cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effectiveness of salvage surgery after the failure of primary concomitant chemoradiation in head and neck cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine survival outcomes and locoregional control rates in patients with locoregional head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) who failed primary concomitant chemoradiation (CRT) intended for cure and underwent attempted surgical salvage.STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Design was a nonrandomized retrospective cohort study. Of 204 patients with HNSCC who received primary concomitant chemoradiation intended for cure between 1995 and 2004, 38 recurred and underwent attempted salvage surgery at a tertiary care academic center.RESULTS: Among the 38 patients undergoing surgical salvage, 12- and 24-month overall survival rates were 60 percent and 27 percent. Locoregional control at 24 months was 42 percent. Lower survival was seen with initial N3 disease (P = 0.0115). Overall surgical morbidity was 24 percent.CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The results of salvage surgery after failed chemoradiation for HNSCC are poor. Those with N3 disease fare least well. Patients should be well informed about the realist...
Vitamin K: A Practical Guide to the Dietary Management of Patients on Warfarin

Warfarin has been successfully used in the medical management of thromboembolic disease for nearly six decades. It is widely assumed that a dietary vitamin K–warfarin interaction exists. To avoid this potential interaction, patients typically receive instructions to consume a constant dietary intake of vitamin K, and sufficient data exist to suggest that a constant dietary intake of vitamin K that meets current dietary recommendations of 65 to 80 mg/day is the most acceptable practice for patients on warfarin therapy. Data concerning the vitamin K content of commonly consumed foods, however, are not readily accessible to clinicians and patients. An understanding of the dietary vitamin K-warfarin interaction, and dietary sources and usual intakes of vitamin K may facilitate successful anticoagulation for patients being treated with warfarin. ▪ Key Words: vitamin K, warfarin, anticoagulant phylliquinone
Lie algebras and recurrence relations IV: Representations of the Euclidean group and Bessel functions

Representations of a complex form of the Lie algebra of the Euclidean group of the plane are found. Bases for the corresponding Hilbert spaces are given in terms of Lommel polynomials and Bessel functions. An element of the Lie algebra is interpreted as a quantum random variable leading to the Lommel distributions. The tails of these distributions and limit theorems are studied. Applications to electronic music are noted, as well as connection with quantum mechanics on a one-dimensional lattice.
BEARING CONDITION DIAGNOSTICS VIA VIBRATION AND ACOUSTIC EMISSION MEASUREMENTS

Abstract This paper investigates defect detection methods for rolling element bearings through sensor signature analysis, specifically the use of a new signal processing combination of the high-frequency resonance technique and adaptive line enhancer. Two transducers, the accelerometer and the acoustic emission sensor, are used to acquire data for this analysis. Experimental results are obtained for inner race and outer race defects. Results show the potential effectiveness of the signal processing technique to determine both the severity and location of a defect.
EAE mediated by a non-IFN-γ/non-IL-17 pathway.

Previous studies have shown that EAE can be elicited by the adoptive transfer of either IFN-γ-producing (Th1) or IL-17-producing (Th17) myelin-specific CD4+ T-cell lines. Paradoxically, mice deficient in either IFN-γ or IL-17 remain susceptible to EAE following immunization with myelin antigens in CFA. These observations raise questions about the redundancy of IFN-γ and IL-17 in autoimmune demyelinating disease mediated by a diverse, polyclonal population of autoreactive T cells. In this study, we show that an atypical form of EAE, induced in C57BL/6 mice by the adoptive transfer of IFN-γ-deficient effector T cells, required IL-17 signaling for the development of brainstem infiltrates. In contrast, classical EAE, characterized by predominant spinal cord inflammation, occurred in the combined absence of IFN-γ and IL-17 signaling, but was dependent on GM-CSF and CXCR2. Our findings contribute to a growing body of data, indicating that individual cytokines vary in their importance across different models of CNS autoimmunity.
Embracing History through Transforming It Contrasting Piagetian versus Vygotskian (Activity) Theories of Learning and Development to Expand Constructivism within a Dialectical View of History

This paper contrasts the notions of learning, teaching and development as these are conceptualized in two versions of constructivism: the socio-interactional one (in which Piagetian and Vygotskian ...
A Combined Molecular Approach to Screen for mec Gene Variants from Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Previous reports have suggested a common origin for all methicillin resistance (mec) genes from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates examined so far. The purpose of this study was to explore several molecular methods for screening MRSA isolates from different sources and, in some cases, with varying phenotypes. Eighty MRSA isolates from three teaching hospitals in the University of Louisville Medical Center were compared with MRSAs from a hospital in southern California and with methicillin-sensitive S. aureus isolates. The methods were used to detect the presence of mec gene and to screen for any polymorphisms in these genes for the respective strains. The mec gene for each isolate was amplified via the polymerase chain reaction, and each polymerase chain reaction product was compared to the others by restriction enzyme digestion, denaturing-gradient gel electrophoresis, and mutation detection enhancement. By these criteria, the mec genes from the 80 MRSA strains in this study seemed to be identical. Such a finding was not unexpected and supported the existing hypothesis of a common ancestor for all mec genes isolated in MRSA isolates. However, the combination of methods used in this study may facilitate screening of MRSA strains in population studies as mec gene variants begin to emerge.
LAPAROSCOPY FOR STAGING AND PALLIATION OF GASTROINTESTINAL MALIGNANCY

