cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Online learning with adversarial delays

We study the performance of standard online learning algorithms when the feedback is delayed by an adversary. We show that online-gradient-descent [1] and follow-the-perturbed-leader [2] achieve regret O(√D) in the delayed setting, where D is the sum of delays of each round's feedback. This bound collapses to an optimal O(√T) bound in the usual setting of no delays (where D = T). Our main contribution is to show that standard algorithms for online learning already have simple regret bounds in the most general setting of delayed feedback, making adjustments to the analysis and not to the algorithms themselves. Our results help affirm and clarify the success of recent algorithms in optimization and machine learning that operate in a delayed feedback model.
Breast cancer molecular subtype classifier that incorporates MRI features

Purpose To use features extracted from magnetic resonance (MR) images and a machine-learning method to assist in differentiating breast cancer molecular subtypes. Materials and Methods This retrospective Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant study received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. We identified 178 breast cancer patients between 2006–2011 with: 1) ERPR + (n = 95, 53.4%), ERPR–/HER2 + (n = 35, 19.6%), or triple negative (TN, n = 48, 27.0%) invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), and 2) preoperative breast MRI at 1.5T or 3.0T. Shape, texture, and histogram-based features were extracted from each tumor contoured on pre- and three postcontrast MR images using in-house software. Clinical and pathologic features were also collected. Machine-learning-based (support vector machines) models were used to identify significant imaging features and to build models that predict IDC subtype. Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) was used to avoid model overfitting. Statistical significance was determined using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Results Each support vector machine fit in the LOOCV process generated a model with varying features. Eleven out of the top 20 ranked features were significantly different between IDC subtypes with P < 0.05. When the top nine pathologic and imaging features were incorporated, the predictive model distinguished IDC subtypes with an overall accuracy on LOOCV of 83.4%. The combined pathologic and imaging model's accuracy for each subtype was 89.2% (ERPR+), 63.6% (ERPR–/HER2+), and 82.5% (TN). When only the top nine imaging features were incorporated, the predictive model distinguished IDC subtypes with an overall accuracy on LOOCV of 71.2%. The combined pathologic and imaging model's accuracy for each subtype was 69.9% (ERPR+), 62.9% (ERPR–/HER2+), and 81.0% (TN). Conclusion We developed a machine-learning-based predictive model using features extracted from MRI that can distinguish IDC subtypes with significant predictive power. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:122–129.
A Damning Cascade of Investigative Errors: Flaws in Homicide Investigation in the USA

This chapter explores the investigative errors, prosecutorial misconduct, and flawed police procedures that are often the cause of wrongful convictions in the United States. The authors discuss the difficulty of the criminal investigative process and the inevitable infusion of bias during investigations, giving specific examples of the cognitive and motivational biases that may permeate both investigations and trials. The authors argue that judgment about specific evidence is both shaped by, and itself shapes, judgments of other evidence, which may lead to an escalation of errors during the course of an investigation. In order to reduce these procedural errors, the United States must consider certain reforms, such as removing forensic testing units from police departments, prohibiting the introduction of trial evidence based on invalid or untested forensic methods, and reforming the interrogation process.
Angiotensin II formation in dog heart is mediated by different pathways in vivo and in vitro.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (I) have beneficial effects that are presumably mediated by decreased angiotensin II (ANG II) production. However, in vitro assays in human heart extr...
Use of midazolam as a human cytochrome P450 3A probe: II. Characterization of inter- and intraindividual hepatic CYP3A variability after liver transplantation.

Immunosuppression therapy with cyclosporine is often hampered by significant interindividual variability in the metabolic clearance of the drug. It has been suggested that much of the variability in cyclosporine clearance is due to differences in the cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) content in the liver and intestinal mucosa. A study was conducted in liver transplant recipients to characterize hepatic CYP3A variability during the first 10 days after surgery. The formation of 1'-hydroxymidazolam (1'-OH MDZ) was followed in the plasma after i.v. midazolam (MDZ) administration to 21 multiple-organ donors and to recipients of 10 of the 21 donor livers. Liver biopsy tissue was obtained from donors and recipients after the in vivo pharmacokinetic test. For liver donors, the plasma 1'-OH MDZ/MDZ concentration ratio 30 min after the i.v. MDZ dose was well correlated with the hepatic CYP3A4 content (r = .87, P < .001). Much of the variability in the two parameters was attributed to the administration of enzyme-inducing drugs before organ procurement. The mean hepatic CYP3A4 content and plasma 1'-OH MDZ/MDZ concentration ratio in six inducer-treated donors was 4.7-fold and 2.3-fold higher than the respective mean value for all other donors. The hepatic CYP3A4 content and plasma 1'-OH MDZ/MDZ ratio for liver recipients, studied on postoperative day 10, was negatively correlated with the respective parameter measured in donors on day 0 (r = -0.60 for CYP3A4 and r = -0.79 for 1'-OH MDZ/MDZ; P < .05 and P < .01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Digital mammography: Observer performance study of the effects of pixel size on the characterization of malignant and benign microcalcifications

