cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vascular thoracic outlet syndrome

In the methods section of the article on vascular thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) by Geven et al. [1], the authors point out that their indication for the diagnosis of ‘vascular TOS’ was an abnormal PPG study indicating signs of vascular compression of the subclavian artery. I question the labeling of the patients described here as having ‘vascular’ TOS. As the authors point out in their opening paragraph, there are two types of vascular TOS, arterial and venous. Because these two types are totally different from each other, the terms arterial TOS and venous TOS should be employed and the term ‘vascular’ eliminated. Venous TOS is manifested by symptoms of swelling and cyanosis, while arterial TOS by symptoms of ischemic fingers and arm claudication. Neurogenic TOS is identified by symptoms of paresthesia, weakness, and pain, not only in the upper extremity, but usually in the neck as well. Further, arterial TOS is almost always associated with a cervical rib or anomalous first rib. The symptoms of arterial TOS are usually the result of emboli from subclavian artery thrombosis, either from subclavian artery stenosis or subclavian artery aneurysm with mural thrombus. Only 6 of the 32 patients in this study had cervical ribs. Unfortunately, the authors fail to describe their patients’ symptoms which would help define the type of TOS they were treating. However, since all operations were transaxillary rib resections and none were arterial repairs, it can be assumed that none of these patients had arterial TOS and probably the large majority, if not all, of the patients had neurogenic TOS. Confusion regarding the differentiation between arterial and neurogenic TOS is common because many patients with neurogenic TOS have symptoms of coldness and color changes in their hands along with their other symptoms. These symptoms do not establish a diagnosis of arterial or vascular TOS. They are the result arteriolar vasoconstriction brought on by sympathetic nerve stimulation from compression of the sympathetic nerve fibers that accompany the C7 and C8 nerve roots [2]. Thus, these symptoms are those of neurogenic TOS
Validating tomographic model with broad-band waveform modelling: an example from the LA RISTRA transect in the southwestern United States

SUMMARY Traveltime tomographic models of the LA RISTRA transect produce excellent waveform fits if we amplify the damped images. We observe systematic waveform distortions across the western edge of the Great Plains from South American events, starting about 300 km east of the centre of the Rio Grande Rift. The amplitude decreases by more than 50 per cent within array stations spanning less than 200 km while the pulse width increases by more than a factor of 2. This feature is not observed for the data arriving from the northwest. While the S-wave tomographic image shows a fast slab-like feature dipping to the southeast beneath the western edge of the Great Plains, synthetics generated from this model do not reproduce the waveform characteristics. However, once we modify the tomographic image by amplifying the velocity contrast between the slab and adjoining mantle by a factor of 2‐3, the synthetics produce observed amplitude decay and pulse broadening. In addition to the traveltime delay, amplitude variation due to wave phenomena such as slab diffraction, focusing and defocusing provide much tighter constraints on the geometry of the fast anomaly and its amplitude and sharpness as demonstrated by a forward sensitivity test and snapshots of the seismic wavefield. Our preferred model locates the slab 200 km east of the Rio Grande Rift dipping 70 ◦ ‐75 ◦ to the southeast, extending to a depth near 600 km with a thickness of 120 km and a velocity of about 4 per cent fast. In short, adding waveform and amplitude components to regional tomographic studies can help validate and establish structural geometry, sharpness and velocity contrast.
Physiological and toxicological transcriptome changes in HepG2 cells exposed to copper.

Copper is an essential trace element; however, at supraphysiological levels, it can be extremely toxic. Microarray data from HepG2 cells exposed to 100, 200, 400, and 600 μM copper for 4, 8, 12 and 24 h were generated and analyzed. Principal components, K-means, and hierarchical clustering, interactome, and pathway mapping analyses indicated that these exposure conditions induce physiological and toxicological changes in the HepG2 transcriptome. As a general trend, when the level of toxicity increases, the number and diversity of affected genes, Gene Ontology categories, regulatory pathways, and complexity of interactomes increase. Physiological responses to copper include transition metal ion binding and responses to stress/stimulus, whereas toxicological responses include apoptosis, morphogenesis, and negative regulation of biomolecule metabolism. The global gene expression profile was overlaid onto biomolecular interaction networks and signal transduction cascades using pathway mapping and interactome identification. This analysis indicated that copper modulates signal transduction pathways associated with MAPK, NF-κB, death receptor, IGF-I, hypoxia, IL-10, IL-2, IL-6, EGF, Toll-like receptor, protein ubiquitination, xenobiotic metabolism, leukocyte extravasation, complement and coagulation, and sonic hedgehog signaling. These results provide insights into the global and molecular mechanisms regulating the physiological and toxicological responses to metal exposure.
A practical approach for content mining of Tweets.

