cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring the evolution and output of cross-disciplinary collaborations within the NCI Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers Network

Development of effective quantitative indicators and methodologies to assess the outcomes of cross-disciplinary collaborative initiatives has the potential to improve scientific program management and scientific output. This article highlights an example of a prospective evaluation that has been developed to monitor and improve progress of the National Cancer Institute Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers (PS-OC) program. Study data, including collaboration information, was captured through progress reports and compiled using the web-based analytic database: Interdisciplinary Team Reporting, Analysis, and Query Resource. Analysis of collaborations was further supported by data from the Thomson Reuters Web of Science database, MEDLINE database, and a web-based survey. Integration of novel and standard data sources was augmented by the development of automated methods to mine investigator pre-award publications, assign investigator disciplines, and distinguish cross-disciplinary publication content. The results highlight increases in cross-disciplinary authorship collaborations from pre- to post-award years among the primary investigators and confirm that a majority of cross-disciplinary collaborations have resulted in publications with cross-disciplinary content that rank in the top third of their field. With these evaluation data, PS-OC Program officials have provided ongoing feedback to participating investigators to improve center productivity and thereby facilitate a more successful initiative. Future analysis will continue to expand these methods and metrics to adapt to new advances in research evaluation and changes in the program.
The nature and dynamics of sexual homicide: An integrative review

The author reviews the definitions, epidemiology, evolving research, offender, and offense characteristics of sexual homicide, a form of intentional killing that occurs in less than 1% of homicides in the United States. Although the extant research is limited by very few comparative studies, repetitive use of small, nonrandom samples, retrospective data, no prospective studies, and the absence of any predictive statistical analyses, the yield over the past 100 years is impressive. The author advances a clinical typology of sexual murderers. The first group of compulsive sexual murderers leaves behind organized crime scenes and are usually diagnosed with sexual sadism and antisocial/narcissistic personality disorders. They are chronically emotionally detached, often primary psychopaths, are autonomically hyporeactive, and the majority experience no early trauma. The second group of catathymic sexual murderers leave behind disorganized crime scenes and are usually diagnosed with a mood disorder and various personality disorders that may include schizoid and avoidant traits. They are hungry for attachment, only moderately psychopathic, are autonomically hyperreactive, and have a history of physical and/or sexual trauma.
Abnormalities in hemostasis in acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Our understanding of the hemostatic abnormalities in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has undergone remarkable changes over the past three decades. Hemorrhagic complications lead to significant morbidity and mortality in patients with APL. Up to 30% of early deaths are due to hemorrhagic complications. Our concept of the coagulation changes in APL have evolved from a simple belief that the bleeding was due to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) from underlying infection, to a knowledge that the APL cells themselves are responsible for the bleeding. We have observed that apoptotic APL cells have increased generation of thrombin and therefore contribute to the hypercoagulability and DIC. In addition, excessive fibrinolysis has been recognized to play an important role. The advent of a new therapeutic approach with all-trans-retinoic acid has improved overall survival and has greatly shortened the hemorrhagic phase of the disease, but only to produce a new complication, the retinoic acid syndrome. Its pathogenesis and management still remain to be the challenge for the present.
BIOLOGY OF TRICHOGRAMMA BREVICAPILLUM

The biology of Trichogramma brevicapillum Pinto & Platner (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae) reared on eggs of Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) (Lepidoptera), and the influence of some abiotic and biotic conditions on the parasitization strategy of the adults were studied. Egg, larva, prepupa, and pupa are described. Development of these stages lasted ca. 1,3, 1, and 5 days, respectively, at 25°. Reproduction is biparental, arrhenotokous. The preoviposition period lasts ca. 3 hr, and oviposition activity was maximal in the 3rd and 4th hr of the photophase and was minimal in the scotophase. The suitability of T. ni eggs as a host was maximal in the blastula stage of the embryo, decreased sharply in the early stages of differentiation, and increased rapidly in the later stages of embryological differentiation. A single ♀ reared from a host egg was larger and more fecund than 2 2 from eggs yielding 2 or 3 parasites. Oviposition by individual ♀♀ was restrained when the host egg density was limited, thus preventing superparasitization. The number of progeny per host egg and the ♂ proportion of the sex ratio were inversely related to the host egg density over a range of limited host densities. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Die Biologie von Trichogramma brevicapillum Die Biologie von Trichogramma brevicapillum Pinto & Platner (gezuchtet auf Eiern von Trichoplusia ni (Hubner)) und der Einfluss einiger abiotischer und biotischer Faktoren auf die Parasitierungsstrategie der Adulttiere wurden studiert. Eier, Larven, Praepuppen und Puppen werden beschrieben. Die Entwicklung dieser Stadien bei 25° dauerte etwa 1, 3,1 und 5 Tage. Die Fortpflanzung ist bisexuell und parthenogenetisch-arrhenotok. Die Praeovipositionsperiode dauerte etwa 3 Stunden. Die Eiablage war am grossten in der dritten und vierten Stunde der Photophase und am kleinsten in der Scotophase. Die T. ni- Eier eigneten sich am besten als Wirt im Blastulastadium des Embryos. Die Eignung nahm ab in den nachsten Stadien um in den spaten Embryonalstadien wieder zu wachsen. Weibchen, die sich einzeln in einem Wirtset entwickelt hatten, waren wesentlich grosser und fruchtbarer als Weibchen aus Wirtseiern mit 2 und 3 Parasiten. Die Eiablage einzelner Weibchen wurde gehemmt, wenn die Dichte der Wirtseier begrenzt war; dies wirkt der Superparasitierung der Wirtseier entgegen. Die Nachkommenzahl pro Wirtsei und der mannliche Anteil des Geschlechtsverhaltnisses waren umgekehrt proportional zur Dichte der Wirtseier und zwar im Bereich begrenzter Dichte.
The Relationship Between Economic Freedom And Income Equality In The United States

