cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response to Letter by Dr. Bolash.

Dear Editor, We would like to thank Dr. Bolash for his complimentary commentary drawing attention to the advantages of patient-activated bolus intrathecal analgesia using bupivacaine. Current programmable intrathecal pumps in the United States have the optional feature of patient-controlled intrathecal analgesia (PCIA). Patient-controlled analgesia initially arose employing the intravenous route (IV PCA) to deliver opioids. Later, preservative-free opioid epidural analgesia was administered as a single bolus and subsequently evolved to patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) utilizing local anesthetics [1]. Bupivacaine (and later ropivacaine) soon emerged as favorite local anesthetics in PCEA given their differential sensorimotor blockade. At low concentrations/doses in CSF, bupivacaine preferentially blocks the small nerve fibers, namely A-delta and C nerve fibers involved …
Temporal Motifs Reveal the Dynamics of Editor Interactions in Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a collaborative setting with both combative and cooperative editing. We propose a new method for investigating the types of editor interactions using a novel representation of Wikipedia's revision history as a temporal, bipartite network with multiple node and edge types for users and revisions. From this representation we identify significant author interactions as network motifs and show how the motif types capture important, diverse editing behaviors. Two experiments demonstrate the further benefit of motifs. First, we demonstrate significant performance improvement over a purely revision-based analysis in classifying pages as combative or cooperative page by using motifs; and second we use motifs as a basis for analyzing trends in the dynamics of editor behavior to explain Wikipedia's content growth.
Zernike polynomials for mid-spatial frequency representation on optical surfaces

Mid-spatial frequency structure on freeform optical elements induces small-angle scatter and affects performance. Fabrication techniques involved in making freeform surfaces leave tooling marks on the surface due to the sub-aperture nature of the fabrication process. In recent years, there has been a growing need for specification and characterization of the mid-spatial frequencies for freeform surfaces. There are a range of methods to consider for representing the midspatial frequency content: the power spectral density (PSD), the structure function (SF) and a polynomial basis representation such as Zernike and Forbes Q-polynomials, as examples. In this paper, we investigate a Zernike polynomial representation for quantifying the mid-spatial frequency content in height maps. We will show fit coefficients of synthesized and real data sets to Zernike polynomials from low orders to very large orders. We also illustrate how this polynomial representation captures certain characteristics of the mid-spatial frequency error. The results are analyzed and compared with Forbes gradient orthogonal polynomials. Finally, limits of Zernike polynomials for representing mid-spatial frequency content of the surface are discussed.
Determining the Optimal Vaccination Schedule for Herpes Zoster: a Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends a single dose of herpes zoster (HZ) vaccine in persons aged 60 years or older, but the efficacy decreases to zero after approximately 10 years. A booster dose administered after 10 years might extend protection, but the cost-effectiveness of a booster strategy has not been examined. We aimed to determine the optimal schedule for HZ vaccine We built a Markov model to follow patients over their lifetime. From the societal perspective, we compared costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) saved of 11 strategies to start and repeat HZ vaccine at different ages. Adults aged 60 years. HZ vaccine. Costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incremental costs per QALY saved. At a $100,000/QALY threshold, “vaccination at 70 plus one booster” was the most cost-effective strategy, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $36,648/QALY. “Vaccination at 60 plus two boosters” was more effective, but had an ICER of $153,734/QALY. In deterministic sensitivity analysis, “vaccination at 60 plus two boosters” cost 67 % or vaccine cost was < $156 per dose. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, “vaccination at 70 plus one booster” was preferred at a willingness-to-pay of up to $135,000/QALY. Under current assumptions, initiating HZ vaccine at age 70 years with one booster dose 10 years later appears optimal. Future data regarding compliance with or efficacy of a booster could affect these conclusions.
An integrated framework for human-robot collaborative assembly in hybrid manufacturing cells

Recently, lightweight and flexible robots have been introduced for human-robot collaborative manufacturing. However, most of the research in this field focuses on the physical aspects of the interaction only. Nevertheless, psychological and social impact of human-robot collaboration (HRC) on manufacturing needs to be addressed and embedded in the design as well such that the robot actions become acceptable and comfortable for the human. Motivated by this need, we propose an integrated physical and social HRC framework for assembly tasks in a hybrid manufacturing cell. To address human physical demands, the robot motion control will be developed to keep pace with human motion during the task. Furthermore, psychological human factors will also be taken into account into the robot motion control for better HRC. More specifically, we consider a computational model of a human worker's trust in his/her robot partner and use the trust evaluation as a constraint in an optimal control problem. Finally, we run a pilot study to test our proposed framework.
Halomethyl-metal compounds : XL. Trimethylsilyl-substituted bromomethyllithium and -magnesium reagents. Trimethyltindibromomethylmagnesium chloride

