cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Control alternatives for flotation columns

Abstract The optimisation of flotation column operation relies mostly on the identification of the key variables to be controlled, how accurately they can be measured and how coordinately they can be dynamically influenced. Even though substantial efforts have been made during the last years, there is still a lack of process knowledge, which partially inhibits further improvement. In this work some advances in solving measurement problems of operating variables, in obtaining and using multivariable dynamic models, and the experience of testing different control strategies and control algorithms on flotation columns, are discussed.
Wavelength monitoring of single-mode diode laser using guided-wave interferometer

A new technique for continuous monitoring of the output wavelength of single-mode diode lasers is reported. In this approach, a small portion of laser output is coupled into a all-single-mode fiber interferometer. Observation of interferometer outputs can be directly and uniquely related to the output wavelength and its temporal variation. In preliminary results we could trace the behavior of the output wavelength as a function of temperature with an accuracy of about 5 A.
Why empirically supported psychological treatments are important.

The emergence of managed care and similar reimbursement systems that require greater accountability and the development of clinical practice guidelines have increased the importance of evidence-based clinical practice. As a result of these two trends, it appears as though the future of psychotherapy will require clinicians to deliver a psychological intervention that is supported by research. Such treatments exist for a variety of the most common presenting problems (e.g., anxiety disorders, depression) but to date have frequently gone unrecognized and underutilized. The current article will discuss the importance of identifying, promoting, and disseminating empirically supported therapies with an emphasis on the efforts of the American Psychological Association Society of Clinical Psychology's Committee on Science and Practice.
Azithromycin alters macrophage phenotype

Methods: J774 cells were cultured in the presence of azithromycin and stimulated with classical activation [interferon-g (IFNg)] and alternative activation [interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13] cytokines along with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Macrophages were analysed for inflammatory cytokine production, surface receptor expression, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression and arginase activity. Results: Azithromycin altered the overall macrophage phenotype. Azithromycin-treated J774 macrophages demonstrated a significantly reduced production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-12 and IL-6, increased production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and decreased the ratio of IL-12 to IL-10 by 60%. Receptor expression indicative of the M2 phenotype (mannose receptor and CD23) was increased, and receptor expression typically up-regulated in M1 cells (CCR7) was inhibited. The presence of azithromycin increased arginase (M2 effector molecule) activity 10-fold in cells stimulated with IFNg and LPS, and iNOS protein (M1 effector molecule) concentrations were attenuated by the drug. Conclusions: These data provide evidence that azithromycin affects the inflammatory process at the level of the macrophage and shifts macrophage polarization towards the alternatively activated phenotype. This recently defined M2 phenotype has been described in conditions in which pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis are major determinants of clinical outcome, but the concept of antibiotics altering macrophage phenotype has not yet been critically evaluated.
Robust CUSUM charts for monitoring the process mean and variance

This paper considers the problem of obtaining robust control charts for detecting changes in the mean µ and standard deviation σ of process observations that have a continuous distribution. The standard control charts for monitoring µ and σ are based on the assumption that the process distribution is normal. However, the process distribution may not be normal in many situations, and using these control charts can lead to very misleading conclusions. Although some control charts for µ can be tuned to be robust to non-normal distributions, the most critical problem with non-robustness is with the control chart for σ. This paper investigates the performance of two CUSUM chart combinations that can be made to be robust to non-normality. One combination consists of the standard CUSUM chart for µ and a CUSUM chart of absolute deviations from target for σ, where these CUSUM charts are tuned to detect relatively small parameter shifts. The other combination is based on using winsorized observations in the standard CUSUM chart for µ and a CUSUM chart of squared deviations from target for σ. Guidance is given for selecting the design parameters and control limits of these robust CUSUM chart combinations. When the observations are actually normal, using one of these robust CUSUM chart combination will result in some reduction in the ability to detect moderate and large changes in µ and σ, compared with using a CUSUM chart combination that is designed specifically for the normal distribution. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Using Geographic Information Systems and Decision Support Systems for the Prediction, Prevention, and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases

Emerging and resurging vector-borne diseases cause significant morbidity and mortality, especially in the developing world. We focus on how advances in mapping, Geographic Information System, and Decision Support System technologies, and progress in spatial and space-time modeling, can be harnessed to prevent and control these diseases. Major themes, which are addressed using examples from tick-borne Lyme borreliosis; flea-borne plague; and mosquito-borne dengue, malaria, and West Nile virus disease, include (a) selection of spatial and space-time modeling techniques, (b) importance of using high-quality and biologically or epidemiologically relevant data, (c) incorporation of new technologies into operational vector and disease control programs, (d) transfer of map-based information to stakeholders, and (e) adaptation of technology solutions for use in resource-poor environments. We see great potential for the use of new technologies and approaches to more effectively target limited surveillance, prevent...
Vessel extraction in medical images by 3D wave propagation and traceback

