cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tetrabromobisphenol A has immunosuppressive effects on human natural killer cells.

Human natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes that destroy tumor cells, virally-infected cells, and antibody-coated cells. Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is used both as a reactive and as an additive flame retardant in a variety of materials and appears to contaminate the environment. TBBPA has been found in human blood samples and if it interferes with NK cell function, this could increase the risk of tumor development and/or viral infection. The present study examines the effects of exposure to various concentrations of TBBPA for 24 hr, 48 hr, and 6 days on the lytic function, tumor-target-binding function, and ATP levels of NK cells. These same parameters were also monitored in NK cells that were exposed to TBBPA for 1 h followed by 24 hr, 48 hr, and 6 days in TBBPA-free media. A 24-h exposure of NK cells to 5 μM TBBPA caused a >95% decrease in NK lytic function, a 70% decrease in binding function, and a 34% decrease in ATP levels in NK cells. Exposure to 2.5 μM TBBPA for 24 h decreased lytic function...
Modern Molecular Models and Simulations of Opioid Receptor Dimers

Like several other members of the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family, opioid receptors interact among themselves at the plasma membrane to form dimers/oligomers. Despite recent compelling evidence for the involvement of transmembrane (TM) regions at the dimerization/oligomerization interface of GPCRs, the specific residues in contact are unknown for most receptors, including the opioid receptor subtypes. Based on prior inferences from correlated mutation analysis, we performed experimental testing of the interfaces of delta- (DOR) and mu- (MOR) opioid receptor oligomers by carrying out cross-linking studies on a series of substituted cysteines in TM1, 4 and 5. Strong cross-linking was observed by copper phenanthroline (CuP) (1:3mM) at position 4.58 in both DOR and MOR, and cross-linking, albeit less extensive, was also observed at 1.36 and 5.38, consistent with the involvement of these helices at inter-protomer interfaces in the dopamine D2 receptor. We used these experimental data to guide the construction of initial configurations of DOR and MOR homodimers in an explicit dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline (DPPC)-cholesterol-water environment. The TM regions of the individual protomers were built by homology modeling using the recent beta2 adrenergic receptor crystal structure as a template, while the loop regions were built using the fragment-based loop-modeling protocol of Rosetta. To explore the energetics and dynamics of the proposed homodimerization interfaces, we carried out metadynamics analyses of the DOR and MOR homodimers using collective variables that describe the relative position of the interacting protomers. The results provide new insights into the relative stability of opioid receptor dimers, and suggest specific residues and interactions that are responsible for the gain and/or loss in binding affinity. Given the robust bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) we observe in experiments with DOR and MOR homo- and heteromers, these predictions can be readily tested.
Theoretical study of a classically confined solid-state photomultiplier

A detailed theoretical analysis is presented of the workings of a new solid-state photomultiplier whose gain is derived through impact excitation events of classically confined electrons out of thin semiconductor layers. The highly doped layers containing the target or ionizing electrons are made sufficiently wide so as to avoid spatial quantization effects. The primary difference of this scheme is due to the different k vector conservation requirement implicit in confined quantum state devices. The calculations presented serve as a lower bound on the gain of a confined electron state photomultiplier. However, owing to the classical confinement, the dark currents, due to both thermionic emission and tunneling, are substantially lower, by several orders of magnitude, than that in a quantum confined device. Calculations of the ionization probability, average ionization rate, gain, dark current, and mean thermalization distance are presented. >
Sickle cell trait: what's a sports medicine clinician to think?

In April of 2010, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), supported by other professional organisations (College of American Pathologists 2007; National Athletic Trainers' Association 2007) approved mandatory testing for the presence of sickle cell carrier status in student athletes participating in Division I sports. This action was in part a response to the legal case against the NCAA and Rice University brought forward by the family of Dale Lloyd II. Dale Lloyd's death was attributed to exertional rhabdomyolysis associated with sickle cell trait; this association has been described in the medical literature in athletes, as well as in military populations.1 Mandatory testing, although implemented to prevent future deaths, has generated controversy. Whereas some believe that screening or a priori knowledge of sickle cell trait (SCT) status may potentially save lives, others argue that screening may do more harm than good. In January 2012, the American Society of Haematology (ASH), which represents over 16 000 physicians and researchers, issued a statement opposing SCT testing and/or disclosure of status as a prerequisite for athletic participation.2 They stated that screening cannot be justified based on current scientific evidence. In contrast, ASH supports implementation of universal guidelines to reduce exertion-related injuries and deaths. Given the strong and contrasting opinions, physicians and other providers are left wondering how to properly advise athletes, in particular those who may not fall under recommendations of the NCAA. Their policy has been supported by several other medical organisations, including the American Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, American Public Health Association, Sickle Cell Disease Association of …
Immediate Nicoladoni procedure in the Rhesus monkey, or hallux-to-hand transplantation, utilising microminiature vascular anastomoses.

