in which the psychobiological processes complicit in insomnia onset and progression can be better investigated, thus improving future preventive efforts.
Slow synaptic inhibition mediated by metabotropic glutamate receptor activation of GIRK channels.

Glutamate is the predominant excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate CNS. Ionotropic glutamate receptors mediate fast excitatory actions whereas metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) medi...
Pallets and unit loads

Whenever applicable for distribution and storage it is advantageous to handle goods mechanically rather than manually and to group a number of items into a single larger unit for mechanical handling. Broadly speaking, these Unit Load Concepts have been applied for centuries—ever since man started unitizing items onto a base and using a windlass to lift them. Awareness of the value of aids of this type in modern distribution systems started with the development of pallets and fork-lift trucks in World War II.
Depression and anxiety in patients with AL amyloidosis as assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire: experience in 1226 patients.

AbstractBackground: Our study examines depression and anxiety in patients with immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis, and determines the associations between the mental health problems and patient characteristics (age, gender, race, marital status, alcohol consumption, smoking status and cardiac involvement).Methods: Patients with AL amyloidosis who completed the 36-item Short Form General Health Survey (SF-36) during initial evaluation at a single center were studied. The SF-36 included assessments of depression, anxiety, role limitation due to emotional problems and the mental health subscale score.Results: From 1226 patients with AL amyloidosis, 37.0% reported depression and 46.7% reported anxiety. Patients with cardiac amyloidosis reported more anxiety (odds ratio (OR) = 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.61) and role limitation due to emotional problems (OR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.05–1.65). No significant association between cardiac involvement and depression was found (OR = 1.22, 95%CI 0.97–1.5...
Imagining Europe: From Hammer and Sickle to Crescent

In Inventing Europe: Idea, Identity, Reality , Delanty (1995: vii) complained that, whereas many works dealt with the “Orient” as an invention of Europe, almost nothing existed on the idea of “Europe”: In his view, the common political roof embodied by the European Communities and the European Union was a construction in need of critical reassessment. More than fifteen years have passed since his seminal book was published, and many authors have taken up the challenge of understanding the meaning of “Europe” and how it was historically and thematically constructed to reinforce a sense of cohesion beyond national allegiances (Shore 2000; Passerini 2003; Strath 2000a,b; Joas and Wiegandt 2005; Molho and Ramada Curto 2007; Persson and Strath 2007). In the course of this book, we have focused on myths and practices of collective remembrance as sites for the construction of a European identity. In doing so, we have alluded to the importance of religion, particularly in the last “sequences of Europe” emerging in European textbooks (Chapter 5). In this concluding chapter, we further analyze this point. As we discussed in Chapter 5, “Europe” began as a political project aimed at creating a sense of common identity in the aftermath of the Second World War, first designed around economic issues (in the early 1950s), then progressively enlarged to include other more political items, and merging finally into a single Union in 1993. The creation of this supranational entity has involved the establishment of an increasing array of domains in which Europeans are invited to feel part of a community of fate ( Schicksalsgemeinschaft ), including attempts to adopt a draft European Constitution in 2004.
TG-FTIR Method for the Characterization of Bio-oils in Chemical Families

Pyrolysis oils are complex mixtures of hundreds of compounds that can be described as a mixture of few chemical macro-families. This description is highly desirable for modeling bio-oil combustion, cracking, separation, and evaporation. In one of our previous papers we recommended the deconvolution of bio-oil DTG curves as the basis for characterizing bio-oils in chemical families. However, the positioning of the peaks was based on the shape of the DTG curve. More specific guidelines are needed to position the peaks in this deconvolution strategy. In this paper we developed and tested a methodology to identify the position and shape of the peaks in the DTG curves. The first strategy uses the FTIR spectra of the TG evolved pyrolysis oil vapors. The second consists of doping the bio-oil with model compounds and with its fractions. The IR studies provided information on the position and width of the fitting curves describing the behavior of the very light volatile compounds (<150 °C) and of the heavy oligome...
Identification of Progenitors Committed to Basophil and/or Mast Cell Lineages.

