cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanics of a Novel Shear-activated Microfiber Array Adhesive

Elastic rod theory and principles of contact mechanics motivate the development of a novel, shear-activated, microfiber array adhesive. Unlike with conventional Pressure Sensitive Adhesives (PSAs), the microfiber array and backing are composed entirely of a stiff, glassy polymer (polypropylene, elastic modulus E = 1 GPa) and an externally applied shear load is required to achieve contact with a substrate. Previously, results from a Shear Power Test on glass indicated a maximum interfacial shear strength of 10 kPa over 4 sq. cm, a factor of 1000 greater than with a smooth polypropylene sheet of similar thickness. Here we present a theoretical model that describes the mechanism for shear-activated adhesion and predicts a shear strength of 27 kPa, on the order of the experimental measurement.
A constraint-based technique for haptic volume exploration

We present a haptic rendering technique that uses directional constraints to facilitate enhanced exploration modes for volumetric datasets. The algorithm restricts user motion in certain directions by incrementally moving a proxy point along the axes of a local reference frame. Reaction forces are generated by a spring coupler between the proxy and the data probe, which can be tuned to the capabilities of the haptic interface. Secondary haptic effects including field forces, friction, and texture can be easily incorporated to convey information about additional characteristics of the data. We illustrate the technique with two examples: displaying fiber orientation in heart muscle layers and exploring diffusion tensor fiber tracts in brain white matter tissue. Initial evaluation of the approach indicates that haptic constraints provide an intuitive means or displaying directional information in volume data.
American Criminal Trial Films: An Overview of Their Development, 1930-2000

The history of American trial films – and I am speaking of trial films in general at the moment, not of the sub-division of criminal trial films – has been shaped both by changes in public attitudes toward law and lawyers and by shifts in viewer tastes. These same factors have necessitated changes in the way we define ‘American trial films’. In earlier years one could recognize a trial film with relative ease: it was a drama in which a heroic lawyer or lawyer surrogate solved the film’s dilemmas in the course of a civil or criminal trial, usually a trial held within a courtroom. Contemporary movies, in contrast, are more interested in action than in debate and oratory, and they are more cynical about the effectiveness of legal processes. Thus they tend to embed a short trial scene in a longer adventure story, and they seldom depict lawyers as heroes on the grand scale or courts as places where fundamental social and moral issues are settled. In sum, the trial film genre is undergoing major change, if not dissolution.
Epidemic spreading on weighted contact networks

The study of epidemics is a crucial issue to several areas. An epidemic can have devastating economic and social consequences. A single crop disease in Kansas could destroy the yearly income of many farmers. Previous work using graph theory has determined a universal epidemic threshold found in the graph topology for a binary contact network in the compartmental susceptible-infected (SI) analysis. We expand this threshold to a more realistic measure. A binary uniform level of contact within a society is too idealistic and an improved threshold is found in allowing a spectrum of contact within a contact network. The expanded contact network also allows for asymmetric contact such as a mother caring for her child. Further study in this area should lead to improved simulators, disease modeling, policies and control of infectious diseases and viruses.
Advances in percutaneous valvular intervention.

We are entering a new era in the percutaneous treatment of valvular heart disease. Novel techniques and devices have given rise to the possible treatment of a range of valvular heart diseases that previously necessitated surgical therapies, including aortic stenosis, pulmonary regurgitation and mitral regurgitation. Despite the enormous potential of these percutaneous therapies, enthusiasm needs to be balanced by an understanding of the challenges that need to be overcome before such therapies can be widely embraced. This review provides a critical assessment of the status of the major developments in percutaneous valvular intervention to date, and provides the authors’ perspective on the current role and future potential of these techniques.
A comprehensive comparison study of three different planar IMRT QA techniques using MapCHECK 2.

The purpose of this study is to determine comparability of three different planar IMRT QA techniques: patient gantry angle composite (PGAC), single gantry angle composite (SGAC), and field by field (FBF), using MapCHECK 2 device and the γ test as performance metrics; and to assess the dependency of these techniques on intensity modulation, couch attenuation, and detector position (angular dependency). Ten highly modulated head and neck (HN using an extended tennis racket-type insert with negligible attenuation assumed). To determine angular dependency of the MapCHECK 2, patient gantry field-by-field (PG-FBF) technique was delivered and evaluated separately for each field. The differences of γ passing rates between SGAC and FBF were statistically insignificant, while these were statistically significant when compared to PGAC. SGAC and FBF techniques showed statistically insignificant differences between different levels of intensity modulation (H&N vs. Prostate) at C2 and C3 criteria, while PGAC could not for any criteria. The treatment couch has a significant impact on γ passing rates (PGAC vs. PGAC-WOC), but an ionization chamber-based IMRT validations showed clinically insignificant dose errors (< 2%) in all cases. This study showed that the MapCHECK 2 device has large angular dependency, especially at gantry angles of 90° and 270°, which dramatically affected the γ passing rates of PGAC. With proper consideration of couch attenuation and beam arrangement, the MapCHECK 2 will produce clinically comparable QA results using the three different planar IMRT QA techniques.
Fabrication process of pzt piezoelectric cantilever unimorphs using surface micromachining

