cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Voluntary ethanol consumption reduces GABAergic neuroactive steroid (3α,5α)3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THP) in the amygdala of the cynomolgus monkey

Neuroactive steroids such as (3α,5α)3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THP, allopregnanolone) enhance the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic effects of ethanol and modulate excessive drinking in rodents. Moreover, chronic ethanol consumption reduces 3α,5α-THP levels in human plasma, rat hippocampus and mouse limbic regions. We explored the relationship between 3α,5α-THP levels in limbic brain areas and voluntary ethanol consumption in the cynomolgus monkey following daily self-administration of ethanol for 12 months and further examined the relationship to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function prior to ethanol exposure. Monkeys were subjected to scheduled induction of ethanol consumption followed by free access to ethanol or water for 22 h/day over 12 months. Immunohistochemistry was performed using an anti-3α,5α-THP antibody. Prolonged voluntary drinking resulted in individual differences in ethanol consumption that ranged from 1.2 to 4.2 g/kg/day over 12 months. Prolonged ethanol consumption reduced cellular 3α,5α-THP immunoreactivity by 13 ± 2 percent (P < 0.05) in the lateral amygdala and 17 ± 2 percent (P < 0.05) in the basolateral amygdala. The effect of ethanol was most pronounced in heavy drinkers that consumed ≥3 g/kg ≥ 20 percent of days. Consequently, 3α,5α-THP immunoreactivity in both the lateral and basolateral amygdala was inversely correlated with average daily ethanol intake (Spearman r = -0.87 and -0.72, respectively, P < 0.05). However, no effect of ethanol and no correlation between drinking and 3α,5α-THP immunoreactivity were observed in the basomedial amygdala. 3α,5α-THP immunoreactivity following ethanol exposure was also correlated with HPA axis function prior to ethanol exposure. These data indicate that voluntary ethanol drinking reduces amygdala levels of 3α,5α-THP in non-human primates and that amygdala 3α,5α-THP levels may be linked to HPA axis function.
Investigation of Perfectly Matched Layer Boundary Condition for Nonlinear Euler Equations

Srinivasa Perumal Velu 1 and Klaus A. Hoffmann 2 Department of Aerospace Engineering, Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas 67260 The focus of this current effort is the development of a perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing technique for treating numerical boundaries, especially those with unbounded domains, in a generalized coordinate system. The PML equations are developed for nonlinear Euler equations in split form through a complex variable transformation. A pseudo mean-flow is used to increase the efficiency of the absorption of waves in the PML domain. Numerical examples are presented to validate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the PML boundary conditions in the generalized coordinates.
In Search of Effective Design Problems for Design Research

Much design theory research seeks to create, evaluate, improve or optimize design methods. Whether that research focuses on design thinking, tools, methods, or education, short design problems are often provided to participants in order to evaluate the effects of the variables being tested. When designing and creating such problems, certain characteristics may influence design outcomes: experience and exposure to the design problems vary between participants, and each problem may be more or less favorable to the controlled variable.In this paper we conjecture a small set of design problem characteristics that may influence experimental outcomes, and we discuss two experiments targeted at uncovering this influence. In our first experiment we examine differences in evaluation metrics between two design problems. In a follow up experiment we correlate the hypothesized characteristics to the variances in experiment outcome. These early results assist to further compare and contrast the empirical differences in common evaluation metrics, as well as show how familiarity and extent of the subjects’ knowledge of a design problem influence these metrics. We also expose the potential for interaction between the design method and the design problem.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
It was my cancer: Lessons Learned about Bullying from Perceived Sexual & Gender Minority Youth

Bullying is often defined as repeated acts of aggression that occur over time in a relationship involving a power imbalance. Bullying of perceived sexual and gender minority youth – which can also be interpreted as homophobic bullying – is a form of aggression intended to make a young person feel marginalized or unwelcome due to their perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Research has linked bullying to various health effects similar to those experienced by survivors of traumatic stress or intimate partner violence. Few studies have examined the experiences of bullying directly from the perspectives of sexual and gender minority youth. Interviews (n=16) in this exploratory and descriptive study revealed several common themes. Those discussed are that “bullying is serious” (i.e. it was my cancer .), and “survivors use power language” describing their experiences (e.g. push through and be strong .). Youth serving professionals ought to reconsider using the term bullying and perhaps re-conceptualize this phenomenon as a form of interpersonal violence to more appropriately address it in schools.
Abstract 197: Multi-cellular tumor spheroidsin vitromodel reveals a critical role of ERBB4 in survival of osteosarcoma

