cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
User-Centered Design for Geoinformation Technologies

User-centered design is an essential component in any geoinformation technology development. User involvement and feedback during the development process ensures that the final products meet user expectations, fulfill the task requirements, and provide a stable and suitable solution to enhance the overall user experience. While the International Organization for Standardization provides several guidelines for user-centered design, a wealth of possible data collection and assessment techniques are available that can be employed by application designers at different stages of the product development process. As the geoinformation technology sector will significantly grow over the coming years, geoinformation specialists need to be aware of these user-centered design methods so that novel application developments for mobile devices and Augmented Reality experiences can be developed in a user-centered fashion.
Cycloheximide promotes paraptosis induced by inhibition of cyclophilins in glioblastoma multiforme

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Current treatment strategies based on multi-agent chemotherapy and/or radiation regimens have improved overall survival in some cases. However, resistance to apoptosis often develops in cancer cells, and its occurrence is thought to contribute to treatment failure. Non-apoptotic cell death mechanisms have become of great interest, therefore, in hopes that they would bypass tumor cell resistance. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a grade IV astrocytic tumor is the most frequent brain tumor in adults, and has a high rate of mortality. We report that NIM811, a small molecule cyclophilin-binding inhibitor, induces catastrophic vacuolization and cell death in GBM cells. These unique features are distinct from many known cell death pathways, and are associated with an incompletely defined cell death mechanism known as paraptosis. We found that NIM811-induced paraptosis is due to unresolved ER stress. The abnormal upregulation of protein translation was responsible for the build-up of misfolded or unfolded proteins in ER, whereas pro-survival autophagy and UPR signals were shutdown during prolonged treatment with NIM811. Although cycloheximide has been claimed to suppress paraptosis, instead we find that it only temporarily delayed vacuole formation, but actually enhanced paraptotic cell death in the long term. On the other hand, mTOR inhibitors rescued cells from NIM811-induced paraptosis by sustaining autophagy and the UPR, while specifically restraining cap-dependent translation. These findings not only provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying paraptosis, but also shed light on a potential approach to enhance GBM treatment.
Offline Safety Analysis for Online Fault Diagnosis

Abstract Process Hazards Analysis and Abnormal Situation Management are important tasks aimed at plant safety in chemical process industries. PHA deals with the off-line safety analysis involving identification, assessment and mitigation of hazards. ASM, on the other hand, concerns on-line plant malfunctions. The inherent objectives in both of them are similar i.e., to identify hazards, to avoid/mitigate them and plan for emergencies. PHA results are a valuable source of information regarding cause/consequence information, safeguards and other operability issues, from which ASM can potentially benefit. To utilize this already existing knowledge about the plant, an integrated framework combining these two methods is proposed here. In order to manage the large number of results, a hierarchical representation of the plant is developed. The application of the framework is illustrated using an industrial case study.
Do voids nucleate at grain boundaries during ductile rupture

Abstract In the absence of pre-existing failure-critical defects, the fracture or tearing process in deformable metals loaded in tension begins with the nucleation of internal cavities or voids in regions of elevated triaxial stress. While ductile rupture processes initiate at inclusions or precipitates in many alloys, nucleation in pure metals is often assumed to be associated with grain boundaries or triple junctions. This study presents ex situ observations of incipient, subsurface void nucleation in pure tantalum during interrupted uniaxial tensile tests using electron channeling contrast (ECC) imaging, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Instead of forming at grain boundaries, voids initiated at and grew along dislocation cell and cell block boundaries created by plastic deformation. Most of the voids were associated with extended, lamellar deformation-induced boundaries that run along the traces of the {110} or {112} planes, though a few voids initiated at low-angle dislocation subgrain boundaries. In general, a high density of deformation-induced boundaries was observed near the voids. TEM and TKD demonstrate that voids initiate at and grow along cell block boundaries. Two mechanisms for void nucleation in pure metals, vacancy condensation and stored energy dissipation, are discussed in light of these results. The observations of the present investigation suggest that voids in pure materials nucleate by vacancy condensation and subsequently grow by consuming dislocations.
Seismic Shifts in the Sharing Economy: Shaking Up Marketing Channels and Supply Chains

Our goal is to provide an overview of the sharing economy in the context of marketing channels and supply chains. The use of peer-to-peer disruptive technology is challenging participation in traditional marketing channels. We provide grounded research that explains this new business model and briefly examines key issues that firms in this new marketing channel face. Some of the issues include access versus ownership, the role of independent contractors, and regulatory issues. We position the sharing economy as a unique marketing channel and explain how it differs from traditional marketing channels. Although we define key terminology, other articles in this issue provide in-depth coverage of the emerging issues.
On Pressler’s indicator rate formula under the generalized Reed model

