cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advanced oxidation process sanitization of eggshell surfaces

The microbial quality of eggs entering the hatchery represents an important critical control point for biosecurity and pathogen reduction programs in integrated poultry production. The development of safe and effective interventions to reduce microbial contamination on the surface of eggs will be important to improve the overall productivity and microbial food safety of poultry and poultry products. The hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ultraviolet (UV) light advanced oxidation process is a potentially important alternative to traditional sanitizers and disinfectants for egg sanitation. The H2O2/UV advanced oxidation process was demonstrated previously to be effective in reducing surface microbial contamination on eggs. In this study, we evaluated treatment conditions affecting the efficacy of H2O2/UV advanced oxidation in order to identify operational parameters for the practical application of this technology in egg sanitation. The effect of the number of application cycles, UV intensity, duration of UV exposure, and egg rotation on the recovery of total aerobic bacteria from the surface of eggs was evaluated. Of the conditions evaluated, we determined that reduction of total aerobic bacteria from naturally contaminated eggs was optimized when eggs were sanitized using 2 repeated application cycles with 5 s exposure to 14 mW cm(-2) UV light, and that rotation of the eggs between application cycles was unnecessary. Additionally, using these optimized conditions, the H2O2/UV process reduced Salmonella by greater than 5 log10 cfu egg(-1) on the surface of experimentally contaminated eggs. This study demonstrates the potential for practical application of the H2O2/UV advanced oxidation process in egg sanitation and its effectiveness in reducing Salmonella on eggshell surfaces.
Use of Membrane Filter in Blood Cultures.

SummaryA new technic for the recovery of bacteria from the blood of animals using the membrane filter is described. While it requires more processing steps than does the method of Braun(l), the actual processing time is less and a greater amount of blood is filtered. The new technic was compared to a routine blood culture technic. It proved to be as good as, and usually better than, the routine method with which it was compared.
Sales Forecasting by Sample Surveys

THE use of sample surveys to forecast sales is still in its infancy. It is an infant, however, which is rapidly approaching adolescence. Dissatisfaction with other, more established methods of forecasting and the success attributed to the predictions indicated by the Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finances has, to maul the parable a bit further, aged the youngster even faster than would be expected by the normal passage of time. It therefore seems appropriate to undertake at this time an evaluation of
Will HPV vaccination affect cervical cancer morbidity and mortality world-wide?

There is considerable hope that HPV vaccination will dramatically reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cervical cancer. Theoretically, the quadrivalent and bivalent vaccines could pre...
Wear resistance of laser clad Co-based alloy coating on Ni-based alloy

In order to improve the wear resistance of turbine blade tip,a high quality coating was prepared on Ni-based alloy substrate by laser cladding using CO2 laser with Co-based alloy powder as raw material.Dry sliding friction behaviors of Ni-base alloy and the laser clad Co-based alloy coating were examined by pin-on-disc wear tester.The experimental results indicate that the average friction coefficient of Ni-base alloy is 0.48,while that of Co-based alloy coating is 0.30.The average wear loss of the coating is less than that of Ni-base alloy,which indicates a good wear resistance.
Transitioning the Pediatric Patient to the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Service

Advances in the management of pediatric patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) have led to an increased number of adults with CHD (ACHD). While many have undergone cardiac surgery, ACHD patients have premature morbidity and mortality and often die from cardiovascular events. In order to ensure appropriate follow-up for these patients, transition to a practice with experience managing ACHD patient is crucial. Ideally, these adolescents with CHD are placed on a seamless pathway for transition, but there are multiple barriers to this at the patient, provider, and health system levels. Repeated patient and family education is one intervention that has been shown to improve follow-up and cardiovascular outcomes.
Scaffolding to support learning of ecology in simulation environments

This paper presents a semi-clinical interview-based empirical study for identifying effective scaffolds to support inquiry learning in a Multi-Agent based simulation of a desert ecosystem. Our preliminary results based on Sherin et al.'s Δ-shift framework show that all five categories of identified scaffolds contributed to students' conceptual shifts and overall learning gains. This paper lays the foundation for future research on designing scaffolds in multi-agent, simulation-based learning environments for study of ecological processes.
Full Employment and Multi-commodity Production

At a number of points in previous chapters we referred to critiques of the neoclassical model which involve the use of an aggregate supply of output function. We now consider that issue in some detail, particularly those objections that come from writers who feel that the neoclassical synthesis is a serious distortion, even a perversion, of Keynes’s contribution to economic theory. The purpose is not to cover all critiques arising from writers who consider themselves as correct interpreters of Keynes, but rather to restrict the discussion to those who address certain broad and fundamental issues of theory.
Re-energizing exhausted T cells?

