cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subset of Thin Spike Cortical Neurons Preserve the Peripheral Encoding of Stimulus Onsets

An important question in auditory neuroscience concerns how the neural representation of sound features changes from the periphery to the cortex. Here we focused on the encoding of sound onsets and we used a modeling approach to explore the degree to which auditory cortical neurons follow a similar envelope integration mechanism found at the auditory periphery. Our "forward" model was able to predict relatively accurately the timing of first spikes evoked by natural communication calls in the auditory cortex of awake, head-restrained mice, but only for a subset of cortical neurons. These neurons were systematically different in their encoding of the calls, exhibiting less call selectivity, shorter latency, greater precision, and more transient spiking compared with the same factors of their poorly predicted counterparts. Importantly, neurons that fell into this best-predicted group all had thin spike waveforms, suggestive of suspected interneurons conveying feedforward inhibition. Indeed, our population of call-excited thin spike neurons had significantly higher spontaneous rates and larger frequency tuning bandwidths than those of thick spike neurons. Thus the fidelity of our model's first spike predictions segregated neurons into one earlier responding subset, potentially dominated by suspected interneurons, which preserved a peripheral mechanism for encoding sound onsets and another longer latency subset that reflected higher, likely centrally constructed nonlinearities. These results therefore provide support for the hypothesis that physiologically distinct subclasses of neurons in the auditory cortex may contribute hierarchically to the representation of natural stimuli.
Inhibition of polyphosphate as a novel strategy for preventing thrombosis and inflammation

Inorganic polyphosphates are linear polymers of orthophosphate that modulate blood clotting and inflammation. Polyphosphate accumulates in infectious microorganisms and is secreted by activated platelets; long-chain polyphosphate in particular is an extremely potent initiator of the contact pathway, a limb of the clotting cascade important for thrombosis but dispensable for hemostasis. Polyphosphate inhibitors therefore might act as novel antithrombotic/anti-inflammatory agents with reduced bleeding side effects. Antipolyphosphate antibodies are unlikely because of polyphosphate's ubiquity and simple structure; and although phosphatases such as alkaline phosphatase can digest polyphosphate, they take time and may degrade other biologically active molecules. We now identify a panel of polyphosphate inhibitors, including cationic proteins, polymers, and small molecules, and report their effectiveness in vitro and in vivo. We also compare their effectiveness against the procoagulant activity of RNA. Polyphosphate inhibitors were antithrombotic in mouse models of venous and arterial thrombosis and blocked the inflammatory effect of polyphosphate injected intradermally in mice. This study provides proof of principle for polyphosphate inhibitors as antithrombotic/anti-inflammatory agents in vitro and in vivo, with a novel mode of action compared with conventional anticoagulants.
Personal and Policy Implications of Whistle-Blowing: The Case of Corcoran State Prison

Studies that highlight how whistle-blowers in civil service draw attention to corrupt activities enable investigators to learn about the ethical dilemmas faced by organization members. This article examines the definitions of whistle-blowing in the literature, identifies changes in the cultural climate that have made dissent more possible, proposes insights into the motivations of whistle-blowers, and considers the ways whistle-blowers affect public policy. Specifically, it examines the case of Richard Caruso and Steve Rigg, guards who blew the whistle on brutality toward inmates at California's Corcoran State Prison. The conclusion ties the case to current issues in public administration.
Binomial and enumerative sampling of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) on peppermint in California.

ABSTRACT The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, is an economic pest on peppermint [Mentha x piperita (L.), ‘Black Mitcham’ grown in California. A sampling plan for T. urticae was developed under Pacific Northwest conditions in the early 1980s and has been used by California growers since ≈1998. This sampling plan, however, is cumbersome and a poor predictor of T. urticae densities in California. Between June and August, the numbers of immature and adult T. urticae were counted on leaves at three commercial peppermint fields (sites) in 2010 and a single field in 2011. In each of seven locations per site, 45 leaves were sampled, that is, 9 leaves per five stems. Leaf samples were stratified by collecting three leaves from the top, middle, and bottom strata per stem. The on-plant distribution of T. urticae did not significantly differ among the stem strata through the growing season. Binomial and enumerative sampling plans were developed using generic Taylor's power law coefficient values. Th...
Predictions of H-mode performance in ITER