Abstract The low temperature reactions of n-butyllithium with trimethyl(tribromomethyl)silane, trimethyl(dibromomethyl)silane and bis(trimethylsilyl)dibromomethane served well in the preparation of trimethylsilyldibromomethyllithium, trimethylsilylbromomethyllithium and bis(trimethylsilyl)bromomethyllithium, respectively. The low temperature reaction of isopropylmagnesium chloride in THF with trimethyl(tribromomethyl)silane and trimethyl(tribromomethyl)tin gave the trimethylsilyldibromomethylmagnesium chloride and trimethyltindibromomethylmagnesium chloride reagents. Reactions of these lithium reagents with trimethylchlorosilane, trimethyltin chloride, mercuric halide, dimethyl sulfate and water are described. The action isopropylmagnesium chloride in THF on trimethyl(dibromomethyl)silane, trimethyl(diiodomethyl)silane and bis(trimethylsilyl)dibromomethane led principally to reduction to the respective monohalo compounds. The new Grignard reagents, diiodomethylmagnesium chloride and bromochloromethylmagnesium chloride, and their reactions with trimethylchlorosilane are reported. Trimethyl(bromodichloromethyl)silane was prepared in good yield by bromination of trimethyl(dichloromethyl)silane, while bromination of trimethyl(dibromomethyl)silane with N-bromosuccinimide gave trimethyl(tribromomethyl)silane in high yield.
The Effects of Basel II on Developing Countries: A Summary of a Global Public Goods Network eForum on Basel II

The principal intent of Basel II was to enhance the risk management systems of Large Complex Financial Organizations (LCFOs) such as Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and ABN Amro. By definition, LCFOs are internationally active, and their actions may affect some developing countries. However, the Basel Committee did not address the needs of developing countries. Nevertheless, Basel II will have a direct impact on those countries that adopt it and an indirect impact on the other countries. The comments presented here addressed issues that the Basel Committee should consider as Basel II evolves over time.
Cyclization of Methyl-Coumalate-Derived Methyl 1-Benzamido-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyridine-3-carboxylates: Assembly of the [1,2,4]Triazolo[1,5-a]pyridine Ring System

An efficient three-step synthesis of a series of fused bicyclic s-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridines 1 was accomplished utilizing novel intermediates derived from inexpensive, commercially available hydrazides A and methyl coumalate B. A significant feature of this approach was the formation of a dihydrazide intermediate 2, bypassing the need for oxidative N–N bond formation in the 1,2,4-triazole synthesis. Further purification of the dihydrazides 2, beyond simple isolation, proved to be unnecessary owing to the impurity rejection afforded by the crystalline oxadiazolium salts 3. Additionally, the prepared oxadiazolium perchlorate salts showed excellent moisture stability, an unusual feature in compounds of this type.
Conserving Nature through Land Trust Initiatives: A Case Study of the Little Traverse Conservancy, Northern Michigan, USA

ABSTRACT: We present a case study of the Little Traverse Conservancy (LTC) of Harbor Springs, Michigan, as an example of a contemporary land trust. Land trusts are community-based organizations that rely on both economic and social incentives to acquire and monitor lands. Our objective is to define criteria that make land trusts successful and effective. This case focuses on the accomplishments, structure, and challenges of LTC as well as its partnerships with private organizations and local and state governments. Research shows that there are often gaps in the effectiveness of conservation efforts involving land trusts. For organizations such as LTC, these gaps must be addressed for land trust operations to prosper into the future. We finish by proposing an applied research protocol to improve ecological and sociopolitical knowledge about the workings of LTC and, by corollary, other similar land trusts.
Large-scale assessment of mercury in sentinel estuarine fishes of the Florida Everglades and adjacent coastal ecosystems

In Florida, USA, mercury can bioaccumulate in aquatic food webs to levels that are harmful to human and ecosystem health. Proposed efforts to restore hydrological flow in the Florida Everglades, which encompasses projects throughout central and south Florida, may alter the spatial distribution and temporal trends in mercury bioaccumulation in Florida fish populations. Monitoring of mercury in sentinel fish species permits assessment of changing conditions and can identify natural or anthropogenic impacts on upstream watersheds and predict regional influences on human and wildlife consumers of these fish species. From 2006 through 2008, we assessed total mercury in muscle of 545 gray snapper, Lutjanus griseus (Linnaeus, 1758), and 381 crevalle jack, Caranx hippos (Linnaeus, 1766), from 13 broad estuarine regions in central and south Florida, downstream of proposed Everglades restoration projects. For comparison, we assessed an additional 134 gray snapper collected from adjacent offshore waters in the Gulf of Mexico in 2007–2008 and 2014–2015. Collectively, these results indicate that Florida Bay and Card and Barnes sounds are mercury hot spots for both fish species in Florida estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Mean mercury concentrations in these species from Florida Bay were 1.7–2.5 times those measured in Atlantic coast estuaries (i.e., Loxahatchee estuary, St. Lucie estuary, and Indian River Lagoon). Mercury in snapper from offshore gulf waters did not reveal spatial differences from adjacent coastal estuaries, but did suggest concentrations in offshore snapper have remained stable in recent years. These results provide comprehensive baseline data that can be used to identify mercury hot spots in south Florida and for monitoring temporal and spatial changes in estuarine and coastal mercury concentrations as Everglades restoration plans are implemented.
STEPS to a Healthier Heart: Improving Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Knowledge Among African American Women

