cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Better Model for Job Redundancy: Decoupling Server Slowdown and Job Size

Recent computer systems research has proposed using redundant requests to reduce latency. The idea is to replicate a request so that it joins the queue at multiple servers. The request is considered complete as soon as any one copy of the request completes. Redundancy is beneficial because it allows us to overcome server-side variability – the fact that the server we choose might be temporarily slow due to factors such as background load, network interrupts, and garbage collection. When there is significant server-side variability, replicating requests can greatly reduce response times. In the past few years, queueing theorists have begun to study redundancy, first via approximations, and, more recently, via exact analysis. Unfortunately, for analytical tractability, most existing theoretical analysis has assumed an Independent Runtimes (IR) model, wherein the replicas of a job each experience independent runtimes (service times) at different servers. The IR model is unrealistic and has led to theoretical results which can be at odds with computer systems implementation results. This paper introduces a much more realistic model of redundancy. Our model allows us to decouple the inherent job size (X) from the server-side slowdown (S), where we track both S and X for each job. Analysis within the S&X model is, of course, much more difficult. Nevertheless, we design a policy, Redundant-to-Idle-Queue (RIQ) which is both analytically tractable within the S&X model and has provably excellent performance.
Virtual Epidemics as Learning Laboratories in Virtual Worlds

In this article, we put forward the proposal to use virtual epidemics as learning laboratories for players to develop a better understanding of infectious disease, its social implications, and inquiry process. In the case of virtual epidemics, players can use their own experiences and observations of the community to learn about processes of infection and immunity, the interactions of social behavior, and reactions to perceived health risk – investigations difficult to replicate in real life due to ethical considerations. Different learning laboratories can engage students in testing different parameters in epidemic simulations, identifying and developing vaccines, analyzing archival records of past epidemics, and discussing ethical issues. Such laboratories would allow students to become epidemiologists using the very same tools that professional scientists now use to model and study the outbreak of an infectious disease. These are not unreasonable expectations given prior experiences with the virtual epidemic Whypox in Whyville.net, a large-scale virtual world with over 2 million youth ages 10-12 years. This article reviews past research findings and outlines new approaches for students in K-12 education to learn about and with virtual epidemics.
Systematics of the Cosmopolitan Aquatic Genus Elatine

Abstract The cosmopolitan genus Elatine (Elatinaceae) includes about 25 aquatic species of mostly diminutive aquatic plants, whose relationships have not been evaluated using a phylogenetic approach. The taxonomic study of this group has been complicated by the small stature of the plants, their minute reproductive structures, and their cosmopolitan distribution. Consequently, much uncertainty exists with respect to species delimitations, their geographical distributions, and interspecific relationships. To clarify the infrageneric classification of Elatine and to provide insights on interspecific relationships within the genus, we conducted a phylogenetic study of nearly all (24) of the currently recognized species using both morphological and molecular data. The tree topology obtained based on morphological data (including vegetative and reproductive characters) was less-resolved than the trees based on molecular data, derived from either nuclear (ITS) or two plastid regions (matK/trnK and rbcL). Howeve...
What is a singularity in general relativity

The general covariance of relativity theory creates serious difficulties in formulating a suitable definition of a singularity in this theory. We review and, by means of an example, add to these difficulties. We examine the arguments which lead from one's intuitive picture of a singularity as “some quantity's becoming infinite” to the notion of geodesic completeness. Even within the framework of geodesic completeness there is still a great variety of definitions to choose from. It is claimed that none of these definitions is entirely satisfactory.
A Pilot Study Evaluating the Impact of an Adherence-promoting Intervention Among Nonadherent Youth With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Abstract Purpose This study examined the feasibility and impact of a multicomponent adherence intervention among youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) who presented to clinic with poor adherence. Design and Methods Medical providers referred twelve adolescents for the intervention, who participated in 4 weekly visits with a caregiver aimed at improving adherence. Results Intervention session attendance was 100% and the intervention was rated as feasible and acceptable. Mean adherence increased 12% from baseline to post-intervention (p Conclusions Findings suggest that the delivery of a multicompoment adherence intervention to poorly adherent youth with IBD can result in significant improvements in their adherence to oral medication. Practice Implications An intervention individually tailored to each family's unique adherence barriers is a feasible and promising treatment approach for improving medication adherence among nonadherent youth seen in clinical care.
The Transformative Power of Dialogue and Remembrance in Israel/Palestine

Since 1995, members of the Bereaved Families Forum1 have been meeting and talking with one another. This group is comprised of roughly the same number of Israelis and Palestinians (now estimated to be about 600 families in total), all of whom lost a close family member to the violence in the region. Some members joined readily and others more reluctantly.
Exploring a possible role for the MHC Class II accessory molecule H2-O in the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

