cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the Influence of Demographic and Professional Characteristics on Health Care Providers’ Pain Management Decisions Using Virtual Humans

Disparities in health care associated with patients’ gender, race, and age are well documented. Previous studies using virtual human (VH) technology have demonstrated that provider characteristics may play an important role in pain management decisions. However, these studies have largely emphasized group differences. The aims of this study were to examine dentists’ and physicians’ use of VH characteristics when making clinical judgments (i.e., cue use) and to identify provider characteristics associated with the magnitude of the impact of these cues (β-weights). Providers (N=152; 76 physicians, 76 dentists) viewed video vignettes of VH patients varying in gender (male/female), race (white/black), and age (younger/older). Participants rated VH patients’ pain intensity and unpleasantness and then rated their own likelihood of administering non-opioid and opioid analgesics. Compared to physicians, dentists had significantly lower β-weights associated with VH age cues for all ratings (p 0.69). These effects varied by provider race and gender. For pain intensity, professional differences were present only among non-white providers. White providers had greater β-weights than non-white providers for pain unpleasantness but only among men. Provider differences regarding the use of VH age cues in non-opioid analgesic administration were present among all providers except non-white males. These findings highlight the interaction of patient and provider factors in driving clinical decision making. Although profession was related to use of VH age cues in pain-related clinical judgments, this relationship was modified by providers’ personal characteristics. Additional research is needed to understand what aspects of professional training or practice may account for differences between physicians and dentists and what forms of continuing education may help to mitigate the disparities.
A model-based framework for fault estimation and accommodation applied to distributed energy resources

Abstract This paper presents the development and approach of a model-based fault identification and accommodation framework applied to sampled-data controlled distributed energy resources subject to control actuator faults. The main objective of the proposed approach is to handle faults that degrade stability as well as performance, while remaining robust to false alarms. The proposed method allows for dual fault detection and estimation, through the use of an embedded system model that minimizes the residual between the estimated and sampled states at each sampling period by adjusting a fault parameter in the embedded model over a past horizon. The resulting fault parameter estimate is then used by the control system to find an optimal fault accommodation strategy by minimizing a predefined performance metric whilst ensuring closed-loop stability. The developed fault accommodation framework is then applied to a simulated model of a solid oxide fuel cell subject to both stability and performance degrading faults in the control actuators. A discussion of some of the practical implementation issues associated with the developed framework is also included.
ASSESSMENT OF AN INTRAOPERATIVE RADIOLOGY SYSTEM FOR MEASUREMENT OF CUP ORIENTATION

Introduction Cup malposition in hip arthroplasty and hip resurfacing is associated with instability, accelerated wear, and the need for revision. The current study assesses the validity of intraoperative assessment using a specialized software to analyze intraoperative radiographs. Methods Cup orientation as measured on intraoperative radiography using the RadLink Galileo Positioning System was assessed in 10 patients. These radiographs were measured by personnel trained to support the system. The results were compared to cup orientation measured by CT. Cup orientation on CT was measured by first identifying the Anterior Pelvic Plane Coordinate system landmarks on a 3D surface model. A multiplanar reconstruction module then allowed for the creation of a plane parallel with the opening plane of the acetabulum. The orientation of the cup opening plane in the AP Plane coordinate space was then calculated. The same definition of cup orientation was used for both methodologies. Results As compared to direct measurement using CT, the intraoperative radiograph system underestimated anteversion by an average of 8.0 degrees and overestimated cup inclination by 2.9 degrees. The radiographic measurement error in anteversion ranged from −27.4 to +4.0. degrees and for inclination ranged from −2.0 to +5.3 degrees. Conclusion The use of an intraoperative radiological assessment system is relatively reliable in estimating the inclination of the acetabular component. Anteversion of the acetabular component is extremely poorly assessed by the system.
Topographic distributions of emergent trees in tropical forests of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Tropical rainforests are reservoirs of terrestrial carbon and biodiversity. Large and often emergent trees store disproportionately large amounts of aboveground carbon and greatly influence the structure and functioning of tropical rainforests. Despite their importance, controls on the abundance and distribution of emergent trees are largely unknown across tropical landscapes. Conventional field approaches are limited in their ability to characterize patterns in emergent trees across vast landscapes with varying environmental conditions and floristic composition. Here, we used a high-resolution light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor aboard the Carnegie Airborne Observatory Airborne Taxonomic Mapping System (CAO-AToMS) to examine the abundance and distribution of tall emergent tree crowns (ETC) relative to surrounding tree crowns (STC) across the Osa Peninsula, a geologically and topographically diverse region of Costa Rica. The abundance of ETC was clearly influenced by fine-scale topographic variation, with distribution patterns that held across a variety of geologic substrates. Specifically, the density of ETC was much greater on lower slopes and in valleys, compared to upper slopes and ridges. Furthermore, using the CAO high-fidelity imaging spectrometer, ETC had a different spectral signature than that of STC. Most notably, ETC had lower remotely sensed foliar nitrogen than STC, which was verified with an independent field survey of canopy leaf chemistry. The underlying mechanisms to explain the topographic-dependence of ETCs and linkages to canopy N are unknown, and remain an important area of research.
Sapo: Reachability Computation and Parameter Synthesis of Polynomial Dynamical Systems

