cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gene expression signature for biliary atresia and a role for Interleukin-8 in pathogenesis of experimental disease

Biliary atresia (BA) is a progressive fibroinflammatory obstruction of extrahepatic bile ducts that presents as neonatal cholestasis. Due to the overlap in clinical, biochemical, and histological features with other causes of cholestasis, the diagnosis requires an intraoperative cholangiogram. Thus, we determined whether diseased livers express a gene expression signature unique to BA. Applying stringent statistical analysis to a genome-wide liver expression platform of 64 infants with BA at the time of diagnosis, 14 age-appropriate subjects with intrahepatic cholestasis as diseased controls and seven normal controls, we identified 15 genes uniquely expressed in BA with an accuracy of 92.3%. Among these genes, IL8 and LAMC2 were sufficient to classify subjects with BA distinctly from diseased controls with an area under the curve of 0.934 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84-1.03), sensitivity of 96.9%, and specificity of 85.7% using their combined first principal component. Direct measurement of interleukin (IL)8 protein in the serum, however, was not different between the two groups. To investigate whether the liver-restricted increase in IL8 was relevant to disease pathogenesis, we inactivated the signaling of IL8 homologs by genetic targeting of the Cxcr2 receptor in a murine model of experimental BA. Disruption of Cxcr2 shortened the duration of cholestasis, decreased the incidence of bile duct obstruction, and improved survival above wild-type neonatal mice. Conclusion: The hepatic expression of IL8 and LAMC2 has high sensitivity for BA at diagnosis and may serve as a biomarker of disease, with an important role for the IL8 signaling in experimental BA. (Hepatology 2014;60:211–223)
Impact of hepatic malignancy on CYP3A4 gene expression.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to examine differences in a major enzyme system for hepatic metabolism of drugs, CYP3A4, by measuring RNA levels in the liver tissue of subjects with and without hepatic malignancy and with primary versus metastatic liver tumors. Materials and methods We identified liver specimens from a hospital-wide tissue repository of patients having liver resection for a clinical indication. Total RNA isolation, complementary DNA synthesis, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed according to the standards. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were obtained from medical records. Standard statistical analyses were performed with significance set to α = 0.05. Results Liver tissue from 27 subjects was available for analysis: 13 were without malignancy and 14 had either primary liver malignancies ( n = 7) or metastatic disease ( n = 7). Median age was 57 y, and half of the subjects were men. More than 80% of subjects were overweight or obese without differentiation between benign or malignant tumors. Fewer than 20% of subjects had diabetes or hypercholesterolemia. No preresection laboratory differences were noted between the groups (benign versus malignant or primary versus metastatic disease). Subjects with malignant liver tumors had significantly lower relative-fold CYP3A4 RNA content than those with benign liver tumors ( P = 0.009), but no difference in the CYP3A4 RNA content between primary and metastatic disease was seen. Conclusions This study demonstrates differences in the expression of CYP3A4 in benign and malignant human liver tumors and contributes to understanding the possible impact of malignancy on hepatic metabolism.
A method for predicting harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) haulout and monitoring long-term population trends without telemetry.

Monitoring population trends in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) generally involves two steps: (i) a census obtained from aerial surveys of haul-out sites, and (ii) an upward correction based on the proportion of seals hauled out as estimated from a sample of telemetry-tagged seals. Here we present a mathematical method for obtaining site-specific correction factors without telemetry. The method also determines site-specific environmental factors associated with haulout and provides algebraic equations that predict diurnal haul-out numbers and correction factors as functions of these variables. We applied the method at a haul-out site on Protection Island, Washington, USA. The haul-out model and correction factor model were functions of tide height, current velocity, and time of day, and the haul-out model explained 46% of the observed variability in diurnal haul-out dynamics. Although the particular models are site-specific, the general model and methods are portable. A suite of such models for haul-out sites of a regional stock would allow managers to monitor long-term population trends without telemetry.
Robust message integrity for FANS 1 and CNS/ATM

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is developing a Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management system (CNS/ATM) to provide advanced data link services between aircraft and ground hosts. These services will be provided over the Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (ATN) infrastructure, which is yet to be fully implemented. In the interim, the FANS 1 (Future Air Navigation System) program was developed, which offers valuable intermediate data link services over the existing ACARS network as a first step toward a full CNS/ATM system. Of paramount importance in both systems is the robustness of the Air Traffic Services (ATS) message transfer integrity. This paper describes and documents the ATS message integrity across the interim FANS 1 system, and its logical extension to the end state CNS/ATM environment. We will show that the interim system offers robust message integrity, assuring very low (and very acceptable) undetected error rates for ATS messages. It is shown that the FANS 1 implementation benefits from an end-to-end CRC, augmented by multiple levels of subnetwork CRCs to achieve this high-level of integrity. This robustness is further augmented by other error detection processes used in the FANS 1 Flight Management System (FMS). In this paper, the worst case probability of undetected errors for the interim system, considering multiple CRC's across each subnetwork, is calculated. Additional error detection mechanisms used in airborne ATS end systems are also considered. Finally, these concepts are expanded to encompass the enhanced error detection processes for future CNS/ATM applications over the ATN.
Fully automated physical implementation methodology for Tolapai-the first IA based SoC