Abstract Eosinophils, basophils and mast cells are multifunctional hematopoietic effectors that co-operate to mount a variety of allergic and innate immune responses. Their origin and developmental relationships, however, have not yet been resolved, and remain as one of the major issues in the biology of hematopoiesis. Here we report that progenitors bipotent for basophils and mast cells (basophil/mast cell progenitors: BMCPs) are prospectively isolatable downstream of granulocyte/monocyte progenitors (GMPs). Since both basophils and mast cells express the αβγ2 form of FceRI on their surface, we hypothesized that early progenitors restricted to these lineages may have already upregulated these molecules. Thus, FceRIα-expressing cells were searched within the Lin−CD34+ bone marrow and spleen cells. Lin−CD34+ bone marrow cells contained a small fraction of cells expressing a high level of FceRIα that were all c-Kit−. Purified Lin−CD34+FceRIαhic-Kit− cells were cultured, and they gave rise exclusively to pure basophil colonies, which were named as basophil progenitors (BaPs). In contrast, the spleen had a small fraction of Lin−CD34+ cells expressing a low level of FceRIα and a high level of c-Kit. Strikingly, single Lin−CD34+FceRIαloc-Kithi cells formed colonies containing both basophils and mast cells as well as pure mast cell or basophil colonies. This indicates that at least a fraction of Lin−CD34+FceRIαloc-Kithi cells are bipotent for basophils and mast cells. We thus named the Lin−CD34+FceRIαloc-Kithi cells as BMCPs. Identification of BMCPs formally proves for the first time that basophils and mast cells share a common progenitor stage. After 3-day culture, BMCPs gave rise to Lin−CD34+FceRIαhic-Kit−BaPs and Lin−CD34+FceRIαhic-Kit+ cells which exclusively formed pure mast cell colonies. Lin−CD34+FceRIαhic-Kit+ cells were named as mast cell progenitors (MCPs). All of these progenitors are located downstream of GMPs since GMPs gave rise to BMCPs, BaPs and MCPs in vitro after 3-day culture with SCF, IL-3, and IL-9. The intestine is known to collect mast cell colony-forming activity. Since MCPs were not isolatable as a distinct population in the bone marrow or the spleen, we searched for MCPs in the intestine by using similar markers. We newly identified Lin−CD34+FceRIαloc-Kitlo cells in the intestine, and these cells exclusively formed pure mast cell colonies. In mice sensitized with OVA to induce allergic reaction, BMCPs, BaPs and intestinal MCPs expanded by1.5- to 5-fold in number after OVA administration. This strongly suggests that these populations constitute critical stages in physiological pathways for each lineage development. Taken together, it is likely that the initial commitment into basophil/mast cell lineages occurs in the spleen, and that spleen BMCPs may migrate into the bone marrow to become BaPs or into the intestine to become MCPs. These progenitor populations should be useful to analyze the mechanism of commitment into each of these lineages, and could also be therapeutic targets for a variety of allergic and autoimmune disorders.
Recent Advances in Optical Tomographic Image Reconstruction

Practical examples encountered in clinical and preclinical imaging such as monitoring of tumor growth and regression as well as arthritic disease progression will be presented.
A systematic literature review of faculty development for teacher educators

ABSTRACTAlthough ample literature exists regarding the effectiveness of faculty development (FD) activities, there is a gap in the literature synthesizing its outcomes. This review, using a predetermined review protocol, analyzed 22 publications on FD for teacher educators using Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation taxonomy. We found that North American universities provide the most empirical evidence about FD activities, focusing on technology integration in teaching and pedagogical skill improvement. Formal programs, such as serial workshops and developmental relationship, were reported with high frequency, compared to self-directed learning and organizational development activities. Empirical research was heavily based on self-reported, qualitative data and emphasized individual-level outcomes. There is a lack of information regarding the impact of FD activities for teacher educators on subsequent student learning or the downstream effect on school systems. Similarly, institutional involvement in FD remai...
Mechanisms of Defect Passivation by Fluorinated Alkylthiolates on PbS Quantum Dots

Defects in the organic ligand layers on the surfaces of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) provide pathways for corrosive molecules to penetrate to the QD core. This paper describes the decrease in the p...
IN VITRO TESTING FOR ALLERGY DIAGNOSIS: Comparison of Methods in Common Use