RECONSTRUCTION of a missing thumb by pollicisation of a finger (Littler, 1953) produces the most satisfactory functional result, even though this entails transposing an adjacent digit on an already compromised hand. Local tissue may be preserved by the multiple stage construction and transfer of distant tubes and pedicles containing bone grafts (Reid, 196o). McGregor has overcome many of the disadvantages of this procedure with a composite bone skin flap incorporating a neurovascular tactile island at the time of transfer (McGregor and Simonetta, 1964). The transplantation of the toe to the hand first described by Nicoladoni in 1897 has held a somewhat controversial place in hand reconstruction. This interesting history has been reviewed recently by Davis (I964), who has improved and modified the technique. The objectives of this experiment were to transplant immediately the hallux of a Rhesus monkey's foot to the thumb position, re-establishing circulation by the F~G. ~ primary anastomoses of small critical blood Right hand (above) and foot (below) of a Rhesus vessels. monkey. The thumb is small, the hallux is large and strong. Mater ia l . -The Rhesus monkey was used as the experimental animal. Being arboreal the animal uses its fingers as hooks to swing from limb to limb. The thumb consequently is small and poorly developed (Fig. I). The hallux, however, is large and capable of strong opposition, paralleling the human thumb from a functional standpoint (Bunnell and Boyes, 1965) (Fig. 2 D, ~). The principal arterial supply to the dorsum of the animal's foot comes via the superficial dorsalis pedis to the hallux and first web space and the deep dorsalis pedis to the remainder of the dorsum. These are terminal branches of the saphenous artery not present in man. Blood is drained from the dorsum of the foot through the medial malleolar and lateral malleolar veins into the posterior saphenous system, since the anterior great saphenous system is absent in the Rhesus monkey (Lopel et al., I961). These vessels on the foot's dorsum in an 8 to 12 lb. Rhesus monkey measure from 0"8 to I "3 mm. in external diameter.
T-bet is essential for encephalitogenicity of both Th1 and Th17 cells.

The extent to which myelin-specific Th1 and Th17 cells contribute to the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is controversial. Combinations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-23 with transforming growth factor β were used to differentiate myelin-specific T cell receptor transgenic T cells into Th17 cells, none of which could induce EAE, whereas Th1 cells consistently transferred disease. However, IL-6 was found to promote the differentiation of encephalitogenic Th17 cells. Further analysis of myelin-specific T cells that were encephalitogenic in spontaneous EAE and actively induced EAE demonstrated that T-bet expression was critical for pathogenicity, regardless of cytokine expression by the encephalitogenic T cells. These data suggest that encephalitogenicity of myelin-specific T cells appears to be mediated by a pathway dependent on T-bet and not necessarily pathway-specific end products, such as interferon γ and IL-17.
10 Three Generations of Cooperation: Voices from Tula, Hidalgo

Tula is well known in the archaeological community and in popular consciousness as the capital of the Toltecs. Less well known are the three generations of local residents who have devoted their labor to archaeological projects in the Tula region over the past 70+ years. Since Acosta's foundational work in the 1940s to the present day, archaeologists working at Tula have enjoyed the local population's solid support. This chapter uses interviews with the inhabitants of Tula de Allende to illustrate the seldom-acknowledged backbone of local support that makes all archaeology at Tula possible and suggests directions for future ethnographic research.
Immunosenescence in some but not all immune components in a free-living vertebrate, the tree swallow.

A wide diversity of free-living organisms show increases in mortality rates and/or decreases in reproductive success with advancing age. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying these demographic patterns of senescence are poorly understood. Immunosenescence, the age-related deterioration of immune function, is well documented in humans and laboratory models, and often leads to increased morbidity and mortality due to disease. However, we know very little about immunosenescence in free-living organisms. Here, we studied immunosenescence in a free-living population of tree swallows, Tachycineta bicolor , assessing three components of the immune system and using both in vivo and in vitro immunological tests. Immune function in tree swallow females showed a complex pattern with age; acquired T-cell mediated immunity declined with age, but neither acquired nor innate humoral immunity did. In vitro lymphocyte proliferation stimulated by T-cell mitogens decreased with age, suggesting that reduced T-cell function might be one mechanism underlying the immunosenescence pattern of in vivo cell-mediated response recently described for this same population. Our results provide the most thorough description of immunosenescence patterns and mechanisms in a free-living vertebrate population to date. Future research should focus on the ecological implications of immunosenescence and the potential causes of variation in patterns among species.
The Annual Cycle of Satellite-derived Sea Surface Temperature in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