Abstract We extend the Pressler’s indicator rate formula under the generalized Reed model to account for the impacts of current and future stochastic disturbance risk on the current harvesting decision. We prove that that the mathematical framework of the Pressler’s indicator rate holds under the generalized Reed model. We apply it to the management of longleaf pine to determine the optimal harvest age under the risk of wildfires. We determine that the Pressler’s indicator rate formula provides a useful framework to determine the minimum timber salvage increment required to decide when to harvest longleaf pine under the risk of wildfire.
Phase-Dependent Dielectric Laser Acceleration of 99keV Electrons with Symmetrically Driven Silicon Dual Pillar Gratings

We present phase-dependent laser acceleration and deflection of electrons using a symmetrically driven silicon dual pillar grating. We demonstrate cosh accelerator modes and sinh deflecting modes at gradients of 200 MeV/m over 15 μm distance.
Compressive coded LED and coded aperture spectral video system

A new compressive spectral video system is proposed to obtain a four dimensional (4D) spectral and temporal image signal. Coded aperture and spectral LEDs are introduced to give spatial and spectral modulations. We experimentally verified the 4D reconstruction performance of this proposed imager.
Accuracy of bladder stone detection using abdominal x-ray after spinal cord injury

Background: Bladder calculi are a common problern in those with spinal cord injury (SCI). Detection is important to prevent complications.Objective: To determine the accuracy of bladder stone detec...
The Nature of Active Sites

Catalysts function by formation of intermediates from reactants which subsequently decompose to yield products. Usually, catalysts have some degree of valence unsaturation so that they can form bonds to the intermediates, but these bonds must also be readily ruptured so that intermediates can readily form products. For most heterogeneous catalysts, reactions are limited to the atoms on the surface, and the valence unsaturation stems from the ‘dangling bonds’ of the surface atoms, which possess a lower coordination number than the sub-surface atoms. If, however, the solid catalyst consists of well-formed crystallites, not all surface atoms have the same coordination number, and, hence, the degree of unsaturation may be different for different atoms. For example, the coordination number of a Pt atom in a 111 surface plane is 9 compared to 12 for the bulk, but the coordination number of a Pt atom in the 110 surface plane is 7. If one includes atoms along edges of intersecting planes or at steps, even smaller coordination numbers are found. In general, the lower the coordination number, the higher the valence unsaturation attributed to the surface atoms. Thus, these different atoms could well be expected to exhibit different activity in the overall catalysis effected by a single crystal. Langmuir1 reached the same conclusion fifty years ago. In his discussion of activation of Pt catalysts, he concluded: ‘The surface thus becomes a composite, and there is then a relatively small fraction of the surface at which reaction occurs with extreme rapidity while over the larger part of the surface, it takes place at a very slow rate’.
Efficacy of Lithium in Mania and Maintenance Therapy of Bipolar Disorder

Lithium was introduced in 1949 as a treatment for mania, for which there is still the strongest evidence of its efficacy. It has consistently yielded better results in the treatment of mania than neuroleptics and carbamazepine and equivalent results to divalproex. Its efficacy in bipolar depression remains inadequately studied. Lithium also provides benefit in prophylaxis. However, the percentage of patients persistently benefited is low, because it has both low efficacy in many symptomatic and illness course presentations of the disorder and low tolerability. Converging evidence from clinical and animal studies indicates that a principal behavioral effect of lithium is reduction of motor activity. Lithium is increasingly used in combined treatment regimens, often thereby allowing lower, better tolerated dosing and complementary benefits from drugs with different profiles of action.
What happens to an individual visual working memory representation when it is interrupted

This study tested the hypothesis that even the simplest cognitive tasks require the storage of information in working memory (WM), distorting any information that was previously stored in WM. Experiment 1 tested this hypothesis by requiring observers to perform a simple letter discrimination task while they were holding a single orientation in WM. We predicted that performing the task on the interposed letter stimulus would cause the orientation memory to become less precise and more categorical compared to when the letter was absent or when it was present but could be ignored. This prediction was confirmed. Experiment 2 tested the modality specificity of this effect by replacing the visual letter discrimination task with an auditory pitch discrimination task. Unlike the interposed visual stimulus, the interposed auditory stimulus produced little or no disruption of WM, consistent with the use of modality-specific representations. Thus, performing a simple visual discrimination task, but not a simple auditory discrimination task, distorts information about a single feature being maintained in visual WM. We suggest that the interposed task eliminates information stored within the focus of attention, leaving behind a WM representation outside the focus of attention that is relatively imprecise and categorical.
Abstract TP142: Younger Age and Lower Stroke Severity at 24 Hours Predict Return to Driving After Ischemic Stroke

Background: Driving is a privilege which carries significant emotional and social value to patients, enabling increased independence. After ischemic stroke, residual deficits may prevent patients f...
Transfusion support for matched sibling allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (1993-2010): factors that predict intensity and time to transfusion independence.

