cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Associative, Bidirectional Changes in Neural Signaling Utilizing NMDA Receptor- and Endocannabinoid-Dependent Mechanisms.

Persistent, bidirectional changes in synaptic signaling (that is, potentiation and depression of the synapse) can be induced by the precise timing of individual pre- and postsynaptic action potentials. However, far less attention has been paid to the ability of paired trains of action potentials to elicit persistent potentiation or depression. We examined plasticity following the pairing of spike trains in the touch mechanosensory neuron (T cell) and S interneuron (S cell) in the medicinal leech. Long-term potentiation (LTP) of T to S signaling was elicited when the T-cell spike train preceded the S-cell train. An interval 0 to +1 sec between the T- and S-cell spike trains was required to elicit long-term potentiation (LTP), and this potentiation was NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-dependent. Long-term depression (LTD) was elicited when S-cell activity preceded T-cell activity and the interval between the two spike trains was -0.2 sec to -10 sec. This surprisingly broad temporal window involved two distinct cellular mechanisms; an NMDAR-mediated LTD (NMDAR-LTD) when the pairing interval was relatively brief (<-1 sec) and an endocannabinoid-mediated LTD (eCB-LTD) when longer pairing intervals were used (-1 to -10 sec). This eCB-LTD also required activation of a presynaptic transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV)-like receptor, presynaptic Ca(2+) release from intracellular stores and activation of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels (VGCCs). These findings demonstrate that the pairing of spike trains elicits timing-dependent forms of LTP and LTD that are supported by a complex set of cellular mechanisms involving NMDARs and endocannabinoid activation of TRPV-like receptors.
Definition and implementation of a real-time, high-speed ECG compression and storage system

A PC-based system has been developed to implement lossless data compression of electrocardiographic signals. Both temporal and amplitude compression are employed to achieve significant compression ratios while minimizing computational intensity in the interests of an ultimate ambulatory realization. Single template comparison, implemented in a complex dynamic registration scheme, serves to compress the amplitude of each beat. The amplitude compression enhances the effects of the second compression stage implemented in a custom VLSI circuit. Temporal compression is achieved with a computationally simple run-length coding algorithm. Lossless compression techniques have been strictly adhered to in the interest of completely faithful signal reconstruction after decompression. While the system currently handles sampling rates of 1 kHz, the algorithms and hardware are capable of achieving rates exceeding 5 kHz, and would therefore be useful in ventricular late potential detection settings. >
Porous silicon structural evolution from in-situ luminescence and Raman measurements

The authors performed in-situ photoluminescence and Raman measurements on an anodized silicon surface in the HF/ethanol solution used for anodization. The porous silicon thereby produced, while resident in HF/ethanol, does not immediately exhibit intense photoluminescence. Intense photoluminescence develops spontaneously in HF/ethanol after 18--24 hours or with replacement of the HF/ethanol with water. These results support a quantum confinement mechanism in which exciton migration to traps and nonradiative recombination dominates the de-excitation pathways until silicon nanocrystallites are physically separated and energetically decoupled by hydrofluoric acid etching or surface oxidation. The porous silicon surface, as produced by anodization, shows large differences in photoluminescence intensity and peak wavelength over millimeter distances. Parallel Raman measurements implicate nanometer-size silicon particles in the photoluminescence mechanism.
Evaluation of spatial reuse in wireless multiple access networks

In wireless multi-hop networks, the spatial reuse determines the number of simultaneous connections allowed in a given region. It has a strong influence on the throughput and delay characteristics of the network and is thus an important metric in performance evaluation. This paper presents an analytic model for the spatial reuse in a wireless multi-hop network with a random access MAC protocol that uses a fair scheduler to accomplish collision avoidance. We employ a purely probabilistic model to derive the closed form solution for the achievable throughput. Using our model we are able to show the maximum saturation throughput obtainable as a function of the node density.
Athermal polymer coated hybrid microresonators

An improved understanding of the nonlinearity of optical materials is important as the control of nonlinear behavior is critical when designing optical devices. In this study, we provide one possible way to control nonlinear effects by coating polystyrene (PS) or polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) on silica optical toroidal microcavities. The theoretical and experimental results show that the thermo-optic behavior which is normally present in these devices can be controlled by precise application of nano-scale polymer films. Using these two common optical materials, we demonstrate that it is possible to develop a device whose operation is completely temperature independent. This type of device will find numerous applications, both in telecommunications and in biodetection.
Factitious disorder in school settings: A case example with implications for school psychologists

Factitious disorder is a condition that has received considerable attention in the medical literature yet is not fully recognized in the school setting. School psychologists can provide important data and observations that can facilitate early identification of this disorder. This article describes a case example of factitious disorder that was identified in the school setting. Symptoms of the disorder are presented, as are the differential diagnoses that must be considered. Specific recommendations for the school psychologist regarding identification, coordination with medical teams, interventions, and ethical and legal obligations are included. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Precise repair of mPing excision sites is facilitated by target site duplication derived microhomology.

A key difference between the Tourist and Stowaway families of miniature inverted repeat transposable elements (MITEs) is the manner in which their excision alters the genome. Upon excision, Stowaway-like MITEs and the associated Mariner elements usually leave behind a small duplication and short sequences from the end of the element. These small insertions or deletions known as “footprints” can potentially disrupt coding or regulatory sequences. In contrast, Tourist-like MITEs and the associated PIF/Pong/Harbinger elements generally excise precisely, returning the genome to its original state. The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanisms underlying these excision differences, including the role of the host DNA repair mechanisms. The transposition of the Tourist-like element, mPing, and the Stowaway-like element, 14T32, were evaluated using yeast transposition assays. Assays performed in yeast strains lacking non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) enzymes indicated that the excision sites of both elements were primarily repaired by NHEJ. Altering the target site duplication (TSD) sequences that flank these elements reduced the transposition frequency. Using yeast strains with the ability to repair the excision site by homologous repair showed that some TSD changes disrupt excision of the element. Changing the ends of mPing to produce non-matching TSDs drastically reduced repair of the excision site and resulted in increased generation of footprints. Together these results indicate that the difference in Tourist and Stowaway excision sites results from transposition mechanism characteristics. The TSDs of both elements play a role in element excision, but only the mPing TSDs actively participate in excision site repair. Our data suggests that Tourist-like elements excise with staggered cleavage of the TSDs, which provides microhomology that facilitates precise repair. This slight modification in the transposition mechanism results in more efficient repair of the double stranded break, and thus, may be less harmful to host genomes by disrupting fewer genes.
Dynamic rectification of data via recurrent neural nets and the extended Kalman filter

The presence of autocorrelated measurement errors and/or measurement bias in process measurements poses serious problems in the rectification of data taken from dynamic processes. The proposed procedure to resolve these problems involves the use of recurrent neural networks (RNN) and the extended Kalman filter (EKF). By interpreting RNNs within a nonlinear state-space context, a state-augmented EKF can be used to optimally estimate both the states of the RNNs and noise and bias models. RNN models can be identified off-line and utilized for data rectification within the extended Kalman filter in process environments in which badly autocorrelated measurement errors exist in the data. The same technique is also used to estimate measurement bias present in both process input and output variables. This approach has the advantage that models developed from “first principles” are not required and that rectification can be performed solely on the basis of the contaminated dynamic data.
Network Evolution and Coalition Formation

Custody networks, are important factors in the rapid development of cross-border securities trading.The value of the transactions going through these networks is high: more than US $4 billion worth of cross-border equities are transacted daily. Network services exhibit two distinctive characteristics; (1) The willingness to pay increases with the level of activity, because the network is more valuable when it has more uses; and (2) Unit costs decrease with the volume sold, because there are large fixed set-up costs. Because of these characteristics the economic fundamentals of the market for network services can be opposite to what is predicted in classic textbook examples: the supply can be downward sloping, while the demand can increase with prices. For these reasons the evolution of t.he market for network services can be very different from t.hat of standardmarkets.
Detection and parameter estimation for quantitative trait loci using regression models and multiple markers

A strategy of multi-step minimal conditional regression analysis has been developed to determine the existence of statistical testing and parameter estimation for a quantitative trait locus (QTL) that are unaffected by linked QTLs. The estimation of marker-QTL recombination frequency needs to consider only three cases: 1) the chromosome has only one QTL, 2) one side of the target QTL has one or more QTLs, and 3) either side of the target QTL has one or more QTLs. Analytical formula was derived to estimate marker-QTL recombination frequency for each of the three cases. The formula involves two flanking markers for case 1), two flanking markers plus a conditional marker for case 2), and two flanking markers plus two conditional markers for case 3). Each QTL variance and effect, and the total QTL variance were also estimated using analytical formulae. Simulation data show that the formulae for estimating marker-QTL recombination frequency could be a useful statistical tool for fine QTL mapping. With 1 000 observations, a QTL could be mapped to a narrow chromosome region of 1.5 cM if no linked QTL is present, and to a 2.8 cM chromosome region if either side of the target QTL has at least one linked QTL.
THE ECONOMIC BURDEN OF METASTATIC AND PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN PROGRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH PROSTATE CANCER: FINDINGS FROM A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTH PLAN DATA

ABSTRACT Purpose: We evaluated the economic burden of metastatic and prostate specific antigen (PSA) progression in patients with prostate cancer (CaP) using a cancer registry linked administrative database. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort evaluation of 2,056 patients with CaP was done at Henry Ford Health System from 1995 to 2000. Records were examined for metastatic progression via International Classification of Disease-9-CM codes for metastasis and for PSA progression using accepted definitions based on initial therapy type. Health care resource charges 6 months and 1 year before and after progression were compared using pairwise t tests. A generalized linear model determined the effect of progression on charges and compared initial care, continuing care and terminal care charges in the progressed and nonprogressed groups, while controlling for baseline covariates (stage and age). Results: Patients with CaP had a mean age of 68 years, were mostly white (52%), had localized (88%) and moderately differentiated (66%) tumors, and a median baseline PSA of 7.0 ng/ml. Of patients 8.9% had metastatic progression at a mean followup of 3.6 years, while 16.1% had PSA progression at 4.5 years. After controlling for baseline covariates metastatic progression resulted in significant increases in charges ($92,523 vs $58,036, p Conclusions: In CaP cases metastatic and PSA progression pose a significant economic burden irrespective of baseline stage, grade and treatment. Treatments that slows or prevents meta-static and PSA progression could offset this cost.
THE BOUNDARIES OF RESPONSIBILITY INTERPRETATIONS OF GEOGRAPHY IN SCHOOL DESEGREGATION CASES

The year 1994 is the twentieth anniversary of Milliken v. Bradley, 18 U.S. 717 (1974). It thus marks the halfway point between Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), and the present. It also marks the point in legal history at which the struggle against racially segregated education was turned back at the Detroit city limits. In this paper I examine how social actors strategically deployed legal concepts in efforts to reshape geographies of race and racism in the Detroit metropolitan area. My emphasis, though, is on how understandings of geographical phenomena were advanced in Milliken in order to justify legal arguments. In arguments and judgments, claims about the causes of segregation and about the spatiality of identity, agency, community, and intentionality were woven together into strategic geographical narratives that were designed to justify—or to justify the denial of—federal judicial intervention in the local spatial restructuring of race and schooling.
An evaluation of the accuracy of emergency physician activation of the cardiac catheterization laboratory for patients with suspected ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Study objective Current recommendations indicate that emergency physicians should activate cardiac catheterization laboratory personnel by a single page for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. We assessed the accuracy of emergency physician cardiac catheterization laboratory activations, angiographic findings, outcomes, and treatment times among patients with and without STEMI. Methods We classified the appropriateness and outcomes of consecutive emergency physician STEMI pages between June 2006 and September 2008. Emergency physician activations of the cardiac catheterization laboratory were classified according to the findings of the initial ECG compared with cardiology interpretation for the presence of STEMI and presence of coronary disease. Results During a 27-month period, emergency physician activation of the cardiac catheterization laboratory occurred 249 times. There were 188 (76%) patients with a true STEMI, of whom 13 did not receive emergency angiography. Of the 37 (15%) patients who had ECG findings meeting STEMI criteria and who ultimately did not have myocardial necrosis and underwent emergency angiography, 12 had significant disease and 5 had revascularization performed. Eleven patients had ECGs concerning for but not meeting STEMI criteria; all had emergency angiography (n=11) or received a diagnosis of non-STEMI (n=6). Only 13 patients were considered as having received unnecessary cardiac catheterization laboratory activations (5.2%) in which emergency angiography was not performed and myocardial infarction was excluded. Conclusion A significant number of emergency physician STEMI cardiac catheterization laboratory activations are for patients who did not meet standard STEMI criteria. However, most had ECG findings and symptoms that lead to emergency angiography, had significant disease, or were diagnosed with non-STEMI. Only a small percentage of patients received unnecessary cardiac catheterization laboratory activations. Our findings support current recommendations for emergency physician cardiac catheterization laboratory activation for potential STEMI patients.
Inhuman Violence: How Indiana's 19th Century View of Physical Punishment Permits the Vicious Victimization of Public School Children.

This article will discuss the state of the legal regime operating to sanction the dehumanizing violence Indiana public schools may exact upon children. Part II examines the statutes and policies that enable schools to wield this violence. Part III shows how courts base their sanctioning of this violence on a callous view of “reasonableness” and outdated opinions from the 19th century. Part IV looks at recent reform efforts encouraging Indiana to join the thirty-one other states and more than 100 countries that no longer strike children. This final Part proposes an educational campaign to demonstrate the problems of physical punishment and a recalcitrant state that has shown no intention to change its stance without pressure from an engaged public.
Treatment of severe spondylolisthesis with neural involvement. A report of two cases.

Two cases of fourth-degree spondylolisthesis of the fifth lumbar vertebra with cauda equina compression are reported. In the first patient, arthrodesis in the position of deformity failed to relieve neural compression and subsequent decompression by osteoplasty of the sacrum was necessary. In the second patient, partial reduction of the vertebral displacement was achieved by skeletal traction before and after decompression and lateral fusion. It is suggested that reduction and maintenance of reduction in selected cases of severe spondylolisthesis is both desirable and obtainable.
Ab initio study of the influence of resonance stabilization on intramolecular ring closure reactions of hydrocarbon radicals

The intramolecular ring closure reactions of unsaturated hydrocarbon radicals potentially play an important role for the formation of molecular weight growth species, especially during the pyrolysis and oxidation of alkenes under low to intermediate temperatures. In this work we investigated a series of intramolecular cycloaddition reactions of both allylic- and alkyl-type dienyl radicals. In the first set of reactions, a resonant linear radical is converted into a non-resonant cyclic radical. In the second set, a non-resonant linear alkenyl radical isomerizes to either a resonant cyclic radical or a cyclic carbinyl radical. In both cases, three different reaction schemes are examined based on the location of the partially-formed resonance structure in the cyclic transition state. For each reaction scheme, both the endo- and exo-pathways were investigated. High pressure rate parameters are obtained from the results of CBS-QB3 electronic structure calculations combined with canonical transition state theory calculations. The results are discussed in the context of a Benson-type model to examine the impact of the partially-formed resonance stabilization on both the activation energies and pre-exponential factors. The results are compared to previously reported rate parameters for cycloaddition reactions of alkenyl radicals. The differences in the activation energies are primarily due to the bimolecular component of the activation energy. However, in some cases, the presence of the partial resonance structure significantly increases the strain energy for the ring that is formed in the transition state. The pre-exponential factors are also impacted by the formation of a partial resonance structure in the transition state. Lastly, the C6H9 potential energy surface is examined to show how the trends that are outlined here can be used to estimate rate parameters, which are needed to analyze pressure-dependent reaction systems.
Cardiac Surgery at the Time of Simultaneous Liver-Kidney Transplantation

Cardiac valve disease is often a contraindication to liver or simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation. The risk of heart surgery in these patients is extremely high, yet uncorrected valve disease jeopardizes transplantation outcomes. Two cases of combined aortic valve replacement at the time of simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation, with 2-month and 3-year postoperative follow-ups, are discussed. Both patients survived surgery and were discharged with good allograft and heart function. At last follow-up, neither experienced graft failure or valve dysfunction, although one patient did develop type 1B rejection of his kidney allograft. In appropriate cases, surgical correction of structural heart disease can be performed at the time of complex abdominal organ transplantation, accomplishing both otherwise contraindicated procedures. J Curr Surg. 2016;6(1):37-40 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jcs300w
Development, Survival and Capacity for Increase of the Albizzia Psyllid at Various Constant Temperatures

The Albizzia psyllid, Psylla uncatoides (Ferris and Klyver), was studied under constant light at constant temperatures (±2°C) ranging from 15–45°C. At 45°C oviposition and embryonic development were inhibited and adults did not survive beyond 4 days. Although 76.9% of the eggs hatched at 30°C, all the resultant nymphs died without completing development to the adult stage. Both mean developmental and generation time were inversely related to temperature between 15–25°C. Egg survival was higher than nymphal survival at all temperatures in which complete development occurred. A sex ratio of 1:1 was observed at all temperatures except at 15°C where it was 2:1 (female: male). The relationship between adult longevity and temperature was inverse between 20–3D°C, with females outliving males at all temperatures in the range 15–30°C. Reproduction and rates of population increase were highest from 20–25°C, which appears to be the optimum temperature range for all the parameters studied. It is concluded that the restricted geographical distribution of the Albizzia psyllid can be largely explained by its narrow optimum temperature range for development, survival, and capacity for population increase.
A potential role for hypochlorous acid in granulocyte-mediated tumor cell cytotoxicity.

The myeloperoxidase-H2O2-Cl– system of the human granulocyte forms e powerful cytotoxic system, but the final mediator of target cell destruction is unclear. In this study, we have investigated the cytotoxic potential of hypochlorous acid, a known product of the myeloperoxidase-H2O2-CI system. Human granulocytes stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate were able to mediate cytotoxicity against a T-lymphoblast target cell (CEM). Cytolysis was inhibited by catalase and myeloperoxidase inhibitors but stimulated by superoxide dismutase. These results indicated a role for both H2O2 and myeloperoxidase in the cytolytic event. In order to characterize the cytotoxicity of hypochlorous acid, a cell-free system was designed. As little as 7.5 nmoles of hypochlorous acid mediated a cytotoxic effect comparable to that of the granulocyte system. Compounds known to scavenge hypochlorous acid prevented CEM lysis in both the cell-free hypochlorous acid system and the granulocyte system. Neither hydroxyl radical nor singlet oxygen scavengers had any inhibitory effect in either of these systems. Thus, intact human granulocytes mediated cytotoxicity against CEMs via a myeloperoxidase-H2O2-dependent mechanism, and the lytic species has characteristics similar to hypochlorous acid. These results suggest that hypochlorous acid may be a common mediator of myeloperoxidase-dependent cytotoxic events.
Gender Ideology and Phobias in Women

In the last decade, a shift in perspective has occurred regarding the relationship between sex role behavior and mental health. Where once it was common knowledge that sex role conformity was prerequisite to mental health, some investigators now show an uncommon boldness in suggesting that a rigid conformity to one’s “appropriate” sex role may provide fertile ground for the development of psychological maladjustments (Pleck, 1976). The limitations of a woman’s traditional role, for example, have been thought to be significantly related to the etiology of a number of specific mental disorders, including depression, hysteria, anorexia nervosa, and phobias (Fodor, 1974; Frances and Dunn, 1975; Weissman and Klerman, 1977; Wolowitz, 1972).
Online Evaluation for Information Retrieval

Online evaluation is one of the most common approaches to measure the effectiveness of an information retrieval system. It involves fielding the information retrieval system to real users, and observing these users' interactions in-situ while they engage with the system. This allows actual users with real world information needs to play an important part in assessing retrieval quality. As such, online evaluation complements the common alternative offline evaluation approaches which may provide more easily interpretable outcomes, yet are often less realistic when measuring of quality and actual user experience.In this survey, we provide an overview of online evaluation techniques for information retrieval. We show how online evaluation is used for controlled experiments, segmenting them into experiment designs that allow absolute or relative quality assessments. Our presentation of different metrics further partitions online evaluation based on different sized experimental units commonly of interest: documents, lists and sessions. Additionally, we include an extensive discussion of recent work on data re-use, and experiment estimation based on historical data.A substantial part of this work focuses on practical issues: How to run evaluations in practice, how to select experimental parameters, how to take into account ethical considerations inherent in online evaluations, and limitations that experimenters should be aware of. While most published work on online experimentation today is at large scale in systems with millions of users, we also emphasize that the same techniques can be applied at small scale. To this end, we emphasize recent work that makes it easier to use at smaller scales and encourage studying real-world information seeking in a wide range of scenarios. Finally, we present a summary of the most recent work in the area, and describe open problems, as well as postulating future directions.
Never Forget Class Struggle

In this chapter, I use autoethnography as the method to write my lived experiences as a new immigrant from China. The purpose of this writing is to illustrate the difficulties and challenges I faced as a female immigrant. In writing, I confront and investigate these experiences in order to make sense of and find meaning in them. I also consider how these experiences are situated within the social and cultural background of the United States. The data are from my personal journal and reflections. This chapter not only portrays the difficulties and challenges immigrants can face, but also seeks to build an understanding of immigrants’ life experiences in the United States and to bring their perspectives and voices into the mainstream discourse.
“Oxygen of Publicity” and “Lifeblood of Liberty” Communication Scholarship on Mass Media Coverage of Terrorism for the Twenty-first Century

Scholarly literature concerning terrorism and the media spans decades and disciplines with a dramatic increase after 9/11. This state-of-the-art review assesses strengths, limitations, and gaps in recent scholarship on mainstream mass-mediated news coverage of terrorism and outlines an agenda for research that cuts across traditional context-based divisions of communication research. It begins by synthesizing various conceptions of terrorism as communication and discussing models of terrorism’s relationship to the media. It then considers empirical studies of media content in television, print, Internet, and multimodal contexts. Finally, it identifies the need for expanded studies of multi-modal international news coverage of terrorism that cut across interpersonal, organizational, religious, and new media subfields of the communication discipline.
Changing Partisanship and Issue Stands among American Catholics

Various studies of the changing political orientations of American Catholics have reached differing conclusions. While some studies suggest that Catholics are becoming more politically conservative, others suggest that this isn't so. This paper examines changing political orientations of Catholics over the 197283 period. Thefindings support the position that Catholics have, in fact, become more conservative over the past decade. However, little evidence supports the idea that changing Catholic political orientations are the product of either rising social status or suburbanization. While Catholicism has had a limited impact on Americans' ideological orientations, it has had a relatively large and growing impact on party identification.
Taming light at the nanoscale

Look around, and you will probably see numerous electronic and optical gadgets, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants, laptops, TVs and digital cameras.
Effect of wall-mediated hydrodynamic fluctuations on the kinetics of a Brownian nanoparticle

The reactive flux formalism (Chandler 1978 J. Chem. Phys. 68 , 2959–2970. (doi:10.1063/1.436049)) and the subsequent development of methods such as transition path sampling have laid the foundation for explicitly quantifying the rate process in terms of microscopic simulations. However, explicit methods to account for how the hydrodynamic correlations impact the transient reaction rate are missing in the colloidal literature. We show that the composite generalized Langevin equation (Yu et al. 2015 Phys. Rev. E 91 , 052303. (doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.91.052303)) makes a significant step towards solving the coupled processes of molecular reactions and hydrodynamic relaxation by examining how the wall-mediated hydrodynamic memory impacts the two-stage temporal relaxation of the reaction rate for a nanoparticle transition between two bound states in the bulk, near-wall and lubrication regimes.
Heartbeat: Cardiac resynchronization therapy with or without defibrillation: are women different?

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) reduces symptoms and improves survival in heart failure patients with a low left ventricular ejection fraction and wide QRS complex. CRT devices can be configured to provide only pacing (CRT-P) or to include a defibrillator (CRT-D) with the goal of reducing the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, it is not clear which clinical parameters best distinguish those patients who will benefit from CRT-D versus those who should receive CRT-P. In this issue of Heart , Barra and colleagues1 report an observational study of 5307 consecutive patients undergoing CRT implantation for ischaemic or non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy with no history of prior sustained ventricular arrhythmias. Propensity score matching was used to compare outcomes of those with CRT-D versus CRT-P with the aim of assessing whether outcomes differ by sex. In their analysis, the benefit of CRT-D was seen only in men (not women) with a HR for CRT-D compared with CRT-D of 0.78 (95% CI 0.65 to 0.94, p=0.012). (figure 1) The excess unadjusted SCD mortality in men with CRT-P was 7.4% compared with 2.2% in women. Figure 1 Survival curves comparing cardiac resynchronisation therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) versus cardiac resynchronisation therapy pacemaker (CRT-P) in female patients. In the accompanying editorial,2 Kutyifa notes that women accounted for only 15% of the CRT-D group but 42% of the CRT-P group, suggesting that sex may …
The Impact of Lifestyle Factors on Male Reproduction: Body Composition, Diet, Exercise, and Recreational Drug Use

Abstract The prevalence of male infertility, particularly in the context of decreasing semen quality and sperm concentration, is being reported throughout many countries and has emerged as a matter of increasing concern. In some cases causation can be easily established; however, in the majority of cases, the etiology remains unknown. More recently there has been an escalation of interest in societal changes, particularly those relating to chronic rather than acute exposure to chemicals through both direct and indirect methods, and how they may be impacting male fertility either in isolation or cumulatively. Although some of these changes are of a permanent nature, many are modifiable and concern themselves with exposure primarily through diet and recreational drug use. Additionally, there are existing lifestyle correlations between male subfertility and infertility and a corresponding rise in obesity, which often coexist with a sedentary lifestyle or general lack of exercise. In this chapter, we explore how lifestyle factors, including chronic exposures to select agents, directly impact male infertility. Where available, the impact of lifestyle modification on improving male sub/infertility is also reviewed, with emphasis on higher levels of evidence when available.
Effects of Intermittent Hypoxia on Neurological Function

Sleep-disordered breathing is a frequent condition across the age spectrum in the clinical setting, and is characterized by recurring episodes of hypoxia during sleep, as well as by disruption of sleep integrity. It has become clear that this highly prevalent condition leads to substantial morbidities primarily affecting the central nervous and cardiovascular systems and is also associated with marked alterations in respiratory patterning. Substantial advances have occurred in the last decade on our understanding of the pathophysiological role played intermittent hypoxia in these altered phenotypes. In this chapter, the current conceptual frameworks on the mechanisms underlying the consequences of episodic hypoxemia during sleep will be reviewed, with particular attention to cognitive deficits and altered neural control of breathing. When appropriate, differences in the response patterns as dictated by developmental stages at which intermittent hypoxia occurs will also be addressed.
An improved model for predicting postoperative nausea and vomiting in ambulatory surgery patients using physician-modifiable risk factors

Objective Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a frequent complication in patients undergoing ambulatory surgery, with an incidence of 20%–65%. A predictive model can be utilized for decision support and feedback for practitioner practice improvement. The goal of this study was to develop a better model to predict the patient's risk for PONV by incorporating both non-modifiable patient characteristics and modifiable practitioner-specific anesthetic practices. Materials and methods Data on 2505 ambulatory surgery cases were prospectively collected at an academic center. Sixteen patient-related, surgical, and anesthetic predictors were used to develop a logistic regression model. The experimental model (EM) was compared against the original Apfel model (OAM), refitted Apfel model (RAM), simplified Apfel risk score (SARS), and refitted Sinclair model (RSM) by examining the discriminating power calculated using area under the curve (AUC) and by examining calibration curves. Results The EM contained 11 input variables. The AUC was 0.738 for the EM, 0.620 for the OAM, 0.629 for the RAM, 0.626 for the SARS, and 0.711 for the RSM. Pair-wise discrimination comparison of models showed statistically significant differences (p<0.05) in AUC between the EM and all other models, OAM and RSM, RAM and RSM, and SARS and RSM. Discussion All models except the OAM appeared to have good calibration for our institution's ambulatory surgery data. Ours is the first model to break down risk by anesthetic technique and incorporate risk reduction due to PONV prophylaxis. Conclusion The EM showed statistically significant improved discrimination over existing models and good calibration. However, the EM should be validated at another institution.
Perspectives paper: First principles modeling of high-k gate dielectrics

Aggressive scaling has led to silicon dioxide (SiO2) gate dielectrics as thin as 15 A in state-of-the-art CMOS technologies. As a consequence, static leakage power due to direct tunneling through the gate oxide has been increasing at an exponential rate. As technology roadmaps call for sub-10 A gate oxides within the next five years, a variety of alternative high-k materials are being investigated as possible replacements for SiO2. The higher dielectric constants in these materials allow the use of physically thicker films, potentially reducing the tunneling current while maintaining the gate capacitance needed for scaled device operation. Recognizing that the current Si/SiO2 system benefits from nearly 30 years of research, developing a replacement material for SiO2 presents an immense challenge. This has prompted recent interest in novel computational approaches, such as first principles density functional theory (DFT) simulations, to computationally screen candidate dielectrics by predicting their properties based on the microscopic interactions within the system. This paper provides perspectives on the application of DFT simulations to address challenging problems of high-k gate dielectric research. We provide background and motivation for the development of high-k materials and highlight opportunities for theoretical study of such materials. We also describe specific examples of recent first principles work related to two particularly promising materials systems: silicates and aluminates.
ℓ1-symmetric vector random fields

Abstract This paper studies the properties of l 1 -symmetric vector random fields in R d , whose direct/cross covariances are functions of l 1 -norm. The spectral representation and a turning bands expression of the covariance matrix function are derived for an l 1 -symmetric vector random field that is mean square continuous. We also establish an integral relationship between an l 1 -symmetric covariance matrix function and an isotropic one. In addition, a simple but efficient approach is proposed to construct the l 1 -symmetric random field in R d , whose univariate marginal distributions may be taken as arbitrary infinitely divisible distribution with finite variance.
Stability and Robustness in Influence Maximization

In the well-studied Influence Maximization problem, the goal is to identify a set of k nodes in a social network whose joint influence on the network is maximized. A large body of recent work has justified research on Influence Maximization models and algorithms with their potential to create societal or economic value. However, in order to live up to this potential, the algorithms must be robust to large amounts of noise, for they require quantitative estimates of the influence, which individuals exert on each other; ground truth for such quantities is inaccessible, and even decent estimates are very difficult to obtain.We begin to address this concern formally. First, we exhibit simple inputs on which even very small estimation errors may mislead every algorithm into highly suboptimal solutions. Motivated by this observation, we propose the Perturbation Interval model as a framework to characterize the stability of Influence Maximization against noise in the inferred diffusion network. Analyzing the susceptibility of specific instances to estimation errors leads to a clean algorithmic question, which we term the Influence Difference Maximization problem. However, the objective function of Influence Difference Maximization is NP-hard to approximate within a factor of O(n1−e) for any e > 0.Given the infeasibility of diagnosing instability algorithmically, we focus on finding influential users robustly across multiple diffusion settings. We define a Robust Influence Maximization framework wherein an algorithm is presented with a set of influence functions. The algorithm’s goal is to identify a set of k nodes who are simultaneously influential for all influence functions, compared to the (function-specific) optimum solutions. We show strong approximation hardness results for this problem unless the algorithm gets to select at least a logarithmic factor more seeds than the optimum solution. However, when enough extra seeds may be selected, we show that techniques of Krause et al. can be used to approximate the optimum robust influence to within a factor of 1−1/e. We evaluate this bicriteria approximation algorithm against natural heuristics on several real-world datasets. Our experiments indicate that the worst-case hardness does not necessarily translate into bad performance on real-world datasets; all algorithms perform fairly well.
Precursors of Endometrial Carcinoma

It has been well recognized since the 1970s that unopposed estrogenic stimulation leads to endometrial hyperplasia, which in turn has the potential to progress to the usual type of endometrial carcinoma, termed “endometrioid carcinoma.” More recently, another lesion designated “endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma (EIC)” has been shown to precede the development of invasive uterine serous carcinoma (USC). Because of its association with USC and not endometrioid carcinoma, it has been proposed that endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma be designated “serous endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma.” This chapter discusses the various types of endometrial carcinoma precursors and focuses on their mimickers. The World Health Organization’s WHO Classification of Tumours of the Female Reproductive Organs was revised in 2014, and several changes were made. This chapter reflects those changes.
“Craving to hear from you…”: An exploration of m-learning in global interpreter education

Abstract This study examines the feasibility of mobile technology for interpreter education. While interpreter education and its use of technology is well-established and documented in developed countries, educational opportunities for signed language interpreters in developing countries are scarce. One innovation, mobile phone technology, appears to be changing patterns of technological adoption in developed and developing countries, connecting those previously denied access by geography or income. Education through mobile applications, or m-learning, was used to provide professional development to interpreters from the U.S. and Ghana in an action research pilot study. Surveys, discussions, and reflections were analyzed to identify the types of technologies employed, challenges encountered, evidence of learning, and collegial interactions. While successful outcomes were documented, findings indicate feasibility is still dependent on several factors.
Real-Time Localized Control of Transient Stability by the Localized Transient Stability (LTS) Method with Static Var Compensator (SVC)

Real-time localized control of transient stability by the very recently proposed Localized Transient Stability (LTS) Method with Static Var Compensator (SVC) as the local control means is presented here. However, since the technique is based on the LTS method, transient stability in this technique is viewed as the interaction of each individual generator with its respective remaining generators. Therefore, in this technique, the post-fault power system is represented by a two-generator localized power system at the site of each individual generator. Each of these localized power systems is then driven to its respective stable equilibrium by local control actions with local computations using the locally measured data to drive the full (entire) power system to its stable equilibrium. New investigative results are presented here to demonstrate the potential of the real-time localized control of transient stability by the LTS method.
A Path to the Future for Psychiatry

This chapter offers suggestions for those psychiatrists who accept many of the critiques offered in this book yet continue to practice within the mainstream system of care. If critical psychiatrists practice in the public system, they can be agents of change. Many current ideas for reform focus on increasing access to psychiatry. The author posits that there is a distorted demand for psychiatric care that is based on an ever-expanding notion of what constitutes psychiatric disorder and compounded by an inaccurate gauge of the efficacy of psychiatric treatments, particularly pharmacological ones. While expertise in psychopharmacology needs to remain a core proficiency for psychiatrists, our suggestion is to contract the scope of psychiatric concern, use a drug-centered approach to psychopharmacotherapy, and, when psychiatrists do become involved, allow the time necessary to understand the people – including their social contexts – who seek their care. The framework of need-adapted treatment (NAT) is suggested as a model that can help critical psychiatrists incorporate these values into their practices. NAT offers a way in which the challenges and uncertainties of the field can be openly acknowledged, discussed, and integrated into care.
Empirical Evaluation of IC3-Based Model Checking Techniques on Verilog RTL Designs

IC3-based algorithms have emerged as effective scalable approaches for hardware model checking. In this paper we evaluate six implementations of IC3-based model checkers on a diverse set of publicly-available and proprietary industrial Verilog RTL designs. Four of the six verifiers we examined operate at the bit level and two employ abstraction to take advantage of word-level RTL semantics. Overall, the word-level verifier employing data abstraction outperformed the others, especially on the large industrial designs. The analysis helped us identify several key insights on the techniques underlying these tools, their strengths and weaknesses, differences and commonalities, and opportunities for improvement.