cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computational models of ethical decision-making: A coherence-driven reflective equilibrium model

Abstract There are scientific and technical challenges that must be addressed in developing systems that interact with humans and work along with other agents in complex, dynamic, and uncertain environments where ethical concerns may arise. In such systems relationships between users and autonomous components will be driven as much by issues such as trust, responsibility, and acceptability, as technical ones such as planning and coordination. This paper provides a comprehensive review and classification of existing methods in machine ethics, resulting in delineation of specific challenges and issues. To address the identified challenges, we introduce a method that leverages the method of reflective equilibrium and the multi-coherence theory as a unifying constraint satisfaction framework to simultaneously assess multiple ethical principles and manage ethical conflicts in a context-sensitive manner.
A radiobiological model of reoxygenation and fractionation effects.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop a radiobiological model of reoxygenation that fulfills the following goals: (a) Quantify the reoxygenation effect for different fractionations (b) Model the hypoxic fraction in tumors as a function of the number of radiation treatments. (c) Develop a simple analytical expression for a reoxygenation term in biological effect calculations. Method The model considers tumor cells in two compartments: an aerobic (or normoxic) population of cells and a hypoxic population including cells under a range of reduced oxygen concentrations. The surviving fraction is predicted using the linear-quadratic (LQ) model. A hypoxia reduction factor (HRF) is used to quantify reductions in radiosensitivity parameters αA and βA as cellular oxygen concentration decreases. The HRF is defined as the ratio of the dose at a specific level of hypoxia to the dose under fully aerobic conditions to achieve equal cell killing. The model assumes that a fraction of the hypoxic cells (Δ) moves from the hypoxic to the aerobic compartment after each daily fraction. As an example, we compare the effect of reoxygenation on biological response for a standard dose fractionation for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (d = 2 Gy, n = 33) to typical fractionations for stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and other nonstandard fractionations. Results The reoxygenation effect is parameterized for biological effect calculations and an analytic expression for the surviving fraction after n daily treatments is derived. The hypoxic fraction either increases or decreases with n depending on the reoxygenation parameter Δ. For certain combinations of parameters, the biological effect of reoxygenation goes as −(n−1) · ln(1−Δ) providing a simple expression that can be introduced in biologically effective dose (BED) calculations. The model is used to compare fractionation schedules and quantitatively interpret results from molecular imaging studies of hypoxia. Based on the comparison of conventional fractionation and hypo- and hyper-fractionation for NSCLC, the value of Δ is estimated to be between 0.1 and 0.2 assuming plausible radiobiological parameters from the literature. This value is consistent with the preliminary analysis of the molecular imaging studies. Conclusions A novel radiobiological model was developed that can be used to evaluate the effect of reoxygenation in fractionated radiotherapy.
The Role of Competition in Leisure-Time Physical Activity Among Middle School Youth: Implications for Park and Recreation Professionals

A better understanding of the types and contexts of activities that young adolescents participate in during their leisure time is needed in order to foster the early development of positive leisure behaviors and recreation choices that can influence maintenance of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) throughout life. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in intention to participate and current participation in competitive and noncompetitive forms of LTPA among young adolescents by gender and socioeconomic status. The results are intended to inform community recreation professionals as they often have responsibility for making programmatic decisions that directly influence LTPA. Intention and current participation in competitive and noncompetitive LTPA was assessed in a rural sample of 838 young adolescents aged 10–14 years through a self-administered questionnaire. Among all participants, intention to participate in noncompetitive LTPA and competitive LTPA were found to be significant predictors of current participation in each respective form of LTPA. Boys participated in both forms of LTPA more often than girls; however, no statistically significant difference was found among boys between either their intention to participate in noncompetitive and competitive LTPA or current participation in noncompetitive and competitive LTPA. Among girls, intention to participate in noncompetitive LTPA was significantly greater than intention to participate in competitive LTPA and current participation in noncompetitive LTPA was significantly greater than current participation in competitive LTPA. Among low-income youth, no statistically significant difference was found between noncompetitive and competitive LTPA in either intention or current participation. The study results point to the ongoing gender disparity that exists in LTPA participation and provide further context to competitive and noncompetitive recreation choices for how leisure time is spent. The results indicate that community recreation agencies should be sure their recreation programs include noncompetitive program choices designed specifically to meet girls’ interests, but to also consider the value of offering a diverse range of noncompetitive and competitive programming for all youth.Subscribe to JPRA
Hierarchical Structuring of the Social Order: Ideological Implications

This chapter examines the USA’s close alignment between capitalism and the State in the post–Civil War period onward, as well as the military-component included as part of an integrated ruling group and protector-underwriter of capitalist expansion and success after 1945. It also discusses the potential transitions of capitalism and socialism to fascism.
Mice deficient in AKAP13 (BRX) develop compulsive-like behavior and increased body weight.