CD8+ T cells exist in distinct, functional states that exhibit unique energetic requirements. Whereas naive T cells are largely quiescent, in the effector phase T cells must rapidly divide, replicate their DNA, synthesize cytokines, and mobilize to deliver their payload to target cells. Importantly, in the context of the tumor microenvironment, where hypovascularization results in nutrient depletion, the inability of T cells to adapt to changing nutrient availability may impair local function, persistence, and survival. In this work, Scharping et al. test the hypothesis that T cell dysfunction within the tumor microenvironment is linked to cell-intrinsic metabolic deficiencies and that reprogramming infiltrating T cells could increase antitumor activity. Using an injectable model of murine melanoma, the authors discovered that tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cells, both bulk and tumor-specific, demonstrate decreased mitochondrial mass and function when compared with lymph node lymphocytes. Impaired mitochondrial biogenesis was not a function of activation, as acute viral infection did not recapitulate the metabolic phenotype. The specificity to the nutrient-poor, immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment suggested local reprogramming. Interestingly, while decreased mitochondrial mass inversely correlated with immune checkpoint expression, cytokine production, and T cell exhaustion, repression of oxidative metabolism was T cell–intrinsic and not influenced by immune checkpoint blockade targeting or depletion of regulatory T cells. Rather, progressive loss of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC1α), a regulator of mitochondrial replication, was observed in the context of sustained Akt signaling likely driven by chronic antigen exposure in the tumor microenvironment. Importantly, enforced expression of PGC1α in T cells rescued effector function and enhanced efficacy of adoptive cell therapy, indicating that persistent mitochondrial function is linked to cytotoxic T cell activity in vivo. Loss of mitochondrial mass was also observed in T cells infiltrating human head and neck squamous cell carcinomas as compared with peripheral blood indicating that metabolism as a mechanism of local T cell exhaustion might apply clinically. The data presented here indicates that T cell reinvigoration, achieved through checkpoint blockade, may be incomplete in the presence of severe metabolic insufficiency, and consequently metabolic reprogramming may synergize with immunotherapy to boost intratumoral efficacy of tumor-specific T cells. N. E. Scharping et al. , The tumor microenvironment represses T cell mitochondrial biogenesis to drive intratumoral T cell metabolic insufficiency and dysfunction. Immunity 45 , 374–388 (2016). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.cell.com/immunity/abstract/S1074-7613(16)30282-5
Risk Factors for ADHD Persistence into Adolescence

Predictors of persistence and the timing of remission of ADHD at a 4-year follow-up of 128 patients were studied prospectively using DSM-III-R criteria at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
Emulation of synaptic metaplasticity in memristors

Recent studies have shown that nanoionic-based memristors can offer rich internal dynamics during ion movement that enables these solid-state devices to emulate various synaptic functions in biological systems naturally. The experimental observations can be explained within the 2nd-order memristor theoretical framework, which states that the device conductance (weight) can be determined by multiple internal state variables that can be modulated at different time scales and lead to different activity-dependent synaptic behaviors. Here, we show experimentally that not only the synaptic weight, but also synaptic plasticity (i.e. polarity and the rate of weight change) depends on the history of the input activities. This “plasticity of plasticity” resembles metaplasticity effects observed in biological systems, which have been found to facilitate neuron competition and stability. Specifically, we show that the memristor device may exhibit the same apparent weight (conductance) after experiencing different history of activities, but when subjected to additional, identical stimulation conditions, the device will however exhibit very different responses including the polarity and rate of weight (conductance) change. These findings serve to further our knowledge of fundamental physical mechanisms in memristors, and help advance adaptive artificial neuromorphic systems based on these emerging devices.
Energy efficient scheduling algorithms for pumping water in radial networks

Electricity cost of pumping is a large part of total operation cost of water networks supply. In order to decrease this cost many research have been done and still going on. In most of the past works, users do not have any active participation and demands either modeled as a deterministic model or a stochastic process which is predicted using a time series model. In this paper, we consider active participation for the users of a radial network and we show that suitable collaboration of users can reduce the required energy to pump amount of water needed for all users. We use nonlinear hydraulic for modeling the pump (both fixed speed and variable speed) and pipes and we find the most energy efficient schedule for two users using nonlinear optimization. The solution for the two user case, is used to find an approximate solution for the more than two users. Our simulations shows that collaboration of users results in up to 10% reduction of energy usage for both fixed and variable speed pumps.
Transient Control of Web-Winding Systems with Air Entrainment 1

Abstract Models of web-winding systems such as tape drives often ignore the phenomenon of air entrainment, in which friction can draw a thin layer of air many layers deep into the web media wrapped on the takeup reel. Air entrainment allows a greater length of the media to vibrate freely, and thus changes the spring and damping characteristics of the system and results in nonlinearities. This paper first explores the structure of nonlinear models for air entrainment, and proposes one such model for tape systems. Time-optimal inputs for transient maneuvers are explored for the cases of constant- and varying-tension trajectories. It is concluded that when tension is held constant, inputs which are optimal for the common linear model are also optimal for virtually any reasonable air entrainment model. When tension is allowed to vary, optimal inputs are bang-bang. Simulations illustrate these results on an example tape system.
Comparative Gene Expression Analyses Reveal Distinct Molecular Signatures between Differentially Reprogrammed Cardiomyocytes