Background: African American women have the highest risk of death from heart disease among all racial, ethnic, and gender groups due to sedentary behaviors. Purpose: This article describes an inter...
Conditional and Multipartite Entanglements of Purification and Holography

In this work we generalize the entanglement of purification and its conjectured holographic dual to conditional and multipartite versions of the same, where the optimization defining the entanglement of purification is now optimized in either a constrained way or over multiple parties. We separately derive new constraints on both the conditional entanglement of purification and its conjectured holographic dual object that match, further reinforcing the likelihood of this conjecture. We also show that the multipartite objects we define, despite obeying several of the same inequalities, are not holographic duals of each other. Further, we find inequalities that are true only for the bulk objects and thus could provide additional consistency checks for states dual to (semi-)classical bulk geometries.
The Invasive Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthifolius) Is Colonized by a Root Microbiome Enriched With Alphaproteobacteria and Unclassified Spartobacteria.

Little is known about the rhizosphere microbiome of the Brazilian pepper tree (BP) - a noxious category 1 invasive plant inducing an enormous economic and ecological toll in Florida. Some invasive plants have been shown to drastically change the soil microbiome compared to other native plants. The rhizobacteria community structure of BP, two Florida native plants (Hamelia patens and Bidens alba) and bulk soils were characterized across 6 geographical sites. Although all 19 well-known and 10 poorly described phyla were observed in all plant rhizospheres, BP contained the least total bacterial abundance (OTUs) with a distinct bacteria community structure and clustering patterns differing significantly (pCOA and PERMANOVA) from the natives and bulk soil. BP rhizosphere community contained the highest overall Proteobacteria diversity (Shannon’s diversity 3.25) in spite of a two-fold reduction in richness of the Gammaproteobacteria. Remarkably, the invasive BP rhizosphere was highly enriched with Alphaproteobacteria, dominated by Rhizobiales, including Rhodoplanes and Bradyrhizobiaceae. Also, the relative abundance of Spartobacteria under BP rhizosphere was more than twice that of native plants and bulk soil; featuring unique members of the family Cthoniobacteriaciae (DA101 genus). The trend was different for the family Pedosphaerae in the phylum Verrucomicrobia where the abundance declined under BP (26%) compared to (33-66%) for the H. patens native plant and bulk soil. BP shared the least number of unique phylotypes with bulk soil (146) compared to the other native plants with bulk soil (B.alba -222, H. patens – 520) suggestive of its capacity to overcome biotic resistance. Although there were no specific biomarkers found, taken together, our data suggests that the occurrence of key bacteria groups across multiple taxonomic ranks provide a somewhat consistent profile of the invasive BP rhizo-community. Furthermore, based on the observed prevalence of a bacteria group (Spartobacteria – Cthoniobacteriaciae - DA101); we propose that they have a possible role in BP biology. Our results emphasize the need to further investigate the potential value of ‘unique phylotypes’ in the rhizosphere relative to bulk soil as an ecological tool for monitoring plant-cover / invasion history; or even detecting exotic plants with invasion tendencies.
Wegener's granulomatosis: histological documentation of common and uncommon manifestations in 216 patients.

Background Wegener's granulomatosis is the prototype of pulmonary angiitis and granulomatosis and a systemic vasculitic syndrome of unknown etiology. Wegener's granulomatosis can involve virtually any and often a multitude of organ-tissues. Patients and methods This survey of 216 patients provides a histological documentation and pertinent literature review of both the common and uncommon, but with emphasis on the uncommon, manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis. Results The common manifestations of the disease include the classic triad of upper airway, lung, and kidney, in 87%, 69%, and 48% of the patients, respectively. The less common manifestations involve the skin, central nervous system, eye and orbit, heart, breast, salivary gland, gastrointestinal tract, spleen, and male and female urogenital tracts; each of these accounts for less than 15% in all cases and below 5% for most of the patients. Conclusions The manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis in many of the uncommon anatomical sites of involvement may be distinctive or atypical and therefore, the histopathological diagnosis must be correlated with clinical and laboratory test findings.
Earth Sheltered Design and Construction Activity in the Western States including Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington

ABSTRACT This paper is limited to work accomplished since 1970. Through a telephone survey an attempt was made to identify contact persons including university faculty as well as architects and builders who are providing leadership in earth sheltered design. While limited, it does demonstrate that a new family of buildings is being spawned that includes institutional, commercial and residential building types.
Experiments in cap-bubbly two-phase flows for two-group IATE development