This paper presents an approach for the extraction of vasculature from a volume of Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) images by using a 3D wave propagation and traceback mechanism. We discuss both the theory and the implementation of the approach. Using a dual-sigmoidal filter, we label each voxel in the MRA volume with the likelihood that it is within a vessel. Representing the reciprocal of this likelihood image as an array of refractive indices, we propagate a digital wave through the volume from the base of the vascular tree. This wave 'washes' over the vasculature and extracts the vascular tree, ignoring local noise perturbations. While the approach is inherently SIMD we present an efficient sequential algorithm for the wave propagation, and discuss the traceback algorithm. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our integer image neighborhood-based algorithm and its robustness to image noise.
Trusted paths for browsers

Computer security protocols usually terminate in a computer; however, the human-based services which they support usually terminate in a human. The gap between the human and the computer creates potential for security problems. We examine this gap, as it is manifested in secure Web servers. Felten et al. demonstrated the potential, in 1996, for malicious servers to impersonate honest servers. In this paper, we show how malicious servers can still do this---and can also forge the existence of an SSL session and the contents of the alleged server certificate. We then consider how to systematically defend against Web spoofing, by creating a trusted path from the browser to the human user. We present potential designs, propose a new one, prototype it in open-source Mozilla, and demonstrate its effectiveness via user studies.
Androgen regulation of gene expression in human meibomian gland and conjunctival epithelial cells

Purpose: Androgens exert a significant influence on the structure, function and/or pathophysiology of the meibomian gland and conjunctiva. We sought to determine whether this hormone action involves the regulation of epithelial cell gene expression in these tissues. Methods: Immortalized human meibomian gland and conjunctival epithelial cells were treated with placebo or dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and processed for molecular biologic procedures. Gene expression was evaluated with BeadChips and data were analyzed with bioinformatic and statistical software. Results: Androgen treatment significantly influenced the expression of approximately 3,000 genes in immortalized human meibomian gland and conjunctival epithelial cells. The nature of DHT action on gene activity was predominantly cellspecific. Similarly, DHT exerted a significant, but primarily cell-specific, influence on many gene ontologies and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. These included groups of genes related, for example, to lipid dynamics, innate immunity, cell cycle, Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (stat) cascades, oxidative phosphorylation, the proteasome, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), Wnt, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling. Conclusions: Our findings support our hypothesis that androgens regulate gene expression in human meibomian gland and conjunctival epithelial cells. Our ongoing studies are designed to determine whether many of these genes are translated and play a role in the health and well being of the eye.
Hedge Funds and the Financial Crisis

The performance of hedge funds during the financial crisis suggests that wide-ranging financial regulation is not always necessary to advance investor protection and financial stability. While 2008 was a year of record hedge fund losses and investor withdrawals that came about in part because many hedge fund managers failed to adequately respond to the financial crisis, the hedge fund industry significantly outperformed the heavily regulated mutual fund sector and, unlike the banking industry, was never in jeopardy of collapsing. Hedge funds did not cause or meaningfully exacerbate the financial crisis and in fact have reduced its impact and are helping the economy to recover.
Multi-arm polymeric nanocarrier as a nitric oxide delivery platform for chemotherapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract Nitric oxide is a cell signaling molecule that can be a potent inducer of cell death in cancers at elevated concentrations. However, NO is also toxic to normal tissues and chronic exposure at low levels can induce tumor growth. We have designed a polymeric carrier system to deliver nitric oxide locoregionally to tumorigenic tissues at micromolar concentrations. A highly water solubility and biodegradable multi-arm polymer nanocarrier, sugar poly-(6- O -methacryloyl- d -galactose), was synthesized using MADIX/RAFT polymerization, and utilized to deliver high concentrations of nitric oxide to xenografts of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The in vitro release of the newly synthesized nitric oxide donor, O 2 -(2,4-dinitrophenyl) 1-[4-(2-hydroxy)ethyl]-3-methylpiperazin-1-yl]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate and its corresponding multi-arm polymer-based nanoconjugate demonstrated a 1- and 2.3-fold increase in half-life, respectively, compared to the release half-life of the nitric oxide-donor prodrug JS-K. When administered to tumor-bearing nude mice, the subcutaneously injected multi-arm polymer nitric oxide nanoparticles resulted in 50% tumor inhibition and a 7-week extension of the average survival time, compared to intravenous JS-K therapy. In summary, we have developed an effective nitric oxide anti-cancer chemotherapy that could be administered regionally to provide the local disease control, improving prognosis for head and neck cancers.
Productivity and the Dollar/Euro Real Exchange Rate Over the 1985-2007 Period