Background Patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant require variable, often extensive transfusion support. Identification of factors that predict urgent, intensive, or special needs should improve management of these patients. Study design and methods This is a retrospective study of red blood cell (RBC) and platelet transfusion support provided for sequential matched sibling donor allogeneic transplants conducted at the Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, from 1993 through 2010. Factors potentially important for predicting quantity of RBC and platelet transfusions, and time to transfusion independence through Day 200 following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were evaluated. Results Subjects (n = 800) received 10,591 RBC and 10,199 platelet transfusions. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that the need for RBC pretransplant, CD34+ dose, transplant year, diagnostic category, and ABO match were significantly independently associated with quantity of RBC transfusions during Days 0 through 30. Only pretransplant need for RBCs, CD34+ dose, and transplant year had significance during Days 0 through 100. Similar analyses for quantity of platelet transfusions demonstrated that for both Days 0 through 30 and 0 through 100 significant factors were need for platelet support before transplant, CD34+ dose, transplant year, and transplant regimen. Of note, long term, during Days 101 through 200, only CD34+ dose remained significant for quantity of RBC and platelet transfusions. Analysis of time to transfusion independence demonstrated that patients with ABO major mismatches required longer to achieve freedom from RBC transfusion support compared to identical matches or those with minor mismatches. Conclusion Patient-specific factors including CD34+ dose and ABO match of the graft should be given particular consideration by transfusion services when planning support of patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
Compressed-liquid densities of the binary mixture dimethyl carbonate + heptane at three compositions

Abstract Compressed-liquid densities of the binary system dimethyl carbonate + heptane have been measured with a vibrating-tube densimeter over the temperature and pressure ranges of 270 K to 470 K, and 1 MPa to 50 MPa at three compositions of the mixture. The measurements are part of an effort to better understand the molecular interactions of polar/non-polar mixtures. These types of mixtures often exhibit very non-ideal behavior. By measuring the mixture at three compositions and over a large range of temperature and pressure, the non-ideality can be assessed. There are no high-pressure liquid density data for this binary system in the literature, thus data reported here could only be compared to literature data at atmospheric pressure to establish their quality. The majority of literature data agree well with the presented results which have a maximum expanded uncertainty of 1.63 kg·m−3 (for the composition with the greatest mole fraction of dimethyl carbonate). The non-ideality for the mixture, in the temperature, pressure and composition range of this study was found to be minimal. This is rationalized by considering the molecular sizes, shapes, and charge distributions of the pure components and the attractive parts of their intermolecular force fields as they are reflected in the temperature ranges of their vapor pressure curves.
Neurovascular disorders in pregnancy: A review

While rare, neurovascular disorders that occur in pregnant or postpartum women are associated with high morbidity and mortality, thus necessitating prompt identification and treatment. The most common symptoms include headache, focal neurological features, and seizures. Factors such as pregnancy-related hypercoagulability and hemodynamic changes put women at risk for neurovascular disorders in the third trimester and early postpartum period. The biggest risk factors for stroke in pregnancy are hypertension and the preeclampsia/eclampsia spectrum. This review outlines the diagnosis and treatment of pregnant and postpartum women with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. Trial registration: Not applicable.
Experimental Test-Bed for Bumblebee-Inspired Channel Selection in an Ad-Hoc Network

In this paper, we design a test-bed for a bumblebee inspired channel selection algorithm employed on a wireless ad-hoc network. Vehicles in connected ad-hoc networks are routinely challenged with the complex decision-making problem of either staying with the same channel or moving to a different channel under highly time-varying channel quality conditions. In order to enable vehicles to adapt to these time-varying channel conditions, we designed a bumblebee-inspired decision-making algorithm. The proposed algorithm uses temporal channel quality information for optimal channel selection. Channel energy values are used for making switching decisions by taking switching costs into consideration. We implemented a test-bed inside a controlled laboratory environment using ADALM-Pluto Software-defined radios (SDRs) to evaluate the proposed approach. The test-bed can be configured to emulate a vehicular network environment. Furthermore, in this work we show the novelty of our bumblebee algorithm for optimal channel selection in a steady environment. We compared the performance of our Bumblebee algorithm with a random channel selection algorithm, and noticed an increase of 158.33% in the throughput of the network with our algorithm.
EUS-guided gastroenteric anastomosis as a bridge to definitive treatment in benign gastric outlet obstruction.