Sapo is a tool for the formal analysis of polynomial dynamical systems. Its main features are 1) Reachability computation, i.e., the calculation of the set of states reachable from a set of initial conditions, and 2) Parameter synthesis, i.e., the refinement of a set of parameters so that the system satisfies a given specification. Sapo can represent reachable sets as unions of boxes, parallelotopes, or parallelotope bundles (symbolic representation of polytopes). Sets of parameters are represented with polytopes while specifications are formalized as Signal Temporal Logic (STL) formulas.
Comparison of clinical features and outcomes in patients with extraskeletal versus skeletal localized Ewing sarcoma: A report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Background The prognostic significance of having extraskeletal (EES) versus skeletal Ewing sarcoma (ES) in the setting of modern chemotherapy protocols is unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics, biologic features, and outcomes for patients with EES and skeletal ES. Methods Patients had localized ES and were treated on two consecutive protocols using five-drug chemotherapy (INT-0154 and AEWS0031). Patients were analyzed based on having an extraskeletal (n = 213) or skeletal (n = 826) site of tumor origin. Event-free survival (EFS) was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, compared using the log-rank test, and modeled using Cox multivariate regression. Results Patients with extraskeletal ES (EES) were more likely to have axial tumors (72% vs. 55%; P 8 cm (9% vs. 17%; P < 0.01), and less likely to be white (81% vs. 87%; P < 0.001) compared to patients with skeletal ES. There was no difference in key genomic features (type of EWSR1 translocation, TP53 mutation, CDKN2A mutation/loss) between groups. After controlling for age, race, and primary site, EES was associated with superior EFS (hazard ratio = 0.69; 95% confidence interval: 0.50–0.95; P = 0.02). Among patients with EES, age ≥18, nonwhite race, and elevated baseline erythrocyte sedimentation rate were independently associated with inferior EFS. Conclusion Clinical characteristics, but not key tumor genomic features, differ between EES and skeletal ES. Extraskeletal origin is a favorable prognostic factor, independent of age, race, and primary site.
Markov switching quantile autoregression

This paper considers the location-scale quantile autoregression in which the location and scale parameters are subject to regime shifts. The regime changes are determined by the outcome of a latent, discrete-state Markov process. The new method provides direct inference and estimate for different parts of a nonstationary time series distribution. Bayesian inference for switching regimes within a quantile,via a three-parameter asymmetric-Laplace distribution, is adapted and designed for parameter estimation. The simulation study shows reasonable accuracy and precision in model estimation. From a distribution point of view, rather than from a mean point of view, the potential of this new approach is illustrated in the empirical applications to reveal the countercyclical risk pattern of stock markets and the asymmetric persistence of real GDP growth rates and real trade-weighted exchange rates.
Psychological status of the script concept

Suggests that there has been growing interest within several subfields of psychology in the schematic nature of mental representations of real-world objects and events. One simple form of schema is the “script,” embodying knowledge of stereotyped event sequences. The present author traces applicatio
Chapter 5 – The Commonsense Law of Inertia

A quality of the commonsense world is that objects tend to stay in the same state unless they are affected by events. A book sitting on a table remains on the table unless it is picked up, a light stays on until it is turned off, and a falling object continues to fall until it hits something. This is known as the commonsense law of inertia. We discuss the representation of the commonsense law of inertia in the event calculus. We retrace the development of the discrete event calculus axioms, and we discuss the enforcement of the commonsense law of inertia and the release of fluents from inertia.
Core Competencies to Create Effective Protection Programs

To accomplish the goals of successful management practice, what’s important has to be determined. This chapter looks at the evolution of security as a management activity. The growth of services, products, and systems is provided. Most important security threats are presented.
MMinte: an application for predicting metabolic interactions among the microbial species in a community

Background The explosive growth of microbiome research has yielded great quantities of data. These data provide us with many answers, but raise just as many questions. 16S rDNA—the backbone of microbiome analyses—allows us to assess α-diversity, β-diversity, and microbe-microbe associations, which characterize the overall properties of an ecosystem. However, we are still unable to use 16S rDNA data to directly assess the microbe-microbe and microbe-environment interactions that determine the broader ecology of that system. Thus, properties such as competition, cooperation, and nutrient conditions remain insufficiently analyzed. Here, we apply predictive community metabolic models of microbes identified with 16S rDNA data to probe the ecology of microbial communities.
MICROMOTION EVALUATION OF CEMENTLESS UKR BASEPLATES

