cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Power Supply Distribution and Other Wiring Issues For deep-submicron Ic’s

An Interconnect Architecture Optimization (IAO) methodology is proposed. The algorithm makes use of fundamental R L C L L 2 relations for wiring delays, as well as predictive 3D interconnect density function histograms with y and x axes of wire length and inverse gate delay. The fundamental R L C L L 2 relations determine “maximum” wire lengths as a function of wiring size within the wiring hierarchy; the 3D histogram establishes the pre-physical design allocations of wiring nets within the hierarchy. The decision process begins with the set-asides of wiring for power, clock, and vias, and ends with an optimized number of wiring levels and sizes. Some of the major conclusions of the preliminary analyses are: there are no significant problems with wiring at the lowest level as long as the local wire lengths are appropriately scaled; the MOSFET device may not be able to provide enough current to satisfy the capacitive fanout loads within the future allocations of clock period; and the global wires, despite significant improvements in performance, will continue to provide a design and technology challenge for larger chips and higher frequencies.
Curation accuracy of model organism databases

Manual extraction of information from the biomedical literature—or biocuration—is the central methodology used to construct many biological databases. For example, the UniProt protein database, the EcoCyc Escherichia coli database and the Candida Genome Database (CGD) are all based on biocuration. Biological databases are used extensively by life science researchers, as online encyclopedias, as aids in the interpretation of new experimental data and as golden standards for the development of new bioinformatics algorithms. Although manual curation has been assumed to be highly accurate, we are aware of only one previous study of biocuration accuracy. We assessed the accuracy of EcoCyc and CGD by manually selecting curated assertions within randomly chosen EcoCyc and CGD gene pages and by then validating that the data found in the referenced publications supported those assertions. A database assertion is considered to be in error if that assertion could not be found in the publication cited for that assertion. We identified 10 errors in the 633 facts that we validated across the two databases, for an overall error rate of 1.58%, and individual error rates of 1.82% for CGD and 1.40% for EcoCyc. These data suggest that manual curation of the experimental literature by Ph.D-level scientists is highly accurate. Database URL: http://ecocyc.org/, http://www.candidagenome.org//
A New Perspective on The Evolutionary History of Darwin's Finches

The 13 species of finches found on the Galapagos Islands, and the one species from Cocos Island, together collectively known as Darwin's finches, are one of the better-studied groups of birds. Much has been learned about their ecology, behavior, and the short-term effects of natural selection (Lack 1947, Bowman 1961, Grant 1999). The four species of tree finch (Camarhynchus), six species of ground finch (Geospiza), the tool-using Woodpecker Finch (Cactospiza pallida), the Vegetarian Finch (Platyspiza crassirostris), the Warbler Finch (Certhidea olivacea), and the finch on Cocos Island (Pinaroloxias inornata) appear to fill different ecological roles via differentiation of bill size and shape (Grant and Grant 2002). In fact, most authors consider Darwin's finches to be a classic example of an adaptive radiation, owing to the great diversity in bill form and ecological habit that presumably evolved in a relatively short time. For example, Petren et al. (1999:321) noted, "Species in this group show adaptive variation in beak size, beak shape and body size that is more typical of differences among [taxonomic] families of birds... (boldface added). Taxonomic History.-Darwin originally collected the finches from the Galapagos, not realizing what an evolutionary gold mine they would become (Sulloway 1982). In fact, he was not careful about labeling specimens as to the island from which a specimen was obtained, thus obscuring taxonomic boundaries. Subsequent work with better-labeled specimens revealed taxonomically significant patterns of variation. Gould (1837) recognized that different species existed in the collections from the Darwin expedition. However, Gould was unable to produce a stable classification. Since Gould's time, many of the major figures in avian taxonomy have published differing classifications. The succession of revisionary efforts attests to the difficult nature of classifying phenotypic variation among the finches. Although the species show considerable morphological diversity, many in fact are notoriously difficult to identify in the field (especially females and immatures). Populations from different species and islands overlap in morphometric space (Grant 1981).
Precise Breeding Through All-Native DNA Transformation

Intragenic modification is a new approach to genetic engineering that improves the agronomic performance and nutritional characteristics of crops without incorporating foreign DNA into their genomes. It transforms plants with all-native and marker-free transfer DNAs carrying gene expression or silencing cassettes. Examples of early applications include enhanced black spot bruise tolerance, reduced cold-induced starch degradation, lowered processing-induced acrylamide formation, extended shelf life, reduced lignin content, and increased antioxidant power. The availability of an increasingly comprehensive toolbox facilitates the activation of dormant traits, while also enabling the efficient elimination of lingering toxins, allergens, and anti-nutritional compounds. By excluding selectable marker genes and other foreign genetic elements, the intragenic approach may not only limit biosafety risks but also expedite the governmental deregulation process while alleviating public concerns regarding engineered crops.
Rapid Enrichment Strategy for Isolation of Listeria from Bovine Hide, Carcass, and Meat Samples †