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Multi-cellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) model is an in vitro model holding an intermediate complexity between monolayer culture and solid tumor. It is cell-cell adhesion dependent and closely resembles avascular tumor regions and micrometastasis in pro-angiogenesis stage. Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor with high incidence of early lung metastasis; therefore, multi-cellular tumor spheroid can be used to model its in vivo behaviors. Our group previously reported the expression profile of ERBB family in osteosarcoma tissue samples and cell lines. To further study ERBB pathways in osteosarcoma tumor spheroids, we generated OS tumor spheroids by plating cells on non-adherent poly-HEMA pre-coated dishes. Under anchorage-independent conditions, OS cells spontaneously generate multi-cellular spheroids to acquired anoikis resistant by cell-cell adhesion; blocking the formation of spheroids will result rapid cell death and increased PARP cleavage. MCTSs showed lower proliferation rate than monolayer culture, and they held a chemo-resistant phenotype, as shown by proliferation assay and subdiploid DNA content. Surprisingly, ERBB4 expression was up-regulated in non-adherent tumor spheroids compared with monolayer culture (1.2, 2.9, 6.3 fold respectively in 3 cell lines) while EGFR and ERBB2 did not. With knockdown of ERBB4 expression by shRNA, OS cells became less tolerant to anoikis and serum starvation, as shown by PARP cleavage and subdiploid DNA content. Moreover, knockdown of ERBB4 increased the chemo-sensitivity of OS cells against multiple chemotherapy including cisplatin, doxorubicin, and methotrexate (71%, 71%, 60% in survival compared to scramble control). In conclusion, our data showed that ERBB4 contributes to the tumorigenicity of osteosarcoma and plays a protective role against multiple exogenous apoptotic stimuli including matrix detachment, nutrition insufficiency and cytotoxic reagents. Although wildly expressed in osteosarcoma, the role of ERBB4 in tumor biology is largely unknown. These findings indicate that ERBB4 is a key factor regulating survival pathway of OS under various cellular stress condition. Thus, in primary osteosarcoma and metastatic lesion, ERBB4 might be a potential therapeutic target to facilitate multi-modal therapies. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 197. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-197
Rootstock and pruning effects on first season dry weight distribution in Delicious apple trees.

SummaryRedchief Delicious apple trees on MM. 106 and M.9 rootstocks were left unpruned, dormant headed at planting, or summer headed 12 weeks after planting, to investigate pruning and rootstock effects on dry weight distribution between roots and shoots during the first growing season. Dormant heading stimulated new shoot dry weight and reduced new root dry weight during the first six weeks after planting. However, by 12 weeks differences in new root dry weight and new shoot dry weight were insignificant. Summer heading resulted in a significant increase in new shoot growth and decrease in new root growth. This caused the root/shoot ratio in headed trees to return to the unpruned value within six weeks after summer heading. New root growth was reduced over a longer time by dormant heading trees on MM. 106 than those on M.9. New shoot growth was increased longer in trees on M.9. Allometric constants (K) of new shoot growth relative to new root growth were significantly changed by dormant heading with both...
Papillae formation in parathyroid adenoma: a source of possible diagnostic error

Parathyroid adenomas, the most common cause of hyperparathyroidism, display diverse histologic patterns. The majority of adenomas form solid masses or show nodular, trabecular, and acinar patterns. In a four-year review of data on 103 surgically resected parathyroid adenomas, we encountered only a single case that showed papillae formation. We report this case to illustrate occurrence of this unusual histologic pattern that might create a diagnostic problem.
Bayes-optimal reinforcement learning for discrete uncertainty domains

An important subclass of reinforcement learning problems are those that exhibit only discrete uncertainty: the agent's environment is known to be sampled from a finite set of possible worlds. In contrast to generic reinforcement learning problems, it is possible to efficiently compute the Bayes-optimal policy for many discrete uncertainty RL domains. We demonstrate empirically that the Bayes-optimal policy can result in substantially and significantly improved performance relative to a state of the art probably approximately correct RL algorithm. Our second contribution is to bound the error of using slightly noisy estimates of the discrete set of possible Markov decision process parameters during learning. We suggest that this is an important and probable situation, given such models will often be constructed from finite sets of noisy, real-world data. We demonstrate good empirical performance on a simulated machine repair problem when using noisy parameter estimates.
Evaluation of Textural Changes Related to Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life of Fresh Mushrooms

Abstract Beelman, R. B., Okereke, A. and Guthrie, B. 1986. Evaluation of textural changes related to postharvest quality and shelf life of fresh mushrooms. One of the most important quality characteristics of cultivated mushrooms, Agaricus bisporus , is their unique texture. However, little is known regarding the textural properties that dramatically influence overall product quality or how these properties can be controlled or altered by postharvest handling operations. At harvest, properly grown mushrooms are firm or crisp (resist deformation) and tender (easy to shear or chew), but they subsequently soften and toughen during postharvest deterioration. This can be readily demonstrated by measurements of tissue deformation using the Instron Universal Testing Machine (softening) and with a shear press (toughening). The influence of postharvest treatments such as cold storage, washing and low dose gamma irradiation on controlling these changes are presented and discussed.
Atheism and Science