Time-dependent integrated predictive modelling is carried out using the PTRANSP code to predict fusion power and parameters such as alpha particle density and pressure in ITER H-mode plasmas. Auxiliary heating by negative ion neutralbeaminjectionandion-cyclotronheatingofHe 3 minorityionsaremodelled,andtheGLF23transportmodelis used in the prediction of the evolution of plasma temperature profiles. Effects of beam steering, beam torque, plasma rotation, beam current drive, pedestal temperatures, sawtooth oscillations, magnetic diffusion and accumulation of He ash are treated self-consistently. Variations in assumptions associated with physics uncertainties for standard base-line DT H-mode plasmas (with Ip = 15MA, BTF = 5.3T and Greenwald fraction = 0.86) lead to a range of predictions for DT fusion power PDT and quasi-steady state fusion QDT (≡PDT/Paux). Typical predictions assuming Paux = 50‐53MW yield PDT = 250‐720MW and QDT = 5‐14. In some cases where Paux is ramped down or shut off after initial flat-top conditions, quasi-steady QDT can be considerably higher, even infinite. Adverse physics assumptions such as the existence of an inward pinch of the helium ash and an ash recycling coefficient approaching unity lead to very low values for PDT. Alternative scenarios with different heating and reduced performance regimes are also considered including plasmas with only H or D isotopes, DT plasmas with toroidal field reduced 10% or 20% and discharges with reduced beam voltage. In full-performance D-only discharges, tritium burn up is predicted to generate central tritium densities up to 10 16 m −3 and DT neutron rates up to 5 ×10 16 s −1 , compared with the DD neutron rates of 6 × 10 17 s −1 . Predictions with the toroidal field reduced 10% or 20% below the planned 5.3T and keeping the same q98, Greenwald fraction and βn indicate that the fusion yield PDT and QDT will be lower by about a factor of two (scaling as B 3.5 ).
Does Attachment Get Under the Skin? Adult Romantic Attachment and Cortisol Responses to Stress

Although many studies have indicated that people in low-quality relationships are less healthy, precisely how relationships influence health remains unclear. We focus on one physiological pathway that may provide clues to the link between relationships and health: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Evidence indicates that attachment processes in adult romantic relationships are associated with HPA responses to stress (assessed via cortisol levels). Specifically, attachment insecurity predicts different cortisol patterns in response to stress than does attachment security, especially when the stressor potentially threatens the relationship. Thus, attachment may get under the skin through biological responses to attachment-relevant stressors, but further work is needed to pinpoint the complete physiological and behavioral pathways through which attachment may influence health and disease outcomes.
Verification of initial-state opacity in security applications of DES

Motivated by security applications where the initial state of a system needs to be kept secret (opaque) to outside observers (intruders), we formulate, analyze and verify the notion of initial-state opacity in discrete event systems. Specifically, a system is initial-state opaque if the membership of its true initial state to a set of secret states remains opaque to an intruder who is modeled as an observer of the system activity through some projection map. In other words, based on observations through this map, the observer is never certain that the initial state of the system is within the set of secret states. To verify initial-state opacity, we address the initial-state estimation problem in discrete event systems via the construction of an initial-state estimator. This estimator captures estimates of the initial state of the system which are consistent with all observations obtained so far. We also analyze the properties and complexity of the initial-state estimator.
Out of Hand: YouTube Amateurs and Professionals

As part of a broader regulatory regime, YouTube helps to sustain a powerful model of sincerity, bodily stability, and self-control that has its roots in 19th- and early 20th-century theatre ideologies of amateur vs. professional. Some of YouTube's most popular videos are best understood through these conjoined rubrics, including Britney Spears fan Chris Crocker's “Leave Britney Alone!” video and actor Seth Green's parody of it.
The Church Versus the Mall: What Happens When Religion Faces Increased Secular Competition?

Recently economists have begun to consider the causes and consequences of religious participation. An unanswered question in this literature is the effect upon individuals of changes in the opportunity cost of religious participation. In this paper we identify a policy-driven change in the opportunity cost of religious participation based on state laws that prohibit retail activity on Sunday, known as "blue laws." Many states have repealed these laws in recent years, raising the opportunity cost of religious participation. We use a variety of data sets to show that when a state repeals its blue laws religious attendance falls and that church donations and spending fall as well. These results do not seem to be driven by declines in religiosity prior to the law change, nor do we see comparable declines in membership in or giving to nonreligious organizations after a state repeals its laws. We then assess the effects of changes in these laws on drinking and drug use behavior in the NLSY. We find that repealing blue laws leads to an increase in drinking and drug use and that this increase is found only among the initially religious individuals who were affected by the blue laws. The effect is economically significant; for example, the gap in heavy drinking between religious and nonreligious individuals falls by about half after the laws are repealed.
Support System Participation in Spousal Caregiving: Alzheimer's Disease Versus Other Illness

We examined interview data from 158 widows who had provided care to the husband before his death. Two groups, Alzheimer's caregivers and other caregivers, were compared to determine the differential support received from informal and formal support systems. Alzheimer's caregivers reported having more needs for which they received no help than did other caregivers — t(24) = 2.70, p <.01. Alzheimer's caregivers also reported less caregiving participation by formal and nonkin sources than did other caregivers-t(39.99) = -2.39, p <.01; and t(157) = -2.02, p <.02, respectively. The results imply a need for greater community awareness of and involvement in the care of families affected by Alzheimer's disease. Also indicated is the need for further research into factors influencing the help-seeking and help-accepting behaviors of the affected families.
A composite framework for synchronous and voltage stability in power systems

