cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of circulation data from a wake vortex lidar

The following paper presents the rationale and procedures used to estimate wake vortex circulation from data collected by a continuous-wave, 10.6 micron, coherent laser radar as well as selected results. These data have been collected during fieldings at Memphis, TN in December 1994 and August 1995. Since the lidar measures line-of-sight (LOS) velocities, there is the potential for a bias of the circulation estimate of a vortex due to the velocity field of the neighboring, counter-rotating, vortex. An analytical expression is developed for the size of this effect for the case of the lidar looking straight up at a pair of vortices and a numerical model is developed for the case of the lidar observing a pair of equal altitude vortices at an arbitrary angle. The impact on LOS velocity determination from the spectral spreading of the lidar is also considered and an algorithm is developed which attempts to compensate for this effect. Comparisons of the averaged estimated vortex circulation for various individual aircraft are made with the initial theoretical circulation. Initial vortex circulations estimated from larger sets of aircraft measurements are also compared with theoretical expectations. As an independent confirmation of the circulation estimation procedure, "virtual" lidar scans are numerically performed across vortex velocity fields generated from NASA computational models and the circulation estimates are compared with the actual circulations of the velocity field data. Finally, as an example of how the vortex circulation results can be analyzed, normalized circulation data is compared with the predictions from a model which accounts for atmospheric density profiles.
The Femoral Lengthening by Callotasis Method Using the Orthofix.

We reported the experience of femoral lengthening by using the Orthofix in five patients. Two patients were male and three were female, whose ages ranged from 12 to 18 years (mean, 14 years). Leg length discrepancy before operation ranged from 2.3 to 8.0cm (mean, 4.3±2.0cm). After performing the subperiosteal osteotomy by bone saw, the femur was distracted 0.5cm two times daily. The gained lengthening ranged from 2.5 to 8.5cm (mean, 4.5±1.9cm). The healing index ranged from 28.0 to 42.4 (mean, 37.1±5.4). Most serious complication was subluxation of the hip joint after 8.5cm lengthening. The subuluxation was reduced by intertrochanteric varus osteotomy. The femoral lengthening by callotasis was a satisfactory procedure for the adolescent patient.
EFFECTS OF CROSS AND SELF-FERTILIZATION ON PROGENY FITNESS IN LOBELIA CARDINALIS AND L. SIPHILITICA.

Inbreeding depression, or the decreased fitness of progeny derived from self-fertilization as compared to outcrossing, is thought to be the most general factor affecting the evolution of self-fertilization in plants. Nevertheless, data on inbreeding depression in fitness characters are almost nonexistent for perennials observed in their natural environments. In this study I measured inbreeding depression in both survival and fertility in two sympatric, short-lived, perennial herbs: hummingbird-pollinated Lobelia cardinalis (two populations) and bumblebee-pollinated L. siphilitica (one population). Crosses were performed by hand in the field, and seedlings germinated in the greenhouse. Levels of inbreeding depression were determined for one year in the greenhouse and for two to three years for seedlings transplanted back to the natural environment. Fertility was measured as flower number, which is highly correlated with seed production under natural conditions in these populations. Inbreeding depression was assessed in three ways: 1) survival and fertility within the different age intervals; 2) cumulative survival from the seed stage through each age interval; and 3) net fertility, or the expected fertility of a seed at different ages. Net fertility is a comprehensive measure of fitness combining survival and flower number. In all three populations, selfing had nonsignificant effects on the number and size of seeds. Lobelia siphilitica and one population of L. cardinalis exhibited significant levels of inbreeding depression between seed maturation and germination, excluding the consideration of possible differences in dormancy or longterm viability in the soil. There was no inbreeding depression in subsequent survival in the greenhouse in any population. In the field, significant survival differences between selfed and outcrossed progeny occurred only in two years and in only one population of L. cardinalis. For both survival and fertility there was little evidence for the expected differences among families in inbreeding depression. Compared to survival, inbreeding depression in fertility (flower number) tended to be much higher. By first-year flower production, the combined effects on survival and flower number caused inbreeding depression in net fertility to reach 54%, 34% and 71% for L. siphilitica and the two populations of L. cardinalis. By the end of the second year of flowering in the field, inbreeding depression in net fertility was 53% for L. siphilitica and 54% for one population of L. cardinalis. For the other population of L. cardinalis, these values were 76% through the second year of flowering and 83% through the third year. Such high levels of inbreeding depression should strongly influence selection on those characters affecting self-fertilization rates in these two species.
The effects of automated registration on aberration measurement with the LADARWave aberrometer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of automating the registration process for wavefront measurement using the LADARWave aberrometer. Measures of interest include accuracy, repeatability, and speed of measurement. METHODS: Five separate registration images were collected for each of eight eyes of four individuals with varying iris color using the LADARWave aberrometer. Technicians manually aligned the images and the autoregistration feature was used to align the same images. Time, accuracy, and repeatability of the alignment were measured using objective techniques. The potential effect on positional error was evaluated using a retrospective reprocessing of LADARWave data from an existing sample dataset. RESULTS: Autoregistration was the fastest method of alignment, from five to seven times faster than manual registration. It was also the most consistent, with the lowest pupil/limbus offset error (45 microm). Technicians averaged 48 to 91 microm. The differences in wavefronts used to generate the composite wavefront image for surgery export were 18% lower with autoregistration. CONCLUSIONS: The autoregistration feature of the LADARWave aberrometer not only removes inter-technician variability, but reduces the time to perform image alignments and improves the consistency of the alignments. This helps reduce errors related to wavefront position, potentially improving outcomes.
Reduction of calcium release site models via optimized state aggregation