While considerable research in the past has focused on the socioeconomic impact of economic freedom on economic growth among nations, less emphasis has been devoted to the relationship between economic sovereignty and income equality. This is particularly true when the area of focus has been restricted to comparisons among states within the United States. Furthermore, what work has been offered comparing US states has proven to be contradictory. Certain studies reviewed in this paper suggest that higher measures of economic freedom are associated with greater income inequality. On the other hand, evidence exists that less inequality is found in areas with greater economic autonomy. This study uses the Gini Index as measures of income distribution. The Fraser Institute in Vancouver, Canada offers well-respected measures of economic freedom among the US states and the provinces of Canada. These data are used to further examine relationships between state levels of economic freedom and income distribution with the intent to offer some general consensus regarding this all-important association.
CWD prions remain infectious after passage through the digestive system of coyotes (Canis latrans)

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a geographically expanding prion disease of wild and captive cervids in North America. Disease can be transmitted directly, animal to animal, or indirectly via the environment. CWD contamination can occur residually in the environment via soil, water, and forage following deposition of bodily fluids such as urine, saliva, and feces, or by the decomposition of carcasses. Recent work has indicated that plants may even take up prions into the stems and leaves. When a carcass or gut pile is present in the environment, a large number of avian and mammalian species visit and consume the carrion. Additionally, predators like coyotes, likely select for disease-compromised cervids. Natural cross-species CWD transmission has not been documented, however, passage of infectious prion material has been observed in the feces of crows. In this study we evaluated the ability of CWD-infected brain material to pass through the gastrointestinal tract of coyotes (Canis latrans) following oral ingestion, and be infectious in a cervidized transgenic mouse model. Results from this study indicate that coyotes can pass infectious prions via their feces for at least 3 days post ingestion, demonstrating that mammalian scavengers could contribute to the translocation and contamination of CWD in the environment.
Research antibodies: do not use them to stain your reputation.

in a recent roundtable organized by the Federation of American Societies For Experimental Biology (FASEB) on data reproducibility and antibodies ([8][1]), we learned how the sale and use of antibodies place both basic and preclinical research at risk of losing support from the public at large, from
On a Theorem of Anosov on Nielsen Numbers for Nilmanifolds

If f: M→M is a self-map of a compact manifold, it rarely happens that the Nielsen number n(f) is equal to the numerical value of the Lefschetz-Hopf number L(f), i.e., n(f) = |L.(f) ❘. For example, if M is an n-sphere, n ≥ 2, n(f) = 1, while L(f) = 1 + (−l)n deg f. On the positive side, n(f) = |L(f)❘ is valid for all tori but tori are the only compact Lie groups for which the result is valid [1]. In the early summer of 1984, D. V. Anosov (Steklov Mathematical Institute) wrote us inquiring whether it would be of interest to prove this result for compact nilmanifolds. Since nilmanifolds form a much larger class than Tori, we thought it worthwhile and wrote him this in a return letter. During the summer we worked out a proof of Anosov’s conjecture based on a product theorem for Nielsen numbers in fiber spaces [2] and sent it to Anosov. Later, we received a reply from Anosov, that he had worked out his proof in a purely geometric manner, deforming f to have exactly n(f) fixed points all having the same index 1 or −1.
Probing critical surfaces in momentum space using real-space entanglement entropy: Bose versus Fermi

A codimension-one critical surface in momentum space can be either a familiar Fermi surface, which separates occupied states from empty ones in the noninteracting fermion case, or a novel Bose surface, where gapless bosonic excitations are anchored. The presence of such surfaces gives rise to logarithmic violation of entanglement entropy area law. When they are convex, we show that the shape of these critical surfaces can be determined by inspecting the leading logarithmic term of real-space entanglement entropy. The fundamental difference between a Fermi surface and a Bose surface is revealed by the fact that the logarithmic terms in entanglement entropies differ by a factor of 2: ${S}_{\mathrm{log}}^{\mathrm{Bose}}=2{S}_{\mathrm{log}}^{\mathrm{Fermi}}$, even when they have identical geometry. Our method has remarkable similarity with determining Fermi surface shape using quantum oscillation. We also discuss possible probes of concave critical surfaces in momentum space.
Locally Efficient Median Regression with Random Censoring and Surrogate Markers

