cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous derivation of intensities and weighting functions in a general pseudo-spherical discrete ordinate radiative transfer treatment

The retrieval of atmospheric constituents from measurements of backscattered light requires a radiative transfer forward model that can simulate both intensities and weighting functions (partial derivatives of intensity with respect to atmospheric parameters being retrieved). The radiative transfer equation is solved in a multi-layer multiply-scattering atmosphere using the discrete ordinate method. In an earlier paper dealing with the upwelling top-of-the-atmosphere radiation 1eld, it was shown that a full internal perturbation analysis of the plane-parallel discrete ordinate solution leads in a natural way to the simultaneous generation of analytically-derived weighting functions with respect to a wide range of atmospheric variables. In the present paper, a more direct approach is used to evaluate explicitly all partial derivatives of the intensity 1eld. A generalization of the post-processing function is developed for the derivation of weighting functions at arbitrary optical depth and stream angles for both upwelling and downwelling directions. Further, a complete treatment is given for the pseudo-spherical approximation of the direct beam attenuation; this is an important extension to the range of viewing geometries encountered in practical radiative transfer applications. The numerical model LIDORT developed for this work is able to generate intensities and weighting functions for a wide range of retrieval scenarios, in addition to the passive remote sensing application from space. We present a number of examples in an atmosphere with O3 absorption in the UV, for satellite (upwelling radiation) and ground-based (downwelling radiation) applications. In particular, we examine the e=ect of various pseudo-spherical parameterizations on backscatter intensities and weighting functions with respect to O3 volume mixing ratio. In addition, the use of layer-integrated multiple scatter output from the model is shown to be important for satellite instruments with wide-angle o=-nadir viewing geometries. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
Foundations of formal language for humans and artificial systems based on intrinsic structure in spatial behavior

Robotics has been supplemented by the growing body of techniques associated with formal languages. One remaining challenge for bottom-up formal methods is to provide effective abstractions to their top-down counterparts in order to achieve a seamless integration. This paper describes our efforts to tackle this challenge in the domain of spatial behavior. Our general goal is to understand principles involved in the formation of hierarchic representations that can greatly simplify the control and planning tasks. We propose that this hierarchy be built from the bottom-up according to formal language principles, while incorporating principles from dynamical systems theory. The general idea is that relevant interactions between the agent's dynamics, task and environment are manifested as patterns. Compared to other approaches these patterns are not based on abstract, high-level constructs but convey a form of meaning that inherently ties the system's dynamics, environment and task characteristics. Understanding the natural principles underlying hierarchic organization of behavior is a fundamental step toward developing formal languages dealing with dynamical systems. It can be applied to help understand spatial intelligence and eventually help design more versatile and adaptive agents.
Heat Transfer From a Moving and Evaporating Meniscus on a Heated Surface

iw T , – Water temperature at the inlet to the transient A stable meniscus is formed between a needle dispensing water over a heated circular face of a rotating copper block. The needle is offset from the axis of rotation and thus forms a moving meniscus. The water flow rate, heater surface temperature and the speed of rotation are controlled to provide a stable meniscus with complete evaporation of water without any meniscus break-up. The experimental heat transfer rate is compared with the transient heat conduction model developed here. The results indicate that the transient heat conduction plays a major role in the heat transfer process from a moving meniscus. The study provides an important insight on the role of transient conduction around a nucleating bubble in pool boiling. i
Evaluating the Usability of Personal Digital Assistants to Collect Behavioral Data on Adolescents with Paradata

This article analyzes paradata, or data on survey processes, from the 2008 Albany Youth Health Survey to examine the ‘‘usability’’ of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in collecting health and behavioral information among inner-city adolescents. Two parallel sets of data analysis were conducted: one at a subject level and a second at a survey question/item level. Outcomes related to usability issues included difficulty with practice questions, time spent on the survey/item, responding before completion of the audio, and revisiting a question. Overall, participants had relatively few usability issues with the PDAs. At the subject level, participants with lower academic performance were more likely to have difficulty with practice questions, revisit a question, and take more time. The variable-level analysis showed that an increasing level of variable type complexity was negatively associated with a question being revisited and positively associated with completion time. This study suggests that PDAs and o...
NRG: global and detailed placement

We present a new approach to the placement problem. The proposed approach consists of analyzing the input circuit and deciding on a two-dimensional global grid for that particular input. After determination of the grid size, the placement is carried out in three steps: global placement, detailed placement and final optimization. We will show that the output of the global placement can also serve as a fast and accurate predictor. Current implementation is based on simulated annealing. We have put all algorithms together in a placement package called NRG (pronounced N-er-G). In addition to area minimization, NRG can perform timing-driven placement. Experimental results are strong. We improve TimberWolf's results (version 1.2, the commercial version which is suppose to be better than all university versions including version 7) by about 5%. Our predictor can estimate the wirelength within 10-20% accuracy offering 2-20x speedup compared with the actual placement algorithm.
Coping Appraisals and Adjustment to Nonstranger Sexual Assault

