cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized seismological data functionals

SUMMARY We have formulated a new waveform-analysis procedure to recover phase and amplitude information frorn individual seismograms that makes use of the ability to compute complete seismograms from realistic earth models. The basic tool is the isolation filter, a composite waveform constructed to select data from a desirable portion of the seismogram. When the cross-correlation between this synthetic waveform and an observed seismogram is localized in the time domain by windowing and in the frequency domain by narrow-band filtering, the resulting cross-correlagram can be approximated by a five-parameter Gaussian wavelet. One of these five parameters is the bandwidth of the correlagram, specified by the narrow-band filter; the other four define a set of time-like, frequency-dependent quantities { br, :x = q, p, a, g}, which are functionals of earth structure. bt, is the differential phase delay and at, is the differential group delay of the observed waveform relative to the synthetic, and bt, and 6t, are the corresponding frequency-dependent amplitude parameters. We have developed a procedure for measuring the four generalized seismological data functionals by fitting a Gaussian wavelet to the windowed, filtered cross-correlagram. To relate the GSDFs to earth structure, we apply corrections to the differential times for the effects of windowing and filtering. Solving a linear system of four equations in four unknowns yields a set of differential dispersion parameters { bz, :x = q, p, a, g}. Formulae expressing the perturbations of the GSDFs in terms of the perturbations to the dispersion parameters for the individual component waveforms, including all interference effects, have been derived. Under a set of approximations valid for a large class of isolation filters, these can be simplified to yield easily computed expressions for the FrCchet kernels of the 6~~’s. The calculation of these FrCchet kernels requires no high-frequency approximations, and it can be extended to the investigation three-dimensional earth structure.
Cysteinyl Leukotrienes Are Autocrine and Paracrine Regulators of Fibrocyte Function

Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by the accumulation of fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. These cells may accumulate from three potential sources: the expansion of resident lung fibroblasts, the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, or the recruitment and differentiation of circulating mesenchymal precursors known as fibrocytes. We have previously demonstrated that fibrocytes participate in lung fibrogenesis following administration of FITC to mice. We now demonstrate that leukotriene-deficient 5-LO−/− mice are protected from FITC-induced fibrosis. Both murine and human fibrocytes express both cysteinyl leukotriene receptor (CysLT) 1 and CysLT2. In addition, fibrocytes are capable of producing CysLTs and can be regulated via the autocrine or paracrine secretion of these lipid mediators. Exogenous administration of leukotriene (LT) D4, but not LTC4 induces proliferation of both murine and human fibrocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Consistent with this result, CysLT1 receptor antagonists are able to block the mitogenic effects of exogenous LTD4 on fibrocytes. Endogenous production of CysLTs contributes to basal fibrocyte proliferation, but does not alter fibrocyte responses to basic fibroblast growth factor. Although CysLTs can induce the migration of fibrocytes in vitro, they do not appear to be essential for fibrocyte recruitment to the lung in vivo, possibly due to compensatory chemokine-mediated recruitment signals. However, CysLTs do appear to regulate the proliferation of fibrocytes once they are recruited to the lung. These data provide mechanistic insight into the therapeutic benefit of leukotriene synthesis inhibitors and CysLT1 receptor antagonists in animal models of fibrosis.
Scare' em or disgust 'em: the effects of graphic health promotion messages.

This study experimentally tested the effects of 2 types of content commonly found in anti-tobacco television messages—content focused on communicating a health threat about tobacco use (fear) and content containing disgust-related images—on how viewers processed these messages. In a 2 × 2 within-subjects experiment, participants watched anti-tobacco television ads that varied in the amount of fear and disgust content. The results of this study suggest that both fear and disgust content in anti-tobacco television ads have significant effects on resources allocated to encoding the messages and on recognition memory. Heart-rate data indicated that putting fear- or disgust-related content into anti-tobacco ads led to more resources allocated to encoding compared to messages without either feature. However, participants appeared to allocate fewer resources to encoding during exposure to messages featuring both fear and disgust content. Recognition was most accurate for messages that had either fear or disgust ...
THE GASTROINTESTINAL EFFECTS OF IRON-DEFICIENCY ANEMIA.

A group of 14 infants and children with nutritional iron-deficiency anemia were studied with respect to gastrointestinal function and structure both before and after iron treatment. A high incidence of abnormalities was found, consisting of gastric achlorhydria, impaired absorption of xylose and vitamin A, and steatorrhea. Duodenal biopsies revealed varying degrees of chronic duodenitis and mucosal atrophy. There was poor correlation between structure and function. Following treatment with oral iron most of the abnormalities reverted to normal. A control group of 8 children with long-standing anemias not due to iron deficiency were subjected to similar studies, most of which yielded normal results. These observations indicate a diffuse and reversible enteropathy in children as a result of iron deficiency. The pathogenesis and practical implications are discussed.
Current practice in immunosuppression in pediatric cardiac transplantation

