cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conventional vs. reduced field of view diffusion weighted imaging of the prostate: Comparison of image quality, correlation with histology, and inter-reader agreement.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate if Field of view Optimized and Constrained Undistorted Single shot (FOCUS) (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI) diffusion weighted images (DWI) provide more reliable imaging than conventional DWI, with non-inferior quantitative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) results. Material and methods IRB approval was obtained for this study of 43 patients (44 exams, one patient with two visits) that underwent multiparametric prostate MRI with two DWI sequences and subsequent radical prostatectomy with histology as the gold standard. Randomized DWI sequence images were graded independently by two blinded experienced prostate MRI radiologists with a period of memory extinction between the two separate reading sessions. Blinded images were also reviewed head to head in a later session for direct comparison. Multiple parameters were measured from a region of interest in a dominant lesion as well as two control areas. Patient characteristics were collected by chart review. Results There was good correlation between the mean ADC value for lesions obtained by conventional and FOCUS DWI (ρ = 0.85), with no trend toward any systematic difference, and equivalent correlation between ADC measurements and Gleason score. Agreement between the two readers was significantly higher for lesion ROI analysis with the FOCUS DWI derived ADC values (CCC 0.839) compared with the conventional ADC values (CCC 0.618; difference 0.221, 95% CI 0.01–0.46). FOCUS showed significantly better image quality scores (separate review: mean 2.17 ± 0.6, p Conclusion FOCUS DWI of the prostate shows significant improvement in inter-reader agreement and image quality. As opposed to previous conflicting smaller studies, we found equivalent ADC metrics compared with the conventional DWI sequence, and preserved correlation with Gleason score. In 52% of patients the improved image quality with FOCUS had the potential to salvage exams with otherwise limited to non-diagnostic DWI.
Signaling games in networked cyber-physical systems with strategic elements

This paper studies signaling games in cyber-physical systems with strategic components. The communication network of a cyber-physical system is modeled as a sensor network, which involves a single Gaussian state observed by many sensors, subject to additive independent Gaussian observation noises. The sensors communicate with the receiver over a coherent Gaussian multiple access channel. There are two groups of sensors-strategic and non-strategic. The common objective of the team of non-strategic sensors and the receiver is to reconstruct the underlying state with minimum mean squared error. The team of strategic sensors, on the other hand, strives to minimize a different distortion function, which depends on the state, the reconstruction at the receiver and the type (bias) variable-an independent random variable whose realization is available only to the strategic sensors. It is shown that the ability of the team of non-strategic sensors and the receiver to secretly agree on a random event, that is “coordination”, plays a key role in the analysis. The properties and scaling behavior of the Stackelberg equilibrium of this signaling game are analyzed, in conjunction with the set of affine communication strategies, depending on the aforementioned coordination capability.
Heathen Earth: Trumpism and Political Ecology, by Kyle McGee: (Brooklyn, NY: Punctum Books, 2017), 154 pp., $19.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-9985318-8-5

During the bleak anticipatory interim between November 9, 2016, and January 21, 2017, Kyle McGee faced a “severest necessity” that suddenly “imposed” on him the composition of this short and resona...
A wavelet-based approach to emotion classification using EDA signals

ABSTRACT Emotion is an intense mental experience often manifested by rapid heartbeat, breathing, sweating, and facial expressions. Emotion recognition from these physiological signals is a challenging problem with interesting applications such as developing wearable assistive devices and smart human-computer interfaces. This paper presents an automated method for emotion classification in children using electrodermal activity (EDA) signals. The time-frequency analysis of the acquired raw EDAs provides a feature space based on which different emotions can be recognized. To this end, the complex Morlet (C-Morlet) wavelet function is applied on the recorded EDA signals. The dataset used in this paper includes a set of multimodal recordings of social and communicative behavior as well as EDA recordings of 100 children younger than 30 months old. The dataset is annotated by two experts to extract the time sequence corresponding to three main emotions including “Joy”, “Boredom”, and “Acceptance”. The annotation process is performed considering the synchronicity between the children's facial expressions and the EDA time sequences. Various experiments are conducted on the annotated EDA signals to classify emotions using a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The quantitative results show that the emotion classification performance remarkably improves compared to other methods when the proposed wavelet-based features are used.
Novalis Spinal Radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a noninvasive approach to delivering high doses of conformal radiation. The majority of spinal tumors are metastatic lesions, and it is estimated that 30–90 % of cancer patients will develop metastatic spinal lesions. The potential benefit of spinal SRS may arise in cases of reirradiation where conformal dose distribution and a noninvasive approach are desired. Current techniques require a high degree of precision with patient simulation. Retrospective studies have favored a spinal SRS fractionation schema of ≥14 Gy in one fraction in previously unirradiated patients, with the majority of 1-year local and pain control estimates above 80 %. Radiation-induced myelopathy from spinal SRS is exceedingly rare, but may occur 6–12 months after treatment. Follow-up after spinal SRS is important since intervention after radiation-induced myelopathy may alleviate neurologic symptoms. Randomized clinical trials are examining the feasibility and ability of spinal SRS to deliver improved outcomes for pain relief compared with conventional three-dimensional conformal external beam radiotherapy.
A framework to study knowledge transfer during information systems development (ISD) process