Introduction Cementless unicondylar knee implants are intended to offer surgeons the potential of a faster and less invasive surgery experience in comparison to cemented procedures. However, initial 8 week fixation with micromotion less than 150µm is crucial to their survivorship1 to avoid loosening2. Methods Test methods by Davignon et al3 for micromotion were used to assess fixation of the MAKO UKR Tritanium (MAKO) (Stryker, NJ) and the Oxford Cementless UKR (Biomet, IN). Data was analyzed to determine the activities of daily living (ADL) that generate the highest forces and displacements4, 5. Stair ascent with 3.2BW compressive posterior tibial load was identified to be an ADL which may cause the most micromotion5. Based on previous studies6, 10,000 cycles was set as the run-time. The AP and IE profiles were scaled back to 60% for the Oxford samples to prevent the congruent insert from dislocating. A four-axis test machine (MTS, MN) was used. The largest size UKRs were prepared per manufacturer9s surgical technique. Baseplates were inserted into Sawbones (Pacific Research, WA) blocks1. Femoral components were cemented to arbors. The medial compartment was tested, and the lateral implants were attached to balance the loads. Five tests were conducted for each implant with a new Sawbones and insert for each test per the test method3. The ARAMIS System (GOM, Germany) was used to measure relative motion between the baseplate and the Sawbones at three anteromedial locations (Fig. 1). Peak-Peak (P-P) micromotion was calculated in the compressive and A/P directions. FEA studies replicating the most extreme static loading positions for MAKO micromotion were conducted to compare with the physical test results using ANSYS14.5 (ANSYS, PA). Results MAKO had a maximum axial motion of 36µm (SD=5.28) at gage 2. Oxford had an average gage 1 axial and A/P motion of 109µm (SD=31.77) and 44mm (SD=28.62) respectively (Fig. 2A). FEA correlated well with the MAKO results (Fig. 2B). Discussion Oxford has been shown to have microseparation in lab testing conditions and the studies by Liddle et al7 under the same stair ascent activity. However, based on our results, MAKO and Oxford are both expected to allow interdigitation for long-term fixation. The Sawbones model does not allow plastic deformation in axial compression and subsequent stabilization, which could allow Oxford to achieve the fixation and clinical success shown in outcome studies. A/P prep for Oxford allows for 3mm gap between the keel and the bone which may explain the variability in the X direction. Distal flatness of the Oxford varied by 0.5mm as shown on Figure 3. The flatness of the boundary of the implant may explain the elevated micromotion observed for Oxford implant. Future studies will concentrate on FEA of manufactured Oxford components to take into account the geometric discrepancies from a perfectly flat model Davignon et al3 and this study show that the MAKO is expected to achieve long-term fixation in the initial fixation stages similar to the clinically successful Oxford cementless UKR.
Is Optimal Capital-Control Policy Countercyclical In Open-Economy Models With Collateral Constraints?

This paper contributes to a literature that studies optimal capital control policy in open economy models with pecuniary externalities due to flow collateral constraints. It shows that the optimal policy calls for capital controls to be lowered during booms and to be increased during recessions. These findings are at odds with the conventional view that capital controls should be tightened during expansions to curb capital inflows and relaxed during contractions to discourage capital flight.
Microbiologic Aspects of Infection in the Compromised Host

The severe morbidity and mortality associated with infection in the compromised host is a serious problem. Many infections are caused by organisms considered to have a low degree of pathogenicity under normal circumstances. It is essential to have rapid procedures available to isolate and identify these etiologic agents of infections so that rational therapy is begun.
Real exchange rate dynamics: Evidence from India

Abstract This paper examines the dynamic behavior of bilateral real exchange rates between India and 16 of its trading partner countries using annual data from 1960 to 2010. We use panel unit root test procedures, with and without structural breaks, to investigate if there is any evidence in India’s bilateral real exchange rates data to support the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) hypothesis. While the unit root null is rejected in all three cases–with no structural break, one structural break, and two structural breaks–at least at the 5% level of significance, the evidence is much stronger in the cases with structural breaks. Furthermore, we correct for small sample bias and time aggregation bias to obtain unbiased estimates of half-life. However, in the case with no structural break, although we find evidence of mean reversion, an unbiased half-life estimate of about 8 years implies an extremely slow speed of mean-reversion. When we consider the cases with structural breaks, the unbiased half-life estimates are greatly reduced. With two structural breaks, the unbiased half-life estimate is about one year.
A Software Tool for Floating Point Interval Analysis with Improved Precision for Javascript-Based Medical Applications