Abstract Rationale and Objectives The authors performed this study to evaluate the effects of pixel size on the characterization of mammographic microcalcifications by radiologists. Materials and Methods Two-view mammograms of 112 microcalcification clusters were digitized with a laser scanner at a pixel size of 35 μm. Images with pixel sizes of 70, 105, and 140 μm were derived from the 35-μm–pixel size images by averaging neighboring pixels. The malignancy or benignity of the microcalcifications had been determined with findings at biopsy or 2-year follow-up. Region-of-interest images containing the microcalcifications were printed with a laser imager. Seven radiologists participated in a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study to estimate the likelihood of malignancy. The classification accuracy was quantified with the area under the ROC curve ( A z ). The statistical significance of the differences in the A z values for different pixel sizes was estimated with the Dorfman-Berbaum-Metz method and the Student paired t test. The variance components were analyzed with a bootstrap method. Results The higher-resolution images did not result in better classification; the average A z with a pixel size of 35 μm was lower than that with pixel sizes of 70 and 105 μm. The differences in A z between different pixel sizes did not achieve statistical significance. Conclusion Pixel sizes in the range studied do not have a strong effect on radiologists' accuracy in the characterization of microcalcifications. The low specificity of the image features of microcalcifications and the large interobserver and intraobserver variabilities may have prevented small advantages in image resolution from being observed.
Central Processing of Olfactory Signals

Olfactory information is transmitted from the olfactory receptors in the nose through several stages of processing in the olfactory bulb and the olfactory regions of the brain. Through recent and ongoing work, we are learning a good deal about the basic anatomy and physiology of these pathways. I shall confine myself to reviewing here some of the areas in which progress has been most rapid and most promising for understanding mechanisms of odor processing.
Determinants of Range Limits in Montane Woodland Salamanders (Genus Plethodon)

Montane regions are centers of endemism and species richness for many taxa, including plethodontid salamanders. The forces creating and maintaining species' elevational range limits have been extensively studied in members of the genus Plethodon. However, the mechanisms underlying these limits are still poorly understood. Prior work has often focused on range limits from a single perspective, testing ideas of niche conservatism and climatic sensitivity or interspecific competitive interference. Range limits are a complex interaction of both ecological and evolutionary processes. Biotic and abiotic factors may be interacting at different scales, regulating genetic drift, gene flow, and local adaptation. It is only through integrating these ideas across multiple systems that we will be able to begin addressing what limits species elevational distributions.
An Image-guided Method For Automatically Picking Common-image-point Gathers

Using common-image-point gathers (CIPs) instead of conventional image gathers for migration velocity analysis is an efficient approach for analyzing migrated images at locations that are related to geological structures. This approach reduces computational costs and may improve migration velocity analysis by acounting for diving energy. However, manually picking CIP locations is tedious and time-consuming, especially for 3D images; therefore, an automated method for picking CIPs is desirable. To take advantage of the potential computational cost savings, CIPs should be constructed at relatively sparse locations throughout an image. Furthermore, to facilitate improved analysis, CIPs should be constructed along geological features. We provide a new method for automatically picking CIP locations from seismic images. This method uses local image properties including planarity, structure-oriented semblance, and the amplitude envelope to compute a priority-map (PMAP) of seismic images, where higher PMAP values indicate better CIP locations. After the priority map is computed, CIP locations are picked sparsely throughout the image using a greedy heuristic.
Cornucopia of Nanoscale Ordered Phases in Sphere-Forming Tetrablock Terpolymers

We report the phase behavior of a series of poly(styrene)-b-poly(isoprene)-b-poly(styrene)'-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (SIS'O) tetrablock terpolymers. This study was motivated by self-consistent field theory (SCFT) calculations that anticipate a rich array of sphere-forming morphologies with variations in the molecular symmetry parameter τ = NS/(NS + NS'), where N is the block degree of polymerization and the volume fraction of O is less than about 0.22. Eight SIS'O samples, with τ ranging from 0.21 to 0.73, were synthesized and investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy, yielding evidence of nine different spherical phases: hexagonal, FCC, HCP, BCC, rhombohedral (tentative), liquid-like packing, dodecagonal quasicrystal, and Frank-Kasper σ and A15 phases. At temperatures close to the order-disorder transition, these tetrablocks behave as pseudo-[SIS']-O diblocks and form equilibrium morphologies mediated by facile chain exchange between micelles. Transition from equilibrium to nonequilibrium behavior occurs at a temperature (Terg) several tens of degrees below the order-disorder transition temperature, speculated to be coincident with the loss of ergodicity, as chain exchange is arrested due to increased segregation strength between the core (O) and corona (SIS') blocks. Nonequilibrium ordered structures form when T < Terg; these are interpreted using SCFT calculations to elucidate the free energy landscape driving ordering in the S and I block matrix. These experiments demonstrate a profound dependence on phase stability with variations in τ and temperature, providing insights into the formation of ordered phase symmetry in this class of asymmetric multiblock polymers.
Observations on the low-energy limits for metal-to-ligand charge-transfer excited-state energies of ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes.