The information systems development process (ISD) remains a topic of great interest for IS researchers, especially due to the increase in the number of ISD failures. The IS researchers suggest that one possible cause for the failure of ISD may be the lack of relevant knowledge transferred from the system users to system developers. However, IS researchers have not yet directed their attention toward examining the factors that impede the transfer of knowledge among the system users and developers. In order to understand the impediments to the knowledge transfer process during ISD, it is crucial to systematically study how the nature of knowledge transfer unfolds during this process. This chapter provides a framework that allows researchers to study this phenomenon in a systematic fashion. Specifically, it identifies a comprehensive set of factors that influence the knowledge transfer process and posits a set of propositions that future research should examine.
Some Asymptotic Problems of Transonic Flow Theory

The use of asymptotic methods to derive characteristic problems of transonic flow theory is illustrated in two ways. First suitable limit process expansions in angle of attack α (with Mach number M ∞ → 1) are constructed in the regions near and far from pointed wings with aspect ratio O(1) and thickness ratio δ = O (α). The matching of these expansions defines suitable boundary value problems. Second, expansions in terms of the similarity parameter \( K = \frac{{1 - M_\infty ^2}}{\alpha } \) show the generalization of the Law of Stabilization for this case.
The relationship between menopausal hormone therapy and keratinocyte carcinoma: A review.

Abstract Introduction Keratinocyte carcinoma (KC) is the most common malignancy in the United States. The two most common forms of KC are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), which account for 80% and 20% of cases, respectively. Objective There are many well-established risk factors for KC, but a more controversial risk factor for KC development is menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). This review synthesizes existing information on this topic and identifies knowledge gaps for future study. Methods A systematic review of the literature using the Medical Subject Headings terms “menopausal hormone therapy; skin neoplasms” was conducted in the PubMed database from March 19, 2018 to April 1, 2018. This yielded 168 articles, case reports, and reviews, which were further refined for inclusion during the development of this manuscript. Additional articles were identified from cited references. Results Four studies pertaining to this topic were identified. The results were evaluated in the context of these studies’ strengths and weaknesses. MHT contributes to an increased risk of basal cell carcinoma in Caucasian subjects and may make these tumors histologically more aggressive. There is not enough evidence to make a conclusion with regard to a potential relationship between MHT and SCC. However, one study suggested an increased risk of SCC with MHT use and another demonstrated a temporal association with prolonged MHT use and increased risk of SCC development. Conclusion Ever users of MHT should be screened more frequently for KC. This issue is of importance to dermatologists because patients who receive earlier diagnoses of KC will have a better opportunity to pursue treatment.
The Convex Hull of a Disjunctive Set

There are two ways to describe the convex hull of a disjunctive set, and each one provides its insights. Here we discuss the first one.
Outer Vortex Wind Structure Changes During and Following Tropical Cyclone Secondary Eyewall Formation

ABSTRACT Some recent studies have utilized flight-level (700 mb) winds to document the maximum wind speeds (Vmax) and radius of Vmax (Rmax) of the original and secondary eyewalls during 24 Atlantic hurricane eyewall replacement cycles (ERC). In this study, Hurricane Wind (H*Wind) analyses of Atlantic hurricanes during 2003-2005 are utilized to document changes in the outer vortex surface wind profile beyond the secondary eyewall, with a focus on the radii of gale-force winds (R34) that are often defined operationally as size changes. In Mode 1, complete and partial ERCs in which the pre-, during-, and post-ERC outer wind profiles have approximately the same shape, the outward displacements of Rmax leads to size (R34) increases as much as 100 km. Mode 2 ERCs are characterized by sharpened wind profiles outside the secondary eyewall that offset the larger Rmax radii to produce only small R34 increases. While statistically significant results are not obtained, the differences in size changes for Mode 1 and Mode 2 SEF cases suggest practical significance for forecasts and warnings.
Preparation and characterization of perfluorine-SiO 2 nanoparticles and superhydrophobic fluorosilicone/silica hybrid composite coating