Abstract Use of data generated through social media for health studies is gradually increasing. Twitter is a short-text message system developed 6 years ago, now with more than 100 million users generating over 300 million Tweets every day. Twitter may be used to gain real-world insights to promote healthy behaviors. The purposes of this paper are to describe a practical approach to analyzing Tweet contents and to illustrate an application of the approach to the topic of physical activity. The approach includes five steps: (1) selecting keywords to gather an initial set of Tweets to analyze; (2) importing data; (3) preparing data; (4) analyzing data (topic, sentiment, and ecologic context); and (5) interpreting data. The steps are implemented using tools that are publically available and free of charge and designed for use by researchers with limited programming skills. Content mining of Tweets can contribute to addressing challenges in health behavior research.
Transforming Medicine via Digital Innovation

The lack of plasticity of the medical profession and health care system in the face of new technology and information is about to be challenged on two major fronts in digital medicine: wireless technologies and genomics. These two areas have been characterized by unprecedented innovation and discovery at a breakneck pace. Whereas the 2000s saw the introduction of digital life-style devices, the 2010s will probably be known as the era of digital medical devices. These devices have exceptional promise for changing the future of medicine because of their ability to produce exquisitely detailed individual biological and physiological data.
Performance Evaluation of the "Cache-and-Forward (CNF)" Network for Mobile Content Delivery Services

This paper presents delay and throughput performance results for a "cache-and-forward" (CNF) network architecture for mobile content delivery services. The CNF network uses hop-by-hop transport and in-network storage to deliver large media files to mobile users. The CNF protocol is designed to deal with fluctuating wireless link quality and occasional periods of disconnection, and is therefore expected to be more robust and efficient than conventional TCP/IP based services. A detailed ns-2 simulation model is developed for CNF, including implementations of the reliable link layer and hop-by- hop routing protocol. The GT-ITM transit-stub with extensions for wireless access networks is used for the performance study, and network throughput and delay are measured as a function of offered traffic and radio link quality. The results show that the CNF network performance is competitive with TCP/IP even for the wired-only case, while providing significant capacity improvements as the wireless link quality degrades. It is observed that the network throughput gain for a given value of file transfer delay can be as much as ~3-5x depending on the radio link quality parameters.
Effects of insurance status on children's access to specialty care: a systematic review of the literature

Background The current climate of rising health care costs has led many health insurance programs to limit benefits, which may be problematic for children needing specialty care. Findings from pediatric primary care may not transfer to pediatric specialty care because pediatric specialists are often located in academic medical centers where institutional rules determine accepted insurance. Furthermore, coverage for pediatric specialty care may vary more widely due to systematic differences in inclusion on preferred provider lists, lack of availability in staff model HMOs, and requirements for referral. Our objective was to review the literature on the effects of insurance status on children's access to specialty care.
Toward an analytic framework for the electrical power grid

The large majority of electrical power in the United States today is generated from fossil feedstocks. While renewable energy sources offer compelling alternatives, there are many challenges and complexities that currently limit their use. The high-level objective of our work is to create an analytic framework to provide decision support for renewable energy use in electrical power generation in the US. For security reasons, many of the details of the infrastructure that would facilitate our work are not openly available. Thus, we seek to infer key properties of the power generation and transmission infrastructures, using alternative data sources and recognizing that grid dynamics are constrained by federal regulation and the laws of physics. In this discussion paper we describe the design space for our study and our initial analyses of energy pricing data. These data are openly available from Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators. Our results highlight the complexities and dynamics of the relationships between locations in the power grid, and set the stage for inferring physical and behavioral properties of the power grid.
Closed-Loop Feed Architectures for RCS Beam Broadening of Retro-Reflective Arrays

This communication presents a novel architecture for a one-dimensional, large radar cross section (RCS) retro-reflective array. This array is tailored to aide in the standoff detection and localization of large metallic objects in a warehouse setting. This application scenario requires this retro-reflective array to be planar, provide a high RCS, and a wide beam in the elevation plane. Traditional methods to increase the RCS of planar arrays employ an increase in the number of array elements which typically results in a narrowing of the beam in this plane. The approach presented eliminates this problem. To maintain a wider beam in elevation, a unique series fed grounded coplanar waveguide (GCPW) patch element is designed to radiate off boresight at a specified degree. This linear array is fed from both terminal ends of the array through a unique `closed-loop' interconnection scheme. In this arrangement, a resonant structure is created through circular loops that are formed by the interconnection of the linear series arrays and associated feed lines. The result is a broadened beam in elevation when compared to that of traditional Van Atta interconnection schemes while maintaining the broad RCS expected of a retro-reflective array in the horizontal plane. This compact array has a large RCS and is implemented at 26 GHz. The design of the array elements themselves is discussed along with the development of this novel feed architecture. RCS pattern measurements from the fabricated arrays are presented and performance enhancements quantified when compared to traditional retro-reflector feed geometries.
Carbohydrate targets in HIV vaccine research: lessons from failures.