Abstract The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the immunotherapies that are used in pediatric heart transplantation. It includes a discussion of induction therapy, maintenance immunosuppression strategies, diagnosis and management of rejection, and new therapies that are undergoing study. This review includes information on mechanism of action of the therapies, pediatric dosing, target levels, and selected side effects. Much of the practice of pediatric heart transplant is based on clinical experience, but when available appropriate evidence is referenced within this manuscript.
Microhabitat Selection by Golden Mice (Ochrotomys nuttalli) at Arboreal Nest Sites

Abstract We measured habitat characteristics at 34 arboreal nest sites of golden mice (Ochrotomys nuttalli) and 34 paired random sites from May–Sept. 1997. Microhabitat was significantly different between the two types of sites. Arboreal nest sites differed from random sites in 5 of the 12 habitat characteristics measured including: more climbing vines and woody vegetation, greater horizontal vegetative cover as measured by a density board at a distance of both 3 m and 6 m from the nest and closer to understory trees. The presence of thick vegetation at arboreal nest sites may provide increased protection from predators, increased substrate for attachment of nests, protection from inclement weather and thermoregulatory advantages. Management strategies that increase the density of understory vegetation in areas where golden mice occur will enhance populations by improving nesting habitat and increasing recruitment and survival.
JG cell expression and partial regulation of a human renin genomic transgene driven by a minimal renin promoter

In the kidney, renin gene expression is exquisitely localized to the juxtaglomerular (JG) cells lining the afferent arteriole, having the capacity to regulate renin synthesis in response to a variety of physiological cues. We investigated human renin gene expression in transgenic mice containing a genomic construct driven by 149 bp of its proximal promoter to elucidate whether this was sufficient to confer JG-specific expression. Whereas human renin mRNA was permissively expressed in most tissues, the transgene was expressed mainly in JG cells in the kidney. Active human renin and human prorenin were found in the systemic circulation at levels consistent with previous transgenic models. Remarkably, two lines displayed an appropriate upregulation of transgene mRNA in response to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, and two lines exhibited a downregulation of transgene mRNA in response to subpressor and pressor doses of ANG II. Our results suggest that 149 bp of the human renin proximal promoter, in a ...
Management of Soft Tissue Injury

The fate of a surgical wound is held in a delicate balance between the host's resistance to infection and the causal factors of infection. Considerable insight into this relationship between the host and pathogen can be gained from the results of quantitative bacteriologic measurements. Newer rapid slide techniques have been developed which provide the surgeon with this information within 20 minutes. In most soft tissue injuries, the wound bacterial count gives an accurate prediction of subsequent infection. Wounds combining greater than 10(5) bacteria per gram of tissue are destined to develop infection. When the bacterial count is below that level, the wounds will usually heal per primam without infection. This large number of bacteria required to elicit infection reflects the remarkable ability of soft tissues to resist infection. This state of high resistance to infection can be reduced by several factors which include circulatory embarrassment, tissue injury, dead space, and the presence of foreign bodies (dirt, sutures, drains, etc.). When treating soft tissue injuries, the surgeon must employ specific therapeutic modalities that allow the wound to heal per primam without infection. On the basis of experimental studies supported by clinical experience, the following treatment protocol for soft tissue injuries is recommended. Using strict aseptic technique, the wound must be first anesthetized with 1 per cent Xylocaine to permit painless sound cleansing. All wounds should be subjected to high pressure syringe irrigation to remove bacteria, foreign bodies, and blood clots. When necessary, debridement of all devitalized tissue should be performed with a stainless steel scalpel. Many wounds caused by sharp wounding agents contain no foreign bodies and few bacteria and exhibit considerable resistance to infection. In these wounds, primary closure can be initiated after irrigation without the development of infection. Wounds resulting from impact forces have a diminished resistance to infection and are susceptible to infection by low level of bacterial contamination. Immediate antibiotic treatment of patients with impact injuries subjected to meticulous debridement and cleansing will permit a safe primary closure. In wounds contacted by pus or feces, open wound management followed by delayed primary closure is usually indicated. Antimicrobial prophylaxis is also recommended for patients with such wounds. Ideal postoperative care of all traumatic wounds includes a surgical dressing and immobilization and elevation of the site of injury.
Long-term grassland intensification impacts on particle-size soil carbon fractions: evidence from carbon-13 abundance.