A sample of 299 female victims of nonstranger sexual assault was used to examine the relationship between appraisals of blame, coping strategies, and current symptomatology. Subjects completed a revised version of the Sexual Experiences Survey, the Coping Strategies Scales, the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised, and an attributional questionnaire designed by Meyer and Taylor (1986) to assess attributions of blame. Participants reporting clinically significant levels of current symptomatology were compared to those reporting nonsignificant levels of symptoms. Symptomatic victims were more likely to engage in characterological and behavioral self-blame. They also made greater use of active coping strategies involving emotional expressiveness, social support seeking, cognitive restructuring, and coping behaviors. Victims of rape were somewhat more likely to blame themselves than were victims of noncoital sexual assaults. Overall, the findings suggest the importance of examining cognitive appraisals and coping str...
Computer-aided design of high data-rate QAM modem circuits

Computer-aided design tools for high-speed QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) modems are being developed to allow system level simulation and IC design to be integrated in the same environment. Digital architectures for the modulation and demodulation filters are being exploited to develop functional compilers that allow the IC to be customized to system specifications while automating the architecture generation and layout generation. For example, programs have been developed to synthesize the required Nyquist filters from system specifications, generate the architecture using simulations to determine internal and I/O (input/output) wordlengths, and directly generate the layout using previously published optimization strategies to minimize the area and achieve baud rates as high as 50 MBd for 256-level QAM. >
On a Connection between Ovoids on the Hyperbolic Quadric Q+(10, q) and the Lie Incidence Geometry E6,1(q)

It is demonstrated that the existence of an ovoid on the hyperbolic quadric Q+(10, q) implies the existence of a co-clique of maximal possible cardinality in the collinear graph of the Lie Incidence Geometry E 6,1(q).
Rephasing Invariant Parametrizations of Generalized Kobayashi-Maskawa Matrices

We discuss a simple rephase-invariant parametrization of the Kobayashi-Maskawa mixing matrix V which easily generalizes to more than three generations and which we believe to be suitable as a phenomenological standard. Our independent parameters are the magnitudes ~ V; ~ with i c V,eV;eV, * ), where j =i +1, @=a+1,and j &il. The detailed discussion includes consequences of unitarity constraints, modifications in cases of degenerate quark masses, and the relation of Jarlskog's invariant functions of mass matrices. We reexpress the CP-violation phenomenology of the K-K and B-B systems in this rephase-invariant formalism. We exhibit a fourth-generation scenario where the top-quark mass need not be large even in the presence of large Bd-Bd mixing.
Murine Pulmonary Ca2+ -Transport System Activated by Allergic Immune Response Retains Sensitivity to Oxidative Stress

Exaggerated oxygen radical production by airway cells may contribute to increased airway responsiveness and heightened smooth muscle constriction in asthmatic lungs. Smooth muscle cell contractility in the lung is regulated by Ca2+ homeostasis. The contribution of inflammatory cells to these events is unclear. A murine model of allergic pulmonary hypersensitivity was developed to study the role of Ca2+ transport in allergic pulmonary reactions. Sensitization of mice was accomplished by injection with ovalbumin (OA) (1 or 50 μg) or OA (1 μg) plus Al(OH)3. Pulmonary responses were elicited by inhalation provocation challenge with OA aerosol and quantified by the extent of inflammatory cell infiltrate at 24 h. Increased Ca2+ transport was found in microsomes and homogenates of the lung after antigen challenge. Activation of Ca2+ transport was correlated with the severity of the allergic pulmonary response as evidenced from specific antibody production and inflammatory cell infiltrate. The greatest increase i...
ANALYTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PRODUCTS OF NONENZYMATIC GLYCOSYLATION OF LYSOZYME

The quantitative analysis of the reaction products of the water activity dependent nonenzymatic glycosylation of lysozyme was not straightforward. Difficulties arose in the determination of the number of bound glucose molecules because glycosylation leads to glucose mediated protein aggregation, and the likely presence of a mixture of relatively labile Schiff-base intermediates, and the more stable ketoamine products generated by Amadori rearrangement. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to monitor protein aggregation; periodate oxidation, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and oxalic acid hydrolysis combined with HPLC, emerged as the most promising methods to quantitate the degree of glycosylation. Possible interpretations are advanced to explain the apparent discrepancies in degree of glycosylation suggested by the different analytical methods evaluated.
Segmentations of road area in high resolution images