Medical applications intimately rely on floating point numbers to store, retrieve and process important physical as well as diagnostic data associated with medical clients. The occurrence of unexpected loss of precision over floating point numbers under medical contexts can cause great damage, or even cost lives. Due to its excellent interoperability with web-based content, Javascript has been an important source language to craft mission-critical medical applications utilizing the web-based capabilities. For those applications, applying javascript static program analysis is an important counter measure against runtime errors including floating point number errors. In this paper, we propose an abstract interpretation based interval analysis for Javascript programs using floating point bounds. We base our method and results on top JSAI, a Javascript static analysis framework.
The Effect of Information Salience on Product Quality: Louisville Restaurant Hygiene and Yelp.com

In late June 2013, the city of Louisville, Kentucky, announced plans to provide restaurant health inspection data to Yelp.com for publication on their popular online consumer-review forum. These data were already publicly available on the city's website. I utilize this partnership to test whether an increase in the salience of disclosed quality information on a particular product attribute, induces sellers to improve product quality along that dimension. Consumers use Yelp to gather information on many characteristics of a restaurant's product. Consumers depend less on Yelp to learn about chain-affiliated restaurants, because much of this information is conveyed through the chain's reputation. Using data from over 11,000 Louisville restaurant health inspections, I compare health inspection performance for independent and chain-affiliated restaurants, before and after the announcement of the partnership. Controlling for a variety of factors, I estimate that this increased salience caused substantial improvement in independent restaurant hygiene. The average treatment effect is estimated to be a 12-14% decrease in health score point deductions, and a 29-37% decrease in critical violations (those deemed to be the greatest public health risk), per inspection. The effect of the Louisville-Yelp partnership on health score point deductions is entirely evident in restaurants' first inspections following its announcement, where the estimated effect is a 14-16% relative decrease.
Development of artificial extracellular matrices using aptamer-functionalized hydrogels

T cell-environment communication is a dynamic procedure. Therefore, when biomaterials are developed for regulating cell behaviour, the functionality of biomaterials needs to be regulated in a dynamic manner to satisfy dynamic cell requirements. To this end, we have developed a new generation of adaptive hydrogels that can mimic the functions of extracellular matrices (ECMs). ECMs have complicated, dynamic functions. The artificial ECMs play three critical roles when interacting with cells. First, the hydrogel networks are used as the fundamental structural support to provide cells with a biocompatible environment to survive. Second, multiple growth factors can be sequentially released at desired time points. Third, the interactions between cell receptors and aptamers tethered to the hydrogel networks can be switched on and off. Therefore, the artificial ECMs can dynamically provide cells with biophysical and biochemical cues. In this presentation, we will discuss the synthesis of aptamerfunctionalized hydrogels, the sequential release of multiple growth factors from artificial ECMs, and the dynamic regulation of cell-aptamer interactions in the artificial ECMs. It is believed that this research will open a new avenue of developing adaptive biomaterials for tissue regeneration.
The integration of logical and algebraic types

Three versions of the lambda calculus are discussed: typed lambda calculus, untyped lambda calculus, and polymorphically typed lambda calculus. It is shown that the syntax for these calculi can be described as initial algebras for suitable endofunctors. Models of the first two calculi are described as in [Lambek and Scott 1985] and the Per model of the third is recalled. Algebraic types are described in terms of sketches. A main contribution of the paper is the internalization of the theory of sketches in the category Per. Sketches themselves, models of sketches, categories of models of sketches and the category of all models of all sketches can all be realized in this setting. Next, dinatural transformations are reviewed in the context of the category Per and the relation between certain end formulas and initial algebras for finite signatures is discussed. The point of the theory of algebraic semantics in Per is to provide a setting for thinking about algebraic types and algebraic operations in conjunction with logical types and polymorphic operations. Two specific examples are discussed and a general principle for combining algebraic and polymorphic operations is proposed.
Monte Carlo Simulation of Hall Effect in n-Type GaN

Results of Monte Carlo simulations of electron transport for wurtzite phase GaN in crossed, weak electric and magnetic fields are presented. It is found that the Hall factor, rH = μHall/μdrift, decreases monotonically as the temperature increases from 77K to 400K.The low temperature value of the Hall factor increases significantly with increasing doping concentration. The Monte Carlo simulations take into account the electron-lattice interaction through polar optical phonon scattering, deformation potential acoustic phonon scattering (treated as an inelastic process), and piezoelectric acoustic phonon scattering. Impurity scattering due to ionized and neutral donors is also included, with the latter found to be important at low temperature due to the relatively large donor binding energy which implies considerable carrier freeze-out already at liquid nitrogen temperature. The temperature dependences of the electron concentration, drift mobility, and Hall factor are calculated for donor concentrations equal to 5 × 1016 cm−3, 1017 cm−3, and 5 × 1017 cm−3. The Monte Carlo simulations are compared to classical analytical results obtained using the relaxation-time approximation, which is found to be adequate at low temperatures and sufficiently low carrier concentrations so that inelastic scattering effects due to optical phonons and degeneracy effects are negligible. The influence of dislocations on the Hall factor is discussed briefly.
Diffraction of Waves by Semi-Infinite Breakwater

The exact theory of the diffraction of water gravity waves by a semi-infinite (one arm) breakwater in water of constant depth is put in a more useful form for the case of waves incident at any angl...
Identifying Non-Stationarities in Random EM Fields: Are Speckles Really Disturbing?