In the two-group interfacial area transport equation (IATE) used to calculate the interfacial area concentration (ai), bubbles are categorized into two groups. Namely, group-I consists of spherical...
Human Language, Evolution of

Understanding the evolution of language, like that of any other cognitive brain system, benefits from a direct comparison of humans with other living species. Generally speaking, the brains of humans and monkeys show a great deal of anatomical similarity. The auditory cortical system in both species, for instance, is organized into a ventral and a dorsal pathway that originate, respectively, in areas anterior and posterior to a primary field and project to distinct areas of prefrontal cortex. In both species, the ventral pathway performs hierarchical decoding of spectrally complex sounds (‘auditory object recognition’), which includes decoding of speech sounds (‘speech perception’) and their ultimate linking to meaning (‘semantics’) in humans. The dorsal auditory pathway connects posterior auditory regions in both species with parietal, premotor, and prefrontal cortex and subserves a general function in audiomotor integration and control. This includes processing of auditory space and motion as well as online control of speech. The dorsal stream also concatenates sounds into temporal sequences and has thus developed an important role in sentence processing. Besides these similarities in brain organization, future comparative studies on the evolution of language will have to test whether humans and monkeys show principal differences in brain connectivity (e.g., new pathways appearing as a result of specific mutations) or whether species differences are merely of a quantitative nature. The evidence so far does not seem strong enough to rule out the latter possibility.
Effort allocation and statistical inference for 1-dimensional multistart stochastic gradient descent

Multistart stochastic gradient descent methods are widely used for gradient-based stochastic global optimization. While these methods are effective relative to other approaches for these challenging problems, they seem to waste computational resources: when several starts are run to convergence at the same local optimum, all but one fail to produce useful information; when a start converges to a local optimum worse than an incumbent solution, it also fails to produce useful information. For problems with a one-dimensional input, we propose a rule for allocating computational effort across starts, Most Likely to Succeed (MLS), which allocates more resources to the most promising starts. This allocation rule is based on a novel Gaussian-Process-based statistical model (SGD-GP) for a start’s limiting objective value. Unlike previously proposed statistical models, ours agrees with known convergence rates for SGD. Numerical results show our approach outperforms equal allocation of effort across starts and a machine learning method.
Estimation of system-level hydrogen storage for metal-organic frameworks with high volumetric storage density

Abstract Metal organic framework (MOF) materials have emerged as the adsorbent materials with the highest H2 storage densities on both a volumetric and gravimetric basis. While measurements of hydrogen storage at the material level (primarily at 77 K) have been published for hundreds of MOFs, estimates of the system-level hydrogen storage capacity are not readily available. In this study, hydrogen storage capacities are estimated at the system-level for MOFs with the highest demonstrated volumetric and gravimetric H2 storage densities. System estimates are based on a single tank cryo-adsorbent system that utilizes a type-1 tank, multi-layer vacuum insulation, liquid N2 cooling channels, in-tank heat exchanger, and a packed MOF powder inside the tank. It is found that with this powder-based system configuration, MOFs with ultra-high gravimetric surface areas and hydrogen adsorption amounts do not necessarily provide correspondingly high volumetric or gravimetric storage capacities at the system-level. Meanwhile, attributes such as powder packing efficiency and system cool-down temperature are shown to have a large impact on the system capacity. These results should shed light on the material properties that must to be optimized, as well as highlight the important design challenges for cryo-adsorbent hydrogen storage systems.
Alcohol trajectories among biracial black subgroups: Testing the intermediate substance use hypothesis.

Abstract Objective This study tests the intermediate biracial substance use hypothesis, which suggests that the prevalence of substance use among biracial individuals fall intermediate to their corresponding mononoracial counterparts. Using National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health (Add Health) data, we examine alcohol-use trajectories of a de-aggregated sample of biracial Black youth and compare them with the trajectories of the corresponding monoracial counterparts. Method The sample consists of 9421 adolescents and young adults who self-identified as 1 of 4 monoracial groups (i.e., Black, White, Hispanic, American Indian) or 1 of 3 biracial Black groups (i.e., Black-American Indian, Black-Hispanic, and Black-White). Study hypotheses are tested using latent growth curve modeling for first use, number of drinks, and binge drinking. Results We found partial support for the intermediate substance use hypothesis, with the alcohol use rates of biracial Blacks more closely resembling the non-Black corresponding group than the monoracial Black group. Black-American Indians face particularly high risk of problematic drinking. Conclusions These findings demonstrate the need for additional research clarifying the onset and maintenance of alcohol use and misuse among biracial individuals and subgroups.
An Empirical Evaluation of the Effect of Adversarial Labels on Classifier Accuracy Estimation