Since the outbreak of foodborne illness linked to Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteria in ground beef in the early 1980s, the beef processing industry has focused on increasing the safety of beef products by implementing procedures for surveying live cattle, carcasses, and beef products for bacterial pathogens. Effective methods are in place for screening cattle and beef products for the presence of E. coli O157:H7 contamination, and recent work has established the acceptability of these methods for surveillance of Salmonella. In keeping with the need to continually improve the food safety of beef products, new work investigating pathogen prevalence now includes surveillance for Listeria monocytogenes. Tryptic soy broth (TSB) has been documented as a robust nonselective medium for the enrichment of both E. coli and Salmonella from bovine hide, carcass, and meat samples. The University of Vermont modification medium is most often used as the primary enrichment medium for surveillance of Listeria spp. In this ...
Sex differences in bone loss: An evolutionary perspective on a clinical problem

The dramatic increase in the world's population that has occurred over the past 100 years has come largely through reductions in death due to infectious disease. An epidemiologic transition to a preponderance of deaths due to degenerative conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer is occurring in the developing countries as well as in the industrialized ones. In the industrialized countries, demographic profiles now reflect the increased life expectancies of both sexes. However, female life expectancies exceed male by six or more years. Further change in mortality patterns will accompany success in the reduction of the number of mortalities attributable to such degenerative conditions as cardiovascular disease and cancer. In the 21st century, conditions associated with sensescence will be of increasing concern. Adaptive strategies that enhanced reproductive success throughout most of human evolution may now prove detrimental to human health as average life expectancies reach unprecedented length. In this environment, differences in the survival mechanisms deployed by males as opposed to females will become increasingly important.
Molecular simulation of adsorption and separation of pure noble gases and noble gas mixtures on single wall carbon nanotubes

Abstract Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations were performed to systematically study the adsorption and separation of noble gases on single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) bundles. Pure noble gases, as well as binary and ternary mixtures, were simulated in carbon nanotube systems under various conditions. Adsorption data was collected at 100 K and 300 K over a wide range of pressures. Carbon nanotube bundles present distinct adsorption capacities towards different noble gases. In particular, larger and heavier noble gases are easier to be adsorbed at low pressure, while lighter atoms with smaller sizes can be better stored at high pressure. For noble gas mixtures with equal molar loadings, selective adsorption was observed and the selectivity inverted at different pressure ranges according to the choice of mixtures. Furthermore, the influence of loading proportion of the components on the adsorption behavior was investigated by varying the loading partial pressure in binary mixtures from 1% to 99%. The results suggest gas–CNT interactions dominate the adsorption selectivity at low loading conditions, whereas the entropic effect plays a more important role at high loadings.
Top 10 Things Primary Care Physicians Should Know About Maintenance Immunosuppression for Transplant Recipients

The success of organ transplantation allows many transplant recipients to return to life similar to nontransplant patients. Their need for regular health care, including preventive medicine, has switched the majority of responsibilities for their health care from transplant specialists to primary care physicians. To take care of transplant recipients, it is critical for primary care physicians to be familiar with immunosuppressive medications, their side effects, and common complications in transplant recipients. Ten subjects are reviewed here in order to assist primary care physicians in providing optimal care for transplant recipients.
Green House Adoption and Nursing Home Quality.

Objective To evaluate the impact of the Green House (GH) model on nursing home resident-level quality of care measures. Data Sources/Study Setting Resident-level minimum data set (MDS) assessments merged with Medicare inpatient claims for the period 2005 through 2010. Study Design Using a difference-in-differences framework, we compared changes in care quality and outcomes in 15 nursing homes that adopted the GH model relative to changes over the same time period in 223 matched nursing homes that had not adopted the GH model. Principal Findings For individuals residing in GH homes, adoption of the model lowered readmissions and several MDS measures of poor quality, including bedfast residents, catheter use, and pressure ulcers, but these results were not present across the entire GH organization, suggesting possible offsetting effects for residents of non-GH “legacy” units within the GH organization. Conclusions GH adoption led to improvement in rehospitalizations and certain nursing home quality measures for individuals residing in a GH home. The absence of evidence of a decline in other clinical quality measures in GH nursing homes should reassure anyone concerned that GH might have sacrificed clinical quality for improved quality of life.
Network-Based Analysis on Orthogonal Separation of Human Plasma Uncovers Distinct High Density Lipoprotein Complexes