Markov chain models of calcium release sites in living cells exhibit stochastic dynamics reminiscent of the experimentally observed phenomenon of calcium puffs and sparks. Such models often take the form of stochastic automata networks in which the transition probabilities for each of a large number of intercellular channel models depend on the local calcium concentration and thus the state of nearby channels. The state-space size in such compositionally defined calcium release site models increases exponentially as the number of channels increases, which is referred to as “state-space explosion”. In order to overcome the state-space explosion problem, we utilized the idea of “coarse graining” and implemented an automated procedure that reduces the state space by aggregating and lumping states of the full release site model. For a given state aggregation scheme, the transition rates between reduced states are chosen consistent with the conditional probability distribution among states within each group. A genetic algorithm-based approach is then applied to select the state aggregation schemes that lead to reduced models that approximate the observable behaviors of the full model. The genetic algorithm-based approach is implemented in Matlab®; and applied to two different release site models. The approach found reduced models that approximate the full model in the number of open channels, spark statistics, and the jump probability matrix as a function of time. A novel automated genetic algorithm-based searching technique is implemented to find reduced calcium release site models that approximate observable behaviors of the full Markov chain models that possess intractable state-spaces. As compared to the full model, the reduced models produce quantitatively similar results using significantly less computational resources.
Human Papillomavirus for Cervical Pathology

Human papillomaviruses are oncoviruses with estimated 100 distinct genotypes and are related to skin and/or mucosal proliferative disorders. Certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) affect specific tissue sites, for example, HPV 1, 2, 4, and 7 cause benign skin papillomas (wart) only. Related to gynecological cancers, approximately 30 types of anogenital HPV can be spread though sexual interactions and are further subclassified into high and low risk groups. Human cervical cancers including all squamous and most, if not all, adenocarcinomas are induced by distinct groups of the high-risk genital HPVs including HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, and 51. In contrast, low-risk HPV subtypes including HPV 6 and 11 are principally associated with anal-genital condyloma.
Occurrence and scale of compositional heterogeneity in Martian dune fields: Toward understanding the effects of aeolian sorting on Martian sediment compositions

Abstract Aeolian transport and hydrodynamic sorting have been proposed to be a significant influence on Martian sediment bulk compositions, through laboratory experiments, modeling and terrestrial analogies. But to date, few studies have directly examined compositional-grain size relationships within sediment fields on Mars; thus the prevalence of hydrodynamic sorting as well as the scales at which sorting is important remain poorly understood. To that end, we assessed the degree and occurrence of thermophysical and compositional heterogeneity for 25 dune fields within a ∼42,000,000 km2 area on Mars. Among these, only four exhibit spatial heterogeneity in spectral properties and composition. Two of these four sites show a strong positive relationship between particle size and olivine abundance. The rarity of compositional heterogeneity within dune fields in our study region (5–185°E, 45°N–20°S) may indicate phenocryst-poor source rocks; alternatively, sorting within individual bedforms may be present but not at the scale of the full dune field (∼10–20 km). Compositional segregation correlated with grain size due to hydrodynamic sorting has been observed by rovers at scales much smaller than THEMIS ground resolution (100 m/pixel); thus these small scales might be the operable, relevant ones of hydrodynamic compositional sorting prevailing most commonly in Martian dune fields.
Exploring nursing student and faculty perceptions of incivility in the online learning environment