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the development of the first in vitro assay for the measurement of serum IgE. This assay was developed in 1967 by Wide et al in Sweden, 25 1 year after the discovery of a new and distinct class of immunoglobulin, named IgE by its founders, Johansson in Sweden 8 and the Ishizaka 6 in the United States. The in vitro assay for measuring IgE was a classic sandwich-type radioimmunoassay. The assay for measuring total serum IgE was called the Prist test (Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden), while that for measuring serum specific IgE was called the radioallergosorbent test (RAST). The underlying principles of the RAST assay are (Fig. 1): 1Soluble allergens are bound to a solid phase support to create a stable immunosorbent particle that contains the antigenicity of the allergen. 2The passively created immunosorbent insoluble allergen on incubation with the test serum will react with the specific antibody to form a new solid phase immune complex. 3Anti-human IgE serum (rabbit) radio-labeled with iodine-125 react with the antigenic determinates on the Fc portion of the IgE antibody bound to the allergen coated immunosorbent. 4The greater the amount of radioactivity remaining bound to the new solid phase immune complex after washing away the excess, the more specific IgE there is present in the test serum. Over the course of the last 30 years the original assay has undergone numerous changes, with variations occurring from changes in the solid phase to the use of nonradioactive materials, specifically enzyme markers, for labeling and measuring the bound IgE. In addition, computerization and other technologic advances have enabled the original incubation and washing cycles to be considerably shortened.
Beam Quality Factor Analysis of On-Wafer Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers

We report on a method for analyzing the beam quality factor of on-wafer vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL) leading to an M2 min-max for each measured device due to asymmetry in the beam profile.
David Oliver: England’s social care models harm the poorest areas

Current models of local government funding systematically disadvantage people in deprived areas, compounding already entrenched health inequalities.1 The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found in 2015 that the most deprived English local authorities had experienced cuts of £182 more per head than the most affluent, “breaking the historic link between the amount a local authority spends per head and local deprivation levels.”23 A 2018 analysis showed that 25% of services in England’s most deprived local authority areas were rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission, compared with only 15% in the 10 most affluent areas.4 It was published by the Labour Party’s research team, but the conclusions are compelling. Local government relies on three main sources of income5: direct support grants from national government, business …
THE MAZON CREEK BIOTAS IN THE CONTEXT OF A CARBONIFEROUS FAUNAL CONTINUUM

The Mazon Creek biotas are generally recognized to have two subbiotas: The Essex assemblage, basically a near-shore marine fauna; and the Braidwood biota, preserving both brackish-fresh water as well as terrestrial coal swamp communities. The major elements of these assemblages (crustaceans, worms, merostomes, molluscs, and plants) are analyzed and compared to the same groups found in similar habitats from various localities in the Carboniferous of North America and Europe (Laurentia). The Essex fauna is seen as part of a near-shore marine chronofauna that remained relatively stable, with respect to its constituent taxa and ecological structure, through most of the Carboniferous. The Braidwood aquatic fauna does not exhibit such a long chronofauna development as the Essex, but does exhibit certain analogies to European Coal Measure assemblages. The Braidwood flora is part of a continuum extending from Westphalian A into the Lower Permian. Although the Mazon Creek biotas are unusual as Konservat-Lagerstatten, they are not unique or atypical when considered in the context of a Carboniferous continuum.
Crystal structure of the nitrogenase iron protein from Azotobacter vinelandii

The nitrogenase enzyme system consists of two component proteins, an iron (Fe-) protein and a molybdenum-iron (MoFe)-protein. Prior to substrate reduction, electrons are transferred from Fe-protein to MoFe-protein in an ATP-dependent process. The coupling of ATP hydrolysis to electron transfer is mediated by Fe-protein, which is the only known reductant of MoFe-protein supporting catalytic activity (8). Fe-protein is a dimer of two identical 32kDa subunits, the sequences of which are highly conserved in both conventional and alternate nitrogenases of a diverse group of prokaryotes. The Fe-protein dimer symmetrically binds one 4Fe-4S cluster to Cys 97 and Cys 132 from each subunit (sequence numbering of the Azotobacter vinelandii Fe-protein) (2,4). Unusual aspects of Fe-protein include the ATP-electron transfer coupling and the unique cluster environment, which is unlike any observed in ferredoxin structures. To address the structural basis of these properties, we have determined the crystal structure of the A. vinelandii Fe-protein at 3.0A resolution. At present, 247 of the 289 residues have been modeled as a poly-alanine chain, and detailed fitting of the actual side chains is in progress. The current model is sufficient to begin addressing questions concerning the overall shape and fold of the protein, the environment of the cluster, the probable nucleotide binding site, the site(s) of interaction with MoFe-protein, and the interactions at the dimer interface.
Mesomorphic Properties of the Heterocyclic Analogs of Benzylidene-4-Amino-4′-Methoxybiphenyl