The integration of today?s complex multi-power domain IOs, inherited from legacy ?Reuse IP? sources, poses a big challenge to the full chip physical integration in terms of product cost and design cycle time for products such as Tolapai, the first IA based SoC with IA CPU core, South bridge (ICH), North bridge (MCH), acceleration hardware and networking interfaces. To meet these challenges, the Tolapai design team created the Intel® first fully automated physical implementation methodology that accomplished a 28 percent reduction in the final design convergence cycle from RTL freeze to tape-out with about 20 percent fewer design resources over the entire project. The methodology features a fully automated ASIC implementation method for integrating multi-power well IO blocks, high speed block, and a ?Correct by Construction? solution for the deep sub-micron technology challenges such as strict via density and double via rule on the wide metal without introducing new DRC violations. The automation provides quick turn-around of the several iterations required to achieve performance verification and final convergence while requiring no mask design resources.
Use of Shields stress to reconstruct and forecast changes in river metabolism

Summary 1. Discharge patterns of streams and rivers may be substantially affected by changes in water management, land use, or climate. Such hydrological alterations are likely to influence biotic processes, including overall ecosystem metabolism (photosynthesis and respiration). One regulator of aquatic ecosystem metabolism directly tied to hydrology is movement of bed sediments. 2. We propose that ecosystem metabolism can be reconstructed or predicted for any suite of hydrological conditions through the use of quantitative relationships between discharge, bed movement and metabolism. We tested this concept on a plains reach of the South Platte River in Colorado. 3. Movement of bed sediments was predicted from river discharge and the Shields stress, a ratio of velocity-induced stress to sediment grain size. Quantitative relationships were established empirically between metabolic response to bed movement and recovery from bed movement, thus linking metabolism to hydrology. 4. The linkage of metabolism to hydrology allowed us to reconstruct daily photosynthesis and respiration over the 70-year period for which discharge is known at our study site on the South Platte River. The reconstruction shows major ecological change caused by hydrological manipulation: the river has lost two-thirds of its photosynthetic potential, and the ratio of photosynthesis to respiration is now much lower than it was prior to 1960. 5. The same approach could be used to anticipate ecological responses to proposed hydrological manipulations, to quantify benefits of hydrological restoration, or to illustrate potential effects of change in climate or land use on flowing-water ecosystems.
State estimation for nonlinear discrete dynamic systems with missing observations

Abstract State estimation of nonlinear dynamic systems is performed by first approximating dynamic systems by finite state machines having trellis diagram representations and observation models by functions interpolating available observations in the vicinity of the set of times for which observations are missing. The states are then estimated by using the Viterbi decoding algorithm of Information Theory.
Protection by Estradiol 17β Against the Development of Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension in Male Rats

We evaluated the effect of estradiol 17β treatment on the development of pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodeling in male rats exposed to chronic hypoxia. Rats were treated with either placebo or estradiol 17β slow release pellets and exposed to either normoxic air or 10% oxygen for 10 days. Hypoxia elevated right ventricular pressure (RVP) from 19.0 ± 1.5 mm Hg in placebo normoxic to 34.4 ± 1.6 mm Hg in hypoxic animals (p < 0.01). Hypoxia also increased the right ventricle to left ventricle + septum weight ratio (RV/LV + S) (from 0.29 ± 0.01 to 0.44 ± 0.01; p < 0.01) and increased medial thickening in distal pulmonary vessels (from 7.4 ± 1.1% to 14.9 ± 1.4%; p < 0.01). Estradiol treatment blunted the rise in RVP (23.3 ± 2.4 mm Hg; p < 0.01), the RV/LV + S ratio (0.28 ± 0.05; p < 0.01), and vascular medial thickening (9.2 ± 0.8%; p < 0.05) in hypoxic animals, but did not significantly affect these parameters in normoxic rats. Estradiol produced a comparable decrease in hematocrit in both normoxic an...
SLEP-system level estimation and partitioning: a software environment for rapid prototyping

Presents a software environment for system level estimation and partitioning (SLEP). The software is developed based on the structural analysis estimation method and the adaptive weight partitioning algorithm, which were previously proposed by the authors. The application of the SLEP program to rapid prototyping systems is also discussed. Examples of estimation and partitioning of VHDL designs in the SLEP environment are presented. Through these experimental examples, the effectiveness and efficiency of the SLEP system are illustrated.
UROLOGICAL COMPLICATIONS OF RECTAL SURGERY1