Objective : The purpose of the study was to explore student and faculty perspectives regarding what constitutes incivility in the online learning environment (OLE). Online learning is increasingly prevalent in nursing education. Scant research describes characteristics of OLEs contributing to, or inhibiting, learning or affecting civility among learners/faculty. Educators must effectively manage uncivil behavior to reduce incivility in learning and work environments. Attribution theory is helpful in examining issues related to incivility. Methods and Results : Faculty (n = 34) and students (n = 44) reported perceptions of what constitutes incivility via an online survey, the Incivility in the Online Learning Environment (IOLE), an instrument described by Clark and colleagues. The groups reported somewhat different perceptions of the extent of incivility experienced but agreed on identification of uncivil behaviors. Both groups agreed that rude comments and name calling were definitely uncivil, however, several areas of disagreement existed between faculty and student groups as to other types of behaviors. For example, lack of timely feedback on assignments and an unclear syllabus were seen as incivility by students. High internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha of .98 on the faculty scale, and .96 on the student scale) was obtained for the IOLE in this sample. Qualitative comments regarding suggested ways to promote civility were similar from both groups, including role modeling and penalizing incivility; students emphasize the need for clearly stated course requirements. Conclusions : Best practices are essential for developing/delivering online courses and in orienting faculty and students regarding expectations for professional behavior online. Faculty development should focus on using best practices to ensure online courses incorporate essential components enabling accessibility and efficiency for students navigating through them. Attention to this unique and increasingly typical learning environment is essential to the goal of prevention of incivility in both learning environments and subsequently in workplaces.
3D, a Novel Mutation That Confers Defective Sensing by Toll-Like Receptors 3, 7 and 9.

The mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs) comprise a key interface between cells of the host and all classes of microbial pathogen. By sensing nucleic acids, the endosomal TLRs 3, 7, and 9 play a particularly important role in the detection of viral infection, and permit the host to mount an immediate and efficacious anti-viral response. In an effort to identify novel components of the TLR signaling apparatus, we have pursued a program of germline saturation mutagenesis with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) in mice. The germline mutants are produced on the C57BL/6 background, and peritoneal macrophages from individual animals are screened for their competence to respond to TLR-dependent microbial inducers. A strong phenodeviant called 3d was identified in the F3 generation as a non-responder to nucleoside-based molecules such as unmethylated CpG oligodeoxynucleotides, Resiquimod (a drug of the imidazoquinoline class) and Poly I:C. TNFa production induced by TLRs 3, 7, and 9 was completely prevented in 3d homozygotes. However, heterozygotes were unaffected, and the ability to produce TNFa in response to other bacterial compounds, sensed by TLRs 1, 2, 4, and 6, was intact. 3d homozygotes show extreme susceptibility to infection by mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection in vivo. After IP inoculation with MCMV (10 4 PFU), 3d mutants showed impaired production of type I and type II interferons, TNF, and IL-12 in serum (p 5 PFU) a splenic viral titer approximately ten-thousand fold higher than that in controls (p 3d mutation was mapped to mouse chromosome 19 using a panel of microsatellite markers and at present, has been confined to 0.4 a Mbp critical region on 3000 meioses. 3d appears to encode a protein essential for TLR-mediated detection of nucleic acids, which is indispensable for effective innate defense against viral infection.
A qualitative approach exploring the acceptability of yoga for minorities living with arthritis: 'Where are the people who look like me?'

Objectives To examine the acceptability of yoga research tailored to recruit and retain a minority population (both English and Spanish speaking) with arthritis. Yoga research for arthritis often underrepresents minorities and acceptability for this population has not previously been investigated.
Quantum Zeno Effects from Measurement Controlled Qubit-Bath Interactions.

The Zeno and anti-Zeno effects are features of measurement-driven quantum evolution where frequent measurement inhibits or accelerates the decay of a quantum state. Either type of evolution can emerge depending on the system-environment interaction and measurement method. In this experiment, we use a superconducting qubit to map out both types of Zeno effect in the presence of structured noise baths and variable measurement rates. We observe both the suppression and acceleration of qubit decay as repeated measurements are used to modulate the qubit spectrum causing the qubit to sample different portions of the bath. We compare the Zeno effects arising from dispersive energy measurements and purely dephasing ``quasimeasurements,'' showing energy measurements are not necessary to accelerate or suppress the decay process.
Tone in the Makonde dialects: Chimahuta

This paper expands the descriptive study of tone in the Makonde dialects, started in Odden [1990], by studying the Chimahuta dialect. Like the Chimaraba dialect and a number of closely related Bantu languages of Southern Tanzania, Chimahuta verbs lack lexical tone properties, and all tones appearing on the surface in verbs arise as a consequence of rules of tone insertion, docking, spreading, and deletion.
Exosomes, DAMPs and miRNA: Features of Stress Physiology and Immune Homeostasis

Psychological/physical stressors and local tissue damage increase inflammatory proteins in tissues and blood in humans and animals, in the absence of pathogenic disease. Stress-evoked cytokine/chemokine responses, or sterile inflammation, can facilitate host survival and/or negatively affect health, depending on context. Recent evidence supports the hypothesis that systemic stress-evoked sterile inflammation is initiated by the sympathetic nervous system, resulting in the elevation of exosome-associated immunostimulatory endogenous danger/damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and a reduction in immunoinhibitory miRNA, which are carried in the circulation to tissues throughout the body. We propose that sterile inflammation should be considered an elemental feature of the stress response and that circulating exosomes transporting immunomodulatory signals, may play a role fundamental role in immune homeostasis.
Resonant tunneling diodes for feeding antenna-structures for terahertz source applications

Resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) have negative differential resistance (NDR) that enables them to produce power at several terahertz (THz). In this paper, an AlAs/GaAs/AlAs RTD is optimized for maximum output power and large negative differential resistance to improve matching to the antenna. Simulations for the designed RTD are based on the quantum-mechanical global coherent model.
Sequential implicit nonlinear solver for geothermal simulation

Abstract Modeling of thermal multiphase fluid flow in subsurface porous media poses significant difficulties for nonlinear solvers. These difficulties are a result of the strong coupling between the mass and energy conservation equations through the thermodynamic relationships. In particular, for geothermal problems, this tight coupling results in an apparent “negative compressibility” for cells (control volumes) that have two fluid phases (liquid and vapor) during the time interval of interest. This behavior is associated with the flow of cold water into a cell that is at saturated conditions. As steam condensation occurs, the reduction in fluid volume due to the phase change is larger than the expansion of the liquid and vapor due to injection. As a result, the cell pressure decreases as condensation proceeds. This pressure decrease leads to an increase in the inflow of cold water until the condensation is complete. During the condensation period, the overall compressibility of the system is negative, and this poses serious convergence problems even when a fully implicit (i.e., backward Euler) time discretization is used. In order to deal with this problem, nonlinear solvers must be modified. In this work, we present a nonlinear solution strategy that overcomes the negative compressibility associated with the condensation front. We first consider a single-cell problem that demonstrates the negative compressibility phenomenon. Then, we describe a solution strategy that overcomes the nonlinear convergence difficulties. We then derive a criterion that can be used as a nonlinear preconditioning strategy to solve multicell problems. The effectiveness of the proposed nonlinear solution scheme is then demonstrated for more complex models. It was found that for one-dimensional problems, this nonlinear solution strategy converges for all timesteps sizes, while the fully coupled strategy only converges for a limited sized timestep. Furthermore, for a two-dimensional heterogeneous problem, the largest Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy (CFL) number for this method is at least an order of magnitude larger than the CFL number that can be used with the fully coupled approach.
Advances in POE Methods: An Overview

Design research should now be differentiated into Pre-Design Research (PDR) and Post-Occupancy Evaluations (POEs). While most methods overlap, the different purposes of these two types of research influence selection of methods and analyses and modify methods to suit each. Simulation is the only method peculiar just to PDR and is rapidly advancing to a micro stage through electronic advances. The self-report controversy continues for all methods that use self-report forms of answers. The newest field, the transactional approach, also stirs controversy. Industry and government clients are preferring expert and focused groups and these may be in danger of crowding out the more tried methods of social science.
New agents for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia : Focus on topotecan and retinoids

Topotecan and retinoids are among the most promising agents being evaluated for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB), and refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation (RAEB-t). Single-agent topotecan is similar to single-agent ara-C, but may be superior in patients with poor-prognosis chromosome abnormalities (ie, -5,-7). Topotecan plus ara-C is equivalent to topotecan alone in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), but significantly more effective in RAEB and RAEB-t. Compared with single-agent ara-C, the complete remission (CR) rate with topotecan plus ara-C is comparable, although it offers special advantages in patients with the -5,-7 karyotype. In patients with poor-prognosis cytogenetics, the combination of cyclophosphamide, ara-C, and topotecan, plus all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) appears favorable. In a recent study of triple-agent chemotherapy using fludarabine, ara-C, and idarubicin, with or without ATRA and G-CSF, median survival among poor-prognosis patients was 6-7 months, but those who received ATRA did better than those who did not, primarily because it improved survival in those who did not achieve CR. G-CSF produced higher CR rates but had no effect on survival or disease-free survival.
2.4 – Biological Membranes

This chapter begins with an overview of membrane structure and function: membranes separate compartments and consist of a lipid bilayer core in which proteins are embedded. It then details the chemical nature of the lipid component of biological membranes, considering the relative proportion of phospholipids, cardiolipins, and cholesterol, and then discussing the components of phospholipids. The amphipathic character of lipids is discussed. The energetics of surfaces is discussed, particularly the surface tension as energy per unit area or force per unit length, and how lipids at the air–water interface reduce surface tension. This is given as a rationale for the minimum energy configuration of lipid bilayers in aqueous media. The motion of lipids within the bilayer is discussed, and how proteins are inserted into membranes is also discussed. The mechanism of synthesis of secreted proteins is described.
Amyloid Beta and the Cerebral Vasculature

The vascular pattern of amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition in the brain is commonly referred to as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) (1). CAA is an important cause of cerebral hemorrhages and may lead to ischemic infarction and dementia (2). A pure form of CAA, without parenchymal lesions, has been documented in hereditary cerebral hemorrhage, Dutch type, sporadic idiopathic CAA and in cerebrovascular malformations (3, 4, 5). Cerebrovascular amyloid deposition is associated with aging, and CAA is an important feature of several disorders associated with mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene, as well as in Down’s syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (6, 7, 8). Indeed, CAA is a key pathologic finding in 80–90% of AD cases (9,10). A recent study of 201 autopsy cases of elderly Japanese shows that the incidence and severity of CAA are significantly higher in AD cases compared to non-AD cases (11). Also, some genetic risk factors associated with the AD are involved in the pathogenesis of CAA, including apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotype, presenilin 1, and apantichymotrypsin (12, 13, 14).
Fundamentals of Electrosurgery Part II: Thermal Injury Mechanisms and Prevention