The annual cycle of sea surface temperature (SST) in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean was estimated using four years (July 1984-July 1988) of NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer observations. High resolution satellite observations at 1-km space and daily time resolution were grided at 100-km space and 5-day time intervals to develop an analysis dataset for determination of low frequency SST variability. The integral time scale, a measure of serial correlation, was found to vary from 40 to 60 days in the domain of interest. The existence of superannual trends in the SST data was investigated, but conclusive results could not be obtained. The annual cycle (and, in particular, the annual harmonic) explains a large proportion of the SST variability. The estimated amplitude of the cycle ranges between 5 deg and 13 deg C throughout the study area, with minima in August-September and maxima in February. The resultant climatology is compared with an arbitrary 5-day satellite SST field, and with the COADS/ICE SST climatology. It was found that the higher resolution satellite-based SST climatology resolves boundary current structure and has significantly better structural agreement with the observed field.
Take a Page from Your Coach's Play Book: Teaching Technical and Tactical Skills in Athletic Training

Context: The ability to demonstrate sound clinical reasoning is needed for a practicing athletic trainer. However, instruction on how to make a correct clinical decision may be deficient in many athletic training programs. Objective: To provide an overview of how to teach technical and tactical skills, using both a tradition and a nontraditional approach, and to apply this teaching method to athletic training education. Background: The teaching of technical skills involves four steps: (1) introduction, (2) demonstration and explanation, (3) practice, and (4) error correction. The teaching of tactical skills takes technical skills a step further by putting them into action. To teach a tactical skill, coaches (1) identify the decision to be made, (2) determine knowledge needed to make a good decision, (3) identify cues that should or should not be attended to, and help to ensure the cues are interpreted correctly, (4) determine appropriate tactical options, and (5) design an opportunity to practice reading ...
Determination of Optimal Nondestructive Technique (NDT) Using Multi-Criteria Analysis

The present paper presents an optimization model for quality control of industrial products by using two non-destructive techniques (NDT): infrared termography and ultrasonic methods. The main purpose it is to determinate the best analyzing method using multi-criteria analysis by taking into account the results that outcome from the two non-destructive evaluations. There have been studied defects like: internal defects and surface defects. Therewith were taking into consideration: safety, efficiency of the method and the cost of the equipment used in controlling the product. For this study it was created a concrete slab with embedded defects which had different depths. The sample was tested using active thermography and impact echo methods and the results were studied and integrated in an multi-criteria analysis to reveal the best method for this case.
The management of varicoceles by microdissection of the spermatic cord at the external inguinal ring.

A new technique for the management of varicoceles was carried out on 71 infertile men. The procedure combined microdissection of the spermatic cord at the external inguinal ring, ligation of the dilated veins, and controlled sclerosis of small cross-collateral veins. These procedures were performed on an outpatient basis and usually with local anesthesia. The surgery was completed within 20 to 30 minutes, and the postoperative morbidity was minimal. Twenty-four cases were followed for at least 18 months postoperatively. Among this group, the mean values for sperm density and sperm motility increased after surgery. The differences between the means were significant ( P
Population Viability Analysis for Endangered Roanoke Logperch

Abstract A common strategy for recovering endangered species is ensuring that populations exceed the minimum viable population size (MVP), a demographic benchmark that theoretically ensures low long-term extinction risk. One method of establishing MVP is population viability analysis, a modeling technique that simulates population trajectories and forecasts extinction risk based on a series of biological, environmental, and management assumptions. Such models also help identify key uncertainties that have a large influence on extinction risk. We used stochastic count-based simulation models to explore extinction risk, MVP, and the possible benefits of alternative management strategies in populations of Roanoke logperch Percina rex, an endangered stream fish. Estimates of extinction risk were sensitive to the assumed population growth rate and model type, carrying capacity, and catastrophe regime (frequency and severity of anthropogenic fish kills), whereas demographic augmentation did little to reduce ext...
Uniform Definition of 'Child' Alters Tax Benefits Eligibility

The dependency exemption, child tax credit, child and dependent care credit, earned income credit, and head of household filing status all provide significant tax benefits to taxpayers who support children. Prior to 2005 each of these provisions had its own criteria for determining whether a taxpayer qualifies for its benefits with respect to a particular child. A child that qualified a taxpayer for one of these benefits did not necessarily qualify the taxpayer for the others. Effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2004, the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004 established a uniform definition of child that applies to all of these tax benefits. This paper reviews the tax benefits available to taxpayers who support children, and highlights situations where the new uniform definition of child changes who qualifies for these benefits.
44 Years Targetting and Being a Target

This paper discusses the last 44 years of cryptomathematical life at NSA, during which time we have been the target of foreign espionage and have also targeted other countries to provide intelligence for our nation's leaders.
Cavernomas of the central nervous system in children. A report of 22 cases.