SUMMARY Pressure and flow measurements during micturition have been employed in the investigation of bladder dysfunction after major rectal surgery. Parasympathetic denervation of the bladder is shown to be the principal aeetiological factor. It occurred in 21 per cent, of males and 29 per cent, of females after excision of the rectum for carcinoma. Denervation did not occur after anterior resection for carcinoma or rectal excision for inflammatory disease and in these patients recovery of bladder function was rapid. Urethral obstruction and distortion of the bladder neck are not important factors in the causation of post-operative urinary retention after pelvic surgery.
Commentary: The Centrality of the Learning Context for Students' Academic Enabler Skills

According to DiPerna and Elliott (2002), academic competence comprises both academic skills and academic enablers. Academic enablers, which are within student variables, are essential for understan...
A BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEM IN GROUNDWATER MOTION ANALYSIS — COMPARISON OF PREDICTIONS BASED ON DARCY’S LAW AND THE CONTINUUM THEORY OF MIXTURES

The classical problem of the radial flow to a well in a confined horizontal aquifer is solved using two theories: (1) when the flow is based on Darcy’s law, and (2) when the flow is based on equations of the Continuum Theory of Mixtures. The latter reduce to Darcy’s law when the inertia of the fluid can be neglected, and when the viscosity of the fluid does not enter into the expression for the partial stress for the fluid. A comparison of the two solutions shows that there are conditions when Mixture Theory could predict results that provide a significant departure from those predicted by Darcy’s Law. In this paper we delineate the extent of validity of Darcy’s law, within the context of a more general theoretical framework. The results of our work indicate that Darcy’s law is indeed quite good for low flow rates for a fluid like water. However this is not the case for dense fluids, say oils or effluents, due to the inclusion of inertial effects in the equations of motions.
A microtubule-associated protein from Xenopus eggs that specifically promotes assembly at the plus-end.

We have isolated a protein factor from Xenopus eggs that promotes microtubule assembly in vitro. Assembly promotion was associated with a 215-kD protein after a 1,000-3,000-fold enrichment of activity. The 215-kD protein, termed Xenopus microtubule assembly protein (XMAP), binds to microtubules with a stoichiometry of 0.06 mol/mol tubulin dimer. XMAP is immunologically distinct from the Xenopus homologues to mammalian brain microtubule-associated proteins; however, protein species immunologically related to XMAP with different molecular masses are found in Xenopus neuronal tissues and testis. XMAP is unusual in that it specifically promotes microtubule assembly at the plus-end. At a molar ratio of 0.01 mol XMAP/mol tubulin the assembly rate of the microtubule plus-end is accelerated 8-fold while the assembly rate of the minus-end is increased only 1.8-fold. Under these conditions XMAP promotes a 10-fold increase in the on-rate constant (from 1.4 s-1.microM-1 for microtubules assembled from pure tubulin to 15 s-1.microM-1), and a 10-fold decrease in off-rate constant (from 340 to 34 s-1). Given its stoichiometry in vivo, XMAP must be the major microtubule assembly factor in the Xenopus egg. XMAP is phosphorylated during M-phase of both meiotic and mitotic cycles, suggesting that its activity may be regulated during the cell cycle.
Establishment of a minimally invasive surgery program leads to decreased inpatient cost of care in veterans with colon cancer

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the establishment of a minimally invasive surgery program on the cost of care at the investigators' institution. It was hypothesized that a minimally invasive surgery program would decrease overall inpatient treatment costs for veterans with colon cancer. METHODS: All patients who were admitted for colon cancer surgery in fiscal year 2009 were included in this study. The main outcome measures were inpatient treatment cost and length of stay. RESULTS: The median inpatient cost incurred in the laparoscopic colectomy group was 33% ($6,000, P < .01) less than the in open colectomy group. The median length of hospital stay and operative time were also shorter by 31% (3.5 days, P < .05) and 37% (108 minutes, P < .01), respectively, in the laparoscopic colectomy group. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, colon cancer patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery for colon cancer experienced shorter hospital stay and operative times, which resulted in lower overall inpatient treatment cost.
Poverty, Innovation Capacity, and State Economic Development in the Knowledge Economy: Evidence from the U.S.

