cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monte Carlo methods for American options

We review the basic properties of American options and the difficulties of applying Monte Carlo valuation to American options. Recent progress on the least squares Monte Carlo (LSM) method is described, including the use of quasi-random sequences in LSM. A particle approach to evaluation of American options is formulated. Conclusions and prospects for future research are discussed.
The efficiency of matching in case-control studies of risk-factor interactions

We have examined the relative efficiency of matching vs not matching on a binary exposure variable in a case-control study of its interaction with another binary exposure variable. Interaction is treated as a parameter measuring departure from multiplicativity. Efficiency is considered both in the presence and absence of other matching variables, the former case requiring use of matched-pair estimators. In most circumstances examined, matching on one variable led to a less efficient estimator of the interaction parameter. If both variables were related to disease, the only circumstance in which matching always improved efficiency was when the high-risk level of the matching variable was uncommon and not positively associated with the high-risk level of the other variable. Matching always appeared to harm efficiency when the high risk level of the matching variable was common. Other disadvantages of matching are that it precludes estimation of the main effect of the matching variable and fitting of non-multiplicative models, and increases the difficulty of control selection.
Expression and Translocation of Cloned Human Estrogen Receptor in the Xenopus Oocyte Does not Induce Expression of the Endogenous Oocyte Vitellogenin Genes

Estrogen-receptor complex activates the genes coding for the egg yolk protein precursor vitellogenin in hepatocytes of oviparous vertebrates, while oocyte vitellogenin genes are unresponsive to the hormone. Localization of [3H]steroid hormones (estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and dexamethasone) was assayed in 10% trichloroacetic acid-precipitated dissected Xenopus oocytes (germinal vesicle vs. the rest of the oocyte). Whether hormones were introduced by incubation in the medium surrounding the oocytes or by injection of an equivalent amount into the oocyte cytoplasm, all hormones partitioned into the nucleus at equivalent levels (∼5%), reflecting that portion of the oocyte volume occupied by its nucleus. Therefore, intracellular receptors for these hormones were not detectable. Subsequently, we introduced a species-heterologous estrogen receptor into the Xenopus oocyte via a recombinant plasmid containing the coding sequence for the human estrogen receptor (HER) housed in a vector that ensures high...
The Ethics Of Crisis Management: A Juxtaposition Of Examples In Cognitive-Decision Making And Framing In Corporate Crisis Management

Ethical decision-making is a cognitive process that must be effectively managed within crisis situations that face corporations on a daily basis. Two juxtaposed cases are presented that help to define good decision-making in crisis management and bad decision-making. The two corporations used as case studies are Malden Mills and Enron.
Ulnar artery aneurysm and hypothenar hammer syndrome

A right-hand dominant patient presented with pain and a tender mass in the hypothenar eminence, and with paraesthesia of the fourth and fifth fingers. The patient was referred for MRI of the hand, which showed thrombosed ulnar artery aneurysm and an irregularity of the superficial ulnar artery, suggesting a diagnosis of hypothenar hammer syndrome (HHS) (figures 1 and 2). Figure 1 Axial short tau inversion recovery image at the level of the hook of hamate (larger arrow) showing ulnar artery aneurysm (smaller arrow). Figure 2 Sagittal short tau inversion recovery image showing ulnar artery aneurysm (arrows). HHS results from repetitive microtrauma to the ulnar …
Safety of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in Patients Equipped With Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines warn of potential electromagnetic interferences (EMI) when using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to measure body composition in patients equipped with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). We aimed to test the occurrence of EMI in a setting where this risk was experimentally maximized. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Outpatients scheduled for routine ICD controls simultaneously underwent a BIA measurement using an electrical current of 0.8 mAmp at frequencies from 5-100 kHz. ICD sensitivity levels were set to maximum levels while therapies were temporarily inactivated. The device electrograms were monitored in real time to detect sensed and/or visible EMI during BIA measurement. RESULTS: A total of 63 patients equipped with single-chamber (n = 13), dual-chamber (n = 18), or biventricular (n = 32) ICDs from 5 major manufacturers were included. No EMI were detected by the ICDs in these patients, nor were any artifacts visualized during real-time electrogram recordings. CONCLUSION: BIA can be safely performed in patients equipped with ICDs without cardiac monitoring. Current guidelines should be updated accordingly
Performance Analysis of List Scheduling in Heterogeneous Computing Systems

Given a parallel program to be executed on a heterogeneous computing system, the overall execution time of the program is determined by a schedule. In this paper, we analyze the worst-case performance of the list scheduling algorithm for scheduling tasks of a parallel program in a mixed-machine heterogeneous computing system such that the total execution time of the program is minimized. We prove tight lower and upper bounds for the worst-case performance ratio of the list scheduling algorithm. We also examine the average-case performance of the list scheduling algorithm. Our experimental data reveal that the average-case performance of the list scheduling algorithm is much better than the worst-case performance and is very close to optimal, except for large systems with large heterogeneity. Thus, the list scheduling algorithm is very useful in real applications. Keywords—Average-case performance, list scheduling algorithm, mixed-machine heterogeneous computing system, worst-case performance.
Educational Perspectives: Rigorous Human Performance Assessment in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