This paper focuses on segmenting road areas in aerial images. The anticipated outcomes from segmentation are boundaries of roads and medians, and the ultimate goal of this research is to investigate how to build geo-specific road databases from aerial images for driving simulation. The digital line graph (DLG) from the United States Geographical Survey (USGS) is the starting point in locating roads. A method is presented to match DLG maps to high resolution aerial images that are not geo-referenced. The search space will be reduced significantly by using maps to eliminate unwanted areas. However the roads themselves produce images that are difficult to segment because of shadows, traffic, and discontinuity of pavements. By comparing histograms of hue gradient images, roads are segmented into two classes that are pavement and nonpavement (grass, sidewalk etc). Since segmentation can not give exactly the correct boundaries, edge detection is also employed in conjunction with the preliminary segmentation results. A rule-based system is developed to fuse these two types of data sets together to delineate a segmented road image
Electric Field Driven Magnetic Cellular Automata for Image Processing

We describe an original scheme of Magnetic Cellular Automata consisting of cells made of diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) material. The magnetic phase of the cell (paramagnetic/ferromagnetic) is controlled by hole injection via the effect of hole-mediated ferromagnetism. Being in the ferromagnetic phase, the cell is suitable for binary information encoding (spins up or spins down). We propose to exploit hole-mediated ferromagnetism (and the phase transition from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic behavior) for electric-field driven magnetic cellular automata. The operation of the proposed cellular automata is illustrated by numerical modeling. Potentially, the proposed scheme may be beneficial in terms of power consumption (>fJ for one operation). It also makes possible to accomplish different image processing functions on one fabricated substrate. The disadvantages and shortcomings of the proposed scheme are discussed.
An Essay on the Origin of Software Evolution

The biological domain holds interesting keys to the theorists who investigate the root causes of software maintenance. Several authors believe that software systems need to adapt to changing environment, the way the biological systems do. The objections raised against this generic comparison induced the author to attend additional lessons in biology. Living beings exploit three main forms of adaptation: intelligent, specialist, and genetic (or Darwinian). Of these, intelligent adaptation appears to be the most appropriate form to be examined in relation to computational phenomena; besides, it fits with the fundamental ideas of artificial intelligence. This study shows how computers are adaptive devices, which aid general systems (companies, production lines, individuals, etc.) to have successful behavior in the world. This assumption leads to the inference that the root causes of software evolution and those of the software itself coincide. Finally, all the factors that affect software maintenance have been surveyed and a measure to handle the software maintenance processes suggested.
Complement-mediated changes in morphology of hepatitis B antigen-antibody complexes.

. The size distribution of particles of purified hepatitis B antigen (HB Ag) was altered by the action of complement. Prior to exposure to complement 94% of round particles of HB Ag were in a size distribution of 10–18 nm with a modal diameter of 15 nm. The modal diameter of particles treated with complement increased to 19 nm and particles larger than 30 nm were prominent. This effect on the morphology of HB Ag may be due to an enzymatic action of complement.
Using tapered interfaces to manipulate nanoscale morphologies in ion-doped block polymers

We detail the influence of tapered interfaces on the nanoscale morphologies of ion-doped poly(styrene-b-oligo-oxyethylene methacrylate) block polymers (BPs). Most significantly, the location of double-gyroid network phase window was found in ion-doped normal-tapered materials, and a similar window was not detectable in the corresponding non-tapered and inverse-tapered BPs. Additionally, the effective interaction parameters, χeff, were reduced substantially in the tapered materials in comparison with their non-tapered counterparts. Overall, this work demonstrates that tapering between polymer blocks provides unique control over BP morphologies and improves the material processability (due to lower χeff), potentially facilitating the development of future ion-conducting devices.
Computational modeling of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in obesity: Impact of head fat and dose guidelines

article i nfo Recent studies show that acute neuromodulation of the prefrontal cortex with transcranial direct current stim- ulation (tDCS) can decrease food craving, attentional bias to food, and actual food intake. These data suggest po- tential clinical applications for tDCS in the field of obesity. However, optimal stimulation parameters in obese individuals are uncertain. One fundamental concern is whether a thick, low-conductivity layer of subcutaneous fat around the head can affect current density distribution and require dose adjustments during tDCS adminis- tration. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of head fat on the distribution of current during tDCS and evaluate whether dosing standards for tDCS developed for adult individuals in general are adequate for the obese population. We used MRI-derived high-resolution computational models that delineated fat layers in five human heads from subjects with body mass index (BMI) ranging from "normal-lean" to "super-obese" (20.9 to 53.5 kg/m 2 ). Data derived from these simulations suggest that head fat influences tDCS current density
Exercise Pressor Reflex