Robins and Rotnitzky (1992) proved a general representation theorem for (1) the efficient score and (2) the set of influence functions for regular asymptotically linear (RAL) estimators in arbitrary semiparametric models with (i) the data missing or coarsened at random, and (ii) the probability of observing complete data bounded away from zero. We use this representation theorem to construct locally efficient estimators (at a parametric submodel) in a censored median regression model where the hazard of censoring at u (i) may depend on both the regressors and on the history up to u of a surrogate process of prognostic factors, but (ii) does not further depend on the possibly unobserved failure time. Our model incorporates both the Ying et al. (1994) random censoring model and the Newey and Powell (1990) observed potential censoring time model as special cases.
A transducer for motion study by radio telemetry.

SummaryA motion transducer adaptable to radio telemetry has been designed and described. The transducer was evaluated by studying activity of the infant, sheep, cow and pigeon. Evidence of the motion transducer' versatility is presented by typical recordings from 4 subjects. Activity recorded included walking, trotting, eating, flying and respiration. Observation of the subject and record during initial recording periods permitted interpretation of records from unobserved subjects. Thus, the device was adaptable to monitoring subject activity over prolonged periods without constant observation.
Molecular Redox: Revisiting the Electronic Structures of the Group 9 Metallocorroles

The electronic structures of monocationic tris[(5,10,15-pentafluorophenyl)-corrolato]iridium compounds, [Ir(tpfc)L2](+), where L = 4-cyanopyridine [1](+), pyridine [2](+), 4-methoxypyridine [3](+), or 4-(N,N'-dimethylamino)pyridine [4](+), have been probed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, Ir L3,2-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), UV/visible (UV-vis) spectroelectrochemistry, and density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations. The data demonstrate that these complexes, which have been previously formulated as either of the limiting cases [Ir(III)(tpfc(•))L2](+) or [Ir(IV)(tpfc)L2](+), are best described as possessing a singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) dominated by tpfc with small but significant Ir admixture. EPR g-values and electronic absorption spectra are reproduced well using a simple DFT approach. These quantities depend profoundly upon Ir orbital contribution to the SOMO. To wit, the calculated Ir spin population ranges from 10.6% for [1](+) to 16.3% for [4](+), reflecting increased Ir d mixing into the SOMO with increasingly electron-rich axial ligation. This gives rise to experimentally measured gz values ranging from 2.335 to 2.533, metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) bands ranging from 14730 and 14330 cm(-1), and [Ir(tpfc)L2](+/0) reduction potentials ranging from 0.305 to 0.035 V vs Fc(+/0). In addition, the calculated Ir character in the SOMO tracks with estimated Ir L3,2 XAS branching ratios (EBR), reflecting the increasing degree of Ir d orbital character upon proceeding from [1](+) to [4](+).
A 3-fold-symmetric ligand based on 2-hydroxypyridine: regulation of ligand binding by hydrogen bonding.

A tripodal ligand based on 2-hydroxypyridine is presented. Cu–Cl adducts of H3thpa with CuI and CuII provide complexes featuring highly directed, intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions. An upper limit for the hydrogen-bonding free energy to CuI–Cl was estimated at ∼18 kcal/mol.
Performance and improvements of the ATLAS jet trigger system

Abstract The ATLAS jet trigger is the primary means for selecting energetic jets produced in LHC collisions. The ATLAS trigger system has a three level structure, and was designed based on the concept of Regions Of Interest (RoI), wherein only areas of the detector around interesting objects identified at the first level are accessed at the higher levels. The first implementation of the ATLAS jet trigger was entirely RoI based. This was changed in 2011 with the addition of the possibility to access information from the full calorimeter at the Event Filter and similarly in 2012 for the second level. This change enhances the flexibility and versatility of the system as well as improving efficiencies in multi-jet events. This paper presents the performance of the jet trigger in 2011 and an overview of the new features available for 2012.
The many facets of apatite