Background and Aims Benign gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) has typically been managed surgically. However, many patients are poor operative candidates because of comorbidities. EUS-guided gastroenterostomy (EUS-GE) using lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMSs) has previously demonstrated efficacy as a definitive treatment for benign and malignant GOO; however, limited data exist on use as a bridge to resolution of the obstruction in an attempt to avoid or delay definitive surgery. Methods A retrospective series of consecutive patients who underwent EUS-GE between January 2013 and July 2019 for benign GOO at a tertiary referral center were included in the study. The primary outcome was the rate of definitive surgery; secondary outcomes included technical success and rate of adverse events. Results During the study period, 22 patients with benign GOO underwent EUS-GE (40% female; mean age, 54.2 years). The mean procedure time was 66 minutes, and technical success was achieved in 21. Five patients developed recurrent GOO while the LAMS was in place after a mean dwell time of 228 days; 1 patient was converted to surgical GE. LAMSs were removed electively in 18 patients after GOO resolution and a mean dwell time of 270 days; 1 patient developed a recurrent GOO after LAMS removal and was converted to surgical GE. The rate of recurrent GOO after LAMS removal was 5.6%. Three severe adverse events occurred in the cohort. Conclusions EUS-GE was able to prevent surgery for GOO in 83.3% of cases. LAMSs needed to stay in place for a mean of 8.5 months to allow resolution of GOO, and there was a low rate of recurrent GOO (5.6%) after LAMS removal. Prospective, randomized trials comparing surgical and endoscopic anastomoses are needed in patients with benign causes of GOO.
Qualification of the Radiometer Suite for the NASA TROPICS Tropical Cyclone Mission

The Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission was selected by NASA as part of the Earth Venture-Instrument (EVI-3) program and is now in development with planned launch readiness in late 2019. TROPICS comprises a constellation of six CubeSats in three low-Earth low-inclination orbital planes. Each CubeSat will host a high performance radiometer to provide temperature profiles using seven channels near the 118.75 GHz oxygen absorption line, water vapor profiles using three channels near the 183 GHz water vapor absorption line, imagery in a single channel near 90 GHz for precipitation measurements (when combined with higher resolution water vapor channels), and a single channel at 205 GHz that is more sensitive to precipitation-sized ice particles. Thermal vacuum test results on the qualification unit indicate that NEDTs will range from approximately 0.5 to 1.0 K for an 8.333 msec integration time. Spatial resolution at nadir ranges from approximately 15 km for the G-band channels to 30 km for the W-band channels.
Male parasitic spawning in two species of triplefin blenny (Tripterigiidae): contrasts in demography, behaviour and gonadal characteristics

Axoclinus nigricaudus and A. carminalis are blennioid fishes from the Gulf of California, Mexico. Males show alternative mating tactics; territorial individuals attract females while non-territorial individuals parasitically spawn with territorial males' females. Demography and gonadal characteristics were related to the degree of parasitic spawning (sperm competition) within and between species. Males of both species showed bimodal size distributions that largely reflected the two tactics. Territorial males spawned much more frequently than non-territorial males, but parasitic spawning was significant. Non-territorial males were more common and rates of parasitic spawning were much higher in A. nigricaudus indicating that it experienced higher sperm competition. In agreement with sperm competition theory, relative testis weight was greater in A. nigricaudus. In A. nigricaudus, the majority of parasitic matings were by non-territorial males, whereas in A. carminalis, both male-types parasitised frequently. Accordingly, only in A. nigricaudus did non-territorial males have relatively heavier testis than territorial males. In both species the testicular gland, that produces accessory products for sperm transfer, was large in territorial males, but small or undeveloped in non-territorial males suggesting male-types differ in fertilisation mode.
Assessing precipitation, evapotranspiration, and NDVI as controls of U.S. Great Plains plant production

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) UV-B Monitoring and Research Program, Colorado State University, under USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Grant [2016-34263-25763]; DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research) [DE-SC0018420]; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) [58-3012-7-009, 58-5402-4-011]; University of Nebraska USDA Grass-Cast project [580111-18-018]
Valley-selective optical Stark effect of exciton-polaritons in a monolayer semiconductor

Microcavity exciton-polaritons based on transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers (TMDs) are a promising platform for coherent valleytronics, exhibiting valley-dependent phenomena at room-temperature. Using polarization-dependent transient reflectance, we demonstrate the valley-exclusive nature of the optical Stark effect in WS2 exciton-polaritons. We observe a simultaneous shift of both polariton branches when pump and probe are co-polarized and no appreciable shift when they are cross-polarized, demonstrating a polarization-selective stark shift in exciton-polaritons. This work highlights how the unique features of TMD exciton-polaritons can give rise to new polaritonic phenomena.
Gamified Flow and the Sociotechnical Production of AI