Proper management of grassland ecosystems for improved productivity can enhance their potential to sequester atmospheric CO₂ in the soil. However, the direction and extent of soil C changes in response to improved grassland management or land-use conversion varies depending on the ecoregion or management practice. The objectives of this study were to: (i) assess the long-term (>20-yr) impact of grassland management intensification on soil C fractions after conversion of native rangelands to silvopasture and sown pasture ecosystems; and (ii) determine the contribution of sown grass species to soil C sequestration in both the labile and more stable soil C fractions. Experimental sites consisted of a gradient of management intensities ranging from native rangeland (lowest), to silvopasture (intermediate), to sown pasture (highest). After 22 yr following land-use conversion from native rangeland to silvopasture or sown pasture, total soil C stocks (0–30-cm depth) were greater under silvopasture (69.2 Mg C ha⁻¹) and sown pasture (62.0 Mg C ha⁻¹) than native rangeland (40.9 Mg ha⁻¹). Conversion to sown pasture increased particulate organic C concentration (10.6 g C kg⁻¹) compared with native rangeland (6.3 g C kg⁻¹), while silvopasture increased the mineral-associated C fraction (5.7 vs. 10 g C kg⁻¹ for native rangeland and silvopasture, respectively). Isotopic analysis indicated that the C₄ grass component contributed significantly to soil C accumulation within these ecosystems. Data also showed that grassland management intensification has the potential to promote soil C sequestration, and the use of strategic management practices such as integration of trees can improve soil C stability under similar subtropical conditions.
Pesticide residues and polychlorinated biphenyl levels in diets, urine, and fecal matter of preadolescent girls.

Summary and ConclusionsThe pesticide residue levels in the diets, urine, and fecal matter were not affected by supplementation of the diets with amino acids, ammonium citrate, or calcium lactate. Pesticide residues were found in all samples of the diets, urine, and feces. With the exception of the chlorinated cyclodienes, excretion of all residues was greater in the feces, suggesting the feces as the primary route of excretion. Excretion of the PCB's was predominately through the feces with 6.2% of the total excretion appearing in the urine. With the exception of DDT and its metabolites, excretion of residues was 9 to 12%. Maximum excretion of DDT and its metabolites was approximately 32%. PCB's were found in all eight diets analyzed. Four contained traces and four contained 200, 420, 580 and 840 μg/day/subject. The FDA has not yet established tolerance levels for PCB. Albert Kolbye, deputy director for the FDA's Bureau of Foods has, however, recently stated that PCB is regarded as moderately toxic but ce...
Clinical Application of Ultrasound-guided Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation of Dexmedetomidine for Liver Tumors

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the feasibility of ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of dexmedetomidine for liver tumors. METHODS:40 patients scheduled ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors were randomized into group D and group L with 20 cases in each group. Group D was continually given dexmedetomidine 0.5 μg(/kg·h)10 min before operation,and the operation was started after patients lost consciousness. Group L was given Lactated Ringer's solution and midazolam 0.05 mg/kg 10 min before operation. Both group received local anaesthesia of 0.5% lidocaine,and mask oxygen inhalation 3-4 L/min during operation. The changes of HR,MAP,Sp O2,sedation and pain scores were recorded at different time points. RESULTS:Before medication,there was no statistically significant difference in HR,MAP and Sp O2 between 2 group(P0.05). HR and MAP of group L were increased after starting operation(P0.05). Sedation scores and analgesic effects of group D were better than that of group L(P0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in Sp O2 between 2 groups(P0.05). CONCLUSIONS:The ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of dexmedetomidine is safe and effective for liver tumors.
Release of immunoreactive angiotensin II from neuronal cultures: adrenergic influences

The effects of adrenergic drugs on the release of immunoreactive angiotensin II (ANG II-ir) from brain cells in culture were examined. In neuronal cultures, basal release of Ang II-ir was 43.65 +/- 7.44 pg/5-min incubation period (n = 14 experiments; 52 individual determinations), and in astrocytic glial cultures, it was 21.76 +/- 5.7 pg (n = 8 experiments; 24 individual determinations) when cells were exposed to buffer alone. Incubation of neuronal cultures with the alpha 2-adrenergic antagonist yohimbine (0.1-50 microM, 5 min) caused concentration-dependent increases in ANG II-ir release above basal levels. Analysis of the released material by high-pressure liquid chromatography revealed that authentic ANG II was present. No increase in the release of ANG II-ir was seen from glial cells. Experiments using neuronal cultures revealed that the yohimbine-induced release of ANG II-ir may be secondary to increased norepinephrine (NE) release. Incubation of neuronal cultures with NE (10 nM-50 microM) caused co...
30 Evolution of cerebrovascular changes in mouse cortex during normal pregnancy by in vivo two-photon imaging

Introduction Past studies have shown that cerebral autoregulation is a physiologic process that maintains blood flow at an appropriate level. Impairment of cerebral autoregulation during pregnancy may contribute to further diseases like preeclampsia and eclampsia. However, little is known about the normative cerebrovascular adaptation during pregnancy. Objectives In the present study we observed adaptive changes in the blood flow and vessel diameter from prepregnancy to late pregnancy by in vivo two-photon imaging. Methods 12 female C57 mice were randomly divided into four groups: non-pregnancy, early-pregnancy, middle-pregnancy, late pregnancy. After the animals were anesthetized, a mouse head holder was used to hold the head. A thinned skull window was made (1–2 mm in diameter) over the motor cortex. One day later, Rhodamin B dissolved in saline (3 mg/ml, 0.2 ml/20 kg) was injected intraperitoneally to label the vessels 15 min before beginning the imaging experiments. The animal was anesthetized and placed under two photon microscope to observe; blood flow signal pictures were taken using line-scan and analyzed by blood flow analysis software programmed. Results The blood flow velocity of arteriovenous vessels and capillaries increased significantly in middle and late pregnancy compared to non-pregnancy and early-pregnancy; vascular diameters in middle and late pregnancy also became bigger than that in non-pregnancy and early-pregnancy. Conclusions Both the blood flow velocity and diameter of cortical micro vessels increased significantly from non-pregnancy and early-pregnancy to middle and late pregnancy. Such results demonstrated a progressive cerebrovascular adaptation from prepregnancy to late pregnancy.
A Chain Method for Preconditioned Iterative Linear Solvers for Power System Matrices