HLA-DO (DO), or H2-O in mice, is a non-classical, non-polymorphic MHC Class II accessory molecule. Expressed primarily in the thymic medulla and B cells, little is known about its physiological role in vivo . To gain insight of what role DO might have in CD4 T cell selection, our laboratory has previously used in vitro biochemical experiments to show that DO binds peptide-receptive DR1 and enhances binding of DM-insensitive peptides to the HLA-DR1 molecule, while inhibiting the binding of DM-sensitive peptides. These observations led us to hypothesize that in vivo, DO might serve to optimize presentation of immunodominant epitopes in the thymic medulla; thereby ensuring proper negative selection in the thymus. Lack of DO then could lead to faulty negative selection and a larger precursor pool of autoreactive CD4 T cells in the periphery. To test this hypothesis, we utilized H2-O knock-out (KO) mice and the well characterized autoimmune murine model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We found that H2-O KO mice have a faster onset of EAE when compared to C57BL/6 wild-type mice. The rapid onset of the disease correlates with the recovery of larger numbers of MOG tetramer specific CD4 T cells from the CNS of H2-O KO mice at all stages of disease. A comparison of MOG tetramer specific CD4 T cell precursors in naive H2-O KO and H2-O WT mice demonstrated larger numbers of MOG specific CD4 T cells in H2-O KO mice. Our data suggests that loss of DO correlates with an increase in the number of autoreactive MOG CD4 in KO mice likely due to faulty negative selection.
Do Reflexive Software Development Teams Perform Better

Reflexivity, the extent to which teams reflect upon and modify their functioning, is widely recognized as a key factor influencing performance of work teams. The paper proposes that outcome interdependence, defined as the extent to which team members perceive that attainment of goals by their colleagues will facilitate their own goal achievement, will moderate the effect of team reflexivity on its performance. An empirical study with 332 team members of 34 software projects reveals that as predicted team reflexivity and outcome interdependence have both synergistic and antagonistic impacts on team performance. While high outcome interdependence magnified the positive impacts of team reflexivity on its effectiveness, an increase in team reflexivity at low outcome interdependence had a deleterious impact. However, an opposite effect was observed for team efficiency. Further, agile teams demonstrated higher outcome interdependence and team reflexivity, and thereby higher effectiveness, but lower efficiency, compared to teams adopting plan-drive methods of software development. Finally, in general, agile software development projects performed better than plan driven projects for innovative software development, while projects adopting plan-driven methods performed better than agile projects for routine software development.
NONEQUILIBRIUM PHASE CHANGE—1. Flashing Inception, Critical Flow, and Void Development in Ducts

Abstract This chapter will introduce the first concepts of nonequilibrium with emphasis on nucleation and flashing in nozzles, and subsequent void development. Both number and size of bubbles must be accurately determined for initial calculation of flashing void development downstream of restrictions. Void development upstream of a restriction is negligible if the inlet is subcooled. A new method is presented of accurately determining number of nuclei and their size, and shows this results in accurate calculation of downstream void development. The activation criterion developed for site nucleation, different from that developed for subcooled boiling, is one sided due to the uniform superheat. A priactical method of utilizing the activation criterion is then identified. A defined figure-of-merit for the particular fluid solid combination yields minimum nucleation surface energy per site, and allows characteristic site nucleation frequencies, and number densities of nucleation sites of given sizes to be obtained from data. A bubble transport equation is used to predict the number density and size of bubbles at the throat. Throat superheats are calculated with a standard deviation of 1.9K for throat superheats up to ˜100K and expansion rates between 0.2 bar/s to over 1 Mbars, extending previous correlations by more than three orders of magnitude. Throat void fractions for all data found in the literature are less than 1% confirming earlier assumptions and allowing nozzle critical flow rates to be calculated with an accuracy of ˜3%. Accurate calculation of throat superheats allows for correct calculation of throat pressures up to ˜70 bars below saturation, a critical factor in calculating choked flows. A quasi-one-dimensional, five-equation model, developed on a microcomputer, was used to calculate the behavior of flowing, initially subcooled, flashing liquids. Equations for mixture and vapor mass conservation, mixture momentum conservation, liquid energy conservation, and bubble transport were discretized and linearized semi-implicitly, and solved using a successive iteration Newton method. Closure was obtained through simple constitutive equations for friction and spherical bubble growth, and a new nucleation model for wall nucleation in small nozzles combined with an existing model for bulk nucleation in large geometries. Good qualitative and quantitative agreement with experiment confirms the adequacy of the nucleation models in determining both initial size and number density of nuclei. It is shown that bulk nucleation becomes important as the volume-to-surface ratio of the geometry is increased.
Surfactant-assisted fabrication of porous polymeric nanofibers with surface-enriched iron oxide nanoparticles: composite filtration materials for removal of metal cations