This paper examines the effect of providing adversarial labels to several algorithms that use noisy labels from multiple experts to estimate classifier accuracy, referred to hereafter as "estimators." We propose four adversary labeling strategies and use experiments on synthetic data to gauge their impact on the estimators. Our results show that even a single adversary can considerably impact the effectiveness of an estimator. In addition, we find that estimators that weight the input of all experts equally tend to be much more affected by the inclusion of adversaries than those that can separately model each expert and that the impact of adversaries is lessened when the experts have higher accuracy.
On driving many long wires in a VLSI layout

It is assumed that long wires represent large capacitive loads, and the effect on the area of a VLSI layout when drivers are introduced along many long wires in the layout is investigated. A layout is presented for which the introduction of standard drivers along long wires squares the area of the layout; it is shown, however, that the increase in area is never greater than the layout's area squared if the driver can be laid out in a square region. This paper also shows an area-time trade-off for the driver of a single long wire of length / by which the area of the driver from T(l), to T(lq), q
Adverse childhood experiences and coping strategies: identifying pathways to resiliency in adulthood.

The current study examined whether coping strategies mediate the link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adult psychiatric and physical health outcomes.Data were drawn from wave I (N ...
Environmental sensing in dynamic quorum responses

Cell communication and coordinated cell behavior are hallmarks of multicellular behavior of living systems. However, in many cases, including the ancient and archetypal example of bacterial quorum sensing, the meaning of the communicated information remains a subject of debate. It is commonly assumed that quorum sensing encodes the information on the current state of the colony, including cell density and physical colony confinement. Here, we show that quorum sensing can also be exquisitely sensitive to dynamic changes in the environment, including fluctuations of the prevailing nutrient source. We propose a new signaling mechanism accounting for this sensory capability. This mechanism combines regulation by the commonly studied lux operon-encoded network with the environmentally determined balance of protein synthesis and dilution rates, dependent on the rate of cell proliferation. This regulatory mechanism accounts for observed complex spatial distribution of quorum responses, and emergence of sophisticated processing of dynamic inputs, including temporal thresholds and persistent partial induction following a transient change in the environmental conditions. We further show that, in this context, cell communication in quorum sensing acquires a new meaning: education of cells within a population about the past history of transient exposure to adverse conditions by a subset of induced cells. In combination, these signaling and communication features may endow a cell population with increased fitness in diverse fluctuating environments.
Black-Box Models and Sociological Explanations: Predicting High School Grade Point Average Using Neural Networks:

The Fragile Families Challenge provided an opportunity to empirically assess the applicability of black-box machine learning models to sociological questions and the extent to which interpretable e...
Thrown for a Loop: Awakening BORIS to Evade ALK Inhibition Therapy.

Mechanisms of acquired resistance to ALK inhibition therapy in neuroblastoma have not yet been elucidated. In a recent issue of Nature, Debruyne et al. demonstrate that resistant MYCN-amplified ALK-mutated neuroblastoma cells overexpress BORIS, resulting in wide-ranging changes in chromatin interaction and transcriptional reprogramming.
Sharing DNA-binding information across structurally similar proteins enables accurate specificity determination.

We are now in an era where protein-DNA interactions have been experimentally assayed for thousands of DNA-binding proteins. In order to infer DNA-binding specificities from these data, numerous sophisticated computational methods have been developed. These approaches typically infer DNA-binding specificities by considering interactions for each protein independently, ignoring related and potentially valuable interaction information across other proteins that bind DNA via the same structural domain. Here we introduce a framework for inferring DNA-binding specificities by considering protein-DNA interactions for entire groups of structurally similar proteins simultaneously. We devise both constrained optimization and label propagation algorithms for this task, each balancing observations at the individual protein level against dataset-wide consistency of interaction preferences. We test our approaches on two large, independent Cys2His2 zinc finger protein-DNA interaction datasets. We demonstrate that jointly inferring specificities within each dataset individually dramatically improves accuracy, leading to increased agreement both between these two datasets and with a fixed external standard. Overall, our results suggest that sharing protein-DNA interaction information across structurally similar proteins is a powerful means to enable accurate inference of DNA-binding specificities.
Children With Special Needs: Social Determinants of Health and Care Coordination:

Care coordination (CC) facilitates access to resources/services for children/youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2009-2010 National Survey of CSHCN to examine socioeconomic factors related to report of receiving adequate CC services for CYSHCN. Descriptive statistics were used to describe sociodemographic characteristics of respondents and examine socioeconomic factors. Receiving adequate CC varied by socioeconomic variables including income (100% to 199% federal poverty line [FPL]; aOR [adjusted odds ratio] = 0.848; 95% CI [confidence interval] = 0.722-0.997; P 400% federal poverty level, and 2-parent households. Findings suggest unmet needs in terms of adequate access or knowledge leading to insufficient provision of CC for families with the greatest needs. Further analysis identifying specific deficits and implementing strategies to address these disparities is warranted.
Comparison of early surgical outcomes following anoplasty and limited PSARP for perineal fistula