High density lipoprotein (HDL) particles are blood-borne complexes whose plasma levels have been associated with protection from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recent studies have demonstrated the existence of distinct HDL subspecies; however, these have been difficult to isolate and characterize biochemically. Here, we present the first report that employs a network-based approach to systematically infer HDL subspecies. Healthy human plasma was separated into 58 fractions using our previously published three orthogonal chromatography techniques. Similar local migration patterns among HDL proteins were captured with a novel similarity score, and individual comigration networks were constructed for each fraction. By employing a graph mining algorithm, we identified 183 overlapped cliques, among which 38 were further selected as candidate HDL subparticles. Each of these 38 subparticles had at least two literature supports. In addition, GO function enrichment analysis showed that they were enriched with fundamental biological and CVD protective functions. Furthermore, gene knockout experiments in mouse model supported the validity of these subparticles related to three apolipoproteins. Finally, analysis of an apoA-I deficient human patient's plasma provided additional support for apoA-I related complexes. Further biochemical characterization of these putative subspecies may facilitate the mechanistic research of CVD and guide targeted therapeutics aimed at its mitigation.
Women and Urban Public Space

The new and growing field of women and environments has focused almost exclusively on women’s activities and needs in the home and the adjacent neighborhood with little research on women’s use of urban public spaces.1 The exceptions are studies of specific problems including crime and fear of crime (Gordon, Riger, LeBailly, & Heath, 1981), transportation (Cichoki, 1981; Fox, 1985), and some historical research (Cranz, 1981; Peiss, 1986; Stansell, 1986). Research on urban public spaces has also been growing (Carr, Francis, Rivlin, & Stone, in press; Francis, 1987; Francis, Cashdan, & Paxson, 1984; Whyte, 1980) but pays almost no attention to gender differences in the use of these spaces. Both areas of research are important, but they have not yet generated a theoretical perspective to guide future research on women and public space. The goal of this chapter is to develop just such a perspective.2
Soy Protein with or Without Isoflavones, Soy Germ and Soy Germ Extract, and Daidzein Lessen Plasma Cholesterol Levels in Golden Syrian Hamsters:

Dietary isolated soy protein (ISP, containing approximately equal amounts of daidzein and genistein), ethanol-extracted ISP (ISP (-)), soygerm or soygerm extract (containing large amounts of daidzein and glycitein and little genistein) and the isoflavone, daidzein, were hypothesized to lessen plasma cholesterol in comparison with casein. Sixty male and 60 female golden Syrian hamsters (6-8 weeks of age) were randomly assigned to six treatments fed for 10 weeks. Four of the experimental diets (ISP, daidzein, soygerm, and soygerm extract) contained 1.3 mmol total isoflavones/kg. The ISP (-) diet contained 0.013 mmol isoflavone/kg, whereas the casein diet contained no isoflavones. Hamsters fed ISP, ISP (-), daidzein, soygerm, and soygerm extract had significantly less plasma total cholesterol (by 16%-28%), less non-HDL cholesterol (by 15%-50%) and less non-HDL/HDL cholesterol ratios compared with hamsters fed casein (P < 0.01). For male hamsters, there were no differences among treatments in plasma HDL concentrations. Female hamsters fed ISP (-) had significantly greater HDL levels (P < 0.01) than females fed casein or daidzein. Triglyceride concentration was significantly less in hamsters fed ISP (-) compared with the casein-fed females. Because soy protein with or without isoflavones, soygerm and soygerm extract, and daidzein lessened plasma cholesterol to an approximately equal extent, soy protein alone, varying mixtures of isoflavones, and other extractable components of soy are responsible for cholesterol-lessening effects of soy foods, mainly due to their effects to lessen LDL cholesterol.
Pulmonary applications of nuclear medicine.

SUMMARY Nuclear medicine techniques have a long history in pulmonary medicine, one that has been continually changing and growing. Even longstanding methods, such as perfusion scanning for embolic disease or for pretherapy pulmonary function evaluation, have largely withstood the test of recent careful scrutiny. Not only have these techniques remained an important part of the diagnostic armamentarium, but we have learned how to use them more effectively. Furthermore, because of technical advances, we are in a phase of expanding roles for nuclear imaging. Gallium citrate scanning for the mediastinal staging and follow-up of lymphoma has been recognized as a valuable adjunct to the anatomic information provided by CT and MRI. With the growth of PET technology in areas that have been explored in a limited fashion until now, such as noncardiogenic pulmonary edema and lung carcinoma, evaluation and management of these patients may substantially improve. Finally, in the field of radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies, attention is now being turned to both the diagnostic and the therapeutic problems presented by lung carcinoma. As radiolabeling methods are refined and as new and better antibodies are developed, radioimmunodetection and therapy in lung carcinoma may begin to make inroads on this common and hard to control disease.
Epilogue: “Liu Qiao'er,” law, and zizhu : beyond 1960

