cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Weeping Time: Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American History

In 1859, at the largest recorded slave auction in American history, over 400 men, women, and children were sold by the Butler Plantation estates. This book is one of the first to analyze the operation of this auction and trace the lives of slaves before, during, and after their sale. Immersing herself in the personal papers of the Butlers, accounts from journalists that witnessed the auction, genealogical records, and oral histories, Anne C. Bailey weaves together a narrative that brings the auction to life. Demonstrating the resilience of African American families, she includes interviews from the living descendants of slaves sold on the auction block, showing how the memories of slavery have shaped people's lives today. Using the auction as the focal point, The Weeping Time is a compelling and nuanced narrative of one of the most pivotal eras in American history, and how its legacy persists today.
A novel soft-output decoding method for integer space-time block codes

The current use of algebraic space-time block codes (STBC) such as Golden Codes and Integer Codes (ICs) in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems is limited by the decoders' lack of ability to produce log-likelihood ratios (LLRs) for compatibility with the state-of-art soft-input forward error correction codes (FEC). In this paper, we show that ICs can be described as a linear combination of constituent bit information, which enables the use of a novel look-up table based unequal antenna constellation detector in conjunction with the efficient, soft-output, single-tree search Schnorr-Euchner sphere decoder (STS-SESD) to achieve soft-bit performance at the receiver.
Variability of stroke patients meeting endovascular stroke trial criteria in a non-clinical trial setting.

Abstract Background Five randomized trials proving the efficacy and safety of mechanical embolectomy for ischemic stroke within 8 hours used differing radiological methods to select patients. We aimed to evaluate the proportion of patients in clinical practice that would meet radiological criteria for inclusion in these trials. Methods Retrospective study of ischemic stroke patients at a large academic medical center who were considered for endovascular stroke therapy based on confirmed intracranial large vessel occlusion from April 2010–November 2014. All patients underwent computed tomography (CT) perfusion and CT angiogram. Results Of 119 patients, median age was 69 years (IQR 57–79) and median NIHSS 18 (IQR 14–21). Most patients had ASPECTS ≥ 6 (n = 105, 88.2%). All 119 patients met radiological criteria for MR CLEAN while 105 (88.2%) met criteria for SWIFT-PRIME, 96 (80.7%) for REVASCAT, 80/116 (69.0%) for EXTEND-IA, and 74 (62.2%) for ESCAPE. About half (n = 58,48.7%) were treated with IV rtPA and 66 (56%) underwent endovascular therapy. Any intracranial hemorrhage was more common in patients undergoing endovascular therapy than in those who were not (36% vs. 17%, P = 0.034). The frequency of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) did not significantly differ between these groups (6% vs. 4%, P = 0.691). Conclusions The proportion of patients with acute stroke and large vessel occlusion presenting within 8 hours that would meet radiological criteria for endovascular stroke trials varies considerably (62–100%) in a cohort outside of clinical trials from an academic comprehensive stroke center. Thus, the radiological criteria used for candidate selection in daily practice will greatly influence the proportion of patients treated with endovascular therapy.
An ethical decalogue for the reintroduction of species to urban habitats

Reintroduction of species to their former habitats -after they have been built upon- will become more important as urbanization increases worldwide, but it should follow ethical guidelines. Here I propose ten guidelines that exclude species that threaten human life, health and property; protect organisms from significant suffering; provides them with proper habitat and assistance; includes experimental protocols, and is based on information gathered according to scientific standards
A nonconstraining templated powder grid for measurement of strain

A method was developed and validated for mounting grid patterns with pitches on the order of tens to hundreds of micrometres onto specimens for the purposes of mechanical characterisation and fracture analysis. The method uses a low stiffness, low‐toughness photopolymer to create a textured pattern of pillars on the sample, and the spaces between these pillars are then filled in with an opaque powder to provide optical contrast. This type of grid is desirable both because of its relatively quick preparation time and because of its minimal influence on the mechanical properties of the sample. The method for mounting this powder‐based grid onto samples is discussed. Then, the accuracy of this new type of grid is validated against current state‐of‐the‐art epoxy‐mounted lithography grids as well as digitally fabricated sinusoidal grids using synthetic digital manipulation. Finally, the experimental performance of the powder‐based grid is assessed in both uniaxial tension on a poly(methyl methacrylate) specimen with a stress concentrator and fracture of stereolithographically printed photopolymer specimens. Synthetic testing shows that the powder grids are of comparable accuracy to lithography grids, but additional processing variability leads to strain errors of about 3% in powder grids compared with the 2.1% seen in lithography grids. In experiments, the powder‐based grids produce deformation patterns comparable with those expected from analytical results, and fracture toughness values for homogeneous stereolithographically printed specimens are uniform and consistent with expected values.
A story of adolescence: the emergence of other-sex relationships.

The articles in this special issue tell a story of adolescence--a remarkably consistent and coherent story. It is a story of the emergence of other-sex relationships of the change from the predominantly same-sex peer networks of preadolescents to the networks of adolescents containing several new forms of other-sex relationships. These papers highlight the richness of these relationships and the individual dyadic and contextual factors that influence and are influenced by the emergence of these relationships in the adolescent social arena. It is a story that is only now being told by social scientists and one to which these papers contribute substantially. In our commentary we summarize our rendition of this story highlight the key themes in these papers and point out the chapters that remain to be written in this story of adolescent other-sex relationships. (excerpt)
Control of chaos in nonlinear dynamical systems

CHAOTIC regimes of nonlinear dynamical systems are becoming more and more important as we find new applications. When we are interested in designing the operation of a dynamical system so as to avoid its chaotic regimes, we must know in advance the ranges of parameters for which the system's response will be chaotic.
Gender and patient complaints: are they related?

BACKGROUND Several studies suggest that the gender of patients and their healthcare providers affects overall patient satisfaction. AIMS We sought to determine whether the gender of patients or providers was associated with the number of complaints filed by patients against providers. METHODS In this case-controlled study, complaints from a health maintenance organisation were analysed for gender disparity during a 12-month period. RESULTS The odds ratio for patients' female gender to be associated with complaints was 3.10 (95% confidence interval 1.73-5.55, P<0.001). Women were also more likely than men to cite providers' behaviour as the cause of complaints. No significant associations were noted between the number of complaints and a complainant's age, diagnosis of chronic pain or psychiatric illness, or with the provider's gender, age or length of employment in the organisation. The heterogeneity of gender effect demonstrated in the literature suggests that this effect is likely to be unique to the different practice settings. CONCLUSION Evaluating the presence of this phenomenon in the different practice settings is recommended, to improve patient satisfaction and subsequently the quality of care.
Whiteness and Cultural Theory: Perspectives on Research and Education

With the influx of whiteness literature into the cultural studies scene, this essay attempts to locate four major trends or lines of thought within a diverse body of work. Further, the impact of this research on education is considered in order to determine how whiteness studies might inform multicultural education initiatives. Ultimately, the essay is designed to provide a conceptual frame that organizes this research while arguing that whiteness is of premier concern to educators in the efforts to promote diversity, equality, and social justice in education.
Correction to: JAK Inhibitors for Atopic Dermatitis: An Update

Page 7, Table 1, ASN002 row. The cell entry in column 4, “Manufacturer”, which previously read:
Hospitalization Outcomes for Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Teaching vs Nonteaching Hospitals.

BACKGROUND Hospitalizations contribute significantly to the annual health care expenditure for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and reducing cost of care without compromising outcomes is a rising priority. Teaching hospitals (THs) have higher costs and utilize trainees in care to a greater extent than community hospitals, and it is unknown how hospital teaching status (HTS) affects outcomes. We therefore sought to investigate the impact of HTS on IBD hospitalization outcomes. METHODS We used the Vizient clinical database to identify patients hospitalized between October 1, 2014, and March 31, 2018, for IBD. Vizient hospitals were divided into major THs, minor THs, and non-THs. We used multivariable linear regression of aggregated discharge data to assess the association of HTS with mean length of stay (LOS), mean direct cost (DC), 30-day readmission rate (RR), and in-hospital mortality rate (MR), while adjusting for demographics and disease complexity. RESULTS Vizient included 29,863 discharges among 291 hospitals for ulcerative colitis (UC) and 62,698 discharges among 314 hospitals for Crohn's disease (CD) between October 1, 2014, and March 31, 2018. Unadjusted mean LOS, mean DC, and 30-day RR were greater among THs for both UC and CD. Unadjusted MR was greater among major THs for UC but not CD. After multivariable analysis, only 30-day RR for UC was increased in major THs relative to non-THs (1.98%; 95% confidence interval, 0.33%-3.61%). CONCLUSIONS Differences in metrics of cost-effective hospital care for patients with IBD appear to be driven by disease severity rather than HTS. Future research should attempt to better characterize factors driving resource utilization for IBD hospitalizations.
Phospholipid Component Defines Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Properties of Synthetic High-Density Lipoproteins

Synthetic high-density lipoprotein (sHDL) nanoparticles composed of apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptide and phospholipids have been shown to reduce atherosclerosis in animal models. Cholesterol is mobilized from atheroma macrophages by sHDL into the blood compartment and delivered to the liver for elimination. Historically, sHDL drug discovery efforts were focused on optimizing peptide sequences for interaction with cholesterol cellular transporters rather than understanding how both sHDL components, peptide and lipid, influence its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles. We designed two sets of sHDL having either identical phospholipid but variable peptide sequences with different plasma stability or identical peptide and phospholipids with variable fatty acid chain length and saturation. We found that sHDL prepared with proteolytically stable 22A-P peptide had 2-fold longer circulation half-time relative to the less stable 22A peptide. Yet, longer half-life did not translate into any improvement in cholesterol mobilization. In contrast, sHDL with variable phospholipid compositions showed significant differences in phospholipid PK, with distearoyl phosphatidylcholine-based sHDL demonstrating the longest half-life of 6.0 hours relative to 1.0 hour for palmitoyl-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine-based sHDL. This increase in half-life corresponded to an approx. 6.5-fold increase in the area under the curve for the mobilized cholesterol. Therefore, the phospholipid component in sHDL plays a major role in cholesterol mobilization in vivo and should not be overlooked in the design of future sHDL. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The phospholipid composition in sHDL plays a critical role in determining half-life and cholesterol mobilization in vivo.
Rapid degeneration of neurons in the penumbra region following a small, focal ischemic stroke.

Ischemic stroke causes immediate cell death within the infarct core, whereas cells in the surrounding penumbra region are damaged but can be salvaged. Rapid restoration of blood flow can rescue these cells in the first few hours post-stroke. It remains unclear how long cells within the penumbra region can survive. To address this, we compared the acute cellular response within the ischemic core versus the penumbra region following an Endothelin-1-induced focal ischemic stroke in mice. We used vascular labelling to distinguish the three regions of blood perfusion: the non-perfused core; the hypo-perfused penumbra; and the perfused region. Within 4 hr post-stroke ~80% of neurons died in the non-perfused core, while 40% of neurons died in the hypo-perfused region. From 4 to 24 hr post-stroke, surviving neurons within the hypo-perfused region underwent extensive dendritic and axonal degeneration. Breakdown of the blood brain barrier, microglia activation, monocyte/neutrophil infiltration and astrogliosis, however, was not observed until 24 hr post-stroke. The cellular response within the hypo-perfused region was distinct from the non-perfused core. The core was comprised primarily of infiltrating peripheral monocytes and leukocytes, whereas the hypo-perfused region contained activated microglia and astrocytes. This study shows that small, localized ischemic strokes exhibit altered breakdown of the BBB in comparison with larger strokes. Furthermore, the massive degeneration of neuronal processes within the penumbra region suggests that the timeline to salvage surviving neurons is limited. In summary, the findings from this study reinforce the urgent need for therapeutic strategies targeting the acute hours post-stroke.
Right Temporoparietal Junction Involvement in Autonomic Responses to the Suffering of Others: A Preliminary Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

Functional neuroimaging studies have emphasized distinct networks for social cognition and affective aspects of empathy. However, studies have not considered whether substrates of social cognition, such as the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ), play a role in affective responses to complex empathy-related stimuli. Here, we used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to test whether the right TPJ contributes to psychophysiological responses to another person's emotional suffering. We used a theory of mind functional localizer and image-guided TMS to target the sub-region of the right TPJ implicated in social cognition, and measured autonomic and subjective responses to an empathy induction video. We found evidence that TMS applied at 1 Hz over the right TPJ increased withdrawal of parasympathetic nervous system activity during the empathy induction (n = 32), but did not affect sympathetic nervous system activity (n = 27). Participants who received TMS over the right TPJ also reported feeling more irritation and annoyance, and were less likely to report feeling compassion over and above empathic sadness, than participants who received TMS over the vertex (N = 34). This study provides preliminary evidence for the role of right TPJ functioning in empathy-related psychophysiological and affective responding, potentially blurring the distinction between neural regions specific to social cognition vs. affective aspects of empathy.
Minimal Competencies: A Position Paper.

One of the major trends in elementary and secondary educationin America today is the back-to-basics movement. Many advocates of backto-basics argue for more emphasis on the three Rs, less emphasis on the socializing functions of the school, fewer child-centered curricula, and less social promotion. Accountability is usually closely associated with this movement. Thus, it is natural to find the notion of minimal competency surfacing as an important issue in mathematics education. After all, mathematics is one of the three Rs; and accountability suggests that students be able to perform
Physical Unclonable Function and Hashing Are All You Need to Mutually Authenticate IoT Devices.

Internet of Things (IoT) has become the driving force in modern day technology with an increasing and rapid urge to create an intelligent, efficient, and connected world. IoT is used in manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, education, healthcare and many other business environments as well as home automation. Authentication for IoT devices is essential because many of these devices establish communication with servers through public networks. A rigorous lightweight device authentication scheme is needed to secure its physical hardware from cloning or side-channel attacks and accommodate the limited storage and computational power of IoT devices in an efficient manner. In this paper, we introduce a lightweight mutual two-factor authentication mechanism where an IoT device and the server authenticate each other. The proposed mechanism exploits Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) and a hashing algorithm with the purpose of achieving a secure authentication and session key agreement between the IoT device and the server. We conduct a type of formal analysis to validate the protocol’s security. We also validate that the proposed authentication mechanism is secure against different types of attack scenarios and highly efficient in terms of memory storage, server capacity, and energy consumption with its low complexity cost and low communication overhead. In this sense, the proposed authentication mechanism is very appealing and suitable for resource-constrained and security-critical environments.
Monitoring Networks with Insightful Queries

Monitoring networks requires efficiently detecting abnormal events and summarizing connection information in big volumes of packet-level data. Some of these tasks can be accomplished with network and operating system utilities, but questions should be relatively simple and data pre-processing should be kept at a minimum. Another requirement is to be able to process data, both in a centralized and decentralized manner given the dynamic nature of TCP-IP packet flow. On the other hand, database systems can answer complex questions phrased as queries, provided data is in the right format and is quickly loaded. Having such motivation in mind, we propose to monitor a network with queries, running on a traditional DBMS (i.e. not a custom-built system programmed in C or C++). Thus, queries can be processed in a central manner in a traditional database server or in a distributed fashion with edge computing. A brief experimental evaluation shows queries can indeed be used to monitor the network with low latency and reasonable delay.
SICS: Secure and Dynamic Middlebox Outsourcing

There is an increasing trend that enterprises outsource their middlebox processing to a cloud for lower cost and easier management. However, outsourcing middleboxes brings threats to the enterprise’s private information, including the traffic and rules of middleboxes, all of which are visible within the cloud. Existing solutions for secure middlebox outsourcing either incur significant performance overhead or do not support incremental updates. In this article, we present a secure and dynamic middlebox outsourcing framework, SICS, short for Secure In-Cloud Service. SICS encrypts each packet header and uses a label for in-cloud rule matching, which enables the cloud to perform its functionalities correctly with minimum header information leakage. Evaluation results show that SICS achieves higher throughput, faster construction and update speed, and lower resource overhead at the enterprise and in the cloud when compared with existing solutions.
Customer behavioural analysis: The impact of internet addiction, interpersonal competencies and service orientation on customers’ online complaint behaviour

Customers share their service experiences on social media. However, prior research has not investigated the role of customers’ traits on their complaining behaviour. This study focuses on a hospita...
Reverse Mortgage and Senior Property Tax Relief

Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) loans experience high rates of property tax default (IFE, 2016; CFPB, 2012). Given tax burden is predictive of default (Moulton, et. al., 2015), it is important for HECM participants to take advantage of available property tax relief programs. To examine participation in property tax relief programs we match loan-level HECM origination records with local administrative tax records for properties in Chicago, IL. We find that nearly 40 percent of eligible HECM borrowers do not participate in a senior tax relief program for which they meet all eligibility requirements. Further, we find that senior tax relief participation is associated with a reduced probability of property tax default of 60 percent.
Hybrid Double Perovskite Containing Helium: [He2][CaZr]F6

Perovskites are of great technological and geological importance, in large part, due to their considerable compositional and structural flexibility. However, the formation of perovskites with neutr...
Towards Noise Robust Speech Emotion Recognition Using Dynamic Layer Customization

Robustness to environmental noise is important to creating automatic speech emotion recognition systems that are deployable in the real world. In this work, we experiment with two paradigms, one where we can anticipate noise sources that will be seen at test time and one where we cannot. In our first experiment, we assume that we have advance knowledge of the noise conditions that will be seen at test time. We show that we can use this knowledge to create "expert" feature encoders for each noise condition. If the noise condition is unchanging, data can be routed to a single encoder to improve robustness. However, if the noise source is variant, this paradigm is too restrictive. In-stead, we introduce a new approach, dynamic layer customization (DLC), that allows the data to be dynamically routed to noise-matched encoders and then recombined. Critically, this process maintains temporal order, enabling extensions for multimodal models that generally benefit from long-term context. In our second experiment, we investigate whether partial knowledge of noise seen at test time can still be used to train systems that generalize well to unseen noise conditions using state-of-the-art domain adaptation algorithms. We find that DLC enables performance increases in both cases, highlighting the utility of mixture-of-expert approaches, domain adaptation methods and DLC to noise robust automatic speech emotion recognition.
International Social Work Student Exchanges

This article identifies the goals, orientation, planning, and outcomes of international social work student exchanges. It argues that cross-cultural communication is a key skill developed by an exchange. The value base proposed includes belief in global interdependence, a willingness to scrutinize the history of student national and cultural identity, and commitment to evaluation. The knowledge base includes human rights, the history of social and economic development, and models of assessment and social justice.
Complications of laparoscopy—operative and diagnostic

Objective To assess the characteristics and rates of complications for operative laparoscopy and diagnostic laparoscopy. Design Retrospective review. Setting Tertiary-care university hospital. Patients Two thousand three hundred twenty-four patients undergoing operative laparoscopy or diagnostic laparoscopy. Interventions Operative laparoscopy including lysis of adhesions, tubal surgery, ovarian surgery, uterine surgery, or destruction of endometriosis. Main Outcome Measures Complication rates for operative and diagnostic laparoscopies were tabulated and compared. Results The overall major complication rate for this series of 2,324 laparoscopies was 0.22%. There were five major and 15 minor complications. In the operative laparoscopy group, there were more complications from Veress needle and trocar insertion (n=15) than from the actual operative procedures (n=3). There were more total complications in the operative laparoscopy group (n=18) than in the diagnostic laparoscopy group (n=3). Conclusion Operative laparoscopy is efficacious for a variety of gynecologic surgical procedures.
HWSAM: a Web-based automated homework submission system

A Web-based automated homework submission system has been developed to allow students to submit their homework across the Internet. This system is composed of three modules: a front-end GUI interface module, an online homework submission acceptance module, and a backend GUI interface module. The front-end GUI interface module includes a standard Web browser and a set of CGI programs and HTML documents to interact with the users for prompting them to submit their files. The on-line homework submission acceptance module accepts files received from students and organizes them into hierarchical directory structures based on courses, assignments, and student IDs. The back-end GUI interface is structured similarly to the front-end interface; however, it is to be used by instructors for grading purposes. All homework files submitted will be confirmed in two ways. First, it is confirmed at the time of submission by displaying a message on the screen. Second, it e-mails the filename to the submitting student for a personal record. Each file received is timestamped automatically at the time of submission by the host operating system. Files of any data type, text or binary can be submitted in the same manner. Ease of use is a major design goal for this system. For students, menus and browse windows are used to navigate the Web pages for submitting homework and checking grades received. The only typing needed is for entering in student names and IDs. For instructors, grading can be done on-line via the HTML forms, or the student files can be downloaded and then graded later.
Brain Response to Injury and Neurodegeneration

: Synaptic activity and ischemia/injury promote lipid messenger formation through phospholipase-mediated cleavage of specific phospholipids from membrane reservoirs. Lipid messengers modulate signaling cascades, contributing to development, differentiation, function (e.g., memory), protection, regeneration, and repair of neurons and overall regulation of neuronal, glial, and endothelial cell functional integrity. Oxidative stress disrupts lipid signaling and promotes lipid peroxidation and neurodegeneration. Lipid signaling at the neurovascular unit (neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia, and cells of the microvasculature) is altered in early cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative disease. We discuss how lipid signaling regulates critical events in neuronal survival. Aberrant synaptic plasticity (e.g., epileptogenesis) is highlighted to show how gene expression may drive synaptic circuitry formation in the “wrong” direction. Docosahexaenoic acid has been implicated in memory, photoreceptor cell biogenesis and function, and neuroprotection. Free docosahexaenoic acid released in the brain during experimental stroke leads to the synthesis of stereospecific messengers through oxygenation pathways. One messenger, 10,17S-docosatriene (neuroprotectin D1; NPD1), counteracts leukocyte infiltration and proinflammatory gene expression in brain ischemia-reperfusion. In retina, photoreceptor survival depends on retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell integrity. NPD1 is synthesized in RPE cells undergoing oxidative stress, potently counteracts oxidative stress-triggered apoptotic DNA damage in RPE, upregulates antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, and decreases proapoptotic Bax and Bad expression. These findings expand our understanding of how the nervous system counteracts redox disturbances, mitochondrial dysfunction, and proinflammatory conditions. The specificity and potency of NPD1 indicate a potential target for therapeutic intervention for stroke, age-related macular degeneration, spinal cord injury, and other neuroinflammatory or neurodegenerative diseases.
Bundle branch reentrant ventricular tachycardia: cumulative experience in 48 patients.

Sustained Bundle Branch Reentrant Tachycardia. introduction: The clinical, electrophysiologic features and follow-up of 48 patients with inducible bundle branch reentrant (BBR) tachycardia are presented. Methods and Results: Forty-eight patients were identified in whom a diagnosis of BBR tachycardia was made during electrophysiologic evaluation. The clinical presentation was syncope or sudden death in 38 patients, and sustained palpitations during wide QRS complex tachycardia in 5 patients. Electrophysiologic studies were performed in 5 additional patients for various other reasons. Structural heart disease was present in 45 patients. Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease were the anatomical substrates in 19 (39%) and 24 (50%) patients, respectively, severe aortic regurgitation was present in 2 patients, and no organic heart disease was identified in 3. All 48 patients had evidence of His-Purkinje system disease. BBR tachycardia with left and right bundle branch block morphologies was induced in 46 and 5 patients, respectively, and interfascicular BBR tachycardia was initiated in 2 patients. Ventricular tachycardia of a myocardial origin was induced in 11 patients. Management of BBR tachycardia included transcatheter bundle branch ablation in 28 patients, and antiarrhythmic drug therapy in 16 patients. Four patients were treated with implantablc defibrillators. After a mean follow-up of 15.8 months in 42 patients, there were 13 deaths due to congestive heart failure, 4 sudden cardiac deaths, 3 nonsudden cardiac deaths, and 3 noncardiac related deaths. Conclusion: Sustained BBR, a form of monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, is a highly malignant arrhythmia usually seen in patients with structural heart disease. Three different types of BBR tachycardia are described. If distinguished from ventricular tachycardia of a myocardial origin, catheter ablation of the right bundle branch can be easily performed and effectively eliminates BBR. During follow-up, congestive heart failure is the most common cause of death in this population.
Profile Scale-Spaces for Multiscale Image Match

We present a novel statistical image-match model for use in Bayesian segmentation, a multiscale extension of image profile models akin to those in Active Shape Models. A spherical-harmonic based 3D shape representation provides a mapping of the object boundary to the sphere S 2, and a scale-space for profiles on the sphere defines a scale-space on the object. A key feature is that profiles are not blurred across the object boundary, but only along the boundary. This profile scale-space is sampled in a coarse-to-fine fashion to produce features for the statistical image-match model. A framework for model-building and segmentation has been built, and testing and validation are in progress with a dataset of 70 segmented images of the caudate nucleus.
Secondary cancers after intensity-modulated radiotherapy, brachytherapy and radical prostatectomy for the treatment of prostate cancer: incidence and cause-specific survival outcomes according to the initial treatment intervention

UNLABELLED Study Type--Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Radiation Therapy for prostate cancer can increase the risk for the development of second cancers after treatment. This study highlights the fact that such second cancers within the pelvis do occur but are not as common as previously reported. In this report we also note that even among patients who develop second cancers, if detected earlier, the majority are alive 5 years after the diagnosis. OBJECTIVE • To report on the incidence of secondary malignancy (SM) development after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and brachytherapy (BT) for prostate cancer and to compare this with a cohort contemporaneously treated with radical prostatectomy (RP). MATERIALS AND METHODS • Between 1998 and 2001, 2658 patients with localized prostate cancer were treated with RP (n = 1348), EBRT (n = 897) or BT (n = 413). • Using the RP cohort as a control we compared the incidence of SMs, such as rectal or bladder cancers noted within the pelvis, and the incidence of extrapelvic SMs. RESULTS • The 10-year SM-free survival for the RP, BT and EBRT cohorts were 89%, 87%, and 83%, respectively (RP vs EBRT, P = 0.002; RP vs BT, P = 0.37). • The 10-year likelihoods for bladder or colorectal cancer SM development in the RP, BT and EBRT groups were 3%, 2% and 4%, respectively (P = 0.29). • Multivariate analysis of predictors for development of all SMs showed that older age (P = 0.01) and history of smoking (P < 0.001) were significant predictors for the development of a SM, while treatment intervention was not found to be a significant variable. • Among 243 patients who developed a SM, the 5-year likelihood of SM-related mortality among patients with SMs in the EBRT and BT groups was 43.7% and 15.6%, respectively, compared with 26.3% in the RP cohort; P = 0.052). CONCLUSIONS • The incidence of SM after radiotherapy was not significantly different from that after RP when adjusted for patient age and smoking history. • The incidence of bladder and rectal cancers was low for both EBRT- and BT-treated patients. • Among patients who developed a SM, the likelihood of mortality related to the SM was not significantly different among the treatment cohorts.
The process recombinator: a tool for generating new business process ideas

Abstract A critical need for many organizations in the next century will be the ability toquickly develop innovative business processes to take advantage of rapidly changingtechnologies and markets. Current process design tools and methodologies, however,are very resource-intensive and provide little support for generating (as opposed tomerely recording) new design alternatives.This paper describes the Process Recombinator, a novel tool for generating newbusiness process ideas by recombining elements from a richly structured repositoryof knowledge about business processes. The key contribution of the work is thetechnical demonstration of how such a repository can be used to automaticallygenerate a wide range of innovative process designs. We have also informallyevaluated the Process Recombinator in several field studies, which are brieflydescribed here as well.Keywords: process innovation, business process repository, BPR, business processdesign
Creating a New Paradigm in Nutrition Research within the National Cancer Institute

Almost two decades after Doll and Peto (1981) provided evidence that one third of cancer deaths are related to diet, it remains unclear which dietary components may be key in cancer prevention. Although the complexity of the diet can become overwhelming, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has remained steadfast in its commitment to defining the roles that diet and nutrition have in the development of cancer and has provided increased research and training support to assist in unraveling this interrelationship. Evidence for this sustained commitment is highlighted by a fourfold increase in NCI expenditures for nutrition research and training from 1983 to 1998; this substantial increase reflects a trend that is occurring in some universities and the private sector. More than one third of the nutrition-related NCI research is funded by the Division of Cancer Prevention. Supported investigations cover the gamut from basic mechanisms of action of dietary constituents, methodology development, human metabolic studies, clinical trials of dietary modification and the chemopreventive potential of individual nutrients to population-based studies.
Vesiculobullous Disorders (Including Dermatitis/Eczema)

The vesiculobullous disorders include rashes that occur in all age groups and all locations of the body. Consequently, the spectrum of disease presentations is very wide, although the keywords in this group are not as rich and varied or numerous as they are in the papulosquamous group.
Assay for Neural Induction in the Chick Embryo

The chick embryo is a valuable tool in the study of early embryonic development. Its transparency, accessibility and ease of manipulation, make it an ideal tool for studying the formation and initial patterning of the nervous system. This video demonstrates how to graft organizer tissue into a host, a method by which Hensen s node (the organizer in the chick embryo) is grafted to a host competent ectoderm. The organizer graft instructs overlying na ve tissue to adopt a neural fate via neural inducing signals. This mechanism is referred to as neural induction, and constitutes the initial step in the formation of brain and spinal cord in amniotes. This method is essentially used for the characterization of putative neural inducing molecules in chick. This video demonstrates the different steps in the assay for neural induction; First, the donnor embryo is explanted and pinned on a dish. Then, the host embryo is prepared for New culture. The graft is excised and transplanted to the host area pellucida margin. The host is cultured for 18-22 hrs. The assembly is fixed and processed for further applications (e.g. in situ hybridization). This method was originally devised by Waddington 1,2 and Gallera 3,4.
Sensitivity analysis of beamforming applied to coherent imaging systems

The implementation of coherent imaging system often uses beamformer as a fundamental element. The beamformer's ability to precisely steer the beam in given direction determines the resolution of the imaging system. In the conventional delay and sum type of beamformer implemented using complex weights, accuracy of the weights decide the sharpness of the beam. In an ideal scenario, the phase term of the complex weight would have infinite resolution and no deviation due to timing jitter. However, in practice there exists the phase error in the beamforming weights due to RF imperfections. We can define sensitivity of the imaging system in terms of shape of beampattern and analyze its behavior against the phase errors. In fact, this behavior has been extensively investigated with the empirical approach in the literature [1]. In this paper, we derive the analytical expression for the minimum number of antenna elements required to ensure imaging system is immune to the given phase errors. The analytical expression has been derived using two different approaches. First approach follows rigorous stochastic analysis to formulate the expression for the envelope of beamformer output while the second approach utilizes the known results to obtain the expected value of the beamformer output power.
International economic freedoms, banks and the market crisis of 2007–2009

The objective of this article is to test whether banks in highly regulated countries performed better than banks in less regulated countries during the market crisis of 2007–2009. Bank index returns from 46 countries were examined from 1 October 2007 to 3 March 2009. The analysis revealed that high levels of government and fiscal freedoms, measured by the Heritage foundation freedom rankings, resulted in higher banking index returns that were highly significant. In contrast, high levels of financial freedom from regulation resulted in lower banking index returns that were marginally significant. The results suggest that regulators must find a delicate balance between improving the regulatory structure while not increasing the government or fiscal involvement in the economy. The results also indicate that simply increasing financial regulation will not reduce or eliminate the magnitude of future market crisis as regulation was only marginally significant in explaining banking index returns during the market crises.
Isolation, characterization and complementation of Salmonella typhimurium chemotaxis mutants.

A novel technique has been developed for selecting non-chemotactic mutants of Salmonella typhimurium that are defective in transmission of information from the chemoreceptor to the flagella. This technique utilizes a preformed gradient in a vertical column of liquid medium, which separates wild types, non-motile and motile but non-chemotactic into three regions. In the first application of the technique, 71 such mutants were obtained, of which 67 exhibited smooth motility and four had unco-ordinated motility. Complementation analysis, done by abortive transduction of recombination-defective recipients, indicates that there may be as many as six genetically distinct classes of che mutants in Salmonella.
A data model and architecture for hypermedia database visualization

In this paper, a proposal is made for a data model and architecture which facilitates the use of a 3D graphical user interface to navigate and query hypermedia and database systems. Currently there exist no integrated virtual environments that combine the visual strength of 3D, with the powerful query features of databases and the navigation flexibility of hypermedia systems.A model and architecture in which hyperlinks are treated as data relationships (which can be normalized) embedded with data manipulation and programmable 3D interfaces is presented. The model is based on a combination of object oriented databases and VRML as the 3D interface.
The difference between regularity and irregularity in singular systems

In the studies of singular systems regularity is often presumed although it may not be satisfied in some real cases. Therefore, natural questions are: What is the difference between regularity and irregularity? How far can we go from regularity to irregularity in the studies of singular systems? This paper partially answers these questions. The results show that the concepts of reachability, controllability, and observability for regular systems can be easily extended to irregular cases. There is minor difference between regular and irregular singular systems. Thus the assumption of regularity is reasonable.
The Boot and the Spleen: When Was Murder Possible in British India?

Could Britons in India commit murder? More precisely, could they be prosecuted and sentenced for doing so? As these epigraphs suggest, the Raj was deeply preoccupied with elaborating minute taxonomies of violence and death. In a variety of ways, British violence toward indigenes was made an object of policy initiatives by the Government of India. Defining violence, both indigenous and foreign, was one key task of the Raj, along with clarifying the boundary between legitimate and illegitimate violence. But this boundary shifted constantly over the colonial period, and indeed, it has continued to do so ever since. Given the extensive legal violence of colonial conquest, when and why were specific acts of white violence defined as murder?
Postpartum anxiety disorders

Abstract The prevalence and clinical presentation of anxiety disorders during the postpartum period has received little attention. Though research on postpartum anxiety is increasing, there are currently few controlled studies of clinical diagnoses of anxiety disorders. This article reviews the literature as it relates to the prevalence, clinical presentation, course, and treatment of anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and social phobia during the postpartum period. Future research is necessary to better understand the etiology and course of postpartum anxiety disorders, as well and to understand the implications of such disorders upon those affected by them. Accordingly, identification of effective prevention and intervention strategies is also necessary.
Zoledronate, smoking, and obesity are strong risk factors for osteonecrosis of the jaw: a case-control study.

Purpose Bisphosphonates (BPs) effectively treat metastatic bone disease, hypercalcemia, and osteoporosis. BP exposure, however, may be associated with osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). The aim of the present study was to estimate the magnitude of the association between intravenous (IV) BP exposure and ONJ, and to identify potential confounders. Materials and Methods Using a case-control study design, the investigators identified and adjudicated a sample of cases with ONJ and matched them randomly with 5 controls per case. The controls were matched to cases on age, gender, cancer type, and date of cancer diagnosis. The medical records were abstracted and data on BP exposure, cancer therapy, and comorbidities were recorded. Statistical analyses were carried out using conditional logistic regression in Stata 9.0 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX). Results Thirty cases of ONJ were identified at Massachusetts General Hospital from February 2003 through February 2007. Zoledronate was found to confer significant risk toward development of ONJ (adjusted odds ratio = 31.8, P Conclusion In this study, cancer patients who had received zoledronate exhibited a significant 30-fold increase in their risk to develop ONJ. More studies are needed to elucidate the exact role of obesity and smoking in the development of ONJ, and the complex interactions of IV BPs with other chemotherapies during cancer treatment.
Stereochemistry at Carbon of the Cyclometalation of 8-(α-Deuterioethyl)quinoline by Palladium(II) Salts

The stereochemistry at carbon of the known cyclometalation of 8-ethylquinoline by Pd(II) salts has been examined. The preparation of (R)-(−)-8-(α-deuterioethyl)quinoline ((R)-1-d, 91% d1 and 40% ee...
Prey attraction by luminous larvae of the fungus gnat Orfelia fultoni

Abstract. 1. Bioluminescence in predacious larvae of the fungus gnat Orfelia filtoni attracts potential prey. 2. Transparent traps placed over larvae caught more arthropods than opaque traps put over neighbouring conspecifics. 3. Small Diptera are particularly vulnerable to light lures, while apterous soil arthropods are seemingly unaffected.
Study of inelastic processes on (d, p) reactions in deformed nuclei

Abstract The stripping reaction (d, p) in deformed nuclei is usually treated as a single-step process leading directly from the ground to the product state. This paper adds to the usual direct amplitude those others that proceed through intermediate rotational states in the target and final nucleus. These higher-order processes introduce large corrections for the weaker states that sometimes alter the angular distribution and change the magnitude of the cross section by up to a factor of ten or more. In using these reactions to determine the amplitudes in the Nilsson wave functions for the single-particle states in odd nuclei, it is therefore essential that these processes be taken into account.
The role of temporal data in a neural network for medical decision making

The incorporation of temporal data into neural network models has received little attention. This is a complex problem whose solution depnds on the ultimate usage of the temporal data. We analyze the different types of temporal data used in medical decision making, and then illustrate how these can be incorporated into a neural network structure developed by the authors.