We demonstrate a mechanically robust and highly reactive water filter for treatment of cationic heavy metals (lead, copper, cadmium), using a surface-segregating surfactant to fabricate polymer nanofiber composites with embedded, surface-active iron oxide nanoparticles. The single-pot synthesis integrates commercially-available ∼3 nm amorphous iron oxide nanoparticles, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Characterization suggested the benefits of SDS inclusion are two-fold. During electrospinning, SDS surface-segregation facilitates nanoparticle transport to nanofiber surfaces, thereby enhancing iron oxide surface concentration in the composite. Subsequent rinsing in water leads to SDS release from the polymer; thus, SDS also serves as a removable porogen that enhances composite pore volume. Metal removal performance was evaluated via kinetic, isotherm, and pH-edge sorption experiments, with benchmarks to nanofiber supports (unmodified PAN, SDS-modified PAN) and freely dispersed nanoparticles. SDS–iron oxide nanoparticle synergies enhanced the structural integrity and metal uptake capacity of composites. Notably, for the optimal precursor formulation (7 wt% PAN, 2 wt% iron oxide nanoparticles, 1 wt% SDS), embedded nanoparticles exhibited reactivity comparable to that of nanoparticle suspensions. Treatment of lead at drinking water-relevant concentrations (μg L−1) in a flow-through filtration system revealed that a relatively small amount of material can provide an individual's annual drinking water requirement (∼5 g composite per L per day for tap water containing ∼300 μg L−1 Pb), and effective regeneration can be achieved with small volumes of dilute acid (∼0.6 L of 0.1 N HNO3 per g composite). This work demonstrates the potential of surface-segregating surfactants and porogen-assisted fabrication of electrospun composites to allow practical deployment of nanoparticles within stand-alone, reactive filtration devices.
Profiles of Adjustment in Pediatric Cancer Survivors and Their Prediction by Earlier Psychosocial Factors.

Objective To examine individual differences in pediatric cancer survivors' psychosocial adjustment and test the psychosocial predictors, assessed 2-3 years earlier, of those differences. Method Pediatric cancer survivors (n = 209, aged 8-17 years at baseline) and their parents were followed for 4 years. They provided reports of survivors' psychosocial adjustment at 3 years post-baseline, and latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify subgroups of survivors who differed on those reports. Multinomial logistic regression was used to predict group membership from self- and parent-reported psychosocial factors at baseline (child adjustment, disposition, and parental functioning) and at 1 year post-baseline (child social relations). Results The LPA revealed a 3-class model as the best fit: a "Resilient" group (65%), characterized by good psychosocial adjustment; a "Self-Reported At-Risk" group (23%), characterized by subclinical elevations in self-reported internalizing and attention problems; and a "Parent-Reported At-Risk" group (12%), characterized by subclinical elevations in parent-reported internalizing, externalizing, and attention problems and in self-reported attention problems. Several psychosocial predictors, including child posttraumatic stress, affectivity, and connectedness to school, as well as parental distress and overprotection, differentiated the Resilient group from the other groups, in expected directions. Conclusions The majority of pediatric cancer survivors exhibit enduring resilience. The protective factors identified for them-including positive affectivity and strong connectedness to school-may inform targeted prevention strategies for the minority of survivors who are at risk for maladjustment.
Experiences on Teaching Parallel and Distributed Computing for Undergraduates

The recent increase in interest on big data and data intensive computing makes it important for CS undergraduate students to receive education in Parallel and Distributed Computing. The increase in scope and popularity of a CS education often causes the majority undergraduate students to take a whole four year degree to really perceive modern computing challenges; it therefore poses new challenges in teaching parallel computing. At UNC Charlotte, the Parallel and Distributed Computing class is a required class for the Systems, Software, and Network concentration of the BS in Computer Science. As such, it poses particular challenges because the class sees high enrollment, a diverse body of student and is the last opportunity to ensure basic computing skills as all later classes are electives. This paper presents the design choices of this class which focuses on teaching parallelism as opposed to performance through analysis of parallel algorithms, parallel programming in different models, and scalability testing. The paper also presents a set of scaffolded assignments that leverage a PBS cluster for testing. We present feedback from teaching the class during the Fall 2017 semester. In particular we introduced a simple tool to help extracting dependencies on algorithms and compute critical path. And we present student suggestions of assignments that would lead to higher engagement.
FDA Approval Summary: Axicabtagene Ciloleucel for Relapsed or Refractory Large B-cell Lymphoma

In October 2017, the FDA granted regular approval to axicabtagene ciloleucel, a CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, for treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy. Efficacy was based on complete remission (CR) rate and duration of response (DOR) in 101 adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (median 3 prior systemic regimens) treated on a single-arm trial. Patients received a single infusion of axicabtagene ciloleucel, preceded by lymphodepleting chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine. The objective response rate per independent review committee was 72% [95% confidence interval (CI), 62–81], with a CR rate of 51% (95% CI, 41–62). With a median follow-up of 7.9 months, the median DOR was not reached in patients achieving CR (95% CI, 8.1 months; not estimable, NE), whereas patients with partial remission had an estimated median DOR of 2.1 months (95% CI, 1.3–5.3). Among 108 patients evaluated for safety, serious adverse reactions occurred in 52%. Cytokine release syndrome and neurologic toxicities occurred in 94% and 87% of patients, respectively, leading to implementation of a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy.
Society of Toxicology Board of Publications Best Paper Award for 2016.