This paper examines the evidence for a productivity- based model of the dollar/euro real exchange rate for the period 1985-2007. Cointegrating relationships between the real exchange rate and productivity, real price of oil and government spending are estimated using the Johansen and StockWatson procedures. The findings show that each percentage point in the U.S.-Euro area productivity differential results in a three and one-half percentage point real change in the dollar/euro valuation. This finding is robust to the estimation methodology, the variables included in the regression, and the sample period. I conjecture that productivity-based models cannot explain the observed patterns with the standard set of assumptions and describe cases in which the models can be reconciled with the observed data.
Musculoskeletal Conditions Related to Pelvic Floor Muscle Overactivity

Musculoskeletal conditions can be related to, or be a causative and/or perpetuating factor in chronic pelvic pain conditions related to overactive pelvic floor muscles. Men and women suffering from chronic pelvic pain due to overactive pelvic floor muscles should be screened and evaluated by their practitioners for these often concurrent musculoskeletal conditions of the spine, pelvis, and hips. This chapter comprehensively reviews musculoskeletal problems that affect the lower kinetic chain which can cause or be a result of overactive pelvic floor muscles. It reviews the structure and function of the pelvic girdle including load transfer and motor control, pubic symphysis disorders, hip disorders, pelvic obliquity, sacroiliac joint disorders, coccydynia, poor posture, psoas/anterior pelvic pain, piriformis/buttock pain, lumbar spine disorders, abdominal wall pain, pudendal neuralgia, and persistent genital arousal disorder. In examining patients with complaints of chronic pelvic pain, a comprehensive orthopedic and pelvic floor muscle examination is crucial to fully understanding the best treatment options and approaches.
THE EFFECT OF PERCEIVED UNFAIRNESS AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ON WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR

The purpose of this research is to investigate how interactional justice, equity sensitivity, leader member exchange, workplace envy and workplace frustration influence workplace deviant behavior and turnover intentions. The survey was distributed to American hotels and Taiwanese hotels. The results show that interactional justice, equity sensitivity, leader member exchange, workplace envy and workplace frustration can predict workplace deviant behavior and turnover intention. The contribution is that management could development good interpersonal relationship and create healthy working environments for employees.
Continuation Study of the Response of Subterranean Termites (Coptotermes formosanus )to Organosilane Treated Wood Wafers (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

A standard laboratory termite test was conducted in May of 2012 using termites from a single colony of Coptotermes formosanus (Shiraki) gathered in South Central Mississippi. Testing was performed adhering to procedures outlined in the AWPA E1-09 Standard termite test. Wood wafers used in the test were treated with an organosilane compound that has been shown to cause color changes and erratic behavior in native termite species ( Johnson & others 2011). Significant results were obtained on the weight loss of treated wafers as well as termite mortality. Observations of worker termites exposed to treated wood wafers during testing did not reveal any abnormal termite activity, and no significant post mortem observations were made, as were made with Reticulitermes sp. It is hypothesized that the pathogenic response of the gut bacteria Serratia marcescens (Bizio) in Reticulitermes sp.to the organosilane compound was not observed in C. formosanus due to a higher resistance to immuno threats.
Assessing the Global Demand for Preventive AIDS Vaccines

A framework was built to conceptualize the key determinants of global demand for future AIDS vaccines drawing on a comprehensive literature review which identified previous academic and industrial approaches to this type of research. Eighty expert stakeholders from the public and private sectors, international organizations, and the HIV/AIDS community were interviewed using a judgmental decomposition method to ascertain how the key determinants of demand including vaccine and epidemic characteristics, political will, healthcare system capacity, funding availability and vaccination strategy would likely affect demand. This information was synthesized and combined with published data to classify countries and categorize their likely adoption and implementation behavior. This was done using multivariate cluster analyses of time series data (including GNI/capita, HIV/AIDS prevalence, Hepatitis B vaccine uptake, API score and ART uptake). All of this information was then incorporated into a discrete, deterministic, linear predictive demand model based on stratified population averages with a 30-year time horizon to illustrate scenarios of future demand. This demand scenario model was used to explore the effects of vaccine characteristics, and how a variety of assumptions about regulatory, political, financial and infrastructural factors would affect future demand. The results indicated that demand for a preventive AIDS vaccine with a medium efficacy (50%) and a 3 year duration of protection may average 68 million courses annually over a 30-year period. Demand might peak between 38 - 152 million courses annually depending on the vaccine characteristics: (Efficacy: 30-90%; Duration: 3-5yrs). On the basis of global tiered pricing across public and private markets ($2 - $100 per dose), these levels of peak demand could translate into up to $2.5 - $5.5 billion in peak annual sales revenues. Vaccination programs to 'catch-up' those who are missed or not eligible for routine annual (adolescent or high risk population) programs account for roughly 20-35% of cumulative vaccination courses across all scenarios. Demand was highly sensitive to low efficacy, low duration of protection and high prices, as well as to changes in coverage rates. Efforts to expedite regulatory processes, improve infrastructure and remove political constraints could increase demand and access to an AIDS vaccine by 40 million additional people each year over 30 years, as compared to the medium efficacy vaccine forecast. While this analysis depends upon a number of assumptions and limited availability of data, the demand scenario tool can be used by decision makers to guide immediate and longer term strategic action to improve regulatory systems, healthcare capacity/infrastructure, political will, and funding to ensure that access to a future safe and effective preventive AIDS vaccine is maximized, as and when one becomes available.
Incorporating A Structured Writing Process into Existing CLS Curricula.