The reform of marriage and family in twentieth-century China was an important project that involved various social forces and a multilayered and multifaceted process. This social movement produced its own images and neologisms that demonstrate the dynamics between imported urban ideas and the adaptive process that evolved in the implementation. In return, these images, symbols, and neologisms reconstructed the state ideology and guided social practice. The historical trajectory, in which the marriage dispute of Feng v. Zhang was transformed from a local instance to the making of the image of Liu Qiao'er as a national icon, and from a legal case to a cultural symbol, epitomized the changing relationship of Chinese women to family and state in the twentieth century. If Feng Peng'er's action represented women's agency that spontaneously challenged patriarchal domination, as many rural women did before her, the ending of her case can be seen as a turning point in which the revolutionary state worked with women to empower them. By creating the image of Liu Qiao'er, the state set up a political/moral model for women, encouraging them to engage with their agency. In mobilizing women to participate in social reforms, the state reshaped gender relations between the family and state, and the individual and society. Thus the image of Liu Qiao'er symbolizes the revolutionary power that integrated female agents into its agenda for social reform. It was in this process that neologisms such as zi-zhu began to emerge, which crystalized and conceptualized the revolutionary experience in its social practices that also recast the dynamics between the state and family. As the society and the life of the protagonists have moved on, the image of Liu Qiao'er and the neologism, as a part of revolutionary legacy, continued to play their roles even after the 1960s by making new history in contemporary China. The ongoing story of Liu Qiao'er: Feng Zhiqin, Yuan Jing, and Xin Fengxia From the 1950s onward, the three women involved in the making of the image of Liu Qiao'er experienced varied paths. In the 1960s Feng Zhiqin continued to enjoy the honor brought by the image of Liu Qiao'er and her dedication to public service; she served as the people's representative and director of the women's association until the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966.
Structural Insights into the Eukaryotic Transcription Initiation Machinery

Eukaryotic gene transcription requires the assembly at the promoter of a large preinitiation complex (PIC) that includes RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and the general transcription factors TFIID, TFIIA, TFIIB, TFIIF, TFIIE, and TFIIH. The size and complexity of Pol II, TFIID, and TFIIH have precluded their reconstitution from heterologous systems, and purification relies on scarce endogenous sources. Together with their conformational flexibility and the transient nature of their interactions, these limitations had precluded structural characterization of the PIC. In the last few years, however, progress in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has made possible the visualization, at increasingly better resolution, of large PIC assemblies in different functional states. These structures can now be interpreted in near-atomic detail and provide an exciting structural framework for past and future functional studies, giving us unique mechanistic insight into the complex process of transcription initiation.
SGLT2 Inhibitors: A Systematic Review of Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Related Risk Factors in the Primary Literature

tudy Objective Currently only minimal information is available regarding risk factors for the development of sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i)-related diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). We aim to identify individual patient characteristics associated with cases of SGLT2i-related DKA to better describe potential risk factors. Design Systematic review of primary literature. Patients Thirty-four case reports of patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus who developed DKA while receiving an SGLT2i. Methods and Main Results This systematic review investigated the relationship between SGLT2i and DKA in patients with diabetes. The existing literature was reviewed with a primary outcome to identify patient-specific factors contributing to the incidence of ketoacidosis in patients with diabetes who were treated with a SGLT2i. Numerous databases were searched to identify appropriate primary literature. Search terms included canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, SGLT2, sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, diabetic ketoacidosis, ketoacidosis, metabolic acidosis, and acidosis. Primary literature was analyzed via descriptive statistics. Thirty-four individual case reports were identified via the primary literature search. Two-thirds (25 cases) involved patients with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The average blood glucose on presentation for SGLT2i-induced DKA was 265.6 ± 140.7 mg/dl (14.7 ± 7.8 mmol/L), with common symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Common precipitating factors included patients who were diagnosed with T2DM and were subsequently found to have latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood, patients who had recently undergone major surgery, or patients who had decreased or discontinued insulin. No cases were fatal. Conclusion In this review, episodes of DKA with SGLT2i use were characterized by lower blood glucose levels and were often caused by a precipitating factor. Understanding precipitating factors for SGLT2i-related DKA may help providers better identify patients at risk for development of DKA.
Risk Factors for 30-Day Hospital Re-Admission with an Infectious Complication after Lower-Extremity Vascular Procedures