Isoniazid (INH), the mainstay therapeutic for tuberculosis infection, has been associated with rare but serious hepatotoxicity in the clinic. However, the mechanisms underlying inter-individual variability in the response to this drug have remained elusive. A genetically diverse mouse population model in combination with a systems biology approach was utilized to identify transcriptional changes, INH-responsive metabolites, and gene variants that contribute to the liver response in genetically sensitive individuals. Sensitive mouse strains developed severe microvesicular steatosis compared with corresponding vehicle control mice following 3 days of oral treatment with INH. Genes involved in mitochondrial dysfunction were enriched among liver transcripts altered with INH treatment. Those associated with INH treatment and susceptibility to INH-induced steatosis in the liver included apolipoprotein A-IV, lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1, and choline phosphotransferase 1. These alterations were accompanied by metabolomic changes including reduced levels of glutathione and the choline metabolites betaine and phosphocholine, suggesting that oxidative stress and reduced lipid export may additionally contribute to INH-induced steatosis. Finally, genomewide association mapping revealed that polymorphisms in perilipin 2 were linked to increased triglyceride levels following INH treatment, implicating a role for inter-individual differences in lipid packaging in the susceptibility to INH-induced steatosis. Taken together, our data suggest that INH-induced steatosis is caused by not one, but multiple events involving lipid retention in the livers of genetically sensitive individuals. This work also highlights the value of using a mouse diversity panel to investigate drug-induced responses across a diverse population.
Revisiting hydrological drought propagation and recovery considering water quantity and quality

Climate extremes, in particular droughts, are significant driving forces towards riverine ecosystem disturbance. Drought impacts on stream ecosystems include losses that can be either direct (e.g., destruction of habitat for aquatic species) or indirect (e.g., deterioration of water quality, soil quality, and increased chance of wildfires). This paper combines hydrologic drought and water quality changes during droughts and represents a multistage framework to detect and characterize hydrological droughts while considering water quality parameters. This method is applied to 52 streamflow stations in the state of California, USA, over the study period of 1950–2010. The framework is assessed and validated based on two drought events declared by the state in 2002 and 2008. Results show that there are two opposite drought propagation patterns in northern and southern California. In general, northern California indicates more frequent droughts with shorter time to recover. Chronology of drought shows that stations located in southern California have not followed a specific pattern but they experienced longer drought episodes with prolonged drought recovery. When considering water quality, results show that droughts either deteriorate or enhance water systems, depending on the parameter of interest. Undesirable changes (e.g., increased temperature and decreased dissolved oxygen) are observed during droughts. In contrast, decreased turbidity is detected in rivers during drought episodes, which is desirable in water systems. Nevertheless, water quality deteriorates during drought recovery, even after drought termination. Depending on climatic and streamflow characteristics of the watersheds, it was found that it would take nearly 2 months on average for water quality to recover after drought termination.
Detecting pages to protect in Wikipedia across multiple languages

Wikipedia is based on the idea that anyone can make edits to the website to create reliable and crowd-sourced content. Yet with the cover of internet anonymity, some users make changes to the website that do not align with Wikipedia’s intended uses. For this reason, Wikipedia allows for some pages of the website to become protected, where only certain users can make revisions to the page. This allows administrators to protect pages from vandalism, libel, and edit wars. However, with over five million pages on English Wikipedia, it is impossible for active editors to monitor all pages to suggest articles in need of protection. In this paper, we consider the problem of deciding whether a page should be protected or not in a collaborative environment such as Wikipedia. We formulate the problem as a binary classification task and propose a novel set of features to decide which pages to protect based on (1) users page revision behavior and (2) page categories. We tested our system, called DePP, on four different Wikipedia language versions: English, German, French, and Italian. Experimental results show that DePP reaches at least 0.93 in both AUROC and average precision across the four languages and significantly outperforms baselines. Moreover, DePP works well in a more realistic, unbalanced setting, that is, when unprotected pages are greatly outnumbered by protected pages, by achieving a good AUROC, a high recall and an average precision significantly higher than the baselines in all the settings and languages considered.
Association between C-reactive protein and radiotherapy-related pain in a tri-racial/ethnic population of breast cancer patients: a prospective cohort study