In order to ascertain the effect of heterocyclic rings on liquid crystal stability, a series of Schiff bases derived from 4′-methoxy-4-biphenylamine and aromatic heterocyclic aldehydes has been prepared. The ability of each compound to form a liquid crystal phase, either by melting the crystal or cooling the isotropic liquid, has been determined, and the appropriate heat of transition and corresponding entropy change have been measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The results will be discussed in terms of geometrical considerations, substituent effects, and intermolecular interactions.
Customer Review Analytics using Subjective Loss Function for Conceptual-based Learning

AbstractDeep neural networks (DNNs) are currently among the most commonly used machine learning methods in content understanding such as computer vision and natural language understanding (NLU). One of the best characteristics of these methods is their modular design – the ability to change the connectivity patterns of layers, try different activation functions, inject different statistical approaches such as normalization and dropout in the network, and many other actions – in every aspect of deep learning networks. While the majority of deep learning applications simply use cross-entropy, L 1 , and L 2 losses, subjective loss function can actually result in impressive performance improvement. In addition, architecting the last layer of DNNs – referred to as the prediction layer – according to the needs of the application increases the discriminative power of the DNNs. This paper aims to investigate how particular choices of loss functions and prediction layer architecture affect deep neural networks and their learning dynamics, as well as the robustness of various effects. Furthermore a real-life application to measure customer loyalty called Deep Net Promoter Score (DeepNPS) from online product reviews is also proposed. The results are promising for learning more latent features and matching the customer feedback with the NPS score.
Detection of an Energy-Transfer Pathway in Cr-Photoredox Catalysis

We observe photocatalyst-based regioselectivity distinctions in Diels–Alder reactions using an electron-poor dienophile. We find that one complex, [Cr(Ph2phen)3](BF4)3, offers significantly higher ...
Scalable SERS by Activating “Passive” Hotspots in Multigap Nanoplasmonic Systems

A partial removal of dielectric materials in nanogaps can activate “passive” hotspots in multigap nanoplasmonic systems for scalable high-performance Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) applications.
Design Principles for Cationic, Astrocyte-Targeted Probes

The brain's astrocytes play key roles in normal and pathological brain processes. Targeting small molecules to astrocytes in the presence of the many other cell types in the brain will provide useful tools for their visualization and manipulation. Herein, we explore the functional consequences of synthetic modifications to a recently described astrocyte marker composed of a bright rhodamine-based fluorophore and an astrocyte-targeting moiety. We altered the nature of the targeting moiety to probe the dependence of astrocyte targeting on hydrophobicity, charge, and pKa when exposed to astrocytes and neurons isolated from the mouse cortex. We found that an overall molecular charge of +2 and a targeting moiety with a heterocyclic aromatic amine are important requirements for specific and robust astrocyte labeling. These results provide a basis for engineering astrocyte-targeted molecular tools with unique properties, including metabolite sensing or optogenetic control.
Feminization, altered gonadal development, and liver damage in least killifish (Heterandria formosa) exposed to sublethal concentrations of 17α-ethinylestradiol.