Abstract This paper discusses the fabrication process and challenges for fabrication of piezoelectric cantilever beam microaccelerometers by using surface micromachining techniques. PZT thin films were used as the piezoelectric material to detect the acceleration of the cantilever beam. In this paper, we discuss in detail the process challenges encountered in piezoelectric microaccelerometers. These major challenges include PZT thin film deposition and encapsulation during final micromachining membrane release.
Incorporating Group Writing Instruction in Engineering Courses

Group writing is an important and integral part of the engineering workplace which is rarely addressed in most undergraduate engineering curricula. Virtually every engineering student takes courses in composition and writing; however, these courses inevitably emphasize the development of individual writing skills. Engineering students need to be exposed to different group writing styles and learn to be effective group writers. The key elements to effective group writing include group dynamics and leadership and group members attitudes towards revision and criticism. By discussing with the students the key points to successful group writing, engineering students will turn in better assignments to their instructors and will be better prepared for the engineering workplace.
A new look at an old problem: Keys to success for computer science students

A computer science placement exam was given to all computer science students enrolled in introductory courses at a four year university. The purpose was to determine what differences, if any, occurred in the scores of the students who eventually withdrew from the courses and those who finished the course. Also, an examination was made of final grades of the students in the courses and their scores on the placement exam.
Gas transport properties of polysulfones based on dihydroxynaphthalene isomers

Naphtalene-based polysulfones have higher T g s than the polysulfones based on bisphenol A. The location of the naphtalene ether bond does not appear to dramatically affect the polymer properties, which is in contrast to the strong meta versus para effects observed in polymer chains having single rings in the backbone
Cocaine: A Neonatal Perspective

This paper focuses on cocaine misuse as it impacts on neonates born at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. The majority of infants of cocaine-using mothers (ICAM) appear clinically normal and pass through the “normal nursery.” However, the longer hospital stay for the smaller, sicker ICAMs means that many cocaine-exposed sick infants are in the hospital at any time. The misperceptions of the pregnant cocaine-misusing woman often cause the ICAM to be born prematurely. The prematurity then superimposes other potential threats on the infant. Further, the environmental chaos into which these mothers and infants return following discharge may also contribute to the difficulties seen among these children. Finally, there are unanswered questions that have to be confronted by the hospital staff. These include ethical questions related to the “costs” of care to the cocaine-exposed infant
The minimization of measurement error in a general perturbation-correlation process identification system

A general identification system is studied for an important class of realistic, time-varying processes. This class consists of those in which the process is nominally known, and the statistical characteristics of its varying parameters and of the environment are also known. The expression for identification error in terms of the spectral properties of the parameter variations and of the output transducer noise is developed. Optimization procedures are given to minimize the perturbation-correlation system's mean-square identification error.
Tracheostomy and Dysphagia: A Complex Association

Note: Nancy B. Swigert was the Division 13 Coordinator at the time the content of this self-study was fi rst published in Perspectives on Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. For current information on ASHA’s special interest divisions, visit the division pages on the ASHA Web site (http://www.asha.org/about/membershipcertifi cation/divs/) or call the ASHA Action Center at 1-800-498-2071.
Temperature Management in Acute Neurologic Injury: To Cool or Not to Cool

Therapeutic hypothermia is becoming an important intervention following acute neurologic injury despite inconclusive results concerning efficacy. This enthusiasm primarily stems from a lack of other effective interventions in this population. With the increase in the use of therapeutic hypothermia, several practical issues must be considered when initiating this intervention. Clinical pharmacists can play an important role in anticipating and addressing some complications such as shivering, slow drug metabolism, and infection. This review will discuss the available literature concerning the efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia in various neurologic injuries, as well as the most common adverse events associated with it.
Out of the Rubble and Towards a Sustainable Future: The “Greening” of Greensburg, Kansas

Following a devastating tornado there in 2007, the tiny city of Greensburg, Kansas has engaged in a sustainability-oriented recovery process through which it hopes to serve as a model for other communities planning for a sustainable future. This article uses innovation theory to consider how and why the sustainability focus emerged in Greensburg and to explore the potential transferability of those factors to other contexts. An analysis of 535 newspaper articles reveals key factors as: the shared vision of persistent local leaders, the framing of sustainability as an ―opportunity‖ with an energy efficiency focus, community pride and resilience, and a ―clean slate‖ rebuilding effort with substantial available funding. While Greensburg's future is intimately connected to the specifics of its recent past, the analysis does reveal lessons that other communities can draw from in crafting sustainability plans of their own.
The child sexual abuser: perceptions of college students and professionals.