We demonstrate that spatial non-stationarities can be identified from one realization of wave interaction with a random medium. Fourth-order correlations between field components at two different spatial points are shown to provide the necessary information.
Estimating fiber orientation distribution from diffusion MRI with spherical needlets.

We present a novel method for estimation of the fiber orientation distribution (FOD) function based on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (D-MRI) data. We formulate the problem of FOD estimation as a regression problem through spherical deconvolution and a sparse representation of the FOD by a spherical needlets basis that forms a multi-resolution tight frame for spherical functions. This sparse representation allows us to estimate the FOD by l1-penalized regression under a non-negativity constraint on the estimated FOD. The resulting convex optimization problem is solved by an alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm. The proposed method leads to a reconstruction of the FOD that is accurate, has low variability and preserves sharp features. Through extensive experiments, we demonstrate the effectiveness and favorable performance of the proposed method compared to three existing methods. Specifically, we demonstrate that the proposed method is able to successfully resolve fiber crossings at small angles and automatically identify isotropic diffusion. We also apply the proposed method to real 3T D-MRI data sets of healthy individuals. The results show realistic depictions of crossing fibers that are more accurate, less noisy, and lead to superior tractography results compared to competing methods.
Computing Shortest Paths among Curved Obstacles in the Plane

A fundamental problem in computational geometry is to compute an obstacle-avoiding Euclidean shortest path between two points in the plane. The case of this problem on polygonal obstacles is well studied. In this article, we consider the problem version on curved obstacles, which are commonly modeled as splinegons. A splinegon can be viewed as replacing each edge of a polygon by a convex curved edge (polygons are special splinegons), and the combinatorial complexity of each curved edge is assumed to be O(1). Given in the plane two points s and t and a set s of h pairwise disjoint splinegons with a total of n vertices, after a bounded degree decomposition of S is obtained, we compute a shortest s-to-t path avoiding the splinegons in O(n p h log h p k) time, where k is a parameter sensitive to the geometric structures of the input and is upper bounded by O(h2). The bounded degree decomposition of S, which is similar to the triangulation of the polygonal domains, can be computed in O(n log n) time or O(n p h log 1 p eh) time for any e > 0. In particular, when all splinegons are convex, the decomposition can be computed in O(n p h log h) time and k is linear to the number of common tangents in the free space (called “free common tangents”) among the splinegons. Our techniques also improve several previous results:(1) For the polygon case (i.e., when all splinegons are polygons), the shortest path problem was previously solved in O(n log n) time, or in O(n p h2log n) time. Thus, our algorithm improves the O(n p h2log n) time result, and is faster than the O(n log n) time solution for sufficiently small h, for example, h=o(√n,logn.(2) Our techniques produce an optimal output-sensitive algorithm for a basic visibility problem of computing all free common tangents among h pairwise disjoint convex splinegons with a total of n vertices. Our algorithm runs in O(n p h log h p k) time and O(n) working space, where k is the number of all free common tangents. Note that k = O(h2). Even for the special case where all splinegons are convex polygons, the previously best algorithm for this visibility problem takes O(n p h2log n) time.(3) We improve the previous work for computing the shortest path between two points among convex pseudodisks of O(1) complexity each.In addition, a by-product of our techniques is an optimal O(n p h log h) time and O(n) space algorithm for computing the Voronoi diagram of a set of h pairwise disjoint convex splinegons with a total of n vertices.
Ordoliberalism in European Competition Policy: The Logic of Democratic Capitalism in Talbot’s Essay

Similar to the two North American countries — Canada and the United States — the European Union has a fairly long history with the adoption and administering of their competition law. The heterogeneity characterizing the European Union, however, meant that the European competition law had to be designed and delivered in a manner that was sensitive to the political economy demands of its constituent nations, the principles of market competition, and the intricacies of the ‘‘European project.’’ Conor Talbot’s article, ‘‘Ordoliberalism and Balancing Competition Goals in the Development of the European Union,’’ examines the role that the European competition policies played in the development of the European project and its associated economic, social, and political goals during the post–World War II period. The article focuses on how the European competition policies complemented the democratic and capitalistic ideals of the emerging European integration. In the process, the article contributes to our understanding of the evolving nexus between capitalism, democracy, and competition laws in the European political economy.
Biophysical Attributes of CpG Presentation Control TLR9 Signaling to Differentially Polarize Systemic Immune Responses.