In the past 150 years, with the discovery of petroleum and the invention of the gasoline-powered internal combustion engine, the rate of extraction of minerals from the Earth has made humans a geologic agent for the first time in the history of the planet. Unprecedented changes have resulted in human society as a result of this extraordinary use of minerals, and perhaps no mineral illustrates that linkage more than the mineral apatite; even the exponential growth of the human population to seven billion Earth inhabitants has been allowed by the extraction of sufficient P from apatite ore to provide fertilizer to feed the planet’s population. Apatite is used extensively in various geological applications, including dating techniques and studies of rare earth element variation in rocks, and is also widely used in material science and medical applications. Apatite forms virtually all hard parts of the human body, and the bioengineering of anion exchange in the apatite material of human tooth enamel through fluoridation is considered one of the top 10 public health achievements of the twentieth century by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In addition, the carbonate content of apatite calcifications is currently being investigated as a non-invasive tool in distinguishing between benign and malignant breast tumors. In material applications, apatite is the principle raw material in the fluorescent lighting industry, and its unique crystal chemical properties make it useful in the production of lasers with controllable properties. Apatite is increasingly being employed in the environmental remediation industry through the process of phosphate-induced metal stabilization (PIMS), and its properties make it a useful material for the storage of radioactive waste as substituents in the Ca sites. Despite its remarkable utility and its fundamental role in feeding the world’s population, the details of the apatite atomic arrangement are not fully understood. The Ca phosphate apatites are an anion solid solution (F = fluorapatite; OH = hydroxylapatite; Cl = chlorapatite), and the anion positions in binary and ternary members of the solid solution are not predictable from the anion positions in the pure end-members because of steric effects of anion-anion interactions. Recent attention has focused on a more complete understanding of the apatite atomic arrangement and its properties, both in inorganic and biominerals apatites, and knowledge of the atomic arrangement is advancing. Apatite illustrates the role of minerals in the evolution of modern society, and also the importance of research in the mineral sciences in the broadest sense.
Research of Control System in a Large Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler Unit

The difference of the circulating fluidized bed boiler (CFBB) and the coal boiler in control are compared.The control schemes and particular parameters of modulating control system (MCS) and furnace safeguard supervisory system (FSSS) on a large CFBB are given.The main steam pressure control system,bed temperature measure system,bed temperature adjust system and action condition of main fuel trip (MFT) are analyzed.That the control stress of the FSSS of CFBB is the relation of the conditions and interlocks of fuel operation,not the explosion protection,are pointed.It is very good and useful for practical operation in power plant.
Investigation analysis of very low birth weight infants on the daily average hospitalization

Objective:To analyze the influenc factors on the daily average hospitalization expenses of very low birth weight infants,in order to carry out our nursing measure,relieve the financial burden on families and build harmonious relationship between doctors and patients.Methods:The analysis was taken to deal with hospitalization expenses and related data of the very low birth weight infants from August 2010 to December 2011 in our hospital.Results:The main factors of the effect to daily average hospitalization expenses were birth weight,respiratory distress syndrome,bronchopulmonary dysplasia,septicemia.Conclusions:The prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia,strengthen infection in preterm children can reduce the everage daily cost of hospitalization.
Antigenic specificity of natural bactericidal activity for serogroup B and C strains of Neisseria meningitidis in human sera

Abstract. We compared the ability of the sera of 47 young adults to kill three group B and three group C N. meningitidis strains selected for concordance of serotype between serogroups. Four sera (8.5%) lysed all group C strains, 19 sera (40%) lysed all group B strains. Seventeen (36%) sera lysed three L3 strains; these and an additional serum (38.3%) were concordant for type II strains. Type II: L3,7 strains of both serogroups were prevalent in the US when the volunteers were children. Only one serum lysed all three L2 strains; N. meningitidis of this type were absent from the US during the volunteers’ lives. L2, L3 and L3,7 LOS could be distinguished by SDS-PAGE. LOS of Mr 5100 appeared to express the L3 determinant; LOS of Mr 5200 appeared to express the L2 determinant.
Identification, Treatment, and Prevention of Calcium-Alkali Syndrome in Elderly Patients.

Objective To guide pharmacists in identifying geriatric patients at risk, and providing education on the prevention and monitoring of calcium-alkali syndrome. Data sources Searches of MEDLINE and Google Scholar (1990-February 2014). Search terms included milk-alkali syndrome, calcium-alkali syndrome, hypercalcemia, calcium carbonate, geriatric patients, and elderly patients. Study selection Published articles and case reports were chosen for inclusion to provide evidence-based treatment and management of calcium-alkali syndrome in elderly patients. Data synthesis There are not many observational, prospective, and randomized studies focusing on treating calcium-alkali syndrome in geriatric patients. Information was extrapolated from four case-based studies focusing on geriatric individuals affected by calcium-alkali syndrome. Conclusion Conventional treatments used in the case studies were shown to be effective in treating geriatric patients affected by calcium-alkali syndrome. Use of case studies affects generalization and specific treatment and prevention strategies in the geriatric patient population. While more robust studies are still required to display definite treatments for geriatric patients, the case studies demonstrated resolution in health outcomes with conventional treatments. The use of optimized adult treatments and prevention strategies effectively improves health conditions in geriatric patients affected or susceptible to calcium-alkali syndrome.
Public health in the central and eastern European countries

During the last two decades, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have been transforming their health systems and built an intermediate model between market and socialised economies. At the same time, they have been trying to establish a system of observed in public health between the countries of the European Union and those of Central and Eastern Europe widened in the last decade. In view of accessing the European Union, this article develops the different points in a context where public health represents a topic of extreme importance for the European Commission.
Reflecting Brownian motions and a deletion result for Sobolev spaces of order (1, 2)