Static skeletal muscle contraction increases arterial blood pressure, heart rate, myocardial contractility, and sympathetic nerve activity. These changes occur when humans or conscious cats perform static exercise, and can also be produced by evoking static contractions using anesthetized animals (14). Two potential mechanisms for these cardiovascular changes have been proposed: 1) a reflex arising from the contracting muscles, and 2) a descending input from higher brain centers. The first theory, termed the “exercise pressor reflex,” proposes that the cardiovascular changes are produced reflexly by a contraction induced activation of muscle afferents (1,12,15). The second theory proposes that the cardiovascular changes are elicited by signals arising from central areas that recruit motor units and also activate cardiovascular neurons located in the medulla and/or spinal cord (central command) (6,11,27). Currently,both mechanisms are thought to be important in mediating the cardiovascular responses during exercise. However, the relative contributions of these mechanisms to the cardiovascular changes produced by skeletal muscle contraction and how they are integrated needs further study.
The Influence of Demand Characteristics and Social Desirability on Clients’ Ratings of the Therapeutic Alliance

Objective To examine demand characteristics, social desirability on clients’ rating of working alliance using the Session Rating Scale (SRS; Miller, Duncan, & Johnson, 2000). Method Clients (N = 102) at two sites were randomly assigned to one of three alliance feedback conditions: (a) IF—SRS completed in presence of therapist and the results discussed immediately afterward; (b) Next Session Feedback—SRS completed alone and results discussed next session; or (c) No Feedback—SRS completed alone and results not available to therapist. Clients completed the SRS for the first three sessions of treatment. Results No statistically significant differences in SRS scores across the feedback conditions were found. Additionally, the analysis showed that SRS scores were not correlated with a measure of social desirability but were correlated with an established alliance measure. Conclusions The results indicate that alliance scores were not inflated due to the presence of a therapist or knowing that the scores would be observed by the therapist.
¿PUEDE LA ETNICIDAD REEMPLAZAR LO RACIAL? AFROCOLOMBIANOS, INDIGENIDAD Y EL ESTADO MULTICULTURAL EN COLOMBIA

Resumen es: Diferentes paises latinoamericanos, Colombia incluida, han declarado ser naciones multiculturales. Estos han reestructurado en el proceso derechos legale...
The Archives Program of the United Nations

IS now just about two years since the National Archives document Proposal for a United Nations Archives became the first professionally prepared, carefully constructed statement of what the United Nations archives program ought to be. During the past twelve months the development of such a program has been constant and, I believe, consistent both with the exigencies of the unit's position in a fast growing organization of tremendous responsibilities, and with the archival profession's desire to see, as part of the world's topmost political agency, an archives unit embodying the best of the older and the most fruitful of the newer theories and practices of archival economy. The United Nations Archives has, I think, come nearer to fulfilling its function as a service agency to the Secretariat than it has to realizing the larger hopes of the profession; this is a source not of regret, however, but of eager enthusiasm for the future. The first responsibility of any United Nations service unit must be to contribute as competently as possible to the effective functioning of other offices. When that is accomplished, attention can be devoted to the specialized activities of our own field. The planners of the United Nations at Dumbarton Oaks and at San Francisco in 1945 did not make provision for the establishment of an archives or at least did not mention it as an administrative unit. Possibly they were concerned with more important matters. The "international secretariat" set up by the host government at San Francisco did, however, contain an archives unit which operated as part of the documents service. Its task was the filing and custody of four record copies of all the mimeographed official documents of the Conference, together with the original drafts. The conclusion of the Conference, on June 26, 1945, was marked by the formal signing of two documents, the Charter of the United Nations and the Statute of the International Court of Justice (com-
Contemporary Status of Percutaneous Ablation for the Small Renal Mass

Renal cell carcinoma is the tenth most common malignancy in the USA, with upwards of 61,000 new cases and resulting in more than 14,000 deaths annually. Although partial nephrectomy remains the standard treatment, image-guided nephron-sparing ablative techniques including cryoablation, radiofrequency ablation, and microwave ablation have emerged as treatment options in certain patient populations. Ablative therapies have high technical successes, low tumor recurrence rates, and preserve renal parenchymal volume. The purpose of this article is to provide an update on ablation therapies for small renal masses.
Reply to comment to Long-term outcomes (>5 years follow-up) with porcine acellular dermal matrix (Permacol) in incisional hernias at risk for infection: Negro P, D'Amore L, Ceci F, Gossetti F (DOI 10.1007/s10029-015-1406-1).