The modern era of laparoscopic surgery began in 1987, when Phillip Mouret performed the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Although laparoscopic surgery had been available to surgeons since the first documented laparoscopic procedure by the Russian physician R. Ott in 1901, 26 there were no significant changes in the first half of this century. It took further technologic developments, including the development of the spring-loaded insufflation needle by Veress, 51 the development of fiberoptic technology, and the miniaturization of videoscopic devices, to make laparoscopic procedures more accessible to the majority of surgical interventionists. 20 With complete visualization of the operative field now accessible to the entire team, more complex operations could be planned and performed laparoscopically. Subsequent development of myriad instruments for retracting, grasping, dissecting and cutting, and stapling or suturing various organs and structures further assisted the laparoscopic surgeon. Laparoscopy is now routinely used at many centers to stage many types of malignancies. It can be used effectively to evaluate primary and metastatic hepatic malignancy, pancreatic carcinoma, gastrointestinal tumors from the esophagogastric junction to the distal colon, lymphoma, biliary cancer, and gynecologic malignancies. Its role is often complementary to current imaging modalities, such as CT, MRI, arteriography, ultrasonography, and nuclear medicine studies. Laparoscopy is justified primarily when the information obtained will change the therapeutic plan. In the cancer patient, laparoscopy may provide data that allow the patient to avoid unnecessary laparotomy, with its inherent risks, length of hospitalization and convalescence, and higher treatment costs. These benefits may be particularly valuable to patients with advanced malignancy whose anticipated life span is limited. Laparoscopy may also decrease cost of care by replacing the more expensive imaging studies and in some cases allows palliative intervention or definitive therapy to be done through this minimally invasive route. This review provides an overview of specific applications in staging and palliation of gastrointestinal malignancies. In addition, a brief update on laparoscopic staging for lymphoma is provided.
Popper's Piecemeal Engineering: What is Good for Science is not always Good for Society*

In The Poverty of Historicism, Popper develops a view which he calls piecemeal engineering (PE), as an alternative to holism. Although the controversy between holism-historicism and piecemealism has received much attention, I believe that the underlying nature of PE has not been fully explored. In this paper, I aim to give a precise formulation of the method and discuss its strengths and weaknesses in its own right. For this purpose, it is necessary to draw the consequences that follow from it, to question its plausibility in certain cases, and point out the essential conditions that have to be fulfilled for the applicability of the method. The method of PE can be summarised in Popper's own words as follows:
Thin Film Crystalline Organic Semiconductors: A New Class of Engineered Materials for Optoelectronics

We have demonstrated that a class of stable aromatic compounds based on perviene and naphthalene can be deposited in extensive single crystalline thin films using the ultrahigh vacuum process of organic molecular beam deposition (OMBD). Furthermore, highly ordered ‘quasi-epitaxial’ structures consisting of alternating, ultra-thin (to 10A) layers of two or more crystalline organic compounds have also been grown using this novel process, thus opening the door to a wide range of artificially ‘engineered’ structures analogous to conventional semiconductor multiple quantum wells (MQWs). Unlike the case of inorganic semiconductors, however, organic materials bonded by the flexibly van der Waals forces are free of the need to choose layer compositions from materials whose crystal structures are matched. In this paper we summarize many of the unusual growth and materials characteristics of quasi-epitaxial organic thin films grown by OMBD.
DNA structure and novel amino and carboxyl termini of the Chlamydia σ70 analogue modulate promoter recognition

Genes from the eubacterium Chlamydia typically do not share promoter consensus sequences with those of Escherichia coli and are not expressed when cloned in E. coli; nevertheless, the major σ-subunit identified from Chlamydia trachomatis has nearly identical amino acid sequence to E. coli σ70 in regions that contact DNA. Following expression of the chlamydial σ-subunit gene in E. coli, expression was specifically initiated from chlamydial promoter regions. Selective recognition of chlamydial promoters by holoenzyme was dependent upon the structure of the promoter DNA coupled with novel amino-and carboxyl-terminal extensions of the chlamydial σ-subunit.
Biorobotic fins for investigations of fish locomotion

