cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
State Estimation for Stochastic Linear Hybrid Systems with Continuous-State-Dependent Transitions: An IMM Approach

Hybrid systems consist of both continuous state evolutions and discrete state (or mode) transitions. In many hybrid systems, mode transitions are governed by guard conditions that are dependent on the continuous state. These kind of mode transitions can be described by continuous-state-dependent mode transition probabilities. However, most multiple model Kalman filter based algorithms, such as the well-known interacting multiple model (IMM) algorithm, assume constant mode transition probabilities. We propose a hybrid estimation algorithm based on the IMM approach for the stochastic hybrid systems with continuous-state-dependent transitions. We first develop two models to describe the guard conditions for various stochastic hybrid systems. From the models of the guard conditions, we derive the corresponding continuous-state-dependent mode transition probabilities, which are expressed in terms of Gaussian probability density functions (pdfs) or Gaussian cumulative density functions (cdfs). We then propose a hybrid estimation algorithm for the stochastic hybrid systems based on the IMM algorithm. Like the IMM algorithm, our algorithm utilizes Gaussian distributions to represent the continuous state pdfs which are updated analytically at each time step. We also use analytical integration methods to reduce the computational cost of updating the mode probabilities. As a result, the proposed algorithm is computationally efficient and is applicable to high-dimensional problems. The performance of the proposed algorithm is illustrated with two examples in air traffic control tracking applications.
Nanoindentation of Pressure Quenched Fullerenes and Zirconium Metal from a Diamond Anvil Cell

The sample size employed in high pressure diamond anvil cells is limited to a diameter of typically 25 to 150 microns. While this size is often sufficient for diagnostics using synchrotron x-ray diffraction and Raman scattering, ex-situ measurements of mechanical properties using conventional microhardness indentation techniques is not feasible. For some materials, the high pressure phase(s) can be quenched to ambient pressure allowing further characterization by other techniques. We make use of the very small probe volume allowed by nanoindentation to investigate the pressure-quenched structures of both C70 fullerene and zirconium. For the case of C70, we show that the amorphous phase established above 35 GPa can be quenched to ambient, and that it shows a largely elastic indentation loading behavior with a hardness of 30 GPa. We establish that this hard carbon phase contains a mixture of sp2- and sp3-bonded carbon and that it can be produced from C70 fullerene by application of pressure at room temperature. With regard to zirconium metal, we confirm the irreversible transformation from the ambient hexagonal-close-packed phase to the simple hexagonal Ω-phase (AlB2 structure) and document an 80% increase in hardness that may be attributed to the presence of covalent bonding based on sd2-hybridized orbitals forming graphite-like nets in the (0001) plane of the AlB2 structure.
Ctenophthalmus pseudagyrtes (Siphonaptera: Ctenopthalmidae): New to the Flea Fauna of Texas

Abstract Two female ctenophthalmid fleas, Ctenophthalmus pseudagyrtes, were collected in June 2003 from an eastern mole Scalopus aquaticus from Marion County, Texas. This flea originally was described from S. aquaticus in Michigan; C. pseudagyrtes has been reported from various mammalian hosts collected primarily east of the Mississippi River. This is the first report from Texas. In addition, we provide the second record of the mite Haemogamasus harperi in Texas from the same host.
Urinary Protein and Carbohydrate II. Fractionation of Nondialyzable Ammonium Sulfate Precipitable Glycoproteins in Normal Human Urine.

SummaryAfter the removal of Tamm and Horsfall mucoid, urinary glycoprotein was precipitated with (NH4)2SO4 at 30%, 60% and 100% saturation. The precipitates were further fractionated on DEAE-cellulose columns with phosphate buffer of increasing concentration and decreasing pH. Sialic acid-rich glycoproteins were later eluted by addition of NaCl. Disc electrophoresis was used for demonstration of the components present. Many components were shown in the (NH4)2 SO4 precipitates. Relatively few components were present in the sialic acid-rich fractions.
Overwintering sparrow use of field borders planted as beneficial insect habitat

Field borders are an effective conservation strategy for providing habitat to overwintering sparrows, and may be a venue through which beneficial insect populations are promoted. However, traditional fallow field borders lack sufficient pollen and nectar sources required to sustain beneficial insect populations; therefore, borders planted to a mix of native prairie flowers and grasses may be needed if increases in beneficial insect populations are desired. Although the value of fallow borders to birds has been established, little is known about bird use of beneficial insect habitats. Using single-observer transect surveys, we compared overwintering sparrow densities among 4 field border treatments (planted native warm season grasses and prairie flowers, planted prairie flowers only, fallow, and mowed) replicated around 9 organic crop fields from November to March 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. Sparrow densities were 5-10 times lower in mowed borders than in other border treatments in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, but did not differ among planted and fallow borders in either year. Planted field borders may be a useful conservation practice for providing habitat for both overwintering sparrows and beneficial insects. 2012 The Wildlife Society.
The Tree of Jesse and the “Relación de Michoacán”: Mimicry in Colonial Mexico