Historically the performance of health-care professionals has been evaluated primarily through assessment of content knowledge retained in memory. Yet human performance is influenced by elements that are both intrinsic and extrinsic to the human being. Intrinsic elements consist of cognitive, technical, and behavioral skill sets. Extrinsic elements are described by the field of ergonomics and include cognitive, physical, and organizational domains. Identifying the requisite skills, defining competent performance in each of these skills, determining appropriate forms of competency assessment for each skill, and designing easy-to-use assessment tools are the key steps to achieving objective, comprehensive, and consistent evaluation of performance. Performance assessments that fail to take into account these complexities are incomplete and simplistic at best, and at worst, inaccurate and misleading. Rigorous assessment of human performance in neonatal-perinatal medicine will greatly enhance the delivery of effective, safe, and efficient neonatal care.
Tips for a physician in getting the right job, part XXIII: starting a new job

After signing a contract, the new doctor has much to do before starting work, such as licensing, credentialing, finding a new home, and moving. There are important tips for a new physician in doing well in a job, such as asking for frequent feedback, doing at least one's share of the work, being at the job and available when expected, being sensitive and helpful to the needs of patients and members of the health care team, cultivating relationships, and in some cases, marketing.
Distinct Photophysical and Electronic Characteristics of Strongly Coupled Dyads Containing a Perylene Accessory Pigment and a Porphyrin, Chlorin, or Bacteriochlorin

The synthesis, photophysical, redox, and molecular-orbital characteristics of three perylene–tetrapyrrole dyads were investigated to elucidate characteristics favorable for use in next-generation light-harvesting assemblies. Each dyad contains a common perylene-monoimide that is linked at the 9-position via an ethynyl group to the meso-position of the tetrapyrrole. The tetrapyrroles include a porphyrin, chlorin, and bacteriochlorin, which have zero, one, and two reduced pyrrole rings, respectively. The increased pyrrole-ring reduction results in a progressive red shift and intensification of the lowest-energy absorption band, as exemplified by benchmark monomers. The direct ethyne linkage and accompanying strong perylene–tetrapyrrole electronic coupling in the dyads is evident by significant differences in optical absorption versus the sum of the features of the constituents. The perturbations decrease for the tetrapyrrole constituent along the series porphyrin > chlorin > bacteriochlorin. This trend is e...
Magnesium, potassium, and sodium in "red" and "white" muscle in the rat.

SummaryThe concentrations of Mg, K, and Na were measured in the soleus (“red muscle”) and superficial fibers of the medial head of the gastrocnemius (“white muscle”) in rats weighing 100–120 g and 250–300 g. The concentrations of Mg and K were significantly lower and the concentration of Na was significantly greater in the soleus than in the gastrocnemius.Addendum. Recent data on the unequal distribution of calcium (μmole/g, dry wt) (atomic absorption spectrophotometry) between red and white muscle are as follows (mean ± SD): for eight younger rats, soleus = 4.24 ± 0.32 and gastrocnemius = 5.65 ± 0.42 (p < 0.001); for eight older rats, soleus = 2.92 ± 0.29 and gastrocnemius = 5.02 ± 0.27 (p < 0.001). With aging, the calcium concentration decreased in both red (p < 0.001) and white (p < 0.005) muscle.
New method for precise determination of the isovector giant quadrupole resonances in nuclei.

The intense, nearly monoenergetic, 100% polarized $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$-ray beams available at the $\mathrm{HI}\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\gamma}}\mathrm{S}$ facility, along with the realization that the $E1\mathrm{\text{\ensuremath{-}}}E2$ interference term that appears in the Compton scattering polarization observable has opposite signs in the forward and backward angles, make it possible to obtain an order-of-magnitude improvement in the determination of the parameters of the isovector giant quadrupole resonance (IVGQR). Accurate IVGQR parameters will lead to a more detailed knowledge of the symmetry energy in the nuclear equation of state which is important for understanding nuclear matter under extreme conditions such as those present in neutron stars. Our new method is demonstrated for the case of $^{209}\mathrm{Bi}$.
Equine Immunity to Parasites

Helminths are among the most significant parasites of horses in developed countries. This article examines immune responses against helminth parasites and the implications that immunologic investigations have on vaccine development, improvement of diagnostic procedures, and disease eradication.
Correlation of anti-tumor adaptive immunity with clinical response in a phase II "Window" trial of neoadjuvant cetuximab in patients with resectable stage III-IV head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC).