Recent advances in AI, computer algorithms, and automation applications across industries have generated hyperbolic discourses about disruptive technologies. Futurists envision fleets of driverless cars delivering human bodies, armies of robots taking over jobs, and advanced AI systems outgrowing their superfluous masters. Extending into science fiction, such predictions distract from scrutinizing contexts in which lesser versions of these technologies already proliferate and appreciating subtler, long-term implications. Particularly the interfaces of a rapidly expanding attention capitalism and its gamified operations warrant closer analysis. Here, demands for frictionless services and coordinated mobilities necessitate strict surveillance protocols and continued engagement with platforms that transform attention into revenue. More than the formalized and singular manifestation, for instance, DeepMind’s AlphaGo, AlphaGo Zero, and most recently AlphaStar, the current logic of accumulation desires the continued sociotechnical production of active participants in evermore data networks. The most lucrative and transformative AI systems of the future will rest on a gamified subjectivity, whose datafied claims to entertainment, movement, and income coincide with increasingly vertical corporate network structures. Attention capitalism appeals to sensibilities of entertainment and, in no small part, competition. Applications therefore feature score-based systems, monetary and nonmonetary rewards, and certain privileges of access. Habit-forming interface design represents a crucial strategy whereby corporate platforms inject their on-demand services, automations, and AIs with life. To guarantee uninterrupted consumer experiences and efficient processing of goods and people, service environments are increasingly designed around concept emulating “flow,” a state that psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2009) describes as an “optimal experience” in which the constraints of the inner and outer world are suspended. Csikszentmihalyi derives his ideas primarily from athletes and artists, but anybody losing themselves in an enjoyable and challenging activity can relate. In Csikszentmihalyi hands, however, flow remains largely a phenomenological account, abstracted from social and historical context. A more critical concept of flow might follow Natasha Dow Schull’s (2012a) “machine zone,” a space in which addictive algorithms, ergonomics, and built environments capture gamblers’ attention. Dow Schull grasps rising figures of machine gambling in Las Vegas and elsewhere not merely for flow’s own sake, but rather as a result of bankrupt states betting on casinos to fill their cashboxes. In other words, flow must be theorized as a priced commodity, a history of deregulation, and a market that continues to show immense potentials for global capital.
Homogeneous gelation leads to nanowire forests in the transition between electrospray and electrospinning

The morphology of coatings created by electrostatic deposition can be generally divided into three categories: wire mats, particles, and films. At intermediate regimes, there should exist nanowire forests as a mixture of wire and particulate deposition, but these have yet to be observed as a dominant morphology. We utilized electrostatic dissipative particle dynamics simulations to reveal that the barrier to forming nanowire forests is the directional nature of evaporation, implying that they should form if evaporation is homogeneous. Experimentally, we utilized electrospray deposition (ESD) to explore the spray of a fibril gel former, methylcellulose (MC) in water:ethanol mixtures. MC possesses a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in water and water:ethanol blends. Above the LCST, MC and water phase separate concurrently with the rapid evaporation of ethanol, forming a shear-thickening, homogeneous gel phase. In the ESD process, the strongly entangled polymer solution resulting from gelation electrospins on a drop-by-drop basis to create forests of individual nanowires. To verify this mechanism, we employed different viscosities of MC by ESD through changes in spray temperatures, molecular weight, loading concentration, flow rates, spray distances, and additive content. The results reveal that lowering the viscosity of the gel increases the aspect ratio of formed nanowires. Similarly, the incorporation of additives that lead to too high or too low a viscosity prevents the formation of nanowires in ESD. Our study indicates that the homogenous evolution of viscosity is necessary for nanowire forest formation and that the specific viscosity further controls the morphology of the forests.
A Visual Positioning System for Indoor Blind Navigation

This paper presents a visual positioning system (VPS) for real-time pose estimation of a robotic navigation aid (RNA) for assistive navigation. The core of the VPS is a new method called depth-enhanced visual-inertial odometry (DVIO) that uses an RGB-D camera and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to estimate the RNA’s pose. The DVIO method extracts the geometric feature (the floor plane) from the camera’s depth data and integrates its measurement residuals with that of the visual features and the inertial data in a graph optimization framework for pose estimation. A new measure based on the Sampson error is introduced to describe the measurement residuals of the near-range visual features with a known depth and that of the far-range visual features whose depths are unknown. The measure allows for the incorporation of both types of visual features into graph optimization. The use of the geometric feature and the Sampson error improves pose estimation accuracy and precision. The DVIO method is paired with a particle filter localization (PFL) method to locate the RNA in a 2D floor plan and the information is used to guide a visually impaired person. The PFL reduces the RNA’s position and heading error by aligning the camera’s depth data with the floor plan map. Together, the DVIO and the PFL allow for accurate pose estimation for wayfinding and 3D mapping for obstacle avoidance. Experimental results demonstrate the usefulness of the RNA in assistive navigation in indoor spaces.
All the king's horses and all the king's men : Three forms of curative audience in the recovery from psychosis

This article outlines an overlooked ingredient in the psychotherapy of psychosis, the “curative audience.” The idea that the psychotic patient recompensates not only with the help of a therapist bu...
A Generalized Equation for Prediction of VO2peak from a Step Test.

