cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of Measurement Noise in Tomographic Ultrafast Retrieval of Transverse Light ${\mmb E}$ -Fields (TURTLE) Ultrashort Polarization Characterization

We recently developed the tomographic ultrafast retrieval of transverse light E-fields (TURTLE) as a self-referenced method for retrieving vector-shaped ultrashort laser pulses. TURTLE combines three or more linear polarization projections of the pulse, which are measured with existing single-polarization pulse characterization techniques, to determine the full polarization state. We present in detail the two approaches for retrieving the full vector-shaped field: an analytic inversion and a parameter-fitting technique. By examining the impact of measurement noise on retrieval fidelity, we find that the fitting approach, which makes use of the additional redundancy inherent in some single-polarization measurements, is greatly superior to the analytic.
A Lipophosphoglycan-Independent Method for Isolation of Infective Leishmania Metacyclic Promastigotes by Density Gradient Centrifugation

At the end of their growth in the sand fly, Leishmania parasites differentiate into the infective metacyclic promastigote stage, which is transmitted to the mammalian host. Thus, in experimental studies of parasite infectivity toward animals or macrophages, the use of purified metacyclics is generally preferred. While metacyclics of several Leishmania species can be efficiently purified with the aid of lectins or monoclonal antibodies, which differentially exploit stage-specific differences in the structure of the abundant surface glycolipid lipophosphoglycan (LPG), such reagents are unavailable for most species and they are unsuitable for studies involving LPG-deficient mutants. Here we describe a simple density gradient centrifugation method, which allows the rapid purification of infective metacyclic parasites from both wild-type and LPG-deficient Leishmania major. The purified metacyclic promastigotes are authentic, as judged by criteria such as their morphology, expression of the metacyclic-specific gene SHERP, and ability to invade and replicate within macrophages in vitro. Preliminary studies suggest that this method is applicable to other Leishmania species including L. donovani.
Synthesis and thermal properties of aryl-substituted rod-like polyimides

This article describes the synthesis and thermal characterization of novel aryl-substituted rod-like homopolyimides. Synthetic aspects of monomer syntheses and one-step polymer synthesis in m-cresol are presented. Polyimides with rod-like chain structure are based on monophenylated pyromellitic dianhydride (MPPMDA), diphenylated pyromellitic dianhydride (DPPMDA), and as rod-like diamine units on phenylated para-phenylene diamine and 1,1′-binaphthyl-4,4′-diamine. As partial flexible units, which have the possibility to be converted into an extended chain conformation, commercially available 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 3,4′-oxydianiline (3,4′-ODA) were used. The polyimides were investigated with respect to solution properties and thermal behavior. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Neural substrates for functionally discriminating self-face from personally familiar faces

Understanding the neurobiological substrates of self-recognition yields important insight into socially and clinically critical cognitive functions such as theory of mind. Experimental evidence suggests that right frontal and parietal lobes preferentially process self-referent information. Recognition of one's own face is an important parameter of self-recognition, but well-controlled experimental data on the brain substrates of self-face recognition is limited. The goal of this study was to characterize the activation specific to self-face in comparison with control conditions of two levels of familiarity: unknown unfamiliar face and the more stringent control of a personally familiar face. We studied 12 healthy volunteers who made "unknown," "familiar," and "self" judgments about photographs of three types of faces: six different novel faces, a personally familiar face (participant's fraternity brother), and their own face during an event-related functional MRI (fMRI) experiment. Contrasting unknown faces with baseline showed activation of the inferior occipital lobe, which supports previous findings suggesting the presence of a generalized face-processing area within the inferior occipital-temporal region. Activation in response to a familiar face, when contrasted with an unknown face, invoked insula, middle temporal, inferior parietal, and medial frontal lobe activation, which is consistent with an existing hypothesis suggesting familiar face recognition taps neural substrates that are different from those involved in general facial processing. Brain response to self-face, when contrasted with familiar face, revealed activation in the right superior frontal gyrus, medial frontal and inferior parietal lobes, and left middle temporal gyrus. The contrast familiar vs. self produced activation only in the anterior cingulate gyrus. Our results support the existence of a bilateral network for both perceptual and executive aspects of self-face processing that cannot be accounted for by a simple hemispheric dominance model. This network is similar to those implicated in social cognition, mirror neuron matching, and face-name matching. Our findings also show that some regions of the medial frontal and parietal lobes are specifically activated by familiar faces but not unknown or self-faces, indicating that these regions may serve as markers of face familiarity and that the differences between activation associated with self-face recognition and familiar face recognition are subtle and appear to be localized to lateral frontal, parietal, and temporal regions.
Statistical representation and computation of tolerance and clearance for assemblability evaluation

