cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Positron emission tomography in the evaluation of stage III and IV head and neck cancer.

Background Detection of metastatic disease in head and neck cancer patients is critical to preoperative planning, because patients with distant metastasis will not benefit from surgical therapy. Conventional radiographic modalities, such as CT and MR, give excellent anatomic detail but poorly identify unenlarged lymph nodes harboring metastatic disease. Objective A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) detection of metastatic disease in patients with advanced-stage head and neck cancer. Methods Total body FDG-PET imaging was performed in a prospective manner on 12 consecutive patients with a new diagnosis of stage III or IV mucosal squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Chest CT was also performed on all 12 patients. Patients found to have metastatic disease on either CT or PET imaging underwent procedures to obtain histopathologic confirmation of disease. Results Three patients (25%) had FDG-PET scans demonstrating metastatic disease. Two of these patients had no evidence of disease on chest radiograph or chest CT but were noted to have positive FDG-PET imaging within the mediastinal lymphatics. Mediastinoscopy was performed confirming metastatic disease in these patients. The third patient had a peripheral lung lesion detected on chest radiograph, CT, and FDG-PET. This nodule was diagnosed by CT-guided biopsy as squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusion FDG-PET scanning detected mediastinal disease in two patients (17%) with advanced-stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that was not identified with conventional imaging techniques. PET imaging seems to have significant potential in the detection of occult metastatic disease, particularly in the mediastinal lymphatics. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck 23: 1056–1060, 2001.
Olfactory reference syndrome: demographic and clinical features of imagined body odor.

Abstract Objective Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) — preoccupation with a false belief that one emits a foul or offensive body odor — has been described around the world for more than a century. However, only a few small studies have systematically assessed ORS's clinical features. Method Twenty patients with ORS were systematically assessed using semistructured measures. Results Subjects' mean age was 33.4±14.1; 60% were female. Preoccupation most often focused on the mouth (75%), armpits (60%) and genitals (35%). Bad breath (75%) and sweat (65%) were the most common odor descriptions. Currently, 85% of subjects had delusional ORS beliefs, 77% had referential thinking and 85% reported actually smelling the odor. Ninety-five percent of subjects reported performing one or more ORS-related repetitive behaviors (e.g., excessive showering). Forty percent had been housebound for at least 1 week because of ORS symptoms, 68% had a history of suicidal ideation, 32% had attempted suicide and 53% had been psychiatrically hospitalized. Forty-four percent of subjects had sought nonpsychiatric medical, surgical or dental treatment for the perceived odor, and one third had received such treatment, which was ineffective in all cases. Conclusion ORS appears to be characterized by high morbidity and seeking of nonpsychiatric treatment.
Imprint and Fatigue Properties of Chemical Solution Derived Pb1–-xLax(ZryTi1–y)1–x/4O3 Thin Films

We have investigated the effect of oxygen vacancies on imprint and fatigue behavior of the PLZT thin films. It is found that the compensation of oxygen vacancies with various dopant concentrations and electrode structures is an important process parameter in determining the tendency to imprint and fatigue. In the case of PLZT thin films, the voltage shifts related to imprint are attributed to the trapping of electrons at ionic defect sites such as oxygen vacancies near the film/electrode interface, the magnitude of polarization, and concentration of defect-dipole complexes involving oxygen vacancies such as V′Pb–V••o. The strong dependence of fatigue rate on electrode material for PLZT thin films is due to the effect of the ferroelectric/electrode interaction on the pinning and/or unpinning rate involving the accumulation of oxygen vacancies near the film/electrode interface during fatigue cycling. By using RuO2 as the top and/or bottom electrode instead of Pt, improved fatigue properties are obtained compared to Pt/PLZT/Pt capacitors. This is because a reduced accumulation of oxygen vacancies near the interface by the oxide electrode such as RuO2 may reduce the electronic charge trapping and, consequently, lead to less domain wall pinning.
Input synthesis for a parameter set estimation algorithm

In the context of parameter set estimation, it is desired to produce the least conservative set estimate that is consistent with a priori assumptions of the identification experiment. The choice of plant excitation for an identification experiment has a critical impact on the quality of the modeling knowledge gained. An algorithm for synthesizing plant inputs to yield minimal hypervolume ellipsoids bounding the set of feasible parameters is developed based upon geometric insight into the optimal volume ellipsoid (OVE) algorithm update. >
Featural versus configural face processing in a rare genetic disorder: Williams syndrome

