cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
O-030 Changes in Contrast Transit times on Digital Subtraction Angiography Post Pipeline Embolization Device Deployment

Introduction Pipeline Embolization Devices (PED) has been introduced as a new method to treat aneurysms that are otherwise difficult to treat surgically or with endovascular means. It is postulated that hemodynamic changes occur post deployment which affect the distal vascular bed. In this paper we evaluated changes in the contrast transit times on angiography post PED implementations. Methods Medical charts and digital subtraction angiographic (DSA) films for patients treated with PED were included. Only anterior circulations, un-ruptured aneurysms, located proximal to the internal carotid artery terminus were included. DSA images were analyzed using custom made software for the time-density relationship at baseline and compared to post PED implementation. All analysis was done over region of interest over the middle cerebral artery (M1 segment). Analysis included TT 10% – 100% (time needed for the contrast to change from 10% image intensity to 100), TT 100%–10% (time needed for the contrast to change from 100% image intensity to 10%), and TT 25% – 25% (time needed for the contrast to change from 25% image intensity-up slope to 25%-down slope of the curve). Results A total of 44 patients were included in this study. Analysis over the M1 segment showed a significant decrease in the TT 10%–100% (2.79 to 2.24 seconds, P 0.001) post PED. There was significant correlation (Pearson’s correlation) between the percentage change in TT 100% – 10% and the aneurysm size ( r = 0.34 , P = 0.02). There was a significant decrease in the TT 25%–25% (7.07 to 6.41 seconds, P = 0.016 ) post PED (Figure 1). Moreover, there was significant correlation between the absolute or percent changes in TT 25%–25% and the aneurysm size ( P = 0.05; rho = 0.54 and 0.049; rho = 0.29 respectively) (Figure 1). Conclusion Analysis shows that statistically significant hemodynamic changes do occur post PED deployment, as determined by differences in the contrast transit time post PED in the distal intracranial circulation. These hemodynamic changes might be more pronounced in large and giant aneurysms. The mechanism for this is not clear, yet hemodynamic changes affecting especially the vasculature distal of the PED might shed a light at the patho-physiology of the delayed parenchymal hemorrhage. Disclosures A. Alaraj: 2; C; Codman. A. Hussein: None. A. Linninger: None. F. Charbel: None. C. Hsu: None. F. Charbel: None. V. Aletich: 2; C; Codman.
Rhenium filament oxidation: Effect on TIMS performance and the roles of carburization and humidity.

This communication presents findings on the effect of rhenium filament oxidation on thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) analyses of plutonium. Additionally, the roles of atmospheric humidity and carburization on the oxidation characteristics (i.e. aging) of rhenium filaments were studied. Degassed and carburized filaments were aged for up to 79 days under dry and humid conditions, and the growth of oxo-rhenium crystallites was investigated intermittently by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to construct growth profiles. SEM images were analyzed to determine average crystallite size, number density, and percent surface coverage. Crystallite growth was found to be suppressed by both filament carburization and dry storage conditions (~13% relative humidity). Under humid conditions (75% relative humidity), crystallite growth progressed steadily over the investigatory period, reaching >2.3% surface coverage within 79 days of aging. Atomic ion production of Pu (Pu+) was suppressed by approximately 20% and the standard deviation of isotope ratio measurements was increased by 170% when filaments with 1% oxide surface coverage were used in sample loading. Measurement sensitivity and reproducibility are imperative for applications involving ultra-trace analysis of plutonium by TIMS. These findings offer validation for observations regarding the detrimental effect of excessive filament aging post-degassing, improve the understanding of conditions that impel the oxidation of rhenium filaments, and provide practical means to suppress the growth of oxides.
Mark Logan @ Visx, Inc

Since 1986, Visx had been guiding several procedures to treat corneal pathologies and refractive eye disorders through the multistage FDA approval process. The costs associated with submitting clinical trial information to the FDA were taking a toll. Problems increased dramatically in September 1994, when Visx's stock price fell 26% with the news that FDA approval was delayed because of compliance irregularities found at some clinical testing sites. And that same year, its revenues dropped by 19%. Getting FDA approval was extremely important to Visx, as it would have its foot in the door and be able to sell its excimer laser system in the United States. The persistent sentiment among the management team was that even though Visx had a technologically superior laser system, which consistently received top ranking from the world's leading ophthalmologists; Visx's competition was going to win the race to gain FDA approval by virtue of being relentlessly aggressive and street smart. Excerpt UVA-G-0620 Rev. Aug. 18, 2010 MARK LOGAN @ VISX, INC. On January 7, 1995, Mark B. Logan, the newly appointed chairman and CEO of Visx, Inc., sat in a brightly lit conference room at the Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz, California. The off-site strategy meeting Logan had scheduled a month before had started, and the mood among the attendees, most of whom were members of the company's senior management team, was grim. Visx, of Santa Clara, California, was one of two major players in the emerging laser vision-correction market in the United States; the other one was Summit Technology, Inc., of Waltham, Massachusetts. The two competitors developed and manufactured excimer laser systems for ophthalmic applications. Although their systems were being successfully used worldwide, Visx and Summit were awaiting U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to sell them in the critically important U.S. market. Since 1986, Visx had been guiding several procedures to treat corneal pathologies and refractive eye disorders through the multistage FDA approval process. The costs associated with submitting clinical trial information to the FDA were taking a toll on Visx, but the problems increased dramatically in September 1994, when Visx's stock price fell 26% with the news that FDA approval was delayed because of compliance irregularities found at some clinical testing sites. That same year, revenues dropped by 19% to $ 17,896,000, from $ 22,074,000 in 1993, and the company recorded a net loss of $ 6,264,000 or 60 cents per share. . . .
Establishing the overlap of IONP quantification with echo and echoless MR relaxation mapping.

