cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating control schemes for the third arm of an avatar

Recent research on immersive virtual environments has shown that users can not only inhabit and identify with novel avatars with novel body extensions, but also learn to control novel appendages in ways beneficial to the task at hand. But how different control schemas might affect task performance and body ownership with novel avatar appendages has yet to be explored. In this article, we discuss the design of control schemas based on the theory and practice of 3D interactions applied to novel avatar bodies. Using a within-subjects design, we compare the effects of controlling a third arm with three different control schemas bimanual, unimanual, and head-control on task performance, simulator sickness, presence, and user preference. Both the unimanual and the head-control were significantly faster, elicited significantly higher body ownership, and were preferred over the bimanual control schema. Participants felt that the bimanual control was significantly more difficult than the unimanual control, and elicited less appendage agency than the head-control. There were no differences in reported simulator sickness. We discuss the implications of these results for interface design.
An Insurance Market Simulation With Both Adverse and Advantageous Selection: An Insurance Market Simulation

The theory of adverse selection predicts that high‐risk individuals are more likely to buy insurance than low‐risk individuals if asymmetric information regarding individuals’ risk type is present in the market. The theory of advantageous selection predicts the opposite—a negative relationship between insurance coverage and risk type can be obtained when hidden knowledge in other dimensions (e.g., the degree of risk aversion) is present in addition to the risk type. Using the heterogeneity of insurance buyers in either risk type or risk aversion, we first introduce a classroom‐based insurance market simulation game to show that adverse selection and advantageous selection can coexist. We then explain the underlying concepts using two methods: a mathematical framework based on expected utility theory and an empirical framework based on the results of the game itself. The game is easy to implement, reinforces textbook concepts by providing students a hands‐on experience, and supplements current textbooks by bringing their content up to date with current research.
SIMILARITY ANALYSIS OF MAMMALIAN HEMODYNAMICS

Similarity criteria in mammalian hemodynamics are established, via the use of allometric equations, Pi-theorem and dimensional analysis. They unveil the design features of the structure and functions of the cardiovascular system.
Variability in opioid prescribing for children undergoing ambulatory surgery in the United States

Abstract Study objective We attempted to describe the opioid prescribing patterns for ambulatory pediatric surgery in the United States from 2007 to 2014. Design Retrospective database review. Setting Operating room ambulatory encounters as determined by the Truven Health Marketscan Commercial Claims and Encounters database. Patients A total of 929,874 ambulatory surgical encounters were identified in patients Interventions N/A Measurements The analgesic prescription was described in terms of the type of opioid along with the inclusion of acetaminophen and/or NSAIDs. Main results The probability of receiving a post-operative analgesic prescription increased with age, ranging from 18.2% of infants to 71.7% of teens. Acetaminophen with codeine (APAP/C) was the most common drug for infants (63.8%), while acetaminophen with hydrocodone (APAP/H) was the most common analgesic prescription for teens (53.6%). APAP/C and APAP/H were the predominant drugs used for all procedure types. Conclusions Substantial variability in analgesic prescribing at the level of the procedure performed, both in terms of the probability of receiving a prescription and in which drugs were prescribed. We observed significant age and procedure-based variability in opioid prescribing following pediatric ambulatory surgery.
Healthy lifestyle impact on breast cancer-specific and all-cause mortality.

While several studies have evaluated the association of combined lifestyle factors on breast cancer-specific mortality, few have included Hispanic women. We constructed a “healthy behavior index” (HBI) and evaluated its associations with mortality in non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Hispanic women diagnosed with breast cancer from the southwestern U.S. Diet and lifestyle questionnaires were analyzed for 837 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer (1999–2004) in New Mexico as part of the 4-Corners Women’s Health Study. An HBI score ranging from 0 to 12 was based on dietary pattern, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and body size and shape, with increasing scores representing less healthy characteristics. Hazard ratios for mortality over 14 years of follow-up were estimated for HBI quartiles using Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for education and stratified by ethnicity and stage at diagnosis. A significant increasing trend was observed across HBI quartiles among all women, NHW women, and those diagnosed with localized or regional/distant stage of disease for all-cause (AC) mortality (p-trend = 0.006, 0.002, 0.03, respectively). AC mortality was increased >2-fold for all women and NHW women in HBI Q4 versus Q1 (HR = 2.18, 2.65, respectively). The association was stronger in women with regional/distant than localized stage of disease (HR = 2.62, 1.94, respectively). Associations for Hispanics or breast cancer-specific mortality were not significant. These findings indicate the associations between the HBI and AC mortality, which appear to differ by ethnicity and stage at diagnosis. Interventions for breast cancer survivors should address the combination of lifestyle factors on prognosis.
The Deity, Figured and Disfigured: Hume on Philosophical Theism and Vulgar Religion

David Hume is usually understood as an early modern champion of atheism, having exposed the absence of rational arguments for the existence of God and the presence of irrational factors in the formation of all religious belief. In this essay I intend to develop a more complex picture of Hume. At the beginning of the Natural History of Religion, Hume makes a distinction between genuine theism and vulgar religion. I will argue that Hume rejects the latter, but endorsees the former. To each of these two forms of religion Hume associates a certain model of the deity: one ascertained by the faculty of empirical reason, the other generated by passions deeply rooted in the anxieties of finitude. The model to which one is inclined will depend largely upon one’s ethical profile.
Development of uptake capacity and bactericidal activity in myeloid cells during GM-CSF-driven differentiation. (INC6P.326)

The antigen presenting function of dendritic cells (DC) is well defined, yet their ability to handle bacterial infection is poorly understood. We have previously shown that GM-CSF-derived DC can confine Listeria monocytogenes ( Lm ) to the phagosome, preventing its invasion of the cytosol, growth, and spread. However, it is not clear at what stage of development DC acquire the capacity to retain Lm in the phagosome. To measure this activity at different stages of development, GM-CSF driven bone marrow cells were sorted based on expression of Ly6C, CD115, and CD11c. This strategy enables isolation of cells representing five distinct myeloid cell types: CMP, GMP, monocytes, inflammatory dendritic precursors (IDP), and inflammatory DC (IDC). To measure bacterial invasion of the cytosol, we used an Lm strain that expresses GFP upon cytoplasmic entry, in combination with fluorescent bioparticles to measure bulk uptake. The CMP demonstrated minimal uptake capacity and little bacterial cytoplasmic entry. The GMP population showed greatly increased uptake capacity, but also high susceptibility to bacterial cytoplasmic entry. In the monocyte population, the uptake capacity reached its peak, and these cells gained the capacity to confine the bacteria to the phagosome. Finally, the uptake capacity decreased modestly in the IDP and IDC populations, but these cells also blocked cytoplasmic invasion of the bacteria. The mechanistic basis of phagosomal retention was further examined.
An Optimization-Based Approach for Cloud Solution Design

Over the last few years, the rate of adoption of cloud computing and specifically managed cloud hosting and migration has accelerated significantly. Consequently, many enterprises/clients choose to migrate their local IT workload to cloud platforms. Such a migration consists in considering a cloud offering and come up with a cloud solution. In industrial settings, cloud designer may spend one day or so to come up with an acceptable cloud solution with a reduced cost/price. It is obvious that such a process is error prone, is time consuming and does not guarantee an optimal solution, e.g. a solution with a minimum cost/price. In this paper, we propose an approach and an optimization approach for cloud solution design that satisfy client requirements and cloud offering constraints and producing a solution, if there is any, with a minimum cost in a reasonable time. In addition, we present the implementation of our optimization method as well as two baseline methods and compare the results of applying all three methods on realistic data.
Rule of 100: a litmus test for informationless diagnostic tests

The most common measures of diagnostic test performance, sensitivity and specificity, involve two simplifying assumptions: that disease status is binary (present or absent), and test results are binary (positive or negative). Bayes’ theorem tells us that these features must be combined with a third ingredient, the prior or pretest probability (PreTP) of disease, to update the disease probability following the observed test result. As we1 2 and others3 4 have written, readers and authors of medical literature often interpret test results in ways that violate Bayes’ rule. Publications celebrating diagnostic tests that on close inspection perform near-chance level represent an important example of this interpretation risk.5 6 In some cases, even frankly paradoxical combinations of sensitivity and specificity are reported, for example, with certain physical examination findings,7 in which a ‘positive’ result lowers the disease probability, and ‘negative’ result increases it. We recently pointed out a simple litmus test that can be used at a glance to recognise the potential for chance or paradoxical performance, which we term the ‘rule of 100’.6 Any test for which the sensitivity and specificity add to 100% ![Formula][1] does not modify the PreTP of disease, that is, the result (positive or negative) provides a post-test probability (PostTP), identical to the PreTP. Such tests therefore provide no information. Here is a three-line proof: ![Formula][2] The second line of the proof makes use of the fact that ![Formula][3] when ![Formula][4] For those comfortable with combining sensitivity and specificity into the likelihood ratio (LR) value, … [1]: /embed/mml-math-1.gif [2]: /embed/mml-math-2.gif [3]: /embed/mml-math-3.gif [4]: /embed/mml-math-4.gif
Low temperature synthesis route and structural characterization of (Bi0.5A0.5)(Sc0.5Nb0.5)O3 (A = K+ and Na+) perovskites

Two new perovskites, (Bi0.5A0.5)(Sc0.5Nb0.5)O3 where A = K+ and Na+, have been made phase pure for the first time. The synthesis procedure that prevented the formation of pyrochlore impurities is described. B-site ordering in A = K+ is successfully achieved by prolonged heating. Combined Rietveld refinement on synchrotron X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction data is used to determine the complex average structure of these materials. A = Na+ crystallizes in the tetragonal P4/mbm space group and has disordered a0a0c+ rotations of BO6 octahedra. A = K+ crystallizes in the cubic Pmm space group, but shows local A-site displacements in the [100] direction. Both materials are highly disordered but illustrate the potential of (A)NbO3-BiScO3 solid solutions as useful piezoelectrics or relaxors.
Physicians' political preferences and the delivery of end of life care in the United States: retrospective observational study.

Abstract Objectives To compare the delivery of end of life care given to US Medicare beneficiaries in hospital by internal medicine physicians with Republican versus Democrat political affiliations. Design Retrospective observational study. Setting US Medicare. Participants Random sample of Medicare beneficiaries, who were admitted to hospital in 2008-12 with a general medical condition, and died in hospital or shortly thereafter. Main outcome measures Total inpatient spending, intensive care unit use, and intensive end of life treatments (eg, mechanical ventilation and gastrostomy tube insertion) among patients dying in hospital, and hospice referral among patients discharged but at high predicted risk of 30 day mortality after discharge. Physicians were categorized as Democrat, Republican, or non-donors, using federal political contribution data. Results Among 1 480 808 patients, 93 976 (6.3%) were treated by 1523 Democratic physicians, 58 876 (4.0%) by 768 Republican physicians, and 1 327 956 (89.6%) by 23 627 non-donor physicians. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics were similar between groups. Democrat physicians were younger, more likely to be female, and more likely to have graduated from a top 20 US medical school than Republican physicians. Mean end of life spending, after adjustment for patient covariates and hospital specific fixed effects, was US$17 938 (£12 872; €14 612) among Democrat physicians (95% confidence interval $17 176 to $18 700) and $18 409 among Republican physicians ($17 362 to $19 456; adjusted Republican v Democrat difference, $472 (−$803 to $1747), P=0.47). Intensive end of life treatments for patients who died in hospital did not vary by physician political affiliation. The proportion of patients discharged from hospital to hospice did not vary with physician political affiliation. Among patients in the top 5% of predicted risk of death 30 days after hospital discharge, adjusted proportions of patients discharged to hospice were 15.8%, 15.0%, and 15.2% among Democrat, Republican, and non-donor physicians, respectively (adjusted difference in proportion between Republicans v Democrats, −0.8% (−2.7% to 0.9%), P=0.43). Conclusions This study provided no evidence that physician political affiliation is associated with the intensity of end of life care received by patients in hospital. Other treatments for politically polarised healthcare issues should be investigated.
Re-Operation Strategies in Strabismus—Cooper’s Dictum Amended

ABSTRACTPurpose: To outline a systematic approach to strabismus reoperations. Many strabismologists have a formulaic approach to strabismus reoperations, e.g., treat it as a fresh case, advance pre...
Nuclear Location of Estrogen Receptors

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses that cell enucleation and immunocytochemistry have provided direct evidence that the estrogen receptor is located exclusively in the nucleus of the cell and that little unoccupied receptor is found in the cytoplasm. It presents experiments in which cell enucleation techniques are used to separate cytoplasm from the nucleus of the cell without breaking open the cell and diluting its contents. Both the cytoplast and the remainder of the cell that contains the nucleus (nucleoplast) are alive and are surrounded by an intact plasma membrane. If the unoccupied receptor is a cytoplasmic protein, one would expect to find it in the cytoplasts and to find less receptor in the nucleoplasts, from which cytoplasm has been removed. However, little receptor was found in cytoplasts; instead, the unoccupied receptor was found in nucleus-containing fractions.
Organizational Integrity and Moral Climates

This Chapter argues that the key to organizational integrity is a good moral climate. A good moral climate is one that has norms and values that contribute to a moral climate, including a commitment to stakeholder management, a commitment to seeing the purpose of the organization as a cooperative enterprise, and both substantive and procedural norms of fairness. Finally, I consider the role of incentives as they support or inhibit organizational integrity, identify conditions that work against moral integrity, and conclude by considering whether for-profit organizations can instill organizational integrity and remain profitable.
[5,10,15,20-Tetra-kis(4-meth-oxy-phen-yl)porphyrinato-κN,N',N'',N'''](trifluoro-methane-sulfonato-κO)-iron(III).

The title compound, [Fe(CF3O3S)(C48H36N4O4)], is a five-coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complex with a trifluoro­methane­sulfonate anion as an axial ligand. The FeIII atom is displaced by 0.40 (1) A towards the trifluoro­methane­sulfonate anion from the 24-atom mean plane of the porphyrin. The average Fe—Np distance is 2.044 (2) A and the Fe—O distance is 2.001 (2) A.
Construction Stress Monitoring Using a Wireless Sensor Network to Evaluate Reuse Potential of Structural Steel

AbstractStresses in structural steel members of steel-framed buildings during construction are difficult to predict with certainty using conventional engineering methods. In order to inform current...
A Mobile Health App (Roadmap 2.0) for Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: Qualitative Study on Family Caregivers' Perspectives and Design Considerations.

Background: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), also referred to as blood and marrow transplantation (BMT), is a high-risk, but potentially curative therapy for a number of cancer and noncancer conditions. BMT Roadmap (Roadmap 1.0) is a mobile health app that was developed as a family caregiver–facing tool to provide informational needs about the health status of patients undergoing inpatient HCT. Objective: This study explored the views and perceptions of family caregivers of patients undergoing HCT and their input regarding further technology development and expansion of BMT Roadmap into the outpatient setting (referred to as Roadmap 2.0). Methods: Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted among 24 family caregivers. Questions were developed from existing literature coupled with prior in-depth observations and interviews in hospital-based settings to explore the study objectives. Participants were recruited during routine outpatient clinic appointments of HCT patients, and all interviews were conducted in the participants’ homes, the setting in which Roadmap 2.0 is intended for use. A thematic analysis was performed using a consistent set of codes derived from our prior research. New emerging codes were also included, and the coding structure was refined with iterative cycles of coding and data collection. Results: Four major themes emerged through our qualitative analysis: (1) stress related to balancing caregiving duties; (2) learning and adapting to new routines (resilience); (3) balancing one’s own needs with the patient’s needs (insight); and (4) benefits of caregiving. When caregivers were further probed about their views on engagement with positive activity interventions (ie, pleasant activities that promote positive emotions and well-being such as expressing gratitude or engaging in activities that promote positive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors), they preferred a “menu” of positive activities to help support caregiver health and well-being. Conclusions: This study involved family caregivers as participants in the development of new components for Roadmap 2.0. Our research provided a further understanding of the many priorities that hematopoietic stem cell transplant family caregivers face while maintaining balance in their lives. Their schedules can often be unpredictable, even more so once the patient is discharged from the hospital. Our findings suggest that expanding Roadmap 2.0 into the outpatient setting may provide critical caregiver support and that HCT caregivers are interested in and willing to engage in positive activities that may enhance well-being and attenuate the stress associated with caregiving.
Population aging and its economic consequences for China

Population aging in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is mainly due to rapid fertility decline after 1970, a third of which was due to government policy, and the balance to social and economic development. Relaxing fertility policies now would probably not have a large effect on fertility, and rising educational attainment may reduce future fertility by 0.3 births per woman. The successes and failures of European fertility policies can guide policy. In any case, the PRC’s population will age rapidly, with the old-age dependency ratio (OADR) more than tripling by 2065. This will cause severe fiscal problems for current old-age programs, particularly for pensions. The general economic impact will be less severe, as partially offset by rising education and increased capital per worker. Focusing on a particular age, like 65, is a mistake. Health, cognition, and vitality are more important than age itself and these will improve due to past increases in education and better living conditions for children. The retirement age should be raised. One good approach is building automatic adjustment mechanisms into old-age programs like pensions. For example, retirement age, taxes, and benefits can be linked to life expectancy and to the OADR as in some European countries. This would increase the labor supply of the elderly and avoid pension-related political problems in the future.
Fluid-limiting treatment strategies among sepsis patients in the ICU: a retrospective causal analysis.

In septic patients, multiple retrospective studies show an association between large volumes of fluids administered in the first 24 h and mortality, suggesting a benefit to fluid restrictive strategies. However, these studies do not directly estimate the causal effects of fluid-restrictive strategies, nor do their analyses properly adjust for time-varying confounding by indication. In this study, we used causal inference techniques to estimate mortality outcomes that would result from imposing a range of arbitrary limits (“caps”) on fluid volume administration during the first 24 h of intensive care unit (ICU) care. Retrospective cohort study ICUs at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 2008–2012 One thousand six hundred thirty-nine septic patients (defined by Sepsis-3 criteria) 18 years and older, admitted to the ICU from the emergency department (ED), who received less than 4 L fluids administered prior to ICU admission Data were obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III). We employed a dynamic Marginal Structural Model fit by inverse probability of treatment weighting to obtain confounding adjusted estimates of mortality rates that would have been observed had fluid resuscitation volume caps between 4 L–12 L been imposed on the population. The 30-day mortality in our cohort was 17%. We estimated that caps between 6 and 10 L on 24 h fluid volume would have reduced 30-day mortality by − 0.6 to − 1.0%, with the greatest reduction at 8 L (− 1.0% mortality, 95% CI [− 1.6%, − 0.3%]). We found that 30-day mortality would have likely decreased relative to observed mortality under current practice if these patients had been subject to “caps” on the total volume of fluid administered between 6 and 10 L, with the greatest reduction in mortality rate at 8 L.
New record of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on soybean in Zambia

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Glover), is a highly polyphagous and is distributed worldwide. It is an important agricultural pest that causes direct damage to plants and transmits many plant viruses. Aphis gossypii taxonomy is challenging due to similar morphology to other Aphis species and polymorphic variation (body size and color). It has been recorded in most African countries on cotton (Gossypium spp.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp.), cucurbits (Cucurbita spp.) and pepper (Capsicum spp.), but not on soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr). In March of 2019, apterous viviparae (immature and adults, dwarfs) were found on soybean in Mpongwe, Zambia. The range of pair-wise distances of its mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (Cox1) sequences (MN083247 and MN083248) and A. gossypii’s GenBank retrieved sequences was 0.0-0.1%. Morphological observations such as the ratios of antenna processus terminalis and base (2.2–2.6, n = 5), and siphunculi and cauda (1.1–1.3, n = 5) confirmed the identity of this species.
Multi-Armed Bandits with Local Differential Privacy.

This paper investigates the problem of regret minimization for multi-armed bandit (MAB) problems with local differential privacy (LDP) guarantee. In stochastic bandit systems, the rewards may refer to the users' activities, which may involve private information and the users may not want the agent to know. However, in many cases, the agent needs to know these activities to provide better services such as recommendations and news feeds. To handle this dilemma, we adopt differential privacy and study the regret upper and lower bounds for MAB algorithms with a given LDP guarantee. In this paper, we prove a lower bound and propose algorithms whose regret upper bounds match the lower bound up to constant factors. Numerical experiments also confirm our conclusions.
An Evidence-Based Approach to Increasing Nurses' Publication Rates

Background Writing for publication in peer-reviewed journals is one of the most important types of writing that nurses engage in. It is essential for advancing the nursing profession, health care organizations, and individual nurses. Despite its importance, however, the rate of publication remains very low among nurses. At one large academic medical center, a baseline assessment of dissemination practices found a low publication rate. To address this, an evidence-based writing-for-publication program was designed to support professional dissemination of scholarly work. Methods A 12-week workshop was designed and writers were matched with a mentor. The workshop started with a four-hour kickoff session on the process of getting published, including choosing a journal, querying an editor, drafting a manuscript, and working with coauthors. Participants also began developing an outline for their manuscript. Drafts were due to the mentor every four weeks for editing and feedback. At the end of the 12 weeks a wrap-up session was held for participants to read each other's manuscripts and give peer feedback. Outcomes As of this writing, five cohorts have completed the program, and 89 nurses participated. Twenty-nine manuscripts were completed and submitted to peer-reviewed journals; of these, 22 (76%) were accepted, four (14%) are still under review, and three (10%) were recommended for submission to a different journal. Among the 89 nurse participants, 84% reported being likely or very likely to write for publication again, and 96% reported improvement in their writing skills. Conclusions Without more nurses acquiring the skills to engage in writing for publication, the body of advancing knowledge that drives clinical decision-making may wane as aging, experienced nurse authors leave the profession. To protect the future of nursing, a continuous commitment to developing nurse authors across all generations is necessary. Nursing leaders and health care organizations must commit to ensuring novice nurse authors are provided with the resources to engage in disseminating knowledge.
A psychometric comparison of psychological inflexibility measures: Discriminant validity and item performance

Abstract Psychological inflexibility is a rigid behavioral pattern that interferes with engagement in personally meaningful activities; it is the hypothesized root of suffering in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Thus, the quality of its measurement affects the research, theory, and practice of ACT. The current study aimed to evaluate the discriminant validity and item performance of four measures of psychological inflexibility: the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire—II (AAQ-II), a revised version of the AAQ-II (AAQ-3), the Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ), and the Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy processes (CompACT). We analyzed data from community (n = 253), student (n = 261), and treatment-seeking samples (n = 140) using exploratory factor analysis and multigroup graded-response models. The CompACT had the strongest discriminant validity followed by the AAQ-3, whereas items in the CompACT Behavioral Awareness and Valued Action subscales performed most consistently across groups. No single measure emerged as clearly superior to others; rather, appropriate selection of measures depends on the goals and context of assessment. Scientific and clinical implications are discussed.
Endotracheal Tube Obstruction Among Patients Mechanically Ventilated for ARDS Due to COVID-19: A Case Series.

Background:Patients with COVID-19 and ARDS on prolonged mechanical ventilation are at risk for developing endotracheal tube (ETT) obstruction that has not been previously described in patients with...
A world-wide survey on kidney transplantation practices in breast cancer survivors: The need for new management guidelines.

Kidney transplantation reduces mortality in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Decisions about performing kidney transplantation in the setting of a prior cancer are challenging, as cancer recurrence in the setting of immunosuppression can result in poor outcomes. For cancer of the breast, rapid advances in molecular characterization have allowed improved prognostication, which is not reflected in current guidelines. We developed a 19-question survey to determine transplant surgeons' knowledge, practice, and attitudes regarding guidelines for kidney transplantation in women with breast cancer. Of the 129 respondents from 32 states and 14 countries, 74.8% felt that current guidelines are inadequate. Surgeons outside the United States (US) were more likely to consider transplantation in a breast cancer patient without a waiting period (p = .017). Within the US, 29.2% of surgeons in the Western region would consider transplantation without a waiting period, versus 3.6% of surgeons in the East (p = .004). Encouragingly, 90.4% of providers surveyed would consider eliminating wait-times for women with a low risk of cancer recurrence based on the accurate prediction of molecular assays. These findings support the need for new guidelines incorporating individualized recurrence risk to improve care of ESRD patients with breast cancer.
Uranium Oxide Synthetic Pathway Discernment through Unsupervised Morphological Analysis

Abstract We present a novel unsupervised machine learning method for quantitative representation of scanning electron micrographs and its applications and performance for nuclear forensic analysis of uranium ore concentrates. The method uses a vector quantizing variational autoencoder followed by a histogram operation to encode a micrograph into a single dimensional representation, called the feature vector. The method requires no extant labeling of the data and can be applied over large datasets of micrographs with minimal human interaction. The representations generated are broadly descriptive of each micrograph and the microstructure of the material imaged. In the case of uranium ore concentrate analysis, the representations were amenable to processing reagent and ore concentrate species classification with accuracy of 81.8 % , which is competitive with state-of-the-art supervised networks [1]. The representations were also able to classify previously processing routes not included in the training set, were able to classify imaging parameters such as magnification (to 76.0 % accuracy), were able to classify fine grained process parameters such as calcining temperature (to 74.4 % accuracy), and their informatic properties indicate that they are generally descriptive of the image represented. This method can be applied across microstructure analysis fields to perform quantitative analysis without the need for labor intensive and possibly biased human analysis.
The Foreclosure Crisis and the Antifragmentation Principle in State Property Law

This Article explains how excessive fragmentation of property interests in mortgages has prevented reasonable modifications in loan terms and helped to create the current foreclosure crisis. The Article argues that Anglo-American property law reflects an antifragmentation principle. This principle offers historical grounding for and constitutional legitimacy to proposals to restructure the servicing of troubled loans so as to produce loan modifications when doing so would produce more net economic value than foreclosure. The Article also considers some reforms that could be adopted to prevent future cycles of excessive fragmentation of property interests in mortgages.
Ophthalmic manifestations in Costello syndrome caused by Ras pathway dysregulation during development.

Costello syndrome (CS) is a multisystem developmental disorder caused by germline pathogenic variants in HRAS resulting in dysregulation of the Ras pathway. A systematic characterization of ophthal...
Probabilistic Aspects of Financial Risk

Problems arising in finance have become a significant source of new developments in stochastic analysis. We discuss some recent case studies, in particular some decomposition and representation theorems which are motivated by problems of hedging derivatives and of intertemporal consumption choice.
Wide-Bandwidth Digital Multi-Phase Controller

In this paper we present a new approach to wide-bandwidth digital control for interleaved multi-phase converters. The approach is based on the view of the multi-phase converter as a multi-level power D/A converter where the output voltage is sampled and the command is updated at the rate of Nf s where f s is the per-phase switching frequency and N is the number of phases. In contrast to alternative approaches where the bandwidth is limited to a fraction of f s we show that a bandwidth that scales with Nf s is achievable. A zero-error-bin approach, which is inherent to the digital controller implementation, is proposed to address the effects of phase-mismatches and sub-harmonic ripples on the stability of the wide-bandwidth controller. Simulation and experimental results are shown for a 16-phase synchronous buck converter operating at 1.56 MHz per-phase switching frequency.
Late Cretaceous-early Eocene Laramide uplift, exhumation, and basin subsidence in Wyoming: Crustal responses to flat slab subduction

Low-angle subduction of the Farallon oceanic plate during the Late Cretaceous–early Eocene is generally considered as the main driver forming the high Rocky Mountains in Wyoming and nearby areas. How the deformation was transferred from mantle to upper crust over the great duration of deformation (~40 Myr) is still debated. Here, we reconstruct basin subsidence and compile paleoelevation, thermochronology, and provenance data to assess the timing, magnitude, and rates of rock uplift during the Laramide deformation. We reconstruct rock uplift as the sum of surface uplift and erosion constrained by combining paleoelevation and exhumation with regional stratigraphic thickness and chronostratigraphic information. The amount (and rate) of rock uplift of individual Laramide ranges was less than 2.4–4.8 km (~0.21–0.32 mm/yr) during the early Maastrichtian-Paleocene (stage 1) and increased to more than ~3 km (~0.38–0.60 mm/yr) during the late Paleocene–early Eocene (stage 2). Our quantitative constraints reveal a two-stage development of the Laramide deformation in Wyoming and an increase of rock uplift during stage 2, associated with enhanced intermontane basin subsidence. Exhumation and uplift during stage 1 is consistent with eastward migration of Cordilleran deformation associated with low-angle subduction, whereas the change in exhumation during stage 2 seems to follow a southwestward trend, which requires an alternative explanation. We here suggest that the increase of rock uplift rate during the late Paleocene–early Eocene and the southwestward younging trend of uplift may be a response to the rollback and associated retreating delamination of the Farallon oceanic slab.
Temporal Precondition Verification of Design Transformations

Design transformations are ubiquitous in design derivation systems. Many such transformations have elaborate conditions of applicability known as preconditions. Usually, preconditions have both spatial and temporal components. The temporal (components of the) preconditions are usually specified by associating a dynamic interpretation with the design description at hand. Such dynamic interpretations have a semantic content which is based on interpreting the design description over the domain of natural numbers. Thus the problem of precondition verification is just as difficult as the problem of design verification itself.
Epigenetic Sex: Gene–Environment Contributions to Brain Sex Differences and their Impact on Mental Health Risk

The developing brain does not undergo maturation independently of environmental influences, but rather is the culmination of the interplay between genes and the environment. The acceptance of this concept implies that differences in male and female experiences during perinatal development can result in subtle, yet important, divergences in brain physiology and function. As males and females develop under different hormonal, genetic, and environmental influences, these influences create different epigenetic signatures within the brain. These intrinsic epigenetic differences may produce sex differences in neuroendocrine functioning, but may also underlie altered risk for some mental health disorders between the sexes. This review will focus on the neuroepigenetic mechanisms altered by biological sex and discuss these alterations with reference to mental health.
Catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation: a targeted approach to resistant hypertension.

Hypertension is a growing public health concern for which successful treatment often remains elusive. In the United States, an estimated one in three adults has hypertension and the global prevalence continues to climb, particularly in developing countries [1, 2]. Despite access to pharmacological therapies and resources to help patients achieve necessary lifestyle modifications, approximately half of patients fail to achieve recommended target blood pressure values [1]. This can perhaps be attributed to patient non-adherence as a result of physician inertia, polypharmacy, adverse drug events and patient resistance to a lifelong regimen for a largely asymptomatic disease. More than 50 years of drug development has worked to the benefit of many hypertensive patients. But such development has slowed and the time has come to consider non-drug therapies for this rampant disease. New therapeutic approaches that will overcome these obstacles are essential [3, 4]. A small, but significant, percentage of patients [5] with uncontrolled hypertension fail to meet therapeutic targets despite taking multiple drug therapies at the highest tolerated doses, a phenomenon called ‘resistant hypertension’. This may suggest underlying pathophysiology resistant to current pharmacological approaches [4]. Innovative therapeutic approaches are particularly relevant for these patients, as their condition puts them at high risk of major cardiovascular events [6]. Renal afferent and sympathetic efferent nerves have been implicated in the pathophysiology of systemic hypertension [7–10]. As a result, a succession of therapeutic approaches have targeted the sympathetic nervous system to modulate hypertension, with varying success. Many of these early approaches involved radical sympathetic denervation, failing to target specific organs thought to be directly involved with the pathophysiology of the disease. While successful in reducing blood pressure, the broad nature of these approaches led to many perioperative and long-term complications, including bowel, bladder and erectile dysfunction, as well as the dreaded side-effect of postural hypotension [11–13]. But a more targeted approach of renal sympathetic denervation remains a potential therapeutic option and is emerging as a subject of active research. Recent studies have aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of a percutaneous, catheter-based approach designed to specifically ablate renal sympathetic nerves using a radiofrequency generator via the lumen of the main renal artery. In a safety and proof-of-principle study, and a separate randomized controlled trial, both published in the Lancet, in 2009 and 2010 respectively, this approach was shown to successfully reduce blood-pressure, without serious adverse events in patients with resistant hypertension [3, 4]. This article will review the recent literature regarding catheter-based renal ablation in the context of current knowledge of the pathophysiology of resistant hypertension, and will explore future directions for research regarding this new approach.
Remote Ischemic Conditioning Alters Methylation and Expression of Cell Cycle Genes in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose—Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a phenomenon in which short periods of nonfatal ischemia in 1 tissue confers protection to distant tissues. Here we performed a longitudinal human pilot study in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage undergoing RIC by limb ischemia to compare changes in DNA methylation and transcriptome profiles before and after RIC. Methods—Thirteen patients underwent 4 RIC sessions over 2 to 12 days after rupture of an intracranial aneurysm. We analyzed whole blood transcriptomes using RNA sequencing and genome-wide DNA methylomes using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing, both before and after RIC. We tested differential expression and differential methylation using an intraindividual paired study design and then overlapped the differential expression and differential methylation results for analyses of functional categories and protein–protein interactions. Results—We observed 164 differential expression genes and 3493 differential methylation CpG sites after RIC, of which 204 CpG sites overlapped with 103 genes, enriched for pathways of cell cycle (P<3.8×10 −4 ) and inflammatory responses (P<1.4×10 −4 ). The cell cycle pathway genes form a significant protein–protein interaction network of tightly coexpressed genes (P<0.00001). Conclusions—Gene expression and DNA methylation changes in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients undergoing RIC are involved in coordinated cell cycle and inflammatory responses. (Stroke . 2015;46:2445-2451. DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.115.009618.)
Anionic synthesis of well‐defined, poly[(styrene)‐block‐(propylene oxide)] block copolymers

Well-defined, narrow molecular weight distribution (M w /M n ≤1.1) poly[(styrene)-block-(propylene oxide)] block copolymers with relatively high molecular weight poly(propylene oxide) blocks [e.g.M n (PPO) = 10 000 - 12 000 g/mol] have been prepared by anionic polymerization. The polystyrene block (M n = 5 000; M w /M n = 1.1) was prepared by alkyllithium-initiated polymerization of styrene followed by chain-end functionalization with ethylene oxide and protonatin with acidic methanol. The resulting ω-hydroxyl-functionalized polystyrene was converted to the corresponding alkali metal salts with alkali metals (Na/K alloy, Rb, Cs) and then used to initiate block polymerization of propylene oxide in tetrahydrofuran.The effects of crown ethers (18-crown-6 and dicyclohexano-24-crown-8) and added dimethylsulfoxide were investigated. Chain transfer to the monomer resulted in significant amonts of poly(propylene oxide) formation (50%); however, the diblock molecular weight distributions were narrow. The highest molecular weight poly(propylene) blocks (12 200 g/mol) were obtained in tetrahydrofuran with cesium as counterion without additives.
Introduction: A special issue on cellular biology of protozoan parasites.

It is estimated that more than half of the human population, plus a much greater number of domestic and wild animals, suffer from parasitic infections. The magnitude of the problem can be illustrated by estimates of more than 100 million cases and 1 million deaths each year from malaria alone.
Introduction: New Directions for Vocational Rehabilitation in Substance User Treatment: Rebuilding Damaged Lives

If an important objective of addiction treatment is to increase patient employment, then it makes sense to locate vocational assistance within treatment programs. The purpose of this special issue is to present new research on the improvement of vocational services in addiction treatment. The volume begins with a critical review and synthesis of three decades of research on the effectiveness of specialized vocational services for addiction treatment patients. The new evaluation studies in this volume break down into those conducted in methadone treatment vs. other types of treatment settings. The volume concludes with a framework for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of vocational rehabilitation within addiction treatment. Critical issues that need resolution in this field are identified.
Reduction of acute adriamycin toxicity in mice treated with adenosine

Abstract The effects of adenosine on the acute toxicity and oncolytic activity of adriamycin (ADR) were evaluated in mice. When administered as a single i.p. injection of 17.5 mg/kg , adriamycin produced death in all mice within 12 days after treatment, with a mean survival time of 5–9 days . In contrast, the mean survival time of mice administered adenosine subcutaneously (200 mg/kg in addition to adriamycin was significantly increased compared to adriamycin-treated mice. The protection elicited by adenosine was apparently not a generalized phenomenon of purines, however, since neither hypoxanthine nor inosine were effective protectants. Although a number of adenosine treatment schedules were tested, it was found that adenosine given immediately after adriamycin was as effective as multiple adenosine injections. Administration of adenosine had no apparent effect on adriamycin-mediated changes in ventricular weight, leukocyte count, elevated serum lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity or in the histopathologic changes observed in selected tissues. Two grossly observable effects of adenosine administration were lethargy and peripheral hypothermia, which were first noticed approximately 15 min after adenosine administration and which lasted for up to 2 hr . Finally, adenosine had no adverse effect on the antitumor efficacy of adriamycin against L1210 ascites cells inoculated i.p. to BDF 1 mice.
Comparative analysis of shot noise in EUV and e-beam lithography

Gray-scale e-beam lithography has been performed to match the EUV and e-beam aerial image log slope for studying shot noise fundamentals in the two mechanisms through line-edge roughness (LER) measurements for 50 nm lines and spaces patterned on a leading chemically amplified EUV resist. The measured e-beam exposure latitude decreased from 0.4 with binary patterning to 0.28 with gray-scale e-beam exposure designed to match the EUV incident image profile, closely matching the EUV exposure latitude of 0.26. Calculations of absorption statistics with EUV and e-beam suggest that the shot noise with e-beam patterning is expected to be 10% larger than the shot noise with EUV patterning. However, despite the matched image gradients and close to identical absorbed quanta predictions, the e-beam patterned LER is 2.5× larger than the EUV patterned LER.
Automated reasoning about elementary point-set topology

In this paper we present first-order formulas for basic point-set topology, in an attempt to extend the mathematical range available for exploration with automated theorem-proving programs. We present topology definitions and sample lemmas both in first-order logic and in clausal form. We then illustrate some of the difficulties of these sample lemmas through a proof of a basic lemma in five parts.