Abstract The widespread use of the synthetic estrogen 17 α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) has resulted in elevated levels in aquatic environments, where it is known to act as an endocrine disrupting chemical affecting fish and other aquatic organisms. Examining changes in the structure of the fish’ gonads and liver has proven to be an effective approach for assessing these impacts. While changes have been reported for various fish species, it is not clear whether impacts are equally severe in live-bearing fishes. The present study looked at gonadal and liver development in EE2-exposed least killifish (Heterandria formosa), a live-bearing Poeciliid. Exposures to 0, 5, or 25 ng/L EE2 began within six days of birth and continued until fish became sexually mature 12–23 weeks later. Exposure to 5 ng/L EE2 resulted in severe intersex in fish with external male characteristics, a slowdown of spermatogenesis in these intersex fish and a slowdown of oogenesis in the female fish. Moreover, these fish had a variety of liver injuries. Fish exposed to 25 ng/L EE2 exhibited intersex but at a lower frequency than occurred at 5 ng/L. In contrast, liver damage and slowdown of both oogenesis and spermatogenesis exhibited the typical dose-dependence. These findings illustrate the importance of including histological analyses when assessing endocrine disruption in fish, demonstrate that the live-bearing mode of reproduction appears to provide limited protection from the effects of waterborne EE2, and provide further evidence that EE2 has multiple impacts on fish health and reproduction that are severe enough to potentially affect fish populations.
Glucocorticoids do not influence a secondary sexual trait or its behavioral expression in eastern fence lizards

Secondary sexual traits and associated behaviors can be influenced by environmental factors such as exposure to stressors. Such effects may be mediated by the physiological stress response, which is typified by the release of glucocorticoid hormones. The effects of glucocorticoids on sexual traits such as plumage and display coloration have most commonly been studied in isolation rather than in conjunction with other pertinent aspects of signalling, such as behavior and habitat use, though these have substantial potential to alter signal perception. Here we test the effects of corticosterone (CORT), a common glucocorticoid, on a secondary sexual trait (badge coloration) in male eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus), and behaviors associated with its expression. We show that neither baseline nor experimentally manipulated CORT levels were associated with badge coloration. Further, elevation of CORT levels in the field did not alter signalling or associated territorial behaviors. There was a trend for CORT-treatment to influence perch height selection, which may influence signal perception. We suggest that future studies investigating the effects of environmental stressors and associated physiological changes on secondary sexual traits should consider behaviors and ecology relevant to signal perception in order to best understand the influence of stressors in nature.
Multispectral Imaging for Fine-Grained Recognition of Powders on Complex Backgrounds

Hundreds of materials, such as drugs, explosives, makeup, food additives, are in the form of powder. Recognizing such powders is important for security checks, criminal identification, drug control, and quality assessment. However, powder recognition has drawn little attention in the computer vision community. Powders are hard to distinguish: they are amorphous, appear matte, have little color or texture variation and blend with surfaces they are deposited on in complex ways. To address these challenges, we present the first comprehensive dataset and approach for powder recognition using multi-spectral imaging. By using Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) multi-spectral imaging together with visible light (RGB) and Near Infrared (NIR), powders can be discriminated with reasonable accuracy. We present a method to select discriminative spectral bands to significantly reduce acquisition time while improving recognition accuracy. We propose a blending model to synthesize images of powders of various thickness deposited on a wide range of surfaces. Incorporating band selection and image synthesis, we conduct fine-grained recognition of 100 powders on complex backgrounds, and achieve 60%~70% accuracy on recognition with known powder location, and over 40% mean IoU without known location.
Humanoid Robots as Interviewers for Automated Credibility Assessment.

Humans are poor at detecting deception under the best conditions. The need for having a decision support system that can be a baseline for data-driven decision making is obvious. Such a system is not biased like humans are, and these often subconscious human biases can impair people’s judgment. A system for helping people at border security (CBP) is the AVATAR. The AVATAR, an Embodied Conversational agent (ECA), is implemented as a self-service kiosk. Our research uses this AVATAR as the baseline and we plan to augment the automated credibility assessment task that the AVATAR performs using a Humanoid robot. We will be taking advantage of humanoid robots’ capability of realistic dialogue and nonverbal gesturing. We are also capturing data from various sensors like microphones, cameras and an eye tracker that will help in model building and testing for the task of deception detection. We plan to carry out an experiment where we compare the results of an interview with the AVATAR and an interview with a humanoid robot. Such a comparative analysis has never been done before, hence we are very eager to conduct such a social experiment.
Machine learning in cardiovascular flows modeling: Predicting arterial blood pressure from non-invasive 4D flow MRI data using physics-informed neural networks