Good communication and critical thinking are essential skills for all successful professionals, including Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Laboratory Science (CLS/MLS) practitioners. Professional programs can incorporate writing assignments into their curricula to improve student written communication and critical thinking skills. Clearly defined, scenario-focused writing assignments provide student practice in clearly articulating responses to proposed problems or situations, researching and utilizing informational resources, and applying and synthesizing relevant information. Assessment rubrics, structured feedback, and revision writing methodologies help guide students through the writing process. This article describes how a CLS Program in a public academic medical center, located in the central United States (US) serving five centrally-located US states has incorporated writing intensive assignments into an existing 11-month academic year using formal, informal and reflective writing to improve student written communication and critical thinking skills. Faculty members and employers of graduates assert that incorporating writing intensive requirements have better prepared students for their professional role to effectively communicate and think critically. ABBREVIATIONS:APA - American Psychological Association, ASCLS - American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, ASCP - American Society for Clinical Pathology, CLS - Clinical Laboratory Science, CLS/MT - Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology, CLS Program A - CLS Program in a public academic medical center, located in the central United States (US) serving five centrally located US states, CLSI - Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute, CT - critical thinking, MLA - Modern Language Association, MLS - Medical Laboratory Science, NAACLS - National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, US - United States, University B - centrally located US public university, WI - writing intensive
Computed tomography of the abdomen in the critically ill.

This article discusses the utility of CT in evaluating the abdomen in the critically ill patient with respect to indications and outcome. A brief comparison with ultrasonography is made in the evaluation of certain discussed processes. The authors believe that the potential benefit of CT should outweigh the risks of transporting the unstable patient and the relatively high cost.
Metabolic reprogramming during neuronal differentiation from aerobic glycolysis to neuronal oxidative phosphorylation

Structures called mitochondria act like the batteries of cells, and use several different metabolic processes to release energy. For example, neurons rely on a metabolic process called oxidative phosphorylation, while neural progenitor cells (which develop, or differentiate, into neurons) use a process called aerobic glycolysis instead. Little is known about why neurons prefer to use oxidative phosphorylation to provide them with energy, and it is also not clear why problems that affect this process are often seen in neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Zheng, Boyer et al. have now used human neural progenitor cells to explore the metabolic changes that occur as these cells develop into neurons. It appears that the loss of two metabolic enzymes, called hexokinase and lactate dehydrogenase, marks the transition from aerobic glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation. In addition, the instructions to produce an enzyme called pyruvate kinase are altered or “alternatively spliced” when progenitor cells differentiate, which in turn changes the structure of the enzyme. The levels of the proteins that activate and regulate the production of these three metabolic enzymes also decrease dramatically during this transition. Further experiments showed that neurons that produce hexokinase and lactate dehydrogenase while they differentiate die, which means that neurons must shut off aerobic glycolysis in order to survive. The amounts of two proteins that regulate metabolism (called PGC-1α and ERRγ) increase significantly when a neuron differentiates. This sustains a constant level of activity for several metabolic and mitochondrial genes as neural progenitor cells differentiate to form neurons. Zheng, Boyer et al. also found that neurons build more mitochondria as they grow; this suggests that an unknown mechanism exists that links the creation of mitochondria to the size of the neuron. Zheng, Boyer et al. have mainly focused on how much of each metabolic enzyme is produced inside cells, but these levels may not completely reflect the actual level of enzyme activity. The next steps are therefore to investigate whether any other processes or modifications play a part in regulating the enzymes. Further investigation is also needed to determine the effects of changes in mitochondrial structure that occur as a neuron develops from a neural progenitor cell.
Secondary Analysis of Archival Data

Mr. Anthony Huaqui conducted a secondary analysis of archival data in Sociology. Sociologists attempt to understand human social behaviors through the lens of social groups (The Sociology Writing Group, 2008). Edwards (2012) notes that sociologists may start inquiring about an individual’s behavior but then “go bigger”, questioning how small groups or larger organizations and social structures shape that behavior.
An Optimization Approach to Balancing Risk and Cost in Combatant Command Capability Advocacy