College students and members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) were compared as to their beliefs and attitudes concerning perpetrators of child sexual abuse. Analyses of a 44-item inventory (assessing beliefs about an abuser's demographics and attitudes concerning an abuser's cognitions and behaviors) indicated that the groups differed on perceived demographic descriptors (e.g., students believed perpetrators to be older when they first begin offending, more educated, and more likely to be gay than the professionals) and behaviors (e.g., students believed that the perpetrator was more likely to use force to gain the child's compliance). In addition, 2 subscales (Cognitive Distortions and Perceived Social Functioning) were identified. Compared to professionals, students were less likely to believe perpetrators use cognitive distortions and were more likely to believe perpetrators function at a lower interpersonal level. Results are discussed in terms of the efforts to educate the public about the characteristics of child sexual abusers.
Directing epithelial to mesenchymal transition through engineered microenvironments displaying orthogonal adhesive and mechanical cues

Cell interactions with their extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironments play a major role in directing cellular processes that can drive wound healing and tissue regeneration but, if uncontrolled, lead to pathological progression. One such process, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), if finely controlled could have significant potential in regenerative medicine approaches. Despite recent findings that highlight the influence of biochemical and mechanical properties of the ECM on EMT, it is still unclear how these two orthogonal cues act synergistically to control epithelial cell phenotype. Here, we cultured lung epithelial cells on combinations of different mutants of fibronectin's cell binding domain that preferentially engage specific integrins and substrates of varying stiffness. Our results suggest that while stiff substrates induce spontaneous EMT, this response can be overcome by with fragments of fibronectin that support α3 and α5 integrin engagement. Furthermore, we found that substrate-induced EMT correlates with transforming growth factor beta activation by resident epithelial cells and is dependent on Rho/ROCK signaling. Suppressing cell-contractility was sufficient to maintain an epithelial phenotype. Our results suggest that integrin-specific engagement of fibronectin adhesive domains and the mechanics of the ECM act synergistically to direct EMT.
Early Detection of Health Changes In Older Adults

We have placed a network of sensors in a residential home for the elderly who are aging in place. Restlessness data is displayed as graph of event counts detected by sensors over some time interval, typically a day. This data is related to the actual activities as recorded by the resident. We show two cases of elderly individuals. In both cases the individuals underwent surgery. The restlessness indicators showed changes in patterns that were related to those events. Analyzing the data even at this level we gain increased confidence that technology will be a welcome addition as the population ages and require increasing care.
Sedimentary Shear Modulus and Shear Speed Profiles from a Gravity Wave Inversion

Experimental techniques and inverse methods have been established to extract sediment shear modulus vs depth profiles from measurements of wave-induced seabed motion. Seabed sediments are modelled as a quasi-static, ‘incompressible, layered elastic medium. An iterative eigenvalue expansion technique is used to extract the inverse. Using semi-empirical sediment models, it is possible to deduce sediment porosity and bulk density, and thus shear wave speed, from the shear modulus profile. The final results are supported by comparisons with borehole.stratigraphy logs and shear wave refraction results at a site on the New Jersey Shelf.
Factors influencing the regeneration of the mangrove Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Lamk. on a tropical Pacific island

Abstract Mangrove swamps occupy approximately two-thirds of the shoreline on Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and also border the island’s most populated areas. Kosraeans depend on mangrove swamps for a supply of wood to support a growing handicraft industry, for a dependable source of fuelwood, and for habitat to support the harvest of fish and mangrove crabs. One of the more prominent mangrove species on Kosrae is Bruguiera gymnorrhiza , yet it is not the most preferred species for carving or cooking. To evaluate B. gymnorrhiza ’s persistence in the intertidal and to develop a better understanding of factors influencing its regeneration, we investigated predispersal insect colonization of propagules, postdispersal propagule predation by crabs, and the relative effects of natural and artificial shade, salinity, and tidal flooding on early tree seedling survival and growth. Predispersal insect colonization of propagules by boring insects was very high (93%), but the damage did not seem to influence seedling survival. Postdispersal predation of B. gymnorrhiza propagules by crabs was low (17%) and did not change in gap versus understory plots. Predation did vary by intertidal location (lower intertidal>middle intertidal=upper intertidal), with lower predation occurring in an intertidal location with a B. gymnorrhiza -dominated overstory. Shade and tidal inundation reduced seedling growth more than salinity in greenhouse investigations, but sunlight had less positive influence on seedling growth in the field. In general, regeneration and growth occurred successfully under a variety of conditions, indicating that none of the factors investigated serve as strong regulators to B. gymnorrhiza regeneration and early growth on Kosrae.
Wild-Type Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Blocks Programmed Cell Death and Release of Cytochrome c but Not the Translocation of Mitochondrial Apoptosis-Inducing Factor to the Nuclei of Human Embryonic Lung Fibroblasts