Abstract Objective Hormonal contributions to the sex-dependent development of both obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and obesity have been described, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. A-kinase anchoring protein 13 (AKAP13) significantly augments ligand-dependent activation of estrogen receptors alpha and beta. The hypothalamus and pituitary gland are implicated in the development and exacerbation of OCD and obesity and have strong AKAP13 expression. The AKAP13 localization pattern observed in these key brain regions together with its effects on sex steroid action suggest a potential role for AKAP13 in compulsive-like behaviors. Here we tested the role of AKAP13 in compulsive-like behavior and body weight using an Akap13 haploinsufficient murine model. Materials and methods Targeted deletion of the Akap13 gene generated haploinsufficient (Akap13+/−) mice in a C57BL6/J genetic background. Established behavioral assays were conducted, video recorded, and scored blindly to assess compulsive-like behavior based on genotype and gender. Tests included: marble-burying, grooming, open- field and elevated plus-maze. Brain and body weights were also obtained. Mean levels of test outcomes were compared using multi-way ANOVA to test for genotype, sex, genotype*sex, and genotype*sex*age interaction effects with Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons, to further explain any significant interactions. Results The marble-burying and grooming assays revealed significant sex-dependent increases in perseverative, compulsive-like behaviors in female Akap13 haploinsufficient mice compared to female wild type (WT) mice by demonstrating increased marble-burying activity (p = .0025) and a trend towards increased grooming behavior (p = .06). Male Akap13 haploinsufficient mice exhibited no behavioral changes (p > 0.05). Elevated plus-maze and open-field test results showed no overt anxiety-like behavior in Akap13 haploinsufficient mice irrespective of sex (p > 0.05, both). No differences in brain weight were found in Akap13 haploinsufficient mice compared to WT mice (p > 0.05). However, female Akap13 haploinsufficient mice weighed more than female WT mice in the 4 to 0.05) at any age range examined. Conclusion Akap13 haploinsufficiency led to sex-dependent, compulsive-like behavioral changes in a murine model. Interestingly, Akap13 haploinsufficiency also led to a sex-dependent increase in body weight. These results revealed a requirement for AKAP13 in murine behavior, particularly in female mice, and is the first report of AKAP13 involvement in murine behavior. Future studies may examine the involvement of AKAP13 in the pathophysiology of OCD in female humans and may contribute to a better understanding of the role of AKAP13 and sex hormones in the development and exacerbation of OCD.
MULTIMODAL MUSICIAN RECOGNITION

This research is an initial effort in showing how a multimodal approach can improve systems for gaining insight into a musician’s practice and technique. Embedding a variety of sensors inside musical instruments and synchronously recording the sensors’ data along with audio, we gather a database of gestural information from multiple performers, then use machine-learning techniques to recognize which musician is performing. Our multimodal approach (using both audio and sensor data) yields promising performer classification results, which we see as a first step in a larger effort to gain insight into musicians’ practice and technique.
Surface Modification for Improved Properties

Almost every material in use today has a surface which is different from the material beneath the surface. For the most part, these surfaces play a useful role in the service life of the material. Such surface/bulk material combinations can be considered as composites, with surfaces ranging from a naturally occurring oxide layer protecting such metals as aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel to very deliberately tailored additions of alloying elements to attain specific desired properties, as in the cases of molecular beam epitaxy and ion implantation. In tailoring a surface, important common features are: 1) the specific property of the coating material itself, as influenced by composition and microstructure, 2) the interaction between the coating and the substrate, and 3) the problem of adhesion of the coating to the substrate, which is of utmost importance since the expected properties will be lost if the desired surface is removed. Figure 1 gives examples of phenomena which are affected by these three important features of coatings which must be addressed in any application.
Neutron Diffraction and Small-Angle Scattering as Nondestructive Probes of the Microstructure of Materials

Thermal neutron scattering is a well established research tool for determining the atomic structure and fundamental excitations of solids and liquids. In addition, wide-angle diffraction has been employed for many years for the study of appropriate technological problems. In recent years, a growing area of interest in this field has been the development of scattering techniques which extend the scale of the structural information obtained to dimensions which are typical of the microstructure of a material as compared to its atomic structure. Such techniques, of which small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is a prime example, yield information which is complementary with that obtained by electron microscopy or analogous x-ray methods. The neutron techniques afford the added advantage that the measurements may be made on relatively thick specimens or on samples in specialized environments owing to the highly penetrating nature of neutron radiation. The derived information is thus characteristic of the bulk material and can be correlated with bulk measurements carried out, in many cases, on the very same samples. Neutron scattering, therefore, has a natural role to play in the nondestructive investigation of materials properties.
Disparity in Temporary Protected Status Implementation