Let D be an open set in ℝd and E be a relatively closed subset of D having zero Lebesgue measure. A necessary and sufficient integral condition is given for the Sobolev spaces W 1,2 (D) and W 1,2(D\E) to be the same. The latter is equivalent to (normally) reflecting Brownian motion (RBM) on $$\overline {D\backslash E} $$ being indistinguishable (in distribution) from RBM on $$\bar D$$ . This integral condition is satisfied, for example, when E has zero (d−1)-dimensional Hausdorff measure. Therefore it is possible to delete from D a relatively closed subset E having positive capacity but nevertheless the RBM on $$\overline {D\backslash E} $$ is indistinguishable from the RBM on $$\bar D$$ , or equivalently, W 1,2(D\E)=W1,2(D). An example of such kind is: D=ℝ2 and E is the Cantor set. In the proof of above mentioned results, a detailed study of RBMs on general open sets is given. In particular, a semimartingale decomposition and approximation result previously proved in [3] for RBMs on bounded open sets is extended to the case of unbounded open sets.
Photocurrent Quantum Yield in Suspended Carbon Nanotube p–n Junctions

We study photocurrent generation in individual suspended carbon nanotube p–n junctions using spectrally resolved scanning photocurrent microscopy. Spatial maps of the photocurrent allow us to determine the length of the p–n junction intrinsic region, as well as the role of the n-type Schottky barrier. We show that reverse-bias operation eliminates complications caused by the n-type Schottky barrier and increases the length of the intrinsic region. The absorption cross-section of the CNT is calculated using an empirically verified model, and the effect of substrate reflection is determined using FDTD simulations. We find that the room temperature photocurrent quantum yield is approximately 30% when exciting the carbon nanotube at the S44 and S55 excitonic transitions. The quantum yield value is an order of magnitude larger than previous estimates.
An empirical investigation into the adoption of open source software in hospitals

Information technology holds great promise for reducing cost and improving quality in health care. Open source software (OSS) has emerged as a potential alternative to commercial and closed-source products in many domains. OSS has gained considerable attention recently in the health care arena, and proponents claim that it overcomes many of the obstacles to IT adoption that health care organizations face. Yet, how and why OSS is being adopted and implemented within hospitals in particular remains a poorly understood issue. This research attempts to further this understanding so that hospitals may make better informed decisions about adoption of IT, and OSS in particular, in the future. We use a qualitative grounded theory approach in order to explore the extent of OSS adoption in hospitals as well as the factors facilitating and inhibiting adoption. Surveys and interviews are used to acquire both breadth and depth of understanding. First, a survey was used to explore and characterize the types of OSS products adopted in hospitals and the extent to which they have been adopted. For methodological reasons, we focused on Baltimore, Washington and Northern Virginia area hospitals. Following the survey, semi-structured interviews were conducted with hospital IT managers in order to attain a deeper understanding of the factors that are facilitating and inhibiting the adoption of OSS in hospitals. The findings suggest a very limited adoption of OSS in hospitals. Adopters tend to be very large hospitals, with IT budgets of less than 3% of the total budget and a large number of IT support staff. The results also show that hospitals tend to adopt general-purpose instead of domain-specific OSS. We also found that hospital software vendors are the critical factor facilitating the adoption of OSS in hospitals. Conversely, lack of in-house development, as well as a perceived lack of security, quality, and accountability of OSS products were factors found to be inhibiting adoption. An empirical model describing the adoption of OSS in hospitals, based upon our findings, is presented to illustrate the factors facilitating and inhibiting the adoption of OSS in hospitals.
Women in the National Guard: Coping and Barriers to Care

This study involved interviews with 42 women from the National Guard about their experiences of coping during reintegration into civilian life. Data were analyzed using techniques of conventional content analysis. The 1st theme that emerged regarded barriers to seeking and accessing care (institutional barriers, personal barriers, and stigma). The 2nd theme, coping strategies, consisted of 4 categories (seeking or gaining professional help, seeking social support, using routine activities, and using aspects of religion/spirituality). Implications for clinical work with returning female soldiers are discussed.
Reproducibility and repeatability of optical coherence tomography imaging of the optic nerve head in normal beagle eyes.