Energy function methods have been used to separately assess both synchronous stability and quasi-static voltage security of power systems. The authors demonstrate the linkage between the different applications. The energy function used for synchronous stability is based upon either the classical model or the structure preserving model, with the stability boundary determined by energy of the controlling unstable equilibrium point (UEP). For the voltage stability problem, the use of the structure preserving model is essential. The main difference between two applications lies in the system models used for calculating the UEPs and system trajectories. These differences are based upon the different time frames of the two problems. A new framework for unifying the two separate applications is explored. >
InBase, the New England Biolabs Intein Database

Inteins are intervening sequences that splice as proteins, not RNA. InBase, the New England Biolabs Intein Database (http://www.neb. com/neb/inteins.html), is a comprehensive on-line database that includes the Intein Registry, along with detailed information about each intein and its host protein, tabulated comparisons and a comprehensive bibliography including papers in press.
Student peer evaluations using the analytic hierarchy process method

Employment of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to assess the contributions of engineering student team members is described. The students perform this assessment as well as the instructor. The assessments are correlated with the individual team role assignments to making a final determination of the contribution of the individual to the team effort. Using this evaluation technique appears to provide candid student peer input for evaluations. AHP can be characterized as a multi-criteria decision technique in which qualitative factors are of prime of importance. A model of the problem is developed using a hierarchical representation. At the top of the hierarchy is the overall goal or prime objective one is seeking to fulfil. The succeeding lower levels then represent the progressive decomposition of the problem. The knowledgeable parties complete a pair-wise comparison of all entries in each level relative to each of the entries in the next higher level of the hierarchy. The composition of these judgments fixes the relative priority of the entities at the lowest level relative to achieving the top-most objective. A description of AHP for teams within a production engineering class is described. First, the lack of success with traditional student questionnaires to assess team performance is described, followed by a description of what appear to be more meaningful results when AHP is used. Finally, several complicating factors associated with this experiment, some tentative conclusions and a recommendation for continued investigation of the use of AHP for student evaluations are described.
Eosinophilic fasciitis: clinical characteristics and response to methotrexate

Aim To describe our experience with 16 patients with eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) treated in our clinic over 14 years. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients with biopsy-proven EF. We collected data regarding demographics, clinical presentations, possible triggers, labs, imaging, treatment and response to therapy on follow-up. Results Eight women and eight men with a mean age of 52 years were included in the study. Three patients related the onset to prior strenuous exercise and one was exposed to vibratory machinery. Fourteen patients had a gradual onset and presented with induration of the skin. Two other patients presented with acute-onset and significant edema and weight gain. All patients required immunosuppressive therapy. Methotrexate (MTX) was used in all of our patients. The rate of complete remission was ~60%. Although the recurrence rate after stopping MTX was 70%, these patients responded well to re-treatment with MTX. Conclusion We believe that MTX represents an effective treatment option for EF. The rarity of this disease would make a double-blind controlled trial study difficult to perform.
Types of diagnostic errors in neurological emergencies in the emergency department

Background: Neurological emergencies often pose diagnostic challenges for emergency physicians because these patients often present with atypical symptoms and standard imaging tests are imperfect. Misdiagnosis occurs due to a variety of errors. These can be classified as knowledge gaps, cognitive errors, and systems-based errors. The goal of this study was to describe these errors through review of quality assurance (QA) records. Methods: This was a retrospective pilot study of patients with neurological emergency diagnoses that were missed or delayed at one urban, tertiary academic emergency department. Cases meeting inclusion criteria were identified through review of QA records. Three emergency physicians independently reviewed each case and determined the type of error that led to the misdiagnosis. Proportions, confidence intervals, and a reliability coefficient were calculated. Results: During the study period, 1168 cases were reviewed. Forty-two cases were found to include a neurological misdiagnosis and twenty-nine were determined to be the result of an error. The distribution of error types was as follows: knowledge gap 45.2% (95% CI 29.2, 62.2), cognitive error 29.0% (95% CI 15.9, 46.8), and systems-based error 25.8% (95% CI 13.5, 43.5). Cerebellar strokes were the most common type of stroke misdiagnosed, accounting for 27.3% of missed strokes. Conclusions: All three error types contributed to the misdiagnosis of neurological emergencies. Misdiagnosis of cerebellar lesions and erroneous radiology resident interpretations of neuroimaging were the most common mistakes. Understanding the types of errors may enable emergency physicians to develop possible solutions and avoid them in the future.
The Little Engines That Could: Modeling the Performance of World Wide Web Search Engines