Background: To present the early surgical outcomes of two different surgical methods for the treatment of perineal fistula in patients with anorectal malformation. Material and Methods: Retrospective chart analysis of patients treated with any of the two surgical approaches for perineal fistula treatment during the newborn period, without a colostomy at Academic and Community Pediatric Surgery Reference Hospital during October 1st, 2015 to December 31st, 2018. Results: Twenty-six out of 57 patients of our database met inclusion criteria during the study period. 15 in the anoplasty group and 11 in the Minimal Posterior Sagittal Anorectoplasty (MPSARP); the anoplasty group had more rate of anoplasty dehiscence (4 partial, 6 total – requiring additional stitches, p = 0.027), versus zero in the MPSARP group, albeit there was 1 superficial perineal dehiscence. All surgeries were performed without a previous colostomy. There were no other surgical complications reported, and there was no difference in age, weight, sacral ratio, and associated malformations. Conclusion: Minimal PSARP can be safely done in the newborn patient with a patent perineal fistula.
Scale-independent calculation of sin2θefflept

Abstract We present a calculation of the electroweak mixing parameter sin2θefflept that incorporates known higher order effects, shares the desirable convergence properties of the MS scheme, and has the important theoretical advantage of being strictly independent of the electroweak scale in finite orders of perturbation theory. We also show how this formulation can be extended to the calculation of the W mass MW. The results provide accurate, scale-independent evaluations of these important parameters, as functions of the Higgs boson mass MH, and are compared with previous calculations in order to analyze the scheme and scale dependence of the electroweak corrections.
Safe Sampling-Based Air-Ground Rendezvous Algorithm for Complex Urban Environments.

Demand for fast and economical parcel deliveries in urban environments has risen considerably in recent years. A framework envisions efficient last-mile delivery in urban environments by leveraging a network of ride-sharing vehicles, where Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) drop packages on said vehicles, which then cover the majority of the distance before final aerial delivery. Notably, we consider the problem of planning a rendezvous path for the UAS to reach a human driver, who may choose between N possible paths and has uncertain behavior, while meeting strict safety constraints. The long planning horizon and safety constraints require robust heuristics that combine learning and optimal control using Gaussian Process Regression, sampling-based optimization, and Model Predictive Control. The resulting algorithm is computationally efficient and shown to be effective in a variety of qualitative scenarios.
An Agile Pipeline for RNA-Seq Data Analysis

Next-generation sequencing provides a more efficient way to characterize the transcriptome; meanwhile, it introduces significant issues for the effective analysis of large-scale sequencing data. To counteract this growing problem, we developed a robust and modular pipeline for examining whole transcriptome sequencing data quickly. Utilizing a Docker for containerization and unanimous cross-platform support, we modularized the pipeline and created a practical, automated structure for pragmatic use. Furthermore, we have developed segregated implementations of the pipeline sections to allow end-users to craft custom pipelines easily. We applied our tool to various datasets and showed that our pipeline offered high-quality sequencing data analysis.
Biology and Distribution of the Macrocoelenterates of Mississippi Sound and Adjacent Waters

Studies conducted in Mississippi Sound from April 1971 through June 1973 elucidated the seasonal and areal distribution of seven species of macrocoelenterates: Aurelia aurita (L), Chrysaora quinquecirrhu (Desor 1848), Pelagia noctiluca Forsk?il 1775, Chiropsalmus quadrumanus (Miiller 1859), Rhopilemu verrillii (Fewkes 1887), Stomolophus meleagris L. Agassiz 1862, and Physuliu physalis (L). Physical parameters presumed relevant to the distribution of each of these animals are presented. Developmental histories of certain of these forms are described.
Nonlinear optical transmission of cyanobacteria-derived optical materials

Abstract Cyanobacteria-derived optical materials for optical limiting applications have been studied in this work. Six samples have been prepared from cyanobacteria including cyanobacteria suspension in water, extracts in water, methanol, and N,N-dimethylformamide, and pyrolyzed cyanobacteria (PCYB) dispersed in dsDNA (sodium salt from salmon testes) solution and sodium dodecyl sulfate solution, respectively. The extracts contain phycocyanin, chlorophyll a, and carotenoids as measured by optical absorption spectroscopy, while the PCYB is a nanostructural composite composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, carbon nanoringes, and multilayer graphenes, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. The optical limiting responses of the samples have been measured at 532 and 756 nm. The PCYB in dsDNA solution has the best limiting performance out of all the cyanobacteria-derived samples. It outperforms carbon black suspension standard at 532 nm and is a broadband limiter, which makes it attractive for optical limiting applications.
A Method for Calculating a Weight Averaged Prediction from Multiple Linear Regression Equations

