cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Oral Hypnotic Medication Does Not Improve Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Compliance in Men With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Background Compliance with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly variable. Recent studies suggest that the initial experience with CPAP may determine long-term success. We hypothesized that administration of a hypnotic medication to new CPAP users would facilitate acclimation and increase usage. Methods Seventy-two male OSA patients referred for CPAP treatment were randomized to also receive an oral hypnotic agent (zolpidem), placebo pill, or neither (standard care) for the first 14 days of CPAP treatment. CPAP usage (effective mask pressure [hours per day]) was recorded by an internal data chip. Patient symptoms were assessed with the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) and functional outcomes of sleep questionnaire (FOSQ). Treatment groups were matched for age, body mass index, and baseline ESS and FOSQ scores. Despite randomization, the standard care group had a higher apnea/hypopnea index than either the zolpidem or placebo pill groups (54.75 ± 28.02 vs 32.61 ± 25.12 vs 38.09 ± 25.65, p = 0.012) [mean ± SD]. Compared to placebo pill and standard care groups, the zolpidem group did not show greater CPAP usage in terms of total days used (zolpidem, 20.58 ± 7.40 days; placebo pill, 17.83 ± 9.33 days; standard care, 22.92 ± 6.95 days; p = 0.198) or average time used per night (4.43 ± 1.16 h vs 4.23 ± 2.14 h vs 4.94 ± 1.44 h, p = 0.361). All groups showed significant symptom improvements on both the ESS (p Conclusion Administration of an oral hypnotic agent did not improve initial CPAP compliance in men with OSA.
The Political Response to Black Insurgency: A Critical Test of Competing Theories of the State

The two models describe very different processes by which social and political change occur. More impor- tant, perhaps, they suggest vastly different roles for the state in policymaking and depict contrasting power relationships between aggrieved groups and policy- makers. The purpose of this research is to determine which of these processes most accurately characterizes the response to insurgency in the United States. First, I specify more fully the alternative theories of state response and explain why the literature does not distinguish between them. Next, I develop a series of hypotheses that seek to determine which of the theo- retical models is most accurate. I then present the results of an empirical analysis that distinguishes be- tween these competing explanations by estimating the relationship among state rates for recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), state in- carceration rates, and black political violence.
A class of generalized cosine-modulated filter bank

It is well known that FIR (finite impulse response) filter banks which satisfy the perfect reconstruction (PR) property can be obtained by cosine modulation of a linear-phase prototype filter of length N=2mM, where M is the number of channels. Moreover, the overall delay of this system is (2mM-1) samples. The author presents a PR cosine-modulated filter bank in which its overall delay is (2( alpha +1)M-1) samples, where alpha is a positive integer in the range 0 >
CXCR4 promotes B cell egress from Peyer’s patches

Peyer’s patches (PPs) play a central role in supporting B cell responses against intestinal antigens, yet the factors controlling B cell passage through these mucosal lymphoid tissues are incompletely understood. We report that, in mixed chimeras, CXCR4-deficient B cells accumulate in PPs compared with their representation in other lymphoid tissues. CXCR4-deficient B cells egress from PPs more slowly than wild-type cells, whereas CXCR5-deficient cells egress more rapidly. The CXCR4 ligand, CXCL12, is expressed by cells adjacent to lymphatic endothelial cells in a zone that abuts but minimally overlaps with the CXCL13+ follicle. CXCR4-deficient B cells show reduced localization to these CXCL12+ perilymphatic zones, whereas CXCR5-deficient B cells preferentially localize in these regions. By photoconverting KikGR-expressing cells within surgically exposed PPs, we provide evidence that naive B cells transit PPs with an approximate residency half-life of 10 h. When CXCR4 is lacking, KikGR+ B cells show a delay in PP egress. In summary, we identify a CXCL12hi perilymphatic zone in PPs that plays a role in overcoming CXCL13-mediated retention to promote B cell egress from these gut-associated lymphoid tissues.
Sudden death in a patient with bone marrow transplant by a fungus among us

Mucormycosis is rare, presenting as breakthrough infection among haematological and transplant patients on prophylaxis with voriconazole. We report an unusual presentation of this infection, that which is pneumonia progressing to cardiac arrest. A 68-year-old woman with refractory acute myelogenous leukaemia on voriconazole prophylaxis was initially admitted for neutropenic fever and pneumonia. She was discharged improved on antibiotics and voriconazole for presumed aspergillosis. She returned after 1 month with the same presentation. She eventually improved on antibiotics and voriconazole, and eventually received bone marrow transplantation. Three days later, she developed pleuritic chest pain, dyspnoea, and hypoxia requiring intubation. An hour after intubation, the patient arrested and expired. Autopsy revealed Rhizopus pneumonitis with pulmonary infarction, and emboli to her cerebellum, heart, thyroid and kidney. Mucormycosis is an emerging, fatal infection that should be suspected in haematological and transplant patients who deteriorate on voriconazole.
White light interferometric detection of unpolarized light for complete Stokesmetric optical coherence tomography

Abstract Optical coherence tomography (OCT) relies on interference between a polarized reference and the target reflection. Thus, it has generally been impossible to detect any unpolarized part in the signal. Here, we demonstrate a scheme that overcomes this limitation. Using a combination of heterodyning and filtering, we realize a polarization-sensitive OCT system capable of measuring the full Stokes vector, including the depolarized part. Based on such a system, we perform full Stokesmetric imaging of different layers in a porcine tendon sample. The complete 4 × 4 backscattering Muellermetric images of one layer are acquired and investigated.
The Proterozoic and Earliest Cambrian Trace Fossil Record; Patterns, Problems and Perspectives

The increase in trace fossil diversity across the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian boundary often is presented in terms of tabulations of ichnogenera. However, a clearer picture of the increase in diversity and complexity can be reached by combining trace fossils into broad groups defined both on morphology and interpretation. This also focuses attention on looking for similarites between Neoproterozoic and Cambrian trace fossils. Siliciclastic sediments of the Neoproterozoic preserve elongate tubular organisms and structures of probable algal origin, many of which are very similar to trace fossils. Such enigmatic structures include Palaeopascichnus and Yelovichnus, previously thought to be trace fossils in the form of tight meanders.A preliminary two or tripartite terminal Neoproterozoic trace fossil zonation can be be recognized. Possibly the earliest trace fossils are short unbranched forms, probably younger than about 560 Ma. Typical Neoproterozoic trace fossils are unbranched and essentially horizontal forms found associated with diverse assemblages of Ediacaran organisms. In sections younger than about 550 Ma a modest increase in trace fossil diversity occurs, including the appearance of rare three-dimensional burrow systems (treptichnids), and traces with a three-lobed lower surfaces.
Unpacking the origins of in-cell crowding.

The living cell, the fundamental unit of biological organization, was discovered in its apparent simplicity by van Leeuwenhoek in the 17th century. Scientists since then have continued to unpack nested levels of amazingly complex cellular structure and organization, right down to the atomic level. However, one of the cell’s simplest properties is not yet understood, perhaps even misunderstood. The interior of the cell contains a high concentration of dissolved solutes, principally ions, metabolites, proteins, and RNA. In a word, it is crowded in there. Estimates range from 30% to 40% by volume occupied by protein and RNA solutes, depending on the cell type and compartment (1). Biochemists and biophysicists have long been concerned that these high concentrations impart significantly nonideal solution behavior. The vast majority of measurements of equilibria and rates have been made in vitro. Although the ionic strength, osmolality, pH, and redox potential environment inside the cell can be matched with suitable buffers, the concern is that the effects of the macromolecular solutes, principally protein and RNA, are not accounted for. The crucial and currently unanswered questions are, How relevant is the plethora of in vitro experiments to in vivo conditions? Are measured equilibrium constants, rates, and other thermodynamic data significantly different? If so, by how much and in what direction? In principle one can address this directly by in vivo measurements, but the experiments are difficult, and the answers have been slow in coming. In PNAS Smith et al. (2), by measuring a protein folding equilibrium in vivo, now provide some answers—and they are surprising.
John H. Laragh MD: The Man

John has been variously described as an inspiration, mentor, teacher, friend (fiend--a typo?), charming, warm, enthusiastic, visionary scientist, pioneer, innovator, egalitarian, and golfer. At other times he was called street fighter, competitor, and some unprintables. I believe he was all of these, and more. Join us in celebrating the life of Dr. John Laragh.
Detection networks

Each member of a team of decision agents receives a conditionally independent observation about some underlying discrete hypothesis. Subject to causality constraints, the agents seek to optimize a team cost functional by making discrete decisions which are conveyed to other agents on capacity constrained channels. This paper derives optimal decision rules for a class of problems of this type and discusses their properties.
The mechanical properties of a thermoplastic elastomer produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas oleovorans

Abstract PHO, a poly(β-hydroxyalkanoate) copolymer containing mostly β-hydroxyoctanoate repeating units, was produced in a fed batch fermentation process by Pseudomonas oleovorans when grown on sodium octanoate as the sole carbon source. The polymer from different batches—evaluated with regards to composition, molecular weight distribution, thermal transition temperatures, and decomposition temperature—was found to be highly consistent batch-to-batch. Polymer composition as a function of growth time did not change significantly once the culture reached the stationary growth phase. PHO when crystallized at room temperature from the melt, forms a physically crosslinked network with the crystalline regions acting as the physical crosslinks. The molecular weight between physical crosslinks was determined to be approximately 4000. The stress-strain properties, hardness, and tensile set of PHO were found to be within the range of values defined by a variety of commercially available thermoplastic elastomers wit...
LIFE-HISTORY ADAPTATION AND REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION IN A GRASSHOPPER HYBRID ZONE.

Patterns of life-history adaptation and reproductive isolation were investigated in the acridid grasshoppers Melanoplus sanguinipes and M. devastator, which hybridize along an altitudinal gradient in the Sierra Nevada of California. Melanoplus sanguinipes females crossed with M. devastator males produced eggs that were approximately half as viable as eggs from other crosses. Diminished viability was not attributable either to infection by Wolbachia pipientis or to failure of sperm transfer. When offered an opportunity to choose a mate, females from all populations discriminated against males of the other species, whereas in no-choice tests measuring copulation duration only females from the tails of the clines showed preferences. Melanoplus sanguinipes, found at high elevations where the growing season is short, exhibited faster egg hatch, faster larval development, smaller adult body sizes, and smaller clutch sizes than M. devastator. Melanoplus devastator, from California's Central Valley, endured a hot and dry summer in a reproductive diapause that was absent in M. sanguinipes. Clines in reproductive diapause and clutch size coincided with the region of reproductive incompatibility. Development time, body size, and hatch time also changed across the hybrid zone, but the regions of largest transitions in these traits were either difficult to locate using the limited populations studied here or were not coincident with the zone's center. A method is described for combining ecological and phylogenetic analyses to address the unknown issue of whether life-history divergence has conributed to reproductive isolation in this system.
Polyethylene Glycol: A New Potentiator of Red Blood Cell Antigen–Antibody Reactions

A new technic using polyethylene glycol (PEG) was developed to detect and enhance weak red blood cell/antibody reactions. Twenty percent PEG of 4,000 molecular weight was found to be optimal. Weakly reactive antibodies (n = 25) were tested by PEG, Polybrene, and low ionic strength saline (LISS); 64% were strongest in PEG, 28% reacted equally in PEG as in Polybrene or LISS, 8% reacted weaker in PEG than in Polybrene or LISS. Stronger antibodies (n = 11) were titrated and compared in the three technics; in 10 of 11 titrations, PEG was better or equal to Polybrene and LISS. The false positive rate with the use of PEG and anti-IgG was 1.5% with the use of random sera. Sera from patients (n = 24) with hemolytic transfusion reactions and no detectable antibody by routine technics were tested; two sera had specific antibodies by the PEG technic. This new technic should be a valuable aid in the detection and identification of weak antibodies.
The Necessity of a Changing World

As we follow the trends in the world of science from year to year, we scarcely realize the progress being made or the changes taking place. We read of new discoveries, listen to reports of progress, and see gradual changes here and there, but perhaps they make little impression. It is only when we see the progress in spans of 5, 10 or possibly 20 years that we begin to realize the changes taking place and the advances being made. Such a situation applies to entomology perhaps more than to most of the other sciences.
Development of terahertz endoscopic system for cancer detection

Terahertz (THz) imaging is emerging as a robust platform for a myriad of applications in the fields of security, health, astronomy and material science. The terahertz regime with wavelengths spanning from microns to millimeters is a potentially safe and noninvasive medical imaging modality for detecting cancers. Endoscopic imaging systems provide high flexibility in examining the interior surfaces of an organ or tissue. Researchers have been working on the development of THz endoscopes with photoconductive antennas, which necessarily operate under high voltage, and require at least two channels to measure the reflected signal from the specimen. This manuscript provides the design and imperative steps involved in the development of a single-channel terahertz endoscopic system. The continuous-wave terahertz imaging system utilizes a single flexible terahertz waveguide channel to transmit and collect the back reflected intrinsic terahertz signal from the sample and is capable of operation in both transmission and reflection modalities. To determine the feasibility of using a terahertz endoscope for cancer detection, the co- and cross-polarized terahertz remittance from human colonic tissue specimens were collected at 584 GHz frequency. The two dimensional terahertz images obtained using polarization specific detection exhibited intrinsic contrast between cancerous and normal regions of fresh colorectal tissue. The level of contrast observed using endoscopic imaging correlates well with the contrast levels observed in the free space ex vivo terahertz reflectance studies of human colonic tissue. The prototype device developed in this study represents a significant step towards clinical endoscopic application of THz technology for in vivo colon cancer screening.
Analysis of satisfactory degree of expanded planning immunity standard outpatient departments in children's parents in Foshan City

Objective To understand satisfactory degree of expanded planning immunity standard outpatient departments in children's parents in Foshan City,and analyze affecting factors of satisfactory degree so as to provide reference for improvement of service quality.Methods Questionnaire survey of expanded planning immunity standard outpatient departments was conducted in children's parents,and survey results were analyzed.Results The distance between expanded planning immunity standard outpatient departments and resident places over 5 km accounted for 87.5%.The respondents,who took time to get the departments within 10 minutes,10-29 minutes and 30 minutes or over,occupied 40.8%,52.8% and 6.4%,respectively,by main way of automobiles(52.0%).The waiting time within 10 minutes,10 to 29 minutes,30 minutes and above accounted for 36.6%,47.9% and 15.5%,respectively.The average satisfaction score of expanded planning immunity standard outpatient departments was 8.5(The aggregate score was 10).Out of them,157 were completely satisfied,accounting for 30.3%;324 were satisfied,holding 62.4%;37 felt ok,occupying 7.1%;and 1(0.2%) was unsatisfied.The satisfactory degree from high to low was service frequency,medical staff technology level,service attitude,appointment way,service process,and outpatient departments environment.Conclusions Expanded planning immunity standard outpatient departments are generally accepted by children's parents in Foshan.The parents' register location,family income level,distance between resident place and standard outpatient departments of expanded planning immunity,and waiting time was the factors influencing satisfaction.In the future,more attention should be paid to the families without local register and crowds with low income,in order to improve the service level.
Microbe Mentor:To Postdoc or Not For a Career in Science Communication or Science Policy

How important is it to do a postdoc if you want to pursue careers in science communication or policy?
Quantification of Airborne Biological Contaminants Associated with Land-Applied Biosolids

Greater than 50% of all class B biosolids produced in the US are reused by application to agricultural land. The goal of this research was to pair a comprehensive literature review with a field aerosol sampling campaign to characterize aerosols emitted during the land application process and provide a simplified framework for evaluating exposure to on-site workers and off-site residents. Three aerosolization scenarios for dewatered biosolids were considered and include spreading biosolids onto land by side slinging, disk incorporating into soils, and aerosolization of land applied biosolids due to high wind events. Particulate mater, metal aerosols, and biological aerosols of biosolids origin were in the respirable size range and were markedly greater downwind of land application than in upwind ambient control sites. Low level aerosolization of field applied biosolids were detected during high wind events, and biosolids derived aerosols were detected at 170 meters downwind of disk incorporation. The ability to reconstruct source aerosol concentration from PM10 measurements and the linear correlations made between bulk biosolids concentrations and source emission rates serve as a framework for determining relevant aerosol concentrations without the requirement of biological or chemical aerosol sampling. Application of this framework eliminates the inherent limitations and costs associated with monitoring low aerosol concentration of toxic compounds and pathogens. This title belongs to WERF Research Report Series ISBN: 9781843397700 (eBook)
Dynamical algebraic combinatorics and the homomesy phenomenon

We survey recent work within the area of algebraic combinatorics that has the flavor of discrete dynamical systems, with a particular focus on the homomesy phenomenon codified in 2013 by James Propp and the author. In these situations, a group action on a set of combinatorial objects partitions them into orbits, and we search for statistics that are homomesic, i.e., have the same average value over each orbit. We give a number of examples, many very explicit, to illustrate the wide range of the phenomenon and its connections to other parts of combinatorics. In particular, we look at several actions that can be defined as a product of toggles, involutions on the set that make only local changes. This allows us to lift the well-known poset maps of rowmotion and promotion to the piecewise-linear and birational settings, where periodicity becomes much harder to prove, and homomesy continues to hold. Some of the examples have strong connections with the representation theory of semisimple Lie algebras, and others to cluster algebras via Y -systems.
IMAGING DIAGNOSIS—USE OF RADIOGRAPHY, COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY, AND ENDOSCOPY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF ESOPHAGEAL PERFORATION BY AN EXTRA‐LUMINAL TRACHEAL RING PROSTHESIS IN A GOLDEN RETRIEVER

A 6-year-old neutered male, Golden retriever presented with regurgitation and excitement-induced coughing. Two years prior, extra-thoracic tracheal collapse was diagnosed and extra-luminal tracheal ring prostheses were placed. Radiographs at presentation showed mineralized and undulant cervical tracheal cartilages. A dorsally broad-based soft tissue opacity bulged into the caudal cervical tracheal lumen. Esophageal dysmotility and barium accumulation were identified at this level on contrast esophography. Computed tomography showed migration of a prosthetic tracheal ring, resulting in perforation of the esophagus. Hair, foreign material, and dynamic tracheal narrowing were identified on esophagoscopy and tracheoscopy, respectively. Esophagostomy and foreign body removal were performed.
Mathematics as the critical filter: Curricular effects on gendered career choices.

Using longitudinal data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY), we examined career choices after each completed mathematics course beginning with the seventh grade, and college major choices in relation to each completed mathematics course in the twelfth grade. Mathematics coursework did have isolated but important effects on the status of students’ career and college major choices. Algebra II was identified as a critical filter for the career choices of males, whereas calculus was identified as a critical filter that screened females from science and engineering majors and into majors in liberal arts. Mathematics coursework had no identifiable impact on the career choices of females, and mathematics coursework was secondary to mathematics achievement in terms of the impact on college major choices of males.
A Pilot Study of Retail 'Vape Shops' in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Author(s): Burbank, Andrea D; Thrul, Johannes; Ling, Pamela M | Abstract: IntroductionThe use of electronic cigarettes or vape devices is increasing, and products are evolving rapidly. This study assessed retail vape shops in the San Francisco Bay Area to describe store characteristics, products offered, advertisements and health claims, as well as employees' perceptions of their customers' demographics, and practices to support smoking cessation.MethodsWe conducted store audits of shops that exclusively sell vape devices with physical addresses in San Francisco and Alameda counties (n=23, response rate 72%) and interviewed vape shop owners/employees.ResultsWhile all stores carried second and third generation vape devices, 83% of stores did not carry first generation devices. Employees estimated the majority of their customers bought devices for smoking cessation or to replace tobacco, and a small minority purchased for first-time recreational use. Employees most frequently recommended dosing nicotine based on usual cigarette consumption, adjusting doses based on "throat hit" or cravings, use of a second or third generation e-cigarette, and encouraged customers to experiment and customize to "whatever works for you" as smoking cessation advice.ConclusionsVape shops report a significant number of their customers are interested in smoking cessation, and employees are giving smoking cessation advice. A subpopulation of customers includes some nicotine novices. Studies of vape shops should include both observations and interviews with employees in order to detect important informal practices that may differ from posted signs or printed advertising. These practices include cessation counseling, product claims, and custom discount prices or bargaining.
Mean HEART scores for hospitalized chest pain patients are higher in more experienced providers.

Abstract Background The HEART score has been validated as a predictor of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in emergency department patients complaining of chest pain. Our objective was to determine the extent of physician variation in the HEART score of admitted patients stratified by years of experience. Methods We performed a retrospective medical record review at an academic tertiary care emergency department to determine HEART score, outcome of hospitalization, and 30-day MACE. Electrocardiograms were graded by consensus between 3 physicians. We used analysis of variance to determine the difference in mean HEART scores between providers, Fisher's exact test to determine difference in MACE by duration of training, and logistic regression to determine predictors of low-risk admission (HEART score≤3). Results The average mean HEART score for 19 full-time physicians was 4.41 (SD 0.43). Individually, there was no difference in mean scores ( P =.070), but physicians with 10-15 years of experience had significantly higher mean scores than those with 0-5 years of experience (mean HEART score 4.65 vs 3.93, P =.012). Those with 10-15 years of experience also had a significantly higher proportion of MACE in their admitted cohort (15.3%, P =.002). Conclusions More experienced providers admitted higher-risk patients and were more likely to admit patients who would experience a MACE. More research is needed to determine whether adding the HEART score for clinical decision making can be used prospectively to increase sensitivity for admitting patients at high risk for MACE and to decrease admissions for chest pain in lower-risk patients by less experienced providers.
Scale interaction during an extreme rain event over southeast India

The major rains and floods over south-east India (during October through December of 2015) are addressed in the context of atmospheric scale interactions in the frequency domain. Some of the salient observational features of this period include, i) the major El Nino of 2015, ii) the stretch of lower tropospheric easterlies from the region of the warm sea surface temperature anomalies westwards to the east coast of India, iii) presence of shear flow instability, in the presence of convection, along a long stretch of the easterly wind belt from the Eastern Pacific Ocean to the eastern Bay of Bengal, iv) large conversions of horizontal shear vorticity to curvature vorticity along this stretch of easterly trades, where these rain-producing storms were forming, v) an active ISO time scale oscillation in the wind field that alternated between cyclonic and anticyclonic phases over south-east India during this period of heavy rains, vi) active quasi-biweekly oscillation that provides alternating onshore and offshore winds during this same period. The ISO and the quasi-biweekly components contribute to the enhancement of the moisture supply, from the Bay of Bengal during the extreme rain events. The synoptic scale receives its energy largely from organized convection within these disturbances on horizontal scales of the order of 2500 km. Other aspects such as the role of the sea surface temperatures of the Bay of Bengal and the role of Gill's antisymmetric heat source of the El Nino are also examined in this study.
A review of coordination strategies and techniques for overcoming challenges to microgrid protection

Microgrids are becoming increasingly popular with consumers. In the near future, many microgrids will be installed for consumers with widely varying energy needs. The most challenging of the requirements for these microgrids is finding a suitable protection scheme that is able to protect the microgrid in both grid-connected and islanded modes of operation. The purpose of this paper will be to provide a review of existing protection schemes and coordination techniques for protection of microgrids. Protection schemes should be capable of detecting short circuits and that faults are cleared by the devices that protect the microgrid system and isolates the faulted equipment. A combination of protective algorithms ensures the successful operation of protective devices and helps to develop different ways to take on issues related to the protection of microgrid distribution systems. Outlined in this paper are the protection issues, existing techniques of microgrid protection and the coordination techniques of microgrid protection.
Lettuce production in a greenhouse with drip fertigation fractioning

This research presents results found for fertigation through drip on lettuce. Variety grown in a greenhouse. The respective treatments were: (F1), 100% of the nutritional demand required by the crop was provided at the time of planting; F2 in the treatment, 50% of fertilization occurred in the early planting and 50% complementary to the middle of the cycle, the expected timing of the harvest was 40 days after planting; F3 was fractionated treatment: being 1/3 of fertilizer at planting, 1/3 after 13 days and the last application after 26 days from the time of planting; F4 treatment followed the same reasoning, by dividing the application into 4 parts of 10 for 10 days. The design was completely randomized with three water potential levels in the soil and three replicates. It was found that the lowest water potential of the soil (P3) presented higher production of green mass for smaller numbers of fractioning of fertigation. On average, higher laminae resulted in lower green mass production.
Time-variant reliability-based design optimization using sequential kriging modeling

This paper presents a sequential Kriging modeling approach (SKM) for time-variant reliability-based design optimization (tRBDO) involving stochastic processes. To handle the temporal uncertainty, time-variant limit state functions are transformed into time-independent domain by converting the stochastic processes and time parameter to random variables. Kriging surrogate models are then built and enhanced by a design-driven adaptive sampling scheme to accurately identify potential instantaneous failure events. By generating random realizations of stochastic processes, the time-variant probability of failure is evaluated by the surrogate models in Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). In tRBDO, the first-order score function is employed to estimate the sensitivity of time-variant reliability with respect to design variables. Three case studies are introduced to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed approach.
Finanzinformierte Bürger_innen, bürgerbestimmtes Finanzsystem: Ein Essay aus Anlass des International Handbook of Financial Literacy

Zielsetzung: Uberall in der Welt sieht der dominante Diskurs „Finanzbildung“ als notwendig und ausreichend an, um das Wohl Einzelner und der Gesellschaft zu verbessern. Erkenntnisse: In diesem Essay wird argumentiert, dass Finanzbildung weder notwendig noch ausreichend ist und dass die Forderung der Finanzbildung ein abwegiger Ansatz ist, um unzureichende Finanzierung von Renten, Uberschuldung, Finanzkrisen und andere soziale Missstande in den Griff zu bekommen, wie es Regierungen und Padagog_innen von dieser Masnahme erhofft haben. Stattdessen wird hier angeregt, das Ziel von Finanzbildung darin zu sehen, finanzinformierte Burger_innen heranzuziehen, die die Fahigkeit zum burgerschaftlichen Engagement besitzen, das eine von den Burger_innen bestimmte Wirtschaftspolitik und Finanzregulierung hervorbringen kann.
A multi-institutional study of immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck treated with definitive surgery and radiotherapy: Outcomes after disease recurrence.

63Background: Our multi-institutional group previously demonstrated that immunosuppressed (IS) patients with cutaneous squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (cSCC-HN) treated with surgery and a...
Platitudes: & the New Black Aesthetic

Trey Ellis's uproariously funny debut novel Platitudes, first published in 1988, takes on conflicts within the African American literary community. Dewayne Wellington, a failing black experimental novelist, and Isshee Ayam, a radical feminist author, collaborate on Dewayne's latest sexist comedy. Alternately telling the story about the coming of age of Earle and Dorothy-two black middle-class teenagers, sex-starved in New York City-the battling writers sneak ever, and dangerously, closer to reconciling their literary disputes. This edition of Platitudes also includes "The New Black Aesthetic," a groundbreaking essay by Ellis that appeared in the journal Callaloo.
Remote Field Methods to Measure Frost Depth

This paper examines the 3 common methods used to remotely measure frost depth: 1) soil temperature measurements, 2) soil electrical resistivity measurements, and 3) soil dielectric constant measurements. Soil temperature measurements are often made using thermocouples or thermistors. Specially designed probes are used to measure frost depth based on electrical resistivity. Inferences based on dielectric constants are usually made using time domain reflectometry. Frost depths based on soil temperatures are made equally well using thermistors or thermocouples. However, frost depths inferred from soil temperature measurements can be erroneous if the freezing point is depressed or if the temperature profile is essentially isothermal and 0 degrees Celsius. More reliable measurements of frost depth are made using electrical resistivity or dielectric constant measurements as the electrical properties of soil are affected more by phase change of the pore water than temperature.
Iron-Mediated Coupling of Carbon Dioxide and Ethylene: Macrocyclic Metallalactones Enable Access to Various Carboxylates

Treatment of (iPrPDI)Fe(N2)2 (iPrPDI, 2,6-(2,6-iPr2C6H3N═CMe)2C5H3N) with CO2 and ethylene resulted in the formation of a homologous series of saturated and unsaturated iron carboxylate products, (iPrPDI)Fe(O2CR), the distribution of which depends on the ratio of the reagents. The solid-state and electronic structures of a saturated product, (iPrPDI)Fe(O2CC2H5), were elucidated. Product distributions, deuterium labeling studies, and stoichiometric experiments support initial formation of a five-membered metallalactone intermediate, which undergoes subsequent ethylene insertions to generate macrocyclic metallalactones. Competitive β-hydride elimination, CO2 insertion, or reaction with H2 determines the fate of the metallalactone, the latter accounting for formation of iron complexes with saturated carboxylates. Similar reactivity was observed upon addition of propiolactone and ethylene to (iPrPDI)Fe(N2)2, supporting C–O oxidative addition and C–C bond formation through metallacycle intermediates.
Performance assessment of active vs passive pixel x-ray angiography detector systems using a bias-corrected channelized Hotelling observer and adult patient-equivalent experimental conditions

Purpose Electronic noise associated with passive pixel (PP) x-ray angiography flat panel detectors is known to compromise fluoroscopic image quality. An active pixel (AP) crystalline silicon x-ray detector with potential for reduced influence of electronic noise is commercially available. The purpose of this work was to compare the performance of the AP vs PP x-ray angiography detectors over a detector target dose (DTD) range relevant for invasive cardiology procedures. Methods A total of 16 passive pixel detector systems representing two models and two active pixel detector systems of a single model were tested. Iodine contrast (160 mg I ml-1 ) disk-shaped test objects of diameter 0.5-4.0 mm were embedded in 30 × 30 cm2 25-cm-thick PMMA phantom. Detector target dose was 6, 18, and 120 nGy and 1204 test signal present and signal absent images were acquired. A channelized Hotelling observer statistical model (CHO) was used to estimate detectability index (d') of the detectors for the various test objects. The CHO included correction for bias from finite sampling and that due to temporally variable electronic noise. Results Detectability index estimates demonstrated similar performance between the two models of PP detectors and relatively improved performance for the AP detectors for all DTD levels and test object diameters. For DTD = 120 nGy and the 4.0 mm test object, d' of the AP detectors was 13% and 20% greater than that of the PP detectors. For DTD = 6 nGy, d' of the AP detectors was 42% and 54% greater. Conclusions The AP x-ray angiography detector demonstrated superior performance throughout the DTD range tested and especially for DTD consistent with low-dose fluoroscopy. The improved performance of the AP detectors may facilitate reduced patient dose and/or improved image quality.
The role of temporal dependence in factor selection and forecasting oil prices

Extracting information from high-dimensional time series in the form of underlying factors is an increasingly popular methodology in forecasting applications. In this paper, principal component analysis (PCA) and three other methods for factor extraction are compared based on their deterministic and probabilistic forecasting performances using factor-augmented vector autoregressive (FAVAR) models. The existing PCA-based methods use only the contemporaneous covariance matrix of the data, while the other methods rely on weighted lagged cross-covariance matrices. Our empirical study considers four crude oil future price instruments and a 241 variable dataset of global energy prices and quantity, macroeconomic indicators, and financial series which are thought to influence oil price movements. Overall empirical findings are: (1) the PCA-based method performs better at shorter forecast horizons whereas the new methods involving lagged cross-covariance matrices tend to perform better at longer horizons (2 months or greater); (2) the performance ranking of the four methods under both deterministic and probabilistic forecasting is greatly affected by the number of factors included in the FAVAR models; (3) the forecast performances of the four methods are close to each other and no method performs uniformly better than the others. More research on the role of temporal dependence in determining the number of factors is warranted.
Liminal Knowledge: Positioning Intersectionality in Academia:

This qualitative inquiry explores what Chicana/o doctoral students in an Educational Leadership program perceive about the positioning of the intersection of their gender, race, and ethnicity in re...
Endoscopic submucosal dissection using a novel endoscopic articulating knife for clinical staging of early esophageal neoplasia.

114Background: Clinical staging of early esophageal neoplasia traditionally involves histological confirmation and imaging with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), CT, and PET which have low sensitivity a...
Large-Scale Monolithic Optical Phased Arrays

This paper covers architectures, devices, recent advancements, and selected remaining challenges towards large-scale monolithic optical phased arrays with emphasis on silicon process.
Cyclin D-CDK4 relieves cooperative repression of proliferation and cell cycle gene expression by DREAM and RB.

The retinoblastoma protein (RB) restricts cell cycle gene expression and entry into the cell cycle. The RB-related protein p130 forms the DREAM (DP, RB-like, E2F, and MuvB) complex and contributes to repression of cell cycle-dependent genes during quiescence. Although both RB and DREAM bind and repress an overlapping set of E2F-dependent gene promoters, it remains unclear whether they cooperate to restrict cell cycle entry. To test the specific contributions of RB and DREAM, we generated RB and p130 knockout cells in primary human fibroblasts. Knockout of both p130 and RB yielded higher levels of cell cycle gene expression in G0 and G1 cells compared to cells with knockout of RB alone, indicating a role for DREAM and RB in repression of cell cycle genes. We observed that RB had a dominant role in E2F-dependent gene repression during mid to late G1 while DREAM activity was more prominent during G0 and early G1. Cyclin D–Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4 (CDK4)-dependent phosphorylation of p130 occurred during early G1, and led to the release of p130 and MuvB from E2F4 and decreased p130 and MuvB binding to cell cycle promoters. Specific inhibition of CDK4 activity by palbociclib blocked DREAM complex disassembly during cell cycle entry. In addition, sensitivity to CDK4 inhibition was dependent on RB and an intact DREAM complex in both normal cells as well as in palbociclib-sensitive cancer cell lines. Although RB knockout cells were partially resistant to CDK4 inhibition, RB and p130 double knockout cells were significantly more resistant to palbociclib treatment. These results indicate that DREAM cooperates with RB in repressing E2F-dependent gene expression and cell cycle entry and supports a role for DREAM as a therapeutic target in cancer.
Interprofessional Team Member Communication Patterns, Teamwork, and Collaboration in Pre-family Meeting Huddles in a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

Abstract Context Interprofessional teams often develop a care plan before engaging in a family meeting in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (CICU)—a process that can affect the course of the family meeting and alter team dynamics but that has not been studied. Objectives To characterize the types of interactions that interprofessional team members have in pre–family meeting huddles in the pediatric CICU by 1) evaluating the amount of time each team member speaks; 2) assessing team communication and teamwork using standardized instruments; and 3) measuring team members' perceptions of collaboration and satisfaction with decision making. Methods We conducted a prospective observational study in a pediatric CICU. Subjects were members of the interprofessional team attending preparation meetings before care meetings with families of patients admitted to the CICU for longer than two weeks. We quantitatively coded the amount each team member spoke. We assessed team performance of communication and teamwork using the PACT-Novice tool, and we measured perception of collaboration and satisfaction with decision making using the Collaboration and Satisfaction About Care Decisions questionnaire. Results Physicians spoke for an average of 83.9% of each meeting's duration (SD 7.5%); nonphysicians averaged 9.9% (SD 5.2%). Teamwork behaviors were present and adequately performed as judged by trained observers. Significant differences in physician and nonphysician perceptions of collaboration were found in three of 10 observed meetings. Conclusion Interprofessional team members' interactions in team meetings provide important information about team dynamics, revealing potential opportunities for improved collaboration and communication in team meetings and subsequent family meetings.
AlpacaTag: An Active Learning-based Crowd Annotation Framework for Sequence Tagging.

We introduce an open-source web-based data annotation framework (AlpacaTag) for sequence tagging tasks such as named-entity recognition (NER). The distinctive advantages of AlpacaTag are three-fold. 1) Active intelligent recommendation: dynamically suggesting annotations and sampling the most informative unlabeled instances with a back-end active learned model; 2) Automatic crowd consolidation: enhancing real-time inter-annotator agreement by merging inconsistent labels from multiple annotators; 3) Real-time model deployment: users can deploy their models in downstream systems while new annotations are being made. AlpacaTag is a comprehensive solution for sequence labeling tasks, ranging from rapid tagging with recommendations powered by active learning and auto-consolidation of crowd annotations to real-time model deployment.
Epilogue: Bengal Intelligence Officers and the Second World War

The epilogue returns to the two major themes of the book: how colonial anxieties about “Bengali terrorism” led to the construction of an extensive intelligence apparatus within Bengal and in turn how this intelligence expertise was utilized against other anticolonial movements. The epilogue evaluates these issues through a consideration of selected episodes from the Second World War. First, it offers conclusions on the strengths and weaknesses of the Bengal intelligence apparatus by discussing the escape of the Bengali nationalist leader Subhas Chandra Bose from house arrest in Calcutta during the Second World War. It then considers how intelligence officers from Bengal sought to apply their intelligence experience with MI5, SIS, and other domestic and imperial agencies during the war. The book concludes by contending that the extensive intelligence apparatus directed against the Bengali revolutionaries demonstrates that the roots of imperial intelligence as a sustained practice lie in the interwar era.
Increasing Global Environmental Literacy via Faculty Experiential Learning

Environmental sustainability is a priority area in academia, as evidenced by the recent growth in programs and degrees devoted to this field. However, encouraging communities to address the environmental issues that will shape upcoming generations remains a challenge. This paper presents the value of investing in faculty training and experiential learning as methods for disseminating environmental principles through a wide selection of academic courses and to create social impact. The Tufts Environmental Literacy Institute (TELI) is a long-standing initiative that spurs faculty and, consequently, students to environmental action. Since TELI’s inception in 1990, more than two hundred faculty and doctoral students from Tufts and partner universities have come together to exchange ideas, share best practices, and shape curricula. The current work highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, the value of forming inter-university teaching teams, and the role of social networks in building environmental consciousness. Combining empirical data and statistics, this paper can be useful for universities that seek to effect environmental impact and to establish partnerships with other academic institutions that share the vision of sustainable development.
Chinese cosmopolitanism and lyrical exoticism on the eve of World War II: Xu Xu’s novella The Jewish Comet

ABSTRACTThis abridged translation of the novella The Jewish Comet (Youtai de huixing 猶太的彗星) by the Chinese writer Xu Xu 徐訏 (1908–1980) introduces Western readers to the wartime fiction of one of th...
Risk of respiratory failure among hospitalized patients with various admission serum potassium levels

The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between admission serum potassium and the risk of respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation in all hospitalized patients. All n...
ASSOCIATION OF CHIROPRACTIC THERAPY, ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND AMAUROSIS FUGAX

Chiropractic therapy (CPT) is a popular physical therapy. Cerebrovascular accidents were reported with neck manipulation (NM), mainly due to vertebral artery dissection. However, it is unclear whether NM could be associated with internal carotid artery atherosclerosis (ICAAS). We present a case of