A series of 22 patients under the age of 15 years with cavernomas were treated at the Section of Paediatric Neurosurgery of the Catholic University of Rome between 1981 and 1995. The most common symptoms at presentation were epilepsy, in 12 children, and intracranial hypertension, in 9 children; seizures were present on admission in 14 patients; no patient had a family history of cerebro-vascular malformations, two had multiple lesions. Radiological signs of significant acute and subacute haemorrhage were found in 17 cases. The supratentorial compartment was the most frequent location of the lesions, with only three subtentorial cavernomas. The post-surgical results were good: only four children had a persistence of pre-surgical neurological signs, even though they were ameliorated by the treatment. No patient showed a progression of pre-operative neurological signs, nor the onset of new deficits. Only one child died, but his clinical condition was critical before surgery, because of deep coma, with bilaterally dilated and fixed pupils, and no response to any stimulation. Our results suggest that the younger children present significant haemorrhage more frequently than the older ones; this is demonstrated by the analysis of the mean age of the patients with macro-haemorrhage (=7 years) and the average age of those without macro-haemorrhage (=11 years). The removal of cavernomas was always able to control the seizure disorders of our patients, proving that in these cases lesionectomy alone may be sufficient to resolve epilepsy.
Muhammad Akbar Arzānī (–1772): Mughal physician and translator

Muhammad Akbar Arzānī was an influential Mughal physician famous throughout Iran and South Asia. His reputation is considered from contemporary accounts of his importance within the broader scholarship in South Asian culture and history. A brief synopsis of his life is provided, followed by a bibliography of his writings. Arzānī made Greco-Arabic knowledge accessible for Indo-Persian audiences in the 18th century.
Hepatitis C virus: Pathogenesis and host immune response

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a 40–70 nm diameter single-stranded RNA virus which encodes three structural and seven nonstructural peptides. These peptides play unique roles in the viral life cycle and pathogenesis. The virus life cycle also requires the cooperation of host cell factors. The low proofreading capacity of the viral RNA polymerase ensures a high level of variation, leading to the selective development of new genotypes, subtypes, and quasispecies. This partly accounts for the ability of HCV to evade the immune system. HCV also causes immune dysfunction by impairing the signaling of immune cell receptors and the function and survival of both innate and specific immune cells. Immune-mediated acute liver injury in HCV is mostly subclinical and therefore underdiagnosed. Because the HCV-specific host immune response is delayed and blunted, HCV infection progresses to a chronic state in at least two-thirds of cases. Host factors such as IFNλ/IL28B gene polymorphisms also influence the outcome of acute HCV infection and the response of chronic HCV infection to interferon therapy. HCV exerts both direct and indirect carcinogenic effects that contribute to the development of HCC and B-cell lymphomas. The direct effects are from oncogenic effects of the viral peptides, while indirect effects result from the genotoxic influence of the reactive species-rich inflammatory milieu on cycling hepatocytes.
Hepatitis B knowledge,attitude,practice among college students in Lanzhou

Objective To understand the knowledge,practice and attitude about hepatitis B among college students in Lanzhou,and to provide evidence for the preventive health education. Methods The questionnaire survey was conducted among1 617 college students by stratified-cluster sampling method. Multivariable stepwise logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the knowledge of hepatitis B influencing factors. Results There were 543( 33. 58%) students scored≥7 points in hepatitis B knowledge. When they learned about their classmates were HBV carriers,only 22. 51% of students believed that it would not affect the relation,and 30. 80% students would have meals with HBV-infected individuals. Multivariable stepwise logistic regression analyses about hepatitis B knowledge showed that Han students were higher than those of minority ethnic groups( OR = 1. 50,95% CI = 1. 08-2. 10). The students from rural were higher than urban( OR = 1. 64,95% CI = 1. 30-2. 08). Medical specialty students were higher than others specialty( OR = 3. 77,95% CI = 2. 61-5. 44). Conclusion It is important to strengthen health education in college students in order to improve college students' protect consciousness and wipe out discrimination.
Degenerating Processes Identified by Electron Microscopic Immunocytochemical Methods