When the Spanish viceroy Antonio de Mendoza first visited Michoacan, Mexico (about 1539), he commissioned a Franciscan friar to record the indigenous customs of the region. The friar, together with local native nobles and artists, produced the illustrated manuscript known as the “Relacion de Michoacan.” One of these indigenous artists transformed the European Tree of Jesse, a motif depicting Christ's genealogy, to represent the local indigenous noble family. Such an act of mimicry and appropriation allowed the artist to represent the native nobles as the rightful rulers of Michoacan and to communicate this conviction to the manuscript's colonial audience.
Was Bentham a Utilitarian

Abstract. Utilitarianism is usually defined as the doctrine that morally right and legally just conduct maximizes the good for the most people, and this doctrine is usually criticized on the grounds that it licenses conduct known by other means to be wrong or unjust. Yet Jeremy Bentham, the historical prototype of a utilitarian, maintained that individuals ought to do only what promises to serve their personal interests, and he offered utility as the test not of what is right or just but of what ought to be made so by instituting better rules. Textbook utilitarianism is a better fit for the “theological utilitarians” William Paley and Henry Sidgwick.Resume. On definit d'habitude l'utilitarisme comme la doctrine pretendant qu'une conduite moralement bonne et legalement juste concourt au bien du plus grand nombre de personnes; en general, cette doctrine est critiquee parce qu'elle permet des conduites dont on sait, par d'autres moyens, qu'elles sont mauvaises ou injustes. Pourtant, Jeremy Bentham, le prototype historique de l'utilitariste, pretendait que l'individu se devait de faire seulement ce qui servait ses propres interets, et il presentait l'utilite comme le test non de ce qui est bon ou juste mais de ce qui devrait le devenir par l'institution de meilleures regles. L'utilitarisme des manuels decrit mieux les “ utilitaristes theologiens ” William Paley et Henry Sidgwick.
The Impact of Organized Interests on Eligibility Determination: The Case of Veterans' Disability Compensation

The bureaucracy has a profound impact on the direction of policy when it determines eligibility for a variety of government programs. Given the significance of eligibility determination for policy and the fact that street-level bureaucrats have great latitude when interpreting eligibility standards, organized interests have an incentive to try to influence the application of eligibility rules. Despite this, few researchers have explored the impact of organized interests on eligibility determination. Using data from the Veterans’ Disability Compensation (VDC) program, we examine how organized interests affect the implementation of eligibility-based programs. We emphasize the dual role of many organized interests as both traditional advocacy groups and service providers and use insight from the interest group and third-party service provider literature to formulate hypotheses. We find that veterans’ groups affect variables capturing demand for, access to, and effective implementation of the VDC program, although we do not find effects for every measure of implementation included in our study.
Zeta: scheduling interactive services with partial execution

This paper presents a scheduling model for a class of interactive services in which requests are time bounded and lower result quality can be traded for shorter execution time. These applications include web search engines, finance servers, and other interactive, on-line services. We develop an efficient scheduling algorithm, Zeta, that allocates processor time among service requests to maximize the quality and minimize the variance of the response.Zeta exploits the concavity of the request quality profile to distribute processing time among outstanding requests. By executing some requests partially (and obtaining much or most benefit of a full execution), Zeta frees resources for other requests, which might have timed out and produced no results. Compared to scheduling algorithms that consider only deadline or quality profile information, Zeta improves overall response quality and reduces response quality variance, yielding significant improvement in the high-percentile response quality.We implemented and deployed Zeta in the Microsoft Bing web search engine and evaluated its performance in a production environment with realistic workloads. Measurements show that at the same response quality and latency as the production system, Zeta increases system capacity by 29% by improving both average and high percentile response quality. We also implemented Zeta in a finance server that computes option prices. In this application, Zeta improves average response quality by 28% and the 99-percentile quality by 80%. Using a simulation, we also compared Zeta to the offline optimal schedule and other scheduling algorithms. Although Zeta is only close to optimal, it provides better performance than prior algorithms under a wide variety of operating conditions.
Assessing data quality in a sensor network for environmental monitoring

Assessing the quality of sensor data in environmental monitoring applications is important, as erroneous readings produced by malfunctioning sensors, calibration drift, and problematic climatic conditions such as icing or dust, are common. Traditional data quality checking and correction is a painstaking manual process, so the development of automatic systems for this task is highly desirable. This study investigates machine learning methods to identify and clean incorrect data from a real-world environmental sensor network, the Jornada Experimental Range, located in Southern New Mexico. We analyze several learning algorithms and data replacement schemes and conclude that learning algorithms are an effective way of cleansing this type of datasets.
Estimated Effects of Temperature-Relative Humidity Variations on the Composition of In-Drift Water in the Potential Nuclear Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