This study proposes a method for combining regression equations using a relevance network model, a weight generating function, and a generalized mixed operator. The combination of these methods puts a relative weight on the predictions of each of the individual equations and then calculates a weighted average estimate. The method was validated using computer simulation structured within the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). The simulation tests demonstrated that the method is capable of making a prediction that is not significantly different from the true prediction provided the input values for the combined model fall within the valid range of at least one variable. The mean difference between the predictions using the proposed method and the prediction from the true models was less than 9.5 percent of the true model predictions for the complete set of randomized simulations. Prediction accuracy can be improved by increasing the number of variables in an equation and by broadening the width of the variable valid interval, but not necessarily by increasing the number of equations in an equation set. Individually, the number of variables is more influential than variable valid interval width on prediction accuracy.
A Router Architecture for QoS Capable Clusters

Many web servers and database servers make efficient use of clustering from cost, scalability and availability standpoints. Existing cluster interconnects use switching schemes which minimize transmission latency but do not provide any guarantee on the delay (e.g., Wormhole switching). The variety of applications which are run on clusters mandate that the cluster interconnect be capable of handling both best effort and delay bound traffic. A new router architecture capable of providing soft guaranteed service using wormhole switching was proposed. An improved router model with preemption capabilities has also been proposed in literature. In this paper a detailed analysis of the hardware complexity of the preemptive router is presented and some architectural modifications to reduce the hardware complexity of the preemptive router are proposed. An interconnection network simulator has been developed to compare and analyze the performance characteristics of the proposed router architecture.
Wearables/IOT devices: Challenges and solutions to integration of miniature antennas in close proximity to the human body

In this paper, we discuss three challenges associated with antenna integration in platforms such as wearables and IoT. We explore the use PCB-integrated antenna designs in place of chip antennas, and the sensitivity of antenna radiation efficiency to hand model proximity as in a smartwatch usage scenario. Finally we showcase, using an active card reader, the RFI effect of shield proximity to a noisy active component.
Athens, Thrace, and the Shaping of Athenian Leadership

From the mid-sixth to the mid-fourth century BCE a nexus of connections to Thrace defined the careers of several of Athens' most prominent figures, including Pisistratus, Miltiades, Alcibiades and Iphicrates. This book explores the importance of Thrace to these individuals and its resulting significance in the political, cultural and social history of Athens. Thrace was vitally important for Athens thanks to its natural resources and access to strategic waterways, which were essential to a maritime empire, and connections to the area conferred wealth and military influence on certain Athenians and offered them a refuge if they faced political persecution at home. However, Thrace's importance to prominent individuals transcended politics: its culture was also an important draw. Thrace was a world free of Athenian political, social and cultural constraints – one that bore a striking resemblance to the world of Homeric epic.
Soil-Improving Practices for Ecological Weed Management

Weed management in industrial agroecosystems continues to rely heavily on the use of herbicides to minimize weed densities within a given crop growth period. Despite widespread contamination of surface and ground waters, human health concerns, and increasing incidence of herbicide resistance that have emerged over the past twenty years, and increasing research on the ecology of agricultural weeds, herbicide use remains pervasive. Initially, efforts to reduce reliance on herbicides focused on improving efficiency by reducing rates of active ingredient applied and substitution of herbicide applications with cultivation. Efforts to further improve the efficiency of herbicide- and cultivation-based weed management systems has prompted considerable research efforts describing weed density-crop yield loss relationships, providing threshold information which could guide decisions related to the implementation of these practices. Despite their contribution to reducing the herbicide load in agricultural systems, these strategies perpetuate a myopic perspective of weed management — the use of purchased inputs and equipment to reduce weed seedling densities.
Do-not-resuscitate orders, unintended consequences, and the ripple effect

Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders are commonly implemented in the critical care setting as a prelude to end-of-life care. This is often based on presumed prognosis for favorable outcome and interpretation of patient, family, and even physician wishes. While DNR orders explicitly apply only to an individual patient, the hospital culture and milieu in which DNR orders are implemented could potentially have an overall impact on aggressiveness of care across patients. As illustrated by the example of intracerebral hemorrhage, this may unexpectedly influence outcome even in patients without DNR orders in place.
Communicating research findings.

All too often, practically useful psychological interventions and assessments are dismissed because effects are quantified with statistics that are unfamiliar to audiences. Communicating the value of psychological interventions and assessments can be aided by alternative statistical and graphical displays. Here, we discuss “What to Say” and “What to Show” to improve the communication of research findings. Specifically, we discuss the use of ratio statistics, percentages, and natural frequencies for communicating the magnitude of effects. We then discuss different methods for presenting mean differences, bivariate effects, and incremental validity in graphical displays. Finally, we suggest good practices in developing displays, provide resources for interested readers, and describe needed research. Keywords: validity; incremental validity; graphics; decision making
Transients and Cooperativity: A SLOW TRANSITION MODEL FOR RELATING TRANSIENTS AND COOPERATIVE KINETICS OF ENZYMES

A model is proposed to account for the occurrence of both slow transient kinetics and cooperativity in a monomeric, single-site enzyme. This slow transition model incorporates one reaction of the enzyme, in addition to normal catalytic steps, which is slower than other steps in the mechanism and is influenced by substrate. The slow reaction step may be an isomerization (conformation change), a dissociation-association, or binding of another ligand (modifier). Analysis of steady state kinetics and simulation studies for the slow isomerization mechanism have demonstrated that both positive and negative cooperativity can occur with either bursts or lags of enzyme activity. Examination of various combinations of rate constants have illustrated the dependence of cooperativity of the system on changes in certain rate constants. For example, a necessary condition for cooperativity in this model requires that both the binding and the isomerization steps of the mechanism be in a steady state but not at equilibrium. Modifiers could potentially shift the extent or type of cooperativity. The combination of slow transitions with homotropic, sitesite interaction could generate several types of complex, cooperative kinetics. Whenever a transient is observed in a progress curve the contribution of the slow transition model to cooperativity of the kinetics should be assessed. The results of binding studies, initial (pre-transition) velocity measurements, and the effects of factors (e.g. pH, temperature, modifiers) on the half-time of the transient should be capable of determining the extent of the contribution of the slow transition to cooperativity. A table of 10 enzymes which show both transients and cooperativity suggests that these phenomena do occur together and may be related mechanistically through the slow transition mechanism. Thus, in those cases in which a slow transition occurs, the transition may be responsible for nonlinear, double reciprocal plots of the steady state kinetics without requiring interactions between more than one site.
Summary tables of six commercially available entry control and contraband detection technologies.

Existing contraband detection and entry control devices such as metal detectors, X-ray machines, and radiation monitors were investigated for their capability to operate in an automated environment. In addition, a limited number of new devices for detection of explosives, chemicals, and biological agents were investigated for their feasibility for inclusion in future physical security systems. The tables in this document resulted from this investigation, which was part of a conceptual design upgrade for the United States Mints. This summary of commercially available technologies was written to provide a reference for physical security upgrades at other sites.
The production of binucleate mammalian cell population.

Publisher Summary Binucleate cells are potentially useful agents for the study of a wide variety of problems in cell biology. Questions of nuclear-cytoplasmic balance, cell cycle control, mitotic synchrony, and gene dosage effects are but a few examples of topics that can be investigated by means of binucleate cells. Another advantage of binucleate mammalian cells is the frequency with which such cells become tetraploid. The production of binucleate cells is, therefore, a stepping stone to the formation of tetraploidy, another nuclear state of potential usefulness in answering genetic and physiological questions. Binucleate mammalian cells can be induced by treatment with the fungal metabolite, cytochalasin B. Although the mechanisms for the drug's action are not clearly understood, a major consequence in mitotic cells of exposure to cytochalasin B is the inhibition of the completion of cytokinesis.
A comparison of two micromachined inductors (bar-type and meander-type) for fully integrated boost DC/DC power converters

Two micromachined integrated inductors (bar-type and meander-type) are realized on a silicon wafer by using modified, IC-compatible, multilevel metallization techniques. Efforts are made to minimize both the coil resistance and the magnetic reluctance by using thick electroplated conductors, cores, and vias. In the bar-type inductor, a 25 /spl mu/m thick nickel-iron permalloy magnetic core bar is wrapped with 30 /spl mu/m thick multilevel copper conductor lines. For an inductor size of 4 mm/spl times/1.0 mm/spl times/110 /spl mu/m thickness having 33 turns of multilevel coils, the achieved specific inductance is approximately 30 nH/mm/sup 2/ at 1 Mhz. In the meander-type inductor, the roles of conductor wire and magnetic core are switched, i.e., a magnetic core is wrapped around a conductor wire. This inductor size is 4 mm/spl times/1.0 mm/spl times/130 /spl mu/m and consists of 30 turns of a 35 /spl mu/m thick nickel-iron permalloy magnetic core around a 10 /spl mu/m thick sputtered aluminum conductor lines. A specific inductance of 35 nH/mm/sup 2/ is achieved at a frequency of 1 Mhz. Using these two inductors, switched DC/DC boost converters are demonstrated in a hybrid fashion. The obtained maximum output voltage is approximately double an input voltage of 3 V at switching frequencies of 300 kHz and a duty cycle of 50% for both inductors, demonstrating the usefulness of these integrated planar inductors. >
Partitioning approach to find an exact solution to the fitting problem in an application-specific EPLD device

A new routing-driven partitioning approach for fitting a sequential circuit onto limited-connectivity EPLDs (electrically programmable logic devices) is presented. The fitting problem is stated as a graph monomorphism problem. Global, local, and adjacency routing constraints are used to define the partitioning properties of the graph representing chip resources. This approach very effectively limits the solution space of the graph monomorphism problem in the early stages of the search. The program which uses the proposed algorithm to solve the fitting problem for the CY7C361 device, from Cypress Semiconductor, has been implemented and tested. Solutions to a number of problems unsolved by the previous fitter were found. The experimental results are presented. >