The application of electron microscopic immunolabeling techniques to the identification and analysis of degenerating processes in neural tissue has greatly enhanced the ability of researchers to examine apoptosis and other degenerative disease mechanisms. This is particularly true for the early stages of such mechanisms. Traditionally, degenerating processes could only be identified at the ultrastructural level after significant cellular atrophy had occurred, when subcellular detail was obscured and synaptic relationships altered. Using immunocytochemical labeling procedures, degenerating neural and glial processes are first identified through the use of antibodies directed against a variety of degenerative markers, such as proapoptotic effectors (i.e., cytoplasmic cytochrome c), pathological components (i.e., beta amyloid deposits), or inflammatory agents (i.e., Iba1). Both the subcellular distribution of the marker within the process and the relationship of the labeled process to surrounding elements can then be carefully characterized. The information obtained can be further refined through the use of dual immunolabeling, which can provide additional data on the phenotype of the degenerating process and inputs to the process.
Photoluminescence Side Band Spectroscopy of Individual Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Photoluminescence spectra of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been recorded and analyzed for selected individual nanotubes and structurally sorted bulk samples to clarify the nature of secondary emission features. Room temperature spectra show, in addition to the main peak arising from the E11 bright exciton, three features at lower frequency, which are identified here (in descending order of energy difference from E11 emission) as G1, X1, and Y1. The weakest (G1) is interpreted as a vibrational satellite of E11 involving excitation of the ∼1600 cm–1 G mode. The X1 feature, although more intense than G1, has a peak amplitude only ∼3% of E11. X1 emission was found to be polarized parallel to E11 and to be separated from that peak by 1068 cm–1 in SWCNTs with natural isotopic abundance. The separation remained unchanged for several (n,m) species, different nanotube environments, and various levels of induced axial strain. In 13C SWCNTs, the spectral separation decreased to 1023 cm–1. The measured...
Low temperature plasma for the preparation of crater walls for compositional depth profiling of thin inorganic multilayers

An indirect, compositional depth profiling of an inorganic multilayer system using a helium low temperature plasma (LTP) containing 0.2% (v/v) SF6 was evaluated. A model multilayer system consisting of four 10 nm layers of silicon separated by four 50 nm layers of tungsten was plasma-etched for (10, 20, 30) s at substrate temperatures of (50, 75, and 100) °C to obtain crater walls with exposed silicon layers that were then visualized using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to determine plasma-etching conditions that produced optimum depth resolutions. At a substrate temperature of 100 °C and an etch time of 10 s, the FWHM of the second, third, and fourth Si layers were (6.4, 10.9, and 12.5) nm, respectively, while the 1/e decay lengths were (2.5, 3.7, and 3.9) nm, matching those obtained from a SIMS depth profile. Though artifacts remain that contribute to degraded depth resolutions, a few experimental parameters have been identified that could be used to reduce their contributions. Further studies are needed, but as long as the artifacts can be controlled, plasma etching was found to be an effective method for preparing samples for compositional depth profiling of both organic and inorganic films, which could pave the way for an indirect depth profile analysis of inorganic–organic hybrid structures that have recently evolved into innovative next-generation materials. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessing Continuous Operator Workload With a Hybrid Scaffolded Neuroergonomic Modeling Approach.

Objective:We aimed to predict operator workload from neurological data using statistical learning methods to fit neurological-to-state-assessment models.Background:Adaptive systems require real-tim...
Design and Comparison of Ofdm, Sc-Ofdm and Mc-Cdma Using Different Modulation Techniques (Bpsk, Qpsk and Mkm) for High Speed Communication

Next generation wireless communication is completely based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM).There are various benefits of SC-OFDM over traditional OFDM such as Single Carrier OFDM (SC-OFDM) has demonstrated excellent bit error rate (BER) performance, as well as low peak to average power ratio (PAPR).Similar to other multi-carrier transmission technologies although SC-OFDM suffers significant performance degradation resulting from intercarrier interference (ICI) in high mobility environments. Existing techniques for OFDM can be directly adopted in SC-OFDM to improve performance; this improved performance comes at costs such as decreased throughput. In this paper, we analyze the effect of ICI on an SC-OFDM system, traditional OFDM and MCCDMA and compare the BER performance under AWGN channel we also propose a novel modulation scheme. The proposed Magnitude- Keyed Modulation (MKM) modulation provides SC-OFDM system immunity to ICI and with an easy implementation it significantly outperforms OFDM, SC-OFDM and MC-CDMA systems with Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulation and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) in severe ICI environment. Analysis also illustrates the proposed SC-OFDM (MKMmodulation ) maintains low PAPR compared to traditional OFDM and SC-OFDM systems with PSK and QAM modulations. Simulation results shows the effectiveness of the proposed system for different modulation schemes in various ICI conditions..
Determining the effect of cartridge case coatings on GSR using post-fire priming cup residue