In his introduction to this book, Mikael Stenmark writes: A customized science is, roughly, a science built according to, altered to, or fitted to a particular group’s specifications—that is, the group’s needs, interests, or values, its political ideology, or worldview. It is a science governed not merely by epistemic goals, such as increased knowledge and explanatory power, but also by nonepistemic goals, such as economic growth, sustainable development, the equality of women, the end of religion, or the glory of God (p. 2).
Bullous Disorders of Childhood

Bullous diseases, both inherited and autoimmune, may be encountered on the inpatient consultation service. Neonates may be born with blisters and it is important to be aware of first and foremost the importance of ruling out an infectious process. The family history and morphology of the lesions may provide important clues to the diagnosis. Once infection has been ruled out, in cases without a family history of bullous disease, the autosomal recessive forms of genetically inherited blistering disease such as epidermolysis bullosa although rare, are more common than the autoimmune bullous disease in neonates. Acquired forms of blistering in the category of autoimmune remain rare, but become more common as children mature. Sudden presentations of large acral blisters in infants should prompt consideration of infantile bullous pemphigoid after hand-foot-mouth disease or other infection is ruled out. Linear IgA bullous disease, also known as chronic bullous disease of childhood, is often initially mistaken for impetigo and although may be superinfected and partially respond to oral antibiotics, the diagnosis may only become clear with the clinical course or the astute clinician recognizing and initiating a workup for the condition. Regardless of the cause of the blisters, careful wound care with non-adherent dressings and monitoring for signs or symptoms of superinfection must be performed.
Social badge system analysis

To incentivize users' participations, online social networks often provide users with various rewards for their contributions to the sites. Attracted by the rewards, users will spend more time using the network services. Specifically, in this paper, we will mainly focus on "badges reward systems". Badges are small icons attached to users' homepages and profiles denoting their achievements. People like to accumulate badge for various reasons, which are modeled as the "badge values" in this paper. Meanwhile, to get badges, people also need to exert efforts to finish the required tasks, which will lead to certain "costs" as well. To understand users' badge achievement activities better, we will study an existing badge system launched in a real-world online social network, Foursquare, in this paper. A longer version of this paper is available at [14].
Frequency-domain based Reed Solomon decoders for GPU

Recent development and popularity of the Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) has attracted researchers to utilize it for error correction codes like Reed Solomon (RS). In this paper, we have proposed an efficient implementation of the RS decoder based on Frequency-Domain analysis. This decoder employs the Finite-field Fast Fourier Transform (FFFT) to convert the received code in Frequency-Domain; the error locator polynomial is derived using the inversion less Berleykamp-Massey algorithm (iBMA), and the error vector is generated in the frequency-domain using the coefficients of the key equation. Finally, using the Inverse Finite-field Fast Fourier Transform (IFFFT), the original message is retrieved in the time domain. This paper has shown that frequency-domain based RS coders have high efficiency and high throughput for correcting errors on flash memory devices, and they are more suitable for multimedia systems which has GPU.
Identifying FMRI dynamic connectivity states using affinity propagation clustering method: Application to schizophrenia

Numerous studies have shown that brain functional connectivity patterns can be time-varying over periods of tens of seconds. It is important to capture inherent non-stationary connectivity states for a better understanding of the influence of disease on brain connectivity. K-means has been widely used to extract the connectivity states from dynamic functional connectivity. However, K-means is dependent on initialization and can be exponentially slow in converging due to extensive noise in dynamic functional connectivity. In this work, we propose to use an affinity propagation clustering method to estimate the connectivity states. By applying K-means and the new method separately, we analyzed dynamic functional connectivity of 82 healthy controls and 82 schizophrenia patients, and then explored group differences between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls in the identified connectivity states. Both methods revealed that group differences mainly lay in visual, sensorimotor and frontal cortices. However, the new approach found more meaningful group differences than K-means. Our finding supports that our method is promising in exploring biomarkers of mental disorders.
Holding the line: three decades of prescribed fires halt but do not reverse woody encroachment in grasslands