The design of tolerances should take the functionality, manufacturability, assemblability and cost effectiveness of a product into consideration. This paper presents a method of analyzing and evaluating the assemblability of a product under given tolerance specifications in order to provide a tool to aide for tolerance design. Introduced is the range of feasible displacement of a part of an assembly as a result of the accumulation of clearances between mating parts along the serial as well as parallel chain of assembly, which can play a role of compensating for the pose error of the corresponding part due to the accumulation of tolerances. Assemblability is determined by the probability that all the parallel as well as serial chains of the assembly can be f ormed successfully under given statistical properties of tolerances. This requires to numerically compute the probability that a pair of mating parts forming a parallel chain can align themselves within the error margin defined by their mating clearance, accounting for the possible compensation of the ranges of pose errors associated with the mating parts due to tolerance accumulations by the ranges of feasible displacements of the mating parts due to clearance accumulations. Simulation results are shown.
Age-Dependent Enhancement of Influenza Vaccine Responses by Thymosin in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients

Vaccination against influenza has been recommended for chronic hemodialysis patients (Centers for Disease Control, 1984). Several studies have reported conflicting results of this vaccination in patients with chronic renal disease and in patients who are on chronic hemodialysis (Jordan et al., 1973; Pabico et al., 1974; Ortbals et al., 1978; Osanloo et al., 1978; Cappel et al., 1983). Since previous studies of the immunologic competence in uremic patients have shown that they are suppressed in both cellular and humoral immunity (Wilson et al., 1965; Newberry and Sanford, 1971; Slavin and Fitch, 1971; Birkeland, 1976), we postulated that an immunomodulator capable of enhancing antibody production in immunocompromised patients would improve antibody response to influenza vaccine in hemodialysis patients.
An Inflammatory Tale From 3 Fatty Depots

The landmark discovery that adipose tissue expresses tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and that the neutralization of TNF-α leads to the reversal of insulin resistance totally transformed our view not only of the significance of adipose tissue but also of the pathogenesis of insulin resistance ([1][1
Universal Measurement Bounds for Structured Sparse Signal Recovery

Standard compressive sensing results state that to exactly recover an s sparse signal in R p , one requires O(s· logp) measurements. While this bound is extremely useful in practice, often real world signals are not only sparse, but also exhibit structure in the sparsity pattern. We focus on group-structured patterns in this paper. Under this model, groups of signal coecients are active (or inactive) together. The groups are predefined, but the particular set of groups that are active (i.e., in the signal support) must be learned from measurements. We show that exploiting knowledge of groups can further reduce the number of measurements required for exact signal recovery, and derive universal bounds for the number of measurements needed. The bound is universal in the sense that it only depends on the number of groups under consideration, and not the particulars of the groups (e.g., compositions, sizes, extents, overlaps, etc.). Experiments show that our result holds for a variety of overlapping group configurations.
Behavioral and molecular neuroepigenetic alterations in prenatally stressed mice: relevance for the study of chromatin remodeling properties of antipsychotic drugs

We have recently reported that mice born from dams stressed during pregnancy (PRS mice), in adulthood, have behavioral deficits reminiscent of behaviors observed in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar (BP) disorder patients. Furthermore, we have shown that the frontal cortex (FC) and hippocampus of adult PRS mice, like that of postmortem chronic SZ patients, are characterized by increases in DNA-methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), ten-eleven methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 (TET1) and exhibit an enrichment of 5-methylcytosine (5MC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5HMC) at neocortical GABAergic and glutamatergic gene promoters. Here, we show that the behavioral deficits and the increased 5MC and 5HMC at glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (Gad1), reelin (Reln) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) promoters and the reduced expression of the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and proteins corresponding to these genes in FC of adult PRS mice is reversed by treatment with clozapine (5 mg kg(-1) twice a day for 5 days) but not by haloperidol (1 mg kg(-1) twice a day for 5 days). Interestingly, clozapine had no effect on either the behavior, promoter methylation or the expression of these mRNAs and proteins when administered to offspring of nonstressed pregnant mice. Clozapine, but not haloperidol, reduced the elevated levels of DNMT1 and TET1, as well as the elevated levels of DNMT1 binding to Gad1, Reln and Bdnf promoters in PRS mice suggesting that clozapine, unlike haloperidol, may limit DNA methylation by interfering with DNA methylation dynamics. We conclude that the PRS mouse model may be useful preclinically in screening for the potential efficacy of antipsychotic drugs acting on altered epigenetic mechanisms. Furthermore, PRS mice may be invaluable for understanding the etiopathogenesis of SZ and BP disorder and for predicting treatment responses at early stages of the illness allowing for early detection and remedial intervention.
Redox-Active Molecular Nanowire Flash Memory for High-Endurance and High-Density Nonvolatile Memory Applications.