We examine poverty's effect in two ways. First, we study the relationship between poverty and capacity for innovation in the U.S. states; second, we study the combined effects of poverty and innovation capacity on U.S. state economic output and employment. Because many of the relationships among poverty, innovation capacity and economic performance are simultaneous, we employ the Arellano Bond Difference GMM estimator to estimate various models using panel data (1980–1999). The findings reveal a negative indirect effect of socio-economic need (poverty) on human and U.S. state and local financial innovation capacity, though there is no empirical link between poverty and federal financial capacity. We find no statistically significant evidence of the contemporaneous effect of poverty on state economic performance, holding innovation capacity constant. This suggests that poverty primarily affects state economic performance indirectly through reduction of innovation capacity. Overall, our findings suggest that U.S. officials ought to be concerned about the role poverty plays in diminishing their state economies' capacity to innovate.
Bilingual Administrative Support Personnel in United States Corporations.

TWO TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES, INcreased international trade and changing demographics, have caused an increase in the number of multicultural corporations. Along with these changes, there has been an increased need for bilingual personnel. Administrative support personnel, an important employee group in meeting the communication needs of a business, are in positions where they come in contact with customers, employees, and others. When these people are not able to communicate effectively in English, bilingual administrative support personnel are needed.
Two-stage model predictive control for voltage collapse prevention

The paper proposes a two-stage model predictive control (MPC) strategy for alleviating voltage collapse. The first stage uses a static load shedding algorithm to obtain stable MPC prediction simulations. The second stage uses the MPC simulations, and associated trajectory sensitivities, to establish a linear program (LP) that optimizes the control action. This LP builds on trajectory approximations that are generated from the sensitivities. The first stage prestabilizing process improves the accuracy of the trajectory approximations, with consequent improvement in the LP optimization results. The control action determined by the LP is subsequently applied to the actual system. The paper discusses the integration of this MPC algorithm into an energy management system (EMS) environment. A standard 10 bus voltage collapse case is used to illustrate the performance of the overall control strategy.
Rethinking Composing in a Digital Age: Authoring Literate Identities through Multimodal Storytelling.

In this article, the authors engage the theoretical lens of multimodality in rethinking the practices and processes of composing in classrooms. Specifically, they focus on how learning new composing practices led some fifth-grade students to author new literate identities—what they call authorial stances—in their classroom community. Their analysis adds to the current research on the production and analysis of multimodal texts through an analysis of the interrelationships between multimodal composing processes and the development of literate identities. They found that by extending the composing process beyond print modalities students’ composing shifted in significant ways to reflect the circulating nature of literacies and texts and increased the modes of participation and engagement within the classroom curriculum.These findings are based on an ethnographic study of a multimodal storytelling project in a fifth-grade urban classroom.
Overwintering of Infectious Buggy Creek Virus (Togaviridae: Alphavirus) in Oeciacus vicarius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) in North Dakota

ABSTRACT Arboviruses have seldom been found overwintering in adult vectors at northern latitudes in North America. Buggy Creek virus (BCRV; Togaviridae, Alphavirus) is an ecologically unusual arbovirus vectored principally by the cimicid swallow bug (Oeciacus vicarius Horvath). The ectoparasitic bugs reside year-round in the mud nests of their host, the cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Vieillot). We report successful overwintering of infectious BCRV in bugs at a field site in western North Dakota, where mid-winter temperatures routinely reach -11 to -15°C. Approximately 21% of bug pools were positive for virus in early spring just before the cliff swallows' return to their nesting colonies; this proportion did not differ significantly from that in summer at active cliff swallow nesting colonies in the same study area. Fewer of the isolates in early spring were cytopathic on Vero cells, and those that were infectious showed less plaque formation than did summer samples. The results show that infecti...
Maximum Surface Albedo of Seasonally Snow-Covered Lands in the Northern Hemisphere.

Abstract Areally weighted clear sky surface albedo of snow-covered land in the middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere was measured from satellite imagery in A 1×1° latitude-longitude cells. The study area included 87% of the land polewards of 25°N, where Dickson and Posey found the probability of the seasonal occurrence of snow cover over −2.5 cm deep to be greater than zero. Albedo is 0.60 in Eurasia and 0.56 in North America, approximately 3.5 times greater than snow-free conditions. The highest average value for a 5° latitudinal zone is 0.77 at 70–75°N. The lowest is 0.43 at 60–75°N, which includes 0.36 in Eurasia and 0.58 in North America. The low albedo is due to the masking of snow covered ground by the canopy of coniferous forests. Data were obtained by image processor analyses of Defense Meteorological Satellite Program imagery. Scene brightness was converted to surface albedo by linear interpolation between bright and dark snow-covered surfaces with known albedo. The resulting chart...
Foraging Behavior of the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker in South Carolina

Foraging Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) selected live pines (96% use; 71% availability) over hardwoods (1% use; 25% availability). Use of recently dead pines (3%) was the largest departure from use of live pines. Mast was rarely consumed, although abundant at times. Live pine stems greater than 23 cm in diameter at breast height represented only 19% of the available pines but received 65% of the use. The sexes exhibited strong divergence in foraging behavior. Most important was the partitioning of foraging sites on live pines. Males foraged on dead and live limbs of the crown and midtrunk 54% of the time and females only 4%. On the lower trunk, females foraged 38% of the time and males only 3%. On the midtrunk, females foraged 29% and males 12%. On the trunk-in-crown, females foraged 28% and males 32 %. Mean foraging height of males was 14.1 m and that of females 8.7 rn (P < 0.001). The sexes used tree sizes, tree types, and methods for capturing prey with similar frequencies. Within each sex, there were between-season differences in use of foraging sites and in methods used at each site. Received 9 July 1980, accepted 5 January 1981.
Spatially selective formation of hydrocarbon, fluorocarbon, and hydroxyl-terminated monolayers on a microelectrode array.