Objective To assess the reproducibility and repeatability of an optical coherence tomography (OCT) device for imaging the optic nerve region of normal canines. Animals studied Twelve clinically healthy beagles. Procedures All animals were anesthetized, and an OCT device was used to image the optic disk region. Total disk area and retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL) thickness in eight segments were obtained from each image. Images were collected by two operators in succession and each operator took five scans, repositioning the device between measurements. B-scan segmentations and disk outlines were subsequently redrawn to obtain manual measurements, allowing for comparisons between automated measurements. Results Operator 1 had a mean (±SD) NFL thickness (automatic) and disk area of 73.38 ± 7.41 μm and 3.69 ± 0.52 mm², while operator 2 had 74.27 ± 7.33 μm and 3.67 ± 0.51 mm², respectively. With manual corrections, operator 1 had a NFL thickness and disk area of 86.19 ± 8.26 μm and 3.74 ± 0.68 mm², while operator 2 had 86.85 ± 6.91 μm and 3.81 ± 0.56 mm², respectively. Operators did not obtain significantly different values for any region. Intraclass correlation ranged from 0.33 to 0.97 (average 0.78). Coefficient of variation ranged from 8.8 to 36.2%. Conclusion The OCT device demonstrated high inter-rater reliability. Intrarater reliability was strong for disk area and total NFL; however, the segmental regions demonstrated a higher degree of variability. Manual and automated measurements were significantly different for total NFL and some segmental regions; therefore, users should consistently use one method for longitudinal studies.
Albatross: An efficient cloud-enabled task scheduling and execution framework using distributed message queues

Data Analytics has become very popular on large datasets in different organizations. It is inevitable to use distributed resources such as Clouds for Data Analytics and other types of data processing at larger scales. To effectively utilize all system resources, an efficient scheduler is needed, but the traditional resource managers and job schedulers are centralized and designed for larger batch jobs which are fewer in number. Frameworks such as Hadoop and Spark, which are mainly designed for Big Data analytics, have been able to allow for more diversity in job types to some extent. However, even these systems have centralized architectures and will not be able to perform well on large scales and under heavy task loads. Modern applications generate tasks at very high rates that can cause significant slowdowns on these frameworks. Additionally, over-decomposition has shown to be very useful in increasing the system utilization. In order to achieve high efficiency, scalability, and better system utilization, it is critical for a modern scheduler to be able to handle over-decomposition and run highly granular tasks. Further, to achieve high performance, Albatross is written in C/C++, which imposes a minimal overhead to the workload process as compared to languages like Java or Python. We propose Albatross, a task level scheduling and execution framework that uses a Distributed Message Queue (DMQ) for task distribution among its workers. Unlike most scheduling systems, Albatross uses a pulling approach as opposed to the common push approach. The former would let Albatross achieve a good load balancing and scalability. Furthermore, the framework has built in support for task execution dependency on workflows. Therefore, Albatross is able to run various types of workloads, including Data Analytics and HPC applications. Finally, Albatross provides data locality support. This allows the framework to achieve higher performance through minimizing the amount of unnecessary data movement on the network. Our evaluations show that Albatross outperforms Spark and Hadoop at larger scales and in the case of running higher granularity workloads.
Quantum Hall quarks

Abstract In order to obtain a local description of the short distance physics of fractionally quantized Hall states for realistic (e.g. Coulomb) interactions, I interprete the zeros of the ground-state wave function, as seen by an individual test electron from far away, as particles. I then present evidence in support of this view, and argue that the electron effectively decomposes into quark-like constituent particles of fractional charge.
Establishing the lipid droplet proteome: Mechanisms of lipid droplet protein targeting and degradation

Lipid droplets (LDs) are ubiquitous, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived organelles that mediate the sequestration of neutral lipids (e.g. triacylglycerol and sterol esters), providing a dynamic cellular storage depot for rapid lipid mobilization in response to increased cellular demands. LDs have a unique ultrastructure, consisting of a core of neutral lipids encircled by a phospholipid monolayer that is decorated with integral and peripheral proteins. The LD proteome contains numerous lipid metabolic enzymes, regulatory scaffold proteins, proteins involved in LD clustering and fusion, and other proteins of unknown functions. The cellular role of LDs is inherently determined by the composition of its proteome and alteration of the LD protein coat provides a powerful mechanism to adapt LDs to fluctuating metabolic states. Here, we review the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern LD protein targeting and degradation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Recent Advances in Lipid Droplet Biology edited by Rosalind Coleman and Matthijs Hesselink.
Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Assay to Characterize Gi-Like G Protein Subtype-Dependent Functional Selectivity

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) comprise the single most targeted protein class in pharmacology. G protein signaling transduces extracellular stimuli such as neurotransmitters into cellular responses. Although preference for a specific GPCR among different G protein families (e.g., Gs-, Gi-, or Gq-like proteins) is often well studied, preference for a specific G protein subtype (e.g., Gi1, Gi2, Gi3, Go1, and Go2) has received little attention. Due to tissue expression differences and potentially exploitable functional differences, G protein subtype-dependent functional selectivity is an attractive framework to expand GPCR drug development. Herein we present a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)-based method to characterize functional selectivity among Gi-like protein subtypes. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A comparative study of correspondence-search algorithms in MIS images