In this work, high-performance top-gated nanowire molecular flash memory has been fabricated with redox-active molecules. Different molecules with one and two redox centers have been tested. The flash memory has clean solid/molecule and dielectric interfaces, due to the pristine molecular self-assembly and the nanowire device self-alignment fabrication process. The memory cells exhibit discrete charged states at small gate voltages. Such multi-bit memory in one cell is favorable for high-density storage. These memory devices exhibit fast speed, low power, long memory retention, and exceptionally good endurance (>109 cycles). The excellent characteristics are derived from the intrinsic charge-storage properties of the protected redox-active molecules. Such multi-bit molecular flash memory is very attractive for high-endurance and high-density on-chip memory applications in future portable electronics.
Simultaneous adaptation to size, distance, and curvature underwater

Perceptual adaptation to underwater size, distance, and curvature distortion was measured for four different adaptation conditions. These conditions consisted of (a) playing Chinese checkers underwater, (b) swimming with eyes open underwater, (c) viewing a square underwater, and (d) an air control. Significant adaptation to underwater distortions was recorded in all except the air control condition. In the viewing square condition a positive correlation between size and distance adaptation was noted. It was suggested that adaptation to curvature may have mediated the positive correlation. Possible applications for the training of divers are discussed.
The design and implementation of the Warp Transactional Filesystem

This paper introduces the Warp Transactional Filesystem (WTF), a novel, transactional, POSIX-compatible filesystem based on a new file slicing API that enables efficient zero-copy file transformations. WTF provides transactional access spanning multiple files in a distributed filesystem. Further, the file slicing API enables applications to construct files from the contents of other files without having to rewrite or relocate data. Combined, these enable a new class of high-performance applications. Experiments show that WTF can qualitatively outperform the industry-standard HDFS distributed filesystem, up to a factor of four in a sorting benchmark, by reducing I/O costs. Microbenchmarks indicate that the new features of WTF impose only a modest overhead on top of the POSIX-compatible API.
Reaction products and kinetics of the reaction of NO2 with γ-Fe2O3.

The reaction of NO2 with Fe2O3 has relevance for both atmospheric chemistry and catalysis. Most studies have focused on hematite, α-Fe2O3, as it is the thermodynamic stable state of iron oxide; however, other forms of Fe2O3 naturally occur and may have different chemistries. In this study, we have investigated the reaction products and kinetics for NO2 reacting with γ-Fe2O3 powder using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and compared the results to those of previous studies of NO2 reacting with α-Fe2O3. Both α- and γ-Fe2O3 produce surface-bound nitrate at the pressures examined in this study (24–212 mTorr); surface-bound nitrite products are observed at all pressures for γ-Fe2O3 whereas nitrite was only observed on α-Fe2O3 at lower pressures. Surface-bound NO+ and Fe-NO products are observed on γ-Fe2O3, which have not been observed with α-Fe2O3. The reaction kinetics show a first-order dependence on NO2 pressure and this is used to support the hypothesis of unimolecular reaction o...
County Poverty Concentration and Disparities in Unintentional Injury Deaths: A Fourteen-Year Analysis of 1.6 Million U.S. Fatalities

Unintentional injury is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, and mortality due to injury has risen over the past decade. The social determinants behind these rising trends have not been well documented. This study examines the relationship between county-level poverty and unintentional injury mortality in the United States from 1999–2012. Complete annual compressed mortality and population data for 1999–2012 were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics and linked with census yearly county poverty measures. The outcomes examined were unintentional injury fatalities, overall and by six specific mechanisms: motor vehicle collisions, falls, accidental discharge of firearms, drowning, exposure to smoke or fire, and unintentional poisoning. Age-adjusted mortality rates and time trends for county poverty categories were calculated, and multivariate negative binomial regression was used to determine changes over time in both the relative risk of living in high poverty concentration areas and the population attributable fraction. Age-adjusted mortality rates for counties with > 20% poverty were 66% higher mortality in 1999 compared with counties with < 5% poverty (45.25 vs. 27.24 per 100,000; 95% CI for rate difference 15.57,20.46), and that gap widened in 2012 to 79% (44.54 vs. 24.93; 95% CI for rate difference 17.13,22.09). The relative risk of living in the highest poverty counties has increased for all injury mechanisms with the exception of accidental discharge of firearms. The population attributable fraction for all unintentional injuries rose from 0.22 (95% CI 0.13,0.30) in 1999 to 0.35 (95% CI 0.22,0.45) in 2012. This is the first study that uses comprehensive mortality data to document the associations between county poverty and injury mortality rates for the entire US population over a 14 year period. This study suggests that injury reduction interventions should focus on areas of high or increasing poverty.
Survey on the operation of methadone maintenance treatment in GuiZhou province

Objective:To understand the current situation of methadone maintenance treatment in Guizhou(MMT) and analyze the existing problem,and to further the development of MMT in Guizhou.Methods:Questionnaire survey was used to understand the situation of MMTclinics.Results:Up to the 31st of December 2012,there were 60 MMT clinics in Guizhou province,accumulative 37909people were enrolled,in which 8515 wowen account for 22.5%;16447 people were doing treatment in December 2012(274 people per clinic),in which 4149 wowen account for 25.2%.9568 people were receiving MMT,retention rate of MMT patients is 74.1%and the rate of positive urine test is 24.1%.48 clinics built up excitation mechanism for patients.Conclusion:Guizhou has achieved remarkable results in MMT,but there are some problems,including low coverage for drug users,high rate of droping out.Moreover,there are some problems in cooperation among departments and imperfect management mechanism in some clinics.
Investigation of Bartonella infection in rodents in Zhejiang province,China

ObjectiveTo investigate the Bartonella infection in rodents in Zhejiang province, China and to provide baseline data for the control and prevention of Bartonella infection in humans.MethodsRodents were captured by night trapping in different areas and seasons in Zhejiang province, and their liver and spleen were aseptically collected to detect Bartonella by PCR. Some positive amplicons were sequenced and the nucleotide sequences tested were submitted to GenBank. Similarity comparison and sequence analysis were then performed to identify the Bartonella species.ResultsThe specific DNA fragments of Bartonella were detected in Apodemus agrarius(5.76%, 17/295), Rattus norvegicus(2.86%, 1/35), Mus musculus(10.00%, 1/10), Microtus fortis(5.26%, 1/19), Niviventer confucianus(3.91%, 7/179), and Rattus losea(3.03%, 1/33). Furthermore, Bartonella DNA fragments were detected from M. musculus for the first time in Zhejiang. The positive rates were 2.63%(3/114), 10.84%(9/83), 2.88%(3/104), 11.11%(12/108), 0%(0/46), and 0.57%(1/175) in Daishan, Haining, Jiande, Lishui, Xianju, and Longyou, respectively. The positive rates were 3.39%(4/118), 6.08%(9/148), 2.95%(7/237), and 6.30%(8/127) in the four seasons, respectively. The average positive rate was 4.44%(28/630). Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the detected Bartonella had the closest genetic relationship with Bartonella henselae.ConclusionThe prevalence of Bartonella infection in rodents in Zhejiang province has posed a risk of transmission to humans, and corresponding control measures should be taken into consideration.
Miktoniscus medcofi (Isopoda, Trichoniscidae) in Texas: a range extension for the genus and species

Abstract We report the occurrence of the terrestrial isopod Miktoniscus medcofi from a fen in Real County, Texas, representing a new state record for the species as well as a western range extension for the genus. Morphologic characteristics closely conform to the species description and distinguish the Texas population from congeners. Miktoniscus medcofi ranges from New York to Texas and south to Veracruz, Mexico, but may represent multiple cryptic species or a species complex.
Fatigue and depression predict quality of life in patients with early multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal study.

Background and purpose The clinical predictors of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) have mainly been studied in patients with long-standing disease. The objective of this study was to investigate the longitudinal association among HRQoL and clinical characteristics in early MS. Methods Relapsing MS patients within 12 months of clinical onset were enrolled in a neuroprotection trial of riluzole versus placebo as an add-on to weekly interferon with up to 36 months of follow-up. Serial clinical measures included Short Form-36 (SF-36) as the measure of HRQoL, MS Functional Composite (as a measure of disability), Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (as a measure of depression) and a cognitive battery. Multivariable linear regression analyses assessed cross-sectional associations. Mixed model regressions with mutual adjustments were used to assess the longitudinal association of HRQoL components and clinical, cognitive and demographic variables. Results Forty-three patients were enrolled within 7.5 ± 4.9 months of clinical onset (72% female, mean age 36 years). The baseline severity of fatigue and depression predicted subsequent changes in SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) (P values of 0.001 and 0.021, respectively). In longitudinal analyses, changes in disability and depression were associated with changes in SF-36 PCS (P values of 0.002 and 0.009, respectively), whereas changes in cognitive function and fatigue were associated with changes in SF-36 Mental Component Summary (P values of 0.037 and 0.001, respectively). A 1-unit increase in MS Functional Composite was associated with a 7.1-point increase in SF-36 PCS (95% CI, 2.6–11.6). Conclusions Fatigue, depression, cognition and disability are independently associated with HRQoL in early MS.
Peyronie’s Disease and Congenital Penile Curvature

Congenital curvature is usually seen in young men who report the onset following puberty. The urethral meatus is in a normal location, and the fascial layers and corpus spongiosum of the penis are normally developed. Erect and stretched penile lengths are often greater than normal. It has been suggested that the curvature is related to overall hypercompliance of the tunica albuginea associated with relative shortness of one aspect of the tunica. The curvature is most commonly in a ventral or lateral direction. Erectile rigidity and maintenance are usually normal. A photograph helps to document the degree and direction of curvature prior to surgery. Patients with curvature that significantly interferes with sexual intercourse are surgical candidates and are usually best suited for tunical plication based on their anatomy.
Gendered citizenship and the individualization of environmental responsibility: evaluating a campus common reading program

AbstractCampus common reading programs are intended to stimulate critical thinking and dialogue across disciplines yet scarce evidence exists to evaluate the success of such programs. We assess the extent to which engagement in an environmentally-themed common reading program is related to (1) concern for waste-related issues, (2) beliefs that addressing waste is an individual responsibility, and (3) individual behaviors intended to reduce personal waste. Results are drawn from a sample of undergraduate students (n = 398) with varying levels of engagement in the common reading program. Students who participated in the common reading program have higher levels of concern for waste than those who did not, are more likely to locate responsibility for addressing the problem of waste on the individual, and self-report higher frequency of engagement in individual efforts to reduce waste. We conclude with recommendations for further developing the critical thinking capacity of campus common reading programs.
Effects of an entomopathogenic nematode and a nuclear polyhedrosis virus on emergence of Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Cage tests were conducted during the 1993 growing season to determine the effect of incorporating an entomopathogenic nematode (Steinernema riobravis) in soil under cotton on subsequent emergence o...
Evaluation of Dry Medium Film (Petrifilm VRB) for Coliform Enumeration.

A new system, Petrifilm VRB, was compared to two commonly used methods for enumerating coliforms: (a) colony counts on violet red bile agar (VRBA) and (b) MPN determinations with lauryl sulfate tryptose broth (LST) and brilliant green lactose bile broth (BGLB). Petrifilm VRB consists of a bottom film coated with VRB nutrients and a top film coated with a cold-water-soluble gelling agent and a tetrazolium indicator dye. Gas bubbles from lactose fermentation produced around colonies differentiated coliforms from other gram-negative organisms. Coliforms from 120 raw milk samples were enumerated by the Petrifilm VRB, VRBA and MPN methodologies. Randomly selected colonies were chosen from each methodology for characterization. Counts determined with Petrifilm VRB were comparable to counts with VRBA, and both Petrifilm VRB and VRBA compared similarly to the MPN method. Data examined by plotting log10 coliform counts from Petrifilm VRB vs. log10 coliform counts from VRBA resulted in a regression line with a slope of 0.959 and an intercept of -0.076 which was close to the line of equality (slope of one and intercept of zero) for the two methods. No method selected or excluded any one type of microorganisms, and VRBA and Petrifilm VRB had equivalent repeatability.
Syncope and sudden death in the adolescent

Syncope is the sudden loss of consciousness and postural tone resulting from an abrupt, transient cerebral malfunction, followed by spontaneous recovery. It is common among adolescents and is usually due to a benign neurocardiogenic (vasovagal) etiology. Rarely, syncope is premonitory of sudden death. The physician must be knowledgeable about the characteristics of neurocardiogenic syncope and what distinguishes it from life-threatening causes. Evaluation of syncope should be based on a complete personal and family history, a thorough physical examination, and an electrocardiogram. Risk factors include syncope that is recurrent, exercise-induced, or not neurocardiogenic in nature; accompanying anginal chest pain, palpitations, and/or dyspnea; cardiac disease; seizure activity; athletic competition; and positive family history for conditions associated with sudden death (e.g., hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome). Adolescents with these risk factors should be referred to a pediatric cardiologist for specialized testing and management.
Abstract 10800: Physical and Mental Health of Significant Others is Impacted by ICD Implantation

Background and purpose: Family members often accept responsibility for the care of those after an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) for emotional or economic reasons, not because they are proficient at or feel comfortable with the care required. It is important that their physical and psychological health be addressed because they provide essential support to patients after receiving an ICD. The purpose of this study was to describe the physical and mental health of the intimate partner9s of patients who received an ICD in the 1st year. Methods: A prospective longitudinal repeated measures design was used, with data collected from significant others at hospital discharge, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after an ICD in the patient. Physical health was measured using the Short Form -12 (SF-12 PCS) and the DOI symptom inventory. Mental health was measured using the Short form-12 MCS, the CES-D for depression, and the STAI for anxiety. Caregiving demands were measured using the demands of caregiving inventory (DCI). Analysis of variance with repeated measures (ANOVA) was used to examine patterns of change in health over 1 year in signficant others. Results: 168 patients received an ICD for secondary prevention and 127 had a significant other who participated in the study. Significant others were 60.9 ± 12.6 years, 97% Caucasian, 84% female, 40% employed, and 43% had some college education. Significant others9 physical health declined between hospital discharge through 1 year (SF-12 PCS, F=3.78, p=0.007 and DOI symptoms, F=2.65, p=0.04). Mental health improved between hospital discharge and 1 year (SF-12 MCS, F=2.87, p=0.03, CES-D, F=5.21, p=0.001, and STAI, F=4.68, p=0.002). Caregiving demands were reduced over 1 year (DCI, F=7.37, p=0.001). Post-hoc analyses revealed that the biggest change in physican and mental health occurred between hospital discharge and 3 months after the ICD, indicating the post-hospital period was the most challenging. Conclusions: Significant others reported a decline in physical health in the 12 months after an ICD in the patient. Psychological adjustment and care demands were challenging iniitally but then improved over the 12 months. Interventions designed to assist significant others9 after ICD implantation should be developed.
Cyber Security of Plug-in Electric Vehicles in Smart Grids: Application of Intrusion Detection Methods