The superhydrophobic fluorosilicone/silica (FS/SiO2) hybrid composite coating was easily fabricated by one-step blending method in this study, whose durable superhydrophobicity could be ensured by fluorosilicone resin (FS) matrix and perfluorine-SiO2 nanoparticles. The prepared perfluorine-SiO2 nanoparticles were detected using FESEM and FT-IR spectra, and the wettability and dispersion effects were studied. The surface morphologies and hydrophobicity of FS/SiO2 coating on glass plates were investigated by AFM and optical contact angle meter, while the adhesion, wear-resistance and chemical regent-resistance for FS/SiO2 superhydrophobic coating were also discussed. At last, the self-cleaning and anti-icing performances of prepared FS/SiO2 superhydrophobic coating were explored. It could be found that the FS coating doped with more than 22% SiO2 would exhibit superhydrophobicity. The water contact angle of the superhydrophobic FS coating could reach 161° and sliding angle 2° in the best condition. The superhydrophobic FS/SiO2 coating possesses relatively satisfied mechanical and chemical stability. Moreover, the prepared superhydrophobic FS/SiO2 hybrid composite coating provided an available selection of protecting surfaces against contamination and icing which validated the practicability.
Telemedicine Consultation to the General ICU

Early implementations of intensive care unit (ICU) telemedicine, or tele-ICU, focused on using remote intensivists to alleviate intensivist staffing shortages and to meet national ICU staffing standards. With decreasing technology acquisition and implementation costs and improved technological capabilities, the use cases for ICU telemedicine consultations have expanded. Traditional tele-ICU consultation includes ICU patient triage for improved hospital system resource allocation and continuous monitoring of critically ill patients to promote early interventions that prevent patient deterioration. With the widespread adoption of electronic medical records, integration of medical devices, and sensorization of the environment, the boundaries of ICU tele-consulting will rapidly expand. This expansion should allow a wide array of specialist consultation for patients within an ICU while also extending the ability of intensivists to tele-consult on patients not located in the ICU. Such activities have the potential to expand the reach of ICU care beyond the walls of the ICU, leading to improved care of patients who are trending toward critical illness and thus preventing the need for ICU admission. The barriers to more universal use of telemedicine for critical care consultations include staffing needs, existing work processes, and the attitudes and perceptions of ICU staff. Models for telemedicine implementations are highly variable and depend on the resources and use cases of individual healthcare systems. At this time there is no single optimal model of ICU telemedicine. As models continue to mature and evolve, the value that telemedicine brings to critically ill patients, providers, and healthcare systems will be better established.
Production of Pentaerythritol Monoricinoleate (PEMR) by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B.

In the present study, green synthesis of pentaerythritol monoricinoleate (PEMR) was carried out using Candida antarctica lipase B immobilized on hydrophobic adsorbent via interfacial activation. Various reaction parameters such as reaction time, organic solvent, molar ratio, the enzyme load, and presence of molecular sieves on pentaerythritol (PE) ester synthesis were systematically studied to yield selective monoester of PE. The strategies (smart use of substrate molar ratio and polar organic solvent) were employed to suppress dimerization of ricinoleic acid (RA) to avoid by-product formation and hence to obtain superior mono-ester yield. Under optimized conditions viz. substrate molar ratio of 4 (PE):1 (RA) with 2% enzyme load and 200 g/L molecular sieves in the presence of tert-butanol, 93% substrate molar conversion in 24 h reaction time was obtained. The synthesized PEMR was also characterized using FT-IR and Mass spectroscopy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the enzymatic synthesis of PEMR.
Content Analysis of Family Medicine Resident Peer Observations.

Background and objectives Direct observation is a critical part of assessing learners' achievement of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Milestones and subcompetencies. Little research exists identifying the content of peer feedback among residents; this study explored the content of residents' peer assessments as they relate to ACGME Milestone subcompetencies in a family medicine residency program. Methods Using content from a mobile app-based observation tool (M3App), we examined resident peer observations recorded between June 2014 and November 2017, tabulating frequency of observation for each ACGME subcompetency and calculating the proportion of observations categorized under each subcompetency, as well as for each postgraduate year (PGY) class. We also coded each observation on three separate dimensions: "positive," "constructive," and "actionable." We used the χ2 test for independence, and estimated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for two-by-two comparisons to compare numbers of observations within each category. Results Our data include 886 peer observations made by 54 individual residents. The most frequently observed competencies were in patient care, communication, and professionalism (56%, 47%, and 38% of observations, respectively). Practice-based learning and improvement was observed least frequently (16% of observations). On average, 97.25% of the observations were positive, 85% were actionable, and 6% were constructive. Conclusions When asked to review their peers, residents provide comments that are primarily positive and actionable. In addition, residents tend to provide more feedback on certain subcompetencies compared to others, suggesting that programs may rely on peer feedback for specific subcompetencies. Peers can provide perspective on the behaviors and skills of fellow residents.
Disseminated Tularemia: Finding the Needle in the Haystack

We report a case of disseminated tularemia in a previously healthy 8-month-old male. This case highlights an atypical presentation of tularemia with multisystem organ involvement. The diagnosis was complicated by concurrent primary cytomegalovirus infection. Bronchoalveolar lavage culture confirmed the diagnosis. The patient was successfully treated with gentamicin. Pertinent literature reviewed.
Acute approach to orbital lymphatic malformations