We define four distinct thermohydrochemical environments for drip shield and waste package corrosion in the potential nuclear waste repository, referred to here as the Dry, Seepage + Evaporation, Seepage + Condensation + Evaporation, and the Seepage + Condensation environments. These environments are bounded by temperature and relative humidity conditions at drift wall and drip shield/waste package surfaces judged most likely to initiate fundamental changes in the quantity and/or chemistry of in-drift waters. The duration in which different environments might exist is evaluated by comparing simulated, time-dependent temperature and relative humidity curves for three different locations within repository drift 25. In-drift conditions and processes postulated to cause drip shield/waste package corrosion are evaluated within the context of the thermohydrochemical environments by various means, including analytical calculations and geochemical simulations. Of the four environments considered here, the Seepage + Evaporation environment presents the most significant potential for aqueous corrosion of drip shield and waste package materials, and may persist for approximately 500 years in center drift locations. The likelihood for corrosion in other thermohydrochemical environments is significantly lower, but may increase with the acquisition of new data or the demonstration of extenuating circumstances.
اخلاق زيستي و حقوق بشر (Human Rights and Bioethics)

Persian Abstract: پديده ها و دستاوردهاي علوم زيستي و پزشكي كه موضوع آنها انسان است، همواره با سوالات اخلاقي بسياري همراه بوده اند. پاسخگويي به اينگونه سوالات اخلاقي نيز مستلزم بهره گرفتن از نظريات كلي اخلاقي است كه تفاوتهاي فاحش و بنياديني با يكديگر دارند. به تدريج رشته اي به نام اخلاق زيستي ايجاد شده كه از جمله رشته هاي در حال توسعه است و در سطح جهاني مورد توجه قرار گرفته. هدف از اين رشته پاسخگويي به سوالات اخلاقي مربوط به علوم زيستي و پزشكي است. از جمله مسايلي كه در اخلاق زيستي اهميت بسزايي دارد، مبناي فلسفي يا نظريه كلي است كه بر اساس آن مي توان پديده ها و دستاوردهاي جديد علمي و پزشكي را قاعده مند كرد و داوريهاي اخلاقي مناسبي انجام داد. در اين مقاله، ضمن بيان برخي از اين مباني فلسفي، نشان داده خواهد شد كه رويكرد مناسب در سطح بين المللي هم به لحاظ منطقي و هم به لحاظ عملي، رويكرد مبتني بر نظام بين المللي حقوق بشر است و همين رويكرد توسط دولتها اتخاذ شده است. English Abstract: Biological and medical innovations and phenomena, the subject of which are the human individual, often entail a myriad of ethical questions. Providing an answer to these ethical dilemmas necessitates the invocation of general ethical theories that inherently contain fundamental differences. The quickly developing discipline of bioethics addresses such issues. The purpose of the said discipline is to provide answers to the numerous questions and ambiguities raised by biological and medical developments. One of the more salient and fundamental questions raised is the philosophical basis or general ethical theory that would be most appropriate to address such pressing needs as the regulation of biomedical scientific activities and that would enable a coherent, globally valid justification of ethical judgments concerning biomedical issues. This article describes some of the more prominent ethical disciplines, and argues that internationally, the more logically valid and practically feasible approach would be based on the international regime of human rights.
Crystal structures of (RS)-N-[(1R,2S)-2-benz­yloxy-1-(2,6-di­methyl­phen­yl)prop­yl]-2-methyl­propane-2-sulfinamide and (RS)-N-[(1S,2R)-2-benz­yloxy-1-(2,4,6-tri­methyl­phen­yl)prop­yl]-2-methyl­propane-2-sulfinamide: two related protected 1,2-amino alcohols

The title compounds, C22H31NO2S, (1), and C23H33NO2S, (2), are related protected 1,2-amino alcohols. They differ in the substituents on the benzene ring, viz. 2,6-di­methyl­phenyl in (1) and 2,4,6-tri­methyl­phenyl in (2). The plane of the phenyl ring is inclined to that of the benzene ring by 28.52 (7)° in (1) and by 44.65 (19)° in (2). In the crystal of (1), N—H⋯O=S and C—H⋯O=S hydrogen bonds link mol­ecules, forming chains along [100], while in (2), similar hydrogen bonds link mol­ecules into chains along [010]. The absolute structures of both compounds were determined by resonance scattering.
When is pneumonia not pneumonia: a clinicopathologic study of the utility of lung tissue biopsies in determining the suitability of cadaveric tissue for donation

Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) represents a major diagnostic challenge because of the relatively low sensitivity and specificity of clinical criteria, radiological findings, and microbiologic culture results. It is often difficult to distinguish between pneumonia, underlying pulmonary disease, or conditions with pulmonary complications; this is compounded by the often-subjective clinical diagnosis of pneumonia. We conducted this study to determine the utility of post-mortem lung biopsies for diagnosing pneumonia in tissue donors diagnosed with pneumonia prior to death. Subjects were deceased patients who had been hospitalized at death and diagnosed with pneumonia. Post-mortem lung biopsies were obtained from the anatomic portion of the cadaveric lung corresponding to chest radiograph abnormalities. Specimens were fixed, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and read by a single board-certified pathologist. Histological criteria for acute pneumonia included intense neutrophilic infiltration, fibrinous exudates, cellular debris, necrosis, or bacteria in the interstitium and intra-alveolar spaces. Of 143 subjects with a diagnosis of pneumonia at time of death, 14 (9.8 %) had histological evidence consistent with acute pneumonia. The most common histological diagnoses were emphysema (53 %), interstitial fibrosis (40 %), chronic atelectasis (36 %), acute and chronic passive congestion consistent with underlying cardiomyopathy (25 %), fibro-bullous disease (12 %), and acute bronchitis (11 %). HCAP represents a major diagnostic challenge because of the relatively low sensitivity and specificity of clinical criteria, radiological findings, and microbiologic testing. We found that attending physician-diagnosed pneumonia did not correlate with post-mortem pathological diagnosis. We conclude that histological examination of cadaveric lung tissue biopsies enables ascertainment or rule out of underlying pneumonia and prevents erroneous donor deferrals.
A militarized society

U.S. citizens must free themselves from the Cold War assumptions that have stifled common sense and initiative.
Effect of Small-Scale Turbulence on the Growth and Metabolism of Microcystis aeruginosa

Microcystis aeruginosa is a single-celled cyanobacterium, forming large colonies on the surface of freshwater ecosystems during summer, and producing a toxin (microcystin) that in high concentration can be harmful to humans and animals. These toxic effects can be governed by abiotic environmental conditions including water temperature, light, nutrient abundance, and fluid motion. We investigated the effect of small-scale turbulence on the growth and metabolism of Microcystis aeruginosa using field measurements and laboratory bioreactor investigations. The laboratory setup included two underwater speakers, generating a quasi-homogeneous turbulent flow with turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates up to 10-6 m2/s3, comparable to field values in the lacustrine photic zone. The role of turbulence is quantified by comparing cell number, dissolved oxygen production/uptake, and inorganic carbon uptake in stagnant condition and two sets of experiments with turbulent conditions, quantified by the Taylor micro-scale Reynolds number at Reλ = 15 and Reλ = 33. The results suggest that turbulence mediates the metabolism of Microcystis aeruginosa measured by the net oxygen production, oxygen uptake, and inorganic carbon uptake. Furthermore, small-scale turbulence marginally influenced Microcystis growth rate estimated from cell population concentration (-5% and 11% for Reλ = 33 and Reλ = 15, respectively, as compared to stagnant conditions).
Analysis of the monitoring results for sanitary conditions of central air conditioning ventilation system in public places of Jiaxing

Objective: To analyze the monitoring results of sanitary conditions of central air conditioning ventilation system in public places of Jiaxing,so as to prevent and control harmful factors that may appear to affect health.Methods: Randomly collected the blowing air(petri dish),samples from the duct inner surface(smear),and samples of cooling water and condensed water of central air conditioning ventilation systems in different industries,and valuated them in compliance with Health Regulations for Central Air Conditioning Ventilation System in Public Places.Results: The pass rate of total bacteria and total epiphyte contained in the blowing air of central air conditioning ventilation system in Jiaxing were all below 70% during these two years,but the pass rate of β-hemolytic streptococcus was 100%,the differences among bacteria,epiphyte and β-hemolytic streptococcus have statistical significance(2009,χ2=20.20,P0.001;2010,χ2=6.24,P0.05).The difference of pass rate of total bacteria(χ2=21.36,P0.001) and total epiphyte(χ2=38.49,P0.001),which contained in the blowing air of central air conditioning ventilation system in different industries,has statistical significance.The positive rate of Legionella pneumophila in cooling water,condensed water was 29.6%.Conclusion: To standardize hygienic valuation for central air conditioning ventilation system in public places,and found a professional cleaning and disinfection team for central air conditioning ventilation system is the key for guaranteeing a good sanitary quality.
Incomplete right bundle branch block on the diagnosis of atrial septal defect

Objective: To discusses the incomplete right bundle branch block diagnosis of atrial septal defect value and significance. Methods: Retrospectived analyzed of our hospital from February 2009 to March 2011 treated 66 cases of atrial septal defect patients (observation group) and 70 patients with other types of congenital heart disease (control group) were observed not complete right bundle branch block (IRBBB) of the electrocardiogram, atrioventricular septal defect analyszed of its diagnostic value and significance. Results: In control group of patients with QRS time was significantly prolonged0.12 s in 24 cases; Observed group of patients with QRS time was significantly prolonged0.12 s part of the type 1 case, over 3 cases, complete in 3 cases, three positive rate was not significantly differences (P0.05); with the control group there was significant difference (P0.01). Conclusion: Incomplete right bundle branch block the detection of ECG diagnosis of atrial septal defect of critical importance, the determination of atrioventricular septal defect also play a decisive role.
Experience with a Laterally Based Vaginal Flap Approach for Urethral Diverticulum