Many power systems applications such as power flow and short-circuit analysis require very large sparse matrix computations. With the increase in reliance on our electric infrastructure, power systems are continually growing in size, creating greater computational complexity in solving these large linear systems within reasonable time. For sparse matrix applications, it is desirable to have an algorithm with low runtime complexity in terms of the number of nonzeros in the matrix. There have been several recent advances in computational methods in other fields that, if applied to power system, could make real-time dynamic simulation a reality. Much work has been done for specific types of these problems where the system is symmetric and diagonally dominant, similar to the form of power system matrices. This paper details an expansion on the current work in fast linear solvers to develop power system specific methods that show potential for accurate solutions in $O(m \log ^2 n)$ run times, where $n$ represents the number of nodes and $m$ represents the number of nonzeros in the power system matrix. This paper presents the simulation validation of a recently developed recursively solved iterative chain method for sparse matrices using a low stretch spanning tree preconditioner.
What Is the Eye in the Sky Actually Looking at and Who Is Controlling It? Regulatory Opportunities in U.S. Drone Law - An International Comparative Analysis on How to Fill the Cybersecurity and Privacy Gaps to Strengthen Existing U.S. Drone Laws

This paper will argue that it is imperative regulations on UAVs address cybersecurity and privacy issues in order to remain on the forefront of technology within the aviation industry. Although it may seem like it is more important to establish basic laws on UAS, legislators need to work proactively, rather than retroactively, to prevent detrimental cybersecurity and invasion of privacy events from occurring.
Quantitative Analysis of Tryptophan Fluorescence in CF1

ATP synthase (F1F0) catalyzes the synthesis of ATP from ADP and Pi. The catalytic mechanism of the F1 portion of ATP synthase is being investigated by many groups. Chloroplast F1 (CF1) of spinach is the catalytic site for ATP synthesis and has strong similarity with F1 of prokaryotic and animal systems. CFI is composed of five types of subunits with a stoichiometery of α3β3γδe named according to decreasing molecular weight. Epsilon (e), the smallest subunit of CF1 (14.7 kDa) is composed of 134 amino acids. The c subunit of CF1 is the only subunit that contains tryptophan (Trp). By studying the fluorescence of CFI focusing on the fluorescent characteristics of Trp in c, we can gain a better understanding of the structural attributes of one of the small subunits within CF1.
HotCocoa: Hardware Congestion Control Abstractions

Congestion control in multi-tenant data centers is an active area of research because of its significant impact on customer experience, and, consequently, on revenue. Therefore, new algorithms and protocols are expected to emerge as the Cloud evolves. Deploying new congestion control algorithms in the end host's hypervisor allows frequent updates, but processing packets at high rates in the hypervisor and implementing the elements of a congestion control algorithm, such as traffic shapers and timestamps, in software have well-studied inaccuracies and CPU inefficiencies. In this paper, we argue for implementing the entire congestion control algorithm in programmable NICs. To do so, we identify the absence of hardware-aware programming abstractions as the most immediate challenge and solve it using a simple high-level domain specific language called HotCocoa. HotCocoa lies at a sweet spot between the ability to express a broad set of congestion control algorithms and efficient hardware implementation. It offers a set of hardware-aware COngestion COntrol Abstractions that enable operators to specify their algorithm without having to worry about low-level hardware primitives. To evaluate HotCocoa, we implement four congestion control algorithms (Reno, DCTCP, PCC, and TIMELY) and use simulations to show that HotCocoa's implementation of Reno perfectly tracks the behavior of a native implementation in C++.
The impact of PD-L1 on survival and values of nivolumab, atezolizumab, and pembrolizumab compared with docetaxel in second-line non-small cell lung cancer.