Summary Cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) or directly reprogrammed from non-myocytes (induced cardiomyocytes [iCMs]) are promising sources for heart regeneration or disease modeling. However, the similarities and differences between iPSC-CMs and iCMs are still unknown. Here, we performed transcriptome analyses of beating iPSC-CMs and iCMs generated from cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) of the same origin. Although both iPSC-CMs and iCMs establish CM-like molecular features globally, iPSC-CMs exhibit a relatively hyperdynamic epigenetic status, whereas iCMs exhibit a maturation status that more closely resembles that of adult CMs. Based on gene expression of metabolic enzymes, iPSC-CMs primarily employ glycolysis, whereas iCMs utilize fatty acid oxidation as the main pathway. Importantly, iPSC-CMs and iCMs exhibit different cell-cycle status, alteration of which influenced their maturation. Therefore, our study provides a foundation for understanding the pros and cons of different reprogramming approaches.
Crop and Soil Management Zone Delineation Based on Soil Property or Yield Classification

Site-specific crop and soil management has the potential to increase crop production efficiency and decrease environmental impact. Determination of management zones is essential for site-specific management to be successful. These zones delineate portions of the field with the same yield limiting factors such that these factors can be managed independent of the rest of the field. However, spatial and temporal variability can confound zone delineation, thus stability of the zones must be ensured. Zone delineation has typically followed one of two methods. The first method defines areas of the field using the variability in crop yield while the second uses the variability of soil properties that might influence yield. Cluster analysis has commonly been used as a pattern recognition method to identify stable zones based on yield data. After the yield zones have been classified, soil properties can be related to the zones and be managed on a site specific basis. These soil properties can be found using directed sampling, intense soil survey data or some form of remote sensing. The second method of determining management zones used the spatial variability of soil physical or chemical properties to define the management areas. The high cost of intensive soil sampling needed for this method proved to be a limitation. Soil electrical conductivity (ECa) has emerged as an inexpensive way of identifying soil variability and has been used in many studies to relate soil differences to crop yield. These differences were typically related to changes in soil series or soil water availability. While zone delineation has shown to be successful in many crops, there is little information available on zones changes between crops in a rotation.
Psoas abscess resulting from perforating carcinoma of the sigmoid colon. Report of a case.

We report a case of a left psoas abscess resulting from a perforating carcinoma of the sigmoid colon. The chief complaints were edema of the left leg and pain in the left thigh. Single and double contrast barium-enema film demonstrated an extrinsic inflammatory mass distoring the sigmoid colon. A preoperative diagnosis of sigmoid carcinoma was not made on these examinations, nor on flexible colonoscopy. Carcinoma of the colon should be considered as a cause of an unexplained psoas abscess.
Species-Specific Defense Reactions

Publisher Summary There is something fundamentally wrong with the traditional interpretations of avoidance learning and the way in which avoidance experiments have traditionally been conducted. Maatsch found that rats could learn in a single trial to jump out of a box where they had been shocked. On the other hand, when D’Amato and Schiff tried to train rats to press a bar to avoid shock, they found that only three of their 24 Ss attained even a modest level of proficiency in 1,000 trials. This chapter presents research that indicates that although there were many differences in procedure between these two studies, much of this difference between 1-trial learning and 1000-trial failure to learn must be attributed to the requirement of different avoidance responses in the two cases. Some of the D’Amato and Schiff Ss made hundreds of responses and still failed to learn to respond consistently. The response occurred, the presumed reinforcement contingency was applied, but little or no learning was found. The effective reinforcement contingencies in avoidance learning are not what they are usually assumed to be, and there is a rather limited class of responses that can serve effectively as avoidance responses.
A_6-extensions of Q and the mod p cohomology of GL(3,Z)

We present six examples of 3-dimensional mod p Galois representations of type A_6 for which we were able to obtain computational evidence for the generalization of Serre's Conjecture proposed by Ash, Doud, Pollack, and Sinnott. We also propose a further refinement of the conjecture corresponding to the "peu vs. tr`es ramifi'ee" distinction of Serre.
An Encounter with the Dead and a Fantasy of Communication: Intersubjectivity of Elegiac Poetry

In his essay, “Autobiography as a De-facement,” Paul de Man comments on the elegiacprosopopoeia as follows: “the latent threat that inhabits prosopopoeia, namely that by making thedead speak, the symmetrical structure of the trope implies, by the same token, that the living arestruck dumb, frozen in their own death” (1979: 928). In this view, by becoming a mouthpiece forthe dead, the living elegist enters the world of death. This idea has formed the basis for ourcurrent theorization of elegy as a point of intersection between the dead and the living, a medium of communication between the two.
Estimating unit production cost, carbon intensity, and carbon abatement cost of electricity generation from bioenergy feedstocks in Georgia, United States.