This research examines the ability of six popular Web search engines, individually and collectively, to locate Web pages containing common marketing/management phrases. We propose and validate a model for search engine performance that is able to represent key patterns of coverage and overlap among the engines. The model enables us to estimate the typical additional benefit of using multiple search engines, depending on the particular set of engines being considered. It also provides an estimate of the number of relevant Web pages not found by any of the engines. For a typical marketing/management phrase we estimate that the "best" search engine locates about 50% of the pages, and all six engines together find about 90% of the total. The model is also used to examine how properties of a Web page and characteristics of a phrase affect the probability that a given search engine will find a given page. For example, we find that the number of Web page links increases the prospect that each of the six search engines will find it. Finally, we summarize the relationship between major structural characteristics of a search engine and its performance in locating relevant Web pages.
Minimal detectable change scores for the Wolf Motor Function Test.

Background. The Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) is an impairment-based test whose psychometrics have been examined by previous reliability and validity studies. Standards for evaluating whether a given change is meaningful, however, have not yet been addressed. Objectives. To determine the standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC) for the WMFT. Methods. Data were collected from 6 university laboratories that participated in the EXCITE national clinical trial and included 96 individuals with sub-acute stroke (3—9 months). Measurements were made by blinded evaluators who were trained and standardized to administer the WMFT, which was completed on 2 occasions 2 weeks apart. No intervention was given between testing sessions. Results. The WMFT Performance Time score has a SEM of 0.2 seconds and a MDC95 of 0.7 seconds. The individual task timed items MDC 95 ranged from 1.0 second (turn key in lock) to 3.4 seconds (reach and retrieve) with individual task items demonstrating notabl...
Vascularization Strategies for Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering is currently limited by the inability to adequately vascularize tissues in vitro or in vivo. Issues of nutrient perfusion and mass transport limitations, especially oxygen diffusion, restrict construct development to smaller than clinically relevant dimensions and limit the ability for in vivo integration. There is much interest in the field as researchers have undertaken a variety of approaches to vascularization, including material functionalization, scaffold design, microfabrication, bioreactor development, endothelial cell seeding, modular assembly, and in vivo systems. Efforts to model and measure oxygen diffusion and consumption within these engineered tissues have sought to quantitatively assess and improve these design strategies. This review assesses the current state of the field by outlining the prevailing approaches taken toward producing vascularized tissues and highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.
Effective continuous-time formulation for short-term scheduling. 3. Multiple intermediate due dates

The problem of short-term scheduling often involves the satisfaction of variable product demands at specific due dates within the time horizon under consideration. Ierapetritou and Floudas (Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 1998, 37, 4341−4359, 4360−4374) presented a new continuous time formulation to effectively address the problem of short-term scheduling in batch, continuous, and mixed production facilities where product demands are specified at the end of the time horizon. The primary objective of this paper is to extend the continuous-time formulation so as to deal with intermediate due dates. The mathematical model is developed and the operation mode of the plant (batch or semicontinuous) is further exploited to result in the most efficient solution strategy. Several examples are provided to illustrate the capabilities of the proposed continuous-time formulations, and it is demonstrated that a variety of problems presented in the literature can be addressed efficiently.
Supramolecular Abrasive-free System for Cu CMP

Key issues in CMP today include reduction of surface defectivity and enhancement of planarization efficiency. More specifically, the polished surface should be free of defects such as scratches, pits, corrosion spots, trench copper loss, and residue particles. For copper/low k CMP, one of the most promising strategies to accomplishing these goals is an Abrasive-Free Process (AFP). By eliminating abrasive particles from the process, either free or fixed to the pad, it has been anticipated and realized that defects such as severe scratching, particle contamination and slurry instability via particle aggregation or settling will be significantly reduced. In addition, with proper formulation, an abrasive free process can also yield an excellent over polishing window and desired step function of pressure for material removal rate. Coupled with a supramolecular design, some of the characteristic advantages seen in abrasive containing system such as step height reduction efficiency can be realized without the side effects often introduced from solid particles. In this presentation, some designing principles for an abrasive free system will be first presented. The potential advantages of a supramolecular design for copper CMP will be illustrated. The CMP performance on a set of testing blanket and patterned wafers will be discussed.
Hybridizing Genetic Programming with Orthogonal Least Squares for Modeling of Soil Liquefaction

Precise estimation of the strain energy density required to trigger soil liquefaction, denoted as capacity energy, has been the focus of many studies. The main objective of this paper is to develop a robust prediction model for the soil capacity energy using a novel hybrid technique coupling genetic programming with orthogonal least squares, called GP/OLS. The proposed model was developed upon experimental results collected through a literature review. A traditional genetic programming analysis was performed to benchmark the GP/OLS model. The predictions made by the derived model were found to be more accurate than those provided by the genetic programming and other existing models. A subsequent parametric study was carried out and the trends of the results were confirmed via some previous laboratory studies
A systematic review of the cost and cost‐effectiveness studies of proton radiotherapy