Programmed cell death activated by herpes simplex virus 1 mutants can be caspase dependent or independent depending on the nature of the infected cell. The recently discovered mitochondrial apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) on activation is translocated to the nucleus and induces programmed cell death that is caspase independent. To assess the role of AIF and also to assay apoptosis-related events in primary human embryonic lung (HEL) fibroblasts, cells were mock infected or infected with wild-type virus previously shown not to induce apoptosis in continuous lines of primate cells or with the d120 mutant lacking infected cell protein no. 4 (ICP4) and were shown to induce apoptosis in all cell lines tested. Cells exposed to dexamethasone or osmotic shock induced by sorbitol were the positive controls. The results were as follows: (i) AIF was translocated to the nucleus in all infected cell cultures and in cells treated with dexamethasone or sorbitol, but cells infected with the wild type-virus showed no evidence of undergoing programmed death. (ii) Cytochrome c was released from mitochondria of cells infected with the d120 mutant or exposed to dexamethasone or sorbitol but not from mitochondria in cells treated with sorbitol and infected with the wild-type virus. (iii) Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase was cleaved in mock-infected cells exposed to sorbitol or dexamethasone and in cells infected with the d120 mutant but not in either untreated cells infected with wild-type virus or cells exposed to sorbitol and then infected with wild-type virus. In contrast to HEp-2 cells, neither d120 infection nor treatment with dexamethasone or sorbitol caused fragmentation of DNA in HEL fibroblasts. Electron microscopic examination showed chromatin condensation and vacuolization in a fraction of cells infected with d120 but not in wild-type virus-infected cells or cells treated with dexamethasone or sorbitol. We conclude that AIF is translocated to the nucleus in infected cells but apoptosis does not ensue in wild-type-infected cells. HEL fibroblasts infected with the d120 virus exhibit symptoms of classical apoptosis, such as cytochrome c release and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase observed also in cells undergoing caspase 3-dependent programmed cell death in which AIF is either not involved or not a contributory factor.
The Meaning of Epistemic Modality and the Absence of Truth

When one asserts the disjunction ‘the keys might be in the drawer, or they might be in the car,’ the speaker seems committed to both of the disjuncts, ‘the keys might be in the drawer’ and ‘they might be in the car’ (Kamp, Proc Aristotelian Soc N S 74:57–74 (1973), [12]). Namely, ‘or’ behaves like a conjunction ‘and’ when it meets epistemic modality ‘might’. It has been noted that it is very difficult to explain this phenomenon in terms of conversational implicature (Zimmermann, Nat Lang Seman 8:255–290 (2000), [19]); a semantic explanation is worth pursuing. This paper proposes the first semantics that explains the conjunctive ‘or’ as a semantic phenomenon and still preserves classical logic when ‘might’ is absent, all done without ad hoc case distinctions. The truth-conditional approach to semantics has not been able to do that. Instead of truth conditions, the proposed semantics provides acceptability conditions. To be more specific, information states are modeled by sets of possible worlds, and each sentence is compositionally evaluated at each information state as: acceptable, deniable, or undecided. Working with acceptability conditions does not mean that we abandon truth conditions altogether. In fact, we can employ a sentence’s acceptability condition to determine whether it has a truth condition. Epistemic modals turn out to lack truth conditions, while sentences like “snow is white” can have truth conditions if you wish. Although the above may appear to be a mere case study in linguistics, the result points to a new, general semantic framework for addressing a central issue in philosophical logic and meta-ethics: Which types of declarative sentences lack truth conditions, especially epistemic modals, indicative conditionals, and moral claims?
Accuracy of citation and quotation in foot and ankle surgery journals.