A protection–deprotection strategy, using gold oxide as a passivating layer, was used to direct the self-assembly of monolayers (SAMs) selectively at individual gold microelectrodes in an array. This approach allowed the formation of hydroxyl-terminated monolayers, without side reactions, in addition to hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon SAMs. Fluorescence microscopy was used to visualize selective dewetting of hydrophobic monolayers by an aqueous dye solution, and spatially resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to demonstrate a lack of cross-contamination on neighboring microelectrodes in the array.
29 ENDOTHELIAL CELL BARRIER ENHANCEMENT BY ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE IS MEDIATED BY THE SMALL GUANOSINE TRIPHOSPHATASE RAC

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a physiologically relevant agonist released by activated platelets with complex effects mediated via activation of P2 receptors. Although ATP-induced endothelial cell (EC) production of prostacyclin and nitric oxide is recognized, its effects on EC barrier function and vascular permeability remain poorly characterized. Although we recently reported EC barrier enhancement and cytoskeletal activation by ATP the mechanisms involved remains unclear. We have previously identified activation of the small guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) Rac as key to EC barrier augmentation (simvastatin, sphingosine 1-phosphate) and therefore examined the role of Rac in ATP-induced EC barrier enhancement. Human pulmonary artery EC, grown to confluence overlying gold microelectrodes, were treated with ATP (1-100 μM) or vehicle and transendothelial electrical resistance (TER) measured (n = 3). EC were also grown to ˜ 50% confluence and treated with ATP (10 μM, 1-20 min) and the p21 (Rac) binding domain of PAK1 fused to GST used to precipitate activated Rac GTP complexes followed by Western blotting for Rac and quantification by densitometry. Finally, EC were transfected with Rac siRNA and TER again measured in response to ATP (10 μM). ATP induced rapid, dose-dependent barrier enhancement (TER) with a maximal effect appreciable at 30 min (˜ 38% increase, 10 μM), persisting at 2 h. ATP-treated EC (10 μM) demonstrated a significant increase in Rac activation relative to control with a maximal effect (˜ 4-fold increase) at 10 min (n = 3, p
Industrialized Farming and Its Relationship to Community Well-Being

Social scientists have a long history of scholarly and public policy concern with the effects of industrialized farming on communities. This article is a summary of recent scholarship on the topic. It evaluates a pool of 56 studies, which documents the research designs employed, evaluates results as to whether or not detrimental consequences were found, and delineates the aspects of community life that may be affected by industrialized farming. Of these studies, 57% found largely detrimental impacts, 25% found some detrimental impacts, and 18% found no detrimental impacts. Adverse impacts were found across an array of indicators measuring socioeconomic conditions, community social fabric, and environmental conditions. These impacts exist across time and regions of the country. The results of this article demonstrate that public concern about the community impacts of industrialized farms is warranted.
Application of the extended KALMAN filter to the parameters estimation in the vector control of the BDFIG

This paper discusses a problem of parameters variation in the control strategy of an instantaneous power with oriented flux applied to the brushless doubly fed induction generators (BDFIG) for power generation. The aim of BDFIG control is to achieve dynamic performances similar to the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG). The objective is to apply a robust control to independently control active and reactive power generated by the BDFIG decoupled by the orientation of flux without parameters variation impact. For this, we use an online estimation with a new extended KALMAN filter only for the preponderant parameters. Simulation results confirm the feasibility and superb performance of the proposed strategy.
Influence of interpersonal traits on patient outcomes in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) measure health states in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and have become the dominant metrics of treatment outcomes. Interpersonal traits (IPTs) are patient-specific factors that include personality type, perceived social support, and trust in physicians. The association of IPTs on treatment outcomes among patients with CRS has not been described previously, and IPTs may represent major clinical factors influencing treatment outcomes. Methods Adult patients electing medical or surgical treatment for recalcitrant CRS were prospectively enrolled into a multi-institutional, observational outcomes study. Validated measures of IPTs, including the Big Five Inventory-10 Short Version (BFI-10), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Trust in Physician Scale (TPS), were completed and compared with PROMs, which included the 22-item SinoNasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-6D (SF-6D), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). Results Three hundred fifty-four participants were included and followed for an average (± standard deviation) of 16.3 (±4.8) months. Significant within-subject improvement in mean PROM scores was reported (all p 0.050). Significant, but weak, absolute correlations were reported between baseline TPS scores and improvement in SNOT-22, SF-6D, and PHQ-2 total scores (p < 0.050; r ≤ 0.138). Conclusion Personality type and perceived social support do not associate with improvement after treatment for CRS. However, increased trust in physicians is weakly associated with greater posttreatment improvement. Further study is needed to examine the relationship between physician trust, patient satisfaction, and treatment outcomes among patients with CRS.
Input-output uncertainty comparisons for optimization via simulation