BACKGROUND Economic analyses of new technologies, such as proton-beam radiotherapy (PBT), are a public health priority. To date, no systematic review of the cost-effectiveness of PBT has been performed. METHODS Systematic searches of PubMed, EMBASE, abstracts from American Society for Radiation Oncology and American Society of Clinical Oncology meetings, and the Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry were conducted (2000-2015) along with abstracts from the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group of North America for both years of existence (2014-2015). Eighteen original investigations were analyzed. RESULTS The cost-effectiveness for prostate cancer—the single most common diagnosis currently treated with PBT—was suboptimal. PBT was the most cost-effective option for several pediatric brain tumors. PBT costs for breast cancer were increased but were favorable for appropriately selected patients with left-sided cancers at high risk of cardiac toxicity and compared with brachytherapy for accelerated partial breast irradiation. For non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the greatest cost-effectiveness benefits using PBT were observed for locoregionally advanced—but not early stage—tumors. PBT offered superior cost-effectiveness in selected head/neck cancer patients at higher risk of acute mucosal toxicities. Similar cost-effectiveness was observed for PBT, enucleation, and plaque brachytherapy in patients with uveal melanoma. CONCLUSIONS With greatly limited amounts of data, PBT offers promising cost-effectiveness for pediatric brain tumors, well-selected breast cancers, locoregionally advanced NSCLC, and high-risk head/neck cancers. Heretofore, it has not been demonstrated that PBT is cost-effective for prostate cancer or early stage NSCLC. Careful patient selection is absolutely critical to assess cost-effectiveness. Together with increasing PBT availability, clinical trial evidence, and ongoing major technological improvements, cost-effectiveness data and conclusions from this analysis could change rapidly. Cancer 2016;122:1483–501. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
Metabolic crisis occurs with seizures and periodic discharges after brain trauma.

OBJECTIVE Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in persistent disruption of brain metabolism that has yet to be mechanistically defined. Early post-traumatic seizures are one potential mechanism for metabolic crisis and hence could be a therapeutic target. We hypothesized that seizures and pseudoperiodic discharges (PDs) may be mechanistically linked to metabolic crisis as measured by cerebral microdialysis. METHODS A prospective multicenter study of surface and intracortical depth EEG were performed in conjunction with cerebral microdialysis in a cohort of severe TBI patients with time-locked analysis of the neurochemical response to seizures and pseudoperiodic discharges. RESULTS Seizures or PDs occurred in 61% of 34 subjects, with 42.9% of these seizures noted only on intracortical depth EEG and in some cases lasted for many hours. Metabolic crisis as measured by elevated cerebral microdialysis lactate/pyruvate ratio occurred during seizures or PDs but not during electrically nonepileptic epochs. Interpretation In TBI patients, seizures and periodic discharges are one mechanism for metabolic crisis, and hence represent a therapeutic target for future study. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Language: en
Accelerated Breakdown in Thin Oxide Films Due to Interfacial Stress and Carrier Depletion

We present the results of experiments studying the effect of carrier depletion and interfacial stress on time to breakdown of thin oxide films during constant current stressing High energy electrons resulting from carrier depletion conditions increase damage to oxides during tunneling. Carrier depletion conditions cause a dramatic decrease in time to breakdown and increase the number of early failures substantially Mechanical interfacial stress results in a degradation in oxide reliability. Anode interfacial stress has been uniquely isolated from other phenomena such as cathode surface roughness, and has been shown to result in accelerated breakdown. These results have implications on oxide reliability and on test methodologies to obtain a measure of the same.
The perceived impact of stuttering on personality as measured by the NEO-FFI-3.

The NEO-FFI has been widely used to demonstrate personality differences between people who stutter (PWS) and those who do not. These differences can be interpreted as indicators of internal sources of disability that contribute to handicaps associated with stuttering. The aim of the current study was to use this same tool to determine the perceived impact of stuttering on personality in order to provide a similar indicator of how external factors may contribute to the stuttering disability. A total of 49 non-stuttering young adults were given the NEO-FFI-3 after watching a video of someone stuttering (moderately to severely) and after watching a video of someone speaking fluently. Participants were asked to answer test items while imagining that they had spoken like the persons in the videos for their entire lives. When asked to assume the stuttering perspective, participants reported themselves to be significantly more neurotic (P < 0.01) and less extraverted (P < 0.01) than when they assumed the perspective of the fluent speaker. The large differences (∼10 points; greater than one standard deviation) in these domains between the fluent and stuttered perspectives are consistent with existing stereotypes about PWS. These differences are greater than and only partially consistent with differences in personality found between PWS and non-stuttering individuals. The findings support the notion that external factors (e.g. listener reactions and stereotypes about PWS) contribute strongly to the manner in which stuttering restricts function and results in handicaps.
A spatio-temporal solution for the EEG/MEG inverse problem using group penalization methods