Pediatric lymphatic malformations (LMs) represent a rare, benign subtype of vascular malformations that can commonly occur in the head or neck region, specifically in or around the orbit. Orbital LMs typically require a multidisciplinary team of specialists and diagnostic imaging. Historically, treatment options for these periorbital LMs include imaging-guided drainage with sclerotherapy in addition to surgery, at times in conjunction with medical management. There exists debate in terms of an approach for management timing of these lesions across various treatment centers, and interventional radiologists should be informed regarding treatment timing considerations in evaluating patients for potential intervention. The aim of this case series is to review the current standards regarding therapeutic interventions for LMs in the literature and discuss an organized approach to guide the optimal treatment timing for the management of these lesions. In this case series, two pediatric patients – one 2 years old and one 12 years old – presented with a unilateral periorbital LM and received treatment at an academic tertiary care children’s hospital. The first patient was diagnosed with macrocystic periorbital LM after presenting with eye pain and eyelid swelling. After initial ultrasound-guided drainage to relieve eye pressure, the patient rebled into the LM and underwent sclerotherapy intervention. The second case involved a periorbital LM with intralesional hemorrhage presenting as a violaceous eyelid mass diagnosed after bumping into a swing. The patient was treated medically with interval growth of the LM and underwent subsequent sclerotherapy. Both patients responded well to ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy. The management timing and decision to intervene were based on consults from multidisciplinary services, age, risk factors, and clinical stability on presentation. We present two cases of pediatric periorbital LM and review an organized institutional approach for treatment timing based on paradigms in the literature.
843 Reproducible, MoA-reflecting reporter-based bioassays to enable drug development of biosimilars and biobetters

Background Cytokines and growth factors are small immunomodulatory proteins secreted by a wide variety of cells (e.g. fibroblasts, endothelial and stromal cells) that regulate surrounding cells via autocrine, paracrine or endocrine mechanisms. Immunocytokines are a promising class of activators of the immune system, with the potential to be used alone or in combination with other therapeutic agents to treat a variety of disease including autoimmunity and cancer. This class of biologics includes FDA-approved cytokine therapies (e.g. IFN, IL-2 and Epo) as well as an increasing number of biologics designed to block cytokine activity. The latter class of biologics includes basiliximab (IL-2R), tocilizumab and sarilumabad (IL-6R), siltuximab (IL-6), ustekinumab and its biosimilars (IL-12/IL-23 p40), secukinumab (IL-17A), bevasizumab (VEGF), and denosumab (RANKL). Pharmaceutical pipelines include an increasing number of biosimilar and biobetter molecules with sustained and targeted activities with a goal to improve drug potency, patient tolerance and clinical response. Methods Quantitative and reproducible functional bioassays are critical for the development and manufacture of biologics drugs targeting cytokine and growth factor pathways. In many cases, existing bioassays rely on the use of primary cells and measurement of complex endpoints. These assays are highly variable, difficult to implement, and often fail to yield data quality required for drug development in a quality-controlled environment. To address this problem, we have developed a suite of bioluminescent luciferase-based reporter bioassays that can be used to quantitatively measure the activity of specific cytokines and growth factors, including: IL-2, IL-6, IL-12, IL-15, IL-17, IL-23, VEGF and RANKL. Results These mechanism of action (MOA) reflecting bioassays exhibit the required performance metrics for use in potency and stability studies. Importantly, these bioassays have been optimized in a thaw-and-use cell format, which eliminates the need for cell culture and ensures high reproducibility, convenience and transferability. Conclusions In summary, bioluminescent reporter-based bioassays offer significant advantages over primary cell-based bioassays and are valuable tools for the development and manufacturing of novel biologics targeting cytokine and growth factor pathways.
Mapping conflict of interests: scoping review

Abstract Objective To identify all known ties between the medical product industry and the healthcare ecosystem. Design Scoping review. Methods From initial literature searches and expert input, a map was created to show the network of medical product industry ties across parties and activities in the healthcare ecosystem. Through a scoping review, the ties were then verified, cataloged, and characterized, with data abstracted on types of industry ties (financial, non-financial), applicable policies for conflict of interests, and publicly available data sources. Main outcome measures Presence and types of medical product industry ties to activities and parties, presence of policies for conflict of interests, and publicly available data. Results A map derived through synthesis of 538 articles from 37 countries shows an extensive network of medical product industry ties to activities and parties in the healthcare ecosystem. Key activities include research, healthcare education, guideline development, formulary selection, and clinical care. Parties include non-profit entities, the healthcare profession, the market supply chain, and government. The medical product industry has direct ties to all parties and some activities through multiple pathways; direct ties extend through interrelationships among parties and activities. The most frequently identified parties were within the healthcare profession, with individual professionals described in 422 (78%) of the included studies. More than half (303, 56%) of the publications documented medical product industry ties to research, with clinical care (156, 29%), health professional education (145, 27%), guideline development (33, 6%), and formulary selection (8, 1%) appearing less often. Policies for conflict of interests exist for some financial and a few non-financial ties; publicly available data sources seldom describe or quantify these ties. Conclusions An extensive network of medical product industry ties to activities and parties exists in the healthcare ecosystem. Policies for conflict of interests and publicly available data are lacking, suggesting that enhanced oversight and transparency are needed to protect patient care from commercial influence and to ensure public trust.
Impact of pacing on systemic ventricular function in L-transposition of the great arteries.