Background:A recent review of technical editing of research suggests that over one third of references cited in articles in medical journals have some inaccuracies and one fifth of quotations to references in these articles are not accurate.Methods:Two hundred and forty-nine citation references and 408 quotes from 25 articles published in 5 orthopaedic journals were randomly selected to determine referencing accuracy. The presence of citation errors was examined by 1 of the authors while the presence of quotation errors was determined by 2 of the authors. Full copies of articles as well as the references were obtained to compare the accuracies.Results:The total citation error rate was 41% (103 out of 249 references), and the total quotation error rate was 20% (80 out of 408 quotes) for the 5 orthopaedic journals.Conclusion:Citation and quotation errors were still relatively common in orthopaedic journals. While we did not identify any factors associated with citation and quotation errors, the use of techn...
Reflex modulation of heart rate on closure and opening of an A-V fistula.

SummaryAn attempt was made to determine whether reflexes other than those from arterial pressor receptors are concerned in modulation of the heart rate when an A-V fistula is closed or opened. In dogs under chloralose anesthesia, bilateral A-V shunts were established between femoral arteries and veins, one of which being so arranged that blood could be drained from the animal from, the arterial side during closure of the shunt in an amount sufficient to stabilize arterial pressure at a fairly constant level.In such experiments it was found that slight slowing of the heart rate still occurs on closing a shunt even when arterial pressure falls a little and the pulse pressure is unaffected. Since supplementary experiments of a similar type failed to reveal significant changes in right atrial pressure, changes in central venous pressure were also excluded. These experiments call attention to the difficulty of establishing the operation of the Bainbridge reflex in a crucial manner.
Hemorrhagic Necrotic Skin Lesions in Rabbit Produced by Hemophilus influenzœ and Hemophilus pertussis.

When injected into the skin of rabbits, cultures of H. influenzœ can readily be distinguished from cultures of H. pertussis. While H. influenzœ causes slight inflammation, characterized by redness and swelling, H. pertussis produces bluish-violet discoloration in the involved part of the skin, frequently followed by necrosis.1, 2 The observations to be reported are concerned with the influence of intravenous injection of H. influenzœ and H. pertussis on the skin lesions caused by the intradermal injection of the respective organisms.For our experiments H. influenzœ is cultivated on Levinthal agar, H. pertussis on Bordet-Gengou medium, containing 25% rabbit blood. Twenty-four or 48-hour cultures of H. influenzœ and 48-hour cultures of H. pertussis are suspended in saline. The bacterial content of the suspension varies between 2 to 4 billion microbes per cc. Rabbits are injected intradermally with 0.25 cc. each of suspensions of H. influenzœ and H. pertussis and reinjected intravenously 24 hours later with ...
Analysis of pilot workload in the helicopter/ship dynamic interface using time-accurate and stochastic ship airwake models

This paper describes a recent study in helicopter/ship dynamic interface simulation to examine pilot workload in the presence of a ship’s airwake. The flight dynamics model represents a UH-60 helicopter and is based on the GENHEL software. This flight model has been updated to include high-order dynamic inflow model and gust penetration effects of the time-varying ship airwake. The airwake model is derived from time-accurate CFD solutions and provides an appropriately detailed level of fidelity to capture its effect on pilot workload. To simulate pilot control inputs for shipboard approach operations, an optimal control model of the human pilot is developed. The pilot model can be easily tuned to achieve different tracking performances based on a desired crossover frequency in each control axis and is designed to operate over a range of airspeeds using a simple gain scheduling algorithm. The pilot model is used to predict pilot workload for shipboard approaches in two different wind-over-deck conditions. Validation studies are conducted using both time and frequency domain analyses. The pilot control input autospectra predicted from the simulation model are compared to those of flight test data from the JSHIP program. The paper also discusses the application of a stochastic airwake model for more efficient simulation. This new airwake model is derived from the simulation with the full CFD airwake by extracting an equivalent six-dimensional gust vector. The spectral properties of the gust components are then analyzed, and shaping filters are designed to simulate the gusts when driven by white noise. It is proposed that the stochastic gust model can be used to optimize the automatic flight control system in order to improve disturbance rejection properties of the aircraft.
PARTIAL INBREEDING: EQUILIBRIUM HETEROZYGOSITY AND THE HETEROZYGOSITY PARADOX.