141Background: The impact of programmed death receptor-ligand1 (PD-L1) on values of the immune check point inhibitors (ICPI) has received minimal attention. Objectives: Grade survival and weigh values of Nivolumab (Nivo), Atezolizumab (Atezo) and Pembrolizumab (Pembro) vs. Docetaxel (Doc) in 2nd-line non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Previously reported median overall survival (OS), adverse events and prices posted by the parent companies were utilized. The OS gains in days over controls were graded (gr) from A to D. Docetaxel costs x 6 -12 cycles and ICPI x one year were calculated separately from adverse events treatment costs (AEsTC). Costs/life-year gain (C/LYG) were computed as drug C/OS gain x 360. Relative Values were expressed as $100,000/C/LYG. Results: Docetaxel costs of 9 cycles were $35,802, OS/gr 87/C, AEs gr ¾ > 20%, AEsTC $4,940 and C/LYG $148,146. Nivo, Atezo and Pembro gr ¾ < 20% were at $1,480 costs. In non-squamous NSCLC, Nivo OS/gr were 84/C and C/LYG $545,754. ...
Facile synthesis of 1,2-dione-containing abietane analogues for the generation of human carboxylesterase inhibitors

Recently, a series of selective human carboxylesterase inhibitors have been identified based upon the tanshinones, with biologically active molecules containing a 1,2-dione group as part of a naphthoquinone core. Unfortunately, the synthesis of such compounds is complex. Here we describe a novel method for the generation of 1,2-dione containing diterpenoids using a unified approach, by which boronic acids are joined to vinyl bromo-cyclohexene derivatives via Suzuki coupling, followed by electrocyclization and oxidation to the o-phenanthroquinones. This has allowed the construction of a panel of miltirone analogues containing an array of substituents (methyl, isopropyl, fluorine, methoxy) which have been used to develop preliminary SAR with the two human carboxylesterase isoforms. As a consequence, we have synthesized highly potent inhibitors of these enzymes (Ki < 15 nM), that maintain the core tanshinone scaffold. Hence, we have developed a facile and reproducible method for the synthesis of abietane analogues that have resulted in a panel of miltirone derivatives that will be useful tool compounds to assess carboxylesterase biology.
Social psychological risk factors, delinquency and age of onset

Based on data from the 2014 Communities that Care Youth Survey (CCYS), the authors examine the association between risk factors of tenth graders and age of onset (never, 14 or older, 13 or younger)...
Preferences for experienced versus remembered happiness

AbstractConsider two types of happiness: one experienced on a moment-to-moment basis, the other a reflective evaluation where people feel happy looking back. Though researchers have measured and ar...
Oxidative capacity of liver and muscle from genetically obese rats

The contribution of muscle tissue to the Increased metabolic efficiency of the obese (fa/fa) zucker rat at 6 weeks of age was examined, in vitro oxygen consumption was similar in obese and nonobese soleus and extensor dlgltorum longus (EDL) muscles, whether the animals were in an ad libitum fed, fasted, or triiodothyronlne-stlmulated state. NO phenotypic difference in in vitro oxygen consumption was seen when the muscles were preincubated with insulin, py­ ruvate kinase, citrate synthase, succinate dehydrogenase, and cytochrome oxidase activities were phenotypically simi­ lar in the soleus and the EDL muscles, phosphofructokinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities were increased in the obese soleus, while hexokinase activity was in­ creased in the nonobese EDL* Mitochondrial and whole muscle homogenate respiration rates were similar in both phenotypes. The soleus and EDL muscles from the obese animals weighed less than those from the nonobese, but "empty carcass" weights were similar. Taken together these data suggest that muscle mass, muscle oxygen consumption, and muscle oxidative capacity are similar in 6 week old obese and nonobese rats. Therefore, defective energy metabolism in muscle probably does not contribute to the Increased metabolic efficiency of the young obese rat.
Factors that influence the onset of parental care in zebra finches: Roles for egg stimuli and prolactin.

Abstract Parental care is a critical component for determining reproductive success both for a current set of offspring but also over the lifetime of the individual. The hormone prolactin has often been implicated as a parental care hormone across taxa but causal relationships have only been strongly demonstrated in mammals and in a few select species of birds. For instance, in mammals, maternal care towards foster pups can be induced by exogenous treatment with prolactin, in concert with other reproductive hormones involved in pregnancy. We aimed to address this causal mechanism in birds by artificially elevating prolactin during the nest building and egg laying stages using vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and then exposing them to foster chicks. We predicted that increasing prolactin would increase brooding and feeding behaviors towards foster chicks compared to the saline control group. Parental behavior towards foster chicks was only shown by individuals who had initiated clutches regardless of treatment. VIP treatment had no effect on parental behavior; however, a positive relationship was found between male and female feeding rates in the VIP but not control group. Our results suggest that both eggs and chicks are sufficient to stimulate foster care, perhaps through endogenous prolactin signalling, while further elevations of prolactin may serve to synchronize parental behaviors between pairs.
Oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) by cells

Is there a need to study the cellular mechanism(s) of oxidation of LDL? If antioxidants are safe and effective even at relatively high doses in retarding the progression of experimental atherosclerosis, why is it important to study the specific mechanism(s) by which oxidative process may be initiated? True, vitamin E may be safe at quite high doses without evidence of major toxicity [1], however, antioxidants such as BHT, BHA and probucol do have toxicity and side-effects associated with their intake. Also, very little else is known about their normal physiological functions or their potential interactions with other drugs.
Establishing Network Reputation via Mechanism Design