The inverse problem encountered in electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) studies refers to estimating neural activity given limited scalp-recorded data. We propose a spatio-temporal solution using group penalization approaches. This proposed method is based on the assumption that the underlying sources of EEG/MEG measurements are smooth in the temporal domain, and focal in the spatial domain. It transforms the spatio-temporal problem to a high-dimensional linear regression problem with grouped predictors using a basis expansion. Then an iterative group elastic net algorithm is utilized to localize and estimate the source time courses. The proposed approach is shown to be effective on simulations and human MEG studies.
Sooting tendencies of oxygenated hydrocarbons in laboratory-scale flames.

Sooting tendencies have been measured for 186 oxygenated and 89 regular hydrocarbons under controlled laboratory conditions. The test compounds include alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, esters, alkanes, alkenes, and cycloalkanes ranging in size from methanol to isododecane. Sooting tendency was characterized with a new method based on measuring particle concentrations in methane/air nonpremixed flames when 1000 ppm of each test compound was added to the fuel. This method offers high precision and high sensitivity to the direct chemical effects of the additive. The results provide a wide-ranging yet detailed quantitative picture of how fuel oxygen affects soot formation, which will be useful for optimizing the soot-reducing benefits of oxygenated renewable fuels. The measured sooting tendencies of 1-alcohols are similar to those of n-alkanes with the same number of carbon atoms, while those of secondary alcohols are slightly higher. Aldehydes and ketones soot the same as n-alkanes with one less carbon ...
Simulations of a Disk-on-Rod TWT Driven by an NLTL-Modulated Electron Beam

Using measured waveforms from a synchronous-wave ferrite nonlinear transmission line (NLTL), particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate the potential to emit GW-class electron beams (hundreds of kilovolts, multiple kiloamperes) with current modulations as great as 30% of the average beam current, with modulations occurring at a peak frequency equal to that of the peak NLTL output frequency. The NLTL-modulated beam is then coupled to disk-on-rod slow wave structure (SWS) simulations in which it is shown that the extractable RF generated through interaction of the modulated beam with the SWS is up to ten times greater than that directly extractable from the NLTL itself.
Patient-Centered Communication for Discussing Oncotype DX Testing

Oncotype DX testing (ODX), a tumor gene expression test, may improve breast cancer care, however, communicating results remains challenging. We identified patient-centered communication strategies/gaps for discussing ODX results. We applied a patient-centered communication framework to analyze qualitative interviews with oncologists about how they communicate about ODX with patients, using template analysis in Atlas.ti. Overall, providers discussed four patient-centered communication domains: exchanging information, assessing uncertainty, making decisions and cross-cutting themes. Providers did not report discussing emotional aspects of managing uncertainty, assessing decision-making preferences, and evaluating decisions. A patient-centered approach may be a model for communicating about tumor gene expression tests.
George Lukacs and his generation: 1900–1918

(1988). George Lukacs and his generation: 1900–1918. History of European Ideas: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 108-110.
Implementation of the 21-gene recurrence score test in the United States in 2011.

We examined hospital use of the 21-gene breast cancer test in the United States. We report state-level differences in utilization and propose a model for predicting implementation of guideline-recommended genomic testing. Genomic Health provided test orders for calendar year 2011.We summarized utilization at the hospital and state levels. Using logistic regression, we analyzed the association between the likelihood to order the test and the hospital’s institutional and regional characteristics. In 2011, 45% of 4,712 acute-care hospitals ordered the test, which suggests that 25% of newly diagnosed invasive female breast cancer cases were tested. Significant predictors of testing included participation in National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical research cooperative groups (odds ratio (OR) 3.73; 95% confidence interval, 2.96–4.70), advanced imaging (OR, 2.19; CI, 1.78–2.68), high-complexity laboratory (OR, 2.15; CI, 1.24–3.70), affiliation with a medical school (OR, 1.57; CI, 1.31–1.88), and reconstructive surgery (OR, 1.23; CI, 1.01–1.50). Significant regional predictors included metropolitan county (OR, 3.77; CI, 2.83–5.03), above-mean income (OR, 1.37; CI, 1.11–1.69), and education (OR, 1.26; CI, 1.03–1.54). Negative predictors included designation as a critical-access hospital (OR, 0.10; CI, 0.07–0.14) and distance from an NCI cancer center (OR, 0.998; CI, 0.997–0.999), with a 15% decrease in likelihood for every 100 miles. Despite considerable market penetration of the test, there are significant regional and site-of-care differences in implementation, particularly in rural states. Genet Med 18 10, 982–990.
The Natural Rights Tradition — With or Without Hobbes?