The ability to find image similarities (feature matching) between laparoscopic views is essential in many robotic-assisted Minimally-Invasive Surgery (MIS) applications. Differently from feature tracking methods, feature matching does not make any restrictive assumption about the sequential nature of the two images or about the organ motion, and could then be used, e.g., to recover tracked features that were lost due to a prolonged occlusion, a sudden endoscopic-camera retraction, or a strong illumination change. This paper provides researchers in the medical-imaging computing community with an extensive comparison of the most up-to-date feature-matching algorithms over a large (and annotated) data set of 100 MIS-image pairs obtained from real interventions. The accuracy of these methods, as well as their ability to consistently retrieve as many good matches as possible, are evaluated for popular feature detectors. In addition, the dataset and the software implementations of these methods are made freely available on the Internet.
(Speech-Language Pathology) Screening for Esophageal Dysphagia: Enhancing the Clinical Utility of the Modified Barium Swallow

Swallowing is a multiphase process that spans the oral cavity to the stomach. Traditionally, swallowing dysfunction is dichotomized into oropharyngeal and esophageal disorders, and the speech-langu...
Highland Andean Formative

relative time period: Usually defined by the first occurrence of ceramics, this period includes the phases commonly known as the Initial Period and the Early Horizon. In the northern half of the area, the Chavin state emerges midway through this phase, and there the period ends with the collapse of Chavin; in the southern half of the area, the period ends with the beginning of the Andean Regional Development phase.
Truthfulness in Science and Art

For the philosopher of science Karl Popper, the first of the only intellectually important goals was the formulation of problems. “Science begins with problems, and ends with problems.” (1974, p. 132) His meaning is clearer when we speak not of “science” but instead of “scientific research programs (Lakatos). The same approach to knowledge was expressed more explicitly by N. Postman and C. Weingartner: “Knowledge is produced in response to questions. And new knowledge results from the asking of new questions; quite often new questions about old questions.” (1969, p. 23) Such a “questioning system of thought brought us to today’s world,” according to the author of The Day the Universe Changed, James Burke. (1985, p. 17)
Saving Thyroids — Overtreatment of Small Papillary Cancers

Saving Thyroids In addition to reducing overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer, we need to reduce overtreatment. As compared with total thyroidectomy, thyroid lobectomy carries fewer risks and preserves t...
The (Un)Common Instructor: A New Role for Medical Librarians Beyond Information Literacy.

AbstractUniversity common reading programs provide a shared experience as students transition into college life and develop critical thinking skills. Typically in such programs, all students in an incoming class read and discuss the same book. Conversely, the University of Florida Honors Program’s (un)common reads facilitates the same skills development through multiple small sections, each focusing on a different book and each with flexible and innovative assignments and activities. Health Science Center librarians have taught in these (un)common reads since the spring semester 2010–2011. This article describes librarian involvement in this program as well as the ensuing benefits for students, librarians, and the university at large.
Copper complexes of multidentate carboxamide ligands

Abstract The copper coordination chemistry of two multidentate carboxamido ligands derived from HL1 (offering two quinolyl and one carboxamide donor) and H4L2 (with two pyridine(dicarboxamido) units linked by naphthalene spacers) was explored. The former was chosen because upon deprotonation it would provide a monoanionic mer-coordinating N-donor set that would model the putative deprotonated form of the His-brace in copper monooxygenases, while the latter was designed to bind two copper ions and enable comparisons to other systems with different ligand spacers. Upon reaction with Cu(I)-mesityl, HL1 yielded a symmetric dimer (L1Cu)2 in which each bis(quinolyl)amide ligand binds via two N-donors to one Cu(I) ion and via the third to the other Cu(I) center. Monomeric Cu(II) complexes [L1Cu(H2O)2](OTf) and L12Cu were also characterized. Treatment of H4L2 with Cu(OTf)2 and excess Me4NOH (in CH3CN, pyridine/H2O, or MeOH) yielded complexes with anions of general formula [L2Cu2(X)]n−, where X = CH3CONH– (n = 1), CO32– (n = 2), or MeO− (n = 1). X-ray structures of these complexes revealed the (L2)4− ligand binding to two Cu(II) ions in an open paddle-wheel geometry, with an additional bridging ligand (X) completing the square planar coordination sphere of each metal ion. The open paddlewheel motif differs from the more ‘open’ puckered geometry seen with related ligands with different spacer units.
Chemical and Electrochemical Properties of [Cp*Rh] Complexes Supported by a Hybrid Phosphine-Imine Ligand

A series of [Cp*Rh] complexes (Cp* = η5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) bearing the κ2-[P,N]-8-(diphenylphosphino)quinoline (PQN) ligand have been prepared and characterized. Chemical or electrochemical reduction of the rhodium(III) form generates an isolable rhodium(I) complex; this rhodium(I) complex reacts with a range of organic acids to yield a rhodium(III) hydride bearing [Cp*] in the η5 mode and [PQN] in the expected κ2 mode. Solid-state structures of these three compounds from X-ray diffraction studies reveal only small changes in the intraligand bond distances across the series, suggesting the redox events associated with interconversion of these compounds are primarily metal centered. Cyclic voltammetry data show that the rhodium(III) chloride complex undergoes a two-electron reduction at −1.19 V vs ferrocenium/ferrocene, whereas the analogous solvento rhodium(III) acetonitrile complex undergoes two sequential one-electron reductions. The rhodium(III) hydride undergoes an irreversible, ligand-cente...
Online adaptive basis refinement and compression for reduced-order models via vector-space sieving