Abstract In Georgia, the coal-based electricity generation emitted about 26% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2016. Considering the availability of biomass resources in the state and advent of emerging technologies like torrefaction, biomass-based feedstocks could be directly used in existing coal-based power plants. We performed economic and environmental analyses of electricity derived from nine feedstocks (loblolly pine, corn stover, cotton stalks, bermudagrass, switchgrass, napier grass, giant reed, energycane, and miscanthus) over 25 years relative to coal-based electricity in Georgia. We assumed processing biomass via torrefaction before using the same to substitute coal at the power plant. Pine chips were the least expensive ($113 MWh−1) and the least GHG intensive (134 kg CO2e MWh−1) option for generating electricity, with the lowest abatement cost ($17 t CO2e−1). Based on sensitivity analysis, the abatement cost could be as low as $8 t CO2e−1 for a 900 MW power plant, the most common capacity of coal-based electricity generating units in Georgia. Between the two agricultural residues, cotton stalk ($26 t CO2e−1) had a lower abatement cost than corn stover ($34 t CO2e−1). Among perennial grasses, switchgrass and giant reed had the lowest carbon abatement cost (about $25 t CO2e−1) because of their low unit production cost of electricity. Other perennial grasses had comparable abatement costs, ranging between $28 and $30 t CO2e−1, except napier grass and energycane, which had the highest abatement cost (about $38 t CO2e−1). A carbon tax of $40 t CO2e−1 could make bioenergy feedstocks found in Georgia competitive against coal for reducing carbon emissions from the electricity sector.
Vessel lumen segmentation in internal carotid artery ultrasounds with deep convolutional neural networks

Carotid ultrasound is a screening modality used by physicians to direct treatment in the prevention of ischemic stroke in high-risk patients. It is a time intensive process that requires highly trained technicians and physicians. Evaluation of a carotid ultrasound requires identification of the vessel wall, lumen, and plaque of the carotid artery. Automated machine learning methods for these tasks are highly limited. We propose and evaluate here single and multi-path convolutional U-neural network for lumen identification from ultrasound images. We obtained de-identified images under IRB approval from 98 patients. We isolated just the internal carotid artery ultrasound images for these patients giving us a total of 302 images. We manually segmented the vessel lumen, which we use as ground truth to develop and validate our model. With a basic simple convolutional U-Net we obtained a 10-fold cross-validation accuracy of 95%. We also evaluated a dual-path U-Net where we modified the original image and used it as a synthetic modality but we found no improvement in accuracy. We found that the sample size made a considerable difference and thus expect our accuracy to rise as we add more training samples to the model. Our work here represents a first successful step towards the automated identification of the vessel lumen in carotid artery ultrasound images and is an important first step in creating a system that can independently evaluate carotid ultrasounds.
Perioperative and 1-year transcarotid revascularization outcomes in symptomatic patients

Abstract Objective Previously published results of carotid revascularization with both transfemoral stenting and endarterectomy have demonstrated inferior perioperative stroke and death outcomes in neurologically symptomatic patients compared with those without symptoms. This study was completed to establish the real-world, symptom-based perioperative and follow-up outcomes for transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR). Methods An institutional retrospective review of all TCARs performed outside of clinical trial regulations from 2016 to 2019 was completed. Eligible patients were classified as symptomatic or not based on a history of a unilateral neurologic deficit attributable to an extracranial carotid artery lesion within the previous 180 days. Univariate analysis consisting of Fisher's exact and Student t-tests, as appropriate, were performed between cohorts. Kaplan-Meier analysis was completed to estimate the stroke-free survival at 1 year postoperatively. Results Within the investigational period, 167 patients (85 symptomatic) qualified for study inclusion. Baseline demographics were roughly equivalent, although symptomatic patients were more likely to be female (28.0% vs 9.4%; P .99), a myocardial infarction risk of 0% (vs 0%; P > .99), and a mortality risk of 4.9% (vs 0%; P = .06). Most deaths occurred after procedure-related discharge; as such, in-hospital (from index TCAR) mortality in symptomatic patients was 1.2%. The four perioperative deaths observed in our population were secondary to hemorrhagic stroke, acute on chronic congestive heart failure (n = 2), and unknown causes in the last patient. At 1 year after the procedure, 114 patients (54 symptomatic) had available data. In addition to the perioperative risks, in symptomatic patients we observed a rate of reintervention of 0% (vs 0%; P > .99), ipsilateral stroke of 3.7% (vs 0%; P = .22), >50% in-stent restenosis of 1.9% (vs 0%; P = .47), stent thrombosis of 3.7% (vs 0%; P = .22), and all-cause mortality of 13.0% (vs 10.0%; P = .77). Last, no difference was noted with respect to the 1-year stroke-free survival (P = .17) by Kaplan-Meier estimates. Conclusions In this institutional series of patients undergoing TCAR, we found that symptomatic patients have a similar perioperative risk of stroke and myocardial infarction as asymptomatic patients. However, we did observe a strong statistical trend suggesting a higher mortality risk in symptomatic patients. There was no difference between cohorts with respect to 1-year stroke-free survival.
The Use of an Electronic Switch to Increase Independent Head Control in a Severely Handicapped Student.