The discussion of Hobbes’s theory of rights in the last two chapters has focussed on the content of particular individual rights within the theory, in the context of the Hohfeldian analysis that underlies much discussion of Hobbesian rights. And while I have argued that Hobbes’s theory of rights contains substantive rights for individuals, I have yet to examine in any detail the possibility that it is a natural rights theory. In this chapter I want to examine the relationship of Hobbes’s theory of rights to the theories of natural law and natural rights that were prevalent in the period before and during Hobbes’s lifetime. In terms of the content and political significance of the individual rights described in the theory, Hobbes has often been seen as holding a much weaker or less substantial theory of rights than Locke, who is usually regarded as having put natural rights at the centre of political theory in a way that was to come to dominate liberal political philosophy. And Locke’s theory of rights is a theory of natural rights with a traditional natural law basis.’ But what of the theoretical basis and justification of Hobbes’s theory of rights? Does it owe anything to theories of natural law and natural rights? Could one describe Hobbesian rights as natural rights?
Exercise and Osteoarthritis: The Effect of Running with Aging in the Masters-Level Athlete

Participation in long-distance running has increased significantly over the past decades. Despite the systemic and bone health benefits of high-impact aerobic exercise, persistent dogma exists that running is associated with increased risk of osteoarthritis (OA). This chapter focuses on the development and progression of OA in aging athletes, proper evaluation, and treatment paradigms for an aging runner with OA-associated knee pain and other running maladies are presented. Recommendations regarding runner activity, cross-training principles, and adequate nutrition associated with prolonged running health are presented. This text presents the best current evidence for OA progression and treatment in an active population and addresses the subtleties of evaluating and treating an aging athlete population. This chapter concludes that a balance of running, cross-training, and healthy dietary principles will increase the ability of an aging runner to participate at a high level of function. Clinicians should encourage continued participation in running for the health benefits and to preserve function in the presence of early OA of the knee, with exploring other recommended activity options in patients with severe OA.
Abdominopelvic washings in gynecologic pathology: A comprehensive review.

Abdominopelvic washings (APW) performed during gynecologic surgeries have become a common specimen evaluated by cytopathologists. Their role in staging of female genital tract tumors has changed significantly since they were first described, and continue to evolve. The ability of these washings to detect microscopic disease, even in the absence of gross disease, warrants the critical role that these washings play in the staging of certain female gynecologic tract tumors, allowing for optimal staging and subsequent treatment of the patient. Irrespective of the underlying pathology, the gamut of cytomorphologic findings that may be observed in APW is extensive, and ranges from benign lesions that may act as mimickers of malignancy, to both common and rare malignancies. This review discusses the changing role of APW in the staging of gynecologic tumors, and highlights the salient cytomorphologic features of these lesions, with emphasis in their correct identification, including cautionary notes to avoid over or misinterpretation. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Advances in power electronics and drives-their impact on energy and environment

Summary form only given. Energy has been the life-blood for continuing progress of human civilization. Since the beginning of industrial revolution around two centuries ago, the global energy consumption has increased by leaps and bounds to accelerate the human living standard on this planet, particularly in the industrialized nations. Per-capita energy consumption, particularly in electrical form, has been a barometer of a nation's economic prosperity. Today, the major amount of electricity is generated by fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. Fossil Juel plants create environmental pollution problem whereas the nuclear plants have safety problem. These pollution and safety problems are now causing major concerns in our society. How can we continuously improve our living standard, and at the same time, live in a cleaner and safer environment? Renewable energy sources, and possibly the fusion energy in future (if at all possible), can to a certain extent mitigate these problems, but conservation of energy with more efficient use of electricity is a definite method of solving this problem. Power electronics and drives technology is recently showing a major impact in energy conservation besides its general role in global industrial automation. The presentation will begin by broad introduction of global energy generation, depletion of fossil and nuclear fuels, environmental pollution, and energy conservation scenarios. The role of power electronics and drives technology, which has gone through rapid advancement during the last four decades will be reviewed in a broader perspective. The recent advances of power semiconductor devices, converter topologies, variable frequency drives, control and estimation techniques will be discussed, and technology trends will be outlined wherever possible. More recently, the emerging AI technology tools, such as expert system, fuzzy logic, neural network and genetic algorithm are expanding the frontier of power electronic and drives.
Northern–Southern Route to Synthetic Bacteriochlorins