Background Williams syndrome (WMS) is a rare genetic disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 20 000 live births. Among other characteristics, WMS has a distinctive cognitive profile with spared face processing and language skills that contrasts with impairment in the cognitive domains of spatial cognition, problem solving and planning. It remains unclear whether individuals with WMS process faces using a featural strategy that focuses on fea- tures or a configural strategy that takes into consid- eration the contour of a face and spatial relations between features. Methods To investigate face processing in WMS, the tasks specifically probe unfamiliar face matching by using a design that includes manipulations in face presentation (thatcherised and non- thatcherised), face orientation (upright and inverted) and face valence (happy and neutral expression) in a match-to-target face recognition design.The sample consisted of 20 participants with WMS, 10 participants with non-specific devel- opmental delay (IQ-matched) and 10 normal control participants (chronological age-matched). Results Similar to normal controls,WMS per- formed best when faces were presented upright. The results show while the WMS group did not perform as well as their typically developing coun- terparts, they did significantly better than the IQ-matched developmentally delayed group.WMS did not show an accuracy advantage for inverted faces commonly understood as an index for featural face processing, nor did they perform better on thatcherised inverted face conditions whereby fea- tural processing is forced. Furthermore, no accu- racy advantage was observed for positively valenced (happy) faces in the WMS group. Conclusion These results are consistent with previ- ous work showing a configural face processing approach in WMS, a strategy that is also utilised by normal controls.
A novel quantification method for stream-inhabiting, non-diatom benthic algae, and its application in bioassessment

Non-diatom benthic algae from 104 streams in southern California were studied. We present a novel method for quantification of non-diatom algae that seeks to improve upon two important aspects of existing methods: separate processing of macroalgae and mic- roalgae to avoid sample blending and consequent loss of macroalgal integrity, and for better viewing, counting a well-mixed microalgal subsample on a standard micro- scope slide instead of using a counting chamber. Our method provided high-quality taxonomic and quantita- tive data with low uncertainty. A total of 260 algal taxa were recorded, 180 of which were identified to species level. The median total algal biovolume per site was 22.7 mm 3 cm -2 (range: \0.001-836.9 mm 3 cm -2 ), the median species number was 11 (range: 2-43). Total algal biovolume and species number correlated with canopy cover (negative) and water temperature (posi- tive), but not with measured water chemistry constituents. The proportion of heterocystous cyano- bacteria and Zygnemataceae were strongly negatively correlated with nitrate concentrations and TN. The proportion of red algae was negatively correlated with TP. Species optima calculations combined with indica- tor species analysis identified (40 algal species as potential indicators of nutrient conditions. Proposed here is a practical tool for non-diatom algal quantification that enhances its application to stream bioassessment.
Grandparenthood and Modernization: The Changing Status of Male and Female Elders in Tiriki, Kenya and Irigwe, Nigeria

Tiriki, Kenya, and Irigwe, Nigeria, are both patrilineal agricultural, age graded societies in which grandparenthood is a prerequisite for elderhood. Strikingly dissimilar marriage and cultural belief systems, however, underlie each society's markedly polarized male-female gender roles, and strongly gerontocratic authority structures. These contrasting beliefs have fostered differing social responses to similar British colonial, and post-colonial modernization experiences. Today male-female role polarization has decreased in Irigwe, and elders' authority has markedly diminished. Gender role differentiation has diminished in Tiriki, but male elders' status has remained high, and women elders' status has increased.
A Novel Variable-Gain Micro-Power Band-Pass Auto-Zeroing CMOS Amplifier

A micropower, low-noise, bandpass amplifier for biomedical implants is presented. Operating at low frequency, the amplifier is fully integrated without any external passive components. Low-frequency noise and offset is reduced through the autozeroing technique. The autozeroing frequency and noise bandwidth is optimized to reduce noise folding. The design consists of a novel variable gain amplifier as the first stage, a low-Gm high-pass filter as the second stage, and a low-pass Gm-C amplifier as the last stage. Subthreshold operation is utilized in all input pair transistors to reduce power consumption, while a low-Gm OTA (operational transconductance amplifier) is realized with a current division technique. A cross-couple parallel pair of source degeneration transistors is utilized to increase the linearity crucial to neural spike detection. The design is realized in a CMOS 0.18mum process. It has an offset of 600muV, a variable gain from 42dB to 0dB, and 50 to 900Hz bandwidth while occupying 0.245mm2 area. The total circuit consumes only 26muW in a 1.8V power supply; the input referred noise is estimated to be 5.6muVrms.
Simulated spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak repair: an educational model with didactic and technical components.