Children with severe handicapping conditions often need adaptive equipment and physical positioning in order to interact with their environment This paper discusses the use of active stimulation de...
Interdisciplinary speed dating augments diabetes self-management education and support to improve health outcomes

Abstract Objective To determine if a novel interdisciplinary “speed-dating” clinic augments Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES). Methods Adult patients with diabetes attended a DSMES class. Two weeks later patients attended an interdisciplinary clinic utilizing a “speed-dating” format during which they progressed through 5 stations hosted by different healthcare disciplines at 30-minute increments: physician, pharmacist, nurse/dietitian, case manager, and psychologist. Shared decision-making was utilized to identify mutually agreeable recommendations. Change in clinical outcomes were compared for DSMES-only attenders versus Dual-attendees; utilization of emergency department and hospital services were measured 12 months before and after attending the Speed Dating clinic. This analysis represents patients attending the program during 2016. Results Sixty-nine attended the DSMES class, 40 of whom followed-up in the “speed-dating” clinic (58% return rate). Attending the Speed Dating clinic improved A1C (p = 0.003) and LDL-C (p = 0.003) compared to the DSMES class alone. Comparatively, after attending the speed-dating clinic, patients had fewer emergency department (p = 0.366) and hospital admissions (p = 0.036), and shorter lengths of hospital stay (p = 0.030). Conclusions The interdisciplinary “speed-dating” approach improved diabetes outcomes beyond DSMES alone and reduced utilization of hospital services. Practice implications Patients should attend DSMES but also participate in an Interdisciplinary Speed Dating follow-up to further improve outcomes.
Bundles of Qualities, Qualities, and Concreta

In the preceding chapter, the general notion of a nominalistic model appropriate to first-order systems has been discussed and formulated, and informal consideration was given to truth conditions which might be specified for the sentences of such systems. The present chapter is in the main devoted to the formulation and discussion of some particular formal systems containing predicates and operation symbols. These systems are to be interpreted by means of nominalistic models and by the use of truth conditions which illustrate the general pattern of such conditions informally discussed in the preceding chapter. The first of these interpreted formal systems exemplifies the position according to which individuals may be construed as sets. In an extension of that system, axiomatic treatment is given to a notion of resemblance. The second system is to be an instance of the position that individuals may be abstract items, though not sets. Finally, the semantics of a third system, only presented in outline, is regarded as a step toward the reconstruction of that nominalistic position according to which all individuals are concrete.
Patterns of co-occurring birth defects among infants with hypospadias

Summary Introduction Hypospadias, one of the most common male genital birth defects, occurs in 1 out of every 200 male births in the United States and is increasing in prevalence globally. Objective This study aimed to characterize the combinations of birth defects that co-occur with hypospadias more often than expected by chance, while accounting for the complex clustering patterns of congenital defects. Study design We analyzed cases with hypospadias and at least one additional co-occurring defect from the Texas Birth Defect Registry born between 1999 and 2014. For each combination, we calculated adjusted observed-to-expected (O/E) ratios, using Co-Occurring Defect Analysis (CODA). Results Among 16,442 cases with hypospadias and without known syndromes, 2,084 (12.7%) had at least one additional defect. Many of the birth defect combinations within the highest adjusted O/E ratios included cardiac, musculoskeletal, and additional urogenital defects. For example, a top combination with an adjusted O/E of 139.0 included renal agenesis and dysgenesis, reduction defects of the upper limb, and other anomalies of upper limb (including shoulder girdle). High adjusted O/E ratios were also observed in combinations that included defects outside of the urogenital developmental field. For instance, the combination with the highest O/E ratio included buphthalmos, and congenital cataract and lens anomalies (adjusted O/E ratio: 192.9). Similar results were obtained when we restricted our analyses to cases with second- or third-degree hypospadias. Discussion Many combinations in the top results were expected (e.g., multiple urogenital defects); however, some combinations with seemingly unrelated patterns of defects may suggest the presence of some etiologic mechanisms yet to be identified. Conclusion In summary, this study described patterns of co-occurring defect combinations with hypospadias that can inform further study and may provide insights for screening and diagnostic practices.
Quantum dot semiconductor lasers for 5G and beyond wireless networks