Immigration continues to be one of the ‘hot topics’ for both major US political parties; only one seems to be serious about the Emma Lazarus sonnet that so eloquently beseeched all nations to ‘give me your tired, your poor, your huddles masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores’. Inscribed on a bronze plaque and hung inside the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York’s harbor, the statute and the words became a symbolic invitation to emigrants as they passed on their way to Ellis Island to be processed for American citizenship. The sonnet was written in 1893, the statute was placed in the harbor in 1903 (Khan, 2010). Both events occurred more than 100 years after creation of the first US naturalization law in 1790, the precursor to current US Immigration laws (Mason & Stephenson, Jr., 1997). Now, more than 200 years later, for some there continues to be a caveat to the invitation.The invitation to these ‘teeming shores’ was then (as specified within the Law) and seems to be now, for ‘free white persons’ only (1 Stat. 103). US immigration policy has since that time reflected an ensconced color-code from within. Needless to say, those groups with a legacy from the African Diaspora would not have been included as one the ‘most welcomed’ groups. In this project we discuss the disparate application of immigration policy, specifically the 1990 US Immigration Law, Section 244 (Temporary Protection Status-TPS), as it is applied to Haitians. It is often said that this country’s foreign policy is a reflection of its domestic policy. While identifying immigration as part of the DNA of US foreign policy, this chapter synthesizes and correlates the particular nature of the inequitable extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to persons who are the progeny of the African Diaspora.
The First World War and the Myth of the Young Man's War in Western Europe:

During and after the First World War, authors in several of the main belligerent nations presented the war as a young man's war. The young man's war proved to be a powerful trope, and a myth emerge...
Single injection ultrasound-guided rectus sheath blocks for children: Distribution of injected anesthetic.

BACKGROUND Single injection ultrasound-guided rectus sheath blocks are used for postoperative analgesia after midline abdominal incisions, but the ultrasonographic spread of medication posterior to the rectus muscle has not been investigated. AIMS The primary goal of this study was to determine the ultrasound-measured medication spread superiorly and inferiorly after single injection ultrasound-guided rectus sheath blocks and to calculate the incidence of cases with spread up to the subcostal margin and below of umbilicus. The secondary goals were to correlate the spread with the volume of medication administered and with the patient's age, weight, height, sex, and body mass index. METHODS Pediatric patients who underwent single injection ultrasound-guided rectus sheath blocks and underwent data collection of ultrasonographic information on medication spread along the plane of the posterior rectus sheath were identified retrospectively from an acute pain service database at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. RESULTS Sixty-eight children, 10.2 ± 4.2 (mean ± SD) years old, 41.7 ± 17.9 kg, 140 ± 24.6 cm, had complete data collection. Mean injected volume of ropivacaine was 8.3 ± 2.8 mL (right) and 8.2 ± 2.8 mL (left). The average spread was measured as 3.9 ± 1.4 cm (right) and 3.4 ± 1.3 cm (left) cranial to the umbilicus, and 1.5 ± 1.6 cm (right) and 1.6 ± 1.4 cm (left) caudal to the umbilicus. Complete spread up to the level of the subcostal margin was observed in 52.9% (n = 36; right) and 36.8% (n = 25; left) of cases. The spread correlated closely with the volume of injected ropivacaine (right: 0.556, P < 0.001; left: 0.541, P < 0.001). The spread below umbilicus was 70.6% (n = 48, right) and 80.9% (n = 55, left). There was a positive strong correlation (P < 0.001) between total medication spread and age (right: 0.608; left: 0.538), weight (right: 0.600; left: 0.540), and height (right: 0.593; left: 0.526). CONCLUSION After single injection ultrasound-guided rectus sheath blocks, incomplete cephalocaudal medication spread can be expected within the posterior rectus sheath.
The Case for Prefigurative Feminist Organizing

In 1979, president Jimmy Carter appointed economist Paul A. Volcker chairman of the Board of Governors of the United States (US) Federal Reserve System. Volcker was tasked with tackling inflation i...
Performing Verification and Validation in Reuse-Based Software Engineering

The implementation of reuse-based software engineering not only introduces new activities to the software development process, such as domain analysis and domain modeling, it also impacts other aspects of software engineering. Other areas of software engineering that are affected include Configuration Management, Testing, Quality Control, and Verification and Validation (V&V). Activities in each of these areas must be adapted to address the entire domain or product line rather than a specific application system. This paper discusses changes and enhancements to the V&V process, in order to adapt V&V to reuse-based software engineering.
Sleep and exercise

Abstract Exercise is commonly believed to improve sleep, and an accumulating body of research supports this assumption. More recently, research has recognized a bidirectional relationship between exercise and sleep and the possibility that the impact of exercise and sleep on health may be dependent upon each other. This chapter provides an overview of the available research on the association between exercise and sleep. Both observational and experimental studies are discussed, with particular focus on the effect of exercise on sleep among adults with sleep disorders. In addition, the chapter will briefly review the emerging evidence on the impact of disturbed sleep on exercise and how the isolated and combined effects of exercise and sleep on health may be influenced by the extent to which exercise impacts sleep and vice versa.
Pediatric tracheocutaneous fistula closure following tracheostomy decannulation.