Learning from the successes of other vaccines that enhance natural and existing protective responses to pathogens, the current effort in HIV vaccine research is directed toward inducing cytotoxic responses. Nevertheless, antibodies are fundamental players in vaccine development and are still considered in the context of passive specific immunotherapy of HIV, especially since several broadly neutralizing monoclonals are available. Special interest is directed toward antibodies binding to the glycan array on gp120 since they have the potential of broader reactivity and cross-clade neutralizing capacity. Humoral responses to carbohydrate antigens have proven effective against other pathogens, why not HIV? The variability of the epitope targets on HIV may not be the only problem to developing active or passive immunotherapeutic strategies. The dynamics of the infected immune system leads to ambiguous effects of most of the effector mechanisms calling for new approaches; some may already be available, while ot...
Improving Tibial Component Coronal Alignment During Total Knee Arthroplasty with Use of a Tibial Planing Device

Background: The outcomes of knee arthroplasty have been shown to be affected by component alignment. Intramedullary and extramedullary alignment instrumentation are fairly effective for achieving the desired mean tibial component coronal alignment. However, there are outliers representing >3° of varus or valgus alignment with respect to the anatomic tibial shaft axis. We measured the efficacy of a custom tibial planing device for reducing the outliers in tibial alignment. Methods: We designed a tibial planing tool in an effort to improve tibial alignment. In one cohort (100 knees), we used traditional intramedullary alignment instrumentation to make the tibial bone cut. In a second cohort (120 knees), we used intramedullary alignment instrumentation to make the cut and also used a custom tool to check the cut and to correct an inexact cut. Tibial tray alignment relative to the long axis of the tibial shaft was measured in the coronal and sagittal planes on postoperative radiographs. The target coronal alignment was 90° with respect to the tibial shaft axis (with <90° denoting varus alignment). A total of 100 anteroposterior radiographs and sixty-five lateral radiographs were analyzed for the group that was treated with traditional instrumentation alone, and a total of 120 anteroposterior radiographs and fifty-five lateral radiographs were analyzed for the group that was treated with use of the custom tibial planing device. Results: The mean coronal alignment of the tibial component was 89.5° ± 2.1° in the group that was treated with traditional instrumentation alone and 89.6° ± 1.4° in the group that was treated with use of the custom planing device. Although the mean coronal alignment was not significantly different, the number of outliers was substantially reduced when the custom planing device was used. All 120 components that had been aligned with use of the custom planing device were within 3° of the target coronal alignment, compared with only eighty-seven of the 100 components that had been implanted with use of traditional intramedullary alignment alone (p = 0.05). Conclusions: The use of a simple, inexpensive tibial planing device reduced the number of outliers due to tibial tray malalignment. Tibial varus has been associated with a higher risk of failure. Improving the accuracy of tibial component alignment may reduce the potential for poor clinical outcomes. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Discontinuous Galerkin Methods for Computational Fluid Dynamics

The discontinuous Galerkin methods are locally conservative, high-order accurate, and robust methods that can easily handle elements of arbitrary shapes, irregular triangulations with hanging nodes, and polynomial approximations of different degrees in different elements. These properties, which render them ideal for hp-adaptivity in domains of complex geometry, have brought them to the main stream of computational fluid dynamics. In this paper, we study the properties of the DG methods as applied to a wide variety of problems, including linear, symmetric hyperbolic systems, the Euler equations of gas dynamics, purely elliptic problems, and the incompressible and compressible Navier–Stokes equations. In each instance, we discuss the main properties of the methods, display the mechanisms that make them work so well, and present numerical experiments showing their performance. Keywords: computational fluid dynamics; discontinuous finite elements
Supply-Side Effects and Contingent Valuation Analysis

Market surveys, and the accompanying valuation technique known as contingent valuation analysis, have gained increasing acceptance in estimating values of properties or property features, especiall...
Charge transport anisotropy in n-type disk-shaped triphenylene-tris(aroyleneimidazole)s.

Two novel n-type disk-shaped molecules containing a triphenylene core and three fused naphthaleneimide imidazole or peryleneimide imidazole “arms” are synthesized and characterized. The n-type charge carrier mobilities of these molecules are evaluated by both field effect transistors and space-charge limited-current measurements, which exhibit drastically different mobility anisotropy. A strong correlation between film morphology and the charge transport behavior is established by X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopic analyses.
Critical Path Analysis for New Product Planning

Since its inception in 1957, Critical Path Analysis (CPA), which includes the CRITICAL PATH METHOD (CPM), and PROGRAM EVALUATION AND REVIEW TECHNIQUE (PERT) has received widespread acclaim as a pla...
The Strength of Weak Empathy