Unified Combatant Commands (UCCs) have broad continuing missions around the globe where they are tasked to provide functional expertise and defense of geographical areas. Accomplishing these missions requires a robust portfolio of military capabilities (e.g., aircraft, spacecraft, command and control systems, radar systems). UCCs routinely perform analyses to identify gaps between capabilities required to accomplish their mission and those currently at their disposal. Each year they submit a prioritized list of required capabilities, including new systems and greater capacity with existing systems, to the Joint Staff in the costly and time-consuming Integrated Priority List (IPL) process. This process relies on operational art and subject matter expertise, and sometimes fails to identify acquisition opportunities that achieve an optimal balance between risk and cost. Because this IPL process affects all of the DOD’s personnel, material, systems and missions, it is arguably the most significant analytic challenge faced by the United States military. This article presents an integer linear programming model that computes an optimal balance between operational risk and the cost of acquiring new capabilities, and allows decision makers to identify the real-world impact of their budgetary decisions. We apply this model to the mission of providing aerospace defense of the United States and illustrate through sensitivity analysis the meaningful insights that can be gained by studying the relationship between the risk of not achieving 100 percent radar coverage and the opportunity cost of advocating for new capabilities.
Cerebellar Infarcts and Cognitive Deficits

Twenty-four young adults with infratentorial infarcts were evaluated by MRI and angiography and assessed by neuropsychological tests, acutely and at 4 and 12 months after the stroke, in a prospective study at the University of Umea, Sweden.
Climate variability, animal reservoir and transmission of scrub typhus in Southern China.

Objectives We aimed to evaluate the relationships between climate variability, animal reservoirs and scrub typhus incidence in Southern China. Methods We obtained data on scrub typhus cases in Guangzhou every month from 2006 to 2014 from the Chinese communicable disease network. Time-series Poisson regression models and distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNM) were used to evaluate the relationship between risk factors and scrub typhus. Results Wavelet analysis found the incidence of scrub typhus cycled with a period of approximately 8–12 months and long-term trends with a period of approximately 24–36 months. The DLNM model shows that relative humidity, rainfall, DTR, MEI and rodent density were associated with the incidence of scrub typhus. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the incidence scrub typhus has two main temporal cycles. Determining the reason for this trend and how it can be used for disease control and prevention requires additional research. The transmission of scrub typhus is highly dependent on climate factors and rodent density, both of which should be considered in prevention and control strategies for scrub typhus.
Distributed adaptive control of networked multiagent systems with heterogeneous actuator dynamics

Distributed adaptive control is a powerful framework to preserve stability of networked multiagent systems in the presence of uncertainties resulting from, for example, modeling errors, unknown control effectiveness, and perturbed information exchange. However, considering multiagent systems that consist of agents with heterogeneous actuator capabilities, implementation of distributed adaptive control approaches is not a trivial task. This is due to the fact that each agent in this case cannot identically execute given local control laws and this can lead to a poor networked multiagent system performance or even overall instability. To make the first attempt to this challenging problem, we consider a class of uncertain networked multiagent systems with single integrator dynamics in the context of a leader-follower problem and propose a novel distributed adaptive control design procedure for guaranteeing overall stability in the presence of agents having different actuator bandwidths. Specifically, a distributed adaptive control architecture is implemented for agent uncertainties and a hedging method, which modifies ideal reference models of each agent, is utilized to allow for correct adaptation that does not get affected due to the presence of actuator bandwidths. We then analyze the stability of the networked multiagent system and compute the actuator bandwidth limits of each agent using tools from Lyapunov stability and linear matrix inequalities.
Robust Linear Regression via $\ell_0$ Regularization

Linear regression in the presence of outliers is an important problem and is challenging as the support of outliers is not known beforehand. Many robust estimators solve this problem via explicitly or implicitly assuming that outliers are sparse and result in large observation errors. We propose an algorithm for robust outlier support identification (AROSI) utilizing a novel objective function with $\ell _{0}$ -“norm” regularization which models the sparsity of outliers. The optimization procedure naturally utilizes the large observation error assumption of outliers and directly operates on the $\ell _{0}$ -“norm” and is guaranteed to converge. When only sparse outliers are present (no dense inlier noise), we show that, under certain model and algorithm parameter settings, AROSI can recover the solution exactly. In the case, where both dense inlier noise and sparse outliers are present, we prove that the estimation error is bounded. Extensive empirical comparisons with state-of-the-art methods demonstrate the advantage of the proposed method.
We count what we care about: Advancing a framework for valuing investments in active modes