Abstract Background: Lowering the 30-d re-admission rate after vascular surgery offers the potential to improve healthcare quality. This study evaluated re-admission associated with infections after open and endovascular lower extremity (LE) procedures for peripheral artery disease (PAD). Methods: Patients admitted for elective LE procedures for PAD were selected from the Cerner Health Facts® database. Chi-square analysis evaluated the characteristics of the index admission associated with infection at 30-d re-admission. Multivariable logistic models were created to examine the association of patient and procedural characteristics with infections at re-admission. The microbiology data available at the time of re-admission were evaluated also. Results: A total of 7,089 patients underwent elective LE procedures, of whom 770 (10.9%) were re-admitted within 30 d. A total of 289 (37.5%) had a diagnosis of infection during the re-admission. These infections included surgical site (14.8%), cellulitis (13.6%), se...
Paradoxes of Inclusion: Understanding and Managing the Tensions of Diversity and Multiculturalism:

Inclusion is a process and practice that involves working with diversity as a resource. In inclusive organizations and societies, people of all identities and many styles can be fully themselves while also contributing to the larger collective, as valued and full members. Working toward inclusion in diverse organizations and societies can often be experienced as polarizing and presents many challenges and tensions. These tensions can productively be understood and addressed from a paradox perspective. This article discusses three core paradoxes of inclusion: those involving self-expression and identity, boundaries and norms, and safety and comfort. The manifestations of and approaches to managing each paradox are discussed.
Dynamic Graph Fourier Transform on temporal functional connectivity networks

Graph signal processing extends the notion of frequency from signals in the time domain to signals defined on graphs. Graph signals arise in many applications including brain signals defined on functional connectivity networks. Most of the current work on graph signal processing focuses on static graphs. However, functional connectivity networks are dynamic and the signals on these networks change with time. In this paper, we introduce a new transform for dynamic networks named as Dynamic Graph Fourier Transform (DGFT). The proposed approach extends the notion of graph Laplacian from the static case to the dynamic case through the network Laplacian tensor. The basis functions for the transform are obtained through the Tucker decomposition of this Laplacian tensor. The proposed method detects nonstationary activity in the network structure and allows us to obtain information about the regions in the brain that contribute to different frequency contents in a cognitive control experiment.
Multilateral Reception: Three Lessons from the Arab Hamlet Tradition

Properly analyzing Shakespeare appropriations means asking exactly how international adapters have received their source texts. These complex reception histories matter whether one is analyzing an ...
Organization and Expression of the Viral Genomes

Disease symptoms induced by a viral infection are the result of complex interactions, and it is necessary to resolve the organization and expression of the viral genomes to understand the effects of viral products (proteins and RNAs) on the host. The study of these genomes is of interest not only to those concerned with the molecular biology of virus diseases, but also to viral taxonomists and plant pathologists engaged in the development of new control strategies.
An Analytic Discrete Variable Representation for the Coulomb Problem

Light and coworkers1,2 have pioneered the use of so-called discrete variable representations (DVRs) in quantum mechanical problems. The basic idea of a DVR is applicable whenever two conditions are satisfied: (1) there is a basis set {ψn(x); n=1,N} in which to expand’ the wavefunction for a system, and (2) a (Gaussian) quadrature rule consisting of a set of quadrature points {xn; n=1,N} and weights {wn; n=1,N} is used to compute matrix elements in this basis.1 Light and coworkers.,1, 2 through use of a “continuous to discrete transformation” to define a DVR, have focused on the resulting set of points as the primary representation. While most of the work of Light’s group has been applied to grid-method solutions to time-independent problems, the popular FFT (fast Fourier transform) method of Kosloff and Kosloff3 for propagating wavepackets may be viewed as a discrete variable representation for time-dependent problems.
Wide band, high power, same-channel full duplex transceiver system demonstration

Full duplex communication systems promise to double the available spectrum by enabling simultaneous transmit and receive capabilities. Receiver linearity and its effective isolation from the transmitter must be extremely large to allow detection of any desired signals in the presence of self-interference within the receiver bandwidth. Echoes from the environment may introduce additional distortion that further hinder detection. These challenges are multiplied if full duplex capability is to be achieved over wide bandwidths. This paper describes and demonstrates the performance of a novel wide band transceiver architecture for full duplex applications. The full duplex performance is agnostic to the transmitter hardware in use. Measurements demonstrate the simultaneous detection of an complex communication signal and a chirp signal completely uncorrelated with the transmitted signal which delivers 45 (dBm) to the antenna at the same time in the same bandwidth. To the authors' knowledge, the novel transceiver architecture demonstrate state-of-the-art full duplex operation.
Advances in fusion of big geospatial data