Abstract Objective To determine the frequency and risk factors that lead to the development of persistent TCF (tracheocutaneous fistula) formation in children following tracheostomy decannulation at our institution. Methods A retrospective chart review of all pediatric patients at Children's Hospital Colorado who underwent tracheostomy decannulation and were being followed between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2013. TCF was defined as a persistent fistula six months following decannulation. We determined patient demographics, age at tracheotomy, primary indication for tracheotomy, tracheostomy-tube size, medical comorbidities, age at decannulation, date of TCF closure, and method of TCF closure. Results One hundred twenty-nine patients ranging from 51 days to 19 years of age underwent tracheostomy decannulation. 63 (49%) patients underwent surgical closure of TCF. Compared to those with spontaneous closure by multivariable analysis, those with surgical closure were younger at tracheostomy placement (p = 0.0002), had a tracheostomy for a longer duration (p = 0.0025), and were diagnosed with tracheobronchomalacia (p = 0.0051). The likelihood of spontaneous closure decreased over time. Tracheostomy tube internal diameter correlated with age (R = 0.64, p Conclusions Approximately 50% of pediatric tracheostomy stoma sites will close spontaneously. Development of a persistent TCF was associated with younger age at placement, longer duration of tracheostomy, and the presence of tracheobronchomalacia. These observations may help clinicians anticipate outcomes following tracheostomy decannulation in children.
SAS/IML: A Brief Introduction

IML stands for Interactive Matrix Language and is a matrix language written as a component of the SAS System. IML allows the user to enter numbers and other characters in matrix form and perform data manipulation, functions and algorithms commonly associated with matrices.
Predictors of cognitive function in pediatric brain tumor patients: Pre-surgery through 24-month follow-up.

The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of cognitive assessment from pre-surgery through 2-year follow-up in a sample of pediatric brain tumor (BT) patients. We sought to investigate c...
Evaluating Implementations of the Immersed Boundary Method in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model

AbstractThe terrain-following coordinate system used by many atmospheric models can cause numerical instabilities due to discretization errors as resolved terrain slopes increase and the grid becom...
Patterns of Dating Violence Moderate the Effect of Child Maltreatment on Suicide Risk among Disadvantaged Minority Female Adolescents with Depressive Symptoms

Childhood maltreatment is associated with increased suicide risk. However, not all maltreated children report self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, highlighting the presence of other risk factors. Notably, adolescent dating violence (ADV) and child maltreatment are highly comorbid, with ADV also linked to suicide risk among adolescents. Current research further suggests that distinct patterns of ADV involvement are differentially related to adolescent mental health. To date, it is unknown whether differences in ADV patterns moderate changes in suicide risk for adolescents with and without a maltreatment history. This study aims to advance the literature by identifying patterns of ADV in a unique sample of adolescents and by determining the differential association between maltreatment and suicidal ideation and non-suicidal self-harming behaviors based on ADV profiles. Participants were racially and ethnically diverse low-income non-treatment-seeking adolescent females with elevated depressive symptoms, ages 13–16 (N = 198). Using latent class analysis, we found support for a 3-class model of dating violence: adolescent females without ADV involvement, those in relationships with mutual verbal abuse, and those in romantic relationships with multiple and more severe forms of ADV, such as verbal abuse and physical violence. A series of latent class moderation models indicated that the effect of child maltreatment on suicidal ideation significantly differed based on ADV class membership. Results highlight the importance of considering different ADV patterns and maltreatment as interactive risk factors for increased self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Intervention and prevention approaches relevant to maltreated youths are discussed for families and practitioners.
Target K-shell X-ray emission associated with single and double electron capture for F9+,8+,7+ + Ar collisions

Abstract Cross sections for target Ar K-shell ionization associated with single and double electron capture, as well as the same cross sections corresponding to projectile F K X-rays and the total cross sections for single and double capture, were determined for 1.8–2.2 MeV/u F 9 + , 8 + , 7 + projectiles. This work was performed at Western Michigan University using the tandem Van de Graaff accelerator. Coincidences between emitted X-rays and their corresponding charge-changed particles were detected. The Ar K X-ray coincidence cross section ratios for double to single capture are found to depend strongly on the incident charge state, with the ratios for F 9 + well exceeding unity. Possible explanations for this anomalous behavior are discussed but a conclusive explanation is not found. The results are compared to previous experiments using fully-stripped fluorine where coincidence techniques were not employed.
An Experimental Study of Weight Initialization and Weight Inheritance Effects on Neuroevolution.