It is currently unknown whether and how mammalian pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) respond to biophysical patterns of pathogen-associated molecular danger signals. Using synthetic pathogen-like particles (PLPs) that mimic physical properties of bacteria or large viruses, we have discovered that the quality and quantity of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) signaling by CpG in mouse dendritic cells (mDCs) are uniquely dependent on biophysical attributes; specifically, the surface density of CpG and size of the presenting PLP. These physical patterns control DC programming by regulating the kinetics and magnitude of MyD88-IRAK4 signaling, NF-κB-driven responses, and STAT3 phosphorylation, which, in turn, controls differential T cell responses and in vivo immune polarization, especially T helper 1 (Th1) versus T helper 2 (Th2) antibody responses. Our findings suggest that innate immune cells can sense and respond not only to molecular but also pathogen-associated physical patterns (PAPPs), broadening the tools for modulating immunity and helping to better understand innate response mechanisms to pathogens and develop improved vaccines.
Exploring the Future of Out-of-Core Computing with Compute-Local Non-Volatile Memory

Drawing parallels to the rise of general purpose graphical processing units (GPGPUs) as accelerators for specific high-performance computing (HPC) workloads, there is a rise in the use of non-volatile memory (NVM) as accelerators for I/O-intensive scientific applications. However, existing works have explored use of NVM within dedicated I/O nodes, which are distant from the compute nodes that actually need such acceleration. As NVM bandwidth begins to out-pace point-to-point network capacity, we argue for the need to break from the archetype of completely separated storage. Therefore, in this work we investigate co-location of NVM and compute by varying I/O interfaces, file systems, types of NVM, and both current and future SSD architectures, uncovering numerous bottlenecks implicit in these various levels in the I/O stack. We present novel hardware and software solutions, including the new Unified File System (UFS), to enable fuller utilization of the new compute-local NVM storage. Our experimental evaluation, which employs a real-world Out-of-Core (OoC) HPC application, demonstrates throughput increases in excess of an order of magnitude over current approaches.
Evolution of reduced co-activator dependence led to target expansion of a starvation response pathway

The diversity of life on Earth has intrigued generations of scientists and nature lovers alike. Research over recent decades has revealed that much of the diversity we can see did not require the invention of new genes. Instead, living forms diversified mostly by using old genes in new ways – for example, by changing when or where an existing gene became active. This kind of change is referred to as “regulatory evolution”. A class of proteins called transcription factors are hot spots in regulatory evolution. These proteins recognize specific sequences of DNA to control the activity of other genes, and so represent the “readers” of the genetic information. Small changes to how a transcription factor is regulated, or the genes it targets, can lead to dramatic changes in an organism. Before we can understand how life on Earth evolved to be so diverse, scientists must first answer how transcription factors evolve and what consequences this has on their target genes. So far, most studies of regulatory evolution have focused on networks of transcription factors and genes that control how an organism develops. He et al. have now studied a regulatory network that is behind a different process, namely how an organism responds to stress or starvation. These two types of regulatory networks are structured differently and work in different ways. These differences made He et al. wonder if the networks evolved differently too. The chemical phosphate is an essential nutrient for all living things, and He et al. compared how two different species of yeast responded to a lack of phosphate. The key difference was how much a major transcription factor known as Pho4 depended on a so-called co-activator protein named Pho2 to carry out its role. Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), which is commonly used in laboratory experiments, requires both Pho4 and Pho2 to activate about 20 genes when inorganic phosphate is not available in its environment. However, in a related yeast species called Candida glabrata, Pho4 has evolved to depend less on Pho2. He et al. went on to show that, as well as being less dependent on Pho2, Pho4 in C. glabrata activates more than three times as many genes as Pho4 in S. cerevisiae does in the absence of phosphate. These additional gene targets for Pho4 in C. glabrata are predicted to extend the network’s activities, and allow it to regulate new process including the yeast’s responses to other types of stress and the building of the yeast’s cell wall. Together these findings show a new way that regulatory networks can evolve, that is, by reducing its dependence on the co-activator, a transcription factor can expand the number of genes it targets. This has not been seen for regulatory networks related to development, suggesting that different networks can indeed evolve in different ways. Lastly, because disease-causing microbes are often stressed inside their hosts and C. glabrata sometimes infects humans, understanding how this yeast’s response to stress has evolved may lead to new ways to prevent and treat this infection.
End-to-End attention based text-dependent speaker verification

A new type of End-to-End system for text-dependent speaker verification is presented in this paper. Previously, using the phonetic discriminate/speaker discriminate DNN as a feature extractor for speaker verification has shown promising results. The extracted frame-level (bottleneck, posterior or d-vector) features are equally weighted and aggregated to compute an utterance-level speaker representation (d-vector or i-vector). In this work we use a speaker discriminate CNN to extract the noise-robust frame-level features. These features are smartly combined to form an utterance-level speaker vector through an attention mechanism. The proposed attention model takes the speaker discriminate information and the phonetic information to learn the weights. The whole system, including the CNN and attention model, is joint optimized using an end-to-end criterion. The training algorithm imitates exactly the evaluation process — directly mapping a test utterance and a few target speaker utterances into a single verification score. The algorithm can smartly select the most similar impostor for each target speaker to train the network. We demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed end-to-end system on Windows 10 “Hey Cortana” speaker verification task.
Stochastic design optimization of microstructures with utilization of a linear solver