Abstract Advances in computational science offer a principled pipeline for predictive modeling of cardiovascular flows and aspire to provide a valuable tool for monitoring, diagnostics and surgical planning. Such models can be nowadays deployed on large patient-specific topologies of systemic arterial networks and return detailed predictions on flow patterns, wall shear stresses, and pulse wave propagation. However, their success heavily relies on tedious pre-processing and calibration procedures that typically induce a significant computational cost, thus hampering their clinical applicability. In this work we put forth a machine learning framework that enables the seamless synthesis of non-invasive in-vivo measurement techniques and computational flow dynamics models derived from first physical principles. We illustrate this new paradigm by showing how one-dimensional models of pulsatile flow can be used to constrain the output of deep neural networks such that their predictions satisfy the conservation of mass and momentum principles. Once trained on noisy and scattered clinical data of flow and wall displacement, these networks can return physically consistent predictions for velocity, pressure and wall displacement pulse wave propagation, all without the need to employ conventional simulators. A simple post-processing of these outputs can also provide a relatively cheap and effective way for estimating Windkessel model parameters that are required for the calibration of traditional computational models. The effectiveness of the proposed techniques is demonstrated through a series of prototype benchmarks, as well as a realistic clinical case involving in-vivo measurements near the aorta/carotid bifurcation of a healthy human subject.
The software arts (invited talk)

The subject of Warren Sack’s talk will be The Software Arts, a book recently published in the MIT Press “Software Studies” series. Sack offers an alternative history of software that traces its roots to the step-by-step descriptions of how things were made in the workshops of eighteenth-century artists and artisans. He illustrates how software was born of a coupling of the liberal arts and the mechanical arts and argues that the arts are at the heart of computing. The Software Arts is an invitation to artists and humanists to see how their ideas are already at the very center of software; and an invitation to computer scientists to envision how they are artists and humanists too.
Colorectal Cancer Prevention in Lung Transplant Recipients: The Need for an Enhanced Surveillance Protocol.

Background Solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk for noncutaneous neoplasms, including colorectal cancer (CRC). We evaluated precancerous lesions detected by post-transplant surveillance colonoscopy to infer the rate at which new adenomas develop in this population. Study Design We reviewed all patients who underwent lung transplant between January 2013 and August 2017 at our institution. Those with post-transplant survival Results During the study period, 411 patients underwent lung transplant; 237 met inclusion criteria. Median age at transplant was 63.6 (interquartile range [IQR] 59.2-68.3) years. Most recipients were immunosuppressed with a combination of prednisone, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil. At least 1 adenoma was found in 92 patients (38.8%) pretransplant and in 118 patients (49.8%) from 1 to 5 years post-transplant, with 68.6% identified at 1 year. Most adenomas were identified proximal to the splenic flexure. Multiple (≥3) adenomas were found in 31.4% of positive colonoscopies. Within 5 years after transplant, patients with a positive pretransplant colonoscopy had significantly more positive post-transplant colonoscopies than patients with a negative pretransplant colonoscopy (63.0% vs 41.4%, p Conclusions Lung transplant recipients have a significantly higher risk of adenoma formation than average-risk adults (25%–30% national detection rate). This increase occurs in the early post-transplant period (within 3 years). An enhanced CRC surveillance protocol for lung transplant recipients is needed.
Does prenatal counseling for pregnancies complicated by multiple fetal abnormalities concord with postnatal outcomes

Objective In pregnancies complicated by multiple fetal abnormalities, our objective was to determine the degree of concordance between prenatal prognosis and postnatal outcomes. Method Retrospective cohort study of pregnancies with multiple fetal abnormalities referred to the Fetal Concerns Center of Wisconsin (FCCW) from 2015 to 2018. We reviewed records for anomalies, given prognostic severity, and postnatal outcomes. Prognostic severity was categorized as "likely mortality," "severe impairment," "moderate," and "mild" based on predetermined criteria. Results In 85 pregnancies with multiple fetal abnormalities, 48% were given a prognosis of "likely mortality," and 19% were given a prognosis of "severe impairment." In pregnancies that were continued after being counseled as "likely mortality," this outcome was concordant in all but one case, despite medical interventions. In pregnancies counseled as "severe impairment," the more common outcome was mortality or severe impairment in 88% of cases and survival with severe impairment in 33% of cases. Postnatal outcomes were concordant with prenatal severity in 68% of the cases, more severe in 20% of the cases, and less severe in fewer than 5% of cases. Conclusion Prenatal predictions about severe outcomes are usually true in pregnancies complicated by multiple abnormalities. In cases of outcome discordance, outcomes tend to be more severe than predicted.
Differences in the association of diet quality with body fat distribution between men and women.