Experimental analyses of propulsion in freely-swimming fishes have led to the development of self-propelling pectoral and caudal fin robotic devices. These biorobotic models have been used in conjunction with biological and numerical studies to investigate the effects of the fin's kinematic patterns and structural properties on forces and flows. Data from both biorobotic fins will be presented and discussed in terms of the utility of using robotic models for understanding fish locomotor dynamics. Through the use of the robotic fins, it was shown that subtle changes to the kinematics and/or the mechanical properties of fin rays can impact significantly the magnitude, direction, and time course of the 3d forces used in propulsion and maneuvers.
Women with a Mission: Religion, Gender, and the Politics of Women Clergy

Women with a Mission: Religion, Gender, and the Politics of Women Clergy. By Laura R. Olson, Sue E. S. Crawford, and Melissa M. Deckman. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2005. 190p. $37.50. This book explores the role of women clergy in mainline Protestant churches and the rabbinate. It is based largely on 54 in-depth interviews conducted in 1998 in four U.S. cities (Indianapolis, Omaha, Milwaukee, and Washington, DC), but also includes considerable material from a much larger national survey of clergy. The authors are most interested in the “political” role of their subjects and in how their gender affects this role. They themselves define “politics” very broadly, as “actions taken to influence collective decision-making processes concerning resource distribution or the development and enforcement of shared values” (p. 14). But they do not impose this definition on their subjects. Instead, the clergywomen are asked about the issues and concerns that motivate them, what kinds of activities they consider most appropriate or helpful to address those concerns, and what their own involvement has been in such activities. In both the interviews and the national survey, around a third of the women indicated that gender “in some way” limited her ability to participate in politics. Three-quarters of the interviewees volunteered gender as a factor (either an asset or a liability) for political activity, or as a reason why particular issues were especially salient to them. But few mentioned either their denomination or its women's caucuses as a factor linking their gender with political involvement.
Effects of psychotropics on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in a cohort of bipolar patients

Objectives: Research suggests that certain psychotropics may induce glucose regulatory dysfunction. Hyperglycemia increases levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). This study investigated the relationship between psychotropic use and concentrations of HbA1c in bipolar patients who were presumably non-diabetic. Methods: Analysis was conducted on 76,671 patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) from the Integrated Health Care Information Services (IHCIS). Included were 381 patients with at least two measurements of HbA1c taken between January 1, 1997 and June 30, 2002. Individuals with only 1 HbA1c measure, diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9), and/or who were using any anti-diabetes medication were excluded from the cohort. We compared HbA1c levels from first to final HbA1c measurements. The types of psychotropic medications used by the patients were examined. Results: A total of 197 (51.9%) BPD patients had an abnormal initial HbA1c test result (defined as HbA1c >7). Thirty patients were taking antipsychotics, 24 mood stabilizers (anticonvulsants), 10 lithium, 51 antidepressants and 116 a combination of medications. A total of 150 patients were not taking psychotropic medications. HbA1c levels declined significantly in patients taking psychotropic medication(s) [mean = 7.5, standard deviation (SD) = 2.1% versus mean = 7.0, SD = 1.8%; p < 0.001] and in patients not taking psychotropic medication(s) (mean = 7.4, SD = 2.0% versus mean = 7.0, SD = 1.9%; p < 0.001). The only exception to this finding was among patients taking antipsychotics, where there was a slight increase (not statistically significant) during this period (mean = 7.0, SD = 1.8% versus mean = 7.2, SD = 3.7%; p = 0.791). Conclusions: These results support findings suggesting an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in BPD patients. Mood stabilizers (anticonvulsants), antidepressants and lithium in monotherapy and combination were associated with a decrease in HbA1c levels. Although not statistically significant, antipsychotic medications were associated with an increase in HbA1c in this population.
Interfacial Adhesion Studies using Double Cantilever Beam Method and Shear Testing

The interfacial adhesion between two packaging materials is important to package reliability performance. This paper compares the interfacial characterization technique of hot and standard die shear tests versus the double cantilever beam (DCB) method. The study involved the interfacial adhesion of die attach material to the soldermask, the core surface of an organic substrate, and the silicon die surface. Both room temperature and heated shear tests showed a cohesive failure mode and thus presented difficulties in quantifying the interface adhesion between materials interfaces. The DCB tests resulted in a reproducible adhesive failure under mode 1 condition for the tested interfaces. The computed energy release rate Gc quantified the adhesion between the different interfaces. The package reliability of the different interfaces was assessed in FBGA packages with their failure modes correlated to the adhesion strength and failure modes of the DCB test. The DCB test is recommended as a material selection tool, to be used in conjunction with shear tests for materials or surface selection.
A substructure method for earthquake analysis of structures including structure‐soil interaction