Negro and colleagues have responded to our prior report of the unsatisfactory results of the use of porcine acellular dermal matrix (PADM) in the ‘‘repair’’ of complicated ventral hernias. These authors suggest that placement of the PADM in the retromuscular, intramural plane resulted in better outcomes with a surprisingly low recurrence rate and a lesser infection rate; whereas, a bridging technique of repair was unsatisfactory as we reported. These authors raise an important point about the retromuscular plane; we suspect that the reasons for these differences are that this plane probably offers a much more vascularized environment and is possibly more resistant to development of a seroma which can serve as a source of infection. Their findings are similar to a recent report by Carbonell et al. [1] who reviewed about 100 patients with types 2 and 3 wounds who underwent a concomitant ventral hernia repair with retromuscular placement of a permanent light or medium weight, large pore polypropylene mesh; the results of Carbonell et al. were quite similar to those of Negro and colleagues. We would encourage Negro and associates to continue this work but ask them the following ‘‘would they thus suggest that all abdominal wall reconstructions amenable to a Rives–Stoppa retromuscular repair or a posterior components separation repair be performed with such a bioprosthesis rather than with a permanent prosthesis like polypropylene?’’
The SALT II ceilings and why they are so high

Several articles and editorials have already appeared presenting the argument that the “ceilings” on strategic nuclear weapon systems, and within these on ‘MIRV’s, that were agreed upon at Vladivostok are too high. But none of these articles have even raised the question, no less attempted to answer it, as to why they are so high. Why were such high “ceilings” agreed to, and not lower ones.
Ethnography: A neglected method of inductive linguistics

Finding a productive scientific perspective on the relation between grammar and culture can be difficult, as is shown by the decades old debate on the so called “Sapir-Whorf hypothesis”. It is proposed that linguistic research should make more systematic use of ethnography as a source of meanings entrenched in grammar. The cases presented illustrate how grammatical constructions are defined by cultural schemas, scenarios, and models; how non-linguistic (colinguistic) data resolve old problems in grammatical analysis. A potentially controversial claim is put forward that data on an archaic way of life provide clues to the nature of proto grammar. The cases examined include (1) a study of the global relations between language and culture implied by code-switching, (2) a fine-grained analysis of a semantic network that defines a compound affix, (3) the use of native language definitions to define a cultural model of sequences of thinking, feeling, and acting, (4) the use of previously published ethnographies to discover correspondences of cultural models to classes in classifier systems, and (5) the culture of a species of archaic human known to us only through archaeology and paleontology and the possible influences of this culture on the structure of proto grammar.
Molecular regulation of blood clotting in tumor biology.

TF expression is a hallmark of cancer progression. The procoagulant functions of TF that lead to thrombin generation are critically important to support metastasis, in part through the generation of fibrin that assures prolonged arrest of tumor cells in target organs. In addition, the coagulation initiation complex, i.e. TF-VIIa-Xa, generates autocrine cell signaling though protease activated receptors. A cooperation of the TF cytoplasmic domain with protease signaling may explain the diverse contributions of TF to metastasis and angiogenesis.
Clarithromycin, lansoprazole, and metronidazole eradicated Helicobacter pylori infection in chronic renal insufficiency.

Source Citation Sheu BS, Huang JJ, Yang HB, Huang AH, Wu JJ. The selection of triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication in chronic renal insufficiency. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2003;17:1283...
Lower levels of maternal capital in early life predict offspring obesity in adulthood.

AbstractBackground: As of 2013, 65% of the world’s population lived in countries where overweight/obesity kills more people than being underweight. Evolutionary perspectives provide a holistic understanding of both how and why obesity develops and its long-term implications.Aim: To test whether the maternal capital hypothesis, an evolutionary perspective, is viable for explaining the development of obesity in adulthood.Subjects and methods: Restricted-use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health; n = 11 403) was analysed using logistic regressions. The sample included adolescents and their biological mothers.Results: The odds of obesity in adulthood increased by 22% for every standard deviation increase in lack of maternal capital (Exp (B) = 1.22, p < .001). That is, individuals whose mothers were young, of an ethnic minority and had short breastfeeding durations were more likely to be obese in adulthood, even after controlling for other factors in infancy, adolescence an...
States and events for S-level gradable adjectives

The event analysis is only rarely incorporated into degree-theoretic treatments of adjectival comparatives. I propose a neodavidsonian account of predications like " Ann was happy" that involves quantification over both states and events. This ‘double-eventuality’ analysis is motivated primarily by how stage-level gradable adjectives interact with temporal " for" -phrases in two classes of comparatives, which I differentiate as ‘low’ versus ‘high’ attachment of the comparative morpheme. Low attachment comparatives express canonical degree readings (" more available" ), while high attachment involve comparing numbers of occasions (" available more" ). I resolve these patterns by positing a stative core for adjectives, and the possibility of mapping properties of states to properties of events. Low attachment interpretations, then, involve comparison of states, and high involve comparison of (pluralities of) events. I show that the analysis extends to other cases where states and events can do work for adjectives outside of comparatives.
EVIDENCE FOR T SUPPRESSOR CELL FUNCTION IN A THYMUS INDEPENDENT MITOGENIC RESPONSE TO LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE

Publisher Summary This chapter describes T-cell regulation of a thymus independent response. The chapter describes a study in which the ability of spleen cells was restored by depletion of Thy-1 positive cells. Suppressor cells from primed mice were not able to suppress the response of normal mice after treatment with anti-Thy-1 + C′ but can suppress normally following treatment with normal mouse serum and complement. The suppressor cell appears to adhere to nylon wool. Thus, this suppressor appears to be a nylon-wool-adherent, Thy-1-positive cell. These suppressors have several properties distinct from other suppressors. They seem to be much shorter-lived, with kinetics of induction and duration that resemble B-cell tolerance.
Reducing the Diagnostic Heterogeneity of Schizoaffective Disorder.

Objective: Clinical outcome studies of schizoaffective disorder patients have yielded conflicting results. One reason is the heterogeneity of samples drawn from the schizoaffective disorder population. Here we studied schizoaffective disorder patients who showed marked functional impairment and continuous signs of illness for at least 6 months (i.e., DSM criteria B and C for schizophrenia). Methods: We assessed 176 chronic psychosis patients with a structured interview (SCID-IV-TR) and the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) schizoaffective disorder module. We diagnosed 114 patients with schizophrenia and 62 with schizoaffective disorder. The two groups were similar with regard to age, gender, and race. We tested for group differences in antecedent risk factors, clinical features, and functional outcome. Results: The schizoaffective disorder group differed from the schizophrenia group on two measures only: they showed higher rates of suicidality (more suicide attempts, p < 0.01; more hospitalizations to prevent suicide, p < 0.01) and higher anxiety disorder comorbidity (p < 0.01). Conclusions: When schizoaffective disorder patients meet DSM criteria B and C for schizophrenia, they resemble schizophrenia patients on several measures used to assess validity. The increased rate of anxiety disorder and suicidality warrants clinical attention. Our data suggest that a more explicit definition of schizoaffective disorder reduces heterogeneity and may increase validity.
Measuring Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality of Care: Discharge Self-Care Functional Status Quality Measure.

Abstract Objective To describe the calculation and psychometric properties of the discharge self-care functional status quality measure implemented in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Quality Reporting Program on October 1, 2016. Design Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patients from 38 IRFs that participated in the CMS Post-Acute Care Payment Reform Demonstration were included in this cohort study. Data came from the Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation Item Set, IRF–Patient Assessment Instrument, and Medicare claims. For each patient, we calculated an expected discharge self-care score, risk-adjusted for demographic and baseline clinical characteristics. The performance score of each IRF equaled the percentage of patient stays where the observed discharge self-care score met or exceeded the expected score. We assessed the measure's discriminatory ability across IRFs and reliability. Setting IRFs. Participants Medicare FFS patients aged ≥21 years (N=4769). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Facility-level discharge self-care quality measure performance score. Results A total of 4769 patient stays were included; 57% of stays were in women, and 12.1% were in patients aged Conclusions The discharge self-care quality measure showed strong discriminatory ability and reliability, representing an important initial step in evaluation of IRF self-care outcomes. A wide range in performance scores suggested a gap in quality of care across IRFs. Future work should include testing the measure with nationwide data from all IRFs.
Dose Sculpting Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy for Vertebral Body Sparing in Children With Neuroblastoma.

Purpose To assess the effect of dose sculpting intensity modulated radiation therapy on vertebral body growth in children with neuroblastoma. Methods and Materials From 2000 to 2011, 88 children with neuroblastoma underwent radiation at the authors' institution. Children with paravertebral tumors with at least 3 years of evaluable posttreatment imaging were included, and children who underwent spine reirradiation before follow-up were excluded. If vertebral bodies could not be spared, these “target” vertebral bodies were treated to at least 18 Gy. Thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies were assessed separately. Dose data for target, spared, and internal control vertebral bodies were extracted. Multivariate generalized estimating equation modeling was used to assess the effect of dose and other clinical factors on vertebral body growth. Results A total of 34 patients (20 boys, 14 girls) met study criteria. Median age at start of radiation was 4.3 years; all but 1 had prior high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue. Mean growth rates of target, spared, and control vertebral bodies (cm/body/y) were, respectively, 0.027, 0.032, and 0.044 in thoracic spine and 0.033, 0.055, and 0.083 in lumbar spine. On multivariate generalized estimating equation analysis, higher dose, older treatment age, male gender, and thoracic spine location were significantly associated with decreased vertebral body growth (P Conclusions Vertebral bodies spared by intensity modulated radiation therapy grew faster than target vertebrae. Regardless of intent to spare or target, multivariate analysis confirms that lower dose results in significantly increased growth rate. This technique should be investigated prospectively.
The Role of Metrics in Performance-Based Design