Encroachment of woody vegetation represents a significant global threat to biodiversity in grasslands, but practices used to reverse encroachment are rarely evaluated comprehensively. Several factors may drive encroachment, such as land use history, alteration of disturbance regimes, and local environment, but their relative importance is poorly understood. Another complicating factor is that encroachment may proceed via positive feedbacks that result in thresholds, beyond which its reversal is difficult. We ask what impact reintroducing frequent fire has on encroachment relative to the influences of landscape context and historical vegetation. We investigate whether woody cover frequency distributions suggest that feedbacks reinforce encroachment after a threshold of woody cover is surpassed. We analyze aerial photos in glade grasslands in Missouri, USA, to assess encroachment patterns over a 75-year period. Fire was excluded from this landscape for the first 45 years, and then reintroduced at varying frequencies in the last 30 years. Woody vegetation cover increased sevenfold from 1939 to 2014 overall. After the reintroduction of prescribed fire, woody cover stayed approximately constant in burned glades, but continued increasing in unburned glades. Woody cover followed bimodal frequency distributions in burned areas. Fire-tolerant vegetation tended to encroach near historically wooded areas, while fire-sensitive vegetation responded more to fire history. Altered disturbance regimes, in addition to numerous recognized drivers, can cause ecosystem state changes associated with losses to biodiversity. Conducting management early in the encroachment process and restoring grasslands at broad landscape scales may help counteract local feedbacks that promote encroachment.
Adolescent preferences for weight terminology used by health care providers.

BACKGROUND In light of high rates of obesity and weight stigma in youth, the American Academy of Paediatrics recommends that paediatric health care professionals use appropriate, sensitive and non-stigmatizing language in communication about weight with youth. For these efforts to be effective, there is a need to identify weight-based language preferences among youth with overweight and obesity, as research in this area is scarce. OBJECTIVES The present study provides a systematic assessment of youth perspectives of weight-based language used by providers. METHODS Adolescents (ages 13-18 years; N = 148) enrolled in a national weight loss camp were surveyed about their preferences for words that health providers use to refer to their body weight. Adolescents completed an online survey and responded to a list of 16 words describing excess body weight, as well as questions assessing demographics, body mass index, and experienced as well as internalized weight stigma. RESULTS Adolescents assigned low ratings to words like 'fat', 'large', 'obese' and 'extremely obese', indicating that they would not want providers to use these words when discussing their body weight. In contrast, words like 'weight problem', 'BMI' and 'plus size' were rated among the most preferred words for providers to use. Word preferences varied across gender, body mass index and extent of internalized weight stigma. CONCLUSIONS These findings underscore the importance of acknowledging different word preferences among youth, and to avoid making assumptions about what words youth will feel most comfortable using in discussions about their body weight.
Boats and Bridges in the Sandbox: Using Role Play Simulation Exercises to Help Infrastructure Planners Prepare for the Risks and Uncertainties Associated with Climate Change

Climate change poses a range of threats to our various infrastructure systems. Among the myriad of hazards, increased precipitation and sea level rise may inundate transportation networks and heat waves may stress our electricity grids. These threats may require new ways of managing uncertainty and making decisions. Climate change adaptation planning is being proposed as an important part of infrastructure management and decision-making moving forward, but is not yet well developed or integrated as an area of practice. Various tools and approaches may be employed under the umbrella of effective adaptation—including scenario planning and multi-stakeholder decision-making—but they have not been fully embraced by stakeholders. Facilitating the uptake of new tools to effectively address nascent, complex and uncertain challenges by infrastructure-related institutions is no easy task. Role-play simulation exercises (RPS) offer one way in which we can explore issues and options with decision-makers and other stakeholders. These exercises provide safe spaces in which stakeholders that are not used to working together directly can interact and experiment with tools and approaches not traditionally employed. Simulations make it possible to zero in on the key issues while pushing those of less importance into the background.
Insomnia in the Chronically Ill

Many patients with chronic diseases have insomnia stemming either directly from the symptoms of their illnesses or secondarily from procedures and medications used to treat their illnesses. Pain, fever, pruritus, paresthesias, diarrhea, and coughing are some of the common symptoms that cause insomnia in the chronically ill. Disrupted sleep—wake cycles due to therapeutic maneuvers and administration of medications are common iatrogenic factors leading to insomnia. Furthermore, underlying medical conditions may be exacerbated by sleep, by certain stages of sleep, or by sleeping in the recumbent position, thus contributing to sleep disruption. Furthermore, all insomnias can be complicated by and/or propagated by conditioning factors, even after the primary causes have abated.
Foundations of Dynamic Access Control

New commercial operating systems e.g., Windows 7 and 8, and research operating systems such as Asbestos and Flume, include labels for integrity/confidentiality protection. Unlike the strict Bell-LaPadula mandatory access controls, these labels are allowed to change in controlled ways by users and applications. The implications of these dynamic changes need to be examined carefully, and existing formalisms cannot express or help us understand their impact on access control safety. We present a logic-programming framework to specify, analyze and automatically verify such dynamic access control models. We study the problem of reachability (equivalently safety) in these models and show that they are undecidable in the general case. We also identify an expressive fragment of this formalism that has a sound and complete decision procedure. We build a theory (and tools) for reasoning about information-flow in the general context, and show its application on real-world use-cases. We are able to highlight several important vulnerabilities in these models, as well as suggest design changes that can be provably validated.
Preservation of cognitive function following whole brain radiotherapy in patients with brain metastases: Complications, treatments, and the emerging role of memantine:

Whole brain radiotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for patients suffering from stage IV malignancies that have metastasized to the brain. Although this therapy is often effective at reducing tumor size and burden, it is associated with a spectrum of toxicities that often result in irreversible cognitive decline. Various drug and non-drug therapies have been evaluated to treat this neurotoxicity after whole brain radiotherapy is administered; however, currently available options have shown little benefit or come with side effects themselves that may outweigh the benefits of their use. For this reason, current investigations are focusing on preventing cognitive decline, rather than attempting to attenuate symptoms after they occur. Memantine has consistently shown promise in both in-vitro and in-vivo studies as a neuroprotective agent that may improve cognitive outcomes in patients undergoing whole brain radiotherapy. Memantine use prior to and during whole brain radiotherapy has been shown to significantly delay time to cognitive failure and reduce the rate of decline in memory, cognitive function, and processing speed. Its use has also been linked to significant decreases in brain edema, brain infarct size, and brain vasculature changes following whole brain radiotherapy. Memantine offers a promising safety profile with high tolerability and limited side effects. The objective of this article is to provide an overview of the target patient population, the neurotoxic effects of WBRT, current treatment options, and a summary of the available literature surrounding the use of memantine in this setting.
Inhibin-A and Inhibin-B in stallions: Seasonal changes and changes after down-regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis

Abstract The biological function of inhibin is mediated by two heterodimers, inhibin-A and inhibin-B. The relative importance of inhibin-A and –B in male reproductive function varies considerably across species with inhibin-B predominating in many species, whereas inhibin-A appears relatively more important in rams. Research reported to date in stallions has examined total or immunoreactive (ir) inhibin which does not distinguish the two heterodimers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize changes in inhibin-A and inhibin-B concentrations in stallions: 1) across season for a period of one year, and 2) after downregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. In Study one, serum samples were obtained monthly from five stallions for a period of one year. Serum concentrations of inhibin-A, inhibin-B, testosterone and estrone sulfate were determined by ELISA. In Study two, stallions were treated with the GnRH antagonist, acyline (n = 4; 330 mg/kg acyline IM) or vehicle control (n = 4; vehicle alone) every five days for 50 days. Plasma concentrations of inhibin-A and –B were determined by ELISA at Days 0, 6, 12, 22, 37, 59, 80, 87 and 104 after initiation of acyline treatment. Testis volume was determined by ultrasonography at weekly intervals. In Study 1, both inhibin-A and inhibin-B showed seasonal changes in concentration with highest concentrations in increasing day length and lowest concentrations in short day lengths. Inhibin-B (overall mean 107.8 ± 4.1 pg/mL) was present at 4.7-fold higher concentrations in serum than inhibin-A (overall mean 23.0 ± 0.7 pg/mL). In Study 2, plasma concentrations of inhibin-B but not inhibin-A were significantly downregulated by administration of the GnRH antagonist, acyline. When the HPG axis was downregulated by acyline, testis volume was strongly correlated with inhibin-B (r = 0.73; P
A social-ecological network approach for understanding wildfire risk governance

Abstract Large wildfire events (e.g. >100 square km) highlight the importance of governance systems that address wildfire risk at landscape scales and among multiple land owners and institutions. A growing body of empirical work demonstrates that environmental governance outcomes depend upon how well patterns of interaction among actors align with patterns of ecological connectivity, such as wildfire transmission. However, the factors that facilitate or inhibit this alignment remain poorly understood. It is crucial to improve understanding of the conditions under which actors establish or maintain linkages with other actors with whom they are interdependent because of ecological linkages. To this end, we introduce the concept of “risk interdependence archetypes” based on the spatial configurations by which one actor (i.e. a particular organization) is exposed to risk via the actions of another actor. We then develop a set of hypotheses to explore how different sets of conditions associated with each spatial configurations of risk interdependence may shape the likelihood that an actor coordinates with another actor in ways that promote social-ecological alignment. We test these hypotheses using network analysis of a wildfire transmission network developed through simulation of wildfires over several thousand fire seasons and a governance network created from interviews with 154 representatives of 87 organizations involved in efforts to mitigate wildfire risk in the Eastern Cascades Ecoregion, USA. Results indicate that social-ecological alignment is more likely when actors have opportunities to influence forest management practices on ignition-prone lands that they do not manage themselves, and when actors bear greater responsibility for averting losses from wildfires that spread to lands they manage independently. Importantly, not all forms of risk interdependence increase the likelihood of alignment, implying that organizations have limited capacity for interaction and may prioritize certain risk mitigation partnerships over others. While the performance of risk governance systems may hinge on the alignment of social and ecological networks, our results suggest that alignment in turn may depend on actor-level strategies for interaction with other actors.
Reducing the Adverse Effects of Speculative Capital