We found 15 cases of urethral diverticula in female patients who were evaluated for recurrent urinary tract infection. A voiding cystourethrogram was the most useful investigative technique. All cases were managed by a vaginal approach, using a laterally based flap incision. There were no complications with this easily learned technique, which makes full exposure of the diverticulum easy and covers the urethral defect with intact vaginal wall. Using this technique we have had no delayed healing, fistula formation or incontinence. A history of gonorrhea may have an etiologic role in acquired diverticula.
Writing a Grant/Obtaining Funding

NIH-sponsored Mentored Career Development Award Grants (also known as “K Awards”) are the portals through which the majority of aspiring, independent academic investigators gingerly step into the large portfolio of NIH funding. Often young academic surgeons because of the labor-intensive and time-consuming nature of surgery do not take advantage of this very accessible funding potential.
PhDs in Accounting: Gender Distribution and Determinants of Success

This study examines gender and other characteristics of the individuals who have received accounting PhDs from American schools in the last 20 years and who are currently employed in the United States. The study concludes that while accounting doctoral graduation rates of females are increasing, they have not reached parity with population rates, bachelors degrees, or masters degrees. Female PhDs are hired by as wide range of educational institutions as male PhDs. However, these females have not yet achieved the higher academic ranks at the same rate as males. Even when controlling for other related variables, women are more then 20% less likely to be promoted to the higher academic ranks than males. In addition, females do not hold a proportionate share of endowed positions relative to males. More analysis is needed to determine if these differences hold when examined over time.
Introduction to Optimization

To improve the quality of the code that it generates, an optimizing compiler analyzes the code and rewrites it into a more efficient form. This chapter introduces the problems and techniques of code optimization and presents key concepts through a series of example optimizations. Chapter 9 expands on this material with a deeper exploration of program analysis. Chapter 10 provides a broader coverage of optimizing transformations.
Abstract 956: Anticancer effects of silibinin-induced small nucleolar RNA 11B on bladder cancer cells

Silibinin is the major active constituent of silymarin, an extract of milk thistle seeds. Silibinin has been shown to have significant anti-cancer effects in a variety of malignancies. However, the molecular mechanisms of silibinin action in bladder cancer have not been reported. In the present study, we found that silibinin (10 μM) significantly suppressed proliferation and invasion of T24 and UM-UC-3 bladder cancer cells. We analyzed various pathways as possible mechanisms of silibinin action using RNA-Seq technology in bladder cancer cell lines. Analysis of RNA-seq data identified silibinin targets that down-regulate the actin cytoskeleton pathway. Analysis of RNA-seq data also identified the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling pathway as a silibinin-down-regulated pathway. These pathways were also found to crosstalk through Ras and phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). These data show that silibinin anti-cancer effects are through down-regulation of actin cytoskeleton and MAP kinase pathways in bladder cancer. We also found that silibinin induced small nucleolar RNA 11B (SNORD11B) and that SNORD11B suppressed proliferation and invasion of bladder cancer cells. We will discuss the pathway of the anti-cancer effects of SNORD11B. Citation Format: Soichiro Yamamura, Yozo Mitsui, Shahana Majid, Hannah Nip, Nathan Bucay, Sharanjot Saini, Guoren Deng, Varahram Shahryary, Rajvir Dahiya, Yuichiro Tanaka. Anticancer effects of silibinin-induced small nucleolar RNA 11B on bladder cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 956.
In Situ Evaluation of Calcium Phosphate Nucleation Kinetics and Pathways during Intra- and Extrafibrillar Mineralization of Collagen Matrices

We revealed that nucleation sites within collagen fibrils determined pathways for calcium phosphate (CaP) nucleation and its transformation, from amorphous species to crystalline plates, during the biomineralization process. Using in situ small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we examined the nucleation and growth of CaP within collagen matrices and elucidated how a nucleation inhibitor, polyaspartic acid (pAsp), governs mineralization kinetics and pathways at multiple length scales. Mineralization without pAsp led initially to spherical aggregates of CaP in the entire extrafibrillar spaces. With time, the spherical aggregates transformed into plates at the outermost surface of the collagen matrix, preventing intrafibrillar mineralization inside. However, mineralization with pAsp led directly to the formation of intrafibrillar CaP plates with a spatial distribution gradient through the depth of the matrix. The results illuminate mineral nucleation kinetics and real-time nanoparticle distributions within org...
Hahn–Jordan Decomposition as an Equilibrium State in the Conflict System