Abstract Transportation investments are traditionally valued through a “mobility-based” transportation planning paradigm focused on user volume. Common metrics include counts, peak hour level of service, peak hour delay, and travel time – and the attention has been almost exclusively on automobile travel. In recent years, more communities are investing in active modes, and with this influx in investments have come pressure to evaluate their impact(s). Bicycle and pedestrian count programs are increasingly called for as they appear to offer a seemingly straightforward metric for valuing investments in active modes. However, this push towards bicycle and pedestrian count programs has come without a theoretical foundation for the role of count data in the planning process. In this paper, we first assess the validity of count data applied to a range of applications in planning for active modes of transportation. We then reflect on the benefits and limitations of count data in the planning process, focusing on the issues related to prioritizing count data as the primary means by which we value investments in active modes. Finally, we propose a new conceptual framework for planning for active modes, making the case for additional metrics that more accurately reflect the myriad benefits of these modes in the planning process.
Ultrasonography of the Parathyroid Glands

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common condition affecting approximately 100,000 new patients each year in the USA [1]. An apparent increase in the incidence was traced to the wide availability and the use of multichannel analyzers for routine testing. This has resulted in the early detection of subclinical disease since 1970[2]. The technological advancement in multichannel analyzers and the easy availability of biochemical testing have changed the disease presentation of PTHP. The majority of subjects presents well before onset of symptoms or end organ damage. In more than 85 % of these cases, a solitary adenoma is the cause of the problem. Accurate localization of the adenoma enables minimally invasive surgery to be performed, often as an outpatient surgery or with shortened hospitalization and recuperative times [3].
PASSIVE SYSTEMS FOR RURAL AREAS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

ABSTRACT The two major areas of international crisis, food and energy, are most clearly seen together in the perspective of agriculture and rural housing. The rural areas, their natural resources, and their immense potential have been deplorably neglected in developing policies and investments in most developing countries during the last U.N. development decade. Therefore, higher priority should be given to the development of agriculture and rural housing to raise the productivity of the rural sector to solve such major problems as hunger and environmental conditions in rural areas within their limited energy budget. This paper discusses an energy policy for diffusion of passive energy technology to rural areas in developing countries. It also discusses the idea of a social laboratory which would enable designers to design with the people rather than at them with respect to their social structures and local traditions. The study has been done for Iran in this particular case.
Education, individual time preferences, and asymptomatic disease detection

Asymptomatic conditions such as hypertension are generally hard to diagnose, absent routine medical examinations. This is especially problematic in developing countries, where most citizens do not engage in routine examinations due to limited economic resources. We study the roles of education and individual time preferences in asymptomatic disease detection and management. Using discrete choice models on a sample of 4209 hypertensive Indonesian adults surveyed between November 2007 and April 2008, we find that both education and individual time preferences play important roles. However, the effects are different for people in good health than they are for people in bad health. Education does not seem to matter for disease detection when respondents are in good general health, and its effects on disease management vary largely in magnitudes between these groups. In terms of disease detection, more educated respondents have a higher probability of being diagnosed, but only conditional on being in poor general health. Time preferences, on the other hand, matter for respondents in good general health, but the effect is not significant for those in bad health. More impatient respondents that are in good health have a higher probability of being under-diagnosed because they are more likely to forgo routine physicals. The findings point to two distinct channels through which education can affect health, and suggest that different types of policies need to be implemented, in order to reach the entire population. Traditional programs that stimulate education and improve the socio-economic status of individuals in developing countries are helpful, but they do not address the whole problem. Besides its more usual positive effects, education can also negatively affect the health of asymptomatic patients, because it reflects a higher opportunity cost of engaging in preventative health screenings.
FIFTY SHADES OF GREEN: INTERPRETING MAYA JADE PRODUCTION, CIRCULATION, CONSUMPTION, AND VALUE

This work addresses varying interpretations of the production, circulation, and consumption of jades in the Maya area from the Preclassic through the Postclassic periods (600 b.c.–a.d. 1697). Traditionally, exchange of jades has been seen as a dyadic relationship between elites (gifting and tribute). Some have argued for gradations of value in the circulation of jades, which probably circulated in both elite and commoner spheres. More recent research argues that jade blanks were commoditized because they could be standardized. In this article, we evaluate this last claim, concluding there is no evidence for standardization and commodification of jade blanks, and a dearth of jade blanks in archaeological deposits. We critique the expectation that commodities in some nonindustrial economies should be standardized, and make suggestions about what kinds of jade objects, if any, have greatest potential to become commodities in the Maya area.
Documenting Context-Based Quality Assessment of Controlled Vocabularies