Post-surgery adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) significantly improves clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients; however, some patients develop cancer or treatment-related pain that negatively impacts quality of life. This study examined an inflammatory biomarker, C-reactive protein (CRP), in RT-related pain in breast cancer. During 2008 and 2014, breast cancer patients who underwent RT were prospectively evaluated for pre- and post-RT pain. Pre- and post-RT plasma CRP levels were measured using a highly sensitive CRP ELISA kit. Pain score was assessed as the mean of four pain severity items (i.e., pain at its worst, least, average, and now) from the Brief Pain Inventory. Pain scores of 4–10 were classified as clinically relevant pain. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were applied to ascertain the associations between CRP and RT-related pain. In 366 breast cancer patients (235 Hispanic whites, 73 black/African Americans, and 58 non-Hispanic whites), 17% and 30% of patients reported pre- and post-RT pain, while 23% of patients had RT-related pain. Both pre- and post-RT pain scores differed significantly by race/ethnicity. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, RT-related pain was significantly associated with elevated pre-RT CRP (≥ 10 mg/L) alone (odds ratio (OR) = 2.44; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02, 5.85); or combined with obesity (OR = 4.73; 95% CI = 1.41, 15.81) after adjustment for age and race/ethnicity. This is the first pilot study of CRP in RT-related pain, particularly in obese breast cancer patients. Future larger studies are warranted to validate our findings and help guide RT decision-making processes and targeted interventions.
Blockchain: Security and Confidentiality.

The study reviews different security and confidentiality issues created by the development of blockchain and other related distributed ledger technologies. Implications for law enforcement agencies are considered.
Adrian Ede Flatt (1921-2017).

This article commemorates Dr. Adrian Ede Flatt (Figure 1) for his contributions to the world of hand surgery, helping to form it into the field it is today. He died on October 14, 2017, at the age ...
Graph-based genome alignment and genotyping with HISAT2 and HISAT-genotype

The human reference genome represents only a small number of individuals, which limits its usefulness for genotyping. We present a method named HISAT2 (hierarchical indexing for spliced alignment of transcripts 2) that can align both DNA and RNA sequences using a graph Ferragina Manzini index. We use HISAT2 to represent and search an expanded model of the human reference genome in which over 14.5 million genomic variants in combination with haplotypes are incorporated into the data structure used for searching and alignment. We benchmark HISAT2 using simulated and real datasets to demonstrate that our strategy of representing a population of genomes, together with a fast, memory-efficient search algorithm, provides more detailed and accurate variant analyses than other methods. We apply HISAT2 for HLA typing and DNA fingerprinting; both applications form part of the HISAT-genotype software that enables analysis of haplotype-resolved genes or genomic regions. HISAT-genotype outperforms other computational methods and matches or exceeds the performance of laboratory-based assays. A graph-based genome indexing scheme enables variant-aware alignment of sequences with very low memory requirements.
Effect of Long-Term Aging on Fracture Properties of Virgin and Recycled Asphalt Concrete

Oxidative aging stiffens asphalt in the pavement, raising brittleness, cracking potential, and deterioration of pavement serviceability. Mechanical testing of long-term aged asphalt concrete in the laboratory has shown elevated stiffness, higher failure load (peak load), and reduced fatigue cracking resistance. Among the laboratory mechanical tests used to evaluate mix fatigue resistance and flexibility is the semicircular bend (SCB) test. This study was conducted to determine how the properties of the long-term aged asphalt mixes compare with those from short-term aged asphalt mixes tested under SCB test. Such comparison is important as a decision needs to be made by mix designers as to what aging level to apply when testing asphalt concrete to evaluate fatigue resistance. The mix variables included air void, binder content, and binder stiffness. The properties that were measured, i.e., the response parameters, included fracture energy, load at failure (peak load), mix stiffness, and flexibility index. A large number of mixes including various aggregates, gradations, and binder contents were included in the study. Results showed that long-term oven aging significantly changed flexibility index, peak load, and stiffness of tested specimens. Sensitivity of the parameters to aging was also evaluated in the context of an aging index and defined as the ratio of the measured property after long-term aging to that after short-term aging. In this respect, the aging index did not change as the binder content changed. However, the aging index was sensitive to variations in air void and binder stiffness.
Improving employee emotional and behavioral investments through the trickle-down effect of organizational inclusiveness and the role of moral supervisors

Over two (i.e., a 2 × 2 experiment and a multi-source field study) studies, we propose and demonstrate how employees increase their emotional (i.e., affective commitment) and behavioral (i.e., citizenship behavior) investments in the workplace as a valuable outcome of the trickle-down effect of organizational inclusiveness. We also explain how supervisory moral identity impacts the trickle-down effect. Notably, the research integrates social cognitive theory with the diversity and inclusion literature to enhance our understanding as to how organizations can create a welcoming environment for all organizational members. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
The Trials of Giordano Bruno: 1592 & 1600 - Selected Links and Bibliography