Geospatial fusion provides methods to get the most value from geospatial information. A previous OGC study on geospatial fusion identified recommendations for observation fusion, feature fusion and decision fusion. Many of the recommendations were taken up in OGC Innovation Program and are now present in the OGC Standards baseline. This paper reviews the remaining recommendations from the previous study. This paper also examines the affect of recent information technology trends on geospatial fusion including big data, cloud technologies, linked data and new sources of geospatial observations.
Library Conversations: Reclaiming Interpersonal Communication Theory for Understanding Professional Encounters, Edited by Marie L. Radford and Gary P. Radford, Chicago. IL, Neal-Schuman, 2017, 182 pp., $75.00, ISBN: 978-0-8389-1484-7

In six chapters and a brief conclusion, the authors of this volume explore one-on-one “conversations” in various library settings, either in person or in other contexts such as online chat interactions. The volume begins rather philosophically, evoking Aristotle, John Locke, and other thinkers on the subject of communication. The authors reject a “transmission framework” to define communication, and thus conversations, because it lacks the psychological/psychiatric dimension found in such interactions. The authors basically anchor their research on the ideas of Erving Goffman and two other works—Communication: The Social Matrix of Psychiatry (1968) by Jurgen Ruesch and Gregory Bateson, and Pragmatics of Human Communication (1967) by Paul Watzlawick, Janet Beavin Bavelas, and Don D. Jackson.
Business, Governments and Political Risk in South Asia and Latin America since 1970

This article examines how businesses perceived political risk in South Asia and Latin America over the last half century. Employing data from an oral history database at Harvard Business School, the article identifies five major sources of political risk: macroeconomic and policy turbulence, excessive bureaucracy, political instability, corruption, and violence. Marked regional differences were identified in perceptions and responses to risks. Macroeconomic and policy turbulence was the biggest perceived source of risk in Latin America. Excessive bureaucracy was the biggest source of perceived risk in South Asia. South Asian businesses often avoided bureaucracies, while Latin Americans worked with them.
Synthesis and recent advances in tribological applications of graphene

Graphene is one of the most emerging material in the field of nanotechnology, and it is gaining a tremendous amount of research interest in recent years. Apart from its unique electronic, electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties, graphene also possesses lower wear rate and friction coefficient. The superior tribological properties of graphene have attracted many researchers to synthesize self-lubricating nanocomposite materials that can have several applications in the automobile, aerospace, and marine industries. Graphene is also proven a competitive nanomaterial as an additive in the lubricant oil because of stable suspension and improved anti-wear properties of the component. This article aims to present the review of the advancement in the field of graphene synthesis; tribological properties of graphene; the role of graphene as reinforcement in polymer-matrix, metal-matrix, and ceramic-matrix nanocomposites; and also graphene as an additive in lubricant oil. The results reveal that addition of graphene to the composites can lead to decrease both wear rate and coefficient of friction for all three class of materials. Moreover, when graphene used as a lubricant additive, it improves the load carrying capacity of lubricant oil along with decreased friction and wear. Performance of graphene-reinforced composites and graphene suspended lubricants depend on various tribological and materials parameters which are discussed in this article. The limitation of present knowledge and future research scope are also highlighted.
Effector cell heterogeneity in immediate hypersensitivity reactions

Histologic heterogeneity in the basophil and mast cell populations has been apparent for many years. The advent of tissue culture and cell separation procedures has now made it possible to explore distinct populations of basophils and mast cells, as should be evident from this review. In fact, the logical extension of such technology is the requirement that cell preparations used in exploring basophil and mast cell function be carefully defined to permit comparison of data from one laboratory to another. While this is a practical application of the knowledge of the characteristics of heterogeneity, the implications for future developments in the understanding of basophil and mast cell function are more theoretical. While both basophils and mast cells respond to degranulating stimuli and antiallergic compounds in a similar fashion, as a rule, this review has noted several exceptions including the failure of disodium cromoglycate to prevent rat mucosal mast cell degranulation induced by immunologic stimuli. Such observations suggest that the ability of given drugs to inhibit allergic responses in one target organ and not in another may be due in part to differing mast cell responses. This hypothesis can be extended to variation in response among infants, children, and adults to such drugs as antihistamines. Furthermore, the variety of symptoms seen in individuals may be a reflection of differing responses of those individuals' mast cells from organ to organ. For instance, one subject with ragweed sensitivity might express this sensitivity as asthma, and a second subject with ragweed sensitivity might express this sensitivity as rhinitis. This would depend upon the ability of their pulmonary and upper airway mast cells to bind ragweed-specific IgE, degranulate to IgE-mediated stimuli, or to be regulated by intrinsic control mechanisms. Of a yet more speculative nature is the attempt to discern the basis for basophil, and particularly mast cell, heterogeneity. The function of the mast cell is unknown, but theories include the rejection of parasites; regulation and repair of connective tissue; regulation of the microvasculature; regulation of gastric acid secretion; limitation of delayed hypersensitivity reactions; and detoxification of surrounding tissues. Any or all of these theories may be correct, however, such a diversity of possible biologic roles for the mast cell suggests that mast cell subpopulations may have highly specialized functions reflected in stimuli that lead to their proliferation, their response to degranulating stimuli, and their mediator content.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The effects of augmented reality on improving spatial problem solving for object assembly