Abstract In many applications, projection-based reduced-order models (ROMs) have demonstrated the ability to provide rapid approximate solutions to high-fidelity full-order models (FOMs). However, there is no a priori assurance that these approximate solutions are accurate; their accuracy depends on the ability of the low-dimensional trial basis to represent the FOM solution. As a result, ROMs can generate inaccurate approximate solutions, e.g., when the FOM solution at the online prediction point is not well represented by training data used to construct the trial basis. To address this fundamental deficiency of standard model-reduction approaches, this work proposes a novel online-adaptive mechanism for efficiently enriching the trial basis in a manner that ensures convergence of the ROM to the FOM, yet does not incur any FOM solves. The mechanism is based on the previously proposed adaptive h -refinement method for ROMs (carlberg, 2015), but improves upon this work in two crucial ways. First, the proposed method enables basis refinement with respect to any orthogonal basis (not just the Kronecker basis), thereby generalizing the refinement mechanism and enabling it to be tailored to the physics characterizing the problem at hand. Second, the proposed method provides a fast online algorithm for periodically compressing the enriched basis via an efficient proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method, which does not incur any operations that scale with the FOM dimension. These two features allow the proposed method to serve as (1) a failsafe mechanism for ROMs, as the method enables the ROM to satisfy any prescribed error tolerance online (even in the case of inadequate training), and (2) an efficient online basis-adaptation mechanism, as the combination of basis enrichment and compression enables the basis to adapt online while controlling its dimension.
Biosensors for Monitoring Water Pollutants: A Case Study With Arsenic in Groundwater

Abstract Population growth and unsustainable agricultural and industrial activities have led to a decrease in water quality and availability, causing ecological risks and challenging drinking water treatment plants to provide clean water. Many techniques are available for monitoring known water contaminants, but they are typically expensive and cumbersome requiring trained scientists or technicians to use them correctly. Biosensors provide the opportunity for simple to use, disposable or continuous tests, for monitoring many of the common contaminants and emerging contaminants that water-quality personnel are facing today. This chapter discusses the changing profile of water pollution and sources of regulated and emerging contaminants. A detailed discussion is provided on the monitoring of arsenic in groundwater and the current field-monitoring approaches. An introduction to biosensors is provided along with a discussion on arsenic biosensors that are developed for field applications. Finally, the future of biosensors for emerging contaminants is discussed.
Fibrosis and Stricturing Disease in Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease (CD) has a protean presentation including inflammatory, stricturing, fistulizing, and perianal disease morphologies. The incidence of fibrostenosing CD and the need for surgery have largely remained unchanged despite the use of anti-inflammatory drugs including biologics. Fibrosis is a common occurrence in ulcerative colitis. Clinical, serologic, and imaging markers lack accuracy to predict, diagnose, and prognosticate fibrostenosing CD. There are no established clinical trial end points to measure efficacy of anti-fibrotic drugs. Management of fibrostenosing CD needs a multidisciplinary approach involving medical, endoscopic, and surgical management. Targeted anti-fibrotic therapies are necessary to treat fibrostenosing CD in the future.
Race and Authoritarianism in American Politics

Authoritarianism, it seems, is alive and well these days. The Trump administration's blatant dismissal of democratic norms has many wondering whether it fits the authoritarian model. This review of...
The Influence of Folic Acid Content of Media on TPA-Induced Transformation of JB6 Cells

The influence of folates on carcinogenesis has been studied for many years, but there are still few published data about the effects of folates on carcinogenic events in cells. The JB6 murine epidermal cell line is well developed and characterized as a model of late stage tumor development. Transformation of these cells in the presence of a promoting agent gives rise to new phenotypes that overcome normal growth controls. Anchorage-independent growth is a phenotypic characteristic of transformed cells. The objectives of these studies were: 1) to examine the growth of JB6 mouse epidermal cells cultured in media with variable folate content and 2) to assess the effects of folate content of media on 12-o-tetra-decanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced anchorage-independent growth of JB6 cells. During the growth studies, the cells were cultured for up to twelve days in several media with folate content ranging from 1.8 nM to 3.0 μM. Growth studies showed a positive, dose response relationship between the folate level of the media and cell growth. Before the anchorage-independent assays were performed, to test cell growth in soft agar with and without 5 ng/ml TPA, the cells were cultured in media containing different levels of folates for four passages. The number of colonies at the end of the fourteen-day incubation period was significantly higher (p<0.05) with each ten-fold increase in media folate content. The increase in colony number was especially marked between the cells grown in media containing 230 nM versus 2.3 μM folic acid. Higher folate content of cell culture media facilitated TPA-induced transformation of JB6 mouse epidermal cells. The mechanism responsible for this finding remains to be identified.