This is a bibliography of links including selected full text of documents related to the trials of Giordano Bruno executed for heresy in 1600. Bruno is considered a forgotten genius of the Renaissance for his teaching of philosophy and science that challenged established Vatican dogma of the time. This bibliography focuses on his two trials including the text of the eight statements which he refused to recant, the procedure of the Roman Inquisition, the summary of his trials from the Vatican archives and additional readings about this inspired magus who so challenged authority that even as he was being burned had his mouth wired shut so he could teach no more.
Managing Video Streaming in Tactical Networks

Tactical networks are by nature resource constrained and unable to handle the bandwidth intensive task of streaming video. Nevertheless, tactical users often desire video streaming as in some cases, it can significantly enhance Situation Awareness. Hence, solutions capable of managing and delivering video resources in degraded environments, especially while balancing out the bandwidth for delivering other critical information, are extremely valuable for tactical applications. In this paper we analyze challenges associated with streaming video in degraded networks and present NetCacher, a video streaming management system specifically designed to overcome these challenges. NetCacher is capable of real time adaptation, providing parallel streaming at different qualities, and caching and forwarding video resources to overcome limitations related to node mobility and network disconnection. This paper also presents an experiment conducted in a simulated environment, aimed at demonstrating adaptive dynamic transcoding and its effect on network stability and bandwidth management.
Artificial Intelligence in Cyber Security

Cybersecurity is the process of protecting computer networks from cyber attacks or unintended unauthorized access. It is the need of the hour. Organizations, businesses, and governments need cybersecurity solutions because cyber criminals pose a threat to everyone. Artificial intelligence promises to be a great solution for this. By combining the strength of artificial intelligence with cybersecurity, security experts are more capable to defend vulnerable networks and data from cyber attackers. This paper provides an introduction to the use of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity.
Gout epidemiology and comorbidities.

Abstract Objective To review the epidemiology of gout and associated comorbidities. Methods We review the key published studies of the epidemiology of gout and associated comorbidities. Results The prevalence of gout ranged 1–4% worldwide and incidence ranged 0.1–0.3%. Gout is more common in men vs. women by 3:1 to 10:1. Gout incidence and prevalence increased by each decade of life, with prevalence increasing to 11–13% and incidence increasing to 0.4% in people older than 80 years. Racial minorities in the U.S., New Zealand Māori, Han Chinese and some ethnic groups in Asia have a higher prevalence of gout. Comorbidities are common in people with gout and complicate its management and disease outcomes. Hypertension is present in up to three-quarters of gout patients and could be in the causal pathway of its association with cardiovascular disease and stroke. Chronic kidney disease of stage 3 or greater severity is present in many patients with gout. Appropriate management can improve both gout and stabilize chronic kidney disease. Whether the association of gout with metabolic syndrome and diabetes is causal is still controversial. Given the biological anti-oxidant effect of serum urate, the association of gout with neurodegenerative disorders is being actively explored. Conclusions Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in adults worldwide, with a disproportionate burden of disease in men, the elderly and racial/ethnic minorities. Comorbidities in gout are very common and add further to the disease morbidity and make its management challenging.
Variations in postoperative opioid prescribing by day of week and duration of hospital stay.

Abstract Background Studies demonstrate wide variation in postoperative opioid prescribing and that patients are at risk of chronic opioid abuse after surgery. The factors that influence prescribing, however, remain obscure. This study investigates whether day of the week or the postoperative day at the time of discharge impacts prescribing patterns. Methods We identified patients who underwent commonly performed procedures at our institution from January 2014 through April 2019 and analyzed the relationship between postoperative opioids prescribed (oral morphine milligram equivalents) and both the day of the week and the postoperative day at discharge. Results In ambulatory operations (n = 13,545), each day progressing from Monday was associated with increased morphine milligram equivalents prescribed on discharge (P = .0080). For inpatient cases (n = 10,838), surgeons prescribed more morphine milligram equivalents at discharge in the latter half of the week and during the weekend (P = .0372). Every additional postoperative day at discharge was associated with a +19.25 morphine milligram equivalent prescribed (P Conclusion More opioids were prescribed on discharges later in the week and after prolonged hospital stays perhaps to avoid patients running out of medication. Providers may unintentionally allow such non-clinical factors to influence postoperative opioid prescribing. Increased awareness of these inadvertent biases may help decrease excess prescribing of potentially addicting opioids after an operation.
Abstinence-reinforcing contingency management improves HIV viral load suppression among HIV-infected people who use drugs: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background HIV-infected people who use drugs (PWUD) have poor HIV outcomes. Few studies tested interventions to improve HIV outcomes among PWUD. Abstinence-reinforcing contingency management (CM) reduces drug use and could also improve HIV outcomes. Methods From 2012–2017, we conducted a randomized controlled trial testing whether a 16-week abstinence-reinforcing CM intervention improved HIV viral load (VL) among HIV-infected adults using opioids or cocaine. In the CM intervention, drug-free urines led to escalating value of vouchers ($2.50-$80/voucher, $1320 total maximum). In intention-to-treat mixed-effects linear and logistic regression analyses, we examined whether the CM intervention improved log10 VL (primary outcome), abstinence and antiretroviral adherence (secondary outcomes). Results Thirty-seven participants were randomized to the CM intervention and 36 to control. Median age was 49.2 years; most were male (61.6%) and non-Hispanic black (46.6%). In CM (vs. control) participants, mean reduction in log10 VL was greater (−0.16 log10 VL copies/mL per 4-week period; 95% CI: −0.29 to −0.03, p Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate improvements in HIV VL via an abstinence-reinforcing CM intervention. Because the CM intervention did not significantly affect abstinence or adherence, the mechanism of its effect is unclear. To end the HIV epidemic, innovative strategies must address individuals with poor HIV outcomes. Abstinence-reinforcing CM may be one potential strategy to improve HIV outcomes among a select group of PWUD.
Patterns of Asthma Medication Use across the Transition to High School.