With emerging penetration of Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) into smart grids, system operators face new challenges regarding the system security. The security involves all parties in the energy system, because PEVs are not only considered as loads, but also as demand response or distributed energy resources, with bidirectional power flow into the distribution network. Furthermore, due to the random time, amount and location of the PEVs utilization, their behavior is inherently uncertain. In this context, monitoring and control of PEVs utilization necessitate the real-time data communication with control centers throughout the smart grid. The security and reliability of power system will be dependent on how the PEVs data are collected and managed. Hence, assuring data confidentiality, integrity and availability are significant parts of PEV-integrated cyber-physical systems (CPS). This chapter aims at exploring the cyber security issues of PEVs in the smart grid and review some of the state-of-the-art analysis methods to detect the cyber-attacks. We study the model-based and signal-based intrusion detection methods to detect any anomalies, followed by a specific application to PEVs false data injection in the smart grid. The chi-square test and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) are used for anomaly detection.
Anomalous morphology in left hemisphere motor and premotor cortex of children who stutter.

Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the smooth flow of speech production. Stuttering onset occurs during a dynamic period of development when children first start learning to formulate sentences. Although most children grow out of stuttering naturally, ∼1% of all children develop persistent stuttering that can lead to significant psychosocial consequences throughout one’s life. To date, few studies have examined neural bases of stuttering in children who stutter, and even fewer have examined the basis for natural recovery versus persistence of stuttering. Here we report the first study to conduct surface-based analysis of the brain morphometric measures in children who stutter. We used FreeSurfer to extract cortical size and shape measures from structural MRI scans collected from the initial year of a longitudinal study involving 70 children (36 stuttering, 34 controls) in the 3–10-year range. The stuttering group was further divided into two groups: persistent and recovered, based on their later longitudinal visits that allowed determination of their eventual clinical outcome. A region of interest analysis that focused on the left hemisphere speech network and a whole-brain exploratory analysis were conducted to examine group differences and group × age interaction effects. We found that the persistent group could be differentiated from the control and recovered groups by reduced cortical thickness in left motor and lateral premotor cortical regions. The recovered group showed an age-related decrease in local gyrification in the left medial premotor cortex (supplementary motor area and and pre-supplementary motor area). These results provide strong evidence of a primary deficit in the left hemisphere speech network, specifically involving lateral premotor cortex and primary motor cortex, in persistent developmental stuttering. Results further point to a possible compensatory mechanism involving left medial premotor cortex in those who recover from childhood stuttering.
Association of FBXW7 missense mutations (mt) with unfavorable prognosis in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients (pts).

3607Background: FBXW7 functions as a ubiquitin ligase tagging dominant oncogenic proteins such as cyclin E, MYC, Jun and Notch for degradation by the proteasome system. FBXW7mt are noted throughout...
Prescription Drug Misuse: Sources of Controlled Medications in Adolescents.

Objective Adolescent controlled prescription drug misuse (PDM) co-occurs with significant consequences, including lower educational achievement, substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms, and psychopathology. Nonetheless, adolescent PDM sources and the prevalence of other substance use, SUD, and mental health outcomes associated with sources remain poorly understood. Method Data were from the 2009 to 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, including 103,920 adolescents (12−17 years of age). Six mutually exclusive sources were used: physician source only, theft/fake prescription only, friend/relative for free only, purchases only, other source only, or multiple sources. Analyses occurred separately for prescription opioids, stimulants, and tranquilizer/sedatives. PDM source prevalence across adolescents and by sex and school enrollment/engagement were estimated. Adjusted odds of past-year DSM-IV substance-specific SUD, marijuana use, any SUD, major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety diagnosis, mental health treatment, and past-month binge drinking were estimated by source. Results Friends/relatives, for free, was the most common source (29.0%−33.2%), followed by physician sources for opioids (23.9%), purchases for stimulants (23.5%), and tranquilizer/sedatives (22.7%). Few school enrollment/engagement differences existed, but female adolescents were more likely to use multiple sources. Over 70% of adolescents using multiple sources had a past-year SUD. Multiple sources, purchases, and theft/fake prescription were more strongly associated with other substance use than physician source use, and multiple source use was linked with MDD. Conclusion Adolescents using multiple sources, purchases and theft/fake prescriptions have elevated rates of other substance use, SUD and MDD and particularly warrant intervention. Also, adolescents with other SUD and MDD should be screened for PDM and misuse sources.
Advertising Susceptibility and Youth Preference for and Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: Findings from a National Survey.

ABSTRACT Objective This study investigated variables that may mediate the relationship between advertising susceptibility and adolescent preference for and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), with the goal of informing inoculation-based mitigation approaches grounded in media literacy and messaging resistance. Design The study utilized data from a nationally representative sample of US adolescents (ages 12–17 years, n = 1,657) from the National Cancer Institute's Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating survey. Main Outcome Measure Variables of interest were SSB preference and consumption, advertising susceptibility, perceived self-efficacy to make good nutritional choices, perceived SSB consumption by peers, and attitude toward SSBs. Exposure to obesogenic environments was examined as a moderator. Analysis Direct and mediated associations between advertising susceptibility and SSB preference were estimated through a series of regression and mediation analyses. Results Advertising susceptibility was a strong predictor of SSB preference (unstandardized B = .29, SE = .026, P Conclusions and Implications This study offers developers of inoculation-based strategies additional insight into levers that could be targeted for building adolescent resistance to advertising effects.
Crystal Structure of the Dog Allergen Can f 6

Lipocalins represent the most important protein family of the mammalian respiratory allergens. Four of the seven named dog allergens are lipocalins: Can f 1, Can f 2, Can f 4, and Can f 6. We present the structure of Can f 6 along with data on the biophysical and biological activity of this protein in comparison with other animal lipocalins. The Can f 6 structure displays the classic lipocalin calyx-shaped ligand binding cavity within a central β-barrel similar to other lipocalins. Despite low sequence identity between the different dog lipocalin proteins, there is a high degree of structural similarity. On the other hand, Can f 6 has a similar primary sequence to cat, horse, mouse lipocalins as well as a structure that may underlie their cross reactivity. Interestingly, the entrance to the ligand binding pocket is capped by a His instead of the usually seen Tyr that may help select its natural ligand binding partner. Our highly pure recombinant Can f 6 is able to bind to human IgE (hIgE) demonstrating biological antigenicity.
Sentencing Departures and Female Defendants: Assessing the Effects of Racial and Ethnic Threat:

Prior research exploring the effects of racial and ethnic threat has largely focused on the threat posed by minority males, with little attention devoted to understanding how threat accounts for va...
Seeing the Trees: What Urban Middle School Students Notice about the Street Trees That Surround Them.

ABSTRACTEven highly urban environments are settings for outdoor learning of local biodiversity, for they contain easily accessible street tree diversity that students walk pass daily. This study us...
Inter-firm networking propensity in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

In the past decade, market globalization has not only been a threat for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but also an opportunity to expand their activities in many countries (Murphy and al., 1991). In fact, some of SMEs are worldwide leaders in their sectors (Simon, 1990; Entreprise, 1995). Moreover, few of these worldwide SME leaders started businesses directly on an international level (Christensen, 1991; Brush, 1992; McDougall and al., 1994). This suggests that these SMEs use many processes to overcome resource and competency constraints, which would otherwise impede the success of a transnational business in the new global environment (Barlett and Ghoshal, 1987; Fombrun and Wally, 1992). Some studies have identified co-operation as one of the most powerful means an SME operating across borders can use to overcome its constraints (Olleros and Macdonald, 1988; McDougall and al., 1994; Scully and Fawcett, 1994). To face the complexity, diversity, dynamism and change characterizing the global market, SMEs need to form strong and sustainable ties with other organizations (Forrest, 1990; Harry, 1990). These ties can be made with big, medium-sized or other small enterprises (Shutt and Whittington, 1987; Lorenzoni and Ornati, 1988; Stevens, 1992; DarrA©on and FaiA§al, 1993; Fernandez and NoA«l, 1994). The balance of power between partners is very important in this kind of inter-firm relationship. SMEs have fewer resources than their partners, and yet their owner-managers prefer autonomy. Then, how do SMEs reconcile the apparent contradictory necessity to cooperate due to resource constraints with their desire for autonomy? What is the ideal quantity of activities that can be devoted to the partnership without threatening the organization itself? The purpose of this paper is to examine propensity of transnational SMEs to subcontract, to outsource (prime contract) or to collaborate on an equivalent basis with other businesses. It is important therefore, to first review the literature related to small business networking. Second, a summary of the methodology and results will follow. Third, propositions will be stated followed by conclusions.
Evaluating the Effect of Positive Parent Contact on Elementary Students’ On-Task Behavior:

Family–school partnership has consistently been associated with positive student outcomes. Unfortunately, efforts to engage parents are often demanding, with limited planning around reinforcement n...
Fault Tolerance Tool for Human and Machine Interaction & Application to Civilian Aircraft

Enhancing human-machine interaction is critical to aerospace applications. An essential requirement in safety critical systems is the clear need to guarantee trustworthiness of a system as well as V&V (Verification and Validation). However, the current state of the art concerning decision support systems lacks effective tools in this area. The Coherence Function Package, introduced in this research, is a tool towards providing assurance that the action needed has the approval of both the human and the machine in terms of SAFETY. These algorithms shed light on the future of an Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI, [1]), that fosters a synergy between these two factors. This vital requirement that has been further underscored after the tragic events of the Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes [2]. Preliminary results show that the proposed approach is not only able to detect any errors in the system, it also assists in circumventing conflicts leading to incoherence and suggests a preferred solution in real-time.
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells expand after transplantation and their augmentation increases graft survival

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) expand in an inflammatory microenvironment such as cancer and autoimmunity. To study if transplantation induces MDSCs and these cells regulate allograft survival, C57BL/6 donor hearts were transplanted into BALB/c recipients and endogenous MDSCs were characterized. The effects of adoptive transfer of transplant (tx), tumor (tm), and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (g-csf)-expanded MDSCs or depletion of MDSC were assessed. MDSCs expanded after transplantation (1.7-4.6-fold) in the absence of immunosuppression, homed to allografts, and suppressed proliferation of CD4 T cells in vitro. Tx-MDSCs differed phenotypically from tm-MDSCs and g-csf-MDSCs. Among various surface markers, Rae-1 expression was notably low and TGF-β receptor II was high in tx-MDSCs when compared to tm-MDSCs and g-csf-MDSCs. Adoptive transfer of these three MDSCs led to differential graft survival: control (6 days), tx-MDSCs (7.5 days), tm-MDSCs (9.5 days), and g-csf-MDSCs (19.5 days). In combination with anti-CD154 mAb, MDSCs synergistically extended graft survival from 40 days (anti-CD154 alone) to 86 days with tm-MDSCs and 132 days with g-csf-MDSCs. Early MDSC depletion (day 0 or 20), however, abrogated graft survival, but late depletion (day 25) did not. In conclusion, MDSCs expanded following transplantation, migrated to cardiac allografts, prolonged graft survival, and were synergistic with anti-CD154 mAb.
68 K-12 School environmental responses to gun violence: gaps in the evidence

Statement of Purpose The US has experienced 48 active school shootings in the past twenty years. During this time, K-12 schools have undertaken efforts to modify their school environment in response to the anticipation of gun violence. However, it is unclear whether there is evidence that these strategies are effective. Methods We identified the most common school tactics and policies that are being implemented in K-12 schools across the US: (1) target hardening (e.g. metal detectors, locked classroom doors, security cameras), (2) presence of zero tolerance policies, (3) presence of school resources officers (whether armed with lethal or non-lethal forces), (4) implementation of emergency preparedness programs (e.g. active shooter training drills and first-aid and hemorrhage control training programs), (5) behavioral threat assessment efforts, (6) policies that allow for teachers or administrators to be armed with firearms, and (7) notification technologies. We systematically reviewed the literature over the past two decades to determine i) which school environmental factors have evidence supporting their effectiveness at deterring gun violence and ii) where the gaps in the literature are. Results Our work confirmed that while there is a large number of strategies available to schools, there is very limited empirical evidence as to their efficacy. Of the evidence that exists, a preliminary review of the literature indicates that behavioral threat assessment efforts may be effective and conversely, that certain hardening efforts such as metal detectors are not effective at deterring violence. Conclusions Notably, K-12 schools are implementing several policies and practices intended to prevent gun violence that do not have an evidence-base. Significance Our review also highlights the impact efforts may be having on child well-being and on school communities at-large. Implications for future research and for how school professionals might more effectively consider available information about these safety strategies will be discussed.
Y chromosome LncRNA are involved in radiation response of male non-small cell lung cancer cells

Numerous studies have implicated changes in the Y chromosome in male cancers, yet few have investigated the biological importance of Y chromosome non-coding RNA. Here we identify a group of Y chromosome-expressed long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that are involved in male non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) radiation sensitivity. Radiosensitive male NSCLC cell lines demonstrated a dose-dependent induction of linc-SPRY3-2/3/4 following irradiation, which was not observed in radioresistant male NSCLC cell lines. Cytogenetics revealed the loss of chromosome Y (LOY) in the radioresistant male NSCLC cell lines. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments indicated that linc-SPRY3-2/3/4 transcripts affect cell viability and apoptosis. Computational prediction of RNA binding proteins (RBP) motifs and UV-Crosslinked Immunoprecipitation (CLIP) assays identified IGF2BP3, an RBP involved in mRNA stability, as a binding partner for linc-SPRY3-2/3/4 RNA. The presence of linc-SPRY3-2/3/4 reduced the half-life of known IGF2BP3 binding mRNA, such as the anti-apoptotic HMGA2 mRNA, as well as the oncogenic c-MYC mRNA. Assessment of Y chromosome in NSCLC tissue microarrays and expression of linc-SPRY3-2/3/4 in NSCLC RNAseq and microarray data revealed a negative correlation between the loss of the Y chromosome or linc-SPRY3-2/3/4 and overall survival. Thus, linc-SPRY3-2/3/4 expression and LOY could represent an important marker of radiation therapy in NSCLC.
Developing Culturally Tailored mHealth Tools to Address Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes Among Black and Latina Women: A Systematic Review.

BackgroundIn addressing the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) disparities for Black and Latina women, there is a need for the development of innovative programs, framed using theoretical underpi...