Purpose Iron-oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have shown tremendous utility for enhancing image contrast and delivering targeted therapies. Quantification of IONPs has been demonstrated at low concentrations with gradient echo (GRE) and spin echo (SE), and at high concentrations with echoless sequences such as swept imaging with Fourier transform (SWIFT). This work examines the overlap of IONP quantification with GRE, SE, and SWIFT. Methods The limit of quantification of GRE, SE, inversion-recovery GRE, and SWIFT sequences was assessed using IONPs at a concentration range of 0.02 to 89.29 mM suspended in 1% agarose. Empirically derived limits of quantification were compared with International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry definitions. Both commercial and experimental IONPs were used. Results All three IONPs assessed demonstrated an overlap of concentration quantification with GRE, SE, and SWIFT sequences. The largest dynamic range observed was 0.004 to 35.7 mM with Feraheme. Conclusions The metrics established allow upper and lower quantitative limitations to be estimated given the relaxivity characteristics of the IONP and the concentration range of the material to be assessed. The methods outlined in this paper are applicable to any pulse sequence, IONP formulation, and field strength. Magn Reson Med, 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Effective Width of Insulated Sandwich Panels with Interior Flexible FRP Shear Connectors Considering Partial Degree of Composite Action

AbstractInsulated sandwich panels consist of two layers of wythe separated by a foam insulation. In recent years, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials have begun to be incorporated as shear con...
Some Augmentations of Bose-Chaudhuri Error Correcting Codes

Summary In this paper we investigate some of the properties of augmented Bose-Chaudhuri type parity check matrices. It is shown that some of the ensuing codes not only possess the property of correcting a predetermined number of independent errors, but also corrects certain bursts of errors that may occur in transmission of messages. Using the concept of a cycle it is shown how we may construct Bose-Chaudhuri type parity check matrices for which the number of message places is not of the form (2 m — 1)/ c, where c is an integer greater than or equal to unity.
Defining and Measuring Diagnostic Uncertainty in Medicine: A Systematic Review

Physicians routinely encounter diagnostic uncertainty in practice. Despite its impact on health care utilization, costs and error, measurement of diagnostic uncertainty is poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review to describe how diagnostic uncertainty is defined and measured in medical practice. We searched OVID Medline and PsycINFO databases from inception until May 2017 using a combination of keywords and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Additional search strategies included manual review of references identified in the primary search, use of a topic-specific database (AHRQ-PSNet) and expert input. We specifically focused on articles that (1) defined diagnostic uncertainty; (2) conceptualized diagnostic uncertainty in terms of its sources, complexity of its attributes or strategies for managing it; or (3) attempted to measure diagnostic uncertainty. We identified 123 articles for full review, none of which defined diagnostic uncertainty. Three attributes of diagnostic uncertainty were relevant for measurement: (1) it is a subjective perception experienced by the clinician; (2) it has the potential to impact diagnostic evaluation—for example, when inappropriately managed, it can lead to diagnostic delays; and (3) it is dynamic in nature, changing with time. Current methods for measuring diagnostic uncertainty in medical practice include: (1) asking clinicians about their perception of uncertainty (surveys and qualitative interviews), (2) evaluating the patient–clinician encounter (such as by reviews of medical records, transcripts of patient–clinician communication and observation), and (3) experimental techniques (patient vignette studies). The term “diagnostic uncertainty” lacks a clear definition, and there is no comprehensive framework for its measurement in medical practice. Based on review findings, we propose that diagnostic uncertainty be defined as a “subjective perception of an inability to provide an accurate explanation of the patient’s health problem.” Methodological advancements in measuring diagnostic uncertainty can improve our understanding of diagnostic decision-making and inform interventions to reduce diagnostic errors and overuse of health care resources.
Ionic liquids-mediated interactions between nanorods