Surgeons who work with electrosurgical equipment should be knowledgeable about the basic principles of electrosurgery, risks to patients and personnel, and measures to minimize these risks. They should be aware of the hazards associated with smoke in the OR environment and should understand the factors that can lead to OR fires and the proper corrective actions to be taken in the event of a fire- or electrosurgical-related injury.
Spatial Thinking and Learning Astronomy: The Implicit Visual Grammar of Astronomical Paradigms

As several previous speakers have noted, astronomers are a rare breed. Even though we represent the oldest science, we are as rare as poets. The fact that our discipline is so distinct suggests that it should also have its peculiar pedagogical problems. I have been attempting to understand a pervasive element of all astronomical thinking — the use of spatial imagination to link celestial phenomena to terrestrial analogs. My work has two components — a theoretical explication of astronomical thinking and some practical use of these ideas in teaching situations. If one looks at some of the fundamental “facts” discovered by astronomers, we will find that we often do not, in fact, directly verify our discoveries as scientists supposedly do. Primary astronomical “truths” such as the sphericity of the Earth, the heliocentric orbit of the Earth, the identification of the stars as distant suns, and the recognition that galaxies are enormous collections of stars, were not discovered by direct verification. Thus, we note that the Greeks discovered the Earth’s sphericity nearly two millennia before its circumnavigation and that only a few thousand very bright stars in nearby galaxies have been resolved in our largest telescopes. Some of the primary objects of astronomical discourse, then, are not perceptible objects, but objects created by the spatial imagination.
Bioavailability, Distribution and Pharmacokinetics of Diethylstilbestrol Produced from Stilphostrol

The kinetic behavior of diethylstilbestrol (DES) produced from stilphostrol has been studied in man, dog and rat. A sensitive and selective assay for DES in plasma and tissues has been developed with the use of gas chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection. In patients with prostate cancer, the plasma concentrations of DES produced by 1,000-mg. infusions of stilphostrol are 1,500 times the DES concentrations produced by conventional oral DES doses. The pharmacokinetics of DES show 2 separate phases; 1 with a t1/2 of approximately 1 hour, another with a t1/2 of approximately a day. In rats, stilphostrol does not selectively liberate DES in the prostate compared to dosing with DES itself. In dogs, a 50-mg. tablet of stilphostrol was bioequivalent to 40 mg. of DES taken orally. Some of these data support the idea that the high DES concentrations produced by stilphostrol infusions underlie in its ability to produce objective responses in patients refractory to conventional oral DES therapy.
Behavior Responses to Chemical and Optogenetic Stimuli in Drosophila Larvae

An animal's ability to navigate an olfactory environment is critically dependent on the activities of its first-order olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). While considerable research has focused on ORN responses to odorants, the mechanisms by which olfactory information is encoded in the activities of ORNs and translated into navigational behavior remain poorly understood. We sought to determine the contributions of most Drosophila melanogaster larval ORNs to navigational behavior. Using odorants to activate ORNs and a larval tracking assay to measure the corresponding behavioral response, we observed that larval ORN activators cluster into four groups based on the behavior responses elicited from larvae. This is significant because it provides new insights into the functional relationship between ORN activity and behavioral response. Subsequent optogenetic analyses of a subset of ORNs revealed previously undescribed properties of larval ORNs. Furthermore, our results indicated that different temporal patterns of ORN activation elicit different behavioral outputs: some ORNs respond to stimulus increments while others respond to stimulus decrements. These results suggest that the ability of ORNs to encode temporal patterns of stimulation increases the coding capacity of the olfactory circuit. Moreover, the ability of ORNs to sense stimulus increments and decrements facilitates instantaneous evaluations of concentration changes in the environment. Together, these ORN properties enable larvae to efficiently navigate a complex olfactory environment. Ultimately, knowledge of how ORN activity patterns and their weighted contributions influence odor coding may eventually reveal how peripheral information is organized and transmitted to subsequent layers of a neural circuit.
Omnidirectional Multicamera Video Stitching Using Depth Maps