The notion of conflict system is introduced in terms of couples of the probability measures. We construct several models of conflict systems and show that every trajectory with initial state given by a couple of measures μ and $$ \nu $$ converges to an equilibrium state specified by the normalized components μ + and $$ \nu $$ + of the classical Hahn–Jordan decomposition of the charge $$ \omega $$ = μ − $$ \nu $$ .
Complications in DSEK: Prevention and Management

Endothelial keratoplasty, most commonly Descemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), has become the procedure of choice for endothelial diseases. DSEK provides many unique advantages compared to traditional penetrating keratoplasty; these includes smaller risk of suprachoroidal hemorrhage during the surgery, minimal to no induced astigmatism, lower chance of wound dehiscence, and lower rates of rejection. However, DSEK carries its own set of specific risks and complications. Most common complications of DSEK surgery are posterior graft dislocation, glaucoma, and endothelial graft rejection. Other complications include graft folds, graft interface opacity, decentered graft, epithelial downgrowth, and endophthalmitis. Some of these complications may be encountered more frequently with certain surgical techniques. For example, a large clear corneal incision carries a higher risk of induced astigmatism and epithelial downgrowth than a more peripheral scleral tunnel incision. The risk of epithelial downgrowth is also increased if corneal venting incisions are made. There may be a greater risk of endothelial damage in bifold and push through techniques compared to when special insertion devices are used during the surgery [1]. In this chapter, we will explore some of the more frequently encountered complications in DSEK that may occur in various stages of the surgery as well as in the postoperative course. Predisposing factors that lead to complications and ways to prevent them will also be discussed. In addition, appropriate management of the complications when they do occur will be described.
Secure Point-of-Care Medical Diagnostics via Trusted Sensing and Cyto-Coded Passwords

Trustworthy and usable healthcare requires not only effective disease diagnostic procedures to ensure delivery of rapid and accurate outcomes, but also lightweight user privacypreserving capabilities for resource-limited medical sensing devices. In this paper, we present MedSen, a portable, inexpensive and secure smartphone-based biomarker1 detection sensor to provide users with easy-to-use real-time disease diagnostic capabilities without the need for in-person clinical visits. To minimize the deployment cost and size without sacrificing the diagnostic accuracy, security and time requirement, MedSen operates as a dongle to the user's smartphone and leverages the smartphone's computational capabilities for its real-time data processing. From the security viewpoint, MedSen introduces a new hardware-level trusted sensing framework, built in the sensor, to encrypt measured analog signals related to cell counting in the patient's blood sample, at the data acquisition point. To protect the user privacy, MedSen's in-sensor encryption scheme conceals the user's private information before sending them out for cloud-based medical diagnostics analysis. The analysis outcomes are sent back to Med-Sen for decryption and user notifications. Additionally, MedSen introduces cyto-coded passwords to authenticate the user to the cloud server without the need for explicit screen password entry. Each user's password constitutes a predetermined number of synthetic beads with different dielectric characteristics. MedSen mixes the password beads with the user's blood before submitting the data for diagnostics analysis. The cloud server authenticates the user based on the statistics and characteristics of the beads with the blood sample, and links the user's identity to the encrypted analysis outcomes. We have implemented a real-world working prototype of MedSen through bio-sensor fabrication and smartphone app (Android) implementations. Our results show that MedSen can reliably classify different users based on their cyto-coded passwords with high accuracy. MedSen's built-in analog signal encryption guarantees the user's privacy by considering the smartphone and cloud server possibly untrusted (curious but honest). MedSen's end-to-end time requirement for disease diagnostics is approximately 0.2 seconds on average.
Leukocyte telomere length: Effects of schizophrenia, age, and gender

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is linked with early medical comorbidity and mortality. These observations indicate possible “accelerated biological aging” in schizophrenia, although prior findings are mixed, and few such studies have examined the role of gender. One putative marker of biological aging is leukocyte telomere length (LTL), which typically shortens with age. Methods We assessed LTL in phenotypically well characterized 134 individuals with schizophrenia (60 women and 74 men) and 123 healthy comparison subjects (HCs) (66 women and 57 men), aged 26 to 65 years. Results Overall, LTL was inversely associated with age (t(249) = -6.2, p Discussion Gender, not the diagnosis of schizophrenia, was the major factor involved with LTL shortening across the age range studied. We discuss the constraints of a cross-sectional design and other methodological issues, and indicate future directions. Understanding the impact of schizophrenia on biological aging will require separate evaluations in men and women.
A geometrical analysis of Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks for safety applications

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) are an emerging field which grant safety and efficiency to transportation networks by utilizing wireless communications. In this paper first we render geometrical definitions for the transportation network elements. Next, we address crucial safety measures of the network through the geometrical basis which we have laid. Due to the high penetration loss of waves at 5.9 Gh.z. frequency band (anticipated for VANET), line-of-sight between vehicles plays an important role in maintaining safety. With our geometrical tools, we study criteria such as the maximum number of non-line-of-sight points and the maximum number of broken links to theoretically analyze the hazards inherent in the geometry of roads. Further, the deployment of roadside equipment to enhance safety is studied.
PROBABILISTIC EVALUATION OF WELDED STRUCTURES.