Abstract Ammunition is typically composed of a lead-based priming mixture which contributes to the characteristics most commonly used for the identification of gunshot residue (GSR). Due to the health risks often associated with lead, the use of lead-free primers in ammunitions is becoming more popular. Thus, the presence of GSR is becoming more difficult to discern based on the traditional means, i.e. the presence of lead (Pb), barium (Ba), and antimony (Sb). While research has been conducted on the differences between lead-based and lead-free muzzle discharge residue, few have researched other components of ammunition which may lead to other means of characterizing GSR. This research, therefore, covers that gap by focusing on the priming cup present in ammunition and the residue which may originate from it, that can contribute to muzzle discharge residue. In this study, a lead-based and a lead-free ammunition from four different manufacturers were chosen. The cartridges were fired using a Glock 17, 9 mm Parabellum, collected post-fire, and subsequently de-primed resulting in the removal of the anvil. The GSR present on the anvils and cups was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (SEM–EDX). The data was then processed using unit vector analysis for normalization and analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). This data was then used to determine the components of the cartridge case which contribute to GSR and develop a method of characterization between lead-free and lead-based ammunition. Such a method will improve the detection of GSR by strengthening the criteria of identification.
Integration and Exploration of Connected Personal Digital Traces

A large number of personal digital traces is constantly generated or available online from a variety of sources, such as social media, calendars, purchase history, etc. These personal data traces are fragmented and highly heterogeneous, raising the need for an integrated view of the user's activities. Prior research in Personal Information Management focused mostly on creating a static model of the world (objects and their relationships). We argue that a dynamic world view is also helpful for making sense of collections of related personal documents, and propose a partial solution based on scripts -- a theoretically well-founded idea in AI and Cognitive Science. Scripts are stereotypical hierarchical plans for everyday activities, involving interactions between mostly social agents. We augment these with hints of the digital traces that they can leave. By connecting Personal Digital Traces through scripts, we can build an episodic view of users' digital memories, which allow users to explore related events and actions in an integrated way. The paper uses the Eating_Out script for illustration, and ends with a report on the results of a case-study of applying a prototype implementation on real user data.
Politics and Patterns of Developing Indigenous Knowledge under Western Disciplinary Compartmentalization: The Case of Philosophical Schools in Modern China and Japan

Since the nineteenth century, knowledge has gradually been categorized as falling within distinct academic disciplines. Key elements in this process have been various forms of compartmentalization: some of these forms are cognitive (e.g. bibliographical classification), and others organizational (e.g. departments in universities). This compartmentalization of knowledge has become a major site of intellectual contestation, legitimizing or marginalizing bodies of knowledge (Collins and Ben-David 1966, Gieryn 1983). This compartmentalization has helped to displace pre-modern Western knowledge and marginalize contemporary cross-disciplinary knowledge (Foucault 1970, Messer-Davidow, Shumway, and Sylvan 1993). However, the ways in which disciplinary compartmentalization has affected indigenous knowledge in non-Western cultures remain largely unexplored.
MULTIPLE SHRINKAGE GENERALIZATIONS OF THE JAMES-STEIN ESTIMATOR

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the multiple shrinkage generalizations of the James-Stein estimator. James and Stein proposed the first prototype minimax shrinkage estimator. This estimator not only dominates the classical maximum likelihood estimator δMLE = Y in risk, but can also yield very small risk when θ is very close to 0. Because the potential risk reduction offered by over δMLE is large enough to be of practical value, this estimator stimulated the development of a large number of minimax shrinkage estimators which can offer meaningful risk reduction in a region of the parameter space close to a prespecified target. A major practical limitation of currently employed minimax shrinkage estimators is that they offer meaningful risk reduction only in a relatively small region of the parameter space, and are very sensitive to misspecification.
Claymation for Collective Intelligence and Intergenerational Learning in an Educational Environment

Elementary students, volunteering older adults, and university students use their collective intelligence as they engage in intergenerational learning during an after-school enrichment activity pro...
The burden of firearm violence in the United States: stricter laws result in safer states.

The United States ranks number 1 in the list of countries with most privately owned guns with 101 guns for every 100 individuals.1 This has resulted in the loss of 32 lives and the treatment of 140 people every single day for gun related violence.2 These numbers state that there are more lives lost in seven weeks at the hands of firearm related violence than the total number of lives lost in seven years of Iraq War.3 Firearm related deaths disproportionately involve the younger population resulting in premature deaths. Along with the loss of life, gun violence related injuries exert a major burden on the US health system costing up to $2.3 billion annually.4 The overall economic burden associated with gun violence actually exceeds more than $100 billion every year.5 The Second Amendment to the constitution of the United States was passed in 1791 as a part of the Bill of Rights, which protects the rights of individuals to keep and bear firearms. Ever since then, possession of firearms has been a matter of debate due to concerns for public safety. Lawmakers that tried to limit the access of firearms have met with criticism for violating the rights of citizens protected by the Second Amendment. Despite the hue and cry for needing stricter firearm laws, there has been limited legislative progress on this forefront since the Gun Control Act of 1968 following the Kennedy assassination. The shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabriel Gifford in 2011 and the mass shooting of Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 once again surfaced the debate on need for stricter firearm laws. Limited numbers of previous studies have assessed the association between the incidence of firearm related mortality and strictness of firearm laws across the states.6-8 Every two years the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence issues a 100-point scorecard (Brady scorecard) that assigns a numerical value to each state based on the strength of its firearm laws. Brady scorecard was based on policy regulations such as background checks on gun sales; reporting lost or stolen firearms; and prohibiting dangerous people from purchasing weapons.9 The higher the Brady Score for each state, the stricter the firearm laws in that state. We for the first time used the Brady scorecard to assess the level of strictness in firearm laws across different states. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the rigorousness of firearm laws across different states and the rate of firearm related injuries, and mortality. We hypothesized that strict firearm legislations lower the incidence of firearm related hospital admissions and mortality.
Risk Factors for Short-Term Complications After Rotator Cuff Repair in the United States