Abstract Objective(s) To assess the impact of univentricular versus biventricular pacing (BiVP) on systemic ventricular function in patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA). Methods We performed a retrospective review of all patients with a diagnosis of ccTGA who underwent pacemaker insertion. From 1993 to 2014, 53 patients were identified from the cardiology database and surgical records. Results Overall mortality was 7.5% (n = 4). One patient required transplantation and 3 late deaths occurred secondary to end-stage heart failure. Median follow-up was 3.7 years (range, 4 days to 22.5 years). Twenty-five (47%) underwent univentricular pacing only, of these, 8 (32%) developed significant systemic ventricular dysfunction. Twenty-eight (53%) received BiVP, 17 (26%) were upgraded from a dual-chamber system, 11 (21%) received primary BiVP. Fourteen (82%) of the 17 undergoing secondary BiVP demonstrated systemic ventricular dysfunction at the time of pacer upgrade, with 7 (50%) demonstrating improved systemic ventricular function after pacemaker upgrade. Overall, 42 (79%) patients underwent univentricular pacing, with 22 (52%) developing significant systemic ventricular dysfunction. In contrast, the 11 (21%) who received primary BiVP had preserved systemic ventricular function at latest follow-up. Conclusions Late-onset systemic ventricular dysfunction is a major complication associated with the use of univentricular pacing in patients with ccTGA. All patients with ccTGA who develop heart block should undergo primary biventricular pacing, as this prevents late systemic ventricular dysfunction. Preemptive placement of BiVP leads at the time of anatomical repair or other permanent palliative procedure will facilitate subsequent BiVP should heart block develop.
Granularity Helps Explain Seemingly Irrational Features of Human Decision Making

Starting from well-known studies by Kahmenan and Tversky, researchers have found many examples when our decision making seems to be irrational. In this chapter, we show that this seemingly irrational decision making can be explained if we take into account that human abilities to process information are limited; as a result, instead of the exact values of different quantities, we operate with granules that contain these values. On several examples, we show that optimization under such granularity restriction indeed leads to observed human decision making. Thus, granularity helps explain seemingly irrational human decision making.
Improving Survey Completion Rates and Sample Representativeness Using Highly-Interesting Questions: A National Panel Experiment Comparing One and Two Stage Questions

In this article, the insertion of a two-staged highly interesting question in an online, survey-based field experiment is shown to produce better survey completion rate (i.e., decreases completion refusal by 8%) and sample representativeness (increases the number of moderate answer patterns by 12%) than a typical (same) highly interesting question at the beginning of a survey only. Using nonparametric tests and subgroup probability analysis, measured effects include survey completion rates, response bias and reported demographic differences. In regards to sample representativeness, the results also raise questions about the sensitivity of the conventional practice of comparing early to late respondent means scores as a method of investigating nonresponse bias in marketing research. Alternative approaches to measuring potential non-response bias are compared with the tradition of comparing early-wave verses late-wave mean respondent differences. The results indicate that the conventional mean test fails to identify differences in nonresponse bias; the scores of highly interested or opposed respondents in the first waves produce equivalent means to the scores of the less interested or opposed respondents in the latter wave between the surveys (e.g., 1's and 5's vs. 2's and 4's, both averaging to 3's) that are identifiable through kurtosis and probability analysis.
Iron Metabolism: Disorders

Recently, major advances have been made in understanding iron metabolism and genetic defects that cause abnormalities of iron homeostasis. While most clinicians appreciate the prevalence and morbidity of iron deficiency, many are still ignorant about hemochromatosis. There are several types of hemochromatosis; the genes for some have been identified and mapped, but others remain elusive. Keywords: iron; anemia; hemochromatosis; erythropoiesis; transferrin
Nonleading divergences in weak interactions

In this paper a study is made of the nonleading divergences in ΔY=1 weak processes following a method used by Gattoet al. for the leading divergences. It is suggested that these divergences can cancel the divergences arising from the radiative corrections to the same processes. An explicit calculation to orderg4 andg2e2 of nonleptonic decay shows that, with suitable assumptions, the Λ2 ln Λ divergences cancel forg2≈e2/2 (implying the rather high valuemw≅70GeV).
Chapter 5 The topology and organization of unstable periodic orbits in Hodgkin-Huxley models of receptors with subthreshold oscillations