The 77 K emission spectral maxima of bis(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) complexes are found to approach a limit at energies below about 14 000 cm−1. There is also evidence for related low-energy excited-state limits in some other classes of ruthenium polypyridyl complexes. The shapes of the vibronic sidebands found in these limits differ from those of complexes that emit at higher energies. These low-energy excited states are not simple “charge-transfer” excited states and are analogous to ππ* excited states. The observations are consistent with effective ground state/excited state mixing matrix elements in the range of (5−10) × 103 cm−1 for ruthenium polypyridine complexes.
Two polaron flavors of the Bose-Einstein condensate impurity

We show that repulsive neutral-atom impurities in a dilute gas Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) can self-localize in bubble polaron states formally analogous to electron bubbles in helium. The BEC is then the first impurity host medium known to exhibit both Landau-Pekar polaron states akin to that of self-localized electrons in a dielectric lattice and self-localized bubble polaron states. We find that the neutral BEC-impurity system is fully characterized by only two dimensionless coupling constants and that a single BEC impurity can be steered adiabatically from the Landau-Pekar to the bubble region. The adiabatic change is that of a crossover, not a transition.
Problems associated with a lipofuscin extraction method used to age blue crabs Callinectes sapidus cultured in Florida, USA

The blue crab Callinectes sapidus is an ecologically and economically important component of marine and estuarine ecosystems of the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Cur- rent stock assessments lack a clear understanding of the age structure of blue crab populations in Florida (USA). Blue crabs and other crustaceans are especially difficult to age because of the com- plex nature of their discrete, rather than continuous, growth patterns. Chesapeake Bay re - searchers developed a method of aging blue crabs by assaying the aging pigment lipofuscin extracted from eyestalk nerve tissue. Here we investigated the usefulness of that method in deter- mining the age of blue crabs inhabiting Florida waters. Assays of a wild-caught, young-of-the- year cohort that was pond-raised revealed a negative linear trend in lipofuscin indices over an 18 mo culture period. Assays of a tank-raised cohort of captive-bred crabs of known age also showed no relationship between the lipofuscin index and age over an 11 mo period. These results suggest that lipofuscin assays, as used in the Chesapeake Bay populations, are not useful in deter- mining the age of blue crabs in Florida waters. Further study is warranted to determine how the procedure might be modified for Florida blue crab populations.
Design and Fabrication of Silver Solid Solution Layer on Silicon and Its Solid-State Bonding Applications

Silver (Ag) solid solution with indium (In) is further studied since Ag-In binary system has been demonstrated with an extraordinary anti-tarnish property and superior mechanical properties, such as malleability, strength, and ductility. How to fabricate that kind of bonding materials at relative low temperatures is a challenge. In this paper, the unique Ag-In solid solution joints are produced successfully between Si chips and Cu substrates. The Ag(15 µm)/In(4 µm)/Ag(3 µm) multilayers are electroplated on Si chips. In order to control the reaction rate between Ag and In during the electroplating step, the 15 µm Ag layer is initially annealed at 350 °C to increase its grain size and electroplated the following In(4 µm)/Ag(3 µm) layers at room temperature. A two-step annealing process is followed in a vacuum environment at 180 °C and 350 °C, respectively. These two different annealing temperatures are chosen to decompose AgIn2 and Ag2In. After the annealing process, the Ag-In alloys made on Si chips are then bonded to Cu substrate at 300 °C with 800 psi (5.5 MPa) pressure in 0.1 torr vacuum for 30 min. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images show that the Ag-In solid solution joints on Si chips are well bonded to the Cu substrates without visible voids and cracks. The scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX) analysis studies the composition of bonding joints, which displays the homogeneous bonding layer structure. The melting range for Ag-rich Ag-In solid solution is from 670 °C to 962 °C, depending on In composition. Thus, the bonding joints are expected to exhibit impressive performance at high temperatures. This novel method may bring a chance to utilize the Ag-In binary system for those who need die-attach materials for high operating temperatures under severe environmental conditions.
Density functional theory: Fixing Jacob's ladder.