When an optimization via simulation (OvS) procedure designed for known input distributions is applied to a problem with input uncertainty (IU), it typically does not provide the target statistical guarantee. In this paper, we focus on a discrete OvS problem where all systems share the same input distribution estimated from the common input data (CID). We define the CID effect as the joint impact of IU on the outputs of the systems caused by common input distributions. Our input-output uncertainty comparison (IOU-C) procedure leverages the CID effect to provide the joint confidence intervals (CIs) for the difference between each system's mean performance and the best of the rest incorporating both input and output uncertainty. Under mild conditions, IOU comparisons provide the target statistical guarantee as the input sample size and the simulation effort increase.
Finding proxy users at the service using anomaly detection

Compromised machines or handsets can be used by attackers as stepping stones for accessing sensitive or protected information. We propose a class of detection methods based on anomaly detection at the service and present two lightweight methods of detecting proxies at the service: one for TCP and one for the application layer. These methods can potentially be deployed to monitor connections in real time so attackers may be stopped before accessing sensitive data. We evaluate these methods on local and wide area networks, with different proxy applications, and under different load conditions to show that the proposed techniques can provide high detection rates at low false positive rates. Our techniques are effective even when the client to proxy connections are out of scope of surveillance and resilient to attacks even during training.
Performance Benchmarks for Screening Breast MR Imaging in Community Practice

Overall, screening MR imaging in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium meets Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System benchmarks for most performance measures and approaches benchmark levels for the remaining measures.
Variation in Pediatric Organ Donor Management Practices Among US Organ Procurement Organizations

Introduction:Reports of actual pediatric organ donor management practice among US organ procurement organizations are sparse, and the use of standardized management guidelines is unknown. A recent ...
Synthesis and thermal stability of homogeneous nanostructured Fe3C (cementite)

Mechanical alloying (MA) of blended elemental Fe and C powder mixtures corresponding to the stoichiometric composition of Fe3C (cementite) was carried out in a high-energy SPEX 8000 shaker mill. The phase evolution and thermal stability of the phases produced were determined. A supersaturated solid solution of C in Fe (α-Fe) formed in the early stages of milling. The solid solubility increased on continued milling and reached the maximum value of about 0.6 wt% C on milling the powders for 10 h. The Fe3C (cementite) phase started to form on milling the powders for 15 h and a homogeneous Fe3C phase formed on milling the powders for 30 h. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) of the milled powders at 600 °C and 70 MPa for 15 min led to the formation of homogeneous nanocrystalline bulk Fe3C with a very high hardness value of over 900 HV. Annealing of this sample at 900 °C for 1 h resulted in the decomposition of Fe3C to form a mixture of α-Fe and Fe3C and a reduced hardness value. The results confirm that MA of pure Fe and C powders, followed by SPS, can be successfully utilized to synthesize nanocrystalline bulk Fe3C with good mechanical properties and good thermal stability.
Importance of curvature evaluation scale for predictive simulations of dynamic gas-liquid interfaces

Abstract The effect of the scale used to compute the interfacial curvature on the prediction of dynamic gas–liquid interfaces is investigated. A new interface curvature calculation methodology referred to herein as the Adjustable Curvature Evaluation Scale (ACES) is proposed. ACES leverages a weighted least squares regression to fit a polynomial through points computed on the volume-of-fluid representation of the gas–liquid interface. The interface curvature is evaluated from this polynomial. Varying the least squares weight with distance from the location where the curvature is being computed, adjusts the scale the curvature is evaluated on. ACES is verified using canonical static test cases and compared against second- and fourth-order height function methods. Simulations of dynamic interfaces, including a standing wave and oscillating droplet, are performed to assess the impact of the curvature evaluation scale for predicting interface motions. ACES and the height function methods are combined with two different unsplit geometric volume-of-fluid (VoF) schemes that define the interface on meshes with different levels of refinement. We find that the results depend significantly on curvature evaluation scale. Particularly, the ACES scheme with a properly chosen weight function is accurate, but fails when the scale is too small or large. Surprisingly, the second-order height function method is more accurate than the fourth-order variant for the dynamic tests even though the fourth-order method performs better for static interfaces. Comparing the curvature evaluation scale of the second- and fourth-order height function methods, we find the second-order method is closer to the optimum scale identified with ACES. This result suggests that the curvature scale is driving the accuracy of the dynamics. This work highlights the importance of studying numerical methods with realistic (dynamic) test cases and that the interactions of the various discretizations is as important as the accuracy of one part of the discretization.
Reproductive Competition and Sexual Selection in Horseshoe Crabs