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a set of equations that has been proposed to model neurons with subthreshold oscillations (1) to show that this model can generate chaotic behavior and (2) to describe how the stretching and squeezing mechanisms operate on the phase space for this model. These stretching and squeezing mechanisms in phase space are described in the chapter in terms of topology. The chapter applies a probe to understand how the flow in the phase space appropriate for neurons with subthreshold oscillations is deformed under the deterministic equations of the model. The chapter shows that the mechanism involved is responsible for chaos in the Duffing oscillator and in the YAG laser. It reviews the basic Hodgkin–Huxley model of electrical activity in a neuron and its modified version. This model describes nerve cells that fire without external inputs. The chapter describes the behavior of the output of this model and the classification of low-dimensional strange attractors by topological means. It outlines the topological analysis program to the analysis of the strange attractors generated by the modified Hodgkin–Huxley equations.
The half-win set and the geometry of spatial voting games*

In the spatial context, when preferences can be characterized by circular indifference curves, we show that we can derive all the information about the majority preference relationship in a space from the win-set of any single point. Furthermore, the size of win sets increases for points along any ray outward from a central point in the space, the point that is the center of the yolk. To prove these results we employ a useful new geometric construction, the half-win set. The implication of these results is that embedding choice in a continuous n-dimensional space imposes great constraints on the nature of the majority-preference relationship.
A class of active learning control

In the last few years more attention has been given to learning and self-learning in the world of control engineering. These algorithms are restricted to a small class of dynamical systems and some of the conditions for the applicability of these algorithms are very hard, if not impossible, to verify in practice, especially when the a priori knowledge about the system under test is very small or nonexistent. These points are investigated. First, the authors briefly review Betterment theory: both the C/sup 0/ and the C/sup 1/-type Betterment are discussed along with the mathematical background. It is noted that from the development of the mixed type Betterment it is possible to generate the proportional-integral-derivative (PID)-type Betterment in a natural way; also some of the strong conditions can be relaxed by the introduction of the C/sup 2/ and C/sup 1/-types of Betterment. The physical interpretation of these algorithms is then investigated. An example of the use of the C/sup 2/-type Betterment is given. >
Security and Trust in Mobile Interactions: A Study of Users’ Perceptions and Reasoning

This paper describes an investigation into the trust and security concerns of users who carry out interactions in ubiquitous and mobile computing environments. The study involved demonstrating an ”electronic wallet” to pay for a meal in a simulated restaurant, and analyzing subjects’ responses based on structured interviews. We asked the users to rank-order five payment methods including three choices for the payment target, and both wired and wireless connections. The analysis led us to classify the users into trust-, social- and convenience-oriented clusters. We provide a detailed analysis of the users’ reasoning about trust-related issues, and draw conclusions about the design of secure interaction technologies for ubiquitous computing.
Infectious complications associated with interleukin-2 administration: a retrospective review of 935 treatment courses.

PURPOSETo determine if interleukin-2 (IL-2)-treated patients are prone to develop clinically significant infections, a retrospective review of 519 patients who received 935 treatment courses over a 38-month period was conducted.MATERIALS AND METHODSTreatment records of patients receiving intravenous (IV) bolus IL-2 were reviewed. Clinically significant infectious episodes were identified by retrieving data on antibiotic usage and cross-referencing this with microbiology records and chart review.RESULTSOne hundred thirty-nine documented infectious episodes occurred in 122 treatment courses (13.0%); 11 courses were associated with more than one episode of infection. Predominantly urinary tract infections (6.8%) and infections related to IV catheters (5.3%) were encountered. Fifty-eight percent of the catheter-related infections were associated with bacteremia. Other infections included respiratory tract infections (1.0%), skin/muscle infections (0.9%), and miscellaneous infections (0.9%). Bacteria were isol...
Aortic stiffness: pathophysiology, clinical implications, and approach to treatment

Aortic stiffness is a hallmark of aging, and classic cardiovascular risk factors play a role in accelerating this process. Current changes in medicine, which focus on preventive care, have led to a growing interest in noninvasive evaluation of aortic stiffness. Aortic stiffness has emerged as a good tool for further risk stratification because it has been linked to increased risk of atherosclerotic heart disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke. This has led to the invention and validation of multiple methods to measure aortic stiffness. Pulse wave velocity is emerging as the gold standard for evaluation of aortic stiffness. This review focuses on the pathophysiology involved in aortic stiffness, methods available for evaluation of aortic stiffness, the importance of central pressure as a predictor of future cardiovascular events, and therapies that affect aortic stiffness.
Determination of structure of unsaturated fatty acids via reductive ozonolysis