The effect of partial inbreeding on equilibrium populations has been extended to any degree of mating. As expected, for distantly related mates, the equilibrium levels of inbreeding and heterozygosity are not affected as much as by partial selfing. Formulas are also given for equilibrium levels of inbreeding and heterozygosity when two or more degrees of mating are present in a population. Inbreeding, other than selfing, may partially explain the deficiency of heterozygotes in outcrossers, part of the "heterozygosity paradox."
Evidence Based Health Care

One of the key roles of the clinical informatician is to transform knowledge into improved care and outcomes through clinical information tools, systems and practices. While detailed experiences in the design of rigorous clinical trials or the methodology of literature review is not necessary to fulfill this responsibility, a solid understanding of the evidentiary basis of clinical knowledge is essential. This chapter describes the sources of evidence applicable to health care, grading of evidence, characteristics of high quality clinical guidelines, and application of that knowledge to improve patient care, enhance outcomes and strengthen the clinician-patient relationship.
Robustness Analysis as Explanatory Reasoning

ABSTRACTWhen scientists seek further confirmation of their results, they often attempt to duplicate the results using diverse means. To the extent that they are successful in doing so, their result...
Optimal reactive power control based on bidding strategy in district power grid

The suboptimal control by expert system is the backup protection of online optimal reactive power control in district power grid. Since the logic of expert system software designed according to the traditional production rules is complicated,a decision model of optimal reactive power control is established based on the bidding strategy and an evaluation model of voltage reactive power optimization is built based on the comprehensive bid evaluation method. A framework based on the multi-Agent system is established for the optimal reactive power control of district power grid,which realizes the bidding strategy by the parallel and coordinated control among multiple Agents to ensure its robustness,maintainability and expandability. The practical application verifies its effectiveness.
Targeting MicroRNAs: Molecular Basis of Cancer Prevention

Recent studies have shown that the alterations in the expression of miRNAs play critical roles in the processes of carcinogenesis and cancer progression. During the process of carcinogenesis, gene mutation and epigenetic aberration together with the exposure of environmental factors such as infection, ultraviolet light, irradiation, and environmental toxicants could change the expression level of miRNAs, resulting in the alterations in gene expression and cellular signal transductions. The aberrant expression of miRNAs initiates carcinogenesis and subsequently promotes the progression of cancers. Therefore, targeting the altered miRNAs may be a new approach for cancer prevention and treatment. Interestingly, dietary agents (natural agents) collectively known as nutraceuticals have been found to modulate and normalize the expression of miRNAs. Thus, the non-toxic dietary natural agents such as isoflavone genistein, curcumin, resveratrol, I3C, DIM, vitamins, etc. may have effects on cancer prevention and treatment. The in vitro and in vivo studies have provided the evidences showing that these agents could up-regulate tumor suppressive miRNAs and down-regulate oncogenic miRNAs, resulting in the suppression of cancer formation and progression. Hence, these agents could prevent the occurrence of cancer and may also inhibit tumor progression. Moreover, treatment with these non-toxic agents together with chemotherapeutics may be a novel approach for cancer therapy.
Genre: the realism of fantasy, the fantasy of realism

Never in the history of the drama was “a willing suspension of disbelief ” more essential to sustaining dramatic illusion, nor more operative in representing the magical and marvelous: not just the mixture of comedy and tragedy, but of pantomime and song in melodrama, of domestic realism and supernaturalism in Gothic romance. Audiences of the period delighted in plays that were richly embellished in song, that combined the thrills of adventure romance and the terrors of Gothic villainy, with a full indulgence of sentimental and the moral righting of wrongs necessary to a “happy ending.” The combinatory experimentation with dramatic form compromises any attempt at strict categorization. The anti-Gothic becomes a feature of the Gothic. The spectrum from fantasy to documentary is not linear, but rather a snake biting its tail. This chapter will challenge the presumed opposition between fantasy and realism by attending to the efforts to make the fantastic appear “real” on the stage. It will proceed to argue that documentary drama is equally committed to the theatrics of illusionism. The optical metaphor of the periscope, introduced in Chapter 1, was intended to conjure the experience of joining an audience in the theatre and seeing a performance from that unique vantage of time and place. As an optical metaphor for what the audience saw unfolding on the stage, I propose “Pepper's Ghost.” This simple but effective illusion was developed by Henry Dircks and introduced by John Henry Pepper at the Royal Polytechnic (1862).
Effects of Alloying Element Cr on Ni-Mn-Ga Alloys Studied by Ab Initio Calculations

The effects of Cr addition on the crystal structure, phase stability and magnetic properties of Ni8Mn4-xGa4Crx (x=0, 1 and 2) ferromagnetic shape memory alloys are systematically investigated by ab-initio calculations. The formation energy results indicate that the added Cr preferentially occupies the Mn sites in Ni2MnGa alloy due to the lowest formation energy. The evaluated Curie temperature decreases with increasing Cr content are derived from the decrease of the total energy difference between the paramagnetic and the ferromagnetic austenite.
Leptin-Signaling Pathways as Therapeutic Targets in Cancer

