cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Renal cell carcinoma metastatic to the lung: potential benefit in the combination of biological therapy and surgery.

AbstractPurpose: We evaluated outcomes in cases of renal cell carcinoma metastatic to the lung treated with surgery or biological therapy followed by surgery.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 22 patients treated with surgical resection and 29 treated with biological therapy followed by surgery.Results: At the time of this study 31 patients (61 percent) were alive, including 15 with no residual disease and 16 with disease. Of the 22 patients treated with surgery without initial biological therapy 12 (55 percent) were alive at a median followup of 57 months (range 17 to 148) and 19 of the 29 (66 percent) treated with combination therapy were alive at a median followup of 48 months (range 19 to 78). A total of 19 patients (37 percent) died of progressive disease.Conclusions: Our results suggest a role for an aggressive surgical approach in select patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, and demonstrate that patients who do not achieve a complete response to biological therapy may bene...
Response of Patients After Myocardial Infarction to Carrying a Graded Series of Weight Loads

Abstract Cardiovascular responses to carrying graded weight loads of 20 to 50 pounds were determined in 52 patients after myocardial infarction (MI) (≥ 2 months). Sixty percent of the patients were stopped before completing the heaviest weight load (50 pounds for 2 minutes) because of an increase in diastolic blood pressure (BP) to 120 mm Hg (end point) or arm fatigue. Compared with symptomlimited graded dynamic exercise, peak systolic and diastolic BP were significantly greater (p 50%). We conclude that (1) ischemic responses occur less frequently while carrying up to 50 pounds for 2 minutes than with symptom-limited dynamic exercise, (2) a significant number of patients have an increase in diastolic BP ≥ 120 mm Hg while carrying objects that weigh 30 to 50 pounds for 2 minutes, and (3) a poor correlation exists between resting LVEF and tolerance for weight carrying.
Making the massless string massive

We investigate the possibility of associating a finite rest mass density with the relativistic string at the classical level. We choose a modification of the massless Lagrangian which reduces in the non-relativistic limit to the usual non-relativistic string. After studying some simple classical motions of this system, we quantize the massive string in a similar way to the massless case. The Regge trajectories are linear as in the massless case, but their intercepts are shifted downward from unity by an amount proportional to the square of the rest mass density parameter. Our naive quantization procedure is covariant only in 25 space-time dimensions. However, we are able to use the extra degree of freedom implicit in the mass density to modify the Lorentz generators so that covariance is maintained for any dimension less than 25. We envisage hadronic interactions to be introduced through the breaking and joining of strings, as in the massless case, and we discuss the problems associated with the construction of covariant amplitudes when D < 25.
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in head and neck cancer patients.

Unique problems accompany percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in head and neck cancer patients. This study analyzed the experience of one surgeon (P.S.) performing PEG in 50 patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer. The records of 54 such patients consecutively referred for PEG at the Massachusetts General Hospital were reviewed. A pull-through PEG technique was used. The procedure was successful in 50 patients (success rate, 93%). Failures were caused by esophageal stricture, respiratory distress, and hiatus hernia. The two patients with insurmountable esophageal stricture had piriform sinus tumors. Cancer in this location and pharyngoesophageal strictures were predictive of PEG failure. A single death, 21 days after endoscopy, was caused by pneumonia. The only major complications were two transient respiratory arrests. Neither patient had a tracheostomy in place, and both had unresected cancer present. Minor complications were transient gastroparesis, pneumonia, unexplained fever, and a broken traction suture. There were no wound or intraabdominal infections and no episodes of bleeding. While PEG was successful in 93% of these difficult patients, with few complications, results could be improved by tracheostomy or resection performed before PEG in patients with tumors near the airway and dilatation of troublesome esophageal strictures under endoscopic view before PEG.
Associations between variants in KITLG, SPRY4, BAK1, and DMRT1 and pediatric germ cell tumors.

Recent genome wide association studies have identified susceptibility loci for adult testicular germ cell tumors (GCT) near KITLG, SPRY4, BAK1, and DMRT1. We evaluated variants in these four genes to determine whether these are also susceptibility loci for pediatric GCTs. DNA was isolated from 52 pediatric GCTs (ages 0–21 years) obtained from the Cooperative Human Tissue Network. Control DNA was isolated from de-identified dried blood spots from 141 white newborns. Genotyping was conducted using TaqMan assays (rs4474514) or by PCR and sequencing (rs4324715, rs210138, and rs755383). Associations between variants and GCT were evaluated using logistic regression with adjustment for sex. We also evaluated whether the associations differed by age at GCT diagnosis (0–9 years, 10–21 years), sex, and tumor location (gonadal, non-gonadal). We observed a significant association for rs210138 (BAK1) and pediatric GCT overall (odds ratio (OR) = 1.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10–2.95, P = 0.02) with non-significant associations similar in magnitude in both the pediatric (P = 0.09) and adolescent (P = 0.06) age groups. The KITLG (rs4474514) and SPRY4 (rs4324715) variants were significantly associated with GCT only in the adolescent age group (rs4474514: OR = 2.28, 95% CI 1.09–4.79, P = 0.03 and rs4324715: OR = 2.40, 95% CI 1.19–4.83, P = 0.01). Associations were mostly similar when stratified by sex. This is the first study to suggest that these loci may also be important in susceptibility to GCTs in the adolescent (KITLG, SPRY4, and BAK1) and pediatric (BAK1) age groups. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Signal characteristics of intraventricular electrodes recordings in human epilepsy: a case report.

The case of a patient with intractable temporal lobe seizures and inadvertent unilateral intraventricular depth electrode placement is presented. The resting electroencephalograph (EEG) showed marked amplitude differences between the intraventricular electrode on the left and the parenchymal electrode on the right. All recorded seizures originated on the left side and in spite of its intraventricular location, frequency power spectra during the early ictal phase showed a marked increase in power for all frequency bands in the left depth electrode, exceeding that on the right. Analysis with Brain Electrical Source Analysis (BESA) software demonstrated marked ictal baseline shifts which were initially limited to the left side but changed to the right during clinical secondary generalization. In the immediate postictal state, all, except for infraslow, frequencies were markedly reduced in power. We conclude that intraventricular depth electrode contacts placed adjacent to the hippocampal structure can record...
Shaft Motor-Generator Design Assessment for Increased Operational Efficiency in Container Ships

Fuel costs are the sigle most important driver of marginal costs for commercial marine transportation and account for almost 50% of total voyage costs for typical configurations. Hence, there has developed a desire among operators and manufacturers of all classes of ships to embrace innovative ways to reduce the demand for fuels. This research investigates the fuel consumption of a standard container ship architecture based on different scenarios of operation. The approach is to first model fuel consumption from the main propulsion engines and the auxiliary engines based on standard propulsion modes, with a configuration known as a Power Take Off (PTO) system. These preliminary results are then analyzed to identify opportunities for retrofitting this configuration by utilizing the same engine combination, but augmenting the PTO system into a modernized shaft motor-generator system, or Auxiliary Power System (APS). The APS enables electrification, which can potentially decrease system fuel consumption. Lastly, the potential for these fuel savings is evaluated for multiple scales of the APS.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Fabrication of engineered M13 bacteriophages into liquid crystalline films and fibers for directional growth and encapsulation of fibroblasts

We report on a novel method to utilize genetically engineered M13 phages as functional nano building blocks that can form structurally aligned film and fiber matrices for tissue engineering scaffolds. Two- and three-dimensional directionally aligned long range ordered structures were constructed using shearing and polyionic complexation with cationic polymers. Further we have demonstrated that aligned phage-based tissue engineering materials can guide and stimulate the growth of the target fibroblasts. Our phage-based tissue engineering scaffolds can be used for providing micro and macroscopic control of cell behaviors.
Wang, X., and R. H. Tedford. 2008. Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History. Columbia University Press, New York, New York, 219 pp. ISBN 978-0-231-13528-3, price (hardbound), $29.95.

X. Wang, R. H. Tedford. 2008. Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History. Columbia University Press, New York, New York, 219 pp. ISBN 978-0-231-13528-3, price (hardbound), $29.95. With the help of illustrator Mauricio Anton, authors Xiaoming Wang and Richard H. Tedford provide an exemplary overview of canid evolution and an admirable counterpart to Alan Turner (1997) very fine felid study, The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives . The wide-ranging book delivers more than the title promises, complementing its evolutionary focus with forays into other disciplines. The result is a readable, engaging survey that is liable to be of broad interest, because it touches on such a wide range of anatomical, biogeographical, ecological, evolutionary, and, briefly, even archaeological topics. Although the prose isn't light enough reading to be accessible to a broad, nonacademic audience, it is generally clear and reader friendly, providing all the background that biologically inclined readers will need. The book contains 8 chapters, 2 appendices (1 on canid classification, the other on canid phylogeny), a glossary, ample suggestions for further reading, and an index. In addition to an opening background chapter, 1 chapter is devoted to each of 7 key topics regarding canids: evolution, diversity, anatomy and functional anatomy, hunting and social activity, evolutionary response to changing environments, biogeography …
Sentinel Butte: neutron activation analysis of White River Group chert from a primary source and artifacts from a Clovis cache in North Dakota, USA

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was used to characterize the chemical composition of chert from a primary source in western North Dakota. Known as Sentinel Butte, this source is part of the Eocene-age White River Group (WRG), a widespread geological formation on the central and northern Plains. INAA results demonstrate that it is chemically distinct from other known chert-bearing WRG. Further, analysis of three bifaces from the nearby Beach Clovis cache site demonstrates that they are made of chert from Sentinel Butte, and most likely the other 55 White River Group Silicate (WRGS) bifaces in the cache are as well. Although Clovis caches typically are dominated by materials transported hundreds of kilometers, it is argued that the advance manufacture and caching of bifaces even a short distance from a source may be a highly effective tactic to reduce gearing up time and hence search costs associated with the pursuit of mobile game at the close of the Pleistocene.
Heat transfer at high péclet number in regions of closed streamlines

Abstract An asymptotic solution is developed for the temperature distribution at high Peclet number in a doubly-connected, laminar, incompressible flow field consisting entirely of closed streamlines. It is shown that, with the exception of a thin thermal layer next to a non-isothermal surface, the temperature is constant along a streamline but that, in contrast to the analogous problem of vorticity transport, this bulk temperature distribution is in general non-uniform. It is also established that the asymptotic expression for the average Nusselt number N u does not contain explicitly the Peclet number Pe irrespective of the thermal and hydrodynamic boundary conditions, a result which is at variance with what is commonly encountered in heat transfer to external flows where, as a rule, N u increases monotonically with increasing Pe.
BLACK DEATH, A DISEASE SYENDROME OF PENAEID SHRIMP RELATED TO A DIETARY DEFICIENCY OF ASCORBIC ACID

California brown shrimp (Penaeus californiensis) fed a diet low in or without added L-ascorbic acid, developed blackened lesions (after 6 to 8 weeks in the subcuticular tissues of the general body surface, in the walls of the esophagus, stomach and hindgut, and in the gills and gill cavity. The condition has been previously observed in tank and raceway-reared P. californiensis and P. aztecus, often in epizootic proportions, and has been named black death disease. The disease has only been observed in postlarval and juvenile shrimp fed alginate-bound artificial diets in tanks or raceways that received no sunlight and contained no plant material. Handling and other stress factors often precipitated epizootics in apparently healthy groups of shrimp. Once clinical signs of the disease became apparent, affected shrimp ceased feeding, and death usually followed within 24 to 72 hours. Opportunistic bacteria such as Vibrio spp. and Pseudomonas spp. often, But. not always, produced a terminal septicemia in affected shrimp. Mortalities of 1 to 5% per day due to this disease were observed on several occasions in tank and raceway-reared P. californiensis in 1974 and 1975 at Puerto Penasco, Mexico. Histopathology showed the blackened lesions to be, composed of masses of hemocytes and necrotic tissue. The black pigmentation of the lesions was due to melanin deposited in areas of heavy hemocyte infiltration, particularly near the centers of developing hemocyte nodules. No parasites or bacteria could be demonstrated in the centers of these nodules.
Serial murder in England 1940-1985

Recent American work on serial murder has begun to move away from exclusive reliance on case-studies to broader and more quantitative accounts of the total phenomenon as it involves both offenders and victims. This article discusses the phenomenon of serial murder over a long period by focusing on England, where homicide of this sort is sufficiently rare to have been studied in detail. A comprehensive list of offenders also was easily constructed. Offender characteristics are discussed, to show a sharp division between serial killers whose violence was apparent in early childhood and others who seemed relatively normal until well into adulthood. The article also considers the relative success of English police and courts in handling the special problems posed by serial homicide.
Acute stroke management in the elderly.

Background and Purpose: Though the proportion of elderly stroke patients is increasing, patients >80 years are often excluded from clinical stroke trials. We reviewed the management
Polymer-supported α-Acylamino Ketones: Preparation and Application in Syntheses of 1,2,4-Trisubstituted-1H-imidazoles

Polymer-supported α-acylamino ketones were prepared from resin-bound amines, bromoketones, and carboxylic acids. Selective monoalkylation of amines by bromoketones was carried out via 4-nitrobenzenesulfonamides. There was a striking difference in the reaction outcome between 2-Nos and 4-Nos derivatives. α-Acylamino ketones were converted to imidazoles. The cyclization was performed on resin, allowing further polymer-supported elaboration of imidazoles including synthesis of bis-heterocyclic compounds. A small combinatorial array of imidazoles was synthesized. Target compounds were prepared under mild conditions using commercially available building blocks for the introduction of three points of diversity.
Electrical conductivity of pyrolyzed polyacrylonitrile

Abstract Using ultrapure samples of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) of 485,000 or 150,000 average molecular weight solution cast in dimethylformamide, the dc conductivity ([sgrave]) of pyrolyzed PAN (PANP) films has been studied for pyrolysis temperatures (Tp) of 280-435°C. Conductivity measurements made during pyrolysis indicate the onset of a dramatic increase in [sgrave] for Tp of 390-435°C. Conductivities as high as 5 (ohm-cm)−1 have been observed for Tp 1 (ohm-cm)−1 were observed only for Tp > 600°C. Our results indicate that the maximum value of [sgrave] obtained is not a strong function of Tp (390°C < Tp < 435°C) or of molecular weight. However, the rate of increase of [sgrave](t) is strongly dependent on Tp in this range. After pyrolysis, repeated heating and cooling below Tp do not alter [sgrave](T). IR spectra sho...
EPOR signaling: 450 million years' history

Erythropoietin and the erythropoietin receptor have been cloned and studied in a lower vertebrate species. Key aspects of their structure and function have been evolutionarily conserved.
Supplemental Vitamin D and Calcium in the Management of African Americans With Heart Failure Having Hypovitaminosis D

Abstract Introduction A dyshomeostasis of macro- and micronutrients, including vitamin D and oxidative stress, are common pathophysiologic features in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). In African Americans (AA) with CHF, reductions in plasma 25(OH)D are of moderate-to- marked severity ( Methods Herein, a 14-week regimen: an initial 8 weeks of oral ergocalciferol (50,000 IU once weekly); followed by a 6-week maintenance phase of cholecalciferol (1400 IU daily); and a CaCO 3 (1000 mg daily) supplement given throughout was designed and tested. Fourteen AA patients having a dilated (idiopathic) cardiomyopathy with reduced ejection fraction (EF, Results Reduced 25(OH)D at entry (14.4 ± 1.3 ng/mL) was improved ( P P P P Conclusions Thus, the 14-week course of supplemental vitamin D and CaCO 3 led to healthy 25(OH)D levels in AA with heart failure having vitamin D deficiency of moderate-to-marked severity. Albeit a small patient population, the findings suggest that this regimen may attenuate the accompanying secondary hyperparathyroidism and oxidative stress and improve ventricular function.
Effectiveness and risks associated with intrapleural alteplase by means of tube thoracostomy

Background The use of fibrinolytics has been described for the treatment of complex pleural processes. This has evolved from streptokinase to urokinase to alteplase. Intrapleural fibrinolysis has added an alternative to surgical intervention in patients with complex pleural processes. This study describes the use of alteplase as an alternative to surgical intervention for these processes. Methods From December 2004 to March 2009, 118 patients required alteplase for complex pleural processes. The type of tube thoracostomy, pleural process, antithrombotic type, international normalized ratio, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, platelets, doses, and outcomes were reviewed for each patient. Complications and the need for additional interventions were evaluated. Results Patients received one to eight doses of intrapleural alteplase through a tube thoracostomy. Indications for intrapleural alteplase were empyema (n = 32; 27.1%), loculated pleural effusion (n = 44; 37.3%), hemothorax (n = 13; 11.0%), parapneumonic effusion (n = 25; 21.2%), and malignant effusion (n = 6; 5.1%). The success rate was 86.4% (102 of 118 patients). The incidence of bleeding was 8.5% (n = 10). Binary analysis did not demonstrate an increase in bleeding with abnormal coagulation variables. Of the patients with a bleeding complication, 7 required operative interventions. Twenty (16.9%) required a second tube thoracostomy for incomplete evacuation of the pleural process. Nine (7.6%) required an operative intervention for incomplete evacuation of the pleural process. Conclusions Intrapleural alteplase appears to be effective in treating complex parapneumonic processes. Systemic anticoagulation, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, international normalized ratio, and platelet count do not appear to be risk factors for bleeding complications. One or two doses of alteplase appear most successful.
Effects of a brief alcohol preventive intervention for youth attending school sports physical examinations.

This pilot study examined the feasibility and efficacy of a brief alcohol misuse preventive intervention for 178 7th-9th grade junior high school students attending sports physical examinations at three schools during the Summer of 1997. At 6-month posttest, fewer suburban intervention youth intended to use alcohol during the next 6 months (X2 = 7.01, 1 df, p =. 01), and fewer rural intervention youth used alcohol during the past 30 days (X2 = 4.65, 1 df, p =. 04), compared to control youth. When suburban and rural school samples were collapsed, intervention youth had significantly lower alcohol use on three of four measures than control subjects (p s <. 05).
Dirty Statistical Models

We provide a unified framework for the high-dimensional analysis of "superposition-structured" or "dirty" statistical models: where the model parameters are a superposition of structurally constrained parameters. We allow for any number and types of structures, and any statistical model. We consider the general class of M-estimators that minimize the sum of any loss function, and an instance of what we call a "hybrid" regularization, that is the infimal convolution of weighted regularization functions, one for each structural component. We provide corollaries showcasing our unified framework for varied statistical models such as linear regression, multiple regression and principal component analysis, over varied superposition structures.
Use of UV-C irradiation to prevent decay and maintain postharvest quality of ripe 'Tommy Atkins' mangoes

Summary Ripe mangoes ‘Tommy Atkins’ were exposed to UV-C irradiation for 10 and 20 min, prior to storage for 14 days at 5 or 20 ∞C and a shelf-life period of 7 days at 20 ∞C. UV-C-treated fruit maintained better visual appearance than unirradiated controls. UV-C irradiation for 10 min was the most eAective regime in suppressing decay symptoms and maintaining firmness during storage at 5 or 20 ∞C. Such fruit (treated with UV-C for 10 min) showed greater levels of putrescine and spermidine after cold storage than controls and those treated with UV-C for 20 min. Higher levels of sugars and lower levels of organic acids were observed in mangoes treated with UV-C for 20 min. However, the most eAective UV-C treatment (10 min) for reducing decay maintained sugar and organic acid levels similar to the controls. No UV-damage was observed on treated fruits after storage. These results indicate that UV-C irradiation could be used as an eAective and rapid method to preserve the postharvest life of ripe mangoes without adversely aAecting certain quality attributes.
Recent advances in self-expanding stents for use in the superficial femoral and popliteal arteries

Significant advances have been made in femoropopliteal stent design and clinical outcomes during the past decade. Initial randomized studies demonstrated superiority of nitinol self-expanding stents to balloon angioplasty for treatment of moderate-length superficial femoral artery stenoses. During longer-term follow-up, first generation nitinol stents were hampered by high rates of stent fracture. A number of newer nitinol stent designs have been developed with improved conformability, greater radial strength and lower rates of long-term stent fracture. These newer stent designs have demonstrated superior primary patency and decreased restenosis for the treatment of moderate-length femoropopliteal lesions relative to historical benchmarks. Recent advances in drug-eluting nitinol stents have also offered treatment options for challenging lesion subsets including very long femoropopliteal lesions and for the treatment of in-stent restenosis. This article reviews recent advances and upcoming research in nitinol self-expanding stent technology for the treatment of superficial femoral and popliteal artery stenosis.
Photothermal Refraction For Scanning Laser Microscopy

Photothermal refraction is a novel thermo-optical technique that measures absorbance from localized regions within larger samples. In this technique, a modulated pump laser beam and a coplanar continuous-wave probe laser beam cross at right angles within the sample. Absorbance of the pump laser beam generates a time-varying localized temperature rise within the sample. This heated region acts as a thermal cylindrical lens that periodically defocuses the probe beam and results in a change in the probe beam center intensity. Since the pump and probe beams interact only in their intersection volume, a localized measure of sample absorbance is produced. A high spatial resolution image of sample absorbance may be made by recording the photothermal refraction signal as the sample is scanned through the intersection of the laser beams.
Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for severe Clostridium difficile colitis

Background—Many individuals have serum antibodies against Clostridium difficile toxins. Those with an impaired antitoxin response may be susceptible to recurrent, prolonged, or severe C difficile diarrhoea and colitis. Aims—To examine whether treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin might be effective in patients with severe pseudomembranous colitis unresponsive to standard antimicrobial therapy. Patients—Two patients with pseudomembranous colitis not responding to metronidazole and vancomycin were given normal pooled human immunoglobulin intravenously (200-300 mg/kg). Methods—Antibodies against C difficile toxins were measured in nine immunoglobulin preparations by ELISA and by cytotoxin neutralisation assay. Results—Both patients responded quickly as shown by resolution of diarrhoea, abdominal tenderness, and distension. All immunoglobulin preparations tested contained IgG against C difficile toxins A and B by ELISA and neutralised the cytotoxic activity of C difficile toxins in vitro at IgG concentrations of 0.4-1.6 mg/ml. Conclusion—Passive immunotherapy with intravenous immunoglobulin may be a useful addition to antibiotic therapy for severe, refractory C difficile colitis. IgG antitoxin is present in standard immunoglobulin preparations and C difficile toxin neutralising activity is evident at IgG concentrations which are readily achieved in the serum by intravenous immunoglobulin administration. Keywords: Clostridium difficile; toxin; diarrhoea; IgG; immunotherapy; antibiotic
The Slope of the RR Lyrae Variables \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefault{OT2} \normalfont \selectfont} \DeclareTextFontCommand{\textcyr}{\cyr} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} \landscape $M_{v},f$ \end{document} [Fe/H] Relation

We discuss the slope of the RR Lyrae variables Mv,[Fe/H] relation by two independent methods. We show that the slope is 0.32 if Baade-Wesselink Mv values are used only for stars with [Fe/H] > -1.5. Because the metal abundances of the variables are constant or nearly so for a large range of periods (the Oosterhoff I variables with log P values in the range –0.29 to –0.215), a flat section in the Mv,[Fe/H] relation is produced that tends to reduce the slope if stars with log [Fe/H] < -1.5 are included in the solution. An analysis of data on RR Lyrae stars in the Galactic bulge yields a slope of ~0.31.
Some evidence that continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion for type I diabetes improves glycaemic control compared with multiple daily injections, but few trials have compared CSII with MDI using newer insulin analogues

Commentary on: E Cummins, P Royle, A Snaith, et al.. Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion for diabetes: systematic review and economic evaluation. Health Technol Assess2010;14:iii–iv, xi–xvi, 1–181.
Free Theorems and Runtime Type Representations

Reynolds's abstraction theorem [John C. Reynolds. Types, abstraction and parametric polymorphism. In Information Processing '83, pages 513-523. North-Holland, 1983. Proceedings of the IFIP 9th World Computer Congress], often referred to as the parametricity theorem, can be used to derive properties about functional programs solely from their types. Unfortunately, in the presence of runtime type analysis, the abstraction properties of polymorphic programs are no longer valid. However, runtime type analysis can be implemented with term-level representations of types, as in the @l"R language of Crary et al. [Karl Crary, Stephanie Weirich, and Greg Morrisett. Intensional polymorphism in type erasure semantics. Journal of Functional Programming, 12(6):567-600, November 2002], where case analysis on these runtime representations introduces type refinement. In this paper, we show that representation-based analysis is consistent with type abstraction by extending the abstraction theorem to such a language. We also discuss the ''free theorems'' that result. This work provides a foundation for the more general problem of extending the abstraction theorem to languages with generalized algebraic datatypes (gadts).
The Impact of Father Absence on Daughter Sexual Development and Behaviors Implications for Professional Counselors

Our study investigated the relationship among daughters from father-absent homes, daughters’ age of menarche, and daughters’ first sexual intercourse. This study was conducted as a paper-and-pencil...
Dynamic perspectives on social characteristics and sustainability in online community networks

Online community networks can help organizations improve collaboration. However, in spite of their potential value, there has been little empirical research into two important network factors that determine their success: social characteristics of users and changes in operations that result from network evolution. Our research addresses these deficiencies by using a cultural framework. Derived from anthropology, it extends previous system dynamics research on online community networks. The framework acts as a lens, enabling a better understanding of the effects that changes in these factors bring to online community networks. Using data collected from Wikipedia for model calibration, our findings suggest that, contrary to conventional wisdom, removing policies that focus on building group commitment does not lower performance. The results also show that online networks need structural control, otherwise their attractiveness, credibility and, subsequently, content value might all decrease. To ensure sustainability the network must be monitored, especially during the early stages of its evolution, so that rules and regulations that ensure value and validity can be selectively employed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A recursive aggregation method for the computation of electromagnetic scattering by randomly distributed particles

We develop a new algorithm to expedite the matrix-vector multiplication in using the conjugate gradient method to solve the linear algebraic equation of scattering by a cluster of particles. We compare this method of solving the scattering problem with two other methods. One is our previously developed method, called recursive aggregate T-matrix method. The second one is the direct use of the conjugate gradient method. Our new method is shown to have reduced computational complexity as well as memory requirement compared to the use of the conjugate gradient directly to solve the linear algebraic equation of scattering. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Thymic epithelial cells as a diagnostic pitfall in the fine‐needle aspiration diagnosis of primary mediastinal lymphoma

The cytologic diagnosis of primary mediastinal lesions is challenging due to the large number of lesions which may arise (i.e., lymphoma, thymoma, germ cell tumor), often with overlapping cytomorphologic features. We present an instructive case of primary mediastinal non-Hodgkin's large-cell lymphoma with sclerosis, entrapping thymic epithelium. Preoperative fine-needle aspiration yielded predominantly epithelial fragments and few lymphoid cells, leading to the cytologic misdiagnosis of thymoma. The entity of primary mediastinal large-cell lymphoma (LCL) is discussed and correlated with the cytologic features seen. In addition, histologic sections from 15 additional cases of primary mediastinal LCL were evaluated to determine the frequency with which significant numbers of epithelial fragments may be observed. Diagn. Cytopathol. 16:460–465, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Profile-driven instruction level parallel scheduling with application to super blocks

Code scheduling to exploit instruction level parallelism (ILP) is a critical problem in compiler optimization research in light of the increased use of long-instruction-word machines. Unfortunately optimum scheduling is computationally intractable, and one must resort to carefully crafted heuristics in practice. If the scope of application of a scheduling heuristic is limited to basic blocks, considerable performance loss may be incurred at block boundaries. To overcome this obstacle, basic blocks can be coalesced across branches to form larger regions such as super blocks. In the literature, these regions are typically scheduled using algorithms that are either oblivious to profile information (under the assumption that the process of forming the region has fully utilized the profile information), or use the profile information as an addendum to classical scheduling techniques. We believe that even for the simple case of linear code regions such as super blocks, additional performance improvement can be gained by utilizing the profile information in scheduling as well. We propose a general paradigm for converting any profile-insensitive list scheduler to a profile-sensitive scheduler. Our technique is developed via a theoretical analysis of a simplified abstract model of the general problem of profile-driven scheduling over any acyclic code region, yielding a scoring measure for ranking branch instructions.
Self-Rated Health and Morbidity Onset Among Late Midlife U.S. Adults

Self-rated health (SRH), one of the most widely used survey measures of health, has been shown in numerous studies to be a strong and consistent predictor of mortality (Benyamini & Idler, 1999; DeSalvo, Bloser, Reynolds, He, & Muntner, 2006; Idler & Angel, 1990; Idler & Benyamini, 1997; Kaplan & Camacho, 1983; Mossey & Shapiro, 1982; Shadbolt, Barresi, & Craft, 2002; Walker, Maxwell, Hogan, & Ebly, 2004; Wolinsky & Johnson, 1992). Net of sociodemographic characteristics, multiple health risk factors (i.e., morbidity status, hospitalization, functional health, etc.), and physician-evaluated measures, most studies have found SRH to be a significant predictor of mortality (Idler & Benyamini, 1997). More recently, researchers have turned their attention to the predictive ability of SRH on other health outcomes. Although more limited than the research on SRH and mortality, studies in the United States and internationally have produced evidence that SRH is also a significant predictor of functional health declines (Idler & Benyamini, 1997; Idler & Kasl, 1995; Idler, Russell, & Davis, 2000; Lee, 2000; Martinez, Kasl, Gill, & Barry, 2010). The relationship between SRH and incident morbidity has also been explored, albeit on a much smaller scale. The small number of studies that have examined whether SRH predicts subsequent morbidity onset have produced equivocal results. The purpose of the study is to determine whether SRH predicts subsequent morbidity in a large, representative sample of U.S. middle-aged adults. We examine the effect of SRH on both a global measure of incident morbidity as well as incidence of six major chronic conditions among those with no previously diagnosed chronic diseases. Our intention is to describe the relationship between SRH and incident morbidity more thoroughly than has previously been undertaken. We believe that this study extends our understanding of the relationship between perceived and physical health in several important directions. Although there is considerable evidence linking SRH to subsequent declines in functional health and mortality, the evidence linking SRH to incident chronic disease is thin. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the extent to which SRH predicts the onset of chronic disease using data from a large, nationally representative study. By including multiple measures of chronic disease (six major chronic conditions and a global measure of chronic disease), we undertake the most comprehensive and systematic examination of the relationship between SRH and subsequent chronic disease to date. Previous studies have shown that SRH is linked to subsequent changes in physical health such as declines in physical functioning and mortality. Our research expands the connection between SRH and physical health to include chronic disease. Moreover, our research suggests that the relationship between SRH and physical health outcomes is evident in midlife as well as at older ages.
The growth of brown trout Salmo trutta L. in northern Scottish lochs with special reference to the improvement of fisheries

This paper is based on the investigation of 173 lochs in Scotland from which a total of over 4700 brown trout were examined. Twenty-four of the lochs, all in northern Scotland, and their trout populations, were selected for detailed comparison in an attempt to identify environmental factors that might affect the growth rate of trout. The lochs probably represented the full range of main standing water habitats in the region-ranging from a saline loch in the Outer Hebrides to one in a sub-arctic environment high on the Cairngorm plateau in the Central Highlands. The study indicates that for practical purposes the growth rate of trout is negatively correlated with population density. Some suggestions for improving brown trout lochs, based on the findings of this paper, are included.
Pyrimethamine Impairs Host Resistance to Infection with Listeria monocytogenes in BALB/c Mice

Abstract Increased mortality has been observed when HIV-infected patients were treated with pyrimethamine (Pyr) as prophylaxis for toxoplasmic encephalitis, suggesting that Pyr might possess immunosuppressive activity. To analyze this in an animal model, immune function was assessed in BALB/c mice using a battery of in vivo and ex vivo assays and an in vivo model of host resistance to Listeria monocytogenes infection. Treatment for 30 days with 60 mg/kg Pyr decreased circulating white blood cell and lymphocyte counts but not neutrophil, red blood cell, or platelet counts or hemoglobin levels. Splenic B cell percentages and lipopolysaccharide-induced B cell proliferation decreased significantly after treatment with 60 mg/kg Pyr, as did levels of anti-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) IgM in serum 7 days after immunization with KLH. Anti-KLH IgG levels 14 days after immunization were not affected. Percentages of splenic T cells and macrophages and T cell proliferation in the presence of concanavalin A or allogeneic cells were not decreased by Pyr treatment. An ex vivo assay of T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity was also unaffected. When host resistance to L. monocytogenes infection was assessed, dramatic increases in mortality were observed in Pyr-treated compared to control mice. Increased numbers of L. monocytogenes organisms were observed in liver and spleen of Pyr-treated mice, compared to controls. The reduction in Listeria resistance, which is T cell mediated, contrasts with the fact that no significant changes in T-cell-mediated immunity were observed. It is possible that Pyr affects parameters of innate immunity, which were not monitored in this study.
Acute and Lingering Impairments in Post-concussion Postural Control

The fourth International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport reports that 80–90 % of concussions recover in 7–10 days. Impairments in postural control are a cardinal symptom following a sports-related concussion; however, many studies suggest that these impairments resolve within 3–5 days post-injury. Multiple recent studies, utilizing diverse and sophisticated research paradigms, are suggesting that this may be premature and that prolonged recovery could be normal. Therefore, the overarching purpose of the studies reported herein is to investigate impairments in postural control following a concussion and to identify recovery. We investigated the efficacy of “non-novel” tasks including gait initiation, gait variability, gait termination, and static stance and track the individual’s performance across time to identify residual impairments compared to performance on the standard clinical assessment battery. In the acute aftermath of a concussion, the subjects demonstrated substantial impairments in postural control across all tasks which are consistent with a multiple previous investigations. However, the novel findings were the identification of persistent and lingering impairments in postural control which were present despite apparent full recovery on all clinical measures. Specifically, the impairments were more apparent when evaluating central control mechanisms (e.g., movement strategies and anticipatory postural adjustments) as standard kinematic variables returned to premorbid values in a timelier manner. These results suggest that individuals may be returning to sports participation prior to complete concussion recovery and could be a mechanism for the high recurrent concussion rate as well as recent speculation associating concussions and other sports-related injuries.
SLAPPing Patent Trolls: What Anti-trolling Legislation Can Learn from the Anti-SLAPP Movement

In the last eighteen months, a wave of new state legislation has been passed, aimed at curbing bad faith patent assertions. To the extent that this “antitrolling” legislation seeks to detect and deter frivolous claims, it has much in common with the anti-SLAPP movement. This paper examines the new state laws using lessons learned from the anti-SLAPP movement and investigates the scope of the problem of bad faith patent assertions, ultimately concluding that federal patent reform legislation is needed and should be modeled on certain aspects of anti-SLAPP statutes. In chief, federal law should provide an expedited, special motion to dismiss bad faith infringement suits, based on factors that are tailored to help courts identify frivolous patent assertions early on, with a stay of discovery and other procedural safeguards to reduce the up-front costs of defending against a baseless claim. Drawing on the innovative tools developed in the new state anti-trolling statutes and recently proposed federal bills to formulate the necessary tests, this paper proposes a workable new procedure that would provide comprehensive federal protection against nuisance patent suits without over-burdening access to courts for meritorious claims.
The Central Importance of Impact Liability in Achieving Social Justice

A talk given at a conference on the Supreme Court's 2014-2015 Term at Boston College, focusing on Texas Dept. of Housing & Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., and the central importance of disparate impact liability in housing and employment discrimination litigation.
How to Decide Whether to Run One More Cycle in Efficient Global Optimization

The use of Surrogate-based optimization has become increasingly prevalent in the design of engineering systems. When using these optimization algorithms a major problem has been the choice of an adequate stopping criterion. The traditional goal of stopping criteria has been convergence to the optimum. But this is not very practical when each cycle (iteration) is very expensive and convergence is slow. In this paper we propose a stopping criterion to be used when continuing with one more cycle is justified only if it yields at least a specified improvement in the objective function. We develop this criterion for a variant of the Efficient Global Optimization (EGO) that maximizes the probability of improving the objective beyond a target, and where this target is adaptively set. The EGO with adaptive target (EGO-AT) is particularly suited for such a criterion, because it automatically estimates two important ingredients for the decision: What is a reasonable target for improvement in the next cycle, and what is the probability of achieving that target. The effectiveness of this stopping criterion is demonstrated for three analytic examples. For these examples it is shown that it is possible to combine the two ingredients in such a way that it leads to the correct decision about 70% of the time.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE USE OF TOOLS BY FEEDING ANIMALS.

The purpose of this paper is to examine cases of tool-using behavior by animals feeding under natural conditions and to discuss the origin, transmission, and subsequent evolution of this behavior. Hall's important paper (1963) on this subject dealt largely with weapon using by animal species. Van Lawick-Goodall's broad ranging review (1970) is devoted entirely to birds and mammals with heavy emphasis on the chimpanzee. I wish to focus attention on feeding tools and to examine these cases from an evolutionary perspective. In addition, I plan to explore the significance of tool-using behavior by lower animals for an understanding of the evolution of this trait by humans. Hall's central purpose was to debunk the idea that all examples of tool-using are in some way homologous. He was especially successful in demonstrating the illogic of the belief that because humans are intelligent, adaptable tool-users therefore other species which happen to use tools must also possess special intelligence and adaptability. However, Hall, perhaps in reaction to the many ludicrously anthropomorphic misconceptions surrounding the topic, argues that non-human tool-using behavior is virtually irrelevant for an understanding of human evolution. I hope to make a modest case for the opposite position.
Iterative Learning From Novice Human Demonstrations for Output Tracking

This paper studies human-guided iterative learning control for output-trajectory tracking tasks when the controller does not have direct access to the desired output and needs to infer it from human demonstrations. The main challenge is to develop such demonstration-based learning in situations where the novice human user might not be able to achieve precision tracking. The major contribution of this study is an inversion-based approach to infer the human intent and use it to design the input update for improving the output tracking. Additionally, conditions are developed for convergence of the proposed iterative output-tracking control for linear time-invariant systems. The proposed scheme is illustrated with a human-in-the-loop tracking experiment with nine human subjects. Results for each of the subjects show that the proposed human-guided learning scheme allows the machine to learn from the demonstrations and capture most of the human effort (about 90%). Moreover, the proposed approach achieves greater tracking precision (about 60% reduction in the average error) than what was achieved by the human alone.