BACKGROUND: In the era of surgical resident work hour restrictions, the traditional apprenticeship model may provide fewer hours for neurosurgical residents to hone technical skills. Spinal dura mater closure or repair is 1 skill that is infrequently encountered, and persistent cerebrospinal fluid leaks are a potential morbidity. OBJECTIVE: To establish an educational curriculum to train residents in spinal dura mater closure with a novel durotomy repair model. METHODS: The Congress of Neurological Surgeons has developed a simulation-based model for durotomy closure with the ongoing efforts of their simulation educational committee. The core curriculum consists of didactic training materials and a technical simulation model of dural repair for the lumbar spine. RESULTS: Didactic pretest scores ranged from 4/11 (36%) to 10/11 (91%). Posttest scores ranged from 8/11 (73%) to 11/11 (100%). Overall, didactic improvements were demonstrated by all participants, with a mean improvement between pre- and posttest scores of 1.17 (18.5%; P = .02). The technical component consisted of 11 durotomy closures by 6 participants, where 4 participants performed multiple durotomies. Mean time to closure of the durotomy ranged from 490 to 546 seconds in the first and second closures, respectively (P = .66), whereby the median leak rate improved from 14 to 7 (P = .34). There were also demonstrative technical improvements by all. CONCLUSION: Simulated spinal dura mater repair appears to be a potentially valuable tool in the education of neurosurgery residents. The combination of a didactic and technical assessment appears to be synergistic in terms of educational development.
Differential Effects of Weather and Natural Enemies on Coexisting Aphid Populations

Study of mechanisms responsible for regulating populations of living organisms is essential for a better comprehension of the structure of biological communities and evolutionary forces in nature. Aphids (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) comprise a large and economically important group of phytophagous insects distributed worldwide. Previous studies determined that density-dependent mechanisms play an important role in regulating their populations. However, only a few of those studies identified specific factors responsible for the observed regulation. Time series data used in this study originated from the untreated control plots that were a part of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) insecticide trials in northern Maine from 1971 to 2004. The data set contained information on population densities of three potato-colonizing aphid species (buckthorn aphid, Aphis nasturtii; potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae; and green peach aphid, Myzus persicae) and their natural enemies. We used path analysis to explore effects of weather and natural enemies on the intrinsic growth rates of aphid populations. Weather factors considered in our analyses contributed to the regulation of aphid populations, either directly or through natural enemies. However, direct weather effects were in most cases detectable only at P ≤ 0.10. Potato aphids were negatively affected by both fungal disease and predators, although buckthorn aphids were negatively affected by predators only. Parasitoids did not have a noticeable effect on the growth of any of the three aphid species. Growth of green peach aphid populations was negatively influenced by interspecific interactions with the other two aphid species. Differential population regulation mechanisms detected in the current study might at least partially explain coexistence of three ecologically similar aphid species sharing the same host plant.
Managing social norms for persuasive impact

In order to mobilise action against a social problem, public service communicators often include normative information in their persuasive appeals. Such messages can be either effective or ineffective because they can normalise either desirable or undesirable conduct. To examine the implications in an environmental context, visitors to Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park were exposed to messages that admonished against the theft of petrified wood. In addition, the messages conveyed information either about descriptive norms (the levels of others’ behaviour) or injunctive norms (the levels of others’ disapproval) regarding such thievery. Results showed that focusing message recipients on descriptive normative information was most likely to increase theft, whereas focusing them on injunctive normative information was most likely to suppress it. Recommendations are offered for optimising the impact of normative messages in situations characterised by objectionable levels of undesirable conduct.
Participatory urban planning in Brazil

This paper focuses on participatory urban planning as a model of urban reform and democratic invention in Brazil. Its case material regards the formulation and implementation of two sets of urban laws of very broad consequence. First, we discuss briefly the chapter on urban policy in the 1988 Citizen Constitution and the federal law that it mandates. The latter is the Estatuto da Cidade, the City Statute, from 2001, which required that 1600 cities (approximately 30%) of Brazilian municipalities either create Master Plans or reformulate existing ones according to its principles and on the basis of popular participation. Second, we focus on Sao Paulo’s Master Plan (2002) and Zoning Law (2004) that fulfill this requirement and on the Plan’s required revision in 2007. By examining this massive constitutionally mandated formulation of urban policy, our aim is to analyse the development of a new paradigm of urban policy that reinvents master planning.
Tax Structure and Female Labour Supply: Evidence from Ireland

How great an effect does the structure of income taxes have on female labour supply? This issue is investigated using a discrete-choice static labour supply model for married couples in Ireland. The model incorporates fixed costs of working and simultaneously explains participation decisions and preferred hours of work. The model is estimated using data from the 1994 wave of the Living in Ireland Survey. Simulations examine the labour supply effects of introducing greater independence in the tax treatment of married couples, compared with an income-splitting system, and alternative forms of tax cuts.
A high-density linkage map for Astyanax mexicanus using genotyping-by-sequencing technology.

The Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, is a unique model system consisting of cave-adapted and surface-dwelling morphotypes that diverged >1 million years (My) ago. This remarkable natural experiment has enabled powerful genetic analyses of cave adaptation. Here, we describe the application of next-generation sequencing technology to the creation of a high-density linkage map. Our map comprises more than 2200 markers populating 25 linkage groups constructed from genotypic data generated from a single genotyping-by-sequencing project. We leveraged emergent genomic and transcriptomic resources to anchor hundreds of anonymous Astyanax markers to the genome of the zebrafish (Danio rerio), the most closely related model organism to our study species. This facilitated the identification of 784 distinct connections between our linkage map and the Danio rerio genome, highlighting several regions of conserved genomic architecture between the two species despite ∼150 My of divergence. Using a Mendelian cave-associated trait as a proof-of-principle, we successfully recovered the genomic position of the albinism locus near the gene Oca2. Further, our map successfully informed the positions of unplaced Astyanax genomic scaffolds within particular linkage groups. This ability to identify the relative location, orientation, and linear order of unaligned genomic scaffolds will facilitate ongoing efforts to improve on the current early draft and assemble future versions of the Astyanax physical genome. Moreover, this improved linkage map will enable higher-resolution genetic analyses and catalyze the discovery of the genetic basis for cave-associated phenotypes.
Still 'Takin' Care of Business?': A Comparative Analysis of Amendments to the Georgian Labor Code

The Georgian Labor Code has recently moved away from an American “at-will” regime to a “just cause” system. This change alters significantly the relationship between Georgian employers and Georgian employees – reducing discretion for employers and adding significant job protection rights for employees. While this model diverges from the American at-will employment model, the codification of just cause principles brings the new Labor Code closer to the American traditional labor law model where employees generally enjoy protection from discharge unless based on just cause through collective-bargaining agreements. This article examines three main provisions in the new Georgian Labor code allowing for (1) immediate termination if based on the employee’s gross violation of duty, (2) termination for misconduct or negligence only after prior warning, and (3) termination based on “any other objective reason.” The article posits that American arbitral law developed under the grievance and arbitration provisions of collective-bargaining agreements can provide a useful source of common law to guide the application of the new code in practice. The article then provides useful examples of the types of employee behavior that might support termination and the due process and other procedural issues that arise under a just cause system. The article concludes that the new Georgian Labor Code provides opportunities for both employers and employees and that it is ultimately too soon to conclude whether Georgia is still taking care of business.
El Movimiento Estudiantil Profesional (MEP)una mirada a la radicalización de la juventud católica mexicana durante la Guerra Fría

Este ensayo ofrece una mirada al proceso de radicalizacion de uno de los grupos catolicos juveniles mas activos en Mexico durante el periodo de la Guerra Fria: el MEP (Movimiento Estudiantil Profesional). La evolucion del pensamiento de este pequeno grupo resulta de particular importancia, porque si bien en su primera etapa surgio como un movimiento sumamente anticomunista, luego transito hacia un pensamiento mas progresista que, de manera similar a otros grupos latinoamericanos, culmino en una tercera etapa de radicalizacion y acercamiento a los sectores mas militantes de la Nueva Izquierda. This essay offers a glimpse into the process of radicalization of one of the most active young Catholic groups in Mexico during the Cold War: The MEP (Professional Student Movement). The evolution of thought of this small group is of particular importance, because although in its first stage it emerged as a highly anticommunist movement, it then transitioned to more progressive thinking which, similar to other Latin American groups of this kind, culminated in a third stage of radicalization approaching the most militant sections of the New Left.
On the effect of proactive and alternate path routing in mobile ad hoc networks

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANET) comprise of freely roaming wireless nodes that can communicate in an infrastructureless environment to provide an extremely flexible and rapidly deployable ad-hoc network for establishing communications. Network nodes usually have limited resources since these are typically portable and thus powered by limited capacity batteries. Each node plays an important part in the network, which may be that of being the source and/or destination of a communication or being a bypass node that relays data for the communication of other source/destination pairs. Failure or loss of power of a few nodes may result in the loss of operation of the network. Thus intelligent routing and selection of paths is of utmost importance. Today the most popular routing protocols are: (i) Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector routing (AODV) and (ii) Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) that use Distance Vector and Link State routing techniques, respectively.
Oral Administration of Co60 Vitamin B12 in Pernicious Anemia.

ConclusionsFollowing oral administration of 1.0 μg of Co60 vit. B.12: 1. Seven normal persons excreted 12-59% of radioactive cobalt in the stool in 3-9 days. 2. No activity could be found in the urine of 2 normal subjects up to 8 days after ingestion of the vitamin. 3. Four patients with pernicious anemia in remission excreted 89-99% of the dose in the stool. 4. In 3 of these cases 2 mg of folic acid, 10 mg of folic acid for one week, 50 g of ventriculin, and 15 mg of intrinsic factor had no appreciable effect on the amount excreated. 5. In one case 2 mg of folic acid and 15 mg of intrinsic factor reduced the excretion of Co60 about 40%, and 50 g of ventriculin cut the fecal activity about 25%. 6. In 3 Patients 2 g of aureomycin for one week had no effect and 150 cc of neutralized normal gastric juice reduced the fecal activity about 30%.
Efficacy of intense pulsed light for the treatment of burn scar dyschromias: a pilot study to assess patient satisfaction, safety, and willingness to pay.