Purpose To use a population-level dataset to evaluate the rate of 30-day complications after rotator cuff repair, and to evaluate the risk factors for complication and unplanned hospital readmission. Methods We used the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 2011 to 2015 to identify patients who underwent rotator cuff repair and concomitant procedures using Current Procedural Terminology codes. Postoperative complications and unplanned hospital readmissions were identified. Patient demographics, medical comorbidities, and perioperative variables were used in a multivariate logistic regression model to identify the risk factors for infection, any complication, and unplanned hospital readmission. Results A total of 23,741 patients were identified who underwent rotator cuff repair. Overall, 1.39% of patients experienced at least 1 complication, with 0.66% minor complications and 0.85% major complications. Unplanned readmission occurred in 1.16% of patients. Infection was the most common complication, occurring in 0.3% of patients (n = 72), and was the most common reason for return to the operating room. Open rotator cuff repair and male gender were independent risk factors for all outcomes. Increased age and numerous medical comorbidities were associated with the risk of any complication or unplanned hospital readmission. Conclusions Rotator cuff repair has a low incidence of short-term complications. Infection was the most common complication. Open repair, male gender, increased age, and medical comorbidities all significantly increased the risk of complications and hospital readmission. Level of Evidence Level IV, case series.
Politics, Bureaucracy, and Employee Retention: Toward an Integrated Framework of Turnover Intent:

In today’s politically contentious times where the role of the federal government and career federal workers is continually challenged, it is critical that we understand how the political world aff...
A hierarchical co-simulation optimization control system for multimodal freight routing

The complexity and dynamics of urban multimodal transportation environment make the optimum routing of freight a challenging task due to the unpredictability of the impact of incidents, disruptions and traffic demand changes. Routing decisions in complex and dynamical urban area networks rely on the minimization of a certain objective function which depends on accurate estimation of future states of the network which are not readily available. The purpose of this paper is to present a new load balancing algorithm for multimodal freight routing with hard vehicle availability and capacity constraints in a hierarchical Co-Simulation Optimization control approach. The evaluation results on a simulation testbed for the Los Angeles/Long Beach Port area demonstrate that the proposed load balancing algorithm provides a good performance of convergence.
Automated Computer Software Compared with Manual Measurements for CT-Based Urinary Stone Metrics: An Evaluation Study.

Abstract Introduction and Objective: Stone size guides treatment decisions, yet there is no standard method for measuring stone size. Prior work has shown significant variability in manual stone me...
CHARMM Drude Polarizable Force Field for Glycosidic Linkages Involving Pyranoses and Furanoses.

We present an extension of the CHARMM Drude polarizable force field to enable modeling of polysaccharides containing pyranose and furanose monosaccharides. The new force field parameters encompass 1↔2, 1→3, 1→4, and 1→6 pyranose–furanose linkages, 2→1 and 2→6 furanose–furanose linkages, 2→2, 2→3, and 2→4 furanose–pyranose, and 1↔1, 1→2, 1→3, 1→4, and 1→6 pyranose–pyranose linkages. For the glycosidic linkages, both simple model compounds and the full disaccharides with methylation at the reducing end were used for parameter optimization. The model compounds were chosen to be monomers or glycosidic-linked dimers of tetrahydropyran (THP) and tetrahydrofuran (THF). Target data for optimization included one- and two-dimensional potential energy scans of ω and the Φ/Ψ glycosidic dihedral angles in the model compounds and full disaccharides computed by quantum mechanical (QM) RIMP2/cc-pVQZ single point energies on MP2/6-31G(d) optimized structures. Also included in the target data are extensive sets of QM gas p...
The Hippocratic Oath as Epideictic Rhetoric: Reanimating Medicine's Past for Its Future