Evidences from molecular, clinical, and epidemiological studies have shown that high plasma level of leptin correlate with obese state and is emerging as a key adipocytokine mediating the molecular effects of obesity on cancer. Dysregulation of leptin influences various stages of carcinogenesis from initiation and growth to metastatic progression. In addition to activating its canonical signaling, leptin is now known to functionally interact with multiple oncogenic pathways. This “hyperactive leptin-signaling network” in cancer cells leads to simultaneous activation of multiple oncogenic pathways leading to increased proliferation, decreased apoptosis, acquisition of mesenchymal phenotype, and enhanced migration and invasion potential of tumor cells. Leptin is also known to interact with other important molecular effectors such as estrogen, IGF-1, insulin, VEGF, and inflammatory cytokines and achieve a wider impact across various tumor types. Development of a better understanding of leptin-signaling network has provided multiple therapeutic opportunities to inhibit important nodes of this network. This article presents an overview of the studies investigating the involvement of leptin and hyperactive leptin-signaling network in cancer progression and strategies to inhibit leptin signaling in cancer.
A Performance Prediction for Fe-Ga Magnetostrictive Strain Sensor

This study will present a proof-of-concept non-contact strain sensor, utilizing a prototype magnetostrictive (Fe-Ga alloy, Galfenol) strip on a steel plate; coupled mechanical-magnetostrictive equations will be used to evaluate sensor performance prediction. In contrast with typical piezo-ceramic materials, Galfenol is ductile and has an excellent ability to withstand mechanical shock. Galfenol also changes its permeability in response to applied stress. This stress-based permeability change is not time dependent and can measure static loads. The variation of magnetic induction with stress depends strongly on bias magnetic field. Typically, the performance of Galfenol is measured in a compressional load region because it has higher response there. However, in this study, we are aiming to develop a sensor for tensile stress measurement. To achieve a compression load in the sensing element, a Galfenol strip is aligned perpendicular to a tension bar, so that tension in the bar creates compression in the strip, via the Poisson effect.The experimental setup in this study consists of a polycrystalline Galfenol strip bonded in the horizontal direction of a steel dog-bone shaped tension specimen. Two permanent magnets are attached at both ends of the Galfenol strip to provide a magnetic bias field through the strip. The magnetic flux through the Galfenol strip is measured with a non-contact Hall sensor during the tensile load test. The design reported here aims at low frequency applications, such as static and dynamic tension monitoring.
Software systems for high-performance quantum computing

Quantum computing promises new opportunities for solving hard computational problems, but harnessing this novelty requires breakthrough concepts in the design, operation, and application of computing systems. We define some of the challenges facing the development of quantum computing systems as well as software-based approaches that can be used to overcome these challenges. Following a brief overview of the state of the art, we present models for the quantum programming and execution models, the development of architectures for hybrid high-performance computing systems, and the realization of software stacks for quantum networking. This leads to a discussion of the role that conventional computing plays in the quantum paradigm and how some of the current challenges for exascale computing overlap with those facing quantum computing.
Heritability and risks associated with early onset hypertension: multigenerational, prospective analysis in the Framingham Heart Study

Objective To determine the role of early onset versus late onset hypertension as a risk factor for hypertension in offspring and cardiovascular death. Design Multigenerational, prospective cohort study. Setting Framingham Heart Study. Participants Two generations of community dwelling participants with blood pressure measurements performed at serial examinations spanning six decades: 3614 first generation participants with mortality data and 1635 initially non-hypertensive second generation participants with data available on parental blood pressure. Main outcome measures The main outcome measures were relation of parental early onset hypertension (age Results In second generation participants, having one or both parents with late onset hypertension did not increase the risk of hypertension compared with having parents with no hypertension; by contrast, the hazard ratios of hypertension were 2.0 (95% confidence interval 1.2 to 3.5) and 3.5 (1.9 to 6.1) in participants with one and both parents with early onset hypertension, respectively. In first generation decedents, 1151 cardiovascular deaths occurred (including 630 coronary deaths). The odds of cardiovascular death increased linearly with decreasing age of hypertension onset (P Conclusions Early onset and not late onset hypertension in parents was strongly associated with hypertension in offspring. In turn, early onset compared with late onset hypertension was associated with greater odds of cardiovascular, and particularly coronary, death. These findings suggest it may be important to distinguish between early onset and late onset hypertension as a familial trait when assessing an individual’s risk for hypertension, and as a specific type of blood pressure trait when estimating risk for cardiovascular outcomes in adults with established hypertension.
Network Models of Epilepsy-Related Pathological Structural and Functional Alterations in the Dentate Gyrus