To evaluate the performance of buildings in use and to predict performance during design, it is necessary to identify what the appropriate measures of performance should be, when and how measures should be collected, and how results will be interpreted to determine success or failure.
The cesarean scar: An experimental study

I N THE earlier editions of Williams’ l’c.ctlmk the statement is made in discussing the phrase “once a cesarean always a cesarean, ” that this is based in part upon the belief Ihat the uterine incision heals by the formation of scar tissue, whence the term “~icat~rix,” and the newly formed connective tissue stretching and sometimes yielding when the uterus becomes distended. That such a belief is erroneous is shown in three ways. First, an inspection of the unopened uterus at the time of repeat,ed section usually shows no tracr of t,he former incision. If present, it appears as an almost invisible linear scar. Second, when the body of the uterus has been amputated, no scar is visible after hardening or at most a shallow vertical furrow is present upon the external and internal surfaces of the anterior wall, while between them no trace of the scar is apparent. Third, the most import,ant histologic examination at the site of the incision shows that the uterus, just as all other organs containing smooth muscle, heals by a regeneration of muscle fibers and not by scar tissue. Since it is well known that smooth muscle regenerates very slowly, and that in end-to-end intestinal anastomosis? the ends of the muscles are definitely separated by the intervening healing and are brought together eventually by the shrinking of the scar, Schwarz and Paddock felt this could also be demonstrat,ed in the uterus experimentally.
Hearing loss and tinnitus in survivors with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate for differences in demographic, clinical, and pain characteristics, as well as measures of sensation, balance, perceived stress, symptom burden, and quality of life (QOL) among survivors who received neurotoxic chemotherapy (CTX) and who reported only chemotherapy-induced neuropathy (CIN, n = 217), CIN and hearing loss (CIN/HL, n = 69), or CIN, hearing loss, and tinnitus (CIN/HL/TIN, n = 85). We hypothesized that as the number of neurotoxicities increased, survivors would have worse outcomes. Methods Survivors were recruited from throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Survivors completed self-report questionnaires for pain and other symptoms, stress and QOL. Objective measures were assessed at an in person visit. Results Compared to survivors with only CIN, survivors with all three neurotoxicities were less likely to be female and less likely to report child care responsibilities. In addition, survivors with all three neurtoxicities had higher worst pain scores, greater loss of protective sensation, and worse timed get up and go scores. These survivors reported higher state anxiety and depression and poorer QOL. For some outcomes (e.g., longer duration of CIN, self-reported balance problems), significantly worse outcomes were found for the survivors with CIN/HL and CIN/HL/TIN compared to those with only CIN. Conclusions Our findings suggest that compared to survivors with only CIN, survivors with CIN/HL/TIN are at increased risk for the most severe symptom burden, significant problems associated with sensory loss and changes in balance, as well as significant decrements in all aspects of QOL.
Changes of Seed Weight, Fatty Acid Composition, and Oil and Protein Contents from Different Peanut FAD2 Genotypes at Different Seed Developmental and Maturation Stages

The level of oleic acid in peanut seed is one of the most important factors in determining seed quality and is controlled by two pairs of homeologous genes (FAD2A and FAD2B). The genotypes of eight F8 breeding lines were determined as AABB, aaBB, AAbb, and aabb by real-time polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Fresh seeds were collected from five seed developmental stages and, after drying, were used for chemical analysis. Our results showed that (1) as seeds developed, seed weight, oil content, and oleic acid level significantly increased, whereas four other fatty acid levels decreased, but protein content and another four fatty acid levels did not significantly change, (2) FAD2A/FAD2B significantly affected fatty acid profiles but not oil and protein contents, and (3) the data were consistent across 2 years. The variability of seed quality traits revealed here will be useful for peanut breeders, farmers, processers, and consumers.
Consciousness as sensory quality and as implicit self-awareness

When a mental state is conscious – in the sense that there is something it is like for the subject to have it – it instantiates a certain property F in virtue of which it is a conscious state. It is customary to suppose that F is the property of having sensory quality. The paper argues that this supposition is false. The first part of the paper discusses reasons for thinking that unconscious mental states can have a sensory quality, for example in cases of absent-minded perception. If unconscious mental states can have a sensory quality, then sensory quality is an insufficient condition for consciousness. The second part of the paper argues that there are even better reasons to think that sensory quality is an unnecessary condition for consciousness. The idea is that mental states can be conscious even when they lack sensory quality, for example, in the case of certain conscious propositional attitudes. In the third part of the paper, an alternative to the rejected supposition, drawn from the phenomenological tradition, is offered: that consciousness is a matter of implicit self-awareness, rather than of sensory quality. According to this alternative, a mental state is conscious when, and only when, it involves implicit self-awareness.
Joseph II, Bavaria and France