OBJECTIVE Adherence to asthma controller medications is suboptimal among adolescents. We evaluated predictors of adherence and longitudinal patterns of medication use between 8th and 10th grade among a sample of youth of diverse race/ethnicity. METHODS Eighth graders with asthma on controller medications (N = 62; 40.0% non-Latino white; 23.7% Black; 37.3% Latino; 37.3% female) completed measures of medication beliefs, responsibility for asthma management, and family cohesion. Objective methods tracked medication use longitudinally. RESULTS Adherence declined during the high school transition, from 48.0% in eighth grade to 34.1% in tenth grade (F = 5.35, p < .01). Males had lower adherence (b = -10.11, SE = 5.37, p = .02, f2 = 0.11), as did Latino youth (b = -12.21, SE = 8.23, p = .03, f2 = 0.12). Family cohesion was associated with higher adherence (b = 4.38, SE = 1.98, p = .04, f2 = 0.06). Latent class models (LCMs) suggested a three-class model of longitudinal adherence patterns. This included low, declining adherence (Class 1 = 29%; higher proportion male, p = .02), high, sustained adherence (Class 2 = 26%, high family cohesion, p = .05, higher proportion female, p = .02), and low, sustained adherence (Class 3 = 45%; higher proportion Latino, p = .05, higher proportion male, p = .02). CONCLUSIONS Asthma medication adherence declined between 8th and 10th grade. LCMs indicated some youth have stable patterns of adherence (high or low), whereas others demonstrate declines. Gender differences were observed, and family cohesion was associated with higher, sustained adherence. Interventions building on family resources and targeting the barriers adolescents face are necessary to improve asthma management during this vulnerable period.
Olanzapine Administration Reduces Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea Behavior in Rats:

Nausea and vomiting are consistently identified among the most distressing side effects of chemotherapy. In recent years, Olanzapine (OLZ) treatment was added to anti-emetic guidelines as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), despite little available data supporting a mechanism behind the positive benefits of the drug. Here, we examine whether OLZ reduces cisplatin chemotherapy-induced side effects on food intake and pica behavior in rats (i.e., kaolin intake, a proxy for nausea/emesis). Behavioral experiments tested whether systemic or hindbrain administration of OLZ ameliorated cisplatin-induced pica, anorexia, and body weight loss in rats. We also tested whether systemic OLZ reduces cisplatin-induced neuronal activation in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC), a hindbrain region controlling emesis. Lastly, given their role in regulating feeding and emesis, circulating ghrelin levels and central mRNA expression levels of serotonin (HT) receptor subunits, including 5-HT2C, were measured in brain regions that regulate CINV and energy balance in an exploratory analysis to investigate potential mediators of OLZ action. Our results show that both systemic and hindbrain administration of OLZ attenuated cisplatin-induced kaolin intake and body weight loss, but not anorexia. Systemic OLZ decreased cisplatin-induced c-Fos immunofluorescence in the DVC and prevented cisplatin-induced reductions in circulating ghrelin levels. IP OLZ also blocked cisplatin-induced increases in Htr2c expression in DVC and hypothalamic micropunches. These data suggest hindbrain exposure to OLZ is sufficient to induce reductions in cisplatin-induced pica and that central serotonergic signaling, via 5-HT2C, and changes in circulating ghrelin may be potential mediators of olanzapine anti-emetic action.
Women and unequal voice in governors’ races: a study of campaign contributions

This research note investigates women’s political participation and political influence as donors for contests typically neglected by American politics researchers: gubernatorial elections. Our ori...
Photofrin Uptake as a Function of Tumor Size and the Detection of Microscopic Nests of Tumor Cells by Photofrin Fluorescence