Density functional theory calculations can be carried out with different levels of accuracy, forming a hierarchy that is often represented by the rungs of a ladder. Now a new method has been developed that significantly improves the accuracy of the 'third rung' when calculating the properties of diversely bonded systems.
Determination of surface reflectivity using radio signals of opportunity

ABSTRACTUse of a bistatic reflectometry technique which employs signals of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) scattered off the Earth surface opened new opportunities in the environmental remote sensing. At the same time, similar approach can be implemented with non-GNSS signals. Recently, it was demonstrated that other signals of opportunity can be used, such as produced by communication satellites in K-, X-, S- at VHF bands and even by the Sun. This paper presents a theoretical analysis of a possible use of a noise-like broadband radio signal emitted by a point source for measuring reflectivity properties of Earth’s surface.
Compensation Duration, Shareholder Governance, and Managerial Short-Termism

In this paper, I investigate the interaction between the duration of executive compensation and shareholder governance. I show that short-term compensation can elicit shareholder intervention and thus enhance firm value. The central mechanism is that the use of short-term incentives enables informed incumbent shareholders to commit to using their private information to intervene (voice) instead of selling their shares (exit). Without a commitment to voice, incumbent shareholders might find, ex post, that exit is more appealing than voice if they privately observe that a firm's type is bad. Short-term incentives encourage a good firm to take actions that reveal its type early on, which reduces the information advantage of the incumbent shareholders and their ability to profit from exit. Effectively, short-term compensation serves as a commitment device for value-enhancing intervention.
Imidazoles Induce Reactive Oxygen Species in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Which Is Not Associated with Cell Death.

Azoles are a class of antimicrobial drugs used clinically to treat yeast and fungal infections. Against pathogenic yeast and fungi, azoles act by inhibiting the activity of the cytochrome P450 Cyp51, which is involved in the synthesis of a critical component of the yeast and fungal cell membrane. Azoles have antibacterial activity, including against mycobacteria, but the basis for this activity is not well-understood. We demonstrated that imidazoles are bactericidal to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A marked increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) was observed within imidazole-treated M. tuberculosis. The generation of ROS did not appear to be related to the mechanism of killing of imidazoles, as the addition of antioxidants or altered expression of detoxifying enzymes had no effect on growth. We examined the metabolic changes induced by econazole treatment in both wild-type and econazole-resistant mutant strains of M. tuberculosis. Econazole treatment induced changes in carbohydrates, amino acids, and ene...
Therapeutic Sensitivity of CD20- Waldenströms Macroglobulinemia Cells Is Determined By Underlying Genomic and Epigenetic Events

Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia (WM) is a unique form of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, in which the tumor compartment is comprised of B-lymphocytes, plasmacytoid lymphocytes and plasma cells. The majority of WM cases are immunophenotypically characterized by expression of surface antigens that are present on both B-cells (CD19/20) and plasma cells (CD38/138). However, in advanced stage disease, which has been treated with various chemoimmunotherapeutics the molecular profile of WM cells can drastically shift resulting in a majority of the WM tumor compartment exhibiting loss of CD20 and concurrent upregulation of atypical surface antigens ( Barakat et al, Am J Clin Pathol 2011; Morice et al Mod Pathol 2009 ). These external immunophenotypic changes are associated with underlying epigenetic and genomic alterations, whose integrated study may provide further insight into the biology of advanced stage WM. Moreover, such an analysis holds clinical potential by uncovering of therapeutic vulnerabilities, which can direct the selection of appropriate therapeutics for patients with CD20- WM. With this in mind, we conducted comprehensive molecular testing coupled with functional studies to understand if underlying genomic/epigenetic changes correlated with drug sensitivity using appropriate preclinical models of CD20+ WM (BCWM.1 cell line) and CD20- WM (RPCI-WM1 cell line). Importantly, the index patient from whom the CD20- cells were developed had received a total of 6 lines of treatment, two of which contained rituximab and was documented as being refractory to rituximab. Immunophenotyping of CD20- cells showed differential downregulation of 19 and upregulation of 7 CD antigens relative to CD20+ WM cells (cutoff at 1.5 fold; >20% gated expression). Upregulated antigens were associated with a phenotype reminiscent of a memory B-cell with plasmacytoid features. Next, we conducted RNA-Seq analysis (Illumina HiSeq), which revealed downregulation of 6,673 and upregulation of 4,594 genes (>1.5 fold cutoff) in CD20- WM cells compared with CD20+ cells. Gene pathway enrichment analysis (NextBio, Illumina Inc.) of mRNA differentially expressed in CD20- cells showed significant enrichment of upregulated genes corresponding to Protein Transport (p 90% viability and demonstrated significantly less apoptosis in presence of ibrutinib (4uM) compared to CD20+ cells, suggesting decreased reliance on canonical BCR signaling for survival. In parallel and guided by pathway analysis results, we exposed both CD20- and CD20+ WM cells to a novel 19S proteasome inhibitor (VLX1570), which caused profound proteotoxicity and ER stress at concentrations ranging between 250 – 500nM. We noted CD20- cells were significantly more sensitive (p Disclosures Martin: Janssen: Honoraria.
The Pharmacodynamics and Natural History of Alcoholism