This study aimed to develop an equation to reduce variability of VO2peak prediction from a step test and compare VO2peak prediction from the new equation to the Queen’s College Step Test (QCST). The development group (n=86; 21.7±2 years) was utilized to develop the SDState step test equation to predict relative VO2peak. The cross-validation group (n=99; 21.6±2 years) was used to determine the validity of the SDState step test VO2peak prediction equation. A regression analysis was used to identify the best model to predict VO2peak. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was further used to determine differences among predicted and measured VO2peak values. Forward stepwise multiple regression identified age, sex, abdominal circumference, and active heart rate at the 3-min mark of the step test to be significant predictors of VO2peak (mL·kg−1·min−1). No differences among measured VO2peak (47.3±7.1 mL·kg−1·min−1) and predicted VO2peak (QCST, 46.9±9.3 mL·kg−1·min−1; SDState 48.3±5.7 mL·kg−1·min−1) were found. Pearson correlations, ICC, SEE, TEE, Bland-Altman plots, and Mountain plots indicate the SDState step test equation provides less variation in the prediction of VO2peak compared to the QCST. The SDState step test equation is effective for predicting VO2peak from the YMCA step test in young, healthy adults.
Olfactory receptor 78 regulates erythropoietin and cardiorespiratory responses to hypobaric hypoxia.

In this study, we delineated a previously uncharacterized role for olfactory receptor 78 (Olfr78), a G-protein-coupled receptor in regulation of erythropoietin and cardiorespiratory responses to hy...
Military and Slaves

Continuous military expenditures abroad begin with the Spanish-American War. Prior to 1898, only the Mexican-American War had significant expenditures. Another debit item is the purchase cost of enslaved people that embarked on U.S. ships but did not constitute imports. The components are carrying trade (Africa to non-U.S. Americas, and intra-Caribbean), and loss of slaves via pirates, privateers, accident, or natural disaster.
Existence of birational small Cohen-Macaulay modules over biquadratic extensions in mixed characteristic

Abstract Let S be an unramified regular local ring of mixed characteristic two and R the integral closure of S in a biquadratic extension of its quotient field obtained by adjoining roots of sufficiently general square free elements f , g ∈ S . Let S 2 denote the subring of S obtained by lifting to S the image of the Frobenius map on S / 2 S . When at least one of f , g ∈ S 2 , we characterize the Cohen-Macaulayness of R and show that R admits a birational small Cohen-Macaulay module. It is noted that R is not automatically Cohen-Macaulay in case f , g ∈ S 2 or if f , g ∉ S 2 .
A Developmentally Prometastatic Niche to Hepatoblastoma in Neonatal Liver mediated by the Cxcl1/Cxcr2 Axis

Background and Rationale: Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common pediatric liver cancer. Its predominant occurrence in very young children led us to investigating whether the neonatal liver provides a protumorigenic niche to HB development. Methods: HB development was compared between orthotopic transplantation models established in postnatal day 5 and 60 mice (P5Tx and P60Tx models). Single-cell RNA-sequencing was performed using tumor and liver tissues from both models and the top candidate cell types and genes identified are investigated for their roles in HB cell growth, migration, and survival. Results: We found that various HB cell lines including HepG2 cells were consistently and considerably more tumorigenic and metastatic in the P5Tx model than in the P60Tx models. Sc-RNAseq of the P5Tx and P60Tx HepG2 models revealed that the P5Tx tumor was more hypoxic and had a larger number of activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs) in the tumor-surrounding liver which express significantly higher levels of Cxcl1 than those from the P60Tx model. We found these differences were developmentally present in normal P5 and P60 liver. We showed that the Cxcl1/Cxcr2 axis mediated HB cell migration and was critical to HB cell survival under hypoxia. Treating HepG2 P60Tx model with recombinant CXCL1 protein induced intrahepatic and pulmonary metastasis and CXCR2 knockout in HepG2 cells abolished their metastatic potential in the P5Tx model. Lastly, we showed that in metastatic HB patient tumors there was a similar larger population of aHSCs in the tumor-surrounding liver than in localized tumors, and tumor hypoxia was uniquely associated with HB patient prognosis among pediatric cancers. Conclusion: We demonstrated that the neonatal liver provides a prometastatic niche to HB development via the Cxcl1/Cxcr2 axis.
Optimized sample preparation for tandem capillary electrophoresis single-stranded conformational polymorphism/ heteroduplex analysis.