Omnidirectional vision has recently captured plenty of attention within the computer vision community. The popularity of cameras able to capture 360 $^{\circ }$ has increased in the last few years. A significant number of these cameras are composed of multiple individual cameras that capture images or videos, which are stitched together at a later postprocess stage. Stitching strategies have the complex objective of seamlessly joining the images, so that the viewer has the feeling the panorama was captured from a single location. Conventional approaches either assume that the world is a simple sphere around the camera, which leads to visible misalignments on the final panoramas, or use feature-based stitching techniques that do not exploit the rigidity of multicamera systems. In this paper, we propose a new stitching pipeline based on state-of-the-art techniques for both online and offline applications. The goal is to stitch the images taking profit of the available information on the multicamera system and the environment. Exploiting the spatial information of the scene helps to achieve significantly better results. While for the online case, sparse data can be obtained from a simultaneous localization and mapping process, for the offline case, it is estimated from a 3-D reconstruction of the scene. The information available is represented in depth maps, which provide all information in a condensed form and allow easy representation of complex shapes. The new pipelines proposed for both online and offline cases are compared, visually and numerically, against conventional approaches, using a real data set. The data set was collected in a challenging underwater scene with a custom-designed multicamera system. The results obtained surpass those of conventional approaches.
Mitotic Tethers Connect Sister Chromosomes During Anaphase A in PtK2 Cells

Laser microsurgery directed between sister telomeres reduced strain in anaphase PtK2 chromosomes. Optical trapping of severed chromosome ends suggests this strain arises from a physical element which links sister chromatids during early anaphase.
The Non-Linear Viscoelastic Response of Polycarbonate in Torsion: An Investigation of Time-Temperature and Time-Strain Superposition

Data are presented from torsional stress relaxationexperiments on a commercial polycarbonate. Tests were performedon samples over a range of torsional strains from 0.0025 to 0.08and at temperatures from 30 to 110°C at a fixed aging time of64,800 s (18 h). Following the scaling approach of Penn andKearsley [Trans. Soc. Rheol. 20 (1976)] we were able todetermine the stress relaxation response at shear strains to0.07. Then the individual data sets at each strain andtemperature could be described using a stretched exponential formrelaxation function. Over the range of temperatures studied thedata at each strain were superimposed using conventional time-temperature superposition. For strains up to the yield strainthe data at each temperature could also be superimposed to form amaster curve following the principle of time-strainsuperposition. Interestingly, the master curves found from time-strain superposition at each temperature did not have the sameform. Similarly, the master curves found from time-temperaturesuperposition at each strain did not have the same form.
The Complicated Relationship Between Marijuana Use and Parenting

The intersection between marijuana and parenting is both highly controversial and largely unexplored. Despite the trend of legalization (medicinal and recreational) across the country, there is a widening discrepancy between criminal laws and child welfare policies. Even in states where marijuana is recreationally legal, a parent might still be charged with child abuse or neglect as a result of his or her marijuana use. Although second-hand marijuana smoke has proven to be a relatively low risk of harm to children, other areas of concern have not been adequately studied, such as the effects of marijuana use during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding. Despite the lack of reliable scientific studies on the impact of ingestion by children, some initial studies have shown a marked increase in frequency of accidental ingestions and resulting hospital treatment in states that have legalized marijuana. The palatability and attractiveness of “edibles” is likely the cause of this measurable and dramatic increase. Overall, parental marijuana use has been inadequately studied by science, but some reliable data is available which could be used overhaul existing children’s services policies.
Outcome of Lesser Metatarsophalangeal Joint Interpositional Arthroplasty With Tendon Allograft

Background:Lesser toe metatarsal head degeneration and collapse can cause significant pain and disability. In the setting of global metatarsal head collapse, there are limited operative options. Th...
GATA4 Is Required for Budding Morphogenesis of Posterior Foregut Endoderm in a Model of Human Stomach Development

Three-dimensional gastrointestinal organoid culture systems provide innovative and tractable models to investigate fundamental developmental biology questions using human cells. The goal of this study was to explore the role of the zinc-finger containing transcription factor GATA4 in gastric development using an organoid-based model of human stomach development. Given GATA4's vital role in the developing mouse gastrointestinal tract, we hypothesized that GATA4 plays an essential role in human stomach development. We generated a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line stably expressing an shRNA targeted against GATA4 (G4KD-hiPSCs) and used an established protocol for the directed differentiation of hiPSCs into stomach organoids. This in vitro model system, informed by studies in multiple non-human model systems, recapitulates the fundamental processes of stomach development, including foregut endoderm patterning, specification, and subsequent tissue morphogenesis and growth, to produce three-dimensional fundic or antral organoids containing functional gastric epithelial cell types. We confirmed that GATA4 depletion did not disrupt hiPSC differentiation to definitive endoderm (DE). However, when G4KD-hiPSC-derived DE cells were directed to differentiate toward budding SOX2+, HNF1B+ posterior foregut spheroids, we observed a striking decrease in the emergence of cell aggregates, with little to no spheroid formation and budding by GATA4-depleted hiPSCs. In contrast, control hiPSC-derived DE cells, expressing GATA4, formed aggregates and budded into spheroids as expected. These data support an essential role for GATA4 during the earliest stages of human stomach development.
Cyber-Resilient SCADA Systems via Secure State Restoration

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are widely used in the critical infrastructure. These systems are high risk targets for cyber attacks due to their criticality, interconnectedness and Internet accessibility. SCADA systems employ programmable logic controllers to monitor and issue control instructions to other devices. Unfortunately, programmable logic controllers are typically configured in a persistent manner – they are configured once and designed to operate continuously. They are, therefore, ill-suited to operate in virtual, dynamic and cyber-resilient environments. SCADA systems must employ cyber-resilient architectures to enable them to endure and recover from cyber attacks.
A pilot trial of collaborative care with motivational interviewing to reduce opioid risk and improve chronic pain management.