The four species of horseshoe crabs share many similarities but differ in the intensity of reproductive competition. Although all horseshoe crabs nest synchronously, only Limulus polyphemus, the American horseshoe crab, has intense male–male competition (high operational sex ratios and multi-male groups around nesting pairs) and very high female nesting densities. These differences in reproductive competition are reflected in differences between American and Asian species (Tachypleus gigas, T. tridentatus, or Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) in their reproductive structures and in egg and sperm size. However, the American and Asian species do not differ in the degree of sexual dimorphism in body size. The intensity of reproductive competition is correlated with nesting density in L. polyphemus, but this is not the case in the Asian species, which rarely have multi-male groups or highly male-biased operational sex ratios.
Comment on Long and Plosser meet Bewley and Lucas

Abstract Feng Dong and Yi Wen introduce money into the Long and Plosser multi-sector real business cycle model. Money exists as a liquid asset that allows households to respond to idiosyncratic preference shocks. Despite the resulting heterogeneity in consumption, a constant marginal utility of leisure implies that households eliminated differences in their wealth each period. I argue that this framework implies excessive consumption volatility at the household level.
Genetic mapping of soybean aphid biotype 3 and 4 resistance in PI 606390A

The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) is a pest of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in many soybean-growing countries of the world, mainly in Asia and North America. While numerous aphid-resistance loci have been mapped, new and virulent aphid biotypes continue to be identified. PI 606390A confers resistance to all four characterized soybean aphid biotypes. The objectives of this study were to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers closely linked to the loci conferring resistance to soybean aphid biotypes 3 and 4. One hundred and eight F6:7 families from a cross between the susceptible experimental line HR09-018 and the resistant PI 606390A plus the two parental lines were screened with aphid biotypes 3 and 4 using greenhouse choice tests. Broad-sense heritability estimates ranged from 0.69 to 0.91. Correlation between biotype 3 and biotype 4 resistance was also moderate (45–55%). A total of 1847 SNP markers were mapped to 22 linkage groups, and loci for resistance to both aphid biotypes were mapped to a 14 cM region on chromosome 18 using composite interval mapping. The locus explained between 26 and 40% of the phenotypic variation suggests the presence of a major locus and additional unidentified minor quantitative trait loci (QTL). A new symbol qRag-G is proposed to designate this new locus that will be useful for the development of durable aphid-resistant soybean cultivars.
Rethinking Conceptually-Based Inference: Commentary on "Fifteen-month-old infants attend to shape over other perceptual properties in an induction task," by S. Graham and G. Diesendruck, and "Form follows function: Learning about function helps children learn about shape," by E. Ware & A. Booth.

The question of what representations underlie young children’s categorizations and early word learning has an extensive history. Answers have been shaped by several longstanding debates, including the conceptual/perceptual debate raised by Graham and Diesendruck (G&D) in their article in this issue. Their contribution to this debate is an experiment examining 15-month-old infants’ attention to shape, color and texture in an inductive inference task. Infants were presented with a novel object that possessed a nonobvious property demonstrated by acting on the object (e.g., the object squeaked when squeezed). They were then presented test objects that matched the exemplar in shape, color or texture and their attempts to produce the demonstrated properties observed. G&D found that infants performed the demonstrated actions most often with the shape-matching test objects. Furthermore, the number of actions infants performed was significantly related to the intercorrelated variables of vocabulary size, number of count nouns known, and age.The data presented by G&D make an important contribution to our understanding of infants’ performance in inductive inference tasks. In particular, no previous studies have examined infants’ differential attention to particular dimensions in these tasks, or related performance to vocabulary development. However, we disagree regarding the nature and implications of this contribution. We believe that this disagreement, to a large extent, stems from a more fundamental disagreement regarding the conceptual/perceptual debate. We first present our take on that debate. Briefly, we believe it is not so easy to separate perceptual and conceptual bases for children’s categorizations. Rather, we argue for a process-based account of categorization grounded in developmental accounts of perception, action, learning, attention and memory. We then illustrate how our take leads to a different interpretation of G&D’s data and thus a different conclusion regarding its implications.
Metal-organic framework functionalization and design strategies for advanced electrochemical energy storage devices