As the final chapter of this book, let us look back at the previous chapters and see how they are organically associated with each other. First, the three parts present a sequential order of learning and dynamic development of a new theory. In particular, Part 1 shows how a cohesive and systematic theory of general systems has been developed by using set theory, a language that is very versatile and universal. The results and conclusions of this theory of general systems can be powerfully employed in any specific area of learning and application, producing meaningful and practically useful outcomes. Filling a gap existing in the reasoning process of systemic logic, Part 2 introduces the yoyo model, a badly needed systemic intuition, based on a holistic analysis of different definitions of the concept of (general) systems.
Individual variation in simulated fetal SAR assessed in multiple body models.

Purpose We generate 12 models from 4 pregnant individuals to evaluate individual differences in local specific absorption rate (SAR) for differing body habitus and fetal and maternal positions. Methods Structural MR images from 4 pregnant subjects (including supine and left-lateral maternal positions) were manually segmented to create 12 body models by rotating the fetus, modifying the fat content, and altering the maternal arm position in 1 of the subjects. Electromagnetic simulations modeled at 3 Tesla determined the average and peak local SAR in the maternal trunk, fetus, fetal brain, and amniotic fluid. Results We observed a significant range of fetal and maternal peak local SAR across the models (maternal trunk: 19.14-44.03 watts/kg, fetus: 9.93-18.79 watts/kg, fetal brain 3.36-10.3 watts/kg). We found that maternal body habitus changes introduced a significant variation in the maternal peak local SAR but not the fetal local SAR. However, the maternal position (either rotating the mother to left-lateral position or altering the arm position) introduced changes in fetal peak local SAR (range: 11.9-17.9 watts/kg). Rotating the fetus also introduced variation in the fetal and fetal brain peak local SAR. Conclusion The observed variation in SAR emphasizes the need for more anatomical models to enable better safety management of individuals during fetal MRI, including a wider range of gestational ages.
Quantitative trait loci identification and genetic diversity analysis of panicle structure and grain shape in rice

Panicle structure and grain shape are important components of rice architecture that directly contribute to rice yield and are regulated by quantitative trait loci (QTLs). In this study, a doubled haploid (DH) population derived from a cross between japonica “Maybelle” and indica “Baiyeqiu” was used to determine genetic effects on panicle structure and grain shape. All detected traits exhibited a continuous, transgressive distribution in the DH population. QTL analysis showed that a total of 24 QTLs related to panicle structure and grain shape were detected on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12, and three epistatic interaction QTLs were detected. Some genes related to panicle structure and grain shape were predicted in the major QTLs, and variations existed between the parents in all genes. Only OsIDS1, GS5, and SRS3 had nonsynonymous mutations that led to protein changes. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of GS5 and OsFOR1 significantly differed between the two parents. In addition, genetic diversity analysis showed that the H3-35–H3-37, H6-18–H6-19, and H7-12–H7-14 intervals might be selected in the breeding program.
Intelligent-CW: AI-based Framework for Controlling Contention Window in WLANs

The heterogeneity of technologies that operate over the unlicensed 5 GHz spectrum, such as LTE-Licensed-Assisted-Access (LAA), 5G New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U), and WiFi, calls for more intelligent and efficient techniques to coordinate channel access beyond what current standards offer. Wi-Fi standards require nodes to adopt a fixed value for the minimum contention window (CW$_{min})$, which prohibits a node from reacting to aggressive nodes that set their CW min to small values. To address this problem, we propose a framework called Intelligent-CW (ICW) that allows nodes to adapt their CW min values based on observed transmissions, ensuring they receive their fair share of the channel airtime. The CW min value at a node is set based on a random forest, a machine learning model that includes a large number of decision trees. We train the random forest in a supervised manner over a large number of WLAN scenarios, including different misbehaving and aggressive scenarios. Under aggressive scenarios, our simulation results reveal that ICW provides nodes with higher throughput $(153.9$% gain) and 64% lower frame latency than standard techniques. In order to measure the fairness contribution of individual nodes, we introduce a new fairness metric. Based on this metric, ICW is shown to provide $10. 89 \times $ improvement in fairness in aggressive scenarios compared to standard techniques.
Cortical 6-9 Hz Oscillation are a Reliable Biomarker of Persistent Pain in Rats