This paper builds on a neglected philosophical idea, Evidenz . Max Weber used it in his discussion of Verstehen , as the goal of understanding either action or such things as logic. It was formulated differently by Franz Brentano, but with a novel twist: that anyone who understood something would see the thing to be understood as self-evident, not something dependent on inference, argument, or reasoning. The only way one could take something as evident in this sense is by being able to treat other people as having the same responses – by empathy with them, in the weak sense of following their thought. Brentano's philosophical claim is that without some stopping point at what is self-evident, justifications fall into infinite regress. This is radically opposed to much of conventional philosophy. The usual solutions to the regress problem rely on problematic claims about the supposed hidden transcendental structure behind reasoning. In contrast, empathy is a genuine natural phenomenon and a better explanation for the actual phenomenon of making sense of the reasoning of others. What is evident to all who are capable of understanding is an empirically-defined subset of this class.
Prenatal Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors: A Developmental Etiology for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common and complex endocrinopathies among reproductive-age women. Polycystic ovary syndrome is characterized by symptomatology of oligomenorrhea and androgen excess, with or without presence of polycystic ovarian morphology. The etiology of PCOS is multifactorial, including genetic and environmental components. It has been previously established that prenatal androgen exposure results in a PCOS phenotype in experimental animal models and epidemiologic human studies. Investigators hypothesize that prenatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may contribute to PCOS development. This review examines the emerging research investigating prenatal exposure to 3 major classes of EDCs-bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and androgenic EDCs-and the development of PCOS and/or PCOS-related abnormalities in humans and animal models. Highlights of this review are as follows: (1) In rodent studies, maternal BPA exposure alters postnatal development and sexual maturation;, (2) gestational exposure to dibutyl phthalate and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate results in polycystic ovaries and a hormonal profile similar to PCOS; and (3) androgenic EDCs, nicotine and 3,4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide, create a hyperandrogenic fetal environment and may pose a potential concern. In summary, prenatal exposure to EDCs may contribute to the altered fetal programming hypothesis and explain the significant variability in severity and presentation.
Investigation on the Contamination Status and the Virulence Genes of Listeria in Some Commercially Available Agricultural By-Products in Minhang District of Shanghai

Objective To investigate the contamination of Listeria in some foods from farm markets and to detect the virulence genes of Listeria monocytogenes in Minhang district of Shanghai.Method Based on the national standard methods GB /T 4789.30—2008,Listeria in food was separated and biochemically identified by using CHROM agar color medium and API reagent strips.The virulence gene of hly,prfA,plcB,iap,inlA and actA were detect by PCR methods.Results There were 36 strains of Listeria isolated and identified from 320 samples,including 10 strains of Listeria monocytogenes,23 strains of Listeria innocua and 3 strains of other Listeria.Excepting the absence of actA,virulence genes hly,prfA,plcB,iap,inlA were identified in all 10 strains of Listeria monocytogenes.Conclusion The contamination of Listeria is existed in foods from farm market in Minhang district of Shanghai.Supervision and management should be strengthened on raw meat and poultry,which were serious contaminated.The absence of virulence gene actA in all Listeria monocytogenes isolated from local food needs further study.
Urethroplasty Management in 100 Cases of Urethral Stricture: A Rationale for Procedure Selection

Abstract We performed 100 urethroplasties for urethral strictures that fulfilled our criteria for surgical intervention. Strictures were located in the pendulous urethra in 14 cases, bulbar urethra in 33 and membranous urethra in 32, while the entire urethra or multiple adjacent areas were strictured in 21. The etiology of the strictures was traumatic in 47 patients and inflammatory in 22, and no cause was identified in 31. One-stage repairs were performed in 76 cases. Anastomotic repairs were optimal for short traumatic strictures, with 1 failure among 29 cases. Full thickness skin graft repairs were performed for more lengthy inflammatory strictures in 34 cases, with 5 failures. Mitigating against success in these patients were extrapenile skin donor sites, tubed grafts and poor graft beds. Vascularized island flap repairs were performed in 13 patients with 1 failure but there was an associated problem of redundant repairs. Two-stage repairs were reserved primarily for long or multiple strictures, with 2 failures in 24 cases. We conclude that procedure selection should be determined by stricture characteristics, including location, etiology, length and the presence of local adverse factors. An over-all rate free of stricture of 91 per cent was achieved.
Factors influencing the T wave of the electrocardiogram. An experimental study employing intracavitary and extraventricular (epicardial) leads

Abstract The effects of cooling and heating the endocardium and epicardium have been studied by the use of intra- and extraventricular exploring unipolar leads. Direct evidence has been obtained that changes in the electrical state of the endocardial muscular lamina modify the form of the electrocardiogram. Changes in the T wave can be produced by changing the rate and order of endocardialepicardial laminar repolarization. Negative T waves occurred where the exploring electrode subtended areas which had relatively or absolutely retarded repolarization; positive T waves occurred where the exploring electrode subtended areas which had relatively or absolutely accelerated repolarization. It was found that negative T waves occurred: 1. A. In the cavity (1) when the endocardium was cooled; (2) when the endocardium was not altered, but the epicardium was heated. 2. B. On the epicardium or precordium (1) when the epicardium immediately under the electrode was cooled; (2) when the endocardium subjacent to the epicardial exploring electrode was heated; (3) when the endocardium of the opposite wall was cooled. It was found that positive T waves occurred: 1. A. In the cavity (1) when the endocardium was heated; (2) when the epicardium was cooled. 2. B. On the epicardium or precordium (1) when the subjacent epicardium was heated; (2) when the subjacent endocardium was cooled. The relation of these results to the modern concept of altered repolarization in an extensive conducting medium are discussed. The spatial relation of the exploring electrode to a theoretical surface at the junction of the normal and altered areas is used to account adequately for the findings. The practical value of these observations is discussed. The present results confirm and extend previous observations on the contribution of the subendocardial myocardium to the electrocardiogram.
Characterization of the Cathode Electrolyte Interface in Lithium Ion Batteries by Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

The solid electrolyte interface (SEI) formed via electrolyte decomposition on the anode of lithium ion batteries is largely responsible for the stable cycling of conventional lithium ion batteries. Similarly, there is a lesser-known analogous layer on the cathode side of a lithium ion battery, termed the cathode electrolyte interface (CEI), whose composition and role are debated. To confirm the existence and composition of the CEI, desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) is applied to study common lithium ion battery cathodes. We observe CEI formation on the LiMn2O4 cathode material after cycling between 3.5 and 4.5 V vs Li/Li+ in electrolyte solution containing 1 M LiPF6 or LiClO4 in 1:1 (v/v) ethylene carbonate (EC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). Intact poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether is identified as the electrolyte degradation product on the cathode surface by the high mass-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometer. When EC is paired with ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), poly(ethyl...
Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Urothelial Carcinoma

Purpose: We review the biological mechanisms of action, clinical safety and efficacy of immunotherapies for urothelial carcinoma. We also describe current areas of research in immunotherapy, and highlight ongoing trials and promising and novel investigational agents.Materials and Methods: Data were obtained by a search of PubMed®, ClinicalTrials.gov and Cochrane databases for English language articles published through February 2016. Applicable abstracts from recent Society of Urologic Oncology, European Association of Urology, American Urological Association and ASCO® meetings were used.Results: Bacillus Calmette-Guerin is one of the most successful immunotherapies in cancer treatment and remains the gold standard of care for patients with high risk, nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer, with initial response rates of approximately 70%. However, with the exception of valrubicin and standard chemotherapeutics there is a paucity of available treatment options for patients with recurrence or progression to mor...
Big data driven co-occurring evidence discovery in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease that affects airflow to the lungs. Discovering the co-occurrence of COPD with other diseases, symptoms, and medications is invaluable to medical staff. Building co-occurrence indexes and finding causal relationships with COPD can be difficult because often times disease prevalence within a population influences results. A method which can better separate occurrence within COPD patients from population prevalence would be desirable. Large hospital systems may potentially have tens of millions of patient records spanning decades of collection and a big data approach that is scalable is desirable. The presented method, Co-Occurring Evidence Discovery (COED), presents a methodology and framework to address these issues. Natural Language Processing methods are used to examine 64,371 deidentified clinical notes and discover associations between COPD and medical terms. Apache cTAKES is leveraged to annotate and structure clinical notes. Several extensions to cTAKES have been written to parallelize the annotation of large sets of clinical notes. A co-occurrence score is presented which can penalize scores based on term prevalence, as well as a baseline method traditionally used for finding co-occurrence. These scoring systems are implemented using Apache Spark. Dictionaries of ground truth terms for diseases, medications, and symptoms have been created using clinical domain knowledge. COED and baseline methods are compared using precision, recall, and F1 score. The highest scoring diseases using COED are lung and respiratory diseases. In contrast, baseline methods for co-occurrence rank diseases with high population prevalence highest. Medications and symptoms evaluated with COED share similar results. When evaluated against ground truth dictionaries, the maximum improvements in recall for symptoms, diseases, and medications were 0.212, 0.130, and 0.174. The maximum improvements in precision for symptoms, diseases, and medications were 0.303, 0.333, and 0.180. Median increase in F1 score for symptoms, diseases, and medications were 38.1%, 23.0%, and 17.1%. A paired t-test was performed and F1 score increases were found to be statistically significant, where p < 0.01. Penalizing terms which are highly frequent in the corpus results in better precision and recall performance. Penalizing frequently occurring terms gives a better picture of the diseases, symptoms, and medications co-occurring with COPD. Using a mathematical and computational approach rather than purely expert driven approach, large dictionaries of COPD related terms can be assembled in a short amount of time.
ANALISIS PERBANDINGAN RASIO RETURN ON ASSETS PADA BANK BJB DAN BANK BUKOPIN

The bank's financial statements show the financial condition of banks overall. Based on the report can be calculated a number of financial ratios which is commonly used as the basis of assessment the health of banks and assessment of bank performance. Financial ratios that can be used as the analysis is profitability ratio. methods of data collection are observation, interviews and documentation. The data used is secondary data from the consolidated balance sheet, consolidated statements and reports asset quality of BJB bank and Bukopin Bank. The purpose of the research are to determine homogeneity of variance and analyze differences in profitability ratio of BJB bank and Bukopin bank period 2010 to 2014 by using ratio analysis ROA, BOPO and NIM and data analysis techniques used homogeneity of variance test and independent samples t-test. The results showed that variance of ROA BJB bank and Bukopin bank have equal variances with calculated F value of 1,274 and P-value of 0,289 and thereis differences mean of the ROA significant with t value of 4,614 > 2,306 Keywords : Financial ratio, Profitability ratio , ROA
Machine Learning and Neurosurgical Outcome Prediction: A Systematic Review

Objective Accurate measurement of surgical outcomes is highly desirable to optimize surgical decision-making. An important element of surgical decision making is identification of the patient cohort that will benefit from surgery before the intervention. Machine learning (ML) enables computers to learn from previous data to make accurate predictions on new data. In this systematic review, we evaluate the potential of ML for neurosurgical outcome prediction. Methods A systematic search in the PubMed and Embase databases was performed to identify all potential relevant studies up to January 1, 2017. Results Thirty studies were identified that evaluated ML algorithms used as prediction models for survival, recurrence, symptom improvement, and adverse events in patients undergoing surgery for epilepsy, brain tumor, spinal lesions, neurovascular disease, movement disorders, traumatic brain injury, and hydrocephalus. Depending on the specific prediction task evaluated and the type of input features included, ML models predicted outcomes after neurosurgery with a median accuracy and area under the receiver operating curve of 94.5% and 0.83, respectively. Compared with logistic regression, ML models performed significantly better and showed a median absolute improvement in accuracy and area under the receiver operating curve of 15% and 0.06, respectively. Some studies also demonstrated a better performance in ML models compared with established prognostic indices and clinical experts. Conclusions In the research setting, ML has been studied extensively, demonstrating an excellent performance in outcome prediction for a wide range of neurosurgical conditions. However, future studies should investigate how ML can be implemented as a practical tool supporting neurosurgical care.
Auxiliary dipyridylamide ligand control of dimensionality in copper 5-sulfoisophthalate coordination polymers

Abstract Hydrothermal reaction of copper nitrate, sodium 5-sulfoisophthalate (sip), and a long-spanning hydrogen-bonding capable dipyridylamide ligand afforded four coordination polymers whose dimensionality depends critically on the dipyridylamide tether length. The four new phases were structurally characterized via single-crystal X-ray diffraction. {[Cu 8 (sip) 4 (pbn) 3 (nic)(μ 3 -OH) 2 (μ 2 -OH)(μ 2 -H 2 O)(H 2 O) 4 ]·5H 2 O} n ( 1 , pbn = 1,3-propanediaminebis(nicotinamide), nic = nicotinate) manifests an intriguing 2D slab structure featuring trimeric copper clusters containing bridging hydroxide ions and water molecules along with substantial crystallographic disorder. {[Cu 3 (sip) 2 (pbin) 4 (H 2 O) 4 ]·14H 2 O} n ( 2 , pbin = 1,3-propanediaminebis(isonicotinamide)) shows 1D chain motifs with curled conformation dipyridylamide ligands. {[Cu 4 (μ 3 -OH) 2 (sip) 2 (hbin)]·2H 2 O} n ( 3 , hbin = 1,6-hexanediaminebis(isonicotinamide)) features [Cu 4 (μ-OH) 2 (sip) 2 ] butterfly clusters connected into a 3D 3,8-connected network with (4.6 2 ) 2 (4 2 6 18 7 4 8 4 ) topology. {[Cu(Hsip)(hbn)(H 2 O)]·2H 2 O} n ( 4 , hbn = 1,6-hexanediaminebis(nicotinamide)) exhibits a sawtooth (4,4) grid topology. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility studies on 1 and 3 revealed antiferromagnetic behavior ( g = 2.079(6), J = −5.7(2) cm −1 for 1 , g = 2.14(2), J 1 = −19(1) cm −1 , J 2 = −35(2) cm −1 for 3 ). Thermal decomposition behavior of 1 – 4 is also discussed.
Active Learning for Improving Machine Learning of Student Explanatory Essays

There is an increasing emphasis, especially in STEM areas, on students’ abilities to create explanatory descriptions. Holistic, overall evaluations of explanations can be performed relatively easily with shallow language processing by humans or computers. However, this provides little information about an essential element of explanation quality: the structure of the explanation, i.e., how it connects causes to effects. The difficulty of providing feedback on explanation structure can lead teachers to either avoid giving this type of assignment or to provide only shallow feedback on them. Using machine learning techniques, we have developed successful computational models for analyzing explanatory essays. A major cost of developing such models is the time and effort required for human annotation of the essays. As part of a large project studying students’ reading processes, we have collected a large number of explanatory essays and thoroughly annotated them. Then we used the annotated essays to train our machine learning models. In this paper, we focus on how to get the best payoff from the expensive annotation process within such an educational context and we evaluate a method called Active Learning.
The Standard GTAP Model in GAMS, Version 7

The purpose of this paper is to describe a version of the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) computable general equilibrium (CGE) model implemented in the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) that is a literal implementation of the standard General Economic Modeling Package (GEMPACK) version. There are a number of GAMS-basedmodels that rely onthe basic GTAPData Basestructure, butnoneisan exact replica of the GTAP model itself. This paper relies on version 7.0 of the GTAP model released in 2017 and that represents the latest version of the ’standard’ GTAP model, acknowledging that there are multiple variants. The code has been tested with release 9 of the GTAP Data Base that has 57 commodities and 140 countries/regions
The Changing Face of Maxillofacial Prosthodontics

An overview of oral and extra-oral (facial) maxillofacial prosthodontic treatment options will be reviewed. Historical, current, and future perspectives will be presented in an attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding as to the considerations and thought processes that guide the clinician providing these rehabilitative services. In so doing, it is hoped that those in need of such treatment can gain a better understanding of and appreciation for the complexities associated with this type of management. While the provision of health care, in general terms, is a rather complex web, those in need of oro/facial rehabilitation represent a unique subset of significant challenges. These challenges are not limited to the provision of care alone, but rather their complexity is magnified exponentially by many unknowns such as disease control/progression, coordination of care amongst those providers managing the disease process being in concert with those pro­viding rehabilitation services, psychosocial issues, family issues, insurance coverage issues or lack thereof, to name a few. Maxillofacial Prosthodontists, providers of such rehabilitation services, are a dedicated group of individuals whose focus, in simple terms, is to attempt to make their patients “whole again.” “Whole again” in the context of replacement by means of prostheses fabricated for lost/compromised oro/facial anatomy.
GENETIC REGULATION OF MACROPHAGE-T LYMPHOCYTE INTERACTION

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on genetic regulation of macrophage-T lymphocyte interaction. Major histocompatibility complex encodes a series of genes that control or regulate a variety of immune functions. In the early studies on the genetic restrictions for macrophage-T cell interaction, a general correlation was demonstrated between sharing of antigens identified by anti-2 or anti-13 sera and the ability of macrophages from outbred guinea pigs to activate immune inbred strain 2 or strain 13 T cells. For antigens, the response to which is not under unigenic control, immune (2 × l3)F1 T cells could be activated by PPD associated with macrophages derived from either parent. Two models have been proposed to explain the histocompatibility restrictions in immunocompetent cell interactions. T cells are capable of being sensitized to antigens associated with Ia antigens of either syngeneic or allogeneic macrophages.
Material Recycling and the Myth of Landfill Diversion

Proponents of material recycling typically point to two environmental benefits: disposal (landfill/incinerator) reduction and primary production displacement. However, in this paper we mathematically demonstrate that, without displacement, recycling can delay but not prevent any existing end‐of‐life material from reaching final disposal. The only way to reduce the amount of material ultimately landfilled or incinerated is to produce less in the first place; material that is not made needs not be disposed. Recycling has the potential to reduce the amount of material reaching end of life solely by reducing primary production. Therefore, the “dual benefits” of recycling are in fact one, and the environmental benefit of material recycling rests in its potential to displace primary production. However, displacement of primary production from increased recycling is driven by market forces and is not guaranteed. Improperly assuming all recycled material avoids disposal underestimates the environmental impacts of the product system. We show that the potential magnitude of this error is substantial, though for inert recyclables it is lower than the error introduced by improperly assuming all recycled material displaces primary material production. We argue that life cycle assessment end‐of‐life models need to be updated so as not to overstate the benefits of recycling. Furthermore, scholars and policy makers should focus on finding and implementing ways to increase the displacement potential of recyclable materials rather than focusing on disposal diversion targets.
UNIT 30.2 Targeted Metabolomics

The metabolome is the terminal downstream product of the genome and consists of the total complement of all the low-molecular-weight molecules (metabolites) in a cell, tissue, or organism. Metabolomics aims to measure a wide breadth of small molecules in the context of physiological stimuli or disease states. Metabolomics methodologies fall into two distinct groups: untargeted metabolomics, an intended comprehensive analysis of all the measurable analytes in a sample including chemical unknowns, and targeted metabolomics, the measurement of defined groups of chemically characterized and biochemically annotated metabolites. The methodologies considered in this unit focus on the processes of conducting targeted metabolomics experiments, and the advantages of this general approach are highlighted herein. This unit outlines procedures for extracting nitrogenous metabolites (including amino acids), lipids, and intermediary metabolites (including TCA cycle oxoacids) from blood plasma. Specifically, protocols are described for analyzing these metabolites using targeted metabolomics experiments based on liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry. Curr. Protoc. Mol. Biol. 98:30.2.1-30.2.24. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: targeted metabolomics; liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry; multiple reaction monitoring
The impact of age and sex on body composition and glucose sensitivity in C57BL/6J mice

A paucity of data exists regarding sex differences in age-related obesity and insulin resistance, particularly in the preclinical murine model. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of age and sex on insulin action and body composition in C57BL/6J mice. Aged (AG, 18 months old) male C57BL/6J mice, glucose tolerance was diminished compared to young (YG, 6 months old) male mice (Area Under Curve: 95,103 ± 6818 vs. 64,005 ± 2031, P = 0.002). However, there was no age-related decline in glucose or insulin tolerance in females. Body composition analysis revealed that AG males had significantly greater body mass (42.2 ± 1.9 vs. 30.0 ± 0.4 g, P < 0.0001), fat mass (18.7 ± 2.0 vs. 3.3 ± 0.4 g, P < 0.0001), body fat (43.0 ± 3.0 vs. 11.0 ± 1.5%, P < 0.0001) than YG males. In AG females, body mass (32.8 ± 1.6 vs. 26.3 ± 0.9 g, P = 0.02) was higher, but fat mass (13.3 ± 2.0 vs. 9.5 ± 1.3 g, P = 0.24) and body fat (37.8 ± 4.8 vs. 35.5 ± 3.8%, P = 0.67) were similar when compared to YG females. AG males had significantly higher body mass (42.2 ± 1.9 vs. 32.8 ± 1.6 g, P = 0.001) and fat mass (18.7 ± 2.0 vs. 13.3 ± 2.0 g, P = 0.04) compared to AG females; however, body fat (43.0 ± 3.0 vs. 37.8 ± 4.8%, P = 0.28) was similar. Six weeks of treatment with MitoQ, a mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant, did not reverse age-related obesity in male mice. Surprisingly, obesity and insulin resistance appear to be reversed in the oldest of the old male mice (28 vs. 20 months). Our findings indicate that female mice, unlike males, are protected from age-related obesity and insulin resistance.
CRISPR-Cas Biology and Its Application to Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases remain a global threat contributing to excess morbidity and death annually, with the persistent potential for destabilizing pandemics. Improved understanding of the pathogenesis of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, along with rapid diagnosis and treatment of human infections, is essential for improving infectious disease outcomes worldwide. Genomic loci in bacteria and archaea, termed clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins, function as an adaptive immune system for prokaryotes, protecting them against foreign invaders. CRISPR-Cas9 technology is now routinely applied for efficient gene editing, contributing to advances in biomedical science. In the past decade, improved understanding of other diverse CRISPR-Cas systems has expanded CRISPR applications, including in the field of infectious diseases. In this review, we summarize the biology of CRISPR-Cas systems and discuss existing and emerging applications to evaluate mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions, to develop accurate and portable diagnostic tests, and to advance the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Nano-additive reinforcement of mixture epoxy syntactic foams:

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were incorporated in syntactic foams containing a 90% by volume homogeneous mixture of (20/80 wt%) glass/thermoplastic microballoons to enha...
A figure of merit measuring picture resolution

Publisher Summary The objective of this chapter is to calculate a figure of merit measuring the resolution of a complex facsimile system including the effects of the factors and to present the results in a form useful for system design and general analysis. The overall system resolution depends on many things including the scene properties determining contrast, image motion, atmospheric turbulence, system characteristics, and characteristics of the observer viewing the scene reproduction. The scene reproduction will be a photograph displaying the scene brightness distribution degraded by loss of definition, noise, etc., and the observer is taken to be the human eye-brain system which is sensitive to brightness. A first order theory has been presented which allows, by means of a single curve and standard calibration data, the prediction of the resolution capabilities of a complex system. Within this formulation the effects of image motion, atmospheric turbulence, scene contrast, system sine-wave response, system noise, and the limitations in response of the observer, are accounted for in a unified manner, all these parameters being considered as effective spatial filters.
Differential responsiveness of luteinized human granulosa cells to gonadotropins and insulin-like growth factor I for induction of aromatase activity.

Objective To examine the in vitro responsiveness of cultured luteinized human granulosa cells over time to insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I), human follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for the induction of aromatase activity. Design Granulosa cells were retrieved from preovulatory follicles in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization. Cells were cultured for a period of 72 hours or 10 days. The ability of hCG, human FSH, and/or IGF-I to induce aromatase activity was assayed by the stereospecific release of tritium from [l B - 3 H]androstenedione. Results Short-term cultures (72 hours) demonstrated a marked rise in aromatase activity in response to human FSH and IGF-I, whereas a smaller response to hCG was observed. In contrast, 10-day cultures demonstrated responsiveness predominantly to hCG rather than human FSH for the induction of aromatase activity with no remarkable effect of IGF-I. Conclusion Luteinized human granulosa cells undergo a transformation from an initial human FSH and IGF-I responsive state to an hCG responsive state in long-term cultures.
The Psycho-Social Impact of Human-Animal Interactions

When I was asked by the Journal to guest edit a special issue on the psychosocial impact of human-animal interactions, I was honored to accept the invitation [...].