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous materials with unprecedented chemical and structural tunability. Their synthetic versatility, long-range order, and rich host–guest chemistry make MOFs ideal platforms for identifying design features for advanced functional materials. This review addresses synthetic approaches to control MOF attributes for realizing material properties such as charge conductivity, stability, surface area, and flexibility. Along with an updated account on MOFs employed in batteries and supercapacitors, new directions are outlined for advancing MOF research in emergent technologies such as solid-state electrolytes and battery operation in extreme environments. Synthetic tenability of metal organic frameworks renders them versatile platform for next-generation energy storage technologies. Here the authors provide an overview of selected MOF attributes for applications in solid-state electrolytes and battery operation in extreme environments.
Comprehension Scores Among Young Neurotypical Children and Children With Autism: Paper and iPad® Storybooks:

This initial study used an equivalent-groups design to evaluate differences in story comprehension scores between children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their neurotypical (NT) peers usin...
Colorblind along the color line: Racialized fractals, recursive oppositions, and control of meaning in developmental spaces

Abstract This paper explores how the dominant ideology of colorblindness is enacted across discourse events among youth in a community center in Vermont. Through critical discourse analysis of interactions among students and staff, we draw on the notion of fractal recursivity, uncovering a multiplicity of racialized oppositions that ideologically separate White and Color, all while relegating on-record racetalk to the verboten. The control of racialized meaning through insistence upon colorblindness reproduces the current racial order, elevating Whiteness and subordinating non-White groups. Ultimately, colorblindness benefits only Whiteness, in attempts to obscure the symbolic and material primacy it is afforded in US society.
Probing the Stability of Proline Cis/Trans Isomers in the Gas Phase with Ultraviolet Photodissociation

Although most peptide bonds in proteins exist in the trans configuration, when cis peptide bonds do occur, they can have major impact on protein structure and function. The rapid identification of cis peptide bonds is therefore an important task. Peptide bonds containing proline are more likely to adopt the cis configuration because the ring connecting the side chain and backbone in proline flattens the energetic landscape relative to amino acids with free side chains. Examples of cis proline isomers have been identified in both solution and in the gas phase by a variety of structure-probing methods. Mass spectrometry is an attractive potential method for identifying cis proline due to its speed and sensitivity; however, the question remains of whether cis/trans proline isomers originating in solution are preserved during ionization and manipulation within a mass spectrometer. Herein, we investigate the gas-phase stability of isolated solution-phase cis and trans proline isomers using a synthetic peptide sequence with a Tyr-Pro-Pro motif. A variety of dissociation methods were explored to evaluate their potential to distinguish cis/trans configuration, including collision-induced dissociation, radical-directed dissociation, and photodissociation. Only photodissociation employed in conjunction with extremely gentle electrospray and charge solvation by 18-crown-6 ether was able to distinguish cis/trans isomers for our model peptide, suggesting that any thermal activation during transfer or while in the gas phase leads to isomer scrambling. Furthermore, the necessity for 18-crown-6 suggests that intramolecular charge solvation taking place during electrospray ionization can override cis/trans isomer homogeneity. Overall, the results suggest that solution-phase cis/trans proline isomers are fragile and easily lost during electrospray, requiring careful selection of instrument parameters and consideration of charge solvation to prevent cis/trans scrambling.
Performance of Multiparametric MRI of the Prostate in Biopsy Naïve Men: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies.

Abstract Objective To assess the outcomes through systematic review and metanalysis of Multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) of the prostate in biopsy naive men. Methods Systemic review and meta-analysis was performed to assess the performance of mpMRI on PCa detection at the time of biopsy. We used standard methods for performing a meta-analysis evaluating a diagnostic test and reported the pooled sensitivity and specificity, and the positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR) for mpMRI in the detection of any and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). Results A total of 10 studies comprising 2486 patients were analyzed. Overall, if biopsies would have been performed only in men with an mpMRI suspicious for malignancy between 7.4 - 58.5% of the biopsies could have been avoided, but 2.3-36% of any PCa and 0-30.8% of csPCa would have been missed. The sensitivity, specificity, positive LR and negative LR of mpMRI for any PCa detection were 0.86 (95% CI, 0.78–0.91), 0.67 (95% CI, 0.40–0.86), 2.6 (95% CI, 1.2–5.5) and 0.2 (95% CI, 0.12–0.32), respectively. The AUC for any PCa detection was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.75-0.90). The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive LR and negative LR of mpMRI for csPCa detection was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.83–0.98), 0.54 (95% CI, 0.42–0.65), 2 (95% CI, 1.5–2.7), and 0.1 (95% CI, 0.02–0.35), respectively. The AUC for csPCa detection was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.65-1). Conclusions This study provides summary estimates indicating that mpMRI can accurately detect prostate cancer and help avoid unnecessary biopsies in this population