In any system of networks, such as the Internet, a network must take some measure of security into account when deciding whether to allow incoming traffic, and how to configure various filters when making routing decisions. Existing methods tend to rely on the quality of specific hosts in making such decisions, resulting in mostly reactive security policies. In this study we investigate the notion of reputation of a network, and focus on constructing mechanisms that incentivizes the participation of networks to provide information about themselves as well as others. Such information is collected by a centralized reputation agent, who then computes a reputation index for each network. We use a simple mechanism to demonstrate that not only a network has the incentive to provide information about itself (even though it is in general not true), but also that this information can help decrease the estimation error.
Transforming the Data Center Network

In recent years, there have been many fundamental changes in the architecture of modern data centers. New applications have emerged, including cloud computing, big data analytics, real-time stock trading, and more. Workloads have evolved from a predominantly static environment into one that changes over time in response to user demands, often as part of a highly virtualized, multitenant data center. In response to these new requirements, data center networks have also undergone significant change. Conventional network architectures, which use Ethernet access, aggregation, and core tiers with a separate storage area network, are not well suited to modern data center traffic patterns. This chapter reviews the evolution from conventional network architectures into designs better suited to dynamic, distributed workloads. This includes flattening the network, converging Ethernet with storage and other protocols, and virtualizing and scaling the network. Effects of oversubscription, latency, higher data rates, availability, reliability, energy efficiency, and network security will be discussed.
Using a Positive Deviance Approach to Influence the Culture of Patient Safety Related to Infection Prevention.

Background Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are a socio-technical problem. We evaluated the impact of a social change intervention on health care personnel (HCP), called "positive deviance" (PD), on patient safety culture related to infection prevention among HCP. Methods This observational study was done in 6 medical wards at an 800-bed public academic hospital in the United States. Three of these wards were randomly assigned to receive PD intervention on HCP. After a retrospective 6-month baseline period, PD was implemented over 9 months, followed by 9 months of follow-up. Patient safety culture and social networks among HCP were surveyed at 6, 15, and 24 months. Rates of HAI were measured among patients. Results The measured patient safety culture was steady over time at 69% aggregate percent positive responses in wards with PD vs decline from 79% to 75% in wards without PD (F statistic 10.55; P = .005). Social network maps suggested that nurses, charge nurses, medical assistants, ward managers, and ward clerks play a key role in preventing infections. Fitted time series of monthly HAI rates showed a decrease from 4.8 to 2.8 per 1000 patient-days (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1 to 3.5) in wards without PD, and 5.0 to 2.1 per 1000 patient-days (95% CI, -0.4 to 4.5) in wards with PD. Conclusions A positive deviance approach appeared to have a significant impact on patient safety culture among HCP who received the intervention. Social network analysis identified HCP who are likely to help disseminate infection prevention information. Systemwide interventions independent of PD resulted in HAI reduction in both intervention and control wards.
Campaign Contributions From Political Action Committees to Members of Congressional Committees Responding to the Opioid Crisis.

This study examines recent campaign contributions to members of US congressional committees responsible for legislating on the opioid crisis by political action committees (PACs) associated with firms under investigation for having contributed to the crisis.
NoC-Based support of heterogeneous cache-coherence models for accelerators

On-chip shared memory is the primary paradigm for multi-core SoC designs and poses the most critical challenges to their scalability. Choosing the appropriate coherence model for accelerators not only can improve the overall system performance, but can also decrease energy consumption by reducing the accesses to DRAM. We propose an extension of a standard directory-based cache-coherence protocol and present its design as part of a scalable memory hierarchy implemented over a NoC. To evaluate our contribution we designed a many-accelerator SoC architecture that can support three main cache-coherence models for accelerators: non-coherent, last-level-cache-coherent, and fully-coherent. This SoC can run Linux SMP with split last-level cache and multiple DRAM controllers. Our FPGA-based experiments show that the optimal cache-coherence selection varies at run-time, based on the running accelerators and the memory footprint of the applications. Therefore, we support runtime selection of the cache-coherence model for each accelerator, as an alternative to a design-time decision.
Activities of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory During Fiscal Year 1978-79: A Summary Report

Brooks, Daniel R. 1978. Evolutionary history of the cestode order Proteocephalidea. The ASB Bulletin 25(2):6 1-62. Cake, E. W., Jr. 1979. Infections of Tylocephalum in commercial oysters and three predaceous gastropods of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Proceedings o f the National Shellfisheries Association 69: 1 . Cook, D. W. and S. R. Lofton. 1979. Freezer storage of whole blue crabs for use in picking plants. Abstracts of the Fourth Annual Tropical and Subtropical Fisheries Technological Conference of the Americas. and T . E. Snazelle. 1979. Pigment production by mutants of Bacillus cereus grown on seawater media. Abstracts of the AnnualMeetingof the American Society forMicrobiology 1-89: 109. deMond, John D. 1979. Colonization by amphipods of an artificial reef in the north central Gulf of Mexico. Journal sciaenid fishes. Marine Fisheries Review 40( 10):37-38. o f the Mississippi Academy of Sciences 24(Sup.): 12 1
Socrates: The New SQL Server in the Cloud

The database-as-a-service paradigm in the cloud (DBaaS) is becoming increasingly popular. Organizations adopt this paradigm because they expect higher security, higher availability, and lower and more flexible cost with high performance. It has become clear, however, that these expectations cannot be met in the cloud with the traditional, monolithic database architecture. This paper presents a novel DBaaS architecture, called Socrates. Socrates has been implemented in Microsoft SQL Server and is available in Azure as SQL DB Hyperscale. This paper describes the key ideas and features of Socrates, and it compares the performance of Socrates with the previous SQL DB offering in Azure.
Networks for An Infinite Service Future

In a world of exponentially growing content, connectivity and communication, the complexity of our networks, systems, devices and machines now make it fundamentally impossible to define and profile users and their network traffic. Further, this mounting complexity comes at the cost of end-to-end reliability and resilience, along with a significant energy cost and ecological impact. Our challenge then, is to broadly maintain the ability to satisfy an exponential demand that is about to see a major new component - The IoT. This is a vital element of Industry 4.0 and sustainable futures that presents significant challenges in Cyber-Security and energy demands.
Prescription Opioid Misuse Index in sickle cell patients: A brief questionnaire to assess at-risk for opioid abuse.

Objective: To develop a survey instrument to identify adult sickle cell disease (SCD) patients on chronic opioid therapy who are at-risk for opioid abuse. Design: Prospective survey and interview. Setting: Adult SCD clinic in a large urban teaching facility. Patients/participants: Convenience sampling of adult patients presenting to the sickle cell clinic. Interventions: None. Main outcome: Primary outcome was “at-risk for opioid misuse,” defined as at least 3/8 “yes” answers (a positive composite score) on the Prescription Opioid Misuse Index (POMI) questionnaire. Secondary outcome was DSM-IV criteria for substance abuse using the DSM IV Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Results: Of the 99 patients who completed the POMI, the mean age was 36 years; 58.6 percent were female, 48 percent were hemoglobin SS (47/99), and 26 percent were SC (26/99). Twenty-four percent (24/99) were identified as at-risk for opioid misuse using the POMI. There were no differences in demographic, SCD genotype, or socioeconomic variables for at-risk versus not-at-risk patients. Conclusion: Twenty-four percent of unselected adult SCD patients on opioids were identified as at-risk for opioid misuse using a quick survey. This may represent as much as 2.5-7 times the national misuse rate. This group of patients may benefit from additional diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to help understand and manage their opioid usage.
Fusion of Software Defined Networking, Edge Computing, and Blockchain Technology for Wireless Network Virtualization

Wireless network virtualization is regarded as a technology to enable sharing of physical wireless infrastructure and RF slices for improving not only wireless network capacity and coverage but also wireless security. This article provides a perspective of fusion of three emerging technologies: SDN, EC, and blockchain technology for wireless network virtualization. SDN, with the help of controllers, allows dynamic configuration of network resources for their efficient management. EC not only helps to process user signals and queries at respective base stations with the shortest possible delay, but also helps to avoid the need of a high-speed backhaul link between a base station and centralized controllers. Blockchain technology protects owners of wireless infrastructures from a double spending attack that allocates the same wireless resource (RF slice) to multiple virtual wireless networks. The proposed approach aims to reduce business friction and increase the trust and transparency in the wireless networking industry.
Africa Maritime Security and Law Enforcement Primer

The Primer is a compilation of international maritime legal frameworks, relevant agreements, and policy documents from Africa. Originally based on documents compiled from Trans-Atlantic Maritime Security and Criminal Justice Workshops held in multiple West and Central African venues, the 2019 Primer remains a resource document. The workshops, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), in partnership with the United States Coast Guard (USCG), brought together officials and subject matter experts from North America, Europe, and Africa to collaboratively address capacity building, discuss best practices, and examine maritime criminal justice issues. The Primer has evolved to address the following governance and threat issues: Whole-of-government frameworks that support interagency coordination, strategy development, as well as specific threats, such as piracy, armed robbery at sea, maritime migration, human trafficking, drug trafficking, illegal fishing, pollution, financial crimes, and terrorist acts. And, the Primer has excerpted key provisions from the following instruments: Djibouti Code of Conduct (2009) and the Jeddah Amendments (2017); Lome Charter (2016); Yaounde Code of Conduct (2013); and 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIM Strategy) (2012).
POE Immunoassay: Plate-based oligonucleotide electro-chemiluminescent immunoassay for the quantification of nucleic acids in biological matrices.