Photonic generations of millimeter-wave (mmW) frequencies (30 GHz – 300 GHz) have been attracted more and more interest for applications in 5G and beyond wireless networks. To generate high-quality mmW signals, it requires optical sources with ultra-narrow optical linewidth and low relative intensity noise (RIN). In recent years, we have demonstrated InAs/InP quantum dot / dash (QD) multi-wavelength lasers (QD MWLs) around 1550 nm with the frequency spacing from 10 GHz to 1000 GHz and output power of up to 50 mW. Those QD MWLs have low RIN, ultra-narrow optical linewidth, small timing jitters, compact size, low power consumption and the ability for hybrid integration with silicon substrates. As examples we present a monolithic dual-wavelength (DW) DFB laser based on synthesized aperiodic gratings on InAs/InP QD gain medium and its application as an optical beat source for mmW signal generation. The QD DW-DFB laser is capable of generating spectrally pure mmW signals between 46 GHz and 48 GHz with the 3-dB RF beating linewidth of less than 16 KHz and the RIN of -158 dB/Hz from 10 MHz to 20 GHz. By using this QD DW-DFB laser, we have experimentally demonstrated a multi-gigabit/s mmW radio-over-fiber (mmW-RoF) communication system operating at 47 GHz with 16QAM, 32QAM and 64QAM modulated signals over single mode fiber (SMF) in terms of clear eye and constellation diagrams. We have achieved an optical-heterodyne mmW-RoF system with broadband 4-meter wireless links through 25.22-km SMF featuring a high bitrate of 24-Gbit/s (64QAM × 4-GBaud) using a QD DW-DFB laser.
Acid Attacks in India: The Case for State and Corporate Accountability for Gender-Based Crimes

Acid attacks occur in many countries, including Uganda, Ethiopia, Colombia, the United States, India and many other South Asian countries. India has high incidence rates of acid attack violence with 225 attacks against women reported in 2016. Acid violence is gender-based violence and, as such, international treaty obligations require that the Indian government prevent and redress acid attacks. Non-state actors, such as corporations and businesses, also can and should play a role in preventing and addressing gender-based violence, particularly if they are involved in the supply chains that lead to human rights abuses. In 2011, the United Nations released its Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which explain the role that businesses should play in preventing and remedying human rights violations. This Chapter claims that producers of acid and businesses that use acid in their operations also have a responsibility under these Guiding Principles to take measures to prevent acid violence and to assist victims with adequate remedy.
One Is the Coldest Number: How Group Size and Body Weight Affect Thermal Preference in Weaned Pigs (3 to 15 kg)

Housing pigs within their thermal comfort zone positively impacts productivity and performance. However, fundamental information on behavioral thermoregulatory responses of individual and group-housed pigs is meager. As a gregarious species, pigs prefer to be near one another, touching and often huddling. As pigs huddle together, they decrease their heat loss to the environment by decreasing exposed surface area and increasing mass. Additionally, pigs gain weight rapidly as they age. As an individual grows, their ability to withstand lower temperatures increases. We hypothesized that group size would alter pig thermal preference and that thermal preference would change based upon body weight. Thirty-six groups of pigs (n = 2 pigs/group) were tested in a factorial design based on group size (1, 2, or 4) and weight category (small: 5.20 ± 1.15 kg; medium: 8.79 ± 1.30 kg; and large: 13.95 ± 1.26 kg) in both sexes. Treatment groups were placed inside a chamber with a controlled thermal gradient (4.6 m × 0.9 m × 0.9 m; L × W × H) that ranged in temperature from 18 to 30 °C. Pigs habituated to the gradient for 24 h. The following 24 h testing period was continuously video recorded and each pig’s location during inactivity (~70% daily budget) within the thermal apparatus was recorded every 10 min via instantaneous scan sampling. Data were analyzed using a GLM and log10 + 0.001 transformed for normality. Tukey tests and Bonferroni-corrected custom tests were used for post hoc comparisons. Peak temperature preference was determined by the maximum amount of time spent at a specific temperature. Both group size (p = 0.001) and weight category (p 0.05). Overall, heavier pigs and larger groups preferred cooler temperatures.
On the Phenetic Approach to Vertebrate Classification