As an example of Aristotle's genre of epideictic, or ceremonial rhetoric, the Hippocratic Oath has the capacity to persuade its self-addressing audience to appreciate the value of the medical profession by lending an element of stability to the shifting ethos of health care. However, the values it celebrates do not accurately capture communally shared norms about contemporary medical practice. Its multiple and sometimes conflicting versions, anachronistic references, and injunctions that resist translation into specific conduct diminish its longer-term persuasive force. Only when expunged of these elements and reconstructed using values over which there is widespread agreement can the Oath succeed in moving its audience from core values located in past discussions to principled action in the future.
Pattern recognition of renal FDG uptake in PET CT. Pictorial review

1031 Learning Objectives 1. Review normal and abnormal patterns of FDG uptake. 2. Group renal abnormalities according the degree and distribution of FDG uptake. 3. Correlate degree of FDG uptake with CT findings. Evaluation of the kidneys with FDG PET CT is challenging because physiologically excreted FDG may obscure or mimic pathologic findings. The kidneys are often overlooked in PET CT scans performed for pathology where renal involvement is uncommon. Incidental abnormalities are common yet easily missed. This stresses the importance of pattern recognition with correlation of CT findings to differentiate benign versus malignant renal FDG uptake. The kidneys require careful evaluation before reporting normal radiotracer excretion. The objective here is to present a simplified classification of the degree and distribution of renal FDG uptake with CT correlation for the nuclear medicine physician. We present examples of different patterns in renal FDG uptake, classified as absent, normal, increased, decreased and unilateral or bilateral. Examples of decreased or absent uptake include: renal cysts, scar and renal failure. Examples of increased uptake include: metastasis to the kidneys, lymphomatous involvement and infectious and inflammatory processes. Examples of normal or minimally increased uptake include renal cell carcinoma. Examples of unilateral and bilateral abnormal FDG uptake are shown. Pharmacological manipulation with furosemide used to improve target to background ratio is discussed
Wave Erosion of Cohesive and non-Cohesive Embankments: Laboratory Experiments

Laboratory experiments were carried out in a wave tank to investigate wave induced beach profile evolution and scarp recession on cohesive and non-cohesive model embankments. The cohesive embankment was constructed using a natural soil mixture, and the noncohesive embankment was constructed using cylindrical shaped polyethylene terephthalate (PET) pellets of uniform size. A standardized packing procedure was used for both cohesive and non-cohesive embankments. The onshore face slope of the embankment was approximately 30 degrees. The morphological evolution of the embankment was monitored using water level sensors and a time-lapse camera. Waves quickly eroded the bank face near the free surface and formed a scarp. While an equilibrium profile was established relatively quickly and at a much steeper slope for the non-cohesive embankment, the cohesive embankment continued to erode for a much longer period. The scarp of the cohesive embankment retreated by a series of wave undercutting and slump failures. An empirical relationship between incident wave height and embankment erosion was established for the tested conditions. The measured beach profiles were compared with the developed analytical solution.
Timed Stair-Climbing as a Surrogate Marker for Sarcopenia Measurements in Predicting Surgical Outcomes

Estimating sarcopenia by measuring psoas muscle density (PMD) has been advocated as a method to accurately predict post-operative morbidity. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the Timed Stair Climb (TSC) could be used to replace PMD measurements in predicting morbidity. Patients were prospectively enrolled from March 2014–2015 and were eligible if they were undergoing an abdominal operation. PMD was measured using pre-operative CT scans obtained within 90 days of surgery. Ninety-day complications were assessed using the Accordion Severity Grading System. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify risk factors associated with operative morbidity. Of the patients, 298 were enrolled and completed TSC prior to undergoing an operation. Using the According Grading System, a grade 2 or higher complication occurred in 72 (24. 2%) patients with 8 (2.7%) deaths. There was an indirect relationship between PMD and TSC (P < 0.0001) and a direct relationship between TSC and complications (P = 0.04). On multivariable analysis decreasing PMD (P = 0.018) and increasing TSC (P = 0.026) were predictive of post-operative morbidity. Receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated that the TSC was superior to both the ACS NSQIP Risk Calculator and PMD in predicting outcomes (TSC vs. PMD, P = 0.012; PMD vs. ACS NSQIP, P = 0.013; TSC vs. ACS NSQIP, P < 0.0001). TSC, PMD, and the ACS NSQIP calculator are all useful tools; however, the TSC is superior in predicting post-operative morbidity.
Global mountain topography and the fate of montane species under climate change

Surface area does not decrease monotonically with elevation for two-thirds of mountain ranges. Consequently many mountain species might not experience reduced habitat area as they move upslope under climate change.
The Role of the Lexicon in the Syntax–Semantics Interface

Evidence from the study of verbal argument alternations suggests that the syntactic structure of an event-denoting clause often reflects the structure of the event it denotes, in the sense that par...