Alcoholism may be defined as drug dependency upon ethanol in man and, as such, may be considered to follow Seevers’ (1968) paradigm of drug dependence with depressants (Fig. 1). Seevers postulates that the basic mechanism of compulsive abuse with alcohol, as with all drugs, is primary psychological dependence, a positive reinforcement conditioning paradigm in which the administration of alcohol is associated with a rewarding experience—usually either a euphoriant effect or the relief of discomfort—which, with each successive rewarding experience, reinforces the conditioned response, i.e., drinking. With alcohol, as with all depressant drugs, as increasing amounts are taken more frequently, the body adapts to the toxic effects of the drug and tolerance develops, both metabolic and tissue tolerance, as a result of which increasingly large doses may be ingested. As the tissues of the central nervous system remain bathed for prolonged periods of time in high concentrations of alcohol, the third significant mechanism of drug dependency develops, i.e., physical dependence, in which the central nervous system becomes physiologically dependent upon ethanol, resulting, as the concentration of alcohol in the body declines, in an acute withdrawal syndrome, marked by hyperexcitability of the CNS which, in its most severe form, manifests itself clinically as delirium tremens.
Estimation Theory and Signal Processing

Abstract In keeping with the objective of the workshop, we will discuss some current research directions in signal processing related to estimation problems. Topics to be considered include linear prediction, spectral analysis methods, and time delay estimation.
After the Campaign: Outcomes of Crowdfunding

We conducted a follow-up survey of large design, technology, and video games projects that attempted to raise money using crowdfunding before mid-2012. We found that reward-based crowdfunding appears to be able to lead to and support traditional entrepreneurship. A very high percentage (over 90%) of successful projects remained ongoing ventures 1-4 years after their campaign. We found that 32% of all these reported yearly revenues of over $100,000 a year since the Kickstarter campaign, and added an average of 2.2 employees per successful project. The survey also suggested that crowdfunding provided many potential benefits beyond the crowdfunded money itself to successful creators, including helping provide access to customers, press, employees, and outside funders. Consistent with other research, many projects were delayed for a variety of reasons, and 37% went over budget. We also analyze the factors that lead to longer-term crowdfunding success.
Langerhans cell histiocytosis with atypical histiocytic marrow infiltration

![Figure][1] A 13-month-old boy with recurrent upper respiratory infections, persistent fevers, and chronic rash presented to our facility. The patient had been treated with several months of antibiotics and topical creams with no improvement. In the emergency room, he had a prominent rash (
Medical Loyalty: Dimensions and Problems of a Rich Idea

Loyalty or fidelity has been a central concept in much twentieth century literature in theological and medical ethics. I hope to show something of the richness of the concept by exploring the different emphases and interpretations to be found among some of its users and to suggest some proposals of my own. The picture that should emerge is one of a core concept developed in several alternative directions. I do not mean to imply that the writers discussed are always and everywhere in agreement, that they constitute a’party’ or even a’school of thought’. Apparent, however, are an identifiable tradition, patterns of family resemblance, and agreement against some alternative viewpoints in ethical theory.
R-loops: targets for nuclease cleavage and repeat instability.

R-loops form when transcribed RNA remains bound to its DNA template to form a stable RNA:DNA hybrid. Stable R-loops form when the RNA is purine-rich, and are further stabilized by DNA secondary structures on the non-template strand. Interestingly, many expandable and disease-causing repeat sequences form stable R-loops, and R-loops can contribute to repeat instability. Repeat expansions are responsible for multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease, myotonic dystrophy, and several types of ataxias. Recently, it was found that R-loops at an expanded CAG/CTG repeat tract cause DNA breaks as well as repeat instability (Su and Freudenreich, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114, E8392–E8401, 2017). Two factors were identified as causing R-loop-dependent breaks at CAG/CTG tracts: deamination of cytosines and the MutLγ (Mlh1–Mlh3) endonuclease, defining two new mechanisms for how R-loops can generate DNA breaks (Su and Freudenreich, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114, E8392–E8401, 2017). Following R-loop-dependent nicking, base excision repair resulted in repeat instability. These results have implications for human repeat expansion diseases and provide a paradigm for how RNA:DNA hybrids can cause genome instability at structure-forming DNA sequences. This perspective summarizes mechanisms of R-loop-induced fragility at G-rich repeats and new links between DNA breaks and repeat instability.
Abstract 13642: Right Ventricular Strain in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Comparison Between 2D Echocardiography and Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