Weight initialization is critical in being able to successfully train artificial neural networks (ANNs), and even more so for recurrent neural networks (RNNs) which can easily suffer from vanishing and exploding gradients. In neuroevolution, where evolutionary algorithms are applied to neural architecture search, weights typically need to be initialized at three different times: when initial genomes (ANN architectures) are created at the beginning of the search, when offspring genomes are generated by crossover, and when new nodes or edges are created during mutation. This work explores the difference between using Xavier, Kaiming, and uniform random weight initialization methods, as well as novel Lamarckian weight inheritance methods for initializing new weights during crossover and mutation operations. These are examined using the Evolutionary eXploration of Augmenting Memory Models (EXAMM) neuroevolution algorithm, which is capable of evolving RNNs with a variety of modern memory cells (e.g., LSTM, GRU, MGU, UGRNN and Delta-RNN cells) as well recurrent connections with varying time skips through a high performance island based distributed evolutionary algorithm. Results show that with statistical significance, utilizing the Lamarckian strategies outperforms Kaiming, Xavier and uniform random weight initialization, and can speed neuroevolution by requiring less backpropagation epochs to be evaluated for each generated RNN.
Neuroimaging the Neuropathogenesis of HIV

This review highlights neuroimaging studies of HIV conducted over the last 2 years and discusses how relevant findings further our knowledge of the neuropathology of HIV. Three major avenues of neuroimaging research are covered with a particular emphasis on inflammation, aging, and substance use in persons living with HIV (PLWH). Neuroimaging has been a critical tool for understanding the neuropathological underpinnings observed in HIV. Recent studies comparing levels of neuroinflammation in PLWH and HIV-negative controls show inconsistent results but report an association between elevated neuroinflammation and poorer cognition in PLWH. Other recent neuroimaging studies suggest that older PLWH are at increased risk for brain and cognitive compromise compared to their younger counterparts. Finally, recent findings also suggest that the effects of HIV may be exacerbated by alcohol and drug abuse. These neuroimaging studies provide insight into the structural, functional, and molecular changes occurring in the brain due to HIV. HIV triggers a strong neuroimmune response and may lead to a cascade of events including increased chronic inflammation and cognitive decline. These outcomes are further exacerbated by age and age-related comorbidities, as well as lifestyle factors such as drug use/abuse.
Simulations of hydrogen outgassing from a carbon fiber electrode

Outgassing remains a pertinent issue in high-power systems as it can lead to effects such as breakdown, surface flashover, and pulse shortening and is typically the first stage of deleterious plasma formation. In this context, experimental reports suggest that carbon fibers (CFs) may likely be a superior cathode material for low outgassing. Here, model-based assessments of outgassing from CFs are performed based on molecular dynamics simulations. Carbon fibers were generated based on interconnection of an array of graphene sheets resembling ladder-like structures. Our results of temperature-dependent diffusion coefficients for hydrogen in CFs are shown to exhibit Arrhenius behavior and have values smaller than copper by factors of 15.5 and 86.8 at 400 K and 1000 K, respectively. This points to even stronger improvements for operation at high temperatures, with the asymptotic diffusion constant ratio predicted to be ∼187. With reduced outgassing, higher temperature operation, and durability, our results support CF cathodes as an excellent choice for cathode material in high-power microwave and pulsed power systems.
Impact of a Dedicated Cancer Urgent Care Center on Acute Care Utilization

PURPOSE:Acute care imposes a significant burden on patients and cancer care costs. We examined whether an advanced practice provider-driven, cancer-specific urgent care center embedded within a lar...
Application of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) to study low-temperature adsorption and fouling of milk fractions on stainless steel

Abstract In food manufacturing, fouling of surfaces has deleterious effects on the efficiency of operations. The intensity of fouling varies with product formulation and processing temperature. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) is a small-scale tool with the potential to predict fouling on a larger scale. The adsorption of milk fractions on stainless steel was investigated at 25, 50, and 65 °C using QCM-D. Mass density was quantified using the Voigt viscoelastic model and a modified Hill model. Permeate (pH 6.6) was unstable at 65 °C, near the precipitation temperature of calcium phosphate. Acid whey (pH 4.6) demonstrated significant constant-rate adsorption at long processing times. It is anticipated that linear adsorption rates at extended times can be used to predict fouling propensity at a commercial scale. These results provide the foundation for the use of QCM-D to study milk adsorption and fouling at higher temperatures (>65 °C).
Rosamond Dale Owen (1846–1937)

This chapter examines Oliphant’s second wife, Rosamond Dale Owen. Owen was the daughter of the famous commune leader Robert Dale Owen and was the granddaughter of Robert Owen both of whom were leaders of New Harmony in Indiana. This section focuses on her brief marriage to Oliphant which occurred just before he passed away in 1888. Special focus is placed on her early interpretation of the sympneumata (or her “misunderstanding” of it) as well as her later move away from it toward a more abstinence approach to sexuality (at least anything outside of traditional marriage).
Extremity cone-beam CT for evaluation of medial tibiofemoral osteoarthritis: Initial experience in imaging of the weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing knee

Abstract Purpose To investigate differences in joint space width (JSW) and meniscal extrusion (ME) between non-weight bearing (NWB) and weight bearing (WB) examinations of knee joints with medial compartment osteoarthritis (OA) using a cone-beam CT (CBCT) extremity imaging system. Materials and methods In this IRB approved prospective study, informed consent was obtained for 17 patients symptomatic for OA (11 F,6 M; 31–78 years, mean 56 years) and 18 asymptomatic controls (0 F,18 M; 29–48 years, mean 38.5 years) enrolled for CBCT exams in NWB and WB positions. Three independent observers measured medial tibiofemoral JSW and ME. Measurements were compared between NWB and WB images using paired Wilcoxon signed-rank sum test. Results OA subjects exhibited a statistically significant reduction in JSW between NWB and WB scans (average JS W NWB OA = 2.1 mm and JS W WB OA = 1.5 mm, p = 0.016) and increase in ME (average M E NWB OA = 6.9 mm and M E WB OA = 8.2 mm, p = 0.018)). For non-OA subjects, the change in JSW and ME between NWB and WB exams was reduced (average JS W NWB nonOA = 3.7 mm and JS W WB nonOA = 3.4 mm; average M E NWB nonOA = 2.6 mm and M E WB nonOA = 2.7 mm) and was not statistically significant. Inter-observer agreement was evaluated using Bland–Altman limits of agreement, with good agreement for all measurements (correlation coefficient 0.89–0.98). Conclusion The ability to conduct NWB and WB exams in CBCT with a dose profile that is favorable in comparison to multidetector CT (MDCT) and with image quality sufficient for morphological analysis of joint space narrowing and meniscal extrusion could provide a valuable tool for OA diagnosis and treatment assessment.
The effect of anxiety and depression on symptoms attributed to atrial fibrillation.

Background Symptoms attributed to atrial fibrillation (AF) are nonspecific, and it remains unclear what influences perception of symptoms. Anxiety or depression may be important in modulating perception of AF symptoms. However, few longitudinal studies have addressed this effect. Methods A total of 378 patients with AF completed anxiety and depression severity questionnaires as well as AF symptom and frequency severity questionnaires. Patients were offered treatment strategies including catheter ablation or antiarrhythmic or rate-controlling medications. Patients were followed at 3-month intervals and completed follow-up questionnaires including repeat assessment of anxiety, depression, and AF symptoms. A method of generalized estimating equations was used for longitudinal analyses. Results Analysis revealed that increased anxiety or depression was associated with increased AF symptom severity (AFSS), after adjusting for potential confounders. In both unadjusted and adjusted follow-up analyses, antiarrhythmic drug therapy or catheter ablation reduced AFSS (P < 0.001). However, none of anxiety severity, depression severity, or the perception of AF frequency severity improved significantly with AF treatment. Conclusions Our results extend previous studies demonstrating that anxiety and depression are associated with worsened AFSS. Antiarrhythmic drug therapy or catheter ablation reduces AFSS but does not affect depression and anxiety symptoms. To achieve more comprehensive AF symptom relief, treatment of both AF and psychological comorbidities may be beneficial.
Monte Carlo wave functions for nonlinear master equations

Summary form only given. Nonlinear Schrodinger equations are ubiquitous in physics, and appear in problems ranging from Bose liquids and light propagation in nonlinear media to quantum chains, nonlinear atom optics, and atomic Bose condensation. A generic situation leading to a nonlinear Schrodinger equation description involves the effective single-particle dynamics of a many-particle system coupled by a two-body interaction, and with the manybody wave function truncated via a Hartree-Fock Ansatz. However, if this system is in addition coupled to one, or possibly several reservoirs, such a description is no longer appropriate, and must be superseded by a master equation.
Office information systems: An overview and agenda for public policy research

Abstract In this overview of office information systems (OIS), the author describes OIS technology, gives a prognosis for increasingly sophisticated levels of application, discusses the forces that drive the OIS industry, and finally identifies issues needing public policy attention. As well as providing a comprehensive review, he conceives several innovative applications for OIS and attempts to structure the broad range of possibilities into useful categories.
Thomson’s theorem on mean square polynomial approximation