Introduction No treatment algorithms exist to reliably treat burn scar dyschromias. Intense pulsed light (IPL) has been used successfully to treat hyperpigmentation disorders, but has not been studied extensively in the treatment of burn scars. The purpose of this investigation was to assess clinical efficacy and patient satisfaction with IPL for the treatment of burn scar dyschromia. Methods Patients with burn scar dyschromias were treated using the Lume 1 platform (Lumenis) to target pigmented lesions, using fluences between 10 and 22 joules/cm2 and filters ranging from 560 to 650 nm. At the conclusion of the study, providers assessed changes in burn scar dyschromia, whereas patients were queried regarding satisfaction and perceived efficacy, using a 1 to 5 Likert scale. The patients, who were not charged for the IPL treatment, were queried regarding willingness to pay. Results Twenty patients (mean age, 35.4 years; mean total body surface area, 27.6%; mean composite Fitzpatrick score, 3.9) underwent IPL treatment of burn scar dyschromias, an average of 3.2 years after injury. Mean fluence was 15.4 J/cm2 (range, 10–22 J/cm2), and the most common filter used was 590 nm (range, 560–650 nm). Mean area treated was 90.7 cm2, with a range of 4 to 448 cm2. Complications included pain (4), hyperpigmentation (1), and blistering (2). Sixteen patients noted mild to moderate improvement, reporting a 4.5 for efficacy and a 4.4 for satisfaction. Regarding willingness to pay, patients would spend a mean of U.S. $7429 to completely remove their scars, but only a median of U.S. $350 to get the actual results that they received. Mean length of follow-up was 3.8 months, with a standard deviation of 2.2 months. Conclusions Patients perceived IPL as an efficacious modality in the treatment of burn scar dyschromia, with a high level of satisfaction, despite the potential for morbidity. However, we are reluctant to recommend IPL for routine treatment of burn scar dyschromias, given only minimal improvement observed, potential for complications, and a willingness to pay that is lower than the cost of providing care.
A Final Description

In a few paragraphs, I want here to try to draw together my view of Peircean creativity descriptively. As I do so, we should keep in mind that this description fills a gap in Peirce’s esthetics as a normative science; that is, it tells us how, according to Peirce, artistic creativity ought to be pursued, just as Peirce’s logic described how scientific inquiry ought to be pursued.
Peru: Slow, Steady Health Reform in a Weak State

Chapter 5 focuses on health sector reform in Peru, which is a prototypical “weak state” in health. It is characterized by weak autonomy—no clear health goals, and weak capacity—little infrastructural, technical, and other ability to carry out health reforms, programs, and goals in the 1980s and beyond. Peru then is the case in which we expect the sharpest neoliberal shift, as it is most vulnerable to international pressures and social program cutbacks. Surprisingly, this case displays the opposite trend: the expansion of public health financing and coverage, though provision is sub-contracted, sometimes to private providers. This case spotlights the complexity of understanding what neoliberalism means for health. The relatively recent Seguro Integral de Salud (SIS) aims to create an overarching publicly regulated health insurance in Peru though many of the functions: provision, financing, and delivery are left to the private sector. Of the three cases, Peru also demonstrates most clearly the ways in which the logic of economic productivity and human capital are used to advance health. The World Bank, via its support of the precursors to the SIS—the maternal insurance and school children insurance instituted under Alberto Fujimori’s dictatorship—has played a key role in these reforms and seemingly supports the expansion of government provision of health insurance. The Peruvian case demonstrates that this extension is grounded in theories of human capital in the service of economic efficiency, and that it advances the government’s coordinating and regulatory role. This calls for a reconceptualization of neoliberal reforms that do not always reduce the role of the state, but rather transform it, together with the expansion of the role and presence of private providers. This chapter demonstrates, however, that even in a weak state movement toward universal care, albeit in a segmented way, is possible. Peru then embodies the paradox of the strength of weak states: the central apparatus cannot be entirely co-opted for neoliberal ends because it is too disorganized and segmented to co-opt, and shows the World Bank’s support of movements toward universal insurance.
Physical Principles of Circulation

Blood flow must obey the principles of conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. Applied to any given region of space, the principle of conservation of mass means that whatever flows in must flow out. If flow is confined to blood vessels, then we obtain a rule similar to Kirchhoff’s law of electric circuits: At any junction the summation of current flowing into a junction must be equal to the sum of the currents flowing out of that junction. In a single tube of variable cross section, a steady flow implies that the average local speed of flow is inversely proportional to the local cross-sectional area.
A corpus-based comparative study on the superlative forms in British English and Singapore Colloquial English