Background: Right ventricular (RV) strain is a potentially useful prognostic marker in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Two-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography (S...
Transformation in Fungi

Transformation has been a well established process for the transfer of genetic material in procaryotes for a number of years. Recently such a system for lower eucaryotes has been developed for yeast (Beggs, 1978; Hinnen et al., 1978; Beach and Nurse, 1981) and for the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa (Case et al., 1979; Case, 1982). The development of efficient and reproducible systems for both of these organisms was made possible initially by the cloning of genes from both yeast and Neurospora which could be used as donor DNA.
Do preoperative laboratory tests predict blood transfusion needs in cardiac operations

We retrospectively compared preoperative prothrombin (PT), partial thromboplastin (PTT), dilute whole blood clot lysis and bleeding times, fibrinogen level, and platelet count with subsequent blood component administration in 92 patients who had undergone cardiac operations with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Abnormal results for one or more tests were found in 34% of 71 adults and 81% of 21 children and teenagers. The patients with abnormal test(s) received no more whole blood and packed red cell units, platelets, or plasma than those with normal tests in either age group. No individual or multiple test abnormalities predicted excess blood component transfusion, even when low-grade abnormalities were excluded. The high rate of abnormal tests in patients less than 20 years of age was not due to polycythemia and may indicate a need for age-specific reference ranges. Baseline PT, PTT, and platelet count may aid in the evaluation of the potential for subsequent development of coagulopathy, but we conclude that further preoperative testing may be reserved for infants, polycythemic individuals, or others in whom history or drug use suggests potential bleeding problems.
Planetary Science by the NLSI LUNAR Team: The Lunar Core, Ionized Atmosphere, & Nanodust Weathering

The Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR) undertakes investigations across the full spectrum of science within the mission of the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI), namely science of, on, and from the Moon. The LUNAR team's work on science of and on the Moon, which is the subject of this white paper, is conducted in the broader context of ascertaining the content, origin, and evolution of the solar system.
Embryogenic Development of Somatic Cells and Pollen Grains

Developmental strategy of the flowering plant includes the latent capacity of its organs, tissues, and cells to differentiate into whole new plants in full multicellularity, sexuality, and structure. Plant regeneration from isolated organs is easily secured in agricultural and horticultural practices by leaf, root, and stem cuttings and constitutes the basis of vegetative propagation. Although many basic processes are probably similar whether regeneration occurs from organs, tissues, or cells of plants, new information about the regulation of expression of genetic information has emerged from studies of embryogenic development of somatic cells and pollen grains.
Stochastic Processes (i): Poisson Processes and Markov Chains

In this section we state the fundamental properties that define a Poisson process, and from these properties we derive the Poisson distribution, introduced in Section 1.3.6.
EdTech Leaders’ Beliefs: How are K-5 Teachers Supported with the Integration of Computer Science in K-5 Classrooms?

Educational Technology Leaders’ support of computer science teachers in K-5 classrooms are influenced by their beliefs about school-based program implementation criteria, available district-level support, and state mandates on the integration of computer science. The researcher in this study examines the beliefs about Computer Science teacher support, and training in five different Educational Tech Leaders’ districts, to determine sustainable implementation practices for K-5 schools. In order to effectively integrate computer science in K-5 instruction, administrators and program decision-makers must be aware of the beliefs Educational Technology Leaders hold related to the implementation process of programs, specifically related to the training of K-5 teachers who facilitate the computer science curricula in classrooms. Information reported in this study may inform school-level, district-level, and state-level decisions related to sustainable computer science program implementations.
Nonlinear Ultrasonic Techniques for Material Characterization

This chapter considers both the theoretical aspects of the nonlinear ultrasonic phenomena in elastic solids and their applications to materials characterization; it has been demonstrated that nonlinear ultrasound (NLU) measurements can provide quantitative inputs to determine the material state and measure damage in engineering components. It has recently been shown that NLU can be used to develop the framework for accurate life prediction of components under mechanical and thermo-mechanical loading. These NLU measurements are done at the material level, before the formation of macroscopic damage. The traditional NDE of damage of a material subject to, for example, fatigue starts from the time when a small crack initiates because there is no measurable macroscopic change in the material prior to the crack initiation. In most metallic materials, however, cracks of a measurable size appear late in the fatigue life (typically after 80%), while the material toughness and strength decreases gradually due to the microplasticity (dislocations) and associated change in the material’s microstructure. Starting from mechanics fundamentals, we first develop the theoretical equations of wave motion in an elastic solid with quadratic nonlinearity, covering bulk, surface, and guided waves. Various nonlinear acoustic phenomena occurring in the infinite and bounded elastic solids are described in a consistent mathematical framework. The next section considers measurement techniques for NLU, including examples of the assessment of fatigue and thermal damage in metals with NLU.
Fully-integrated medical home for people with severe and persistent mental illness: A description and outcome analysis of a Medicare Advantage Chronic Special Needs Program

