cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structural and functional properties of IL-4delta2, an alternative splice variant of human IL-4.

Structural and functional properties of recombinant IL-4δ2, a naturally occurring splice variant of human IL-4 with a deletion of the loop region 22−37, have been analyzed. IL-4δ2 has α-helical structure and most likely preserves the “up−up−down−down” topology typical of the four-helix-bundle cytokines. IL-4δ2 interacts specifically with the α chain of IL-4R and competes effectively with IL-4 for the common binding sites. Thus, IL-4δ2 may act as a regulator of the cytokine net, being the natural antagonist of IL-4. Keywords: interleukin 4 • interleukine receptor • splice variant • cytokine • four-helix-bundle cytokine
Nature of the spin-glass state in the three-dimensional gauge glass

We present results from simulations of the gauge-glass model in three dimensions using the parallel tempering Monte Carlo technique. Critical fluctuations should not affect the data since we equilibrate down to low temperatures, for moderate sizes. Our results are qualitatively consistent with earlier work on the three- and four-dimensional Edwards-Anderson Ising spin glass. We find that large-scale excitations cost only a finite amount of energy in the thermodynamic limit and that those excitations have a surface whose fractal dimension is less than the space dimension, consistent with a scenario proposed by Krzakala and Martin, and Palassini and Young.
WE-D-332-08: Experimental Demonstration of Simultaneous High Spatial and High Temporal Resolution Using Prior Image Constrained Compressed Sensing (PICCS) for Gated CT Reconstruction

Purpose: Recently an extension to compressed sensing theory has been proposed in which a prior image is used to constrain the reconstruction process. This new algorithm may be applied to gated CT acquisitions where a fully sampled ‘blurred’ image is used as the prior image to constrain imagesreconstructed at each phase. Our hypothesis is that the PICCS algorithm can accurately track moving objects throughout a given cyclic motion profile. The purpose of this study is to experimentally verify this hypothesis. Method and Materials: The PICCS algorithm was implemented on a clinical C‐arm system (GE Innova 4100). A phantom was constructed using human bones to simulate a realistic background of ribs and vertebrae. A 3 mm plastic rod was scanned along a one dimensional motion profile. The motion profile had a period of 0.8sec with a resting phase of 0.2 sec, and an amplitude of 8 mm. 420 cone‐beam projections were acquired using a 14 second data acquisition time over 210 degrees. PICCS reconstructed was applied to the gated data such that 25 phases were reconstructed.Results: The center of mass of the moving rod was calculated based on the reconstructed images and agrees well with the programmed motion profile for all points in the simulated motion profile. Intensity plots are given comparing the gated PICCS reconstruction to the standard filtered backprojection algorithm. The PICCS reconstruction results also faithfully depict the width of the moving objects. When the width of the gating window in the PICCS algorithm is increased the width of the reconstructed moving object increases. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that for moving objects PICCS has the ability to reconstructimages with simultaneous high spatial resolution and temporal resolution via gated reconstruction. PICCS has the potential to improve reconstruction for gated acquisitions such as cardiac and lungimaging.
Targeted deletion of Wwox reveals a tumor suppressor function.

The WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) spans the second most common fragile site of the human genome, FRA16D, located at 16q23, and its expression is altered in several types of human cancer. We have previously shown that restoration of WWOX expression in cancer cells suppresses tumorigenicity. To investigate WWOX tumor suppressor function in vivo, we generated mice carrying a targeted deletion of the Wwox gene and monitored incidence of tumor formation. Osteosarcomas in juvenile Wwox−/− and lung papillary carcinoma in adult Wwox+/− mice occurred spontaneously. In addition, Wwox+/− mice develop significantly more ethyl nitrosourea-induced lung tumors and lymphomas in comparison to wild-type littermate mice. Intriguingly, these tumors still express Wwox protein, suggesting haploinsuffiency of WWOX itself is cancer predisposing. These results indicate that WWOX is a bona fide tumor suppressor.
Maternal corneal thickness during pregnancy.

We measured central corneal thickness in 89 pregnant women. It was increased 16 μm (P = .01) compared to the control eyes of 18 nongravid and 17 postpartum women. There was no significant difference (P = .79) in corneal thickness between the nongravid and postpartum groups. When comparing subjects by week of gestation, there was no trend over time in corneal thickness (analysis by linear regression). Intraocular pressure was lowered during pregnancy, but it did not correlate with corneal thickness for either the pregnant or nonpregnant group.
An Achievable Rate Region for Joint Compression and Dispersive Information Routing for Networks

This paper considers the problem of minimum cost communication of correlated sources over a network with multi- ple sinks, which consists of distributed source coding followed by routing. We introduce a new routing paradigm called dispersive information routing (DIR), wherein the intermediate nodes are allowed to split a packet and forward subsets of the received bits on each of the forward paths. This paradigm opens up a rich class of research problems, which focus on the interplay between encoding and routing in a network. Unlike conventional routing methods such as in (1), DIR ensures that each sink receives just the information needed to reconstruct the sources it is required to reproduce. We demonstrate using simple examples that the proposed approach offers better asymptotic performance than conventional routing techniques. We show that, under certain assumptions on the cost function, the problem of finding the minimum cost under DIR essentially reduces to characterizing an achievable rate region for a new multiterminal information theoretic setup. While it is possible to derive an achievable region for this setup using prior results from general multiterminal source coding (3), these techniques do not exploit the underlying problem structure and thereby lead to suboptimal regions. In this paper, we propose a new coding scheme, using principles from multiple descriptions encoding (2), and show that it strictly improves upon a corresponding variant of coding scheme in (3). We further show that the new coding scheme achieves the complete rate region for certain special cases of the general setup and thereby achieves the minimum communication cost under this routing paradigm.
Bilinguals' creativity and syntactic theory: evidence for emerging grammar

ABSTRACT: This paper focuses on a code-mixed variety of English and Hindi, termed ‘Filmi English’, which has received little attention from scholars interested in nonnative varieties of English. In addition to extending the empirical scope of Indian English, the study aims at achieving the following two goals: first, to examine the formal and functional aspects of Filmi English, and second, to examine the adequacy of the transformational-generative and government-binding models of bilingual code-mixing proposed by Woolford [Linguistic Inquiry, 14, 520–536 (1983)] and Di Sciullo et al. [Journal of Linguistics, 12, 1–24 (1986)]. This paper calls for a reexamination of the conclusion arrived at by previous investigators that code-mixing yields no hybrid rules; therefore, no new grammar is born. It is argued that in at least one case—that of the Filmi English in South Asia—it is necessary to countenance the possibility that a third system specific to the mixed variety may arise. To achieve these goals a quantitative analysis of a corpus of more than 2000 intrasentential code-mixed sentences drawn from a film magazine, Stardust, is performed.
Initiation of anaemia management in patients with chronic kidney disease not on dialysis in the Veterans Health Administration

Background. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are frequently used to treat anaemia of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the dialysis setting; however, few data are available regarding factors influencing initiation of ESAs and other therapies in non-dialysis patients. Methods. A retrospective cohort study of Veterans Health Administration data from 2003 to 2005 for 89 585 patients identified as having CKD and anaemia based on two outpatient estimated glomerular filtration rates <60 ml/min/ 1.73 m 2 and at least one outpatient haemoglobin (Hb) <11 g/dL. Hb levels, patient demographics, clinical and provider characteristics and procedures predicted ESA treatment initiation over 1 year of follow-up. Multivariable logistic and pooled logistic survival models identified predictors of ESA initiation. Results. Overall, 6381 subjects (7.1%) initiated ESAs within 1 year of the index Hb; initiation was more common (8.6%) for patients with Hb <10 g/dL. Iron therapy use varied by initial Hb levels (27.6% to 52.4%) as did transfusions (12.5% to 42.8%); each was more common at lower Hb levels. Hbs rose to above 11 g/dL for 25-50% of patients in the absence of any treatment or by transfusion/iron therapy. Factors predicting time to ESA initiation included: nephrologist [odds ratio (OR = 2.3)] or haematologist care (OR = 2.2) and iron therapy (OR = 1.6). Transfusions increased for patients with increasing follow-up time. Conclusion. Iron therapy is more common than ESA treatment in patients with CKD and Hbs <11 g/dL in the VA. Correction of anaemia in the absence of any ESA treatment was common at higher Hbs levels, but much less so when Hb levels fell below 10 g/dL.
Opinion & Special Articles: A guide from fellowship to faculty: Nietzsche and the academic neurologist

The role of the physician scientist in biomedical research is increasingly threatened. Despite a clear role in clinical advances in translational medicine, the percentage of physicians engaged in research has steadily declined. Several programmatic efforts have been initiated to address this problem by providing time and financial resources to the motivated resident or fellow. However, this decline in physician scientists is due not only to a lack of time and resources but also a reflection of the uncertain path in moving from residency or postdoctoral training toward junior faculty. This article is a practical guide to the milestones and barriers to successful faculty achievement after residency or fellowship training.
From 'Madonna' to 'Whore': Sexuality, pregnancy, and popular culture

Pregnant bodies are often perceived to be sites of reproductive beauty in American popular culture; however, the intersection of pregnancy and sexuality elicits reactions ranging from cultural disgust to fetishization. Using Foucauldian discourse theory, I look at how cultural ambivalence about pregnant women who have sex manifests in varied popular culture texts. Ambivalence, I argue, appears through the medicalization of pregnant sexuality (asexualizing), compulsory heterosexuality and pregnancy pornography (hypersexualizing). I also include feminist responses that disrupt the asexual/hypersexual binary.
Identification of Critical Factor Sets for Close range Engagements in Urban Operations

The dynamic and asymmetric environment of today's battlefield and the proliferation of technologically advanced equipment at the soldier level have increased the need for more accurate and higher-fidelity modeling of the individual soldier in combat Traditionally, the focus of the combat modeling community has been on large-scale battlefield platforms and unit-level analyses. Consequently, the representation of the individual soldier on the battlefield has not kept pace with other representations. These Infantry soldier models require unprecedented fidelity in terms of the Infantry soldier entity, his behavioral and decision processes, and his environment. In order to enable the modeling community to more accurately represent the individual soldier in combat simulations in a timely and cost-effective manner, it has become important to first identify and develop the critical factors and functions that have the greatest impacts on soldier lethality, survivability, and combat effectiveness in close range (0-50 m), team sized engagements. We used the systems decision process (SDP) to identify these critical factors and recommend to our client the order in which they should be addressed by the modeling community. Our application of standard systems engineering tools led to a unique characterization of the factors considered most critical for the accurate representation of individual soldiers in close range engagements. The result will be an ordered set of factors that will help to focus the efforts of the modeling community and ensure the more timely and cost effective integration of soldier behavioral and decision-making aspects into combat simulations. Our paper will discuss the problem background and methodology we applied to find critical factors that will enhance the modeling and accurate representation of the individual soldier in a close combat situation.
What MIT Should Have Done

The launch of MITx and similar online initiatives has sparked heated discussion on the future of higher education. In this article, Dan Butin offers an alternative perspective on the limits and possibilities of such MOOCs for teaching and learning in the college classroom.
Reasoning about system-level failure behavior from large sets of function-based simulations

This paper presents the use of data clustering methods applied to the analysis results of a design-stage, functional failure reasoning tool. A system simulation using qualitative descriptions of component behaviors and a functional reasoning tool are used to identify the functional impact of a large set of potential single and multiple fault scenarios. The impact of each scenario is collected as the set of categorical function “health” states for each component-level function in the system. This data represents the space of potential system states. The clustering and statistical tools presented in this paper are used to identify patterns in this system state space. These patterns reflect the underlying emergent failure behavior of the system. Specifically, two data analysis tools are presented and compared. First, a modified k-means clustering algorithm is used with a distance metric of functional effect similarity. Second, a statistical approach known as latent class analysis is used to find an underlying probability model of potential system failure states. These tools are used to reason about how the system responds to complex fault scenarios and assists in identifying potential design changes for fault mitigation. As computational power increases, the ability to reason with large sets of data becomes as critical as the analysis methods used to collect that data. The goal of this work is to provide complex system designers with a means of using early design simulation data to identify and mitigate potential emergent failure behavior.
Nonflammable cellulosic substrates by application of novel radiation-curable flame retardant monomers derived from cyclotriphosphazene

Three novel phosphorus-based flame retardant monomers were successfully prepared by reacting 1-(acryloyloxy)-3-(methacryloyloxy)-2-propanol (AHM) with hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 31P-NMR and 2D 1H-31P NMR correlation experiments. With the aid of a photoinitiator and a UV flood curing system, these monomers were cured onto cellulosic substrates to generate flame retardant coatings. An experiment was designed through SAS JMP® Pro 10 to investigate the influences of monomer concentration, photoinitiator concentration and UV exposure time on coating yield. All three monomers formed coatings under UV conditions in the presence of the photoinitiator that were durable to extraction. Burn testing showed that a loading of only 15 % of these monomers was required to prevent the substrates from combusting in the horizontal, 45° and vertical orientations. The regions of the fabric that were exposed to the flame were converted to char; a characteristic of flame retardant chemicals that function through the condensed phased. The ability of these monomers to encourage the formation of non-flammable char was further revealed by thermogravimetric analysis. Treated fabrics gave significantly elevated char yields at 600 °C. Finally, the grafted polymeric layers that were produced on the substrates were observed using scanning electron microscopy.
Returns to scale in producing human capital from schooling

This study examines a crucial assumption in much of the recent work on endogenousgrowth, namely, constant returns to scale in producing human capital. A simple modelis constructed to show that the returns to scale in human capital production can beinferred from the relationship between the wage rate and years of schooling. A largeinternational micro dataset is used to estimate this relationship. The empirical evidenceindicates that human capital production displays signiﬁcant increasing returns at lowlevels of educational attainment, and signiﬁcant decreasing returns at high levels ofeducational attainment.
Effects of obesity on sex steroid metabolism.

In a study designed to compare plasma androgens in obese, anovulatory women with non-obese, ovulatory women, we found a statistically significant increase in plasma androtenedione and tesotosterone in obese, anovulatory women. Plasma androstenedione was 252 ± 18 ng/dl (X ± SEM in the obese women compared with 173 ± 9 ng/dl in the non-obese ovulatory women (p < 0.001). Plasma testosterone was 66 ± 5.7 ng/dl (X ± SEM) in the obese women compared with 41 ± 3.0 ng/dl in the non-obese ovulatory women (p < 0.001). Androstenedione and testosterone are the substrates for estrone and estradiol-17β production. Menstrual disorders associated with obesity are largely due to estrogen excess. From the findings of this study we suggest that androgen excess in obesity results in subsequent tonic estrogen production and estrogen excess.
Vibrational Characteristics of Genetic Codons: 5 $'$ -GGX-3 $'$ and 5 $'$ -XGG-3 $'$ ( ${\rm X} = {\rm A}, {\rm C}$ , and T)

A theoretical study of the vibrational characteristics of six DNA codons (i.e., at the sequence forms 5' -GGX-3' and 5' -XGG-3'; X = A, C, and T) in gas phase is presented. The simulation results show that the spectra of the codons in the near infrared regime can be classified into five semi-distinct spectral sub-regimes, namely: two end regions and one region that separates the two sequence identifier regions with features that arise primarily from coupling between the GG bases and other bases (T, C, and A). This study reveals a number of phenomenological trends that have scientific relevance to spectroscopic characterization of DNA molecules. For example, spectra in the high-frequency end-regions arise primarily from vibrational modes associated with the O-H bonds at the 5 ' end or 3 ' end of the codons and the spectra in the low-frequency end-regions are formed primarily by the vibrational modes of the backbone. Conversely, in the lower-frequency side, the sequence-identifier region is composed of the C-H bond stretch vibrations in the planes of the corresponding DNA bases, and in the higher-frequency side, sequence-identifier region is composed of the N-H bond stretch vibrations in the planes of the corresponding DNA bases. In addition, the sequence-identifier dividing region almost exclusively contains vibrational modes due to coupling between the G nucleotides and other bases. As will be shown, all the vibrational modes in sequence identifier regions are localized at the corresponding DNA bases and exhibit a definable dependence on the sequence form of the codons under study.
Rapid DNA Library Construction for Functional Genomic and Metagenomic Screening

A rapid protocol was developed for constructing plasmid libraries from small quantities of genomic/metagenomic DNA. The technique utilizes linker amplification with topoisomerase cloning and allows for inducible transcription in Escherichia coli. As proof of principle, several anti-Bacillus lysins were cloned from bacteriophage genomes and an aerolysin was cloned from a metagenomic sample.
Enhancing Reflection Skills Through Learning Portfolios: An Empirical Test:

This article reports the findings of an empirical study of the effectiveness of portfolios as learning tools in a sample of MBAs. The results showed that portfolio use was positively related to reflection, defined here as the conscious awareness and questioning of personal experience, a search for alternative explanations and interpretations, and identification of areas for improvement. The positive relationship between portfolio use and improved reflection remained significant irrespective of students’ entering GMAT, gender, work status, and age. But the strength of the relationship between portfolio use and reflection score declined with increasing GPA. Age, gender, GPA, and work status did influence students’ willingness to voluntarily participate in the portfolio program. The study provides one of the first systematic tests of the usefulness of portfolios as learning tools. Given the effort and cost of their implementation, this is an important contribution. The implications of the study for schools c...
Compression of Optimal Value Functions for Markov Decision Processes

Summary form only given. A Markov decision process (MDP) is defined by a state space, action space, transition model, and reward model. The objective is to maximize accumulation of reward over time. Solutions can be found through dynamic programming, which generally involves discretization, resulting in significant memory and computational requirements. Although computer clusters can be used to solve large problems, many applications require that solutions be executed on less capable hardware. We explored a general method for compressing solutions in a way that preserves fast random-access lookups. The method was applied to an MDP for an aircraft collision avoidance system. In our problem, S consists of aircraft positions and velocities and A consists of resolution advisories provided by the collision avoidance system, with S > 1.5 x 106, and A = 10. The solution to an MDP can be represented by an |S| x |A| matrix specifying Q*(s,a), the expected return of the optimal strategy from s after executing action a. Since, on average, only 6.6 actions are available from every state in our problem, it is more efficient to use a sparse representation consisting of an array of the permissible values of Q*, organized into into variable-length blocks with one block per state. An index provides offsets into this Q* array corresponding to the block boundaries, and an action array lists the actions available from each state. The values for Q* are stored using a 32-bit floating point representation, resulting in 534 MB for the three arrays associated with the sparse representation. Our method first converts to a 16-bit half-precision representation, sorts the state-action values within each block, adjusts the action array appropriately, and then removes redundant blocks. Although LZMA has a better compression ratio, it does not support real-time random access decompression. The behavior of the proposed method was demonstrated in simulation with negligible impact on safety and operational performance metrics. Although this compression methodology was demonstrated on related MDPs with similar compression ratios, further work will apply this technique to other domains.
The Controversy Over Credit Checks in Selection Using Public Discourse to Gain Insight Into Divergent Beliefs, Concerns, and Experiences

The proportion of U.S. employers who consider applicants’ credit reports has increased sharply over the past decade, precipitating controversy and legislative efforts to restrict this practice. Credit checks differ in many ways from commonly studied selection tests, and little is known about how they are perceived. Here an analysis of almost 1,500 online responses to four different media reports reveals the complexity of issues underlying attitudes toward credit checks. Findings demonstrate the utility of a novel methodological approach for exploring the opinions and experiences of a broad sample of people with a variety of perspectives on a poorly understood hiring practice. Discourse reflected some established themes in applicant reactions theory and also concerns about broader societal consequences. Underlying divergent attitudes toward credit checks were sharp disagreements about individual control and about how employers actually implement credit checks and evaluate reports. Implications for expandin...
Impacts of biodiesel feedstock and additives on criteria emissions from a heavy-duty engine

The reduction of emissions from diesel engines has been a key element in obtaining air quality and greenhouse gas reduction goals. Biodiesel is an important alternative fuel for diesel applications, but there is a tendency for biodiesel to increase nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, which remains an issue in nonattainment areas. This study investigated the effect of using low blend level biodiesel fuels and fuel additives on emissions. Emissions from three B5 biodiesel fuels and six B20-soybean oil methyl ester (SME) with additive blends were evaluated as potential biodiesel formulations for California. B5-SME and B5-waste cooking oil methyl ester (WCOME) both showed measurable increases in NOx emissions, while a B5-animal fat methyl ester (AFME) showed a slight reduction or no change in NOx emissions compared to the CARB diesel. The B5-AFME blend also passed the criteria of the CARB diesel emissions equivalent certification test. Of the additives tested, only one provided reductions in NOx emissions for the B20-SME blends, but the reductions were not enough to pass the CARB diesel emissions equivalent certification test at the B20 level. Biodiesel blends generally showed either reductions or no significant changes in particulate matter (PM), total hydrocarbon (THC), and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions.
Narrative Impressions of Literature: The Availability Bias and the Corrective Properties of Meta-Analytic Approaches

Participants (N = 280) reviewed 20 fictional research summaries of studies examining the relation between similarity and attraction. Although there were some inconsistencies across the fictional studies, there was a positive relation overall (d = 0.2). The authors manipulated the salience of the titles and the serial order in which the studies were presented without changing the results of the studies themselves. Participants recalled the salient titles better than the nonsalient titles. Participants who were given very brief training in meta-analytic techniques gave estimates of the similarity-attraction relation that were close to the actual magnitudes. Participants who were not given such training (narrative reviewers) were influenced by the salience manipulation and gave estimates that were biased toward the studies that had salient titles. Although the salience manipulation influenced participants in the meta-analytic and narrative groups equally, memory mediated the effects of salience on estimates ...
Zenet: generating and enforcing real-time temporal invariants

Generating correct specifications for real-time event-driven software systems is difficult and time-consuming. Even when such specifications have been created, they are often used to guide development rather than state properties guaranteed by the actual system. We propose a specification generator that reads execution traces and can generate invariants with real-time constraints. That specification can also offer programmers the ability to repair violated invariants at runtime. Creating fault-tolerant systems in this manner would provide software engineers guarantees about the software's high-level operation and its ability to recover from errors.
Conductor extrusion in a persistent left superior vena cava.

A 55-year-old man with a persistent left and an absent right superior vena cava (SVC) underwent an atraumatic left-sided implantation via a large left cephalic vein of a dual-chamber implantable-cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) with a 7.8F Biotronik 75/18 (Linox SD) active fixation ICD lead in 2008. In 2011, during coronary angiography prior to planned upgrade to a biventricular device, high-voltage conductors were observed outside of the expected lead envelope on fluoroscopy ( Figure 1A ). There was …
New materials and structures for photovoltaics

Despite the fact that over the years crystal chemists have discovered numerous semiconducting substances, and that modern epitaxial growth techniques are able to produce many novel atomic-scale architectures, current electronic and opto-electronic technologies are based but on a handful of ∼10 traditional semiconductor core materials. This paper surveys a number of yet-unexploited classes of semiconductors, pointing to the much-needed research in screening, growing, and characterizing promising members of these classes. In light of the unmanageably large number of a-priori possibilities, we emphasize the role that structural chemistry and modern computer-aided design must play in screening potentially important candidates. The basic classes of materials discussed here include nontraditional alloys, such as non-isovalent and heterostructural semiconductors, materials at reduced dimensionality, including superlattices, zeolite-caged nanostructures and organic semiconductors, spontaneously ordered alloys, interstitial semiconductors, filled tetrahedral structures, ordered vacancy compounds, and compounds based on d and f electron elements. A collaborative effort among material predictor, material grower, and material characterizer holds the promise for a successful identification of new and exciting systems.
Cu2+-Citrate Dimer Complexes in Aqueous Solutions

The UV-Vis spectra, speciation diagrams, and potentiometric profiles for Cu 2+ -citrate complexesin aqueous solutions are presented. As the pH increases from 2.29 to 5.15, the UV-Vis spectral profile of the Cu 2+ -citrate complexes showed a blue shift from 820 nm to 760 nm. We have set the conditions to construct the speciation diagram as follow: Cu 2+ :citric acid was in 1:1 ratio with concentration of 1.0 x 10 -4 mol.L -1 , 0.1023 mol.L -1 NaOH solution, and pKw = 13.781 ± 0.006 taken from Sweeton, Mesmer, and Baes. The current report is the first potentiometric study that has taken into accounts two Cu-Cit dimeric species to be refined simultaneously. These spectroscopic and potentiometric data are discussed which augment what had been reported in the literature.
Privacy preferences and classroom seat selection

The relationship between privacy preferences and the location of selected seats in a classroom was investigated. Subjects were 17 men and 34 women in an undergraduate psychology class. The location of the seat selected in a rectangular classroom was described according to depth: front, middle, and back. Privacy preferences were measured using Marshalls (1974) Privacy Preference Scale. Those who opted to sit in the back were significantly higher on the Not Neighboring and Seclusion scales.
Low Cost Alternative to Motion Capture Systems for Indoor Flight Testing Using On-board Computer Vision

Currently, flight testing of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) outdoors is heavily restricted and obtaining a certificate of authorization from the FAA is quite cumbersome, and indoor flight testing can be cost prohibitive because of the relatively high expense of motion capture systems. An alternative solution was developed and tested in which an on-board camera is used to provide the absolute position of the vehicle in an indoor environment for significantly less cost than any commercial motion capture system. For this system, an on-board camera is attached to the underside of a UAS and is used tracks markers that are placed on the surface below the UAS in a known pattern. Using the camera and developed software, the UAS can gather absolute positioning information by measuring its position relative to the markers. One of the discussed configurations of the system can be implemented for $119.99 on nearly any UAS capable of lifting a 0.26 kg payload. Flight test verification was performed in which the inexpensive positioning system was compared with a commercial motion capture system. Results demonstrate the camera system is capable of providing high accuracy at a fraction of the cost of other systems.
A Concept Analysis of Alcoholic Denial and Cultural Accounts

Accounts are statements offered by individuals when explaining questionable behavior.Cultures vary in the kinds of accounts they honor, and individuals who deny a problem with alcohol may be attempting to maintain congruence between self and culture. Within this context, health care professionals who challenge a patient's denial may be causing unnecessary harm. The author presents a concept analysis of alcoholic denial in relation to the concept of accounts to explicate cultural variations in the manifestation of denial. The author integrates findings of her own and others' research to advance an understanding of alcoholic denial and cultural accounts.
Cobalt Catalysts Decorated with Platinum Atoms Supported on Barium Zirconate Provide Enhanced Activity and Selectivity for CO2 Methanation

A perovskite-structured barium zirconate, BaZrO3 (BZ), support is demonstrated to enhance the activity, relative to γ-Al2O3, of Co nanoparticle catalysts decorated with Pt for CO2 methanation. The CO2 methanation reaction may play a central role in both CO2 utilization and energy storage strategies for renewable energy. These catalysts require cooperative hydrogen transport between the supported Pt and Co species to provide the desired functionality, as CO2 preferentially dissociates on Co with H2 dissociating primarily on Pt. In this work, this interaction is enhanced through an atomic decoration of Pt on the Co nanoparticle surface. This morphology is achieved through immobilization of colloidal Pt particles on the Co/BaZrO3 support followed by selected catalyst pretreatment conditions to atomically disperse the Pt. Furthermore, at the same loading of Co and Pt (1 and 0.2 wt %, respectively), the barium zirconate support provides a more than 6-fold increase in CH4 formation rate in comparison to previously studied γ-Al2O3 supports at 325 °C. This was accompanied by a CH4 selectivity of over 70%, which was maintained over the measured temperature range of 250–350 °C; in fact, the selectivity was 80% at 325 °C, in comparison to only 43% for γ-Al2O3 support. This enhancement is attributed to a strong interaction between the Co particles and the BaZrO3 support. Yttria doping at 5 and 30 atom % levels on the zirconia site led to a reduction of the catalytic performance relative to BaZrO3, although the activity displayed at low levels of substitution was still higher than that over the γ-Al2O3 support.
The art and problems of tale-telling

The Pilgrims' stunned reaction to the Prioress's tale is conveyed in a brief passage that preserves the rhyme-royal stanza of the tale, as if the Prioress's voice were still reverberating in the air. To such a performance there can be no response, and it is fitting that the pilgrim narrator's own tale of Sir Thopas, which follows, is as close as the poem attains to sheer comic relief. The change of tone also marks a broad shift of emphasis. The earlier tales have tended to be dominated by the characters of their tellers. Now the emphasis will be on the nature and effect of the tale itself. Rather than providing surrogates for their narrators, the protagonists of the later tales tend to be broadly comic (Sir Thopas, Chauntecleer), or radically exemplary (Melibee, Cecilie, the Monk's tragic heroes). The techniques and resources of tale-telling become a major concern, inviting us to review and reflect on the diverse strategies of earlier and more ambitious tellers. The impulse to self-criticism is very strong in Chaucer's poetry, and nowhere more strikingly so than in the paired tales he assigns to his pilgrim narrator. Sir Thopas , in its vacillating movement, its contamination of the idealism of romance with bourgeois vanity and churlish violence, and the haplessness of its narrator in the face of its self-proliferating plot, is a parodic distillation of certain features of the Canterbury Tales as a whole.
Theory of distribution of dielectric relaxation times in dipolar crystals

The dielectric relaxation times associated with a single-axis polar rotator which may occupy several sites as it turns about its axis were calculated in terms of the probabilities of transition from one site to another. Two special cases were considered in detail; (a) that in which all of the sites are equivalent, and (b) that in which one site was stable with respect to the others. It was assumed that the only important elementary process was a rotational jump to an adjacent site (single-jump hypothesis). Fluctuations of barrier height were ignored.
An Analysis of Clinical Trials of Mediator-Specific Anti-Inflammatory Agents

Clinical sepsis trials of anti-inflammatory agents failed to show the marked beneficial effects found in animal models of sepsis. Within sepsis trials, six different types of non-glucocorticoid mediator-specific anti-inflammatory agents have been given to patients, including monoclonal antibodies against tumor necrosis factor (TNF), soluble TNF receptors, interleukin-1 receptor antagonists, bradykinin antagonists, platelet-activating factor receptor antagonists, and prostaglandin antagonists. None of the individual clinical trials of these 6 agents showed a significant benefit of inhibiting inflammation during sepsis. When the individual trials were analyzed as classes of mediator-specific therapies, none of the six classes had a significant treatment effect. However, when we examined the six groups together, the odds ratio for treatment effect for the six agents is remarkably similar (p = 0.64). Combining these six agents there is a small beneficial treatment effect of these agents on survival rate (odds ratio 1.10; 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.20; p = 0.023). This small but significant reduction in mortality rate suggests that the anti-inflammatory approach to sepsis is potentially beneficial. However, given the relatively modest treatment effect of these agents, we must either find more effective agents, or do the necessary preclinical research to better understand why these agents as studied in human sepsis have such small beneficial effects compared to animal models of sepsis.
Progressive medial temporal lobe atrophy during preclinical Alzheimer's disease

This study examined whether longitudinal MRI trajectories in medial temporal lobe (MTL) brain regions differed among groups of cognitively normal individuals defined by their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels when they were first enrolled (N = 207; mean clinical follow-up = 13.3 years (max = 20 years), mean MRI follow-up = 2.4 years (max = 8 years)). We first compared atrophy rates among groups defined by CSF amyloid and phosphorylated-tau (p-tau) vs. CSF amyloid and total tau (t-tau). We also examined whether, in the presence of amyloid or tau/p-tau, the atrophy rates differed based on whether the subjects ultimately progressed to a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as well as whether apolipoprotein e4 (Apoe4) status had an impact on the longitudinal MRI trajectories. The primary finding was that when the groups were defined using CSF amyloid and p-tau, individuals with low levels of CSF amyloid and high levels of CSF p-tau (referred to as Stage 2) showed a significantly greater rate of atrophy in a composite measure of MTL volumes compared to groups defined by evidence of abnormal CSF levels in only one of the brain proteins (but not both), or no evidence of CSF abnormality. In contrast, there were no differences in rate of MTL atrophy when the groups were defined by levels of CSF amyloid and t-tau (instead of p-tau). Additionally, the rate of MTL atrophy did not differ between subjects who progressed to MCI at follow-up vs. those who remained cognitively normal when CSF levels of amyloid, t-tau, or p-tau were covaried. Lastly, the presence of an APOE e4 genotype did not modulate the degree of MTL atrophy once baseline levels of CSF amyloid, p-tau or t-tau were accounted for. These results suggest that abnormal levels of CSF amyloid and CSF p-tau (but not t-tau) maximize the likelihood of observing significant MTL atrophy over time among individuals with normal cognition at baseline, and emphasize the importance of differentiating biomarkers that primarily reflect neurofibrillary tangle pathology (CSF p-tau) compared with biomarkers of neuronal injury (CSF t-tau).
A novel 3-dimensional electromagnetic guidance system increases intraoperative microwave antenna placement accuracy.

Abstract Background Failure to locate lesions and accurately place microwave antennas can lead to incomplete tumor ablation. The Emprint™ SX Ablation Platform employs real-time 3D-electromagnetic spatial antenna tracking to generate intraoperative laparoscopic antenna guidance. We sought to determine whether Emprint™ SX affected time/accuracy of antenna-placement in a laparoscopic training model. Methods Targets (7–10 mm) were set in agar within a laparoscopic training device. Novices (no surgical experience), intermediates (surgical residents), and experts (HPB-surgeons) were asked to locate and hit targets using a MWA antenna (10-ultrasound only, 10-Emprint™ SX). Time to locate target, number of attempts to hit the target, first-time hit rate, and time from initiating antenna advance to hitting the target were measured. Results Participants located 100% of targets using ultrasound, with experts taking significantly less time than novices and intermediates. Using ultrasound only, successful hit-rates were 70% for novices and 90% for intermediates and experts. Using Emprint™ SX, successful hit rates for all 3-groups were 100%, with significantly increased first-time hit-rates and reduced time required to hit targets compared to ultrasound only. Discussion Emprint™ SX significantly improved accuracy and speed of antenna-placement independent of experience, and was particularly beneficial for novice users.
Methods for meta‐analysis of multiple traits using GWAS summary statistics

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for complex diseases have focused primarily on single-trait analyses for disease status and disease-related quantitative traits. For example, GWAS on risk factors for coronary artery disease analyze genetic associations of plasma lipids such as total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides (TGs) separately. However, traits are often correlated and a joint analysis may yield increased statistical power for association over multiple univariate analyses. Recently several multivariate methods have been proposed that require individual-level data. Here, we develop metaUSAT (where USAT is unified score-based association test), a novel unified association test of a single genetic variant with multiple traits that uses only summary statistics from existing GWAS. Although the existing methods either perform well when most correlated traits are affected by the genetic variant in the same direction or are powerful when only a few of the correlated traits are associated, metaUSAT is designed to be robust to the association structure of correlated traits. metaUSAT does not require individual-level data and can test genetic associations of categorical and/or continuous traits. One can also use metaUSAT to analyze a single trait over multiple studies, appropriately accounting for overlapping samples, if any. metaUSAT provides an approximate asymptotic P-value for association and is computationally efficient for implementation at a genome-wide level. Simulation experiments show that metaUSAT maintains proper type-I error at low error levels. It has similar and sometimes greater power to detect association across a wide array of scenarios compared to existing methods, which are usually powerful for some specific association scenarios only. When applied to plasma lipids summary data from the METSIM and the T2D-GENES studies, metaUSAT detected genome-wide significant loci beyond the ones identified by univariate analyses. Evidence from larger studies suggest that the variants additionally detected by our test are, indeed, associated with lipid levels in humans. In summary, metaUSAT can provide novel insights into the genetic architecture of a common disease or traits.
Outcomes and Resource Use Among Overweight and Obese Children With Sepsis in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Objective:To evaluate the effect of overweight and obesity on outcomes and resource use among patients with sepsis in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).Design:Retrospective analysis of clini...
A statewide elder mistreatment virtual assessment program: preliminary data

Objectives To describe the Texas Elder Abuse and Mistreatment Institute Forensic Assessment Center Network (TEAM‐FACN), a novel statewide elder mistreatment (EM) virtual assessment program using low‐cost videophone technology and innovative web‐based coordination to connect an Adult Protective Services (APS) agency and its clients, rural and urban, to a centralized geriatric and EM expert medical team for virtual in‐home assessments. Design Descriptive. Setting Community. Participants APS clients aged 18 and older. Intervention Virtual and in‐home assessments. Measurements Program use and type of services provided. Results In the first 8 months, 300 APS clients from all regions of the state were referred for assessment. Outcomes realized include a quadrupling in number of client assessments. TEAM‐FACN physicians provided an average of 2 services, which included 216 mental health assessments, with 123 conducted virtually; 42 medical assessments; 45 guardianship filings; 5 employee misconduct registry reviews; and more than 230 interdisciplinary team meetings to discuss case findings, safety plans, and medical and social interventions. Conclusion TEAM‐FACN provides an innovative and viable way to increase access of urban and rural older and adults who are being mistreated to expert geriatric and EM protective service assessments. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:151–155, 2019.
Patient-Specific Pose Estimation in Clinical Environments

Reliable posture labels in hospital environments can augment research studies on neural correlates to natural behaviors and clinical applications that monitor patient activity. However, many existing pose estimation frameworks are not calibrated for these unpredictable settings. In this paper, we propose a semi-automated approach for improving upper-body pose estimation in noisy clinical environments, whereby we adapt and build around an existing joint tracking framework to improve its robustness to environmental uncertainties. The proposed framework uses subject-specific convolutional neural network models trained on a subset of a patient’s RGB video recording chosen to maximize the feature variance of each joint. Furthermore, by compensating for scene lighting changes and by refining the predicted joint trajectories through a Kalman filter with fitted noise parameters, the extended system yields more consistent and accurate posture annotations when compared with the two state-of-the-art generalized pose tracking algorithms for three hospital patients recorded in two research clinics.