Abstract The capability of Augmented Reality (AR) technology to track and visualize relations of objects in space has led to diverse industry applications to support complex engineering tasks. Object assembly is one of them. For an AR aid to support Ready-to-Assemble (RTA) furniture particularly, the challenge is to effectively design the visual features and mode of interaction, so that the first-time users can quickly conceive spatial relations of its parts. However, AR developers and engineers do not have sufficient guidelines to achieve such performance-driven goals. The scientific evidence and account of how one could cognitively benefit in object assembly can be useful to guide them. This experimental research developed an Augmented Reality (AR) application on the Microsoft HoloLens™ headset, and tested it on the first-time users of RTA furniture. The controlled experiments and behavioral analyses of fourteen participants in working out the two RTA furniture with different assembly complexity showed that, the application was effective to improve spatial problem-solving abilities. Especially, the positive effects of the AR-based supports stood out against the assembly of higher complexity. The findings have implications for the information design of advanced AR applications to support assembly tasks with high demands of spatial knowledge. In addition, the extensive analyses of the participants’ performance, behaviors, cognitive workload, and subjective responses helped identify usability issues with the Microsoft HoloLens™.
Mutual Effects of Depression on Quality of Life in Patients and Family Caregivers.

Objectives To elucidate the importance of mutual effects within dyads by examining the contribution of depression on quality of life (QOL) in patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers (FCs). Sample & setting 716 patients with advanced cancer paired with their FCs at two large, private not-for-profit hospices. Methods & variables A descriptive, cross-sectional design with the baseline data of a randomized hospice clinical trial was used. Structural equation modeling helped examine four hypotheses by integrating the features of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Variables included QOL and depression. Results Depression in patients with cancer and their FCs exhibited significant actor effects on an individual's QOL after controlling for the partner effects. Among the spousal pairs, depression in FCs exhibited a positive partner effect on the functional well-being of patients with cancer, indicating that depressive symptoms occurring in FCs may increase patients' functional well-being. Implications for nursing This study suggests the importance of consistent assessment in emotional well-being for dyads with cancer because their concerns may be transmitted to each other.
Multispectral Acoustic Backscatter: How Useful Is it for Marine Habitat Mapping and Management?

ABSTRACT Costa, B., 2019. Multispectral acoustic backscatter: How useful is it for marine habitat mapping and management? Journal of Coastal Research, 35(5), 1062–1079. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISS...
Review: In nonsurgical settings, tranexamic acid reduces mortality and does not increase thrombotic events.

Source Citation Chornenki NLJ, Um KJ, Mendoza PA, et al. Risk of venous and arterial thrombosis in non-surgical patients receiving systemic tranexamic acid: a systematic review and meta-analysis. T...
Taming extreme heterogeneity via machine learning based design of autonomous manycore systems

To avoid rewriting software code for new computer architectures and to take advantage of the extreme heterogeneous processing, communication and storage technologies, there is an urgent need for determining the right amount and type of specialization while making a heterogeneous system as programmable and flexible as possible. To enable both programmability and flexibility in the heterogeneous computing era, we propose a novel complex network inspired model of computation and efficient optimization algorithms for determining the optimal degree of parallelization from old software code. This mathematical framework allows us to determine the required number and type of processing elements, the amount and type of deep memory hierarchy, and the degree of reconfiguration for the communication infrastructure, thus opening new avenues to performance and energy efficiency. Our framework enables heterogeneous manycore systems to autonomously adapt from traditional switching techniques to network coding strategies in order to sustain on-chip communication in the order of terabytes. While this new programming model enables the design of self-programmable autonomous heterogeneous manycore systems, a number of open challenges will be discussed.
4DNvestigator: a toolbox for the analysis of time series Hi-C and RNA-seq data

Abstract The combined analysis of genome structure and function over time, and how these changes affect cellular phenotype, is referred to as the 4D Nucleome (4DN). 4DN analysis is necessary to fully understand how a cell operates, but 4DN analysis tools are currently underdeveloped. We present the “4DNvestigator”, a user-friendly toolbox for the analysis of time-series genome structure, measured by genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C), and genome function, measured by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Availability:https://github.com/scotronq/4DNvestigator
Quantitative 3D structural analysis of the cellular microstructure of sea urchin spines (I): Methodology.