As dietary intake and endocrine metabolism are vastly different by sex, we evaluated differences in the association of diet quality with body composition between men and women. Close to 2000 participants from the Multiethnic Cohort completed calibrated quantitative food frequency questionnaires at cohort entry (1993–96) and clinic visit (2013–16), from which the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010) was computed. Adiposity measures were obtained through DXA and MRI at clinic visit. Multivariable-adjusted mean adiposity measures were estimated by tertiles of HEI-2010 scores using general linear regression. The associations of diet quality with high visceral fat (VAT) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were examined by logistic regression. To assess sex differences, cross-product terms with the HEI-2010 were added to the models. Mean HEI-2010 scores were higher for women than men at cohort entry (67.4 vs. 64.0) and clinic visit (73.6 vs. 71.0). Past and current diet quality was inversely associated with adiposity measures in men and women. Although interaction terms were not significant, the magnitude of the slopes and differences in adjusted means across tertiles suggested a stronger association for women than men. When comparing individuals who maintained a high vs. poor quality diet over 20 years, women but not men showed significantly lower risks for high VAT, whereas high HEI-2010 scores predicted a lower risk of NAFLD in both sexes. The inverse association of diet quality with adiposity was similar in both sexes, but diet quality appeared to have a stronger influence on VAT in women than men.
A Modular Ethics Curriculum for Computer Science

To address the challenging issues presented to a technology-driven generation, we have been designing and testing 15-20 minute modules with conversations surrounding ethical issues in computing and data science. The goal is to meet the needs of current students by incorporating engaging activities, including demonstrations, debates, and interactive quizzes, to maintain their interest and promote critical thinking. The short length of the modules allows them to fit with packed courses and short attention spans. The curriculum is designed to lay the groundwork in the first year, giving a basic understanding of four ethical frameworks. In years two through four, students gain practice in recognizing course material-related dilemmas and in applying these frameworks to find ethical solutions. Additionally, we are developing comprehensive background materials so that professors with limited experience in ethics can easily implement the modules in their classrooms, and students who do not experience the foundational modules will not feel lost. Through workshops, focus groups, and in-class testing of the materials, teachers and students have shown excitement and support for the curriculum, and students not typically engaged in class have found their voice. Verbal and written feedback have shown that the module activities have been successful in helping students evaluate the ethicality of challenging computing-related situations and in effectively articulating their conclusions. To date, twelve modules have been tested, modified, and in some cases re-tested. We are looking forward to sharing our results. Many of the materials created will be available for examination.
The Virtuous Cycle: Global Cases of K-12 STEM Education in the Technology Policy of Cities

When leaders in cities and local regions talk about technology policy, they usually talk about government, universities and industry and how the three work together. This relationship is important. But what about the hundreds of millions of young students, taught by tens of millions of teachers, supported by hundreds of thousands of volunteers, who deliver STEM education to primary and secondary students around the world? K-12 STEM education should be a full participant in the building of modern knowledge economies. In this chapter, the opening chapter of STEM in the Technopolis, readers are encouraged to think hard about how to make K-12 STEM education a full participant in city/regional technology and development policy. Three global cases exhibiting this integration are introduced. Topics covered include the technopolis model, industry clusters, K-12 STEM pedagogy, social and digital equity, building the brand of cities and regions, the eight indicators of a virtuous cycle, and a model for the virtuous cycle that happens when K-12 STEM education is fully integrated into local policy. A brief introduction is provided to the rest of the volume. This chapter and volume are offered as a platform and encouragement to educators, academics, STEM professionals, policymakers, and all stakeholders. The author encourages the building of effective and inspirational STEM education programs, rooted in local priorities, benefiting students, families, and quality-of-life in cities and regions around the globe.