Surface forces mediated by room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) play an essential role in diverse applications including self-assembly, lubrication, and electrochemical energy storage. Therefore, their fundamental understanding is critical. Using molecular simulations, we study the interactions between two nanorods immersed in model RTILs at rod-rod separations where both structural and double layer forces are important. The interaction force between neutral rods oscillates as the two rods approach each other, similar to the classical structural forces. Such oscillatory force originates from the density oscillation of RTILs near each rod and is affected by the packing constraints imposed by the neighboring rods. The oscillation period and decay length of the oscillatory force are mainly dictated by the ion density distribution near isolated nanorods. When charges are introduced on the rods, the interaction force remains short-range and oscillatory, similar to the interactions between planar walls mediated by some protic RTILs reported earlier. Nevertheless, introducing net charges to the rods greatly changes the rod-rod interactions, e.g., by delaying the appearance of the first force trough and increasing the oscillation period and decay length of the interaction force. The oscillation period and decay length of the oscillatory force and free energy are commensurate with those of the space charge density near an isolated, charged rod. The free energy of rod-rod interactions reaches local minima (maxima) at rod-rod separations when the space charges near the two rods interfere constructively (destructively). The insight on the short-range interactions between nanorods in RTILs helps guide the design of novel materials, e.g., ionic composites based on rigid-rod polyanions and RTILs.
Enhanced aerobic exercise performance in women by a combination of three mineral Chelates plus two conditionally essential nutrients

Certain essential and conditionally essential nutrients (CENs) perform functions involved in aerobic exercise performance. However, increased intake of such nutrient combinations has not actually been shown to improve such performance. For 1 mo, aerobically fit, young adult women took either a combination of 3 mineral glycinate complexes (daily dose: 36 mg iron, 15 mg zinc, and 2 mg copper) + 2 CENs (daily dose: 2 g carnitine and 400 mg phosphatidylserine), or the same combination with generic mineral complexes, or placebo (n = 14/group). In Trial 1, before and after 1 mo, subjects were tested for 3 mile run time (primary outcome), followed by distance covered in 25 min on a stationary bike (secondary outcome), followed by a 90 s step test (secondary outcome). To test reproducibility of the run results, and to examine a lower dose of carnitine, a second trial was done. New subjects took either mineral glycinates + CENs (1 g carnitine) or placebo (n = 17/group); subjects were tested for pre- and post-treatment 3 mile run time (primary outcome). In Trial 1, the mineral glycinates + CENs decreased 3 mile run time (25.6 ± 2.4 vs 26.5 ± 2.3 min, p < 0.05, paired t-test) increased stationary bike distance after 25 min (6.5 ± 0.6 vs 6.0 ± 0.8 miles, p < 0.05, paired t-test), and increased steps in the step test (43.8 ± 4.8 vs 40.3 ± 6.4 steps, p < 0.05, paired t-test). The placebo significantly affected only the biking distance, but it was less than for the glycinates-CENs treatment (0.2 ± 0.4. vs 0.5 ± 0.1 miles, p < 0.05, ANOVA + Tukey). The generic minerals + CENs only significantly affected the step test (44.1 ± 5.2 vs 41.0 ± 5.9 steps, p < 0.05, paired t-test) In Trial 2, 3 mile run time was decreased for the mineral glycinates + CENs (23.9 ± 3.1 vs 24.7 ± 2.5, p < 0.005, paired t-test), but not by the placebo. All changes for Test Formula II or III were high compared to placebo (1.9 to 4.9, Cohen’s D), and high for Test Formula II vs I for running and biking (3.2 & 3.5, Cohen’s D). In summary, a combination of certain mineral complexes plus two CENs improved aerobic exercise performance in fit young adult women.
Contextual computer support for human activity

The modern knowledge worker has become very adept at working with desktop computers through familiar user interface devices such as keyboards, mice and screens. This interaction has relied on humans adapting to the context of the computer by going to the computer, sitting down and typing. This paradigm has been sufficient to assist people in an enormous number of tasks, but at the same time has limited the breadth of tasks in which a computer can assist. For general–purpose computers to extend their assistance further, it is necessary for them to adapt to the human context. Laptops and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are the first wave of this adaptation in that they partially adapt to a user’s location context. While miniaturization and mobilization have enabled this adaptation and provided new functionality, these devices generally remain blind to the world around them. As a result they have become intrusive in our daily lives as cell-phones ring in movie theaters, laptops interrupt presentations with instant messages, and PDAs rattle and beep for our attention in meetings. However, the goal of having computers fully aware of their user’s context is difficult and broad. Intel Research Seattle (IRS) (Intel Research Seattle 2003) and the Assisted Cognition project (Kautz et al. 2002b; 2002a) at the University of Washington in Seattle are developing a system entitled Guide to learn a small component of context by probabilistically inferring human activity. There are three research hypotheses that drive Guide’s development:
Self-healing epoxy coatings with enhanced properties and facile processability

Abstract Self-healing coatings are endowed with the ability of self-repair upon damage, thus enhancing their life-time. However, limited by the complex chemistry and composition design, the reported self-healing coatings have processing difficulties and undesired low mechanical properties. This work presents a self-healing epoxy coating system obtained by simply blending a commercial epoxy with a series of different molecular weight thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) prepolymers. These systems display phase separated morphology induced through polymerization. They show extended shelf-life in comparison with the reported epoxy-polycaprolactone (PCL) self-healing system and comparable processing window with the commercial epoxy coatings. These coatings show remarkable transparency and mechanical properties by comparison with the epoxy-PCL system and fast healing performance with crack closure upon heating at 80 °C in 10 min. Moreover, the resultant closed crack undergoing the electrochemical corrosion test exhibits effective barrier behavior.
Seafloor Scattering Experiments

This chapter will review published data on high-frequency scattering by the seafloor, pointing out regularities (and lack of regularity as well) in the data without attempting physical explanations. Discussion of physical mechanisms will be reserved for Chs. 13 and 14, where data and scattering models are compared. Attention will be restricted to measurements of scattering strength (defined in Sect. 2.3.2). Reviews of seafloor sound scattering can be found in [Bunchuk and Zhitkovskii 1980, McCammon 1993, Chotiros 2002a].
Neural crest cells regulate optic cup morphogenesis by promoting extracellular matrix assembly

The interactions between an organ and its surrounding environment are critical in regulating its development. In vertebrates, neural crest and mesodermal mesenchymal cells have been observed close to the eye during development, and mutations affecting this periocular mesenchyme can cause defects in early eye development, yet the underlying mechanism has been unknown. Here, using timelapse microscopy and four-dimensional cell tracking in zebrafish, we establish that genetic loss of neural crest impairs cell movements within the optic vesicle. At the ultrastructural level, neural crest cells are required for basement membrane formation specifically around the retinal pigment epithelium. Neural crest cells express the extracellular matrix crosslinking protein nidogen and, strikingly, ectopically expressing nidogen in the absence of neural crest partially restores optic cup morphogenesis. These results demonstrate that the neural crest is required for local establishment of ocular extracellular matrix superstructure, which in turn drives optic cup morphogenesis.
The intelligent Computer Aided Satellite Designer iCASD - Creating viable configurations for modular satellites

The introduction of modular satellite systems rep- resents an attractive goal pursued by several aerospace agencies as well as scientific institutions worldwide. Advantages in robustness, long-term use and production are only few examples that speak for modularity. The downside to modularity is the still prevailing complexity of designing satellites and their building blocks. The intelligent Computer Aided Satellite Designer (iCASD) was developed initially to speed up this design process. The tedious work of fitting, placing and integrating multiple components is especially time consuming since every building block comes with often competing restrictions. The presented tool uses the modularity of satellite components, and turns the design process into an abstracted problem capable to be solved by methods such as the proposed genetic algorithm. In this paper, we will present the underlying processes, how building blocks and corresponding rules are modelled and how a optimal configuration is calculated with this comprehensive tool.
Sensing Mitochondrial Acetyl-CoA to Tune Respiration.

Fatty acid synthesis (FAS) in mitochondria produces a key metabolite called lipoic acid. However, a new study by Van Vranken et al. [1] (Mol. Cell 2018;71:567–580) shows that mitochondrial FAS regulates the assembly of oxidative phosphorylation complexes, thereby functioning as a nutrient sensor for mitochondrial respiration.
Attentional Control Explains Covariation Between Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Anxiety During Adolescence.

Symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety are common during adolescence and frequently co-occur. However, the genetic and environmental influences that underlie this co-occurrence are understudied. Using a large twin sample (N = 1,017), we examined cross-sectional genetic and environmental influences on ADHD and anxiety symptoms during childhood. We also explored whether these influences were shared with attentional control, a putative mechanism for symptom comorbidity. We found evidence for common genetic and nonshared environmental influences on the covariation among attentional control, ADHD, and anxiety symptoms, supporting the putative role of attentional control as a mechanism by which comorbid problems may develop. Genetic factors also accounted for symptom co-occurrence after controlling for covariation with attentional control, suggesting the presence of additional unmeasured mechanisms.
Design of an Intelligent and Immersive System to Facilitate the Social Interaction Between Caregivers and Young Children with Autism

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have core deficits in social interaction skills. Intelligent technological systems have been developed to help children with ASD develop their social interaction skills, like response to name (RTN), response to joint attention (RJA), initiation of joint attention (IJA) and imitation skills. Most existing systems entail human-computer interaction (HCI) or human-robot interaction (HRI), in which participants interact with the systems to elicit certain social behaviors or practice certain social skills. However, because the robot/computer being the only therapeutic factor in HRI/HCI systems, this may result in the isolation effect. Therefore, in this work, an intelligent and immersive computer system is proposed for caregivers and their young children with ASD to interact with each other and help develop social skills (RTN and IJA). In this computer assisted HHI setting, caregivers deliver social cues to participants (young children with ASD) and give a decision-making signal to the system. The system also provides different non-social cues, to help caregivers to elicit and reinforce the social behaviors of participants. By including a caregiver in the loop, we hope to ameliorate the isolation effect by creating a more real-world HHI scenario. In this paper, we will show the feasibility of the proposed system and validate its potential effectiveness by both subjective measurements and objective measurements.
Clitoral development in the mouse and human

The goal of this report is (a) to provide the first detailed description of mouse clitoral development, and (b) to compare mouse and human clitoral development. For this purpose, external genitalia of female mice were examined by wholemount microscopy, histology and immunohistochemistry from 14 days of gestation to 10 days postnatal. Human clitoral development was examined by these techniques as well as by scanning electron microscopy and optical projection tomography from 8 to 19 weeks of gestation. The adult mouse clitoris is an internal organ defined by a U-shaped clitoral lamina whose development is associated with the prenatal medial and distal growth of the female preputial swellings along the sides of the genital tubercle to form the circumferential preputial lamina. Regression of the ventral aspect of the preputial lamina leads to formation of the U-shaped clitoral lamina recognized as early as 17 days of gestation. While the adult U-shaped mouse clitoral lamina is closely associated with the vagina, and it appears to be completely non-responsive to estrogen as opposed to the highly estrogen-responsive vaginal epithelium. The prominent perineal appendage in adult females is prepuce, formed via fusion of the embryonic preputial swellings and is not the clitoris. The human clitoris is in many respects a smaller anatomic version of the human penis having all of the external and internal elements except the urethra. The human clitoris (like the human penis) is derived from the genital tubercle with the clitoral glans projecting into the vaginal vestibule. Adult morphology and developmental processes are virtually non-comparable in the mouse and human clitoris.
Characteristics of Dispensary Patients that Limit Alcohol after Initiating Cannabis

Many patients have reported that they decrease their use of opioids after starting medical cannabis (MC) but less is known for alcohol. The objective of this exploratory study was to identify any f...
Do corporate insiders use stock buybacks for personal gain

This paper investigates the hypothesis of whether corporate insiders sell their own personal shareholdings more frequently when they are executing stock buybacks using corporate funds. I examine tr...
Polarization sensing in digital holographic microscopy

Digital holographic microscopy is well suited to the search for microbial species due in part to its intrinsic stability, volumetric imaging capability, and sensitivity to very dilute samples. This is all done with a system having no moving parts, making it additionally attractive for flight instrumentation. Our devices have been field tested on several occasions, and have demonstrated robustness to extreme conditions. When bacteria are alive and moving, they are easy to detect. However, some measurements are subtler. Can we distinguish between a live yet nonmotile species and a mineral, for instance? To provide another method of discrimination, we have added the ability to measure object polarization. This will allow us to characterize the sample by polarization state without any sacrifice in the spatial or temporal resolution (<1um at 15 Hz). This snapshot polarization sensing is a new method for characterizing the sample under test. In this paper, we will describe the instrument design, the laboratory tests, and demonstrate its performance with live bacteria and crystalline samples.
A data-driven approach to calibrate microsimulation models based on the degree of saturation at signalized intersections

Abstract Microscopic traffic simulation is considered as a reliable tool in transportation planning and management. Rational solutions from such simulations are contingent upon how well the simulation software is calibrated and validated to replicate real-world road network scenarios. Most of the existing calibration and validation efforts are normally based on the comparative analysis between the built-in attributes of VISSIM and the real-world scenarios using measures of effectiveness (MOEs). VISSIM attributes such as the volume-to-capacity ratios, vehicle delay, and queue lengths, are normally used during the validation process of signalized intersections. However, validating VISSIM based on a non-inbuilt attribute is yet to be explored. This paper proposes a step-by-step procedure for calibrating signalized intersections in VISSIM based on a measurable variable, which is the degree of saturation. The approach was applied to a case study of four signalized intersections in Miami, Florida. The methodology utilized real-world vehicle trajectory data to determine the optimal values of VISSIM car-following parameters required for calibration. Statistical results revealed that both the saturation headways obtained from VISSIM and the saturation headways observed in the field follow the same distribution. The results signify that VISSIM could be calibrated using a non-inbuilt attribute, and moreover generates accurate data compared to the field measurements.
Improving Cervical Precancer Surveillance: Validity of Claims-Based Prediction Models in ICD-9 and ICD-10 Eras

Background Human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) impact on cervical precancer (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2+ [CIN2+]) is observable sooner than impact on cancer. Biopsy-confirmed CIN2+ is not included in most US cancer registries. Billing codes could provide surrogate metrics; however, the International Classification of Diseases, ninth (ICD-9) to tenth (ICD-10) transition disrupts trends. We built, validated, and compared claims-based models to identify CIN2+ events in both ICD eras. Methods A database of Davidson County (Nashville), Tennessee, pathology-confirmed CIN2+ from the HPV Vaccine Impact Monitoring Project (HPV-IMPACT) provided gold standard events. Using Tennessee Medicaid 2008-2017, cervical diagnostic procedures (N = 8549) among Davidson County women aged 18-39 years were randomly split into 60% training and 40% testing sets. Relevant diagnosis, procedure, and screening codes were used to build models from CIN2+ tissue diagnosis codes alone, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and random forest. Model-classified index events were counted to estimate incident events. Results HPV-IMPACT identified 983 incident CIN2+ events. Models identified 1007 (LASSO), 1245 (CIN2+ tissue diagnosis codes alone), and 957 (random forest) incident events. LASSO performed well in ICD-9 and ICD-10 eras: 77.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 72.5% to 81.5%) vs 81.1% (95% CI = 71.5% to 88.6%) sensitivity, 93.0% (95% CI = 91.9% to 94.0%) vs 90.2% (95% CI = 87.2% to 92.7%) specificity, 61.3% (95% CI = 56.6% to 65.8%) vs 60.3% (95% CI = 51.0% to 69.1%) positive predictive value, 96.6% (95% CI = 95.8% to 97.3%) vs 96.3% (95% CI = 94.1% to 97.8%) negative predictive value, 91.0% (95% CI = 89.9% to 92.1%) vs 88.8% (95% CI = 85.9% to 91.2%) accuracy, and 85.1% (95% CI = 82.9% to 87.4%) vs 85.6% (95% CI = 81.4% to 89.9%) C-indices, respectively; performance did not statistically significantly differ between eras (95% confidence intervals all overlapped). Conclusions Results confirmed model utility with good performance across both ICD eras for CIN2+ surveillance. Validated claims-based models may be used in future CIN2+ trend analyses to estimate HPV vaccine impact where population-based biopsies are unavailable.
Lactation and breast cancer risk.

Breast cancer is a common disease with few practical preventive measures. The recent evidence that lactation, like other reproductive experiences, is associated with a modest reduction in breast cancer risk is therefore of great interest. Overall, the reduction in risk appears to be about 20% for ever breast feeding and is even greater for women with histories of prolonged lactation, or who initiate breast feeding at young ages. In many studies this risk reduction seems to be limited to premenopausal women. It appears unlikely that this inverse association is attributable either to higher risk among women who use lactation suppressants or who have difficulty either starting or continuing breast feeding. While a strong or consistent protective effect of lactation on breast cancer risk has not been observed in some large and well conducted studies, this likely reflects the limited breast feeding practices among modern women. If early, exclusive and extended breast feeding is necessary to achieve a breast cancer risk reduction, future studies among U.S. women may be unable to clarify this association.
Neurotrophic Effects and Mechanism of Insulin, Insulin-Like Growth Factors, and Nerve Growth Factor in Spinal Cord and Peripheral Neurons

Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are members of a gene family (Blundell and Humbel, 1980; Jansen et al., 1983; Dull et al., 1984; Bell et al., 1985; Soares et al., 1985). Their sites of synthesis, tissue distribution, and effects including those on feeding behavior, electrical activity, neuromodulation, and metabolism, and other data, lend strong support to the conviction that insulin homologs have important functions on the nervous system (reviewed in Recio-Pinto and Ishii, 1988a). Their neurotrophic properties, which were initially observed in cultured cells originating from the peripheral nervous system, support the hypothesis that these factors play roles in the development and maintenance of the circuitry and function of the nervous system (Recio-Pinto and Ishii, 1984; Recio-Pinto et al., 1986). Additional support for this hypothesis is obtained from studies which now show the effects of these factors on cells from the central nervous system, and the novel observation that the IGF-II gene is expressed in muscle during development and denervation in a manner correlated with synaptogenesis.
Levels of Review

No trauma center can examine every possible event completely. Events and metrics must be triaged for a program to be effective. In this chapter, we discuss the different levels of PI review, from review by the trauma program manager all the way to a hospital credentials committee. The first level is local review by the patient care unit where an incident occurred. Next is review by the trauma program manager or PI coordinator, and beyond that is review by the trauma medical director. Issues that are significant are then evaluated by the multidisciplinary PI group. The next level would be involvement of the hospital quality program and then the rare case where external review would be necessary. For some types of the issues (such as issues that cross patient care units or that involve major hospital departments), it is necessary to bring in people who work in those areas to provide frontline information and analysis.
Proof of Concept Example for Use of Simulation to Allow Data Pooling Despite Privacy Restrictions.

BACKGROUND Integrating results from multiple samples is often desirable, but privacy restrictions may preclude full data pooling, and most datasets do not include fully harmonized variable sets. We propose a simulation-based method leveraging partial information across datasets to guide creation of synthetic data based on explicit assumptions about the underlying causal structure that permits pooled analyses that adjust for all desired confounders in the context of privacy restrictions. METHODS This proof-of-concept project uses data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. We specified an estimand of interest and a directed acyclic graph (DAG) summarizing the presumed causal structure for the effect of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) on cognitive change. We derived publicly reportable statistics to describe the joint distribution of each variable in our DAG. These summary estimates were used as data-generating rules to create synthetic datasets. After pooling, we imputed missing covariates in the synthetic datasets and used the synthetic data to estimate the pooled effect of HbA1c on cognitive change, adjusting for all desired covariates. RESULTS Distributions of covariates and model coefficients and associated standard errors for our model estimating the effect of HbA1c on cognitive change were similar across cohort-specific original and preimputation synthetic data. The estimate from the pooled synthetic incorporates control for confounders measured in either original dataset. DISCUSSION Our approach has advantages over meta-analysis or individual-level pooling/data harmonization when privacy concerns preclude data sharing and key confounders are not uniformly measured across datasets.
Disconnection in the Alexandroff duplicate

It was demonstrated in [2] that the Alexandroff duplicate of the Cech-Stone compactification of the naturals is not extremally disconnected. The question was raised as to whether the Alexandroff duplicate of a non-discrete extremally disconnected space can ever be extremally disconnected. We answer this question in the affirmative; an example of van Douwen is significant. In a slightly different direction we also characterize when the Alexandroff duplicate of a space is a P-space as well as when it is an almost P-space.
Overview of Microcirculatory Oxygen Measurements and their Contribution to Our Understanding of Oxygen Delivery to Tissue

It is well recognized that advances in science are highly dependent upon advances in instrumentation. Many examples could be given but for present purposes we can focus on the impact of new methodology on our understanding of the delivery of oxygen to tissue. On a moment-by-moment basis the most important function of the circulatory system is oxygen delivery to the tissues.
Towards Real-Time Stream Quality Prediction: Predicting Video Stream Quality from Partial Stream Information

While mechanisms exist to evaluate the user-perceived quality of video streamed over computer networks, there are few good mechanisms to do so in real time. In this paper, we evaluate the feasibility of predicting the stream quality of partial portions of a video stream based on either complete or incomplete information from previously rated streams. Using stream state information collected from an instrumented media player application and subjective stream quality ratings similar to the Mean Opinion Score, we determine whether a stream quality prediction algorithm utilizing dynamic time warping as a distance measure can rate partial streams with an accuracy on par with that achieved by the same predictor when rating full streams. We find that such a predictor can achieve comparable, and in some cases markedly better, accuracy over a wide range of possible partial stream portions, and that we can achieve this using portions of as little as ten seconds.
Inversion of solar aureole measurements for determining aerosol characteristics

Solar aureole radiance is very sensitively dependent on the aerosol size distributions. The photographic solar aureole isophote (PSAI) measurement technique for determining the aerosol size distribution and other characteristics takes advantage of this sensitivity. Single scattering theory of the solar aureole is given. The assumptions and conditions imposed on the single scattering theory to make it tractable to inversion are discussed. The important role of the almucantar measurements is also discussed.
Identifying and classifying complex interstate wars

This article takes a closer look at multiparty wars in the modern state system. Because wars are different, a classification system of interstate wars is useful for theoretical concerns and empirical testing. We label multiparty wars “complex” because we believe that the processes that bring them about are much more complicated and difficult to understand than dyadic wars. Complex wars are identified and classified on the basis of their size, the issue that gives rise to them, and whether they are preceded by certain behavioral processes. To see if the classification is empirically useful, a set of empirical expectations on which wars should differ is derived and employed to conduct a series of tests. It is found that dyadic wars are associated with different patterns from complex wars, and that within the set of complex wars, the larger wars differ from the smaller ones on several dimensions. It is also found that larger wars and wars over certain issues are likely to be preceded by different behavioral processes, especially in terms of the use of power politics practices. The classification breaks down each complex war into its component dyadic participants on a number of variables so that one can compare originating dyads with each joiner dyad to show how wars differ according to type.
Ethnicity, Economic Conditions, and Opposition Support: Evidence from Ethiopia's 2005 Elections

What do the 2005 parliamentary elections reveal about the nature of opposition support in Ethiopia? Although the final election results have been disputed by the major parties, these results do suggest that the race between ruling party and opposition party candidates was highly competitive in most electoral districts. However, there is no clear consensus among students of Ethiopian politics to explain the evident variation in opposition support across the country and especially across its largest regions. Some stress the role of ethnicity in determining support for the various opposition coalitions, while others point to such factors as nationalism and neopatrimonialism. The puzzle of opposition support in Ethiopia can be generalized to the rest of Africa, where ruling parties manage to win reelection by relying on a set of familiar strategies—distributing patronage, exploiting ethnic cleavages, and employing violence (van de Walle 2003; Adejumobi 2000; Diamond and Plattner 1999). While ruling parties’ deliberate manipulation of the electoral arena is well established in the Africanist literature (Takougang 2003; Makumbe 2002; Crook 1997), we still lack a clear conception of the factors that enable opposition parties to build popular support in countries where democracy has yet to be consolidated. We have no adequate explanation for why voters in some electoral districts are more willing to take a risk in opting for an opposition
Changes in angiotensin II receptors in dopamine-rich regions of the mouse brain with age and ethanol consumption.

Abstract The density of angiotensin II (Ang II) receptors was determined in three dopaminergic nerve terminal-rich brain regions (caudate putamen, nucleus accumbens, and ventral pallidum) of mice that were given either water (control) or 20% w/v ethanol (EtOH) to drink for either 2–8 weeks (young) or 46 weeks (old). The receptors were labeled with 125 I -sarcosine1, isoleucine8 angiotensin II ( 125 I -SI Ang II) and measured by quantitative densitometric image analysis (receptor autoradiography) or by saturation binding assays on homogenates of these brain regions. The selective AT2 receptor subtype antagonist PD 123319 (10 μM) was used to inhibit 125 I -SI Ang II binding to AT2 receptors to determine AT1 receptor density in brain sections. In young control mice the density of Ang II receptor binding sites in the caudate putamen was 407±26 fmol/g, in the nucleus accumbens the density was 346±27 fmol/g, and in the ventral pallidum the density was 317±27 fmol/g. Less than 5% of specific 125 I -SI Ang II binding was displaced by PD 123319, suggesting that nearly all of the Ang II receptors in these brain regions were the AT1 subtype. The Bmax in homogenates of these three regions in young control mice was 11.0±2.1 fmol/mg protein. The KD was 0.49±0.13. Ang II receptors in old mouse brains were decreased, respectively, by 32%, 35% and 30% in the caudate putamen, nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum (p
The Fourth Wave of Democracy and Dictatorship: Noncooperative Transitions in the Postcommunist World

The transition from communism in Europe and the former Soviet Union has only sometimes produced a transition to democracy. Since the crumbling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, most of the twenty-eight new states have abandoned communism, but only nine of these have entered the ranks of liberal democracies. The remaining majority of new postcommunist states are various shades of dictatorships or unconsolidated “transitional regimes.” This article seeks to explain why some states abandoned communism for democracy while others turned to authoritarian rule. In endorsing actorcentric approaches that have dominated analyses of the third wave of democratization, this argument nonetheless offers an alternative set of causal paths from ancien regime to new regime that can account for both democracy and dictatorship as outcomes. Situations of unequal distributions of power produced the quickest and most stable transitions from communist rule. In countries with asymmetrical balances of power, the regime to emerge depends almost entirely on the ideological orientation of the most powerful. In countries where democrats enjoyed a decisive power advantage, democracy emerged. Conversely, in countries in which dictators maintained a decisive power advantage, dictatorship emerged. In between these two extremes were countries in which the distribution of power between the old regime and its challengers was relatively equal. Rather than producing stalemate, compromise, and parted transitions to democracy, however, such situations in the postcommunist world resulted in protracted confrontation between relatively balanced powers. The regimes that emerged from these modes of transitions are not the most successful democracies but rather are unconsolidated, unstable, partial democracies.
Habib Laparoscopic Bipolar Radiofrequency Device: A Novel Way of Creating an Avascular Resection Margin in Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy

Abstract Introduction: Hemostasis during the laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) is a challenge. Usually, the renal hilum is clamped to minimize blood loss. However, prolonged ischemia leads to ...
Time-dependent kinetics. V: Time course of drug levels during enzyme induction (one-compartment model)

Equations were derived to describe the time course of drug levels during auto- and heteroinduction under a variety of input conditions. These equations were based on a pharmacokinetic theory of induction which assumes that metabolic clearance increases exponentially to a maximum value and that the rate of this increase is governed by the degradation rate constant of the induced enzyme (k'). Closed form solutions could be obtained only for intravenous single-dose (case I) and multiple-dose (case IV) administration. For each of the other cases, constant-rate intravenous infusion (case III), oral single-dose administration (case II), and multiple-dose administration (case V), an exact solution (not closed form) and an approximation (closed form) were derived. Two sets of equations were derived for each of the five cases to take into consideration the possibility of a latency term (lambda). Plots of drug amount X (or concentration C) vs. time (t) were constructed. In case I, a log X vs. t plot was convex, the slope increasing with time. In case II, X increased, reached a peak, and decayed as in case I. In case III (lambda greater than 5 ln 2V/Q) C reached a preinduction steady state before decreasing to a lower (induced) steady state. The behavior of C vs. t for cases IV and V was similar to that for case III. Determination of parameters was attempted in case III. Nonlinear least-square fitting of generated data with 3-9% error yielded reasonable estimates of k'.