Abstract The mineralized skeletons of echinoderms are characterized by their complex, open-cell porous microstructure (also known as stereom), which exhibits vast variations in pore sizes, branch morphology, and three-dimensional (3D) organization patterns among different species. Quantitative description and analysis of these cellular structures in 3D are needed in order to understand their mechanical properties and underlying design strategies. In this paper series, we present a framework for analyzing such structures based on high-resolution 3D tomography data and utilize this framework to investigate the structural designs of stereom by using the spines from the sea urchin Heterocentrotus mamillatus as a model system. The first paper here reports the proposed cellular network analysis framework, which consists of five major steps: synchrotron-based tomography and hierarchical convolutional neural network-based reconstruction, machine learning-based segmentation, cellular network registration, feature extraction, and data representation and analysis. This framework enables the characterization of the porous stereom structures at the individual node and branch level (~10 µm), the local cellular level (~100 µm), and the global network level (~1 mm). We define and quantify multiple structural descriptors at each level, such as node connectivity, branch length and orientation, branch profile, ring structure, etc., which allows us to investigate the cellular network construction of H. mamillatus spines quantitatively. The methodology reported here could be tailored to analyze other natural or engineering open-cell porous materials for a comprehensive multiscale network representation and mechanical analysis. Statement of Significance The mechanical robustness of the biomineralized porous structures in sea urchin spines has long been recognized. However, quantitative cellular network representation and analysis of this class of natural cellular solids are still limited in the literature. This constrains our capability to fully understand the mechanical properties and design strategies in sea urchin spines and other similar echinoderms’ porous skeletal structures. Combining high-resolution tomography and computer vision-based analysis, this work presents a multiscale 3D network analysis framework, which allows for extraction, registration, and quantification of sea urchin spines’ complex porous structure from the individual branch and node level to the global network level. This 3D structural analysis is relevant to a diversity of research fields, such as biomineralization, skeletal biology, biomimetics, material science, etc.
Impact of Void Morphology on the Mechanical Response of Time-Dependent Heterogeneous Media: A Numerical Investigation Approach

AbstractThis paper investigates the critical impacts of the void morphology on the strength and damage responses of asphalt concrete as a time-dependent heterogeneous medium. First, efficient algor...
Cognitively-Inspired Model for Incremental Learning Using a Few Examples

Incremental learning attempts to develop a classifier which learns continuously from a stream of data segregated into different classes. Deep learning approaches suffer from catastrophic forgetting when learning classes incrementally, while most incremental learning approaches require a large amount of training data per class. We examine the problem of incremental learning using only a few training examples, referred to as Few-Shot Incremental Learning (FSIL). To solve this problem, we propose a novel approach inspired by the concept learning model of the hippocampus and the neocortex that represents each image class as centroids and does not suffer from catastrophic forgetting. We evaluate our approach on three class-incremental learning benchmarks: Caltech-101, CUBS-200-2011 and CIFAR- 100 for incremental and few-shot incremental learning and show that our approach achieves state-of-the-art results in terms ofclassification accuracy over all learned classes.
Expectations versus reality: trainee participation on the robotic console in academic surgery

Trainees underestimate the amount of operative autonomy they receive, whereas faculty overestimate; this has not been studied in robotics. We aimed to assess the perceptions and expectations of our general surgery trainees and faculty on robotic console participation in academic surgery. A survey was administered to general surgery robotic faculty and trainees eligible to sit at the console. Participants estimated the average percentage of trainee console participation time (CPT) per case for robotic cholecystectomies (CCY) and inguinal hernia repairs (IHR) from January to June 2019. Trainees were additionally asked what CPT they expected according to their training level (novice or senior). Expected CPTs were compared to actual CPTs extracted from robotic console logs during the same time frame. Survey response rate was 80% for faculty (4 of 5) and 65% for trainees (15 of 23). Novices expected a higher CPT than they perceived in CCY (42.8% ± 14.8% vs 19.0% ± 17.2%, p = 0.03) and IHR (36.1% ± 17.6% vs. 10.7% ± 13.7%, p = 0.01), but in actuality, they did more CPT than perceived (by 34.9% in CCY, p 0.05). Compared to faculty, novices perceived lower CPTs in both CCY by 29.9% (p = 0.16) and IHR by 26.8% (p = 0.07), but seniors tended to agree with the faculty-perceived CPTs (p > 0.05). Our robotic trainees expect to do more on the console than they perceive. Faculty think they allow their trainees more participation than in reality. Compared to faculty perception, novice trainees perceive a much lower level of trainee participation than senior trainees do. Expectation setting and standardizing learning curves are important for robotic surgery training.