An improved method of reductive ozonolysis for the determination of structure of unsaturated fatty acids is reported.
Heat‐transfer to high‐quality steam‐water mixtures flowing in a horizontal rectangular duct

Heat transfer and pressure drop were investigated for steam-water mixtures flowing in an electrically heated horizontal duct of rectangular cross-section. The investigation was primarily concerned with the region of high vapor fractions and mass flow rates, where two-phase convention-controlled heat transfer predominated. The experimental data were found to be in good agreement with those of other studies in which circular tubes were used. The data in the convection-controlled region were correlated by equations developed from two flow models, a separated-annular model and a homogeneous model. Two phase pressure drop data were correlated satisfactorily by the Lockhart-Martinelli correlation.
Pareto calibration with built-in wavelength selection

Abstract In multivariate regression, it is often reported that wavelength selection can improve results. Improvement is often solely based on bias measures such as the root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) and root mean square error of validation (RMSEV), R 2 for the calibration and validation, etc. In recent studies, it has been shown that when variance measures are included, Pareto optimal models can be determined. However, variance measures used to date do not provide the ability to choose wavelength subset models relative to full wavelength models when wavelength subset models may be the Pareto models. In this paper, simplex optimization is used with a more complete variance measure to generate Pareto optimal models. The standard basis set is used as well a basis set that includes the range and null space of the calibration spectra. Results show that it is possible to identify Pareto optimal models and if a wavelength subset is best, these are the models found. Regression coefficients for non-essential wavelengths are zero to near zero.
Inhibition of cathepsin B by Au(I) complexes: a kinetic and computational study.

Gold(I) compounds have been used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis for over 80 years, but the biological targets and the structure–activity relationships of these drugs are not well understood. Of particular interest is the molecular mechanism behind the antiarthritic activity of the orally available drug triethylphosphine(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-1-d-thiopyranosato-S) gold(I) (auranofin, Ridaura). The cathepsin family of lysosomal, cysteine-dependent enzymes is an attractive biological target of Au(I) and is inhibited by auranofin and auranofin analogs with reasonable potency. Here we employ a combination of experimental and computational investigations into the effect of changes in the phosphine ligand of auranofin on its in vitro inhibition of cathepsin B. Sequential replacement of the ethyl substituents of triethylphosphine by phenyl groups leads to increasing potency in the resultant Au(I) complexes, due in large part to favorable interactions of the more sterically bulky Au(I)–PR3 fragments with the enzyme active site.
Fascicular blocks and the bilateral bundle branch block syndrome

Abstract Anterior fascicular block (AFB) and posterior fascicular block (PFB) are monoor unifascicular blocks —electrocardiographic entities which should be recognized and labeled appropriately; they are usually associated with heart disease but their clinical significance in an individual patient is a final decision that must be made by the clinician. When right bundle branch block (RBBB) is associated with either AFB or PFB, then bifascicular block (partial or incomplete bilateral bundle branch block) is present and these patients are at risk of developing the bilateral bundle branch block syndrome (at least a trifascicular block) , i.e., complete heart block, Stokes-Adams episodes, heart failure, or sudden death. The additional presence of Mobitz II block is even more worrisome and RBBB with Mobitz II block or left bundle branch block with Mobitz II block may also be forms of bifascicular block and potential precursors of bilateral bundle branch block. Patients with bifascicular block who are asymptomatic and clinically stable may be followed closely but borderline patients with bother-some problems may be individualized and some selected for ECG monitoring. If complete heart block is ever documented or Stokes-Adams episodes occur, cardiac pacing is indicated. With increasing awareness of and experience with bifascicular blocks, it is believed that the bilateral bundle branch block syndrome will probably prove to be more common than we now know, especially with RBBB and PFB. Although isolated AFB and PFB are most commonly seen in patients with coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, or aortic valve disease, it must be emphasized that the single most common lesion that is found at autopsy in patients with the bilateral bundle branch block syndrome is fibrocalcific degenerative involvement of the ventricular conduction system.
Mass spectrometric determination of cadmium in i.a.e.a. fish solubles

Abstract The cadmium content of the I.A.E.A Fish Solubles [A-6 (1975)] was determined by the isotope dilution method. After dry-ashing and dissolution of the specimen, the cadmium was equilibrated with a known amount of 103Cd spike, isolated by ion exchange, purified by dithizone extraction, and converted to the sulfide form in 1% H3PO4 solution. The CdS precipitate was loaded onto a baked single rhenium filament for mass spectrometric analysis. The 103Cd/110Cd ratio was measured to compute the cadmium content of 0.278 ± 0.032 ppm (dry weight basis) in the Fish Solubles.
"Keep silent and make money": Institutional patterns of earnings management in China