Some deficiencies in structual welding, particularly when thousands of welds are installed, are expected. This deficiency may or may not compromise the strength of the joint or the structural element. A deterministic evaluation of this deficiency may not be possible. A probabilistic procedure is suggested. Limited sampling information from the site is used to develop this methodology. Sampling information obtained from a project should be checked before the information is used for any statistical prediction. The χ² test of homogeneity could be used to check the homogeneity of the samples. The hyperbinomial distribution may be the most appropriate distribution to study the characteristics of a group of welds. It considers the effect of sample size on the prediction. A large sample size is always beneficial, but the cost-benefit ratio for the collection of samples should be studied before any decisions are made. The method suggested here would help to study this area. Repairing the welds, whenever necessary, is the final step. This method is a safe, economical and conservative solution to this complex problem.
Variation in Physician Spending and Association With Patient Outcomes.

Importance While the substantial variation in health care spending across regions and hospitals is well known, key clinical decisions are ultimately made by physicians. However, the degree to which spending varies across physicians and the clinical consequences of that variation are unknown. Objective To investigate variation in spending across physicians and its association with patient outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants For this retrospective data analysis, we analyzed a 20% random sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries 65 years and older who were hospitalized with a nonelective medical condition and treated by a general internist between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2014. We first quantified the proportion of variation in Medicare Part B spending attributable to hospitals, physicians, and patients. We then examined the association between physician spending and patient outcomes, adjusted for patient and physician characteristics and hospital fixed effects (effectively comparing physicians within the same hospital). Our primary analysis focused on hospitalist physicians, whose patients are plausibly quasirandomized within a hospital based on physician work schedule. A secondary analysis focused on general internists overall. To ensure that patient illness severity did not directly affect physician spending estimates, we calculated physicians’ spending levels in 2011 through 2012 and examined outcomes of their patients in 2013 and 2014. Exposures Physicians’ adjusted Part B spending level in 2011 through 2012. Main Outcomes and Measures Patients’ 30-day mortality and readmission rates in 2013 and 2014. Results To determine the amount of variation across physicians we included 485 016 hospitalizations treated by 21 963 physicians at 2837 acute care hospitals for the analysis of hospitalists and 839 512 hospitalizations treated by 50 079 physicians at 3195 acute care hospitals for the analysis of general internists. Variation in spending across physicians within hospital was larger than variation across hospitals (for hospitalists, 8.4% across physicians vs 7.0% across hospitals; for general internists, 10.5% across physicians vs 6.2% across hospitals). Higher physician spending was not associated with lower 30-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] for additional $100 in physician spending, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.98-1.01; P = .47) or readmissions (aOR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.99-1.01; P = .54) for hospitalists within the same hospital. We observed similar patterns among general internists. Conclusions and Relevance Health care spending varies more across individual physicians than across hospitals. However, higher physician spending is not associated with better outcomes of hospitalized patients. Our findings suggest policies targeting both physicians and hospitals may be more effective in reducing wasteful spending than policies focusing solely on hospitals.
Household Food Insecurity and Early Childhood Health and Cognitive Development Among Children of Immigrants

Food insecurity is negatively related to child development and health. In this study, we use Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort data to assess the cognitive and health consequences of household food insecurity for children of immigrants compared with children of native-born parents. Results suggest that children of immigrants from food insecure households fare worse than their native peers from food insecure households in health but not in cognitive skills after child and maternal demographic characteristics are taken into account. The remaining health disparity between children in food insecure immigrant households and children in food insecure nonimmigrant households is explained away by immigrant risk and protective factors. Having parents with strong mental health and living in two-parent families partially offset the negative health consequences associated with food insecurity. However, compared with food insecure nonimmigrant children, low socioeconomic risk may exacerbate the negative ...
A Role for Pd(IV) in Catalytic Enantioselective C–H Functionalization with Monoprotected Amino Acid Ligands under Mild Conditions

Kinetic and mechanistic studies of the desymmetrization of benzhydrylamine using Pd/monoprotected amino acid ligands (Pd/MPAA) via C–H functionalization with molecular iodine provide mechanistic insight into the rate-determining step and the oxidation state of Pd in the C–H functionalization step. Enantiomeric excess is strikingly insensitive to temperature from ambient temperature up to over 70 °C, and reaction rate is insensitive to the electronic characteristics of the ligand’s benzoyl protecting group. The reaction is highly robust with no evidence of catalyst deactivation. Intriguingly, C–H bond breaking does not occur prior to the addition of I2 to the reaction mixture. Electrochemical experiments demonstrate the viability of oxidative addition of I2 to Pd(II). Together with 19F NMR studies, these observations suggest that iodine oxidizes Pd prior to addition of the amine substrate. This work may lead to a better general understanding of the subtle variations in the reaction mechanisms for C–H funct...
Towards Improving End-to-End Performance of Distributed Real-Time and Embedded Systems Using Baseline Profiles