Detection of subcutaneous microscopic nests of tumor cells by the fluorescence of the photosensitizer Photofrin has been reported in breast cancer patients. The detection sensitivity problem posed by these results will be discussed and a solution examined in light of the published data on Photofrin uptake as a function of tumor size. The uptake data as a function of tumor mass offers an interesting insight into the unexpected detection sensitivity of the fluorescence method and the mechanism of action of photodynamic therapy.
Proteasomes: Isolation and Activity Assays

In eukaryotes, damaged or unneeded proteins are typically degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. In this system, the protein substrate is often first covalently modified with a chain of ubiquitin polypeptides. This chain serves as a signal for delivery to the 26S proteasome, a 2.5-MDa, ATP-dependent multisubunit protease complex. The proteasome consists of a barrel-shaped 20S core particle (CP) that is capped on one or both of its ends by a 19S regulatory particle (RP). The RP is responsible for recognizing the substrate, unfolding it, and translocating it into the CP for destruction. Here we describe simple, one-step purifications scheme for isolating the 26S proteasome and its 19S RP and 20S CP subcomplexes from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well as assays for measuring ubiquitin-dependent and ubiquitin-independent proteolytic activity in vitro.
Method of Moments

To enable nonexperts in the field to quickly gain some understanding of the method of moments (MoM), the basic principle of the MoM technique is described by an analogy with numerical integration. Then a simple 2D scattering from an infinite conducting cylinder is considered to show the beginner how to formulate a problem and obtain the integral equations to be solved using the method of moments. Formulations for the problem of multihomogeneous dielectric materials are considered. Different possible formulations are presented and discussed. The problems involved in some formulations for conducting objects and how to overcome them are discussed. More detailed reading on different MoM applications is available in the literature listed in the Bibliography at the end of the article. Keywords: method of moments; integral equations; scattering; frequency domain; time domain; dielectric resonators; multilayers; microwave circuits
General 3D acquisition and tracking of dot targets on a Mars rover prototype

In June and July 2003 two Mars Exploration Rovers were launched to the Red Planet. Back on Earth, engineering-model rovers were driven on a mock Mars landscape in a large indoor sandbox. Characterizing their complete 6-DOF motion was accomplished by automatically acquiring dot targets mounted on their clattered, upper surfaces from any position and orientation within the sandbox using a system of 12 ceiling-mounted cameras. A least-squares, n-camera, triangulation technique was used to attain typical 3D accuracies of 1-2 cm within the 22m /spl times/ 9m test area.
Abstract W P155: Antiplatelet Therapy Benefit in Secondary Stroke Prevention in Patients With Suboptimally Controlled Treatable Cerebrovascular Risk Factors

Objective: To assess the impact of antiplatelet therapy for secondary stroke prevention in patients with suboptimally controlled treatable cerebrovascular risk factors per guidelines. Results: Of the 1755 patients, 219 (12.47%) patients had a second stroke event between November 2006-December 2012. Mean age of this group of patients was 66.4 years old with male predominance (M:F=1.5:1). 192 (88%) patients were on antiplatelet therapy at the time of the second stroke. 27 (12 %) were not on antiplatelet therapy. Of the total cohort, treatable risk factors were poorly controlled in 130 (59%) patients: 121 (55%) hypertension; 78 (36%) hyperlipidemia, 44 (20%) diabetes. Antiplatelet agents included aspirin, clopidogrel alone or in combination with aspirin, and extended-release dipyridamole. The data showed no significant difference among antiplatelet agents for secondary stroke prevention (p<0.05). Stroke classification was as follows: 162 (74%) ischemic and 57 (26%) hemorrhagic. Categories of ischemic stroke ...
"SINO" VS. "SINO QUE" EN EL ESPAÑOL HABLADO CULTO

L'A. examine l'alternance dans l'emploi de sino et sino que dans la langue parlee cultivee dans onze villes espagnoles et sud-americaines. Le corpus est constitue d'entretiens enregistres in situ depuis la fin des annees 60 jusqu'au debut des annees 80. Les enregistrements sont constitues par quatre types de discours: entretien dirige, dialogue libre, enregistrement secret d'un dialogue spontane, discours formels (salle de classe, conferences,etc.)
The effect of family ownership and control on equity-based compensation: Evidence from S&P SmallCap firms

Purpose – Small public family firms apply contracting differently given the peculiar motivations of founding families and the degree to which they monitor operations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of family ownership, control, and CEO dividends on CEO incentive compensation. Design/methodology/approach – The sample consisted of 194 firms, covering about 40 percent of the relevant S&P SmallCap 600 firms. Employed were a logistic regression of the presence of incentive compensation plan and a panel regression of incentive compensation ratio against the family ownership, family CEO, CEO ownership, and dividend income variables as well as firm-specific and CEO-specific control variables. Findings – For 1,532 firm-year observations among S&P SmallCap600 index firms during 1999-2007, the authors found that family ownership and CEO dividend income ratio negatively related to the likelihood of an incentive compensation plan and to the ratio of equity-based compensation to total CEO pay. Addi...