I consider the general subject of phenetic classification to possess two major subdivisions. The first is the matter of definition: what is meant by phenetic classification? The second is the matter of motivation: on what grounds do pheneticists advocate their particular methods for constructing classifications? The question of motivation can be looked at in two ways. First, what principles are involked by pheneticists in selecting the methods which they advocate; and second, what drawbacks do pheneticists ascribe to the methods of classification proposed by other schools of taxonomy? The definition of phenetic taxonomy is necessarily purely a matter of convention, and I shall therefore consider it only in enough detail to avoid ambiguity. The motivations of phenetic taxonomy are of much greater importance, for they touch on the long-standing debate among taxonomists of the phenetic, phylogenetic, and evolutionary schools concerning the proper basis upon which to select classificatory methods. This debate has been perpetuated at least in part by the tendency of some reviewers (for example, Mayr, 1974; Sokal, 1975) to criticize the principles of other schools of taxonomy on a superficial, terminological level. I shall devote most of my discussion to attempts to elucidate what appear to me to be the most fundamental principles of phenetic taxonomy and to obviate the purely terminological aspects of the debate through an evaluation of both phenetic and non-phenetic taxonomic methods on the basis of these principles.
Representational Style in Congress: The Electoral Connection's Effect on Senators' Presentational Styles

INTRODUCTION Thus far I have provided a new characterization of how senators engage their constituents, introducing new measures of how senators present their work – senators' presentational styles. The styles are arrayed along a spectrum. At one end are the Issue Oriented senators – legislators whose presentational styles focus on articulating positions. At the other end are Appropriators – senators whose presentational styles focus on claiming credit for money allocated to their state. Between the two styles are senators who strike a balance position taking and credit claiming in their press releases. This chapter shows that the electoral connection exerts substantial influence over where legislators fall on this spectrum: who legislators represent affects how they present their work. The logic of building support in primary and general elections leads to the prediction that marginal senators, senators from states with a large share of the other party's partisans, will avoid articulating positions, instead claiming credit for expenditures. Aligned representatives, senators representing states with a large share of their own party's partisans, have incentive to articulate their positions and allocate less attention to credit claiming. I show that this expectation manifests in senators' expressed priorities. The electoral connection's influence is observed in measures that aggregate across topics. Senators who are more aligned with constituents focus more on position taking, while marginal senators tend to focus more on credit claiming. The influence is also found in an issue-by-issue analysis.
Zero-Knowledge With Finite State Verifiers

We initiate an investigation of interactive proof systems (IPS’s) and zero knowledge interactive proof systems where the verifier is a 2-way probabilistic finite state automaton (2pfa). Among other results, we show: 1. There is a class of 2pfa verifiers and a language L such that L has a zero knowledge IPS with respect to this class of verifiers, and L cannot be recognized by any verifier in the class on its own; 2. There is a language L such that L has an IPS with 2pfa verifiers but L has no zero knowledge IPS with 2pfa verifiers.
Differential effects of Vpr on single-cycle and spreading HIV-1 infections in CD4+ T-cells and dendritic cells.

The Vpr protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) contributes to viral replication in non-dividing cells, specifically those of the myeloid lineage. However, the effects of Vpr in enhancing HIV-1 infection in dendritic cells have not been extensively investigated. Here, we evaluated the role of Vpr during infection of highly permissive peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and CD4+ T-cells and compared it to that of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs), which are less susceptible to HIV-1 infection. Infections of dividing PBMCs and non-dividing MDDCs were carried out with single-cycle and replication-competent HIV-1 encoding intact Vpr or Vpr-defective mutants. In contrast to previous findings, we observed that single-cycle HIV-1 infection of both PBMCs and MDDCs was significantly enhanced in the presence of Vpr when the viral stocks were carefully characterized and titrated. HIV-1 DNA quantification revealed that Vpr only enhanced the reverse transcription and nuclear import processes in single-cycle HIV-1 infected MDDCs, but not in CD4+ T-cells. However, a significant enhancement in HIV-1 gag mRNA expression was observed in both CD4+ T-cells and MDDCs in the presence of Vpr. Furthermore, Vpr complementation into HIV-1 virions did not affect single-cycle viral infection of MDDCs, suggesting that newly synthesized Vpr plays a significant role to facilitate single-cycle HIV-1 infection. Over the course of a spreading infection, Vpr significantly enhanced replication-competent HIV-1 infection in MDDCs, while it modestly promoted viral infection in activated PBMCs. Quantification of viral DNA in replication-competent HIV-1 infected PBMCs and MDDCs revealed similar levels of reverse transcription products, but increased nuclear import in the presence of Vpr independent of the cell types. Taken together, our results suggest that Vpr has differential effects on single-cycle and spreading HIV-1 infections, which are dependent on the permissiveness of the target cell.
Cooling from the bottom side (laminate (substrate) side) of a three-dimensional (3D) chip stack