Here we describe DNA sample preparation methods that allow the rapid, simultaneous generation of both single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) and heteroduplex DNA elements from a single ...
Query Optimization for XML

XML is an emerging standard for data representation and exchange on the World-Wide Web. Due to the nature of information on the Web and the inherent flexibility of XML, we expect that much of the data encoded in XML will be semistructured: the data may be irregular or incomplete, and its structure may change rapidly or unpredictably. This paper describes the query processor of Lore, a DBMS for XML-based data supporting an expressive query language. We focus primarily on Lore's cost-based query optimizer. While all of the usual problems associated with cost-based query optimization apply to XML-based query languages, a number of additional problems arise, such as new kinds of indexing, more complicated notions of database statistics, and vastly different query execution strategies for different databases. We define appropriate logical and physical query plans, database statistics, and a cost model, and we describe plan enumeration including heuristics for reducing the large search space. Our optimizer is fully implemented in Lore and preliminary performance results are reported. This is a short version of the paper Query Optimization for Semistructured Data which is available at: http://www-db.stanford.edu/~mchughj/publications/qo.ps
Information Transfer Effects of Senior Executives' Migrations and Subsequent Write-offs

In this study, we consider whether the market conditions its reactions to a senior executive s (SE) move from an origin company (OC) to a destination company (DC) onthe SE s past performance and any other information impounded in the market reaction to the SE s emigration from the OC. We also examine whether the market perceives abenefit in the hiring of an SE with an industry-specific background. We find that, with regard to migration events, the performance of the OC accounting and stock before the SE s migration is positively associated with the market reaction to the immigration event only when the OC and the DC are members of the same industry. With respect to an OC s contiguously subsequent write-off and restructuring events, we conjecture that subsequent large restructuring events signal hitherto unrecognized shortcomings of theemigrating SE, whereas non-restructuring asset write-offs are more likely to be amanifestation of neutral (with respect to inferences regarding the quality of theemigrating SE) big baths taken by the OC s incoming SE. We hypothesize and find that,ceteris paribus, the market reaction to the DC s stock at the time of the OC sannouncement of a post-immigration write-off or restructuring is negatively associatedwith the OC s pre-emigration performance (which is predominantly positive in oursample), and possibly non-negatively associated with an asset write-off (which is not a restructuring event). We also conjecture that these effects are enhanced (become more negative) when the DC imports an SE from a competitor.
Endogenous Viral Etiology of Prion Diseases

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases, are a group of incurable neurodegenerative disorders, including Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, “mad cow” disease in cattle, and scrapie in sheep. This paper presents structural, genetic, and evolutionary evidence supporting an endogenous TSE virus model that integrates the three major traditional views on the nature of TSE pathogens, the conventional virus view, the prion hypothesis, and the virino concept, into a novel conceptual and evolutionary framework. According to this model, the TSE pathogens are symbiotic endogenous viruses that inadvertently produce transmissible viral particles that lack the viral genome and are composed primarily of the viral prion protein (PrP). Production of defective viral particles that contain a partial genome or lack the viral genome entirely is a relatively common event in the life cycle of many viruses. Similar to the normal viral particles, which contain a genome, these defective viral particles can be transmitted to new host cells. Obviously, in the absence of viral genome, these protein-only viral particles cannot establish a productive infection. However, if these viral particles enter a host cell that carries the parental or a related virus and induce the production of similar protein-only particles, then they would appear as self-replicating, protein-only infectious pathogens if mistakenly taken out from the context of the viral life cycle. This misconception, which is rooted into the current dogma of viruses as viral particles, led to the development of the prion theory. The endogenous TSE virus model is consistent with the TSE data and offers solutions to many enigmatic features associated with TSE, including the function of PrP that, despite more than two decades of TSE research conducted primarily within the framework of the prion hypothesis, is still not known. According to the TSE endogenous virus model, PrP is the protein of an endogenous virus that has co-evolved with their vertebrate hosts by providing a protective function against pathogenic viruses. The evidence for the endogenous TSE virus model and for the antiviral protective function of PrP is strong, and they are fully open to additional experimental testing. The endogenous virus model opens the TSE research field to new interpretations and directions, both in basic research and in associated biomedical and public health fields, and could lead to development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Improved Randomized Approximation Algorithms for Lot-Sizing Problems

We consider in this paper multi-product, lot-sizing problems that arise in manufacturing and inventory systems. We describe the problem in a manufactruring setting. There is a set N of products. For each product j E N there is a set ~-j (called predecessors of product j) of products consumed in producing product j. We define the product network G to be a directed network with node set N and arc set A = {(i,j) : i E ~rj). In other words, the network G corresponds to the flow of materials in the system and contains no circuit. External demand di for product i is assumed to be constant in time. Clearly in order to satisfy the demand orders should be placed for the products dynamically in time. If an order is placed for product i, an ordering cost Ki is incurred. Moreover, an incremental echelon holding cost hi is incurred per unit time the item spends in inventory. The production rate is assumed to be infinite. The objective is to schedule orders for each of the products over an infinite horizon so as to minimize long-run average cost. As the optimal dynamic policy can be very complicated, the research community (see for instance Roundy [18, 19], Jackson, Maxwell and Muckstadt [10], Muckstadt and Roundy [14]) has focused on stationary and nested policies defined as follows: Orders are placed periodically in time at equal intervals, for each of the products in the system (stationary policies). If product j precedes product i, then an order is placed for product j only when an order is placed for product i at the same time (nested policies). Therefore, under a stationary and nested policy the objective is to decide the period Ti that an order is placed. The reason stationary and nested policies are attractive is that they are easy to implement. Muckstadt and Roundy [14] discuss in detail the rationale of using order intervals ~ as variables. The problem of designing an optimal stationary and nested policy can then be formulated (see [18]) as the following nonlinear integer programming problem.
Characteristics of Myxobacteria Isolated from the Surface of Freshwater Fish