Component-based distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) systems must be properly deployed and configured to realize an operational system that meets its functional and quality-of-service (QoS) needs. Different deployments and configurations often impact systemic QoS concerns, such as end-to-end response time. Traditional techniques for understanding systemic QoS rely on complex analytical and simulation models, however, such techniques provide performance assurance at design-time only. Moveover, they do not take into account the complete operating environment, which greatly influences systemic performance.
Ultrafast CO Kinetics in Heme Proteins: Adiabatic Ligand Binding and Heavy Atom Tunneling

The ultrafast kinetics of CO rebinding to carbon monoxide oxidation activator protein (ChCooA) are measured over a wide temperature range and compared with the kinetics of CO binding in other heme systems such as myoglobin (Mb) and hemoglobin (Hb). The Arrhenius prefactor for CO binding to ChCooA and protoheme (∼1011 s–1) is similar to what is found for spin-allowed NO binding to heme proteins and is several orders of magnitude larger than the prefactor of Mb and Hb (∼109 s–1). This indicates that the CO binding reaction is adiabatic, in contrast to the commonly held view that it is nonadiabatic due to spin-forbidden (ΔS = 2) selection rules. Under the adiabatic condition, entropic factors, rather than spin-selection rules, are the source of the reduced Arrhenius prefactors associated with CO binding in Mb and Hb. The kinetic response of ChCooA-CO is nonexponential at all temperatures, including 298 K, and is described quantitatively using a distribution of enthalpic rebinding barriers associated with het...
Shoaling internal waves may reduce gravity current transport

Gravity currents descending along slopes have typically been studied in quiescent environments, despite the fact that in many geophysical settings there is significant externally driven motion. Here we investigate how the head of a gravity current is influenced by interfacial internal waves at the pycnocline of a two-layer ambient water column. Our experimental measurements show that larger amplitude internal waves, interacting with the gravity current, reduce both the mass transport by the gravity current and its thickness. These results suggest that the ambient internal wave field should be considered when estimating transport by gravity currents in geophysical settings with strong internal waves, such as lakes and the coastal ocean.
THE NEW URBANISM OF FISHERMEN’S VILLAGE IN BULAK SETTLEMENT SURABAYA

Based on the existing potential characteristics, Surabaya is developed to function as the nation’s center of main area C, that covering areas in the east and north of Indonesia. The nation’s target in city development are field of industry, trading, maritime, garrison and tourism. Land condition in Surabaya is not fully urban, because there are areas with rural use such as paddy field, moor, ponds and coastal forest. The rural use of land are found in west, south-west and eastern part of Surabaya. The condition shows that the activity is dual, which are urban and rural. It is related with the environment which is hilly topography at the western part of Surabaya and shore at the eastern part of Surabaya. The scope of study research is identification that is conducted in a fishermen’s settlement of Bulak, Surabaya. The identification covers physical and non physical aspects of the area. The environment and buildings’ condition,and land use are covering demography, social economic and culture condition. The research method is conducted by inventory of data, using the observation technique, interview, and documentation, moreover visual observation. The use of theory is related to the fishermen’s settlement, sense of place and new urbanism. Result of the research is a strategy concept in efforts to renewal the fisherman’s area based on physical and non physical characteristics. Consist of “ Government and community participation are needed for renewal settlement in fishing village. The guidance of local government was needed on various small business opportunities, where process is quite simple and profitable for low income people. They have to demonstrate the balance between ‘man-houses-environment’, so that the relation between them can be dynamic and sustainable. The existence of houses in fishing area need a private bathrooms with good sanitation and septic tanks, for environment preservation. They need to obtain good economic opportunities are promising for low income level. The some environments in coastal area need electricity services especially in study area .
From modeling to hardware: an experimental evaluation of image plane and Fourier plane coded compressive optical imaging

Computational imaging based on compressed sensing (CS) has shown potential for outperforming conventional techniques in many applications, but challenges arise when translating CS theory to practical imaging systems. Here we examine such challenges in two physical architectures under coherent and incoherent illumination. We describe hardware alignment protocols that can be used to optimize system performance for each case. We found that an architecture using coded masks located at a conjugate image plane outperformed an identical architecture using masks at a Fourier plane, enabling recovery of images with up to 64 times more resolvable points than pixels in the image sensor. We demonstrate and explain the basis for the tradeoff between achievable resolution and dynamic range of reconstructed CS images. Finally, we demonstrate that these principles can be applied beyond binary test targets by reconstructing a 480 × 480 image of a human tissue section from a 120 × 120 pixel sensor. These results provide a basis to further develop compressive imaging architectures for biomedical imaging and we also anticipate that these findings may be useful to investigators focused on translating CS theory to other real-world imaging applications.