It was one thing to have a policy, quite another to put it into effect. To be sure, for the nonce other questions supervened. Poland was to be partitioned and Bavaria would have to wait, although Maria Theresia was not so blinded by the attractions of Polish territory as not to inquire of Frederick whether Silesia might not be had instead. Only when the King proved adamant on this point did she console herself with Galicia. Still, the Bavarian plan was shelved for the moment, if not completely forgotten. It is true that in August 1772, in the midst of the division of Poland, Kaunitz sent a certain Count Dietrichstein to Frederick, who was then in Silesia, to explore the possibilities of a further Austro-Prussian accord and that in the course of these conversations Dietrichstein suggested that the Empire would gladly recognize the Prussian claims to Ansbach and Bayreuth if the Prussians would agree that on the death of the Elector of Bavaria the Bavarian allods were to return to Austria, but nothing came of these proposals.1 Indeed, it had become abundantly clear in the course of the complicated negotiations which led to the partition of Poland that before any further major steps were taken by the Empire the question of just who directed its foreign policy would have to be clarified.
Obesogenic Environments in Youth: Concepts and Methods from a Longitudinal National Sample

Abstract To effectively prevent and reduce childhood obesity through healthy community design, it is essential to understand which neighborhood environment features influence weight gain in various age groups. However, most neighborhood environment research is cross-sectional, focuses on adults, and is often carried out in small, nongeneralizable geographic areas. Thus, there is a great need for longitudinal neighborhood environment research in diverse populations across the life cycle. This paper describes (1) insights and challenges of longitudinal neighborhood environment research and (2) advancements and remaining gaps in measurement and study design that examine individuals and neighborhoods within the context of the broader community. Literature-based research and findings from the Obesity and Neighborhood Environment Database (ONEdata), a unique longitudinal GIS that is spatially and temporally linked to data in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N=20,745), provide examples of current limitations in this area of research. Findings suggest a need for longitudinal methodologic advancements to better control for dynamic sources of bias, investigate and capture appropriate temporal frameworks, and address complex residential location processes within families. Development of improved neighborhood environment measures that capture relevant geographic areas within complex communities and investigation of differences across urbanicity and sociodemographic composition are needed. Further longitudinal research is needed to identify, refine, and evaluate national and local policies to most effectively reduce childhood obesity.
Characterization of novel rotating scatter mask designs for gamma direction identification

Abstract The Rotating Scatter Mask system is a low cost, directional radiation detection system with a nearly 4 π field-of-view over a broad range of photon energies. However, the original mask design is limited by numerous similarities in the detector response directional modes. These similarities introduce potential misidentification errors when determining a source’s direction. Previous studies identified a better mask design, the Mace, which significantly reduced the similarities between the modes. In this work, a new design class was simulated and compared to the Mace mask design using the modal assurance criterion to assess the differentiability between directional modes. At the expense of a reduced field-of-view, 93% of a full 4 π steradians, these novel mask designs were shown to successfully decouple the angular components of the source’s direction, improving the average criterion value by up to 66%. The new designs also significantly improved the system’s detection efficiency, reducing the time to identify the source’s direction by up to 60%, while enabling a simplified, alternative algorithm for identifying the source direction. This alternative approach, called the geometric correlation method, further improved detection efficiency leading to a near-real time analysis for locating a source direction with the Rotating Scatter Mask.
Evaluating an Upper Respiratory Disease Panel on the Portable MinION Sequencer

The MinION was used to evaluate upper respiratory disease infections using both whole genome amplification (WGA), targeted sequencing, and was found to have tremendous potential for field use. The MinION nanopore sequencer was been released to community testers for evaluation using a variety of sequencing applications. The MinION was used to evaluate upper respiratory disease infections using both whole genome amplification and targeted sequencing, and was found to have tremendous potential for field use. In this study, we tested the ability of the MinION nanopore sequencer to accurately identify and differentiate clinical bacterial and viral samples via targeted sequencing and whole genome sequencing. The current nanopore technology has limitations with respect to error rate but has steadily improved with development of new flow cells and kits. Upper respiratory disease organisms were successfully identified and differentiated down to the strain level with 87-98% alignment to our reference genome database. The ability to differentiate strains by amplicon and whole genome sequencing on the MinION was accomplished despite the observed average per 100-base error rate averaged 1.2E-01. This study offers evidence of the utility of sequencing to identify and differentiate both viral and bacterial species present within clinical samples.