Neural biomarkers of chronic pain offer a potential tool for improving the speed of diagnosis and delivery of treatment for this devastating disease. Here, we tested the hypothesis that pain states are associated with distinct changed in cortical brain waves. We induced neuropathic orofacial pain in female rats by chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-ION). In most animals, this resulted in lasting reductions in mechanical sensitivity thresholds, and in lasting increases in facial grimace scores. We recorded electrocortigraphy (ECoG) signals over the neocortex of these rats, before and after CCI-ION, and analyzed these signals with a novel, spectral modelling approach. Consistent with our hypothesis, power in the 6-9 Hz bandwidth of the ECoG was differentially modulated in animals displaying signs of chronic pain. Specifically, development of mechanical hypersensitivity correlated with a decrease in 6-9 Hz power. Furthermore, we show that changes in the power of this oscillation after injury, obtained at the individual animal level, provide a more sensitive marker of pain presence than do traditional between animal comparisons of post-injury oscillatory power. Identification of animals demonstrating chronic-pain behaviors was more accurate when estimates of post-injury oscillatory power were compared against each animal9s own pre-injury baseline than when compared against post-injury power estimates from animals not developing chronic pain. These results highlight the need for establishing individual-specific, "pain-free" baselines from which oscillation disturbances can be measured and which may constitute a reliable, low-cost approach not only for diagnosing chronic pain, but also for identifying individuals likely to transition from acute to chronic pain.
Low-force compressive and tensile actuation for elastocaloric heat pumps

Abstract The elastocaloric effect underpins a promising solid-state heat pumping technology that, when adopted for commercial and residential applications, can revolutionize the cooling and heating industry due to low environmental impact and substantial energy savings. Known operational demonstration devices based on the elastocaloric effect suffer from low endurance of materials and, in most experimental systems, from large footprints due to bulky actuators required to provide sufficient forces and displacements. We demonstrate a new approach which has the potential to enable a more effective exploitation of the elastocaloric effect by reducing the forces required for actuation. Thin strips of NiTi were incorporated into composite structures with base polymer, such that bending the structures results in either exclusively compression or exclusively tension applied to the elastocaloric strips. The structures allow compression of thin elastocaloric strips without buckling, realize more than 50 % reduction in required forces for a given strain compared with axial loading, and open up a wide range of possibilities for compact, efficient elastocaloric devices.
Why nurses stay: Analysis of the registered nurse workforce and the relationship to work environments.

Abstract Aim To examine how factors such as a sense of belonging to a nursing work group, work environmental characteristics, and workplace violence effects the duration of employment in professional settings in a southwest region of the United States. Design The descriptive correlational survey study conducted in 2014. Methods A random sample of 700 licensed registered nurses (RN) from a Board of Nursing's list of currently licensed RNs' (approximate n = 2300). Participants completed and returned four survey tools to the principal investigator. The return rate was 36.8% (258/700). Results/findings Analysis indicated that a sense of belonging, as well as supportive workplace characteristics, played a role in why nurses stay. The three survey tools provided strong correlations in the survey data and further authenticated the tools' reliability. A healthy work environment supports nurse retention. Conclusion The three survey tools used in this study showed substantial and significant correlations. Although not all sub-scales correlated, those that did had strong Cronbach alpha scores. The weakest correlations were with the belongingness scale. Rapid turnover rates of nursing staff continue to plague healthcare organizations. A variety of reasons including difficult practice settings and stressful work environments contribute to the outflow of nurses. Impact Health care administration and management leaders can improve retention via their efforts to continue to create and sustain healthy work environments that address affiliation, belongingness, and the characteristics that attract and retain nurses.
Improving accuracy of phase retrieval with mixed Poisson-Gaussian noise using the generalized Anscombe transform

Measured PSFs have mixed Poisson-Gaussian noise. Comparing phase retrieval accuracy of various error metrics for different ratios of Poisson-to-Gaussian noise shows that the generalized Anscombe transform error metric has the best phase retrieval accuracy.
White privilege, Black resilience: Women of color leading the academy:

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, women are still grappling with white male dominance, abuses of power, and normalized tolerance of racism or discrimination. White male dominance is a...
Diffusion Asymptotics for Sequential Experiments.

We propose a new diffusion-asymptotic analysis for sequentially randomized experiments, including those that arise in solving multi-armed bandit problems. In an experiment with $ n $ time steps, we let the mean reward gaps between actions scale to the order $1/\sqrt{n}$ so as to preserve the difficulty of the learning task as $n$ grows. In this regime, we show that the behavior of a class of sequentially randomized Markov experiments converges to a diffusion limit, given as the solution of a stochastic differential equation. The diffusion limit thus enables us to derive refined, instance-specific characterization of the stochastic dynamics of adaptive experiments. As an application of this framework, we use the diffusion limit to obtain several new insights on the regret and belief evolution of Thompson sampling. We show that a version of Thompson sampling with an asymptotically uninformative prior variance achieves nearly-optimal instance-specific regret scaling when the reward gaps are relatively large. We also demonstrate that, in this regime, the posterior beliefs underlying Thompson sampling are highly unstable over time.
A Spatial Searching Method for Planning Under Time-Dependent Constraints for Eco-Driving in Signalized Traffic Intersection