Abstract A study was made of 32 nonpathogenic myxobacterial isolates obtained from a variety of fish taken in the Pacific Northwest. Morphological, cultural, biochemical, and serological studies were carried out on these strains. All were found to be members of the genus Cytophaga. Two myxobacterial strains pathogenic to fish were also included in this study for comparative purposes. These pathogenic organisms were found to be culturally and physiologically similar to some of the nonpathogenic strains. Antiserum against the pathogenic species, however, showed no cross agglutination when tested against the other myxobacterial isolates. As a result, serological procedures appear promising as a rapid means for distinguishing pathogenic myxobacteria from one another and from saprophytic myxobacteria commonly found on fish.
EMVA-based blind maximum likelihood separation of cross-polar interference in dual polarized digital transmission

In this paper we use the expectation maximization Viterbi algorithm (EMVA) to perform maximum likelihood (ML) separation of cross-polar interference and equalization of intersymbol interference channel. Cross-polar interference (XPI) is an undesired phenomenon occurring in systems that use dual polarized transmission methods. The EMVA is a blind estimation algorithm which has numerous applications including channel identification, system parameter estimation, and signal detection encountered in digital communications.
What Question Would Turing Pose Today

In 1950, when Turing proposed to replace the question "Can machines think?" with the question "Are there imaginable digital computers which would do well in the imitation game?" computer science was not yet a field of study, Shannon’s theory of information had just begun to change the way people thought about communication, and psychology was only starting to look beyond behaviorism. It is stunning that so many predictions in Turing’s 1950 Mind paper were right. In the decades since that paper appeared, with its inspiring challenges, research in computer science, neuroscience, and the behavioral sciences has radically changed thinking about mental processes and communication, and the ways in which people use computers has evolved even more dramatically. Turing, were he writing now, might still replace "Can machines think?" with an operational challenge, but it is likely he would propose a very different test. This paper considers what that might be in light of Turing’s paper and advances in the decades since it was written.
Cloning, Sequencing, and Expression of Selenoprotein Transcripts in the Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

The minimum Se requirement for male turkey poults is 0.3 μg Se/g – three times higher than requirements found in rodents – based on liver and gizzard glutathione peroxidase-4 (GPX4) and GPX1 activities. In addition, turkey liver GPX4 activity is 10-fold higher and GPX1 activity is 10-fold lower than in rats, and both GPX1 and GPX4 mRNA levels are dramatically down-regulated by Se deficiency. Currently, the sequences of all annotated turkey selenoprotein transcripts and proteins in the NCBI database are only “predicted.” Thus we initiated cloning and sequencing of the full turkey selenoprotein transcriptome to demonstrate expression of selenoprotein transcripts in the turkey, and to develop tools to investigate Se regulation of the full selenoproteome. Total RNA was isolated from six tissues of Se-adequate adult tom turkeys, and used to prepare reverse-transcription cDNA libraries. PCR primers were designed, based initially on chicken, rodent, porcine, bovine and human sequences and later on turkey shotgun cloning sequences. We report here the cloning of full transcript sequences for 9 selenoproteins, and 3'UTR portions for 15 additional selenoproteins, which include SECIS elements in 22 3'UTRs, and in-frame Sec (UGA) codons within coding regions of 19 selenoproteins, including 12 Sec codons in SEPP1. In addition, we sequenced the gap between two contigs from the shotgun cloning of the turkey genome, and found the missing sequence for the turkey Sec-tRNA. RTPCR was used to determine the relative transcript expression in 6 tissues. GPX3 expression was high in all tissues except kidney, GPX1 expression was high in kidney, SEPW1 expression was high in heart, gizzard and muscle, and SELU expression was high in liver. SEPP2, a selenoprotein not found in mammals, was highly expressed in liver but not in other tissues. In summary, transcripts for 24 selenoproteins are expressed in the turkey, not just predicted.
Exploring neutral atom microscopy

A new imaging method known as Neutral Atom Microscopy (NAM) or Scanning Helium Microscopy promises to open a unique window to the nature of surfaces at the first atomic layer. The thermal energy, non-charged beam of atoms used allows exploring samples without the destructive effects of energetic particles or electric charges, in addition to having no topographic limitations due to the aspect ratio or shape of a solid probe tip, and with resolution potentially far better than conventional far-field optical microscopes. Contrast mechanisms which produce surface composition information have long been known from atomic scattering experiments, such as by atomic diffraction from crystal surfaces or contrast due to surface roughness. These are now being explored in images for the first time.