Background and aims Opioid use and chronic pain are prevalent in the veteran population. Collaborative care enhances coordination between patients and their care teams, and motivational interviewing (MI) is a communication style designed to facilitate behavior change. This study evaluated the use of collaborative care with MI (CCMI) with patients with chronic pain and high-risk prescription opioid use. Design Small pilot study of a randomized controlled trial. Setting An urban Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in the United States. Participants One hundred adult veterans with chronic pain currently enrolled into primary care and receiving long-term opioid therapy. Intervention and comparator During an initial 1-hour visit with a study primary-care physician (PCP), all veterans (n = 100) developed a personalized pain care plan, after which they were randomized to receive four sessions (at 4, 6, 8 and 12 weeks) of either CCMI (n = 51) or attention control psychoeducation (ACP; n = 49). Subsequently, participants had 30-minute follow-up visits with study PCPs and post-treatment assessment at 12 weeks. Measurements Co-primary outcomes measures assessed opioid risk and pain interference; secondary measures assessed pain severity, PCP rating of opioid risk and pain management goals. Findings At 12 weeks, intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses using multivariate mixed-effects linear regression were inconclusive regarding the between-group differences in primary and secondary outcomes at post-intervention (12 weeks). Bayes factors for opioid risk, pain interference, pain severity and PCP ratings were 1.96, 1.36, 0.45 and 0.82, respectively. Veterans in the CCMI group reported implementing more complementary integrative health (CIH) goals (e.g. yoga) than did those in the ACP group (d = 0.54). Conclusions US veterans with chronic pain who received collaborative care with motivational interviewing reduced their high-risk opioid use and showed improved pain interference and severity after an intake with a primary-care provider involving shared decision-making and the creation of a personalized pain care plan.
Anesthesia for Cardioversion and Cardiac Ablation Procedures

Anesthesia for electrophysiology (EP) procedures has many complex challenges for the anesthesia provider. The EP suite has several unique challenges because of its remote location, room layout, and the types of cardiac procedures performed. The anesthesia provider must be familiar with the procedures so he/she can participate in the management of problems during critical steps. A good working relationship between the anesthesia provider and the invasive cardiologist is crucial to minimizing complications and ensuring a good outcome. With proper planning and close communication, EP procedures should be routinely safe and uneventful. The total number of procedures performed in EP suites is increasing yearly as new techniques are being introduced and refined. It is more important than ever for the anesthesia provider to fully understand cardioversion and cardiac ablation procedures and the related anesthesia considerations. In this chapter, we present a brief description of anesthesia considerations for cardioversion and cardiac ablation procedures.
Mutation of the GnRHR Proximal Promoter AP-1 Element in Mice Results in Suboptimal GnRH Induction of LH and an Abnormal Reproductive Phenotype

Reproduction is regulated by the gonadotropins, LH and FSH, which are synthesized and secreted by pituitary gonadotrophs in response to hypothalamic GnRH in a pulse frequency dependent manner. The gonadotroph decodes GnRH pulsatility via the GnRH receptor (GnRHR), which increases in expression and cell surface density before estrus and is responsible for downstream signaling cascades that differentially favor gonadotropin expression. The gonadotroph Gnrhr promoter contains a tripartite enhancer, including an AP-1 element that is necessary for full GnRH induction of Gnrhr expression in vitro. We previously generated an AP-1 knock-in (KI) mouse model with a single point mutation (C-269T) in the Gnrhr promoter AP-1 binding motif that resulted in an abnormal reproductive phenotype in female mice. Compared to wildtype (WT) littermates, female KI mice had a significant delay in first estrus, disrupted estrous cyclicity, fewer corpora lutea, and smaller litters. Males had no apparent reproductive phenotype. Basal serum gonadotropin levels were similar between WT and KI mice, but gonadectomy induced a significantly lower rise in serum LH levels of KI mice relative to WT mice, concomitant with significantly lower pituitary Gnrhr, Lhb, and Fshb mRNA levels in both sexes. We have now extended the characterization of these mice by measuring LH pulsatility and assessing GnRH induction of LH in vivo and in vitro. The frequency and amplitude of LH pulses over three hours were similar in ovariectomized WT and KI mice; however, KI mice had significantly reduced LH secretion, as measured by area under the curve. Similarly, GnRH treatment induced a diminished LH response in intact KI compared to WT males. In vitro cultures of hemi-pituitaries from gonadectomized WT and KI males were exposed to 0.01 nM GnRH and LH secretion into culture media was measured by ELISA at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 hours. There was no difference in basal LH secretion between WT and KI pituitaries but GnRH induction of LH was significantly lower in cultures from AP-1 mutant mice, indicating a direct impairment of GnRH action at the level of the pituitary. Taken together, these data indicate that the gonadotroph Gnrhr AP-1 promoter motif is critical for normal reproductive function. Prevention of AP-1 binding to the Gnrhr proximal promoter element decreases GnRH-induced Gnrhr, Lhb, and Fshb levels, impairs GnRH-stimulated LH secretion, and disrupts pubertal development and reproductive cyclicity in female mice.
Putin as Dictator Savior