Typical numerical solutions to planning problems under time-dependent constraints (like traffic signals) involve searching in time plus state space. We consider a sampled discrete spatial formulation of the vehicle dynamics. This allows us to propose an optimal planning algorithm with much reduced search-space and time complexity, for vehicles moving across signalized intersections with full knowledge of the traffic Signal, Phasing and Timing (SPaT) information. Then we extend these results to partial knowledge by casting the problem as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). The proposed algorithms are demonstrated through numerical simulations that show a five-fold improvement in runtime compared with a standard time-state formulation, while providing comparable improvements in fuel economy with no vehicle dynamic constraints or traffic rules violated.
Bovine versus porcine acellular dermal matrix for abdominal wall herniorrhaphy or bridging

The management of complicated ventral hernias (CVH), namely ventral hernias in actively or recently infected/contaminated operative fields, and open abdomens in which the native fascia cannot be primarily reapproximated, pose a surgical challenge. Fetal Bovine and Porcine Acellular Dermal Matrix (BADM and PADM) biologic meshes are being increasingly used in these scenarios. A comparison, however, of clinically relevant outcomes between the two is lacking. With this investigation, we aim to review and compare clinically relevant outcomes in patients that underwent abdominal wall herniorrhaphy with either BADM or PADM at a tertiary urban academic institution over a 5-year period. Patients who had a BADM or PADM implanted during CVH over a 5-year period at a tertiary urban academic hospital were identified. Baseline clinical and hernia characteristics, as well as postoperative outcomes were compared after a retrospective chart review. Phone interviews were also conducted to assess for recurrence, followed by in-person visits as indicated. Cox Proportional Hazard regression was fitted to identify risk factors for recurrence. Of the 140 patients who underwent biologic mesh implantation for CVH, 109 were for ventral hernia repair and 31 for open abdomen bridging. Mean age was 52.7 ± 14.2 and males constituted 57.9% of our sample, while 25.1% had undergone > 5 prior abdominal operations. Thirty percent were active smokers, and another 30% required emergency surgery. Only immunosuppression was a risk factor for recurrence [HR 13.3 (1.04–169.2), p = 0.047] on Cox Proportional Hazard regression, while mesh selection had no effect. Both BADM and PADM meshes perform well in CVH, with satisfactory recurrence rates, only slightly higher compared to traditional synthetic mesh repairs.
Shock, Thrombus, TAVR: A Challenging TAVR With Large Left-Ventricular Thrombus.

Abstract A 50-year-old man presented in cardiogenic shock. Echocardiogram showed ejection fraction (EF) 22%, apical thrombus, and severe bicuspid aortic stenosis. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was recommended, given his high surgical risk. Urgent TAVR was performed without complication, using transcatheter cerebral embolic protection and intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) for left-ventricular wire placement. The patient was discharged on warfarin, and follow-up echocardiogram showed no apical thrombus, EF 55%, and well-functioning bioprosthesis. This case shows a good TAVR outcome in bicuspid aortic stenosis despite apical thrombus and poor EF. Cerebral embolic protection and ICE can minimize risk of stroke.
A systematic review on long-term clinical impact in patients with iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis.

ObjectiveThe aim of this systematic review was to investigate the long-term clinical impact of iliofemoral (IF) deep vein thrombosis (DVT) based on patient reported outcomes, physician administered...
Regional shifts in paleohurricane activity over the last 1500 years derived from blue hole sediments offshore of Middle Caicos Island

Abstract Coastal communities are vulnerable to sea-level rise and hurricane-induced flooding. Our ability to assess flooding risk at coastal locations is restricted by the short observational record and limited knowledge on storm surge generation during hurricanes of different strength, size and orientation. Here, we present a transect of sediment cores collected from a blue hole near Middle Caicos in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Storm deposits found across cores in the transect record the passage of hurricanes passing to the south of Middle Caicos over the past 1500 years including Hurricane Irma in 2017. The record indicates historically unprecedented multi-decadal periods of elevated storm strikes on the island. We add this new reconstruction to a compilation of near-annually resolved paleohurricane records of the past millennium in The Bahamas. This compilation indicates increased storm activity in The Bahamas from 650 to 800 CE, 930 to 1040 CE, and 1400 to 1800 CE. Taken together with compilations of published paleohurricane records from New England and the Gulf Coast of Florida, we observe periods of elevated hurricane activity in all three spatially disparate regions over the past millennium and periods when New England and the Bahama Archipelago are active while the Gulf Coast of Florida is not. We argue that both regional-scale changes in vertical wind shear patterns and shifting storm tracks may explain the discrepancies we observe between different regions of the North Atlantic. This research informs how hurricane frequency has changed over the past 1500 years specifically in the Turks & Caicos Islands and regionally along the Bahama Archipelago.