Access to e-Government data is challenging due to the heterogeneity and complexity of the public information ecosystem. Controlled Vocabularies (CVs) provide a key to disclosing the potential of Open Government data, by supplying common terms for marking up metadata and data in a consistent and coherent way. However, quality information is needed to help public institutions decide whether to adopt an existing or newly created CV. The paper discusses how to evaluate and document CV quality thus facilitating a comparison of different controlled vocabularies based on contextual information. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is adopted to assess the overall quality and rank of a controlled vocabulary, by integrating various quality dimensions according to the decision maker's needs. A set of e-Government controlled vocabularies that facilitate the semantic interoperability of e-Government data are selected as a testbed, and updated quality values are made available as Linked Data. Multi-step guidelines are also defined promoting and complementing the adoption of W3C recommendations to provide machine-readable quality metadata. This fosters reliability and re-usability by providing consumers with information on the assessment process carried out and the outcomes achieved. We illustrate the application of these guidelines by focusing on provenance and quality documentation.
Digital Storytelling for Heritage across Media

This article presents insights from digital heritage and digital storytelling scholarship and practice to address the question, “How can heritage materials be presented online or through other digi...
Output Dynamic Mode Decomposition: An Extension of Dynamic Mode Decomposition Based on Output Functional Expansions

In this paper we present an extension of Dynamic Mode Deecomposition (DMD) that is based on expansions of the Koopman operator for a nonlinear discrete time system and a corresponding expansion of an output equation. The resulting approach, termed Output Dynamic Mode Decomposition (ODMD), is an alternative to Extended Dynamic Mode Decomposition that does not require a preselected dictionary but uses dictionary like functions that are generated by the an identification procedure.
Fundamental groups of locally connected subsets of the plane

Abstract We show that every homomorphism from the fundamental group of a one-dimensional Peano continuum to the fundamental group of a planar Peano continuum is induced by a continuous map up to conjugation. The set of points at which a planar Peano continuum X is not locally simply connected, which we denote by B ( X ) , is determined solely by the algebraic structure of its fundamental group. Furthermore, we demonstrate how to reconstruct the topological structure of B ( X ) using only the subgroup lattice of its fundamental group.
EBV-CTL expressing an anti CD19 chimeric receptor with costimulatory endodomains can redirect the CTL response towards malignant B cells.

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 5561 CD19 is expressed on most B-cell lineage malignancies but not on other tissue types or normal hematopoietic stem cells. Hence CD19 is a good target for immunotherapy. T lymphocytes genetically modified to express an anti-CD19 chimeric T-cell receptor (cTcR) have only a limited response to tumor cells due to the lack of costimulatory signals on the tumor cells that are required for the full activation of resting T cells. By contrast, Epstein-Barr virus specific cytotoxic T cells (EBV-CTL) are highly active ex vivo and in vivo due to the potent costimulation provided by EBV-infected B cells. We evaluated whether EBV-CTL expressing a CD19 cTcR (cRCD19-EBV-CTL) can be redirected to kill CD19+ leukemia cells, whether they retained dual specificities supplied by the native and the chimeric receptor, and whether the high and sustained activity shown against native EBV+ target cells extended to the CD19+ EBV- targets of the chimeric receptor. We also investigated whether the incorporation of the CD28 and OX40 intracellular costimulatory domains to the chimeric receptor would improve survival signals, enhance antitumor activity and generate memory T cells specific toward the CD19 antigen. EBV-CTL’s were generated from five EBV-seropositive healthy donors using weekly stimulation with irradiated autologous EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) in the presence of hIL-2 (50 U/mL). EBV-CTL were transduced after the 3rd stimulation and were further expanded with 3–4 weekly LCL/IL-2 stimulations. Through their cTcR, transduced EBV-CTL killed CD19+ targets (specific lysis of 25%, E:T ratio 25:1) as well as autologous LCL (specific lysis 30%, E:T ratio 25:1), and produced Th1- and Th2-type cytokines (IFNγ, IL5) in response to CD19+ targets. Although primary T cells expressing the cRCD19 displayed approximately the same killing (22 %, E:T ratio 25:1) and production of cytokines within the first few days of transduction, activity was lost within 5-10 days. In contrast, cRCD19-EBV-CTLs continued to kill CD19+ cells and LCLs even after 30 days in culture, accompanied by cytokine production. The addition of the CD28 intracellular domain increased chimeric EBV-CTL cytotoxicity to CD19+ target cells by 25% and resulted in a 5 fold increase in IFNγ and a 3 fold increase in IL5 production. There was no discernible effect on the generation of CD4+/CD45RO+ or CD8+/CD45RO+ memory T cells. The addition of OX40 intracellular domain in combination with CD28, had no evident effect in vitro. Hence, CD19-specific EBV-CTL are cytotoxic to CD19+ tumor cells as well as to EBV-infected targets, and release cytokines. Addition of the CD28 but not OX40 intracytoplasmic domain further enhances this effect. This technology is now being applied clinically.
A Carbon Slurry Separated Interface Nerve Electrode for Electrical Block of Nerve Conduction