Abstract Assessing the overall quality of Chinese financial data is important to both academic researchers and regulators. Using data from the industrial census of China, we examine the institutional pattern of the manipulation of reported profit statistics by manufacturing firms. This manipulation of profits is called “earnings management.” We find that earnings management is more pervasive in China than in mature market economies such as the U.S., and that Chinese firms appear to follow a “keep silent, make money” strategy by managing their reported earnings to zero. Specifically, we find that increased earnings management is associated with state-owned firms, firms reporting to higher levels of government, and firms in more marketized regions.
U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting geology-based carbon dioxide storage resource evaluations of approximately 40 major sedimentary basins in the United States in order to fulfill some of the requirements of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Individual storage assessment units (SAUs) within each basin are defined on the basis of geologic and hydrologic characteristics. Summary geologic descriptions of the evaluated basins and SAUs will be published, along with the results of the national assessment and related research.
Polyamine metabolism in rat lungs with oxygen toxicity

Ornithine decarboxylase activity increases 2-fold above control after 1 day and 25-fold after 3 days of exposure to 0.85 atm oxygen. Putrescine content nearly doubled by 72 hours which may reflect increased activity or ornithine decarboxylase. Spermidine and spermine content did not increase until after 3 days of exposure which was consistent with the delayed increase of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activity. The results suggest that antimetabolites of polyamine metabolism may be useful to suppress excessive cellular proliferation in the lung after acute lung injury.
Psychosocial Correlates of Religious Approaches to Same-Sex Attraction: A Mormon Perspective

This study examined the psychosocial correlates of following various church-based approaches for dealing with same-sex attraction, based on a large sample (1,612) of same-sex attracted current and former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, or Mormon). Overall, this study found that biologically based views about the etiology of same-sex attraction (vs. psychosocial views), LDS church disaffiliation (vs. activity), sexual activity (vs. celibacy), and legal same-sex marriage (vs. remaining single or mixed-orientation marriage) were all associated with significantly higher levels of self-esteem and quality of life, and lower levels of internalized homophobia, sexual identity distress, and depression. The divorce rate for mixed-orientation marriages was 51% at the time of survey completion, with projections suggesting an eventual divorce rate of 69%.
Numerical simulation and experimental investigation of conjugate heat transfer between a turbulent hot air jet impinging on a cookie-shaped object.

: Numerical simulation of the flow field and conjugate heat transfer for a turbulent jet impinging on the surface of a model cookie were carried out at different nozzle-to-plate spacings. Numerical predictions were compared with the experimental results on average and the local heat-transfer coefficient. Results indicated good agreement between the numerical and experimental results over the range of jet velocities, that is, 10 to 40 m/s, which corresponds to Reynold's number range of 7500 to 32000 based on the jet orifice diameter. Numerical simulation also confirmed that the surface heat-transfer coefficient was independent of the thermo-physical properties of the cookie. The local heat-transfer coefficient on the top surface of the cookie was highest at the center of the impinging jet.
Epigenetics of chronic rhinosinusitis and the role of the eosinophil

Background: One theory for the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) involves aberration in the expression of genes that maintain the sinonasal innate immune system. We propose that the alteration in gene expression seen in CRSwNP is a result of oxidative byproducts of eosinophils. Activated eosinophils and neutrophils may lead to the production of hypobromous acid (HOBr) and hypochlorous acid (HOCL) and the posttranslational modification products 5-bromocytosine (5BrC) and 5-chlorocytosine (5ClC), respectively. 5BrC and 5ClC may cause aberrant methylation of cytosine during DNA replication and mimic the endogenous methylation signal associated with gene silencing. We propose to use gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify the presence of 5BrC and 5ClC in CRSwNP patients. Methods: Patients with CRSwNP undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery were prospectively recruited into this study. Using GC-MS, tissue specimens were analyzed for the presence of 5BrC, 5ClC, and methylated cytosine. Results: Tissue specimens from 14 patients with CRSwNP and 3 normal controls were processed using GC-MS. CRSwNP specimens demonstrate elevated levels of 5BrC and 5ClC compared to normal controls. Conclusion: Eosinophils, which are predominantly found in CRSwNP, may lead to DNA modification and gene silencing via 5BrC and aberrant methylation patterns and may help explain the pathogenesis of CRSwNP. © 2011 ARS-AAOA, LLC.
Probable Causes and the Distinction between Subjective and Objective Chance

In this paper I present both a critical appraisal of Humphreys' probabilistic theory of causality and a sketch of an alternative view of the relationship between the notions of probability and of cause. Though I do not doubt that determinism is false, I claim that the examples used to motivate Humphreys' theory typically refer to subjective rather than objective chance. Additionally, I argue on a number of grounds that Humphreys' suggestion that linear regression models be used as a canonical form for the description of causal relations is untenable. I conclude by exploring the variety of ways in which probabilistic elements can be embedded into the structure of causal mechanisms. This investigation suggests both that deterministic mechanisms can produce stochastic behavior and stochastic mechanisms can produce deterministic behavior.