A new route to bacteriochlorins via Northern–Southern (N-S) self-condensation of a dihydrodipyrrin–acetal complements a prior Eastern–Western (E-W) route. Each bacteriochlorin was prepared in five steps from an α-halopyrrole and a 2,2-dimethylpent-4-ynoic acid. The first three steps follow Jacobi’s synthesis of dihydrodipyrrins: Pd-mediated coupling to form a lactone–pyrrole, Petasis reagent treatment for methenylation, and Paal–Knorr type ring closure to form the 1,2,2-trimethyl-substituted dihydrodipyrrin. Subsequent steps entail conversion of the 1-methyl group to the 1-(dimethoxymethyl) unit and acid-catalyzed self-condensation of the resulting dihydrodipyrrin–acetal. The essential differences between the N-S and E-W routes lie in (1) the location of the gem-dimethyl group (with respect to the 1-acetal unit) at the 2- versus 3-position in the dihydrodipyrrin–acetals, respectively, (2) the method of synthesis of the dihydrodipyrrins, and consequently (3) access to diverse substituted bacteriochlorins i...
Visual CSR Messages and the Effects of Emotional Valence and Arousal on Perceived CSR Motives, Attitude, and Behavioral Intentions:

Companies have frequently used visuals (e.g., still images and videos) as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication strategies, and those visuals often contain emotional con...
Product selectivity in plasmonic photocatalysis for carbon dioxide hydrogenation

Photocatalysis has not found widespread industrial adoption, in spite of decades of active research, because the challenges associated with catalyst illumination and turnover outweigh the touted advantages of replacing heat with light. A demonstration that light can control product selectivity in complex chemical reactions could prove to be transformative. Here, we show how the recently demonstrated plasmonic behaviour of rhodium nanoparticles profoundly improves their already excellent catalytic properties by simultaneously reducing the activation energy and selectively producing a desired but kinetically unfavourable product for the important carbon dioxide hydrogenation reaction. Methane is almost exclusively produced when rhodium nanoparticles are mildly illuminated as hot electrons are injected into the anti-bonding orbital of a critical intermediate, while carbon monoxide and methane are equally produced without illumination. The reduced activation energy and super-linear dependence on light intensity cause the unheated photocatalytic methane production rate to exceed the thermocatalytic rate at 350 °C. Atmospheric CO2 can be transformed into valuable hydrocarbons by reaction with H2, but CO is the favoured kinetic product. Here, Liu and co-workers show that plasmonic rhodium nanoparticles not only reduce the activation energy for CO2hydrogenation, but also photo-selectively produce methane.
Impact of a restrictive vs liberal transfusion strategy on anastomotic leakage and infectious complications after restorative surgery for rectal cancer.

AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a restrictive vs liberal transfusion strategy on anastomotic leakage and infectious complications after rectal cancer surgery. METHODS Patients undergoing restorative proctectomy for rectal cancer between January 2008 and December 2013 were divided into four groups according to the perioperative lowest haemoglobin (Hgb) level and transfusion status: group 1 with Hgb level ≥ 10 g/dl; group 2 with Hgb level ≥ 7 and < 10 g/dl who did not receive transfusion; and group 3 with Hgb level ≥ 7 and < 10 g/dl and group 4 with Hgb level < 7 g/dl, both of which received a transfusion. Clinical characteristics, anastomotic leakage and infectious complications within 30 days of surgery were compared. RESULTS There were 398 patients (66% men) with a mean age of 59.3 ± 11.9 years. Groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 included 162 (40.7%), 163 (41.0%), 47 (11.8%) and 26 (6.5%) patients, respectively. Perioperative characteristics were significantly different among groups regarding neoadjuvant chemo/radiotherapy use, preoperative albumin and Hgb levels, operative approach and blood loss, tumour size and stage, surgical margin involvement and histological differentiation. The unadjusted rates of overall infectious complications were 17.2%, 27.6%, 36.2% and 50% in groups 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively (P = 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, compared to group 2, group 3 was associated with an increased likelihood of organ/space surgical site infections (SSIs) (OR 3.63, 95% CI 1.29-10.22, P = 0.01) with no significant differences in terms of anastomotic leakage, overall SSIs or overall infectious complications. CONCLUSION Blood transfusion of haemodynamically stable patients with Hgb level ≥ 7 g/dl is associated with increased organ/space SSIs in rectal cancer surgery.
Proteome-Scale Human Interactomics

Cellular functions are mediated by complex interactome networks of physical, biochemical, and functional interactions between DNA sequences, RNA molecules, proteins, lipids, and small metabolites. A thorough understanding of cellular organization requires accurate and relatively complete models of interactome networks at proteome scale. The recent publication of four human protein-protein interaction (PPI) maps represents a technological breakthrough and an unprecedented resource for the scientific community, heralding a new era of proteome-scale human interactomics. Our knowledge gained from these and complementary studies provides fresh insights into the opportunities and challenges when analyzing systematically generated interactome data, defines a clear roadmap towards the generation of a first reference interactome, and reveals new perspectives on the organization of cellular life.
Peer Mentoring and Peer Tutoring Among K–12 Students: A Literature Review:

The purpose of this literature review is to examine research on peer mentoring among K–12 students to assist practitioners with how to incorporate these instructional techniques into their own musi...