Microstructure design can have a substantial effect on the performance of critical components in numerous aerospace applications. However, the stochastic nature of metallic microstructures leads to...
Design challenge in 3D NAND technology: A 4.8X area- and 1.3X power-efficient 20V charge pump using tier capacitors

This paper describes design challenge in 3D NAND technology and proposes an area- and power-efficient 20V charge pump using multiple tiers for pump capacitors. Using 32 tiers, the pump area and power are respectively reduced by a factor of 4.8 and 1.3 compared to a conventional N-well capacitor pump in 2.5V 3D NAND technology without adding any extra process cost. Charge pump design strategy is also discussed. The operation frequency can be reduced by a factor of two as the number of tiers is doubled, which further improves power efficiency as 3D NAND technology is advanced.
Mechanism Design for Resource Allocation in Networks With Intergroup Competition and Intragroup Sharing

We consider a network where strategic agents, who are contesting for allocation of resources, are divided into fixed groups. The network control protocol is such that within each group agents get to share the resource and across groups they contest for it. A prototypical example is the allocation of data rate on a network with the multicast/multirate architecture. Compared to the unicast architecture (which is a special case), the multicast/multirate architecture can result in substantial bandwidth savings. However, design of a market mechanism in such a scenario requires dealing with both private and public good problems as opposed to just private goods in unicast. The mechanism proposed in this paper ensures that social welfare maximizing allocation on such a network is realized at all Nash equilibria (NE), i.e., full implementation in NE. In addition it is individually rational, i.e., agents have an incentive to participate in the mechanism. The mechanism, which is constructed in a quasi-systematic way starting from the dual of the centralized problem, has a number of useful properties. Specifically, due to a novel allocation scheme, namely “radial projection,” the proposed mechanism results in feasible allocation even off equilibrium. This is a practical necessity for any realistic mechanism since agents have to “learn” the NE through a dynamic process. Finally, it is shown how strong budget balance at equilibrium can be achieved with a minimal increase in message space as an add-on to a weakly budget balanced mechanism.
Functors given by kernels, adjunctions and duality

Let X_1 and X_2 be schemes of finite type over a field of characteristic 0. Let Q be an object in the category D-mod(X_1\times X_2) and consider the functor F:D-mod(X_1)->Dmod(X_2) defined by Q. Assume that F admits a right adjoint also defined by an object P in D-mod(X_1\times X_2). The question that we pose and answer in this paper is how P is related to the Verdier dual of Q. We subsequently generalize this question to the case when X_1 and X_2 are no longer schemes but Artin stacks, where the situation becomes much more interesting.
DEFORMATION OF LINE BUNDLES ON COISOTROPIC SUBVARIETIES

We prove a criterion stating when a line bundle on a smooth coisotropic subvariety Y of a smooth variety X with an algebraic Poisson structure, admits a first order deformation quantization.
Persistent current in normal metals

We discuss the recent experiments on persistent current in metallic rings in the backdrop of low temperature decoherence. The observed size of the persistent current, typically on the order of the Thouless energy, e=D, is much larger than the theoretical results, obtained with or without electron interaction. In considering the phenomenology of both decoherence and persistent current, usually observed in similar systems, we argue towards a dynamic role played by decoherence in the generation of a persistent current. A eld-induced phase shift from near-equilibrium high-frequency fluctuations{ which otherwise gives rise to decoherence{under certain conditions of periodicity and asymmetry due to disorder, is argued to induce a steady state diusion current on the order of e=D, comparable to the observed persistent current.
Efficacy trial of the Second Step Early Learning (SSEL) curriculum: Preliminary outcomes

Abstract A classroom randomized trial ( n = 31 classrooms) was conducted using the Second Step Early Learning (SSEL) curriculum compared to usual curricula. Head Start and community preschool classrooms enrolling low income children were randomly assigned to deliver SSEL ( n = 16) or usual curricula ( n = 15). Data are reported for four year olds independently assessed for executive functioning (EF) and social-emotional skills (SE) in fall and spring of the preschool year. Analyses used three level Hierarchical Linear Modeling, including two EF tasks or two SE tasks as level 1, child as level 2, and classroom as level 3. Controlling for baseline EF, SE, cognitive ability, parent income, child sex, age, and ethnicity, children receiving the SSEL curriculum had significantly better end of preschool EF skills and marginally significantly better end of preschool SE skills. The curriculum is thus promising in its potential to improve at-risk preschool children's EF and SE.
Decoding complex imagery hand gestures