In this chapter, we review the development of biophysically detailed data-driven network models of the dentate gyrus that address clinically relevant structural alterations during epileptogenesis and their effects on network dynamics that potentially lead to hyperexcitability and pathological high frequency oscillations associated with epilepsy in general, and temporal lobe epilepsy in particular. We then discuss the applications of graph-theoretical analysis to characterize and compare the connectivity of large-scale networks under normal and pathological conditions and the potential applications of such analyses to clinical intervention strategies. We conclude by highlighting our recent methodology for generating realistic models of dendritic morphologies on a large scale and discussing its role in constructing future models of the hippocampus. The main contributions of the reviewed work are the quantification of the relationship between pathological network reorganization and the emergence of hypersynchronous network activity in computational models, and graph-theoretic analysis that has revealed fundamental aspects of the epileptic brain network reorganization such as the changes in small-worldness and hub properties.
Computer-assisted cytologic diagnosis in pancreatic FNA: An application of neural networks to image analysis.

BACKGROUND Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy is an accurate method for the diagnosis of solid pancreatic masses. However, a significant number of cases still pose a diagnostic challenge. The authors have attempted to design a computer model to aid in the diagnosis of these biopsies. METHODS Images were captured of cell clusters on ThinPrep slides from 75 pancreatic FNA cases (20 malignant, 24 benign, and 31 atypical). A K-means clustering algorithm was used to segment the cell clusters into separable regions of interest before extracting features similar to those used for cytomorphologic assessment. A multilayer perceptron neural network (MNN) was trained and then tested for its ability to distinguish benign from malignant cases. RESULTS A total of 277 images of cell clusters were obtained. K-means clustering identified 68,301 possible regions of interest overall. Features such as contour, perimeter, and area were found to be significantly different between malignant and benign images (P <.05). The MNN was 100% accurate for benign and malignant categories. The model's predictions from the atypical data set were 77% accurate. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study demonstrate that computer models can be used successfully to distinguish benign from malignant pancreatic cytology. The fact that the model can categorize atypical cases into benign or malignant with 77% accuracy highlights the great potential of this technology. Although further study is warranted to validate its clinical applications in pancreatic and perhaps other areas of cytology as well, the potential for improved patient outcomes using MNN for image analysis in pathology is significant. Cancer Cytopathol 2017. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Privacy preserving visualization for social network data with ontology information

Analyzing social network data helps sociologists understand the behaviors of individuals and groups as well as the relationships between them. With additional ontology information, the semantics behind the network structure can be further explored. Unfortunately, creating network visualizations with these datasets for presentation can inadvertently expose the private and sensitive information of individuals that reside in the data. To deal with this problem, we generalize conventional data anonymization models (originally designed for relational data) and formally apply them in the context of privacy preserving ontological network visualization. We use these models to identify the privacy leaks that exist in a visualization, provide graph modification actions that remove and/or perceptually minimize the effect of the identified leaks, and discuss strategies for what types of privacy actions to choose depending on the context of the leaks. We implement an ontological visualization interface with associated privacy preserving operations, and demonstrate with two case studies using real-world datasets to show that our approach can identify and solve potential privacy issues while balancing overall graph readability and utility.
Physical Activity Device Reliability and Validity during Pregnancy and Postpartum

ABSTRACTCurrent physical activity (PA) recommendations for women experiencing a normal pregnancy reflect recent research showing numerous health benefits for mother and offspring. However, few studies have evaluated PA devices’ reliability and validity during pregnancy, because anatomical and physio
Assessing the Effectiveness of Pay-to-Go Policies: Evidence from Spain’s Voluntary Return Program1

Pay-to-go programs are incentive-based policies implemented by immigrant-receiving nations with the intention of enticing migrants home. Spain introduced such a program following its recent economic downturn. We assess its effectiveness using a difference-in-differences methodology. We test if the policy lowered the unemployment likelihood of eligible migrants by comparing changes in their propensity to be unemployed from before to after program implementation to changes experienced by similar non-eligible migrants. The Spanish pay-to-go policy did not entice immigrants to return home, except among Latin Americans, who enjoyed statistically and economically significant reductions in their unemployment likelihood following program implementation.
Hydrogen storage applications in industrial microgrids

In this study, we investigate the cost-effectiveness of hydrogen storage systems in industrial microgrids. This analysis is enabled by an extension introduced to the Distributed Energy Resources — Customer Adoption Model. We analyze the potential to mitigate costs associated with volumetric time-of-use rates through arbitrage, reduce peak loads, and optimize the use of on-site generation, amongst others. The analysis is supported by a case study using real load data from two manufacturing companies with significant heat loads. We find that hydrogen storage systems can be economically viable per se and can be competitive with other storage systems such as standard electrochemical storage. The use of a fuel cell with combined heat and power production further integrates sectors but does not lead to financial savings.