People with severe persistent mental illness pose a significant challenge to managed care organizations and society in general. The financial costs are staggering as is the community impact including homelessness and incarceration. This population also has a high incident of chronic comorbid disorders that not only drives up healthcare costs but also significantly shortens longevity. Traditional case management approaches are not always able to provide the intense and direct interventions required to adequately address the psychiatric, medical and social needs of this unique population. This article describes a Medicare Advantage Chronic Special Needs Program that provides a Medical Home, Active Community Treatment, and Integrated Care. A comparison of utilization and patient outcome measures of this program with fee for service Medicare found significant reduction in utilization and costs, as well as increased adherence to the management of chronic medical conditions and preventative services.
A reductionist, in vitro model of environmental circadian disruption demonstrates SCN-independent and tissue-specific dysregulation of inflammatory responses

Environmental circadian disruption (ECD), characterized by repeated or long-term disruption in environmental timing cues which require the internal circadian clock to change its phase to resynchronize with the environment, is associated with numerous serious health issues in humans. While animal and isolated cell models exist to study the effects of destabilizing the relationship between the circadian system and the environment, neither approach provides an ideal solution. Here, we developed an in vitro model which incorporates both elements of a reductionist cellular model and disruption of the clock/environment relationship using temperature as an environmental cue, as occurs in vivo. Using this approach, we have demonstrated that some effects of in vivo ECD can be reproduced using only isolated peripheral oscillators. Specifically, we report exaggerated inflammatory responses to endotoxin following repeated environmental circadian disruption in explanted spleens. This effect requires a functional circadian clock but not the master brain clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Further, we report that this is a result of cumulative, rather than acute, circadian disruption as has been previously observed in vivo. Finally, such effects appear to be tissue specific as it does not occur in lung, which is less sensitive to the temperature cycles employed to induce ECD. Taken together, the present study suggests that this model could be a valuable tool for dissecting the causes and effects of circadian disruption both in isolated components of physiological systems as well as the aggregated interactions of these systems that occur in vivo.
Hegemonic Hues: The Problem of Imagining Frozen Space and Time

The accompanied “Multi-vocal Response and Discussion” is part of the larger set of responses to Dr. Walter Gershon’s book Sound Curriculum: Sonic Studies in Educational Theory, Method, Practice (2017). In my response segment, I wrote of an experience I had while in discussion with my Fall 2017 semester class at Colgate University in the Department of Educational Studies titled “Theories of Teaching and Learning: Sonic Inquiry.” Within the collective of the responses to Gershon’s text, my segment gives insight into some of the discourse/inquiry incited within the classroom in reaction to experiencing his book, visually and sonically.
Time-varying linkages among gold, stocks, bonds and real estate

Abstract This study explores the time-varying linkages among gold, stocks (large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap), bonds (corporate, T-Bond and T-Bill), and real estate, in order to evaluate the hedging and safe haven properties of gold under differing market conditions. Long-run results indicate that gold is integrated with each asset class during the pre-crisis (1985–2007) period indicating that it does not serve as a hedge during tranquil regimes. Short-run analysis of the crisis only (2007–2009) period suggest that gold is minimally affected by shocks from key economic variables indicating that gold acts as a weak safe haven. However, the response of gold to shocks from key economic variables does not contradict the reaction of other variables to the same shocks indicating that gold does not serve as a strong safe haven during periods marked by high volatility.
PrEP for HIV Prevention: Evidence, Global Scale-up, and Emerging Options

Antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for the prevention of HIV infection was demonstrated to be efficacious and safe earlier this decade from pivotal studies using oral emtricitabine-tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. Regulatory approval and normative guidance, now for almost 70 countries worldwide, has followed. Demonstration projects have shown high uptake and population-level HIV reductions, highlighting the need for simplifying delivery and reducing current barriers to access and persistence. A portfolio of additional, next-generation PrEP formulations, currently under testing, if effective, will offer users choice and likely increase coverage and impact.
vFireVI: 3D Virtual Interface for vFire

Wildfires cause severe amounts of damage to wildlife habitats and property. The most successful way of escaping safely or quelling a fire is to do so with communication, and as a group. While there are several other wildfire simulators, visualization and multi-user components are lacking or non-existent in most of them. vFireVI aims to provide a safe and accurate virtual environment for simulation and interaction with wildfires through multi-user collaboration, accurate terrain, and realistic fire spread. In order to do this, an interface was built between vFireVI and an earlier project, vFireLib, to allow transmission of simulation data back and forth. Combining these two allows for an intuitive user interface, responsive multiplayer, quick server communication, and rapid simulations. All of this is done in virtual reality to provide a meaningful and immersive experience, where users can collaborate and test each other.
ODVICE: An Ontology-Driven Visual Analytic Tool for Interactive Cohort Extraction.