Direct current (DC) nerve block has been shown to provide a complete block of nerve conduction without unwanted neural firing. Previous work shows that high capacitance electrodes can be used to safely deliver a DC block. Another way of delivering DC safely is through a separated interface nerve electrode (SINE), such that any reactive species that are generated by the passage of DC are contained in a vessel away from the nerve. This design has been enhanced by using a high capacitance carbon “slurry” as the electrode in the external vessel to extend the capacity of the electrode (CSINE). With this new design, it was possible to provide 50 min of continuous nerve block without recharge while still maintaining complete recovery of neural signals. Up to 46 C of charge delivery was applied for a total of 4 h of nerve block with complete recovery. Because of the extended delivery time, it was possible to explore several properties of DC block that would not be revealed without the capability of a long-duration continuous block. It was possible to achieve complete block at lower values of DC if the block was applied for a longer period of time. Depending on the amount of charge applied during the block, the recovery was delayed for a period of time before complete force recovery was restored. These new properties provide novel techniques for device development to optimize charge delivery time and device powering concerns.
Chloride Control of the Mechanism of Human Serum Ceruloplasmin (Cp) Catalysis

Unraveling the mechanism of ceruloplasmin (Cp) is fundamentally important toward understanding the pathogenesis of metal-mediated diseases and metal neurotoxicity. Here we report that Cl-, the most abundant anion in blood plasma, is a key component of Cp catalysis. Based on detailed spectroscopic analyses, Cl- preferentially interacts with the partially reduced trinuclear Cu cluster (TNC) in Cp under physiological conditions and shifts the electron equilibrium distribution among the two redox active type 1 (T1) Cu sites and the TNC. This shift in potential enables the intramolecular electron transfer (IET) from the T1 Cu to the native intermediate (NI) and accelerates the IET from the T1 Cu to the TNC, resulting in faster turnover in Cp catalysis.
Conventional oral and secondary high dose vaginal metronidazole therapy for recurrent bacterial vaginosis: clinical outcomes, impacts of sex and menses.

Purpose Oral metronidazole therapy is the standard of care for bacterial vaginosis (BV), yet it has alarming rates of recurrence and refractory responses among recurrent BV (RBV) patients. This study addresses whether high dose vaginal metronidazole therapy (HDM) is beneficial in RBV patients who fail after standard of care (SOC) therapy, whether diagnostic test scores proximal to the HDM predict clinical outcome, and whether menses, coitus, or race influences therapy outcome. Patients and methods A total of 90 patients with RBV were given SOC and tracked 74 for up to 9 months. Refractory or recurrent patients (57) with symptomatic BV were given HDM and followed for up to 8 months. Patients were evaluated by Amsel criteria, Nugent score, and a qPCR assay that assesses the Lactobacillus content. Results HDM achieved at least short-term remission in 68% of the patients who were refractory to or recurred after SOC and provided a 10-day increase in the mean duration of remission among patients who eventually recurred (p=0.027). Patients with prolonged dysbiosis (pH >5 or Amsel 4) before symptomatic recurrence were more likely to recur after subsequent HDM. Most recurrence happened within 10 days of menses, but sex in this cohort was not associated with clinical outcome. Mean diagnostic BV scores of African American patients in remission were inferior to scores of a small cohort of Caucasian patients in remission. Conclusion Encouraging results obtained with HDM justify a prospective, randomized study to determine if follow-up HDM is beneficial among a broader cohort of women failing conventional oral metronidazole therapy.
Random Forest Modeling for Survival Analysis of Cancer Recurrences

The recurrence of breast cancer is a prevailing problem that decreases the quality of patients’ lives, creates high burdens on the healthcare system, and impacts the wellbeing of society. Advanced sensing provides an unprecedented opportunity to increase information visibility and characterize patterns of event occurrences. However, few, if any, of previous works have investigated survival analysis of breast cancer recurrences based on large amount of data readily available in the health system. There is a dire need to leverage data to decipher important factors that play a role in the recurrence of breast cancer. This paper presents an ensemble method of random survival forest for time-to-event analysis of breast cancer recurrences in the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) data from year 1973 to 2015. Our model characterizes the survival function among patients with and without recurrences of breast cancer. Ensemble models are constructed via sampling and bootstrapping into the big data. Experimental results show that the age when cancer recurrence happens and time-between-recurrences approximately follow the Gaussian and exponential distributions with the means of $61.35 \pm 14.03$ and 2.61 years, respectively. In addition, the results show age, surgery status, stage of tumors, and histological grade are significant factors that influence the probability of breast cancer recurrences. The proposed survival analysis approach shows strong potentials to help healthcare practitioners in prognosis, treatment, and decision-making of breast cancer recurrences.