A general substructure method for analysis of response of structures to earthquake ground motion, including the effects of structure-soil interaction, is presented. The method is applicable to complex structures idealized as finite element systems and the soil region treated as either a continuum, for example as a viscoelastic halfspace, or idealized as a finite element system. The halfspace idealization permits reliable analysis for sites where essentially similar soils extend to large depths and there is no rigid boundary such as soil-rock interface. For sites where layers of soft soil are underlain by rock at shallow depth, finite element idealization of the soil region is appropriate; in this case, the direct and substructure methods would lead to equivalent results but the latter provides the better alternative. Treating the free field motion directly as the earthquake input in the substructure method eliminates the deconvolution calculations and the related assumption—regarding type and direction of earthquake waves—required in the direct method. Spatial variations in the input motion along the structure-soil interface of embedded structures or along the base of long surface supported structures are included in the formulation. The substructure method is computationally efficient because the two substructures—the structure and the soil region—are analysed separately; and, more important, it permits taking advantage of the important feature that response to earthquake ground motion is essentially contained in the lower few natural modes of vibration of the structure on fixed base.
Applying fuzzy logic to the Kalman filter divergence problem

This paper explores the use of fuzzy logic in detecting and correcting the divergence of the Kalman filter. A fuzzy exponential-weighting algorithm is used to provide the corrective actions necessary to contain the divergence problem. Such actions are driven by the status of the innovations sequence. The soundness of the fuzzy central algorithm is demonstrated through computer simulations which are shown to comply with theoretical results. >
Multiple Isoforms of CDC25 Oppose ATM Activity to Maintain Cell Proliferation during Vertebrate Development

The early development of vertebrate embryos is characterized by rapid cell proliferation necessary to support the embryo's growth. During this period, the embryo must maintain a balance between ongoing cell proliferation and mechanisms that arrest or delay the cell cycle to repair oxidative damage and other genotoxic stresses. The ataxiatelangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase is a critical regulator of the response to DNA damage, acting through downstreameffectors,suchasp53andcheckpointkinases(CHK)tomediatecell-cyclecheckpointsinthepresence ofDNAdamage.MiceandhumanswithinactivatingmutationsinATMareviablebuthaveincreasedsusceptibility to cancers. The possible role of ATM in limiting cell proliferation in early embryos has not been fully defined. One targetofATMandCHKsistheCdc25phosphatase,whichfacilitatescell-cycleprogressionbyremovinginhibitory phosphates from cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK). We have identified a zebrafish mutant, standstill, with an inactivating mutation in cdc25a. Loss of cdc25a in the zebrafish leads to accumulation of cells in late G2 phase. We find that the novel family member cdc25d is essential for early development in the absence of cdc25a, establishing for the first time thatcdc25d is active in vivo in zebrafish. Surprisingly, we find that cell-cycle progression in cdc25a mutantscanberescuedbychemicalorgeneticinhibitionofATM.Checkpointactivationincdc25amutantsoccurs despitetheabsenceofincreasedDNAdamage,highlightingtheroleofCdc25proteinstobalanceconstitutiveATM activity during early embryonic development. Mol Cancer Res; 10(11); 1451–61. � 2012 AACR.
A Comparison of Sampling and Statistical Techniques for Analyzing Bulk-sampled Biofacies Composition

Abstract This study seeks to test appropriate sampling and statistical regimes for comparing biofacies compositions through the use of several statistical methods developed for analyzing community structure. Bulk sampled data from the Ambocoelia-chonetid biofacies within the Middle Devonian Hamilton Group of New York are used as a test data set. Samples were collected from a single fourth-order regression within this dysoxic facies across a paleoenvironmental basinal gradient. Within locality, lateral replicates and subsampling are used to gauge the degree of faunal patchiness at outcrop scale and to assess the impact of patchiness within this biofacies on the effectiveness of statistical methods for detecting biofacies gradient boundaries. This study demonstrates that a sampling effort that accounts for within-outcrop patchiness (scale of 5–15 m) is adequate to test for differences in faunal composition in this biofacies across the sampled basinal gradient. Furthermore, our results show that this biofaci...
PIOUS: a scalable parallel I/O system for distributed computing environments

PIOUS is a parallel file system architecture that provides cost-effective, scalable bandwidth in a network computing environment. PIOUS employs data declustering, to exploit the combined file I/O and buffer cache capacities of networked computing resources, and transaction-based concurrency control, to guarantee access consistency without explicit synchronization. This paper presents preliminary results from a prototype PIOUS implementation. >
Reflections of a Black Male Counseling Psychology Doctoral Student: Lessons Learned from APA Division 45 Commentary and the Role of Social Justice for Counseling Psychologists

The tragic killing of Trayvon Martin has received nationwide media coverage, even garnering commentary by the U.S. President. The attention is unique in the sense that young Black men in Martin’s age group have consistently been the most likely to be killed as a result of homicide and often ignored by the media. A personal reflection is provided to give context to the racial socialization process as well as the internal struggles being faced by some Black men in the United States. In addition, postings have been shared from the American Psychological Association Division 45 electronic mailing list capturing the social justice activism process in pursuit of justice for Trayvon Martin. The results of this article call for deeper analysis of the cause of racially motivated killings.
Pan-Africanism in Neocolonial vs. Postcolonial Contexts: The 'Sovereign Democracy' Phenomenon in Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Nigeria Compared

The paper will assess fifty years of African ‘supra-state’ building by way of a process of deepened institutionalization of the governance apparatus that has been used to foster ‘African Unity’ – the OAU/AU. The notion that the African ‘supra-state’ is evolving refers to the processes by which Africans have attempted to foster an ‘African’ identity, share state democratic sovereignty, integrate intra-state economic communities, and achieve collective security. Have Africans achieved these goals of the founding pan African unity agenda? How has the ten year African Union furthered these goals? After 50 years of the notion of ‘African Unity’, is the African Union relevant to Africa and the international arena today? In assessing African Union performance, the paper answers these questions by presenting the ‘African Union phenomenon’ as a thesis. The ‘AU phenomenon’ refers to the international organizations’ institutional capacity and leadership dirigisme to strategically engage with African peoples, nations, regions, and the world to achieve incremental, though positive ends for Africa. We argue that the ideological underbelly that fuels the ‘AU phenomenon’ is the institution’s reinvention of Pan Africanism. Indeed, we hope to show how and why the OAU/AU’s most significant performance accomplishment fifty years later has been its ability to engage African peoples, nations, and regions in their sustained commitment to Pan Africanism in the service of African union.
Metabolic Control and Metabolons in the Millennium

I had two insights (Srere, 1965) into the nature of metabolic regulation before I heard of Kacser & Burns (1973) or Heinrich & Rapoport (1974). I was struck at that time by the large number of metabolites that affected the rate of a number of individual enzymes such as the glycolytic enzyme, phosphofructokinase, and the fatty acid biosynthetic enzyme, acetyl-CoA carboxylase. I noticed also for each of the enzymes of a single pathway, there existed a control mechanism by a metabolite which one could consider rate-regulating. In spite of this, the theory of metabolic regulation by single rate-limiting steps was adhered to then and to a certain extent even now. Other inconsistencies in the “rate-limiting step—allosteric enzyme” hypo-theses became apparent. Thus, in the Krebs tricarboxylate cycle the allosteric enzyme, isocitrate dehydrogenase (NAD+), did not occur at the “beginning” or at the first step in an unbranched pathway. I learned also that computers needed a large number of redundant circuits to improve reliability and that stable circuits could be constructed from randomly responding elements (McCulloch & Pitts, 1943). Thus, I felt that simplistic ideas about rate-limiting steps in metabolism were not realistic and that complexity and redundancy themselves could result in stability in complex reaction organizations and their regulation.
Variance Constrained Flying Qualities Metrics for Conceptual Design Feasibility Studies

Traditional flying qualities metrics use first-order descriptors of the ’classical’ aircraft modes such as the phugoid, short-period, Dutch roll, etc. These modes are often difficult to distinguish from one another in modern aircraft whose dynamics are usually coupled, leaving designers to develop lower order equivalent systems as approximations to the real aircraft’s behavior. Flying qualities metrics typically include limits on the modal parameters of the lower order equivalent system—constraints that are conducive to classical control techniques and pole placement strategies. On the other hand, modern optimal or robust control techniques directly address Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems, with coupled dynamics, and they function well with higher-order measures of system behavior like state covariances or energy norms. This work presents a new method of approximating the traditional flying qualities requirements for piloted aircraft through a flight condition dependent recasting of these requirements as upper bounds on the state variances. A linear matrix inequality feasibility problem is developed to compute a control law which stabilizes the system for the given flight condition, while satisfying both the state variance and actuator constraints. The method is demonstrated through a horizontal tail sizing study of a transport aircraft, which shows that a much smaller tail than is conventional can satisfactorily fulfill the flying qualities constraints.
Measurement of Latin-American Political Phenomena: A Statistical Experiment *

Polling techniques in the United States, by no means perfect as yet, have obviously been greatly improved since the ill-fated Literary Digest poll of 1936. So far the as writer is aware, however, the device of the public opinion poll as it is best known here has not been widely employed in Latin American countries. To attempt to use this device to assess detailed political phenomena in Latin America by determining general public opinion in the United States, even by carefully controlled sampling techniques, would, of course, be of little utility or validity because of the wide lack of relevant information in this country; but the polling of informed opinion in this country would seem to have some advantages and significance. In particular, such a poll represents an attempt to secure a detached and presumably impartial opinion, although perhaps based upon less knowledge of detail than would be available in Latin America itself. It also necessarily deals with the problem of reducing political phenomena to their essential components in order to make assessment valid and, indeed, possible. In the belief that a limited poll of specialists would provide data and permit conclusions of significance, the writer undertook in 1945 to establish a system to measure roughly the democratic attainment of the twenty Latin American states. The same measurement was repeated, under as nearly identical conditions as possible, in 1950. It was necessary initially to establish the bases on which the several LatinAmerican states were to be judged, inasmuch as it would be patently pointless simply to ask specialists, "How democratic do you consider state X?" In other words, it was necessary to consider what elements contribute to a measurement of democratic achievement in any state, but with particular reference to the Latin-American states. The following fifteen criteria finally evolved: 1. "An educational level sufficient to give the political processes some substance and vitality. 2. "A fairly adequate standard of living. 3. "A sense of internal unity and national cohesion. 4. "Belief by the people in their individual political dignity and maturity. 5. "Absence of foreign domination. 6. "Freedom of the press, speech, assembly, radio, etc. 7. "Free elections-honestly counted votes.
A novel multivariate spectral regression model for learning relationships between communication activity and urban ecology

In this paper we demonstrate a novel approach to the use of spatio-temporally aggregated cell phone data to learn features of urban ecology (i.e., spatial distributions of distinct social and economic entities and their associated activities). Specifically, our technique involves four stages: (i) decomposing the aggregated cell phone activity within local areal units using spectral methods; (ii) learning spectral characteristics associated with ecological features using a training set; (iii) predicting local ecology composition for out-of-sample areas; and (iv) predicting activity time series for out-of-sample areas. The core of our approach is the projection of spectral features in cell phone activity series into an ecology-associated basis, allowing both identification of communication patterns arising from particular types of local activities and/or institutions and leveraging of those patterns for classification and activity prediction. We apply our methodology to aggregated communication and Internet traffic data from the cities of Milan and Trento to show the effectiveness of our method.
Design of Resonant Magnetic Field Sensor with Comb Finger

A novel magnetic field sensor based on the comb structure was proposed.Transforming the output of frequency to the magnetic field through the feedback of Lorentz force,this device was capacitively excited and the signal was capacitively detected.After simplifying the model of design,the expression of the frequency was got and the structure was simulated by ANSYS.High sensitivity of 258 kHz/T is achieved after optimizing parameters of the structure.
The Development of the Microprocessor-Based Protection

The specialty and hardware configuration of microprocessor -based protection are introduced. Several types of microprocessor -based protection equipments are analyzed. They include single CPU system, multi-CPU system, high-powered micro-controller and DSP system. The development direction of microprocessor -based protection is pointed out.
Two Behavioral Interventions for Patients with Major Depression and Severe COPD

Objective Personalized Intervention for Depressed Patients with COPD (PID-C), a treatment mobilizing patients to participate in their care, was found more effective than usual care. To further improve its efficacy, we developed a Problem Solving-Adherence (PSA) intervention integrating problem solving into adherence enhancement procedures. We tested the hypothesis that PSA is more effective than PID-C in reducing depressive symptoms. Exploratory analyses sought to identify patients with distinct depressive symptom trajectories and compare their clinical profiles. Design Randomized controlled trial. Setting Acute inpatient rehabilitation and community. Participants A total of 101 diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and major depression after screening 633 consecutive admissions for acute inpatient rehabilitation. Intervention Fourteen sessions of PID-C versus PSA over 26 weeks. Measurements 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Results PSA was not more efficacious than PID-C in reducing depressive symptoms. Exploratory latent class growth modeling identified two distinct depressive symptoms trajectories. Unlike patients with unfavorable course (28%) who remained symptomatic, patients with favorable course (72%) had a decline of symptoms during the hospitalization followed by a milder decline after discharge. Patients with unfavorable course were younger and had greater scores in disability, anxiety, neuroticism, and dyspnea related limitation in activities and lower self-efficacy scores. Conclusions Both interventions led to sustained improvement depressive symptoms. PID-C matches the skills of clinicians employed by community rehabilitation programs and can be integrated in the care of depressed COPD patients. Patients with severe disability, anxiety, neuroticism, and low self-efficacy are at risk for poor outcomes and in need of close follow-up and targeted interventions.
Prevalence of Asthma in School Children on the Arizona-Sonora Border.

Background Mexican-born children living in the United States have a lower prevalence of asthma than other US children. Although children of Mexican descent near the Arizona (AZ)-Sonora border are genetically similar, differences in environmental exposures might result in differences in asthma prevalence across this region. Objective The objective of this study was to determine if the prevalence of asthma and wheeze in these children varies across the AZ-Sonora border. Methods The International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children written and video questionnaires were administered to 1753 adolescents from 5 middle schools: Tucson (school A), Nogales, AZ (schools B, C), and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico (schools D, E). The prevalence of asthma and symptoms was compared, with analyses in the AZ schools limited to self-identified Mexican American students. Results Compared with the Sonoran reference school E, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for asthma was significantly higher in US schools A (OR 4.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.72-8.80), B (OR 3.47, 95% CI 1.88-6.42), and C (OR 4.12, 95% CI 1.78-9.60). The adjusted OR for wheeze in the past year was significantly higher in schools A (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.20-4.01) and B (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.42-5.01) on the written questionnaire and significantly higher in A (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.22-3.75), B (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.07-3.53), and Sonoran school D (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.28-4.30) on the video questionnaire compared with school E. Conclusions Asthma and wheeze prevalence differed significantly between schools and was higher in the United States. Environmental factors that may account for these differences could provide insight into mechanisms of protection from asthma.
Benign Partial Seizures of Adolescence