Brain computer interfaces (BCIs) offer individuals suffering from major disabilities an alternative method to interact with their environment. Sensorimotor rhythm (SMRs) based BCIs can successfully perform control tasks; however, the traditional SMR paradigms intuitively disconnect the control and real task, making them non-ideal for complex control scenarios. In this study we design a new, intuitively connected motor imagery (MI) paradigm using hierarchical common spatial patterns (HCSP) and context information to effectively predict intended hand grasps from electroencephalogram (EEG) data. Experiments with 5 participants yielded an aggregate classification accuracy-intended grasp prediction probability-of 64.5% for 8 different hand gestures, more than 5 times the chance level.
Proportional integral derivative, modeling and ways of stabilization for the spark plasma sintering process

Abstract The stability of the proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control of temperature in the spark plasma sintering (SPS) process is investigated. The PID regulations of this process are tested for different SPS tooling dimensions, physical parameters conditions, and areas of temperature control. It is shown that the PID regulation quality strongly depends on the heating time lag between the area of heat generation and the area of the temperature control. Tooling temperature rate maps are studied to reveal potential areas for highly efficient PID control. The convergence of the model and experiment indicates that even with non-optimal initial PID coefficients, it is possible to reduce the temperature regulation inaccuracy to less than 4 K by positioning the temperature control location in highly responsive areas revealed by the finite-element calculations of the temperature spatial distribution.
Alcohol abstinence ameliorates the dysregulated immune profiles in patients with alcoholic hepatitis: A prospective observational study

Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) develops only in small proportion of heavy drinkers. To better understand the mechanisms underlying this disparity, we conducted a study to define the relationship between AH development and dysregulated immune responses that might be ameliorated by alcohol abstinence. Sixty-eight AH patients, 65 heavy drinking controls without liver disease (HDC), and 20 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled and followed up to 12 months. At the baseline, HDC and HC had no significant differences in their plasma levels of 38 inflammatory cytokines/chemokines measured using multiplex immunoassays. However, compared to HDC, AH patients had higher baseline levels of 11 cytokines/chemokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IP10, IL-4, IL-9, IL-10, FGF-2, IL-7, IL-15, and TGF-α), but lower levels of the anti-inflammatory macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC). AH patients also had more activated, yet dysfunctional immune cells as monocytes, T cells, and B cells expressed higher levels of CD38 and CD69, but low levels of HLA-DR, CD80, and CD86 at baseline. In addition, CD4 T cells produced less IFN-γ in response to T cell stimulation. Upregulated IL-6, IL-8, CD38, and CD69 and downregulated MDC, HLA-DR, CD86, and CD80 correlated positively and negatively, respectively, with disease severity. Longitudinal analysis indicated that levels of IL-6, IL-8, CD38, and CD69 were reduced, whereas levels of MDC, HLA-DR, CD80, and CD86 were increased in abstinent AH patients. All of the cellular immune abnormalities were reversed by day 360 in abstinent AH patients; however, plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-8, IL-10, FGF-2, and IL-7 remained higher. Conclusion: AH patients were in a highly immune-dysregulated state, whereas HDC showed little evidence of immune activation. Alcohol abstinence reversed most, but not all, of the immunological abnormalities. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
On Private Governance

Edward Peter Stringham’s book Private Governance: Creating Order in Economic and Social Life (2015) is a compelling defense of the proposition that private governance is more widely used and more effective than most people think. Stringham looks to history to see how people solved problems of fraud and cheating without government intervention and provides example after compelling example to contradict the strong claim that a government or any third-party enforcer is necessary for voluntary exchange. While Stringham doesn’t take on the tough problem that private governance is not sufficient for its task, his book is intended to be the beginning, not the end, of thinking about private governance.
LightNN: Filling the Gap between Conventional Deep Neural Networks and Binarized Networks

Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) implementations for Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have been adopted in many systems because of their higher classification speed. However, although they may be characterized by better accuracy, larger DNNs require significant energy and area, thereby limiting their wide adoption. The energy consumption of DNNs is driven by both memory accesses and computation. Binarized Neural Networks (BNNs), as a trade-off between accuracy and energy consumption, can achieve great energy reduction, and have good accuracy for large DNNs due to its regularization effect. However, BNNs show poor accuracy when a smaller DNN configuration is adopted. In this paper, we propose a new DNN model, LightNN, which replaces the multiplications to one shift or a constrained number of shifts and adds. For a fixed DNN configuration, LightNNs have better accuracy at a slight energy increase than BNNs, yet are more energy efficient with only slightly less accuracy than conventional DNNs. Therefore, LightNNs provide more options for hardware designers to make trade-offs between accuracy and energy. Moreover, for large DNN configurations, LightNNs have a regularization effect, making them better in accuracy than conventional DNNs. These conclusions are verified by experiment using the MNIST and CIFAR-10 datasets for different DNN configurations.