The study compares Singapore Colloquial English (SCE) and British English with respect to the usage of the two superlative forms, inflectional and periphrastic. I predicted that the periphrastic forms were more frequent in SCE than in British English since its substrate languages, Chinese and Malay, only have periphrastic forms. However, the results show that there is no statistical difference between the two varieties of English. I further carried out a close look at the superlative forms for the disyllabic adjectives, which are influenced by factors other than word length, the best predictor for the use of the superlative forms, and I found that SCE does show a preference for the periphrastic forms for disyllabic adjectives, especially those that have low frequencies and those that have high frequencies and alternate between the two forms in British English.
mPart: miss-ratio curve guided partitioning in key-value stores

Web applications employ key-value stores to cache the data that is most commonly accessed. The cache improves an web application's performance by serving its requests from memory, avoiding fetching them from the backend database. Since the memory space is limited, maximizing the memory utilization is a key to delivering the best performance possible. This has lead to the use of multi-tenant systems, allowing applications to share cache space. In addition, application data access patterns change over time, so the system should be adaptive in its memory allocation. In this work, we address both multi-tenancy (where a single cache is used for multiple applications) and dynamic workloads (changing access patterns) using a model that relates the cache size to the application miss ratio, known as a miss ratio curve. Intuitively, the larger the cache, the less likely the system will need to fetch the data from the database. Our efficient, online construction of the miss ratio curve allows us to determine a near optimal memory allocation given the available system memory, while adapting to changing data access patterns. We show that our model outperforms an existing state-of-the-art sharing model, Memshare, in terms of overall cache hit ratio and does so at a lower time cost. We show that for a typical system, overall hit ratio is consistently 1 percentage point greater and 99.9th percentile latency is reduced by as much as 2.9% under standard web application workloads containing millions of requests.
Who is Mturk? Personal characteristics and sample consistency of these online workers

Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers as a convenient method to gather human subjects due to its efficiency, low cost, and ease of use in securing d...
Listing Low-Weight or Ill Infants for Heart Transplantation: Is It Prudent?

Background Infants awaiting heart transplantation (HTx) have the highest waitlist mortality than other HTx patients. This study analyzed the impact of weight and other factors on waitlist and post-HTx outcomes in infants. Methods All infants on the HTx waitlist in the United Network for Organ Sharing database from October 1987 to June 2016 were divided into the following weight groups: less than 2.5 kg, 2.5 to 3.9 kg, and more than 4 kg. Survival from listing regardless of transplantation was compared by using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results Of 4,711 infants listed for HTx, 250 (5.3%) weighed less than 2.5 kg, 1,993 (42%) weighed 2.5 to 3.9 kg, and 2,468 (52%) weighed more than 4 kg. Median time on the waitlist was similar between the groups weighing less than 2.5 kg and 2.5 to 3.9 kg (28 days versus 31 days, p = 0.423), whereas the group weighing more than 4 kg waited longer (42 days; p = 0.027 and p 4 kg: 1 year, 66%, p Conclusions Survival of infants after being listed for HTx is substantially affected by weight but also by illness at listing. Therefore, going into a transplantation ill or too small, as seen in the present study, may not be prudent, given the limited resource of infant donors.
Psychosomatic Medicine and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry in Indian Subcontinent

Psychiatric and psychosomatic practice in the Indian subcontinent involves a combination of Western and traditional psychiatric/mind-body practices. With the increasing demand of the population and the severe deficit of psychiatrists in the area, intense psychiatric training during medical school and training the primary care physicians to recognize and treat psychiatric conditions are of utmost importance. The role of culture in the phenomenology of mental illness, drug metabolism, treatment response, course of mental illness, and outcome cannot be emphasized enough in treating a culturally diverse population. Understanding and incorporating some of the traditional practices of medicine like Ayurveda as complementary treatment can help to gain trust of the patient and add value to the treatment.
Hyperglycosylated human chorionic gonadotropin as a predictor of ongoing pregnancy.

Background Hyperglycosylated human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG-H), the predominant human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) variant secreted following implantation, is associated with trophoblast invasion. Objective To determine whether the initial serum hCG-H differs between ongoing and failed pregnancies, and to compare it to total serum hCG as a predictor of ongoing pregnancy. Study design Women undergoing fresh/frozen in vitro fertilization cycles at a university-based infertility clinic with an autologous day 5 single embryo transfer resulting in serum hCG >3 mIU/mL (n=115) were included. HCG was measured 11 days after ET in a single laboratory (coefficient of variation 8 weeks of gestation) and failed pregnancies (clinical pregnancy loss, biochemical and ectopic pregnancies). Results Eighty-five pregnancies (73.9%) were ongoing. HCG-H and hCG values were highly correlated (Pearson Correlation coefficient 92.14, p Conclusions Measured 11 days after single blastocyst transfer, HCG-H and hCG values were highly correlated, but only mean hCG-H and its ratio to total hCG were significantly higher in ongoing pregnancies versus clinical pregnancy losses. Further evaluation of hCG-H, including in multiple embryo transfers and multiple pregnancy, and using serial measurements, is required.
The hepatic effects in dams that ingested 2-aminoanthracene during gestation and lactation:

Diabetes mellitus has been on a continual rise as one of the top chronic diseases to affect individuals worldwide. The goal of this study was to determine how exposure from a well-known toxicant, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon called 2-aminoanthracene (2AA), could potentially lead to diabetes, damage the liver, and have negative effects to the offspring. Humans are exposed to 2AA from foods cooked in high heat and tobacco smoke, among others. To analyze the effects of 2AA, three groups of Sprague Dawley dams consumed an adulterated 2AA diet from gestation to their postnatal period. Timed-pregnant dams ingested 0 mg/kg (control group (C)), 50 mg/kg (low dose group (LD)), and 100 mg/kg (high dose group (HD)) 2AA. Hepatic gene expressions of Adam8, Bax, Ccng1, CD68, CD93, Cdkn1c, and Ddit4 indicated a significant overexpression of Bax, Ccng1, CD68, CD93, and Cdkn1c in treated groups. Although there was no significant difference in the damage to the liver architecture by 2AA, the positively stained CD68+ cells were slightly increased in treated rats. Significant decreases in the albumin and aspartate aminotransferase levels might indicate an inflammatory response from 2AA exposure in dams. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentration was also decreased, in contrast to studies of liver cirrhosis that reported increased serum IgA concentration. Overexpression of genes Ddit4, Cdkn1c, Ccng1, Bax, CD93, and CD68 point to hepatic inflammation and apoptosis. Overall results suggest a link between environmental 2AA exposure and adverse liver effects, which has potential to increase susceptibility to type 2 diabetes and other diseases.
Identification of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in Red Clover (Trifolium pratense L.) Using Targeted Genomic Amplicon Sequencing and RNA-seq.

Red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) is a diploid, naturally cross-pollinated, cool-season species. As a perennial forage legume, red clover is mostly cultivated in temperate regions worldwide. Being a non-model crop species, genomic resources for red clover have been underdeveloped. Thus far, genomic analysis used in red clover has mainly relied on simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. However, SSR markers are sparse in the genome and it is often difficult to unambiguously map them using short reads generated by next generation sequencing technology. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been successfully applied in genomics assisted breeding in several agriculturally important species. Due to increasing importance of legumes in forage production, there is a clear need to develop SNP based markers for red clover that can be applied in breeding applications. In this study, we first developed an analytical pipeline that can confidently identify SNPs in a set of 72 different red clover genotypes using sequences generated by targeted amplicon sequencing. Then, with the same filtering stringency used in this pipeline, we used sequences from publicly available RNA-seq data to identify confident SNPs in different red clover varieties. Using this strategy, we have identified a total of 67,975 SNPs across red clover varieties. Among these, 28% (19,116) of them are missense mutations. Using Medicago truncatula as the reference, we annotated the regions affected by these missense mutations. We identified 2,909 protein coding regions with missense mutations. Pathway analysis of these coding regions indicated several biological processes impacted by these mutations. Specifically, three domains (homeobox domain, pentatricopeptide repeat containing plant-like, and regulator of Vps4 activity) were identified with five or more missense SNPs. These domain might also be a functional contributor in the molecular mechanisms of self-incompatibility in red clover. Future in-depth sequence diversity analysis of these three genes may yield valuable insights into the molecular mechanism involved in self-incompatibility in red clover.
Synthesizing images from multiple kernels using a deep convolutional neural network.

Purpose Filtering measured projections with a particular convolutional kernel is an essential step in analytic reconstruction of computed tomography (CT) images. A tradeoff between noise and spatial resolution exists for different choices of reconstruction kernel. In a clinical setting, this often requires producing multiple images reconstructed with different kernels for a single CT exam, which increases the burden of computation, networking, archival, and reading. We address this problem by training a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to synthesize multiple input images into a single output image which exhibits low noise while also preserving features in images reconstructed with the sharpest kernels. Methods A CNN architecture consisting of repeated blocks of residual units containing a total of 20 convolutional layers was used to combine features. The CNN inputs consisted of two images produced with different reconstruction kernels, one smooth and one sharp, which were stacked in the channel dimension. The network was trained using supervised learning with both full-dose and simulated quarter-dose abdominal CT images. After training, the performance was evaluated using a reserved set of full-dose scans that were not used for network optimization. Noise reduction performance was measured by comparing root mean square (RMS) measurements in uniform regions. Spatial resolution was compared using line profiles of anatomic features. Results For the regions tested, the synthetic images feature noise levels slightly below those of the smooth input images, while maintaining the resolution of anatomic details found in the sharp input images. Conclusions A deep CNN can be used combine features from CT images reconstructed with different kernels to produce a single synthesized image series that exhibits both low noise and high spatial resolution. This approach has implications for improving image quality, reducing radiation dose, and simplifying the clinical workflow for CT imaging.
Optimization of an intrinsic coincident polarimeter and quantitative architectural comparison of different polarimeter techniques