6060Background: Despite near universal EGFR expression in HNSCC, the anti-EGFR antibody, cetuximab, improves survival in only 15% of patients. Activation of immune cell subsets might contribute to ...
Tolerance Factors For Normal Distributions

This table contains values of k used to compute tolerance intervals of the form x±ks for a normal distribution with unknown mean μ and unknown standard deviation σ. The tolerance interval contains at least the proportion 1 — α of the population with probability γ.
Sweet’s Syndrome: A Frequently Unrecognized Complication Following Acute Myeloid Leukemia (Aml) Induction Chemotherapy: A Case Report.

Sweet’s syndrome, also known as acute febrile neutrophilic dermatoses, is a distinct clinicopathologic entity of unknown etiology characterized by acute onset of fever, leukocytosis, and cutaneous plaques. It has been associated with a variety of disorders including infections, neoplasms, and autoimmune diseases. Paraneoplastic Sweet’s syndrome is most often associated with hematologic malignancies, including myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), are most often associated. Although patients with neutrophilia are most likely to be diagnosed with Sweet’s syndrome, so, too, may patients who are neutropenic post-cytotoxic chemotherapy. Herein, we describe the clinical course of a 60-year-old Caucasian man with a history of high-risk MDS who, after progressing to AML and while neutropenic post-induction chemotherapy, was diagnosed with Sweet’s syndrome. The patient developed a warm, tender, indurated, erythematous lesion over his left anterior chest on day +6 of induction chemotherapy consisting of idarubicin and cytarabine. Despite broad spectrum antibiotics, the lesion darkened, formed blisters, and progressed rapidly to involve much of his left chest. On day +11, his WBC had fallen to 0.7×109cells/l and the wound was surgically debrided due to concern that he had developed necrotizing fasciitis. Surgical samples showed significant dermal infiltration of neutrophils and severe necrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissue, but no pathologic organisms or leukemic cells. Empiric antibiotic coverage was broadened to include amphotericin B, voriconazole, and valganciclovir, but the patient failed to improve. On day +18, he began taking 60mg Prednisone daily and his lesions quickly improved. Although Sweet’s syndrome most often occurs in conjunction with neutrophilia, it may also occur in neutropenic patients who have received systemic chemotherapy. This association with neutropenia is more frequent than is generally appreciated; as many as 20–50% of patients with hematologic malignancies may be diagnosed with Sweet’s syndrome while recovering from therapy-associated neutropenia. Cancer-associated Sweet’s syndrome may be more severe than that seen in patients without malignancy. Lesions may progress from plaques and nodules to vesicular, bullous, and even ulcerative skin lesions, as was seen in our patient. Our case report serves as a reminder that Sweet’s syndrome may occur in the setting of neutropenia and, if diagnosis and treatment are delayed, can lead to a life-threatening complication. Early skin biopsy and histopathologic assessment followed by corticosteroids is essential for recognition and management of this entity.
Separating Facts from Fiction: Linguistic Models to Classify Suspicious and Trusted News Posts on Twitter

Pew research polls report 62 percent of U.S. adults get news on social media (Gottfried and Shearer, 2016). In a December poll, 64 percent of U.S. adults said that “made-up news” has caused a “great deal of confusion” about the facts of current events (Barthel et al., 2016). Fabricated stories in social media, ranging from deliberate propaganda to hoaxes and satire, contributes to this confusion in addition to having serious effects on global stability. In this work we build predictive models to classify 130 thousand news posts as suspicious or verified, and predict four sub-types of suspicious news – satire, hoaxes, clickbait and propaganda. We show that neural network models trained on tweet content and social network interactions outperform lexical models. Unlike previous work on deception detection, we find that adding syntax and grammar features to our models does not improve performance. Incorporating linguistic features improves classification results, however, social interaction features are most informative for finer-grained separation between four types of suspicious news posts.
Low loss GaN waveguides at the visible spectral wavelengths for integrated photonics applications

We perform comprehensive studies on the fundamental loss mechanisms in III-nitride waveguides in the visible spectral region. Theoretical analysis shows that free carrier loss dominates for GaN under low photon power injection. When optical power increases, the two photon absorption loss becomes important and eventually dominates when photon energy above half-bandgap of GaN. When the dimensions of the waveguides reduce, the sidewall scattering loss will start to dominate. To verify the theoretical results, a high performance GaN-on-sapphire waveguide was fabricated and characterized. Experimental results are consistent with the theoretical findings, showing that under high power injection the optical loss changed significantly for GaN waveguides. A low optical loss ~2 dB/cm was achieved on the GaN waveguide, which is the lowest value ever reported for the visible spectral range. The results and fabrication processes developed in this work pave the way for the development of III-nitride integrated photonics in the visible and potentially ultraviolet spectral range for nonlinear optics and quantum photonics applications.
In-flