cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Recommendation System for Proactive Health Monitoring Using IoT and Wearable Technologies

Proactive monitoring of one's health could avoid serious diseases as well as better maintain the individual's well-being. In today's Internet of Things (IoT) world, there has been numerous wearable technological devices to monitor/measure different health attributes. With the increasing number of attributes and wearables, it becomes unclear to individuals which ones they should be using. The aim of this paper is to provide a novel recommendation engine for personalized advised wearables and IoT solutions for any given individual. The way the engine works is through first identifying the diseases that this person is at risk of, given his/her attributes and medical history. This is done via analyzing the individual's unstructured medical history using text mining, adding it to his/her structured demographic attributes, and then feeding this data to a machine learning classification model that predicts eventual diseases. Then, we map these diseases to the attributes that need to be measured in order to monitor them. Lastly, we use a mathematical optimization model that we developed to recommend the optimal wearable devices and IoT solutions for the individual. Thus, our solution enables proactive health monitoring and can thus provide a significant human benefit.
Persistent Memory: The Value to HPC and the Challenges

This paper provides an overview of the expected value of emerging persistent memory technologies to high performance computing (HPC) use cases. These values are somewhat speculative at the time of writing, based on what has been announced by vendors to become available over the next year, but we describe the potential value to HPC as well as some of the challenges in using persistent memory. The enabling work being done in the software ecosystem, applicable to HPC, is also described.
Computational investigation of double nitrogen doping on graphene

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to study doping of two nitrogen atoms at different positions on a finite-sized graphene model of C82H24. We examined 21 structures of double nitrogen doped graphene to calculate their relative stabilities. The structure with two nitrogen atoms located apart is the most stable among the positional isomers considered in this study. For double nitrogen doping within a six-membered ring, the 1,4-position is more preferred than 1,3- or 1,2-positions for the finite-sized single layer graphene sheet. Our computational study supports the experimental observation of two nitrogen atoms at the 1,3- and 1,4-positions in a single six-membered ring of graphene. Furthermore, the structures with N-N bond are the least stable among two nitrogen doped graphene structures. The effects of nitrogen doping and the positions of two nitrogen atoms on the HOMO-LUMO energy gap of pristine graphene were analyzed.
Marijuana use among youths in Mississippi, United States.

Background Increased use of marijuana among youths in Mississippi, United States is of great concern to Public Health in the 21st century. This study examined the prevalence of marijuana use according to gender, race and ethnicity. Method The data for this study was obtained from Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) for 2015, a cross-sectional survey of the Mississippi High School Students, which examined the prevalence and trends in the use of marijuana according to gender, race and ethnicity. The trends in the percentage of students that reported the use of marijuana and its product was examined by univariate t-test statistical analysis at p < 0.05. The frequency distribution was used to determine the percentage differences in the groups. Results The students that ever used marijuana was 39.4% in Blacks, 39.1% in Hispanics and 31.0% in Whites. A total of 13.7% male and female (4.8%) used marijuana before 13 years of age. In addition, the students currently using marijuana include Blacks (10.9%), Hispanic (13.7%) and Whites (7.2%). Approximately 9.7% of students ever used the synthetic product, which was higher in Hispanic (18.7%) when compared to Blacks (8.8%) and Whites (9.1%). Conclusion The use of marijuana is significantly higher among the male youth in Mississippi than females, which is a major public health concern. Furthermore, there was higher rates of smoking marijuana in Hispanics and Blacks when compared to White youth.
Population structure of Guyanagaster necrorhizus supports termite dispersal for this enigmatic fungus

Understanding how species accomplish dispersal of their propagules can shed light on how they are adapted for their ecosystem. Guyanagaster necrorhizus is a sequestrate fungus, meaning its dispersal propagules, or spores, are entirely enclosed within a fruiting body, termed a sporocarp. This fungus is most closely related to Armillaria and its allies. While Armillaria species form mushrooms and have forcibly discharged spores, G. necrorhizus spores have lost this ability, and by necessity, must be passively dispersed. However, G. necrorhizus does not possess characteristics of other sequestrate fungi with known dispersal mechanisms. Repeated observations of termites feeding on G. necrorhizus sporocarps, and spores subsequently adhering to their exoskeletons, led to the hypothesis that termites disperse G. necrorhizus spores. To test this hypothesis, we used microsatellite markers and population genetics analyses to understand patterns of clonality and population structure of G. necrorhizus. While Armillaria individuals can spread vegetatively over large areas, high genotypic diversity in G. necrorhizus populations suggests spores are the primary mode of dispersal. Spatial genetic structure analyses show that G. necrorhizus sporocarps within 238 m of each other are more closely related than would be expected by chance and conservative estimates from population assignment tests suggest gene flow no longer occurs between sporocarps separated by 2 km. These distances are consistent with previous studies analysing foraging distances of the termites found associated with G. necrorhizus sporocarps. Termites have rarely been recorded to specifically target fungal sporocarps, making this a potentially novel fungal-insect interaction.
Lattice formulation of Script N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory

We construct a lattice action for = 4 super Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions which is local, gauge invariant, free of spectrum doubling and possesses a single exact supersymmetry. Our construction starts from the observation that the fermions of the continuum theory can be mapped into the component fields of a single real anticommuting K?hler-Dirac field. The original supersymmetry algebra then implies the existence of a nilpotent scalar supercharge Q and a corresponding set of bosonic superpartners. Using this field content we write down a Q-exact action and show that, with an appropriate change of variables, it reduces to a well-known twist of = 4 super Yang-Mills theory due to Marcus. Using the discretization prescription developed earlier [1] we are able to translate this geometrical action to the lattice.
A Society of Mutual Aid: Natural Law and Subsidiarity in Early Modern Reformed Perspective

The burden of this essay is to show that not merely one but indeed two ideas usually associated with Roman Catholicism have some foundations in the Reformed theological orbit of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The first of these is natural law, considered to be characteristic of Roman Catholic ethical reflection, and which after a much-needed period of reexamination is receiving its due rehabilitation in the circles of Reformed, and more broadly Protestant, theology. The second of these is the idea or principle of subsidiarity, which again receives its classic modern formulation in the context of Roman Catholic social teaching. The purpose of this study is to show in both cases that there are important and largely neglected early modern Reformed backgrounds to these doctrines, and indeed, in the course of this argument to explore in preliminary fashion the way in which natural law and subsidiarity are linked theologically.
Two cycles of MOPP and definitive radiotherapy for stage IIIA and IIIB Hodgkin's disease.

Combination chemotherapy is generally viewed as the treatment of choice for stage IIIB Hodgkin’s disease (DeVita et al. 1980). However, trials that have employed adjuvant radiotherapy (XRT) have claimed better results (Horning et al. 1984; Prosnitz et al. 1982). Some of this improvement may be due to a lower incidence in nodal relapse, the primary pattern of recurrence in patients treated with chemotherapy only (Young et al. 1978; DeVita 1976). In the past, definitive XRT was advocated for stage IIIA (Rosenberg and Kaplan 1975). Recent studies have demonstrated that multiple-agent chemotherapy alone or in combination with XRT gives better disease-free survival rates than XRT alone for most patients with stage IIIA (Mauch et al. 1985; Kun et al. 1976; Lister et al. 1983; Bonadonna et al. 1979; Crowther et al. 1984). Most combined modality treatment programs have required a minimum of six cycles of chemotherapy, and the sequencing of radiotherapy has dependend on the individual programs. Despite the overall improvements in results that have been achieved with combined modality treatment, prognostic factors, other than constitutional symptoms and extent of abdominal disease, have not been well delineated (Carbone et al. 1971; Desser et al. 1977; Mazza et al. 1984; Stein et al. 1982; Hoppe et al. 1982).
Whose shadow is it? The representation of trauma and creativity in Anton Nimblett’s ‘Ring Games’ and ‘Sections of an Orange’

Intervening in the current debate about an overemphasis on the individual in classical psychoanalytic trauma theory and the demand for a prioritization of the group in postcolonial trauma studies, ...
Production of Sporangia by Phytophthora Cinnamomi in Axenic Culture

(1970). Production of Sporangia by Phytophthora Cinnamomi in Axenic Culture. Mycologia: Vol. 62, No. 2, pp. 397-402.
Parameterized Pulsed Transaction Injection Computation Model And Performance Optimizer For IOTA-Tango

To keep a cryptocurrency system at its optimal performance, it is necessary to utilize the resources and avoid latency in its network. To achieve this goal, dynamically and efficiently injecting the unverified transactions to enable synchronicity based on the current system configuration and the traffic of the network is crucial. To meet this need, we design the pulsed transaction injection parameterization (PTIP) protocol to provide a preliminary dynamic injection mechanism. To further assist the network to achieve its subgoals based on various house policies (such as maximal revenue to the network or maximum throughput of the system), we turn the house policy based optimization into a 0/1 knapsack problem. To efficiently solve these NP-hard problems, we adapt and improve a fully polynomial time approximation scheme (FPTAS) and dynamic programming as components in our approximate optimization algorithm.
Structure and belonging: Pathways to success for underrepresented minority and women PhD students in STEM fields.

The advancement of underrepresented minority and women PhD students to elite postdoctoral and faculty positions in the STEM fields continues to lag that of majority males, despite decades of efforts to mitigate bias and increase opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds. In 2015, the National Science Foundation Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NSF AGEP) California Alliance (Berkeley, Caltech, Stanford, UCLA) conducted a wide-ranging survey of graduate students across the mathematical, physical, engineering, and computer sciences in order to identify levers to improve the success of PhD students, and, in time, improve diversity in STEM leadership positions, especially the professoriate. The survey data were interpreted via path analysis, a method that identifies significant relationships, both direct and indirect, among various factors and outcomes of interest. We investigated two important outcomes: publication rates, which largely determine a new PhD student’s competitiveness in the academic marketplace, and subjective well-being. Women and minority students who perceived that they were well-prepared for their graduate courses and accepted by their colleagues (faculty and fellow students), and who experienced well-articulated and structured PhD programs, were most likely to publish at rates comparable to their male majority peers. Women PhD students experienced significantly higher levels of distress than their male peers, both majority and minority, while both women and minority student distress levels were mitigated by clearly-articulated expectations, perceiving that they were well-prepared for graduate level courses, and feeling accepted by their colleagues. It is unclear whether higher levels of distress in women students is related directly to their experiences in their STEM PhD programs. The findings suggest that mitigating factors that negatively affect diversity should not, in principle, require the investment of large resources, but rather requires attention to the local culture and structure of individual STEM PhD programs.
Abstract P6-19-05: Clinical characteristics and survival of patients with male breast cancer: The Mayo Clinic experience

Background: Male breast cancer (MBC) is rare, and usually managed by extrapolation from female breast cancer. We report on the characteristics and survival outcomes of MBC patients from Mayo Clinic Rochester (MCR). Methods: Medical records of MBC patients treated at MCR during a 25-year period (1990-2015) were reviewed. Demographic variables, tumor characteristics, recurrences, and overall survival (OS) were collected. Progression free survival (PFS) and OS were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate Cox-proportional hazard regression was used to identify predictors of OS. Results: One hundred sixty-seven patients were included in the final analysis, with a median follow-up of 58 months after diagnosis. Baseline characteristics are presented in Table 1. Eighty percent of patients with ER-positive tumors received endocrine therapy. Among men with stage I-III disease, approximately 90% underwent mastectomy, and 44% received adjuvant chemotherapy. The 5-year locoregional and distant recurrence rates for patients with stage I-III disease were 4.4% and 21.5%, respectively. The 5-year PFS and OS for patients with stage I-III disease were 65.5% and 80.1%, respectively. In a multivariate analysis assessing predictors of OS in patients with stage I-III disease, older age (HR 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02 – 1.09), stage II (HR 11.06; 95% CI: 3.84 – 31.85) or stage III disease (HR 14.74; 95% CI (3.99 – 54.45), and omission of surgery (HR 45.33; 95% CI: 3.97 – 517.32) were associated with poorer OS, while endocrine therapy (HR 0.21, 95% CI: 0.09 – 0.51) was associated with better OS. ER, PR, HER2 and grade were not independently prognostic. The median OS for stage IV patients was 10 months, though this 11-man cohort was too small to allow assessment of prognostic factors in advanced male breast cancer. Conclusions: MBC remains an understudied condition. Prognostic factors in this stage I-III disease are consistent with those identified in other MBC retrospective cohorts. Prospective studies are needed to better understand the unique clinical features of MBC, and to improve outcomes, particularly for advanced disease. Citation Format: Yadav S, Leon-Ferre RA, Jimenez RE, Hawse JR, Hieken TJ, Couch FJ, Boughey JC, Ruddy KJ. Clinical characteristics and survival of patients with male breast cancer: The Mayo Clinic experience [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-19-05.
Quantitative imaging analysis to guide biopsy for molecular biomarkers

Although resection and transplantation are primary curative methods of treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, many patients are not candidates. In these cases, other treatment methods such as selective internal radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or external beam radiation are used. While these treatments are effective, patient-specific customization of treatment could be beneficial. Recent advances in personalized medicine are making this possible, but often there are multiple phenotypes within a proliferating tumor. While not standard, one could envision a serial longitudinal biopsy approach with more phenotypically-targeted therapeutics if one could detect responding and non-responding regions of tumor over time. This work proposes a method to determine active regions of the tumor that differentially respond to treatment to better guide biopsy for longitudinal personalization of treatment. While PET may serve this purpose, it is not easily used for real-time image guidance, is not effective for many types of tumors, and can be confounded by inflammatory responses. In this work, ten total patients with imaging sequences from before and after treatment were retrospectively obtained. Five of these were selected for analysis based on the total liver volume change. A two-phase alignment process comprised of an intensity-based rigid registration followed by a nonrigid refining process driven by bulk deformation of the organ surface was performed. To assess the accuracy of the registration, two metrics were used for preliminary results. The mean closest point surface distance was used to quantify how well the surfaces of the registered livers match and was found to be 2.65±3.54mm. Anatomical features visible in pre- and post-treatment images were also identified. After registration, the mean Euclidean distance between features was found to be 5.22±4.06mm. To assess potential areas of tumor change, the registered tumor pre- and post-treatment were overlaid.
Resource Assessment, Recruitment Behavior, and Organization of Cooperative Prey Retrieval in the Ant Formica schaufussi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Foragers of the ant Formica schaufussi recruit nestmates to large anthropod prey and cooperatively transport the prey to the nest. The size of the group of ants retrieving prey is significantly correlated with the prey mass at the point at which the retrieval group reaches the nest entrance. To understand the mechanism involved in this “size matching” process, the regulation of retrieval group size was investigated by examining the modulatory role of trail pheromones in recruitment communication and the behavioral processes that might adjust retrieval group size to prey mass. Laboratory studies of hindgut, poison, and Dufour's gland extracts showed that the contents of the hindgut, which was determined to be the source of trail pheromone, induced recruitment and orientation behavior in ants and regulated the recruitment response of ants in the absence of any other communication signal. However, chemical mass communication alone did not appear to explain the regulation of retrieval group size. Scout ants assess whether to collect prey individually or recruit nestmates to group-retrieve 100-, 200-, or 400-mg prey but did not vary group size in relation to either the prey mass or the presence of interspecific competitors once the decision to initiate group retrieval was made. The number of recruits leaving the nest was independent of these factors and first matched prey mass during prey transport, possibly through a process of differential individual response to immobile versus mobile prey items. Unpredictable factors such as prey resistance to movement and rapidly changing degrees of interspecific competition may preclude scouts from fine-tuning the retrieval group size before it reaches the prey.
How patrons value casino promotional offers: A conjoint study:

Casinos rely extensively on free slot play (FSP) offers for incentivizing patron visitation. However, there has been a lack of understanding its influence on driving patron visitation and patrons’ ...
Interpretation of canine liver biopsy. A clinician's perspective

Proper evaluation of hepatic biopsies is essential for the proper management of dogs with liver disease. The clinician must have some basic knowledge of hepatic anatomy and histopathologic nomenclature in order to establish an accurate prognosis and therapeutic plan.
Transplant nephrectomy with peritoneal window: Georgetown University experience.

Objectives Transplant nephrectomy is a technically challenging procedure with high complication rates. Morbidity and mortality are mostly due to hemorrhage or infection and are reported to be 17-60% and 1-39%, respectively. The most common surgical technique for transplant nephrectomy is sub-capsular, extraperitoneal approach which may result in fluid accumulation and subsequent super-infection. We report that intraperitoneal approach, after assuring hemostasis of the transplant pedicle, allows for passive drainage, decreases hematoma formation and minimizes the subsequent infection risk in the nephrectomy bed. Material and Methods From July 2009 to July 2014 a total of 38 transplant nephrectomies were performed using the intraperitoneal window technique at Georgetown University MedStar Transplant Institute (MGTI). Data was collected retrospectively. Results Average age at the time of transplant nephrectomy was 43.9 ± 14.3, and the majority were male (55.3%). Mean time to nephrectomy was 71.7 ± 67.4 months following transplantation. Indications for nephrectomy included pain, hematuria, fever, and recalcitrant rejection. Average operative time was 97.1 ± 28.9 minutes, average blood loss was 172.5 ± 213.6 mL. A total of 9 (24%) complications occurred. Postoperative blood transfusion was the most common complication (15.7%) followed by 2 (5.3%) re-interventions; one take back for hematoma and one percutaneous drain placement for symptomatic fluid collection. We had no infection, postoperative sepsis, ICU admissions, or mortality. Conclusion Transplant nephrectomy with peritoneal window is a technique with better results compared to the literature. An opening between the transplant cavity and the peritoneum allows for passive drainage of fluid and minimizes the risk of hematoma and abscess formation. This approach does not add significant time to the operation, furthermore it may decrease morbidity and mortality by reducing overall complications, namely hematoma formation and infection, which overall decreases rates of re-interventions and length of hospital stay.
Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Feed-Forward XOR Physical Unclonable Functions

Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are hardware security primitives that are used for device authentication and cryptographic key generation. Standard XOR PUFs typically contain multiple standard arbiter PUFs as components, and are more secure than standard arbiter PUFs or feed-forward (FF) arbiter PUFs (FF PUFs). This paper proposes design of feed-forward XOR PUFs (FFXOR PUFs) where each component PUF is a FF PUF. Various homogeneous and heterogeneous FFXOR PUFs are presented and evaluated in terms of four fundamental properties of PUFs: uniqueness, attack-resistance, reliability and randomness. Certain key issues pertaining to XOR PUFs such as their vulnerability to machine learning attacks and instability in responses are investigated. Other important challenges like the lack of uniqueness in FF PUFs and the asymmetry in FPGA arbiter PUFs are addressed and it is shown that FFXOR PUFs can naturally overcome these problems. It is shown that heterogeneous FFXOR PUFs (i.e., FFXOR PUFs with non-identical components) can be resilient to state-of-the-art machine learning attacks. We also present systematic reliability analysis of FFXOR PUFs and demonstrate that soft-response thresholding can be used as an effective countermeasure to overcome the degraded reliability bottleneck. Observations from simulations are further verified through hardware implementation of 64-bit FFXOR PUFs on Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA.
The study of questions

Asking questions is a fundamental aspect of human nature. Languages all around the world encode interrogative constructions. It is therefore incumbent upon semanticists to capture the meaning of questions. However, achieving this goal faces a challenge under a truth conditional approach to meaning, since questions cannot easily be assigned a truth value. Moreover, it is not sufficient to focus only on the questions themselves; one must also determine what counts as a felicitous and informative answer, and how this relates to a speaker's intention in posing a question in a discourse context. How then do semanticists approach an investigation of questions? In this article, we present the core issues inherent to question-answer dynamics, review the main approaches to question-answer meaning, highlight how questions are situated in a discourse context, and explore extensions of questions that highlight the connection between semantics, pragmatics, and human reasoning. This article is categorized under: Linguistics > Linguistic Theory.
English Medium Instruction in Higher Education in Qatar: A Multi-Dimensional Analysis Using the ROAD-MAPPING Framework

In recent years Qatar’s higher education system has undergone major changes as a result of an ambitious educational reform movement within the country. While this movement has brought in numerous foreign branch campuses that opened up academic opportunities that had not previously existed, it also has created some discord between the values of locals and the Western institutions. Research has been conducted on various aspects of Qatari higher education, but each study only provides a glimpse of a very complicated system. This chapter utilizes the ROAD-MAPPING Framework (Dafouz and Smit, Appl Linguis 37(3): 397–415, 2016) to examine higher education in Qatar from a macro, holistic view. The dimensions of Roles of English, Academic Disciplines, (Language) Management, Agents, Practices and Processes, and Internationalzation and Glocalization will be explored. Through the results of this multi-dimensional analysis, future recommendations for language policy and research are proposed.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Drug Overdoses in Indianapolis

We described the change in drug overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic in one urban emergency medical services (EMS) system. Data was collected from Marion County, Indiana (Indianapolis), including EMS calls for service (CFS) for suspected overdose, CFS in which naloxone was administered, and fatal overdose data from the County Coroner's Office. With two sample t tests and ARIMA time series forecasting, we showed changes in the daily rates of calls (all EMS CFS, overdose CFS, and CFS in which naloxone was administered) before and after the stay-at-home order in Indianapolis. We further showed differences in the weekly rate of overdose deaths. Overdose CFS and EMS naloxone administration showed an increase with the social isolation of the Indiana stay-at-home order, but a continued increase after the stay-at-home order was terminated. Despite a mild 4% increase in all EMS CFS, overdose CFS increased 43% and CFS with naloxone administration increased 61% after the stay-at-home order. Deaths from drug overdoses increased by 47%. There was no change in distribution of age, race/ethnicity, or zip code of those who overdosed after the stay-at-home order was issued. We hope this data informs policy-makers preparing for future COVID-19 responses and other disaster responses.
Lung CD103+dendritic cells and Clec9a signaling are required for neonatal hyperoxia-induced inflammatory responses to rhinovirus infection.

Premature infants, especially those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), develop recurrent severe respiratory viral illnesses. We have shown that hyperoxic exposure of immature mice, a model of B...
Investigation of optical heart rate sensors in wearables and the influence of skin tone and obesity on photoplethysmography (PPG) signal

Wearable devices, with Photoplethysmography (PPG)-based sensors, are helping patients to monitor chronic health conditions outside the clinic. The prime source of PPG signals is the blood volume change in the dermal vasculature. Here, we present a novel approach of using a skin model, containing double vascular layer within the dermis to investigate the pulsatile contribution from the region. Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to design vessels and PPG signals from the wrist are extracted by studying light transport through Monte Carlo simulations. By assessing PPG sensors in common wearables, the influence of obesity on the PPG signals are also investigated.
A Process Study of the Development of Capabilities for Replication in an Evolving Franchise Chain

The purpose of this paper is to extend insight about processes and routines needed for franchise replication and makes an important contribution to understanding ways through which dynamic capabilities are created. Based on a grounds-up study, this paper utilizes a storyline approach (Miles & Huberman, 1994) to present interview data obtained from interviews with elite informants (IEIs) of the host company and its archival data. Evolution of capabilities, both substantive and dynamic, are captured in the findings section. Of the seventeen interviews, seven subjects were location heads and ten corporate executives. Interviews with corporate executives included questions pertaining to their functional specialty as well. Finally, implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Characterization of apparent superluminal effects in terahertz Bessel beams

Summary form only given. We describe the apparent superluminal behavior of the interference pattern in front of an axicon lens using terahertz spectroscopy. The ability to coherently detect the electric field permits a more complete characterization of this Bessel beam than has been previously reported. We report direct observations of superluminal phase and group velocities, both of which are only weak functions of frequency. As a result, it is possible to discount pulse reshaping effects in the consideration of experiments of this type. We also expect that the extended Rayleigh range of these Bessel beams should be useful for enhanced depth-of-field terahertz imaging.
The Critical Region in Trisomy 21

Down syndrome caused by trisomy of human chromosome 21 is one of the most common genetic diseases, occurring in 1 out of every 700 live births. In their Perspective, [Nelson and Gibbs][1] discuss a new mouse model of Down syndrome ([ Olson et al .][2]), which shows that triplication of a segment of human chromosome 21 containing 33 critical-region genes does not result in the craniofacial abnormalities typical of the disease. The authors point out that this mouse model refutes the notion that triplication of the 33 critical-region genes is directly responsible for the craniofacial abnormalities of Down syndrome. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5696/619 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/306/5696/687
Modulating Collagen Triple-Helix Stability with 4-Chloro, 4-Fluoro, and 4-Methylprolines

Collagen is a fibrous protein comprising a right-handed, triple-helical bundle of three parallel, left-handed polyproline II-type helices. Each strand consists of approximately 300 repeats of the trimer (Xaa–Yaa–Gly), where Xaa is often (2S)-proline (Pro) and Yaa is often (2S,4R)-4-hydroxyproline (Hyp) [1]. The most abundant protein in vertebrates, collagen is of fundamental importance to the three-dimensional architecture of such animals. Understanding the chemical determinants of the structure and stability of collagen is essential for both curing collagen-related diseases and creating collagen-based biomaterials. We have previously demonstrated that pyrrolidine ring pucker and thus triple-helical stability can be manipulated by functionalizing the γ-position of the proline ring with moieties that control the ring pucker via either steric or stereoelectronic effects (Figure 1). The presence of Hyp in the Yaa position of natural collagen greatly increases the stability of the triple helix [2]. This enhanced stability is presumably due to a stereoelectronic effect that defines the pyrrolidine ring pucker of Hyp residues as the Cγ-exo pucker. The Cγ-exo ring pucker fixes the ϕ and ψ angles of Hyp residues to those required for triple-helical assembly [3]. Substitution of non-natural proline derivatives that prefer the Cγ-exo ring pucker, such as (2S,4R)-4-fluoroproline (Flp) [4] or (2S,4S)-4-methylproline (Mep) [5], for proline in the Yaa position also stabilizes triple helices. In contrast, the Cγ-endo ring pucker is favorable for triple-helix stability in the Xaa position. Consequently, substitution of (2S,4S)-4-fluoroproline (flp) and (2S,4R)-4-methylproline (mep) for proline in the Xaa position stabilizes triple helices, because flp and mep prefer the Cγ-endo ring pucker [5,6]. Figure 1 Ring conformations of 4-substituted prolines. The Cγ -endo conformation is favored strongly by stereoelectronic effects when R1 = H, R2 = F (flp) or Cl (clp) and by steric effects when R1 = Me (mep), R2 = H. The Cγ-exo conformation is ... Here, we introduce additional proline derivatives that can be utilized to endow conformational stability and unique properties on collagen triple helices, namely the 4-chloroprolines. Additionally, we summarize the ability to modulate the thermal stability of collagen over a wide range of temperatures by modifying the γ-carbon of proline residues.
Green building energy analytics: Challenges and opportunities

Green building applications need efficient and finegrained determination of power consumption pattern of a wide variety of consumer-grade appliances through non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) techniques. Fine-grained monitoring of everyday appliances can provide better feedback to the consumers and motivate them to change behavior in order to reduce their energy usage. It also helps to detect abnormal power consumption events, long-term appliance malfunctions and potential safety concerns. Commercially available plug meters can be used for individual appliance monitoring but for an entire house, each such individual plug meters are expensive and tedious to setup. In practice, deploying smart plug based NILM and acquiring the low-level power measures of a large number of devices is often difficult or impossible due to the deployment complexity and varying characteristics of devices and thus must instead be employed at the circuit or house-level and inferred through the incorporation of novel usage-based measurement and probabilistic level-based disaggregation algorithm. But the challenges in deploying non-intrusive load monitoring algorithm involve disaggregating individual devices consumption from the aggregate power measurement, as well as modeling and incorporating the usage based prediction. In this talk, I will discuss on advanced machine learning and data analytics algorithms that capture the measurement based approach and circuit level NILM with the autonomous profiling and prediction logic, and the significant practical impact of intelligent use of such profiling techniques for green building applications. Our approach help improve the performance of energy disaggregation algorithms and provide critical insights on appliance longevity, abnormal power consumption, consumer behavior and their everyday lifestyle activities. The performance of our proposed algorithms on real data traces will be presented. I will conclude this talk with our ongoing research projects in this area and future research directions.
Decentralization of Coordination Variables in Multi-vehicle Systems

Equipping each vehicle in a cooperative team with a global picture of the group helps vehicles direct toward specified desired group goals and achieve desirable group behaviors. In this paper, we instantiate the group level information formalized as "coordination variables" on each vehicle. We then develop consensus strategies to guarantee that each coordination variable instantiation converges to a sufficiently common value in the case that the coordination variable is driven by a common input or inputs with bounded inconsistency. We show conditions under which consensus can be achieved for each coordination variable instantiation and provide boundedness analyses for the inconsistency of different instantiations when inconsistent inputs exist. The effectiveness of the proposed strategies is demonstrated through a formation control example.
A Rational Approach to Portable High Performance: The Basic Linear Algebra Instruction Set (BLAIS) and the Fixed Algorithm Size Template (FAST) Library

We introduce the Basic Linear Algebra Instruction Set (BLAIS), a collection of high performance kernels for basic linear algebra that encapsulate small fixed size computations to provide building blocks for numerical libraries in C++. The computation sizes are template parameters of the kernels, so they can be easily configured to a specific architecture for portability. In this way the BLAIS delivers the power of such code generation systems as PHiPAC [1] and ATLAS [4]. BLAIS has a simple and elegant interface, so that one can write flexible-sized block algorithms without the complications of a code generation system. The BLAIS are implemented using the Fixed Algorithm Size Template (FAST) Library which provides equivalent functionality to the algorithms in the Standard Template Library (STL) [3], but are tailored specifically for fixed size (and high-performance) operations.
Similarities and differences in strangeness production at BNL and CERN

Relativistic heavy ion collisions provide, in principle, necessary conditions for the formation of the quark gluon plasma. Strangeness enhancement was amoung the announced specific signals expected from this new, hypothetical state of nuclear matter. Analysis of the first generation of experiments with light and medium sized ions have been completed. Results on strangeness production become precious handles to study in great detail what is actually happening. The current experimental situation is assessed. The emerging picture is still incomplete: however, open questions constrain requirements on future heavy ion experiments.
Exports, growth and causality in LDCs

Abstract Using Akaike's optimal lag criterion in a Granger causality test, the causal relationship between export growth and economic growth (and vice versa) is re-examined for 20 countries. It is argued that earlier analyses which ignore optimal lags in Granger or Sims causality tests suffer from certain shortcomings which are overcome by the present approach. The results suggest some support for the export promotion hypothesis, especially in the case of well-known NICs and thus differ from previous applications of Granger test which did not adopt an optimum lag criterion, and which showed no causality from export growth to economic growth in such cases. However, they are inconclusive in evaluating competing hypotheses.
CHINA’S EARLY IMPACT ON EASTERN YUNNAN: INCORPORATION, ACCULTURATION, AND THE CONVERGENCE OF EVIDENCE

In 109 BC, armies dispatched by the Han dynasty ruler Wudi reached present-day eastern Yunnan, defeating the kingdom of Dian and establishing the prefecture of Yi- zhou. Historical sources and archaeological data –mainly objects recovered from Dian burials– highlight China’s impact on the region both before and after the conquest. This paper reviews the evidence for such impact through a consideration of the relevant texts and a further analy- sis of available information on Chinese style artifacts (CSA’s) in pre- and post-conquest Dian graves. For the first century of Han occupation, the texts and grave as- semblages –whose elaborate CSA’s make up only a small percentage of elite burial goods– point to the native in- habitants’ limited acculturation and incorporation into the Han administration. In contrast, textual entries and the widespread appearance of Han style tombs and burial assemblages during the first century AD provide clearer evidence of acculturation and incorporation. However, divergent interpretations emerge in light of additional information, which includes textual evidence for continu- ing local uprisings against the Han presence, as well as evidence from later historical periods of China’s uneven and incomplete control of eastern Yunnan.
A statistical note on possible institutional regimes in budget policy

Abstract This note makes a statistical case for a shift in the regime that generates fiscal policy. Various tests clearly indicate a point of regime delineation in 1975. This year coincides with the beginning of federal budget development under the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Single equation and multiple equation (VAR) representations are used to describe the development of fiscal policy. Also, preliminary estimates of a reduced form model and the target information content of fiscal policy are presented.
Beyond Westway and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001: Citizens’ Role and Route 9A

Since 1973, New York City's Route 9A from Battery Park to West 59th Street has undergone a transformation from a crumbling 1930s elevated highway in a derelict postmaritime environment of rotting piers and abandoned buildings to a first-class multimodal, at-grade, tree-lined urban boulevard with a recreational focus. Route 9A connects Lower Manhattan and the west side of Manhattan with Hudson River Park and the waterfront and is a premier example of the economic revitalization that can take place when urban design and community involvement combine with engineering and the environment. The New York State Department of Transportation reconstructed Route 9A in seven segments, bid as seven contracts. As the last contract adjacent to the World Trade Center was winding down, the terrorist events of September 11, 2001 (9/11), occurred. With the devastation came the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan and a new emphasis on people, environment, and coordination in a post-9/11 environment. Route 9A was and continues to b...
Histologic response to topically applied minoxidil in male-pattern alopecia.

Abstract The histopathology of androgenetic alopecia is characterized by reductions in follicular size and mean hair shaft diameter without significant reduction in follicular density. 1 The proportion of hairs found in anagen is diminished with a corresponding increase in hairs in normal telogen, plus a marked increase in a persistent stage of telogen. The telogen germinal unit is the term given by Headington 2 to the structure that represents a persistence of telogen after shedding of the club hair but in which anagen has not been re-established. Regrowth of scalp hair following topical application of minoxidil has been demonstrated in both primates 3,4 and humans 5,6 suffering from androgenetically determined alopecia. As part of a nationwide multicenter trial of topical minoxidil in male-pattern alopecia, scalp biopsy specimens were obtained before and after treatment to determine what histopathologic changes might be found and if this might help us understand the way in which the clinically observed regrowth of hair might occur.
Can algal uptake stop NO3(-) pollution?

Arising from Cardinale, B. J. , 86–89 (2011)10.1038/nature09904 The influence of biodiversity on ecosystem function has been of interest to community ecologists for decades. Recently, Cardinale1 reported that biodiversity affects nitrate (NO3−) uptake in algal communities and that, as a result, biodiversity may help mitigate nutrient pollution. Although Cardinale’s conclusions about niche partitioning are interesting (figure 2 in ref. 1), his extension of these findings to problems of nutrient pollution is premature. Algal uptake is only a short-term nitrogen sink; control of NO3− pollution requires long-term solutions.
Interactive body awareness

Abstract An important problem in the animation of human-like agents is self collision . While the problem of adjacent segment intersection can often be eliminated by explicitly limiting joint angles, avoiding collisions of nonadjacent segments is much more difficult when the response time is constrained in an interactive environment. Instead of using the traditional motion planning approach, an efficient way to handle obstacle avoidance through Collision response is proposed. This reactive behaviour is driven by inputs from the agent's simulated sensors which detect obstacles. A self-collision response system has been implemented following this approach. Its performance demonstrates that collision avoidance can be performed automatically in an interactive computer animation environment. This approach has also been successfully extended to handle collisions of agents with environment obstacles.
Chromatographic fractionation of antibiotic 136 and characterization of its components.

Abstract Antibiotic 136, a mixture of five similar basic antibiotics, has been partially resolved by chromatography on activated carbon. Component A appeared identical with streptothricin by paper chromatography, elemental analysis, infrared spectrum and animal toxicity. Fraction ABCD could not be distinguished by paper chromatography from pleocidin. Fraction CDE showed chemical properties similar to the mixture streptolin AB. Among the acid hydrolysis products of Antibiotic 136 chromatographic fractions, l -β-lysine, α- d -gulosamine, streptolidine, and N-guan-streptoldyl- d -gulosaminide have been identified. Component D difers from components A, B, and C by containing an imidazoline structural unit differing from streptolidine. The general properties of the mixture Antibiotic 136 indicate that its components are members of the streptothricin complex of antibiotics.
Lipidomic Profiling in Mouse Brain Reveals Differences Between Ages and Genders, with Smaller Changes Associated with α-Synuclein Genotype

Advances in lipidomics technology have facilitated the precise detection, identification and profiling of lipid species within tissues. Mass spectrometry allows for identification of lipids as a function of the total number of carbons and double bonds in their acyl chains. Such detailed descriptions of lipid composition can provide a basis for further investigation of cell signaling and metabolic pathways, both physiological and pathological. Here, we applied phospholipid profiling to mouse models relevant to Parkinson's disease, using mice that were transgenic for human alpha-synuclein (alphaSyn) or deleted of endogenous alphaSyn. Proposed functions of alphaSyn include phospholipid binding, regulation of membrane composition, and regulation of vesicular pools. We investigated whether alphaSyn gene dosage interacts with differences in phospholipid composition across brain regions or with age-related changes in brain phospholipid composition. The most dramatic phospholipid changes were observed in alphaSyn wild-type animals as a function of age and gender. alphaSyn genotype-specific changes were also observed in aged, but not young, mice. Our results provide a detailed and systematic characterization of brain phospholipid composition in mice and identify age-related changes relevant both to Parkinson's disease and to normal aging.
Virtuous Citizens, Disruptive Subjects: Order and Complaint in a New England Court

From the colonial period until the early 19th century, the country court served as a "people's court" and a local peacekeeping force in New England communities. Today, the county court has become the focal point for struggles over morality, community, and rights. Its subjects include not only affluent property owners but also the working class and welfare poor, the so-called "other half of America". The book grapples with questions of agency and the production of social order, analyzing how the power of law can be mobilized to blur the distinctions between "garbage" and official law.