In 1991, J. E. Thomson determined completely the structure of H 2 (µ), the closed subspace of L 2 (µ) that is spanned by the polynomials, whenever µ is a compactly supported measure in the complex plane. As a consequence he was able to show that if H 2 (µ) � L 2 (µ), then every function f ∈ H 2 (µ) admits an analytic extension to a fixed open set Ω, thereby confirming in this context a phenomenon noted earlier in various situations by S. N. Bernstein, S. N. Mergelyan, and others. Here we present a new proof of Thomson's results, based on Tolsa's recent work on the semiadditivity of analytic capacity, which gives more information and is applicable to other problems as well.
Computing Covariance and Correlation in Optimally Privacy-Protected Statistical Databases: Feasible Algorithms

In many real-life situations, e.g., in medicine, it is necessary to process data while preserving the patients’ confidentiality. One of the most efficient methods of preserving privacy is to replace the exact values with intervals that contain these values. For example, instead of an exact age, a privacy-protected database only contains the information that the age is, e.g., between 10 and 20, or between 20 and 30, etc. Based on this data, it is important to compute correlation and covariance between different quantities. For privacy-protected data, different values from the intervals lead, in general, to different estimates for the desired statistical characteristic. Our objective is then to compute the range of possible values of these estimates.
Genetic Epidemiology and Pancreatic Cancer

Gene mutations that are associated with cancer syndromes explain a small portion of pancreatic cancer cases. The majority of the sporadic pancreatic cancer cases are perhaps the consequence of a joint effect of genetic factors and environmental or lifestyle risk factors. Studies on common genetic variants via the candidate gene approach have observed risk modifications by genes involved in various biological process and signaling pathways. However, most of these findings were made in studies that lacked adequate statistical power or replication effort. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several genes and loci associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer: ABO, NR5A2, and TERT1 in individuals with European ancestry, FOXQ1, BICD1, and DPP6 in the Japanese population, and BACH1, DAB2, PRLHR, TFF1, and FAM19A5 in the Chinese population. Future completion of larger scale GWAS in pancreatic cancer, mining of GWAS data using novel statistical approaches, and functional studies on the mechanistic links between identified genes and the disease will provide new insights into genetic susceptibility to and the molecular mechanisms of pancreatic cancer.
Optimization by non-deterministic, lazy rewriting

Given a set S and a condition C we address the problem of determining which members of S satisfy C. One useful approach is to set up the generation of S as a tree, where each node represents a subset of S. If from the information available at a node, we can determine that no members of the subset it represents satisfy C, then the subtree rooted at it can be pruned, i.e. its generation suppressed. Thus, large subsets of S can be quickly eliminated from consideration. We show how such a tree can be simulated by interpretation of non-deterministic rewrite rules, and its pruning simulated by lazy evaluation.
Pancreastatin inhibits pancreatic enzyme secretion by presynaptic modulation of acetylcholine release

Pancreastatin (PST), a 49-amino acid polypeptide, inhibits endocrine and exocrine pancreatic functions. In this study, we examined the mechanism of the inhibitory action of PST on exocrine pancreatic secretion in the rat. In anesthetized rats prepared with pancreatic fistulas, intravenous administration of PST (500 pM.kg-1.h-1) completely inhibited 2-deoxyglucose (75 mg/kg)-stimulated amylase output to below basal levels. Because 2-deoxyglucose acts to stimulate the vagus, we assessed the ability of PST to inhibit carbachol-stimulated amylase release from isolated rat pancreatic acini. PST suppressed neither carbachol- nor cholecystokinin-stimulated amylase release, indicating that PST inhibits exocrine secretion via indirect mechanisms. To examine neural pathways for inhibition, we used pancreatic lobules to examine the action of PST on intrapancreatic neurons. Incubation of pancreatic lobules in 75 mM potassium buffer stimulated amylase release by a cholinergic pathway. PST dose dependently inhibited potassium-evoked amylase release, with maximal inhibition of 49.6 +/- 11%. In addition, when lobules were incubated with [3H]choline, PST inhibited KCl-stimulated release of synthesized [3H]acetylcholine by 43 +/- 5.7%. Other studies demonstrate that PST inhibits rat pancreatic enzyme secretion via presynaptic modulation of acetylcholine release.
Wedge‐shaped slice‐selective adiabatic inversion pulse for controlling temporal width of bolus in pulsed arterial spin labeling

Purpose In pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) methods, arterial blood is labeled by inverting a slab with uniform thickness, resulting in different temporal widths of boluses in vessels with different flow velocities. This limits the temporal resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) efficiency gains in PASL-based methods intended for high temporal resolution and SNR efficiency, such as turbo-ASL and turbo-QUASAR. Theory and Methods A novel wedge-shaped (WS) adiabatic inversion pulse is developed by adding in-plane gradient pulses to a slice-selective (SS) adiabatic inversion pulse to linearly modulate the inversion thicknesses at different locations while maintaining the adiabatic properties of the original pulse. A hyperbolic secant (HS)-based WS inversion pulse was implemented. Its performance was tested in simulations and in phantom and human experiments and compared with an SS HS inversion pulse. Results Compared with the SS inversion pulse, the WS inversion pulse was capable of inducing different inversion thicknesses at different locations. It could be adjusted to generate a uniform temporal width of boluses in arteries at locations with different flow velocities. Conclusion The WS inversion pulse can be used to control the temporal widths of labeled boluses in PASL experiments. This should benefit PASL experiments by maximizing labeling duty cycle and improving temporal resolution and SNR efficiency. Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The interaction of hot electrons and hot holes on the degradation of P-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors

The hot carrier degradation mechanisms for P Channel metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field effect transistor (PFET) has been investigated. We have established that the dominant hot carrier degradation mechanism for PFET damage changes depending on stress conditions. The coexistence and interaction of hot electrons and hot holes is reported. At the accelerated stress condition where both hot electrons and hot holes exist, the observed hot carrier degradation exhibits a different behavior from that seen in the case when the hot electrons or hot holes are considered separately. A high defect generation rate is reported at the coexistence conditions. We attribute this behavior to the interaction mechanism between hole electrons and hot holes. The electron traps caused by hot electrons recombine with hot holes and facilitate a higher hole trap generation rate. Contrary to conventional thinking we report that the worst case hot carrier degradation degradation condition is not at high Vg but in the coexistence regime.
Differences between acceleromyography and electromyography during neuromuscular function monitoring in anesthetized Beagle dogs

Objective Quantitative neuromuscular monitoring is essential for studies of potency and duration of neuromuscular blocking agents, and for detecting residual paralysis in anesthetized patients. This investigation evaluates whether there are systematic differences between acceleromyography (AMG) and electromyography (EMG); two quantitative methods for monitoring neuromuscular block. Study design Prospective. Animals Ten healthy Beagle dogs. Methods Dogs were anesthetized with isoflurane and dexmedetomidine. Both ulnar nerves were stimulated with a train-of-four (TOF) pattern every 15 seconds. The magnitude of the first twitch (T1) and the TOF ratio (magnitude of T4/T1; TOFR) were quantified simultaneously with AMG and EMG, applied randomly to each extremity. The extent of maximal block (T1 depression) and onset time were measured by AMG and EMG during TOF monitoring after the administration of cisatracurium (0.05 mg kg−1). In addition, recovery of T1 to 25% and 75%, the recovery index (time between T1 of 25% and 75%), and recovery of the TOFR to 0.9 were used to characterize recovery from cisatracurium and were compared between monitors. Regression and Bland-Altman plots for T1 and TOFR were also created. Results Maximal block and onset time were not different between monitors. Time to recovery of T1 to 25% and 75%, and time to TOF ratio 0.9 was significantly shorter with AMG. The recovery index was not different between monitors. When the TOFR returned to 0.9 with AMG, EMG still measured considerable residual block (TOFR 0.47). Conclusions and clinical relevance Electromyography consistently detected residual NMB when recovery from NMB was complete as assessed by AMG.
Enhancing the visible-light photocatalytic activity of TiO2 by heat treatments in reducing environments

Abstract Following a series of recent studies that demonstrated enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities of TiO2 by annealing in reducing atmospheres, a systematic investigation was conducted, in which TiO2 nanoparticles were annealed in various controlled atmospheres with the estimated oxygen partial pressure being varied from ∼10−1 to ∼10−25 atm and presence of other species (Ar, H2, N2, vacuum or hydrocarbon); subsequently, photocatalytic activities were tested. The results suggest that the oxygen partial pressure during annealing is not the dominant controlling factor. Furthermore, the use of vacuum environments or the presence of hydrocarbon species during annealing is effective in enhancing the photocatalytic activity, but the presence of H2 at a partial pressure of 0.05 atm does not show an appreciable beneficial effect. HRTEM suggested that the enhanced photocatalytic activity of vacuum-activated TiO2 may be related to subnanometer-thick disordered surface layers.
Detection of mRNA in living cells by double-stranded locked nucleic acid probes

Double-stranded probes are homogeneous biosensors for rapid detection of specific nucleotide sequences. These double-stranded probes have been applied in various molecular sensing applications, such as real-time polymerase chain reaction and detection of bacterial 16S rRNA. In this study, we present the design and optimization of double-stranded probes for single-cell gene expression analysis in living cells. With alternating DNA/LNA monomers for optimizing the stability and specificity, we show that the probe is stable in living cells for over 72 hours post-transfection and is capable of detecting changes in gene expression induced by external stimuli. The probes can be delivered to a large number of cells simultaneously by cationic liposomal transfection or to individual cells selectively by photothermal delivery. We also demonstrate that the probe quantifies intracellular mRNA in living cells through the use of an equilibrium analysis. With its effectiveness and performance, the double-stranded probe represents a broadly applicable approach for large-scale single-cell gene expression analysis toward numerous biomedical applications, such as systems biology, cancer, and drug screening.