Increased availability of electronic health records (EHR) has enabled researchers to study various medical questions. Cohort selection for the hypothesis under investigation is one of the main consideration for EHR analysis. For uncommon diseases, cohorts extracted from EHRs contain very limited number of records - hampering the robustness of any analysis. Data augmentation methods have been successfully applied in other domains to address this issue mainly using simulated records. In this paper, we present ODVICE, a data augmentation framework that leverages the medical concept ontology to systematically augment records using a novel ontologically guided Monte-Carlo graph spanning algorithm. The tool allows end users to specify a small set of interactive controls to control the augmentation process. We analyze the importance of ODVICE by conducting studies on MIMIC-III dataset for two learning tasks. Our results demonstrate the predictive performance of ODVICE augmented cohorts, showing ~30% improvement in area under the curve (AUC) over the non-augmented dataset and other data augmentation strategies.
From Reversible Logic Gates to Universal Quantum Bases

With the anticipated end of Moore’s law for integrated circuits [3, 4] fast approaching and continued advances in low-power electronics, interest in quantum computing has increased. This shifts the focus from deterministic logical circuits to potentially more powerful circuits based on controllable quantum systems. In this column, we present a mathematical tour of the quantum circuit model, beginning with reversible logic circuits and expanding to quantum circuits, gates, and measurement. We highlight quantum mechanical phenomena such as superposition, entanglement, and measurement, review the Gottesman-Knill theorem, which states that some subclasses of quantum operations can be simulated eciently on a classical computer, and describe sets of quantum gates that are universal for quantum computation.
Will You Log into Tinder using your Facebook Account? Adoption of Single Sign-On for Privacy-Sensitive Apps

When signing up for new mobile apps, users are often provided the option of using their Facebook or other social media credentials (i.e., single sign-on services; SSO). While SSO is designed to make the login process more seamless and convenient, recent social media data breaches may give pause to users by raising security concerns about their online transactions. In particular, users logging into sensitive services, such as dating apps, may feel hesitant to adopt SSO due to perceived potential data leakage to their social networks. We tested this proposition through a user study (N = 364) and found that individual differences in online security perceptions predict the use of SSO for certain sensitive services (e.g., affair apps), but not others (e.g., matchmaking apps). Informed by theory, potential mediators of this relationship (perceived security, ease of sharing, and usability) were also explored, thus shedding light on psychologically salient drivers of SSO adoption.
Input Test Data Volume Reduction Using Seed Complementation and Multiple LFSRs

Test data compression methods reduce the input storage requirements of a test set by storing compressed tests. To enhance the ability to reduce the input test data volume, earlier approaches use the same input test data to apply several different tests. This paper considers two methods that have not been used before for this purpose. The methods are considered in the context where a linear-feedback shift-register (LFSR) is used as part of the decompression logic, and tests are compressed into seeds for the LFSR. The first method complements a bit of a seed to obtain a different test than the one produced by the uncomplemented seed. The second method uses the same seed for different LFSRs to produce different tests. The two methods are used together to demonstrate the advantages of a hybrid approach where the methods complement each other. Experimental results for benchmark circuits are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of a hybrid approach.
Epidemiology of Fear, Sadness, and Anger Expression in Palliative Care Conversations.

Abstract Context Advancing the science of serious illness communication requires methods for measuring characteristics of conversations in large studies. Understanding which characteristics predict clinically important outcomes can help prioritize attention to scalable measure development. Objectives To understand whether audibly recognizable expressions of distressing emotion during palliative care serious illness conversations are associated with ratings of patient experience or six-month enrollment in hospice. Methods We audiorecorded initial palliative care consultations involving 231 hospitalized people with advanced cancer at two large academic medical centers. We coded conversations for expressions of fear, anger, and sadness. We examined the distribution of these expressions and their association with pre/post ratings of feeling heard and understood and six-month hospice enrollment after the consultation. Results Nearly six in 10 conversations included at least one audible expression of distressing emotion (59%; 137 of 231). Among conversations with such an expression, fear was the most prevalent (72%; 98 of 137) followed by sadness (50%; 69 of 137) and anger (45%; 62 of 137). Anger expression was associated with more disease-focused end-of-life treatment preferences, pre/post consultation improvement in feeling heard and understood and lower six-month hospice enrollment. Fear was strongly associated with preconsultation patient ratings of shorter survival expectations. Sadness did not exhibit strong association with patient descriptors or outcomes. Conclusion Fear, anger, and sadness are commonly expressed in hospital-based palliative care consultations with people who have advanced cancer. Anger is an epidemiologically useful predictor of important clinical outcomes.