Eight patients matching the description of benign partial seizures of adolescence (BPSA), as described by Loiseau et al in 1978, were found among 92 teenagers, including 37 with new-onset focal seizures, enrolled in a prospective first-seizure study at the University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Development of an observation instrument to measure flourishing learning environments

The present study expands the array of learning environment instruments by developing a walkthrough observation instrument that examines the five elements of flourishing classroom learning environments: (a) positive emotion, (b) engagement, (c) meaning, (d) positive relationships, and (e) accomplishment. The Flourishing Classroom Observation Measure was used to observe 202 classrooms from 22 rural schools located in Texas. The findings indicate that these classrooms were not “flourishing” to a great extent on the five key elements. None of the mean values for the five scales were found to be higher than 1.53 on the 3-point rating scale. The findings from this study also indicate that there were few significant differences by content area, grade level, or school.
Case Study for Lean Management in the Public Sector: Improving Combination Product Review at the Food & Drug Administration

Therapeutics known as combination products because they combine drug, device, and/or biologic elements can offer important advantages relative to single‐modality products. However, regulatory policy in this arena has lagged relative to increases in product submissions and complexity of these products. In this article we describe how the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) applied Lean Management methods to improve and streamline the process by which different FDA centers and offices coordinate review of combination products. Therapeutic products that combine drug, device, and/or biologic elements account for an increasing share of medical products. The global market for these combination products is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.6% from 2012–2017,1 higher than rates projected for medical devices2 or prescription drugs.3 Combination products such as drug‐eluting stents, prefilled infusion pumps and inhalers, transdermal patches, antibody‐drug conjugates, and even some digital health technologies comprise approximately one‐third of all medical products under development.4 Combination product submissions to the FDA including new technologies increased 17% in 2015 vs. the previous 5‐year average. Combination products offer potential advantages relative to single‐modality products, including fewer adverse effects, improved adherence, controlled drug release, and targeted delivery. However, regulatory policies have not kept pace with the growing number and complexity of these products.5
A mouse recapitulating APOL1-associated kidney disease

In a recent study, researchers generated a mouse model expressing variant APOL1 that recapitulates human kidney disease. Variant APOL1 leads to caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis, which opens the door for the development of new druggable targets to treat APOL1-mediated kidney disease.
The impact of revenue diversification and economic base on state revenue stability

Revenue stability has been an important policy objective for state government administrators. This study explores whether the effect of revenue diversification on revenue volatility varies in terms of the instability of a state’s economic base. To empirically answer the question, an econometric model that explores a series of factors that could affect revenue stability is estimated using panel data on 47 state governments during the years 1986-2004. The findings indicate that revenue diversification reduces revenue instability for states that are economically stable. However, the revenue-stabilizing effect of diversification diminishes as the economic instability of a state increases. Although revenue diversification has been advocated as a desirable practice for sub-national governments, this study indicates that the benefits of revenue diversification are not always clear and its practice should be moderated by the conditions of a state’s economic base.
Global and adaptive K-nearest neighbor graphs in a spectral target detector based on Schroedinger Eigenmaps

The Schroedinger Eigenmaps (SE) embedding has been previously introduced and applied to spectral target detection problems in hyperspectral imagery (HSI). The proposed SE-based detection approach combines the spectral and spatial connectivity of target-like pixels into the Schroedinger operator by using a “knowledge propagation” scheme. Likewise, it has been noted the impact that the local data structure modeling has over the SE-based detector. This local data structure is modeled by using an adjacency graph, i.e, set of vertices and edges, that in most of the applications is a k nearest neighbor (knn) graph. In this paper, the impact of k in the graph-building process is analyzed and assessed from a target detection point of view. Two ways to estimate the parameter k in the graph construction are considered and their assessment is performed by using two HSI data sets and the Receiver Optimal Curve (ROC) as a detection performance metric.
Spontaneous order of pedestrian and vehicle intersection conflicts in the Indian context

Abstract While transportation systems have traditionally been designed to isolate different modes of travel, another developing school of thought advocates removing space demarcations, abolishing rules, and encouraging interactions between different modes. As rules are lifted, road users must become more aware of the actions of those around them. In turn, spontaneous social order takes hold. This research explores the factors that influence when a pedestrian acquiesces to a vehicle within a space shared by both modes, or when a vehicle will yield to a pedestrian. Does the relative number of each mode make a difference? If so, will this shift take place when pedestrians outnumber vehicles by two, or at an even higher ratio? Data collection took place at intersections in India due to their abundance of intermodal conflicts. The variables explored included the quantity of conflicts, the mode dominance – in terms of whether pedestrians acquiesced to vehicles or vice versa – of the conflicts, the number of vehicles, the number of pedestrians, design elements, and vehicle speeds. Multivariate linear regressions and graphical analysis suggest that while the number of pedestrians is significantly related to the number of conflicts, it is the number of vehicles that is significantly related to mode dominance. The results also suggest that mode dominance shifts from vehicles to pedestrians as pedestrians begin to outnumber vehicles.
Cognitive Assessments and Parkinson’s Disease

Besides the motor dysfunction, which is a well-known feature of Parkinson's disease (PD), nonmotor features affecting cognition, behavior, and mood are commonly present in PD and troublesome for both patients and caregivers. The neuropsychological assessment forms an important component of the evaluation of these nonmotor features, thereby providing screening or diagnostic tests for clinical care or research, and subsequently, longitudinal assessments of cognitive and behavioral change.
Measuring NN Correlations with 3He(e,e′pp)n

Measuring two nucleon knockout reactions from light nuclei can test our knowledge of nuclear bound state and continuum wave functions as well as our models of one- and two-nucleon currents. We have used the Jefferson Lab CLAS, a 4π spectrometer, to measure kinematically complete 3N breakup of 3He with 2.2 and 4.4 GeV electrons. When one nucleon carries away most of the kinetic energy, there is a large peak at 180° in the opening angle of the other two nucleons, indicating the presence of NN correlations. These correlations, unlike those measured in other reactions, appear to be unaffected by two nucleon currents such as MEC or IC.
Implicit learning of common sense for reasoning

We consider the problem of how enormous databases of "common sense" knowledge can be both learned and utilized in reasoning in a computationally efficient manner. We propose that this is possible if the learning only occurs implicitly, i.e., without generating an explicit representation. We show that it is feasible to invoke such implicitly learned knowledge in essentially all natural tractable reasoning problems. This implicit learning also turns out to be provably robust to occasional counterexamples, as appropriate for such common sense knowledge.
Necessity, The A Priori, And The Standard Meter

This article critically examines SaulKripke's (1972) argument for the separability ofnecessary truths from truths known a priori,focusing on his criticism of the standard meter casepresented by Wittgenstein (1968). It attempts to showthat Kripke's argument is unworkable on any of severalreadings. Wittgenstein's own broadly conventionalistaccount of necessary truth is then considered in thelight of the standard meter example.
Clinical presentation of ventricular-Hisian and ventricular-nodal accessory pathways

Background Narrow QRS tachycardia or premature beat with bystander atrial activation or ventricular-atrial dissociation is an unusual arrhythmia that can present diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. When ventricular-atrial conduction is robust, these arrhythmias can be difficult to distinguish from atrioventricular nodal reentry. Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the electrophysiology characteristics, diagnostic maneuvers, and treatment of these types of arrhythmias in a series of 7 cases. Methods Standard multipolar recording and pacing electrodes were used during electrophysiology studies. Catheter ablation was performed using radiofrequency or cryoenergy. Results During electrophysiology studies, ventricular-nodal or ventricular-Hisian conducting pathways were demonstrated to be responsible for the arrhythmias in all 7 cases. Successful ablation of these pathways using radiofrequency energy was accomplished in 6 of the 7 cases. Conclusion Ventricular-Hisian and ventricular-nodal associated tachyarrhythmias should be distinguished from typical forms of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia. Catheter ablation of these pathways can be successfully accomplished using mapping techniques described in our report.
A unified input-output approach for networked control problems with decentralized and selfish optimality

In this paper, we take an input-output approach to enhance the study of cooperative multiagent optimization problems that admit decentralized and selfish solutions, hence eliminating the need for an interagent communication network. The framework under investigation is a set of $n$ independent agents coupled only through an overall cost that penalizes the divergence of each agent from the average collective behavior. In the case of identical agents, or more generally agents with identical essential input-output dynamics, we show that optimal decentralized and selfish solutions are possible in a variety of standard input-output cost criteria. These include the cases of $\ell_{1}, \ell_{2}, \ell_{\infty}$ induced, and $\mathcal{H}_{2}$ norms for any finite $n$ . Moreover, if the cost includes non-deviation from average variables, the above results hold true as well for $\ell_{1}, \ell_{2}, \ell_{\infty}$ induced norms and any $n$ , while they hold true for the normalized, per-agent square $\mathcal{H}_{2}$ norm, cost as $n\rightarrow\infty$ . We also consider the case of nonidentical agent dynamics and prove that similar results hold asymptotically as $n\rightarrow\infty$ in the case of $\ell_{2}$ induced norms (i.e., $\mathcal{H}_{\infty}$ ) under a growth assumption on the $\mathcal{H}_{\infty}$ norm of the essential dynamics of the collective.