Polarimeters have broad applications in remote sensing, astronomy, and biomedical imaging to measure a scene’s polarization state. An intrinsic coincident (IC) full-Stokes polarimeter was previously demonstrated and optimized to achieve high temporal and spatial resolution. We optimized the IC polarimeter by introducing additional waveplates or measurement channels and compared it with existing polarimeter architectures under signal-independent Gaussian noise and signal-dependent Poisson noise. The quantitative comparison of noise variances showed that the IC and division-of-amplitude polarimeters have the lowest noise variances due to their higher signal collection ability. Both polarimeters have a factor of 2 and 2 improved signal-to-noise ratio, in the S0 component, for Gaussian and Poisson noises, respectively, as compared to division of time, division of focal plane, and division of aperture polarimeters. While the division of amplitude and IC polarimeters outperforms other approaches, the IC polarimeter has a significantly simpler design, potentially allowing for cost-effective, high-performance polarimetric imaging.
Binding Capacity and Selectivity of Functionalized and Un-functionalized Carbon Nanotubes for Development of Copper-Detecting Printable Sensor

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have unique properties which can be modified through surface functionalization. The ability of several functionalized and un-functionalized CNTs to bind copper was investigated as a first step toward developing a printable CNT-based sensor to detect copper in aqueous systems. Binding capacity and specificity were shown to vary by functionalization and vendor. CNTs from two vendors were tested, and the equilibrium binding data was fitted using two isotherm models. Calculated qmax (mg/g) values indicated one vendor’s carboxyl-functionalized CNTs had the greatest binding capacity (94–115 mg/g), while other carboxyl-functionalized CNTs and amine-functionalized CNTs had similar capacities to un-functionalized CNTs (15–30 mg/g). Hydroxyl-functionalized CNTs had the lowest copper binding capacity (7–8 mg/g) of the CNTs tested. Freundlich isotherms showed no obvious trends in binding affinity, but suggested that binding was primarily due to chemisorption. Variations in CNT size, functionalization percentage, and purity could explain, partially, the observed adsorption differences.
An Exploratory Case Study of Implementing the Legacy for Children™ Parenting Program in Primary Care Clinics

Background Research indicates that experiencing poverty in childhood increases risk for adverse medical and social outcomes across the lifespan. Evidence-based, parent-focused preventive group interventions such as Legacy for Children™ (Legacy) can improve developmental outcomes for at-risk children (Kaminski et al., 2013). Integrating parenting interventions into primary care clinics - trusted settings where families routinely access services - has been recommended to reduce barriers to participation and increase program uptake (Leslie et al., 2016). Program reach could be optimized through examination of participant, program, and organizational factors influencing implementation (Cates et al., 2016). Methods We examined factors influencing the implementation of …
Mode Switching With Waveguide-Coupled Plasmonic Nanogratings

Active photonic elements enable a wide range of on-chip optical applications, including enhanced light emission, integrated optical sensing and spectroscopy, photonic signal routing, and optical computing. The ability to select between different optical channels forms the basis for many of these systems. Both spectral and spatial selectivity of optical modes are desirable and together offer flexibility in tailoring the optical response of the system. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a platform for the active switching of hybrid plasmonic-photonic Fano resonances. Our structure consists of gold nanogratings sandwiched between two dielectric thin films. Diffractive coupling into each layer is modulated by varying the refractive index above the structure. By controlling the interaction of the substrate and superstrate modes through refractive index tuning, we experimentally demonstrate on/off switching of the narrow (FWHM = 30–40 nm) Fano resonance transparency windows with up to 85% resonance contrast, and tunability across a wide spectral range (600–850 nm). Full-wave electromagnetic simulations support these results and reveal that the tuning of these modes enables both spectral and spatial selectivity.
Impact of Manager’s Social Commitment on Organization’s Social Performance Influenced by Socially Sustainable Supply Chain Practices and Sustainability Culture

The social dimension of sustainability in supply chain management is significant but less prominent. This study investigates the role of a manager’s social commitment in achieving an organization’s social performance. A model with four constructs was developed to study the impact of the manager’s social commitment on social outcomes. Research was carried out on Pakistani firms through a survey-based questionnaire. From a total of 360 respondents (managers of Pakistani organizations) identified initially, 158 sent their responses after repeated follow-ups. Structural Equation Modeling was used for data analysis. The results show that socially committed managers play a significant role in achieving organization’s social performance. Furthermore, implementing social sustainable supply chain practices mediates the relationship between manager’s social commitment and organization’s social performance. This study shows that an organization’s culture promotes the implementation of social practices and helps managers adopt social responsive activities and achieve social outcomes. Additionally, this study along with theoretical support to understand the manager’s role in changing the business environment to resolve emerging social issues and improve the firm’s reputation, also provides empirical evidence from a developing country’s perspective, supported by the significant results.