For the thermal management of a three-dimensional (3D) chip stack, cooling from the bottom side of chips (in other words, from the laminate (substrate) side of chips), in addition to conventional cooling from the top surface of chips, is proposed. For cooling from the bottom side of chips, it is essential to consider the trade off among thermal, electrical and mechanical performance. Firstly, the thermal resistance reduction of a laminate (substrate) is evaluated, and the effect of high thermal conductivity insulator is simulated, in addition to thermal vias. Secondly, locating a graphite sheet in the joint (interconnection) layer between a bottom chip and a laminate is proposed. When a graphite sheet is connected to a lid (heat spreader), it is simulated how much heat density can be managed by this cooling structure. Also, when a graphite sheet is used to effectively conduct the hot spot heat to large area of a laminate to accommodate various electrical and thermal via locations, its effect to spread the hot spot heat is simulated.
Incentive driven LTE content distribution in VANETs

Content downloading from vehicles is becoming increasingly popular, but it also meets challenges due to the limited number of road-side units (RSUs) and the expensive cost of 3G/LTE downloads. Cooperative LTE + vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) downloading schemes can significantly improve the efficiency and reduce costs. However, selfish users are motivated to minimize their own LTE downloading costs, so they would rather download content from their peers, i.e., act as free riders. Such uncooperative user behavior can severely degrade the performance. In this paper, we propose an incentive driven cluster-based content distribution scheme that encourages cooperation. Vehicles with common interests form a cluster and take turns to be the cluster head. The cluster head directly downloads data packets from the Internet and V2V shares the content with surrounding vehicles. We show that this scheme cannot result in fair and efficient operation unless it is combined with an appropriate scheduling/management strategy. To this end, we design a serverassisted key management scheme that invites cooperation and also ensures fairness and efficiency. The proposed scheme is analyzed with game theoretic methods and is validated via simulation.
Interpolation of LPC spectra via pole shifting

Interpolation of linear predictive coded (LPC) spectra is applied in a variety of speech processing tasks. We present a new method for interpolating between LPC spectra via pole-shifting. This approach solves the problem of real-to-complex and complex-to-real pole transitions by converting to a domain where each pole has a complex conjugate. Desired pole shifts are calculated in the new domain after applying a perceptually-based pole pairing algorithm. Intermediate spectra corresponding to these pole transitions are then optimally approximated using the original number of poles. The resulting interpolated spectral sequence is characterized by approximately linear changes in formant frequencies and bandwidths, and is free of the artifacts that may occur with other LPC spectral parameter interpolation methods.
The Level of Competition as a Factor for the Development of Eating Disorders in Female Collegiate Athletes

Athletes have been identified by some as a population at risk for the development of eating disorders. The role of the level of athletic competition as a factor for disordered eating, however, has not been defined. The present study examined eating attitudes among a sample of NCAA Division 1 female collegiate athletes (N = 38), NCAA Division III athletes (N = 40), and non-athlete controls (N = 31). Participants completed the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), and a demographic and health questionnaire. Results indicated that athletes at higher levels of competition showed more signs of pathological eating and were at an increased risk for the development of eating disorders. Athletes in sports emphasizing a lean physique and in weight-restricting sports were also more vulnerable than athletes in other types of sports and non-athlete controls.
Encore: Genetic Association Interaction Network Centrality Pipeline and Application to SLE Exome Data

Open source tools are needed to facilitate the construction, analysis, and visualization of gene-gene interaction networks for sequencing data. To address this need, we present Encore, an open source network analysis pipeline for genome-wide association studies and rare variant data. Encore constructs Genetic Association Interaction Networks or epistasis networks using two optional approaches: our previous information-theory method or a generalized linear model approach. Additionally, Encore includes multiple data filtering options, including Random Forest/Random Jungle for main effect enrichment and Evaporative Cooling and Relief-F filters for enrichment of interaction effects. Encore implements SNPrank network centrality for identifying susceptibility hubs (nodes containing a large amount of disease susceptibility information through the combination of multivariate main effects and multiple gene-gene interactions in the network), and it provides appropriate files for interactive visualization of a network using tools from our online Galaxy instance. We implemented these algorithms in C++ using OpenMP for shared-memory parallel analysis on a server or desktop. To demonstrate Encore's utility in analysis of genetic sequencing data, we present an analysis of exome resequencing data from healthy individuals and those with Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE). Our results verify the importance of the previously associated SLE genes HLA-DRB and NCF2, and these two genes had the highest gene-gene interaction degrees among the susceptibility hubs. An additional 14 genes previously associated with SLE emerged in our epistasis network model of the exome data, and three novel candidate genes, ST8SIA4, CMTM4, and C2CD4B, were implicated in the model. In summary, we present a comprehensive tool for epistasis network analysis and the first such analysis of exome data from a genetic study of SLE.
VLSI implementation of multiple binomial windows for real-time image processing

A VLSI design is presented which implements 38 unique one- and two-dimensional binomial windows for real-time image filtering at a 50-MHz pixel rate. The largest window is 11*11. The design allows seamless switching between windows for the processing of subimages. Applications of the design are discussed. >