Dugin was elated by Putin’s rise and soon was noted by the Kremlin as a potentially useful person. Dugin’s major attraction was that his theory, while having external similarities with Soviet ideological constructions, marginalized the economy in the overall picture and practically ignored nationalization. This was what led to the Kremlin’s support of Dugin’s political ventures, leading to the creation of the Eurasian Party, which pleased Dugin’s “American body,” i.e., the desire for fame and power. Still, soon enough, the Kremlin folk realized that they had overestimated the Russian people’s penchant for revolt, and many of them were quite happy with Putin’s pseudo-totalitarianism in the first years of his rule. In addition, Dugin exhibited not just his “American body”’s craving for success and power, but also his “old body” of Soviet dissident intellectualism. And this “body” did not just want to accommodate the wishes of the ruler, but play its own distinct role. Dugin wanted to guide Putin to lofty, grand goals. All of this led to Kremlin folk changing their minds about Dugin in the future.
An Optimized Hardware Implementation of Deep Learning Inference for Diabetes Prediction

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease characterized by the reduced metabolic action of glucose in the human body that triggers the failure of proper functions of various organs. Diagnosis of diabetes is challenging due to the complex correlation with other diseases and initial asymptomatic behavior. Efficient hardware design that incorporates the evaluation of risk factors of the disease can improve early diagnosis, regular monitoring, and clinical decision-making. In this paper, we present an implementation of a deep learning (DL) inference in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to predict DM. The model hyperparameters have been tuned to obtain the DL model that ensures acceptable performance in low-power and miniaturized silicon area with reduced storage requirements. We trained a four-layer Fully Connected Neural Network (FCNN) with RMSProp optimizer and binary cross-entropy loss function. The best-learned model among 200 epochs is used to extract the weights and biases for hardware implementation of the inference module. We achieved an accuracy of 91.15%. The outcome of this research can be integrated with the system-on-chip platform to develop smart diabetic monitoring and management tools.
Bacterial endophthalmitis

Endophthalmitis refers to bacterial or fungal infection of the vitreous and/or aqueous humors of the eye. Bacterial endophthalmitis occurs most commonly after eye surgery or penetrating ocular trauma (exogenous endophthalmitis), but may also occur from hematogenous seeding during bacteremia (endogenous endophthalmitis). The presentation is usually acute, with eye pain and decreased vision. In exogenous endophthalmitis, infection is confined to the eye. There is no fever and minimal, if any, peripheral leukocytosis. Treatment includes direct injection of antibiotics into the vitreous, and vitrectomy in more severe cases. Systemic antibiotics are indicated in endogenous endophthalmitis; their role in exogenous endophthalmitis is controversial. Visual outcome depends on the virulence of the bacterial pathogen and the speed with which treatment is given. Acute bacterial endophthalmitis is a medical emergency, because delay in treatment may result in vision loss.
Transit origami: a method to coherently fold exomoon transits in time series photometry

One of the simplest ways to identify an exoplanetary transit is to phase fold a photometric time series upon a trial period - leading to a coherent stack when using the correct value. Such phase-folded transits have become a standard data visualisation in modern transit discovery papers. There is no analogous folding mechanism for exomoons, which would have to represent some kind of double-fold; once for the planet and then another for the moon. Folding with the planet term only, a moon imparts a small decrease in the surrounding out-of-transit averaged intensity, but its incoherent nature makes it far less convincing than the crisp stacks familiar to exoplanet hunters. Here, a new approach is introduced that can be used to achieve the transit origami needed to double fold an exomoon, in the case where a planet exhibits TTVs. This double fold has just one unknown parameter, the satellite-to-planet mass ratio, and thus a simple one-dimensional grid search can be used to rapidly identify power associated with candidate exomoons. The technique is demonstrated on simulated light curves, exploring the breakdown limits of close-in and/or inclined satellites. As an example, the method is deployed on Kepler-973b, a warm mini-Neptune exhibiting an 8 minute TTV, where the possibility that the TTVs are caused by a single exomoon is broadly excluded, with upper limits probing down to a Ganymede-sized moon.