Oligonucleotide therapeutics use short interfering RNA (siRNA) or antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) molecules to exploit endogenous systems—neutralizing target RNA to prevent subsequent protein translation. While the potential clinical application is vast, delivery efficiency and extrahepatic targeting is challenging. Bioanalytical assays are important in building understanding of these complex relationships. The literature currently lacks description of robust and sensitive methods to measure siRNA and ASOs in complex biological matrices. Described herein is a non-enzymatic hybridization-based immunoassay that enables quantification of individual siRNA strands (antisense or sense) in serum, urine, bile, and liver and kidney homogenates. Assay utility is also demonstrated in ASOs. The assay improves upon previous works by abolishing enzymatic steps and further incorporating Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) nucleotide modifications to increase analyte hybridization affinity and improve sensitivity, specificity, and robustness. We report an assay with an ultrasensitive dynamic range of 0.3 to 16,700 pM for siRNA in serum. The assay was submitted to full qualification for accuracy and precision in both serum and tissue matrices and assay performance was assessed with single and mixed analytes. The reliable LNA-hybridization-based approach removes the need for matrix sample extraction, enrichment or amplification steps which may be impeded by more advanced chemical modifications.
Wave-like dopamine dynamics as a mechanism for spatiotemporal credit assignment

Significant evidence supports the view that dopamine shapes learning by encoding reward prediction errors. However, it is unknown whether striatal targets receive tailored dopamine dynamics based on regional functional specialization. Here, we report wave-like spatiotemporal activity patterns in dopamine axons and release across the dorsal striatum. These waves switch between activational motifs and organize dopamine transients into localized clusters within functionally related striatal subregions. Notably, wave trajectories were tailored to task demands, propagating from dorsomedial to dorsolateral striatum when rewards are contingent on animal behavior and in the opponent direction when rewards are independent of behavioral responses. We propose a computational architecture in which striatal dopamine waves are sculpted by inference about agency and provide a mechanism to direct credit assignment to specialized striatal subregions. Supporting model predictions, dorsomedial dopamine activity during reward-pursuit signaled the extent of instrumental control and interacted with reward waves to predict future behavioral adjustments.
DNMT1 binds HDAC2 and a new co-repressor, DMAP1, to form a complex at replication foci

DNA methylation can contribute to transcriptional silencing through several transcriptionally repressive complexes, which include methyl-CpG binding domain proteins (MBDs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs). We show here that the chief enzyme that maintains mammalian DNA methylation, DNMT1, can also establish a repressive transcription complex. The non-catalytic amino terminus of DNMT1 binds to HDAC2 and a new protein, DMAP1 (for DNMT1 associated protein), and can mediate transcriptional repression. DMAP1 has intrinsic transcription repressive activity, and binds to the transcriptional co-repressor TSG101. DMAP1 is targeted to replication foci through interaction with the far N terminus of DNMT1 throughout S phase, whereas HDAC2 joins DNMT1 and DMAP1 only during late S phase, providing a platform for how histones may become deacetylated in heterochromatin following replication. Thus, DNMT1 not only maintains DNA methylation, but also may directly target, in a heritable manner, transcriptionally repressive chromatin to the genome during DNA replication.
An Investigation of the Influence of Waves on Sediment Processes in Skagit Bay

Abstract : In this work we will employ an unstructured grid, coupled wave-current-sediment model to study the influence of wave-induced near bottom stresses on the sediment transport and morphological change within the Skagit River delta and Skagit Bay in Western Washington. The resulting coupled wave-current model will resolve the influence of external processes, including tidal forcing, buoyant river discharge, fluvial sediment supply and wind on tidal flat sediment transport. It will be used to evaluate the capabilities of state-of-the-art open source sediment models and to examine dynamic processes influencing net sediment transport over tidal flats and channel networks including convergence fronts; tidal asymmetries; buoyancy forcing; spatial and temporal variations in bed stress; and interactions between channel networks and adjacent tidal flats. Our project is designed to meet the following objectives: couple the existing high-resolution hydro-sediment model of Skagit Bay with a phase-averaged surface wave model, work closely with field measurement programs on the North Fork Flats (S. Elgar and B. Raubenheimer [WHOI]) and South Fork Flats (R. Geyer, P. Traykovski, and D. Ralston [WHOI]) on model-observation comparisons and validation; and use the coupled model to characterize the wave-current regime in Skagit Bay and the spatial distribution of wave-induced bottom shear stresses and their role in the large-scale morphodynamics of the flats. Both of these models were developed with support from the ONR Tidal Flats DRI (N00014-08-1-1115).
Fresh Frozen Plasma Partial Exchange Transfusion and Necrotizing Enterocolitis

To the Editor.— We report an unusual ocular finding associated with the chromosome lq deletion syndrome in a full-term black girl for whom there was no family history of congenital anomalies, fetal wastage, consanguinity, or drug ingestion. The infant was overtly microcephalic (third percentile) with a sloping forehead, metopic sutures open to the brow, and a large posterior fontanel. She had a low anterior hair line, depressed nasal bridge, bulbous nose, thin down-turned lips, prominent philtrum, malformed ears, and a webbed neck.
Fitting WWP-1 in the dietary restriction network.

One of the most universal environmental conditions that impacts longevity is dietary restriction (DR). DR is a reduction in caloric uptake without malnutrition; DR can increase health and life span...