cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection of melanoma-related transcripts in the peripheral blood and bone marrow of patients with malignant melanoma. What have we learned?

The detection of circulating tumor cells (CTC) and bone marrow micrometastases (BMM) by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) may help predict recurrence and survival in malignant melanoma (MM). Since the appearance of the original article by Smith et al. in 1991 (Lancet 338:1227), several groups have attempted the detection of CTC and BMM in MM using RT-PCR for melanocytic specific markers, mainly tyrosinase mRNA. Most studies show that tyrosinase is not present in the PB and BM of control individuals without MM. The PCR positivity rates in MM are extremely variable, ranging from 0% to 100%. There was a correlation between RT-PCR and stage in some but not all of the studies. These disparate findings could in part be explained by differences in RNA extraction and blood separation techniques, to unrecognized contamination leading to false positive results, or differences in patient selection. Despite these discrepancies, we and others have shown that RT-PCR for tyrosinase mRNA in PB is able to predict overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in a statistically significant manner. In AJCC stage II–IV patients rendered surgically free of disease, we found that blood tyrosinase positivity was an independent predictor of OS and DFS. We also found that BM tyrosinase positivity is an independent predictor of DFS in the same group of patients. RT-PCR may help identify subgroups of patients at high risk for early relapse for more aggressive adjuvant therapy. Large prospective studies and interlaboratory quality assurance initiatives are necessary to confirm the accuracy and prognostic value of these RT-PCR assays.
Assessment of Social Skills in Substance Use Disorders

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of the assessment of social skills in individuals with substance abuse, substance dependence, or in recovery from a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), for researchers and clinicians with little background in the field of SUDs. The association between social skills and SUDs was first recognized in the literature in the 1970s within the context of alcoholism treatment and relapse prevention, largely drawn from the tenets of social learning theory (e.g., Chaney, O’Leary, & Marlatt, 1978; Monti, Gulliver, & Myers, 1994; O’Leary, O’Leary, & Donovan, 1976). Within the relapse prevention framework, the return to problematic alcohol use, or relapse, may be avoided (or limited) if the individual has the appropriate set of skills to cope more effectively with life stressors and situations that may place the person at risk for relapse (Larimer, Palmer, & Marlatt, 1999; Marlatt & Gordon, 1985). It is asserted that inadequate coping skills decreases one’s self-efficacy to cope
Law and Morality

Traditionally, studies dedicated to the relations between law and morality insisted, from a Kantian orientation, upon the following distinctions: law governs external behavior, morality emphasizes intention, law establishes a correlation between rights and obligations, morality prescribes duties which do not bring forth subjective rights; law establishes obligations sanctioned by power, morality escapes organized sanctions.
Unbounded Self-Adjoint Operators

Recall that most of the operators of quantum mechanics, including those representing position, momentum, and energy, are not defined on the entirety of the relevant Hilbert space, but only on a dense subspace thereof.
Commentary: Re: “A Case-Control Study of Milk Drinking and Ovarian Cancer Risk”

Researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston Massachusetts challenged the conclusion of other researchers that whole milk consumption increases the risk of ovarian cancer. The Harvard researchers asserted that it is galactose and not animal fat that plays a leading role in ovarian cancer etiology. Their research showed a positive association between >1 serving/day of skim milk and ovarian cancer. On the other hand no dose response and no association existed between whole milk consumption and ovarian cancer. Moreover the association was higher in women who never used oral contraceptives (OCs) regardless of what type of milk they drank (whole milk: crude odds ratios 1.8 vs. 0.9 and skim milk: CORs 2.3 vs 2.1). The study in the earlier article did not contain measures of total animal fat or total lactose. It asserted that milk consumption accounts for about 80% of total lactose consumption yet the Harvard researchers found it only accounts for 55%. Their research found an increased risk of ovarian cancer in those women who consumed the most lactose (>18g/day; COR 1.4). This reached significance for those who had never used OCs (p=.01; COR 2.4). A 3rd factor not considered in the earlier articles researchers compared galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase activity and total lactose consumption. They found that the lactose/transferase ration was the leading variable for ovarian cancer (p=.007) more so than parity (p=.017) and animal fat consumption (p=.955). They proposed that lactose consumption a dietary factor and transferase activity a genetic factor mediate ovarian cancer risk. They concluded that the data in the other article did not address this hypothesis.
Synthesis and crystal chemistry of the new compounds GdBa4Cu3O8.5+δ and DyBa4Cu3O8.5+δ

Two new compounds, GdBa{sub 4}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 8.5+{delta}} (Gd143) and DyBa{sub 4}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 8.5+{delta}} (Dy143), were synthesized from precursors Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Dy{sub 2}O{sub 3}, BaO{sub 2}, and CuO at 1000h{degree}C in an oxygen atmosphere. The oxygen stoichiometric value {delta} was found to be 0.68 for Gd143 and 0.6 for Dy143 by iodometric titration. Rietveld refinement of x-ray powder diffraction data showed that Gd143 belongs to the space group {ital Pm}3 while Dy143 belongs to the space group {ital P}23. The two space groups, {ital Pm}3 and {ital P}23, are very similar. Their main difference is that {ital P}23 does not have the inversion symmetry of {ital Pm}3. Both compounds have a cubic unit cell with a lattice parameter of 8.16528thinsp{plus_minus}thinsp0.00006thinsp{Angstrom} for Gd143 and 8.10807thinsp{plus_minus}thinsp0.00010thinsp{Angstrom} for Dy143. Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurement indicated that neither compound was superconductive down to 5 K. {copyright} {ital 1999 Materials Research Society.}
Effects of Certain Systemic Insecticides on Gladiolus Growth and Spike Production

Data were collected to determine effects of certain systemic insecticides on gladiolus growth. No significant differences were detected in plant emergence or height 17 and 23 days, respectively, after planting. At peak bloom, granular soil treatments of aldicarb, oxamyl, and disulfoton showed significant positive effects on gladiolus growth, as indicated by plant heights, flowerhead lengths, and bud numbers. Cucumber mosaic virus-infected plants in aldicarb and disulfoton-treated plots also showed growth benefits. No significant differences in corm weights were detected between treatments.
Placement Opportunities and Preparing for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Marketplace

The first two presentations of this symposium present the results of an analysis of 159 placement announcements listed with the HFES Placement Service during 1994–1995. The first presentation describes the characteristics of 129 industry, government and consulting positions; while the second presentation describes the characteristics of 10 academic and 20 internship positions. The ability to perform as a team member was cited often and is the focus of the third and fourth presentations.The third presentation discusses the importance of the team experience in today's work place. It also describes how three educators incorporated a team experience into their courses.The last presentation of this symposium highlights various benefits and potential problems of groups and teams and focuses on strategies for successfully implementing student teams in the classroom.
Influence of Soil Models on Structural Performance of Buried Culverts

AbstractAnalytical studies have shown repeatedly that soil stiffness plays a dominant role in influencing the structural behavior of buried culverts in loading environments; however, the relative effect of the soil-model formulation (degree of fidelity) has not been investigated systematically. Soil-model formulations used for culvert analysis range from simple linear elastic models to fully nonlinear plasticity and variable-modulus models. This paper compares the relative influence of three popular soil-model formulations: (1) linear elasticity (two parameters); (2) Mohr-Coulomb elastic–perfectly plastic (four parameters); and (3) Duncan-Selig variable modulus (eight parameters). After presenting a theoretical review of these soil models, the following pertinent question is explored: If the parameters for each soil model are fitted to the same set of triaxial test data, thereby representing the same soil stiffness to the best of each model’s capability, what is the comparative effect on the predicted str...
Multiple arterial grafting: Please don't confuse me with the facts.

From the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY. Disclosures: Author has nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication March 27, 2016; accepted for publication March 30, 2016; available ahead of print May 11, 2016. Address for reprints: Paul Kurlansky, MD, Columbia University, Black Building 210, CUMC, 650 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032 (E-mail: pk2245@cumc.columbia.edu). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2016;152:380-1 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2016 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2016.03.065
Surgical strategies for otitis media.

OBJECTIVE As we enter the new millennium, Otitis Media remains the most common cause for an acute care visit to the pediatrician. This paper discusses the various surgical approaches to children who do not respond to medical management for acute otitis, recurrent acute otitis and for chronic otitis media. In addition to discussing the relevant alternatives of intervention, attention is directed to special populations of patients who are likely to demand a great deal of care, the problems that are encountered with typanostomy tubes and the concept of a new era of a "post-tympanostomy tube legacy." CONCLUSION Suggestions are offered as to how we can alter our approach to these patients requiring surgical intervention and thereby reduce long term sequelae.
Legal issues in psychiatric treatment

This paper has presented a discussion of the three overlapping phases in the regulation of psychiatric treatment: consent, patients' rights, and physicians' duties. The concepts of consent are relatively well defined. Still, the courts sometimes utilize the rubric of consent to decide difficult cases (e.g., Clites). One can predict that litigation attempting to further define the specific aspects of consent for high-risk therapies will continue. Because of the court's decision in Youngberg, one can also predict that there will be more litigation as to the constituents of constitutionally-adequate treatment. Given the court's dicta in that case, about deferring to professional judgment, it is impossible to know how these cases will fare if and when they are reviewed by the Supreme Court. Given the court's decisions in Mills and Rennie, it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will be ruling on a broad constitutionally-based right to refuse treatment for some time. The most active interface of psychiatry and law is that detailing physicians' duties. In terms of dangerousness, the majority of cases require that psychiatrists attempt to protect victims, or classes of victims, when they believe that dangerous conduct is apt to occur. Still unclear is the extent to which the courts will inquire specifically into the clinical decision-making process to determine whether the physician "reasonably should have known" that the patient was dangerous. Also unclear is the extent to which the courts will find that physicians owe a duty to an ill-defined class. Still, a reasonable guess would be that other courts will find Lipari persuasive. Finally, with regard to specific treatment modalities, it is evident that physicians are being required to practice with an extra measure of care and caution when prescribing neuroleptics, ECT, or psychosurgery. One final note: Too often, physicians have been leery of the political process. Since many decisions with great impact on patients and practitioners are political, this author would urge physicians to engage in that process to secure more reasonable and more equitable medical regulation.
Privacy --- preserving data mining at 10: what's next?

It has been 10 years since the first papers entitled "Privacy--Preserving Data Mining" appeared. The past decade has witnessed a flood of papers with new techniques to protect and mine data, but little real--world impact. Is privacy dead? Or are there still challenges that must be addressed? This talk will begin with a brief retrospective on advances in privacy--preserving data mining. We will then look at legal and societal issues, and the mismatches between these issues and the technology. We will then look at some new research in the area, including privacy metrics and techniques applicable to data mining, and data/computation outsourcing.
English Spread as 'Structural Violence'

The author proposes new terminology to describe the spread and domination of English-language use throughout the late 20 th and early 21 st century. Through a review of the pertinent literature, he suggests that the term, “linguistic imperialism,” first coined by Phillipson in 1992, is inaccurate in that it suggests the domination of English, and the subsequent extinction of other languages, is directed by some agent with shadowy ulterior motives. Instead, the term “structural violence,” taken from the writings of John Galtung, the founder of the field of peace and conflict studies, is more appropriate. This terminology suggests that English dominance is an imposition because of the role it has assumed as a global lingua franca the related societal structures that have developed to adapt to its worldwide spread and use.
USE OF A NOVEL BOARD GAME IN A CLINICAL ROTATION FOR LEARNING THORACIC DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSES IN VETERINARY MEDICAL IMAGING

When confronted with various findings on thoracic radiographs, fourth-year veterinary students often have difficulty generating appropriate lists of differential diagnoses. The purpose of this one-group, pretest, posttest experimental study was to determine if a game could be used as an adjunct teaching method to improve students’ understanding of connections between imaging findings and differential diagnoses. A novel board game focusing on differential diagnoses in thoracic radiography was developed. One hundred fourth-year veterinary students took a brief pretest, played the board game, and took a brief posttest as a part of their respective clinical radiology rotations. Pretest results were compared to posttest results using a paired t-test to determine if playing the game impacted student understanding. Students’ mean scores on the posttest were significantly higher than mean pretest scores (P < 0.0001). Thus, results indicate that playing the board game resulted in improved short-term understanding of thoracic differential diagnoses by fourth-year students, and use of the board game on a clinical rotation seems to be a beneficial part of the learning process.
Mind the gap: Gaps in antidepressant treatment, treatment adjustments, and outcomes among patients in routine HIV care in a multisite U.S. Clinical cohort

Author(s): Cholera, Rushina; Pence, Brian W; Bengtson, Angela M; Crane, Heidi M; Christopoulos, Katerina; Cole, Steven R; Fredericksen, Rob; Gaynes, Bradley N; Heine, Amy; Mathews, W Christopher; Mimiaga, Matthew J; Moore, Richard; Napravnik, Sonia; O'Clerigh, Conall; Safren, Steven; Mugavero, Michael J | Abstract: BackgroundDepression affects 20-30% of HIV-infected patients and is associated with worse HIV outcomes. Although effective depression treatment is available, depression is largely untreated or undertreated in this population.MethodsWe quantified gaps in antidepressant treatment, treatment adjustments, and outcomes among US patients in routine HIV care in the nationally distributed CNICS observational clinical cohort. This cohort combines detailed clinical data with regular, self-reported depressive severity assessments (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PHQ-9). We considered whether participants with likely depression received antidepressants, whether participants on antidepressants with persistently high depressive symptoms received timely dose adjustments, and whether participants achieved depression remission. We considered a cross-sectional analysis (6,219 participants in care in 2011-2012) and a prospective analysis (2,936 participants newly initiating CNICS care when PHQ-9 screening was active).ResultsThe cross-sectional sample was 87% male, 53% Caucasian, 25% African American, and 18% Hispanic; the prospective sample was similar. In both samples, 39-44% had likely depression, with 44-60% of those receiving antidepressants. Of participants receiving antidepressants, 20-26% experienced persistently high depressive symptoms; only a small minority of those received antidepressant dose adjustments. Overall, 35-40% of participants on antidepressants achieved full depression remission. Remission among participants with persistently high depressive symptoms was rare regardless of dose adjustments.ConclusionsIn this large, diverse cohort of US patients engaged in routine HIV care, we observed large gaps in antidepressant treatment, timely dose adjustment to address persistently high depressive symptoms, and antidepressant treatment outcomes. These results highlight the importance of more effective pharmacologic depression treatment models for HIV-infected patients.
Nickel-induced HIF-1α promotes growth arrest and senescence in normal human cells but lacks toxic effects in transformed cells

Nickel is a human carcinogen that acts as a hypoxia mimic by activating the transcription factor HIF-1α and hypoxia-like transcriptomic responses. Hypoxia and elevated HIF-1α are typically associated with drug resistance in cancer cells, which is caused by increased drug efflux and other mechanisms. Here we examined the role of HIF-1α in uptake of soluble Ni(II) and Ni(II)-induced cell fate outcomes using si/shRNA knockdowns and gene deletion models. We found that HIF-1α had no effect on accumulation of Ni(II) in two transformed (H460, A549) and two normal human cell lines (IMR90, WI38). The loss of HIF-1α also produced no significant impact on p53-dependent and p53-independent apoptotic responses or clonogenic survival of Ni(II)-treated transformed cells. In normal human cells, HIF-1α enhanced the ability of Ni(II) to inhibit cell proliferation and cause a permanent growth arrest (senescence). Consistent with its growth-suppressive effects, HIF-1α was important for upregulation of the cell cycle inhibitors p21 (CDKN1A) and p27 (CDKN1B). Irrespective of HIF-1α status, Ni(II) strongly increased levels of MYC protein but did not change protein expression of the cell cycle-promoting phosphatase CDC25A or the CDK inhibitor p16. Our findings indicate that HIF-1α limits propagation of Ni(II)-damaged normal cells, suggesting that it may act in a tumor suppressor-like manner during early stages of Ni(II) carcinogenesis.
Evidence Supporting the Internal Validity of the Proposed ND-PAE Disorder.

The internal validity of the proposed Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE) was evaluated in children diagnosed with either Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or partial FAS who were 3–10 years of age and had enrolled in a math intervention study. Symptoms were coded as present or absent using assessments conducted in the study, including standardized measures of neurocognitive and behavioral functioning, parent interview, and direct observations of the child. The number of endorsed ND-PAE symptoms was not related to environmental factors but was moderately related to the child’s age. ND-PAE symptoms were highly consistent and this did not vary by age. Evidence suggested the ND-PAE adaptive symptoms may be too restrictive and only one symptom from this domain may be sufficient. Impulsiveness was not related to an endorsement of the ND-PAE disorder but research is needed with other clinical groups to establish the discriminative validity of this symptom.
An Educational Intervention for Neurology Residents on Post-Residency/Fellowship Practice (P2.364)

Background: Prior studies have identified gaps in resident education concerning financial planning, contract negotiation, and medical practice management. We report the outcomes of an educational dinner program for neurology residents and fellows focused on medical practice and finance post-residency/fellowship through seminars by a financial planner, contract attorney, and a panel consisting of physicians in private and academic practice. Design/Methods: Questionnaires were administered to neurology residents and fellows before and after the program. The questionnaire focused on financial planning, contract negation, practice issues specific to private and academic settings, and billing/coding. Results: Survey responses were obtained from seven attendees consisting of 5 neurology residents and 2 neurology fellows all of whom were encouraged to bring their spouse or partner. Nearly 60[percnt] reported they had not received any education or counseling on topics relevant to practice post-residency/fellowship. Prior to the intervention, none of the attendees had met with or received financial planning education from a financial planner whereas nearly 60[percnt] of the residents reported having obtained financial counseling from their peers, and nearly 30[percnt] from family. Only one respondent had obtained advice from an attorney. Post-test outcomes showed that attendees were more likely to meet with a financial planner/contract attorney, and reported significantly decreased anxiety levels regarding practice post-residency/fellowship. Conclusions: These pilot data support previous findings that most residents do not receive adequate counseling about post-graduation medical practice and financial issues. Additionally, pre- and post-intervention surveys suggest that programs aimed specifically at medical practice and finance post-residency/fellowship may evoke positive changes in behavior while addressing several ACGME core competencies. This intervention demonstrates a need to inform neurology residents about post-residency/fellowship medical practice. As part of their standard curriculum, residency programs should adopt programs to better position neurology trainees to seek information and counseling from contract attorneys, financial advisors, and physicians in practice. Disclosure: Dr. Dawit has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vargas has nothing to disclose.
Exploratory Data Analysis for the Digital Humanities: The Comédie-Française Registers Project Analytics Tool

In 2008 the Comedie-Francaise, France’s pre-eminent dramatic troupe and theatre, embarked on an ambitious project to digitise its remarkable collection of ticket receipts dating from the theatre’s opening in 1680 to just after the French Revolution. This paper describes the design and development of a general-purpose online data analytics tool to make meaning from the resulting database: its technical and theoretical underpinnings, its audience and constraints, its user-base and expectations.
Diverging Overland Flow2. Application to Natural Watersheds

The diverging overland flow model is utilized to predict surface runoff from several natural watersheds. The Lax – Wendroff scheme is used to obtain numerical solutions. This scheme is explicit, single step and second order. An analytical criterion is developed to determine time step for computation for a specified grid length in space. This criterion ensures numerical stability and convengence. The diverging geometry is specified from watershed topography. Thus the model contains one parameter which is optimized for each watershed by the Rosenbrock – Palmer optimization algorithm. The model results compare satisfactorily with runoff observations.
Topography and Function of Challenging Behaviors in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at a greater risk for challenging behavior than individuals with other developmental disabilities. An essential step in the treatment of these behaviors is the identification of the function of the behavior. In the current study, data were collected from a large database, in which supervising clinicians from a community-based behavioral health agency recorded the topography and function(s) of behaviors treated as a part of an individual’s behavior intervention plan. In a sample of 3216 individuals (mean age = 10.67, SD = 4.61) with ASD, the frequency of the most common challenging behaviors and the identified function of the behavior were examined. Stereotypy was the most commonly reported topography, followed by noncompliance and aggression. Overall, escape was the most commonly reported function of behavior. To further evaluate how clinicians operationally define these behaviors, a part-of-speech text analysis was conducted and found a high degree of overlap in the operational definitions of challenging behavior (i.e., aggression, disruption and tantrum; noncompliance and tantrum; obsessive behavior and stereotypy; self-injurious behavior and aggression). These data are discussed in further detail.
Social Network Applications for Education: The Case of College Connect

In this chapter, the design, implementation, benefits, and challenges of using a Facebook application, College Connect, are presented. College Connect was designed to address the persistent educational problem of college access in the United States, part of which stems from students’ lack of social capital, the human and information resources available to them in their social networks that can provide needed information, such as how to apply to, enroll in, and pay for college. College Connect, a social networking application which runs on Facebook, the parent platform, was designed to help address this problem by creating a network visualization of each student’s Facebook Friends network and showing the student who within the network has college information in their Facebook profile. In this chapter, we explain the theory and procedures that led to the design of the College Connect application, the process of launching the application, and the benefits and challenges of implementing it with adolescent students preparing for college.
Focus on the Self: Perception of Self-Aspects

In Chapter 4 we discussed the processes of abstraction: the creation of structures in memory corresponding to classes of objects and events, and the use of those structures for recognizing new stimuli. In Chapter 5 we discussed how the concepts of abstraction might be applied to the perception and knowledge of environments and persons. We now turn to a consideration of how these concepts can be applied to the perception and knowledge of the self.1
Effect of temperature on survival of γ-irradiated seeds ofArabidopsis thaliana

Nach fruher akuter Beruhrung mitγ-Bestrahlung kann im allgemeinen der Erholungsprozess beiArabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Samen durch relativ kleine und kurze Umgebungsveranderungen (4°C wahrend 4 Tagen) stark modifiziert werden. Diese werden nach vermeintlicher Deaktivierung radiochemischer Produkte angewendet und beeinflussen nicht nur die behandelte, sondern auch die folgende Generation.
Virtualized End-to-End Management Functions for Aggregated Control of Video Traffic Flows

The paper describes the management and control (M&C) functions of various network nodes in an end-to-end rate-adaptive video transport system. Mobile user devices download video clips by sharing the underlying network path from an ingress node. At the core software level, M&C functions realize the well-known AIMD (additive increase multiplicative decrease) based video rate control algorithm to handle congestion along the path. AIMD is exercised on the aggregated data flows at a source ingress node based on the 'loss reports' signaled from the receiver egress node. Our aggregated AIMD-based control reduces the signaling overhead, relative to the existing approaches that anchor an AIMD instance on each user device itself. This offers scalability, while improving the user-experienced QoS: such as low jitter in transfer rates and isolation against device faults. The offloading of aggregated AIMD-based control to the in-network overlay nodes also allows a reduction in the overall bandwidth usage. The software handling of 'last-mile' issues in the path between user devices and egress nodes (such as greedy users and access network channel sharing) are discussed, in a context of fine-granular video encoders in the devices. The paper also shows a virtualization of our M&C functions (as VNF modules) for deployment in large-scale video distribution networks --- such as YouTube.
Cesium Oleate Precursor Preparation for Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystal Synthesis: The Influence of Excess Oleic Acid on Achieving Solubility, Conversion, and Reproducibility

In the colloidal synthesis of inorganic perovskite materials, cesium oleate (CsOL) is the most commonly used Cs precursor. Yet, despite its ubiquitous use in literature, CsOL has been observed to be insoluble at room temperature and leads to surprisingly inconsistent results in CsPbX3 nanocrystal synthesis, depending on the Cs salt from which the precursor is derived. We show that under the conditions used in most reports, the amount of oleic acid (OA) added, while stoichiometrically sufficient, still leads to incomplete conversion of the Cs salts to CsOL. This results in a mixture of Cs sources being present during the reaction, causing decreased homogeneity and reproducibility. When a 1:5 Cs:OA ratio is used, complete conversion is readily obtained, even under mild conditions, resulting in a precursor solution that is soluble at room temperature and yields identical synthetic results, regardless of the initial Cs source. Furthermore, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of solutions prepared using varyin...
A Bayesian statistical approach to inferring particle dynamics from in-situ pump POC and chloropigment data from the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract Concentrations of chloropigments and particulate organic carbon (POC) in large-volume in-situ pump samples from the Mediterranean Sea were used to estimate rate constants of processes that control the fate of particles, and specifically chloropigments, in the water column. Here we introduce a Bayesian statistical inversion method that combines the data with a new box model and has the capacity to infer rate constants for POC respiration/dissolution, chlorophyll and pheopigment degradation, and particle aggregation and disaggregation. We use first-order kinetics to model disaggregation, and use both first-order and second-order kinetics to model aggregation. Using these methods, the estimated small-particle (1–70 μm) POC respiration rate constant was 2.44−1.00+1.69 yr−1 (0.41 yr). The estimated disaggregation and second-order aggregation rate constants were 85.6−36.4+63.4 yr−1 (1.17×10−2 yr) and 2.78−1.17+2.01 μM−1 yr−1, respectively. Using the optimal rate constants and the corresponding particle concentrations, disaggregation is ~4.2 times faster than the small-size POC dissolution rate, which indicates that disaggregation is a dominant processes at the time of sampling. More importantly, by comparing our results with those of previous studies, we conclude that sampling methods have less influence than tracers themselves on inferring particle dynamic rate constants. We previously introduced a somewhat similar approach to modeling SV sediment trap data, but large volume pumps are a much more common sample collection method in oceanographic surveys than SV sediment traps, and thus our new model should have a wider applicability.
Flux-Switching Permanent Magnet Machines: A Review of Opportunities and Challenges-Part II: Design Aspects, Control, and Emerging Trends

Flux-switching permanent magnet (FSPM) machines have received an intense amount of research interest in recent years, due to their advantages of high torque/power density, favorable thermal management, as well as passive and robust rotor structure. The purpose of this two-part companion articles is to provide a comprehensive overview of FSPM machines in terms of opportunities and challenges. In the early part of this two-part series, the operating principle, the modeling methods, the various machine topologies of FSPM machines, as well as the comparison with other PM machines, have been analyzed and investigated. Building upon Part (I), this article covers the analysis and design of winding configurations, the practical techniques to minimize the cogging torque and torque ripple, the control strategies, the technical challenges, as well as the emerging trends of FSPM machines. Moreover, the key features of the FSPM machines, including the merits and demerits of such machines as well as their associated techniques, are highlighted and summarized.
Accelerating the Internet in the presence of Big Data: Reducing user delays by leveraging historical user request patterns for web caching

Approximately 4 billion people have access to the Internet, additionally 23 billion devices are connected as of 2018. This has allowed for a substantial growth in data collection which has allowed for Big Data to flourish. The continued increase in user, devices, and Big Data usage has created a significant intensification in Internet traffic. This in turn has the potential to increase user delays when accessing data on the Internet. There are a number of ways to help reduce user latency, web caching is able to reduce web user delays in addition to reducing network traffic and the load on web servers. In this study we propose a proxy level web caching mechanism leveraging historical web patterns to help reduce user latency and accelerate the Internet. In addition we survey the state of the art of other caching approaches. Our investigation shows there is useful potential for effective proxy caching mechanisms that exploit historical request patterns to significantly reduce delays for web users if they were to be deployed in large scale networks in this Big Data era.
Video directly observed therapy intervention using a mobile health application among opioid use disorder patients receiving office-based buprenorphine treatment: protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Office-based buprenorphine treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) does not typically include in-person directly observed therapy (DOT), potentially leading to non-adherence. Video DOT technologies may safeguard against this issue and thus enhance likelihood of treatment success. We describe the rationale and protocol for the Trial of Adherence Application for Buprenorphine treatment (TAAB) study, a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effects of video DOT delivered via a smartphone app on office-based buprenorphine treatment outcomes, namely illicit opioid use and retention. Participants will be recruited from office-based opioid addiction treatment programs in outpatient clinics at two urban medical centers and randomized to either video DOT (intervention) delivered via a HIPAA-compliant, asynchronous, mobile health (mHealth) technology platform, or treatment-as-usual (control). Eligibility criteria are: 18 years or older, prescribed sublingual buprenorphine for a cumulative total of 28 days or less from the office-based opioid treatment program, and able to read and understand English. Patients will be considered ineligible if they are unable or unwilling to use the intervention, provide consent, or complete weekly study visits. All participants will complete 13 in-person weekly visits and be followed via electronic health record data capture at 12- and 24-weeks post-randomization. Data gathered include the following: demographics; current and previous treatment for OUD; self-reported diversion of prescribed buprenorphine; status of their mental and physical health; and self-reported lifetime and past 30-day illicit substance use. Participants provide urine samples at each weekly visit to test for illicit drugs and buprenorphine. The primary outcome is percentage of weekly urines that are negative for opioids over the 12-weeks. The secondary outcome is engagement in treatment at week 12. Video DOT delivered through mHealth technology platform offers possibility of improving patients’ buprenorphine adherence by providing additional structure and accountability. The TAAB study will provide important preliminary estimates of the impact of this mHealth technology for patients initiating buprenorphine, as well as the feasibility of study procedures, thus paving the way for further research to assess feasibility and generate preliminary data for design of a future Phase III trial. Trial Registration ClinicalTrails.gov, NCT03779997, Registered on December 19, 2018.
A Test Scheme for the Comprehensive Qualification of MMC Submodule Based on 10 kV SiC MOSFETs under High dv/dt

A test scheme is designed to qualify MMC submodules based on 10 kV SiC MOSFETs comprehensively, including thermal design, insulation design, and operation under high dv/dt. In the test scheme, the essential step is the continuous test realized with the proposed ac-dc continuous test circuit with two MMC submodules in series. With the designed modulation scheme, two cascaded submodules are leveraged to generate high dv/dt. The submodule under test has to continuously withstand 2X normal dv/dt of 10 kV SiC MOSFETs, which could occur during the MMC converter operation. Higher dv/dt can also be generated to fully test the submodule. An open loop voltage balancing method is adopted to simplify the continuous test setup. Simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the proposed test scheme.
Effects of dual-tasking on time-to-boundary during stance in people with PD: A preliminary study.

Abstract Background Quiet stance is impacted by Parkinson's disease and dual-tasking. Recently developed outcomes such as the time-to-boundary provide unique insight into balance by integrating center of pressure position with base of support. However, little is known about the effects of Parkinson's disease on time-to-boundary. In particular, the effects of distracting cognitive tasks, and how people with Parkinson's disease prioritize balance and cognitive tasks are poorly understood. Methods 14 people with Parkinson's disease and 13 controls completed quiet standing and cognitive Stroop tasks separately (single-task) and together (dual-task). 2-dimentional, medio-lateral, and anterior-posterior time-to-boundary were calculated via force-plate data. Traditional sway outcomes, including sway area and path length, were also calculated. Cognitive performance was measured as the verbal reaction time after auditory stimulus delivery. Prioritization was assessed by taking the difference between cognitive and postural dual-task interference. Findings Time-to-boundary was worse in Parkinson's disease compared to controls (2-dimentional: p = .019; anterior-posterior: p = .062; medio-lateral: p = .012). Medio-lateral time-to-boundary, but not anterior-posterior, was significantly worse during dual-tasking than single-tasking (p = .024). Neurotypical adults tended to prioritize cognition over medio-lateral postural outcomes. Interpretation People with Parkinson's disease exhibit worse time-to-boundary than their neurotypical peers, and medio-lateral outcomes were sensitive to single to dual-task performance changes. Further, participants generally showed cognitive prioritization, such that cognitive performance was less impacted than medio-lateral postural outcomes by dual-tasking.
Resolving the Egg and Cholesterol Intake Controversy: New Clinical Insights Into Cholesterol Regulation by the Liver and Intestine

Abstract Purpose – Atherosclerotic CVD disease is the number one cause of death. Achieving American Heart Association LDL cholesterol atherosclerotic CVD treatment goals is very difficult for the majority of patients. The importance of a low cholesterol diet is controversial and is not emphasized by most physicians. Of critical importance is determining whether each individual is a “hyper- or hypo-absorber” of dietary cholesterol intake. Furthermore, the quantity of each individual’s baseline daily dietary cholesterol and saturated fat intake is important in assessing the effect of added egg yolk cholesterol and saturated fat on blood LDL cholesterol. Methods Gut cholesterol is absorbed via a specific enteric receptor (the Niemann-Pick-like receptor). Dietary cholesterol contributes one fourth of the absorbed cholesterol, while the remaining gut cholesterol is derived from secreted bile cholesterol. This dietary quantity of cholesterol can be significant when other determinants are relatively constant. For some individuals, dietary cholesterol has no adverse effects and in others, a significant elevation in blood LDL cholesterol may occur. Results There are no readily available blood tests to determine the effect of egg yolk cholesterol and saturated fat on an individual’s plasma LDL cholesterol. However, a one month trial of a low cholesterol and saturated fat diet will provide the needed information to make clinical decisions. Conclusions This article delineates the mechanisms that are altered by genetic and environmental factors that determine the net effects of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat on circulating LDL cholesterol. It then makes a practical clinical recommendation based on these mechanisms.
Rough-surface effect on sputtering of Cr bombarded by low-energy He plasma

Abstract The formation of microscopic cone-like structures on a Cr surface is observed under He plasma exposure at a low incident ion energy of ∼106 eV in the PISCES-A linear plasma device. 2D emission profiles of the Cr I line intensity, measured with a hyperspectral imaging camera, are compared with those modeled using the GITR Monte Carlo impurity transport code coupled with the SDTrimSP binary collision code. With the growth of cones, the experimental 2D emission profile becomes axially elongated and the emission intensity significantly drops, and these observations are successfully reproduced in the simulation. The simulation reveals that the deposition of sputtered Cr atoms onto the neighboring cones results in a more over-cosine-like angular distribution, i.e., a narrower distribution with more particles ejected in the surface normal direction, of sputtered Cr atoms with a significant reduction of the sputtering yield.
Using Satellite Images and Deep Learning to Identify Associations Between County-Level Mortality and Residential Neighborhood Features Proximal to Schools: A Cross-Sectional Study.

What is the relationship between mortality and satellite images as elucidated through the use of Convolutional Neural Networks? Background: Following a century of increase, life expectancy in the United States has stagnated and begun to decline in recent decades. Using satellite images and street view images, prior work has demonstrated associations of the built environment with income, education, access to care and health factors such as obesity. However, assessment of learned image feature relationships with variation in crude mortality rate across the United States has been lacking. Objective: We sought to investigate if county-level mortality rates in the U.S. could be predicted from satellite images. Methods: Satellite images of neighborhoods surrounding schools were extracted with the Google Static Maps application programming interface for 430 counties representing approximately 68.9% of the US population. A convolutional neural network was trained using crude mortality rates for each county in 2015 to predict mortality. Learned image features were interpreted using Shapley Additive Feature Explanations, clustered, and compared to mortality and its associated covariate predictors. Results: Predicted mortality from satellite images in a held-out test set of counties was strongly correlated to the true crude mortality rate (Pearson r=0.72). Direct prediction of mortality using a deep learning model across a cross-section of 430 U.S. counties identified key features in the environment (e.g. sidewalks, driveways and hiking trails) associated with lower mortality. Learned image features were clustered, and we identified 10 clusters that were associated with education, income, geographical region, race and age. Conclusions: The application of deep learning techniques to remotely-sensed features of the built environment can serve as a useful predictor of mortality in the United States. Although we identified features that were largely associated with demographic information, future modeling approaches that directly identify image features associated with health-related outcomes have the potential to inform targeted public health interventions.
Aircrew Recommendations for Voice Message Functions in Tactical Aircraft

Results are presented from a survey of 135 active tactical aircrews regarding use of synthetic voice messages in tactical aircraft. The sample was primarily composed of F-16, F-15, and F-4 pilots. The participants rated 69 existing, proposed, or suggested functions for voice messages in tactical aircraft. Over two-thirds of the participants rated the following functions favorably: Engine Fire, Fuel Low, Oil Pressure, Hydraulic Pressure, Brakes Malfunction, Landing Gear Malfunction, Gear/Flaps Configuration, Low Altitude, Missile Launch, Threat Display, Bingo Fuel, and Joker Fuel. Other functions, applicable to some but not all tactical aircraft, received strong support from the aircrews of the applicable aircraft. The participants' responses to open-ended questions, concerning use of voice messages for checklists and desirable control features for voice message systems, are also summarized.
Arithmetic of Del Pezzo surfaces

This survey is an introduction to the birational, qualitative arithmetic of del Pezzo surfaces over global fields: existence of rational points, weak approximation, Zariski density of points. We begin by reviewing the geometry of these surfaces over separably closed fields. We then show that del Pezzo surfaces of degree at least 5 that have a rational point are rational over their ground field, thereby proving they satisfy weak approximation and have a dense set of rational points. Finally, we discuss Brauer-Manin obstructions and give an example of one on a del Pezzo surface of degree 1.
Animation Guidelines for Believable Embodied Conversational Agent Gestures

In animating embodied conversational agents (ECAs), run-time blending of animations can provide a large library of movements that increases the appearance of naturalness while decreasing the number of animations to be developed. This approach avoids the need to develop a costly full library of possible animations in advance of use. Our principal scientific contribution is the development of a model for gesture constraints that enables blended animations to represent naturalistic movement. Rather than creating over-detailed, fine-grained procedural animations or hundreds of motion-captured animation files, animators can include sets of their own animations for agents, blend them, and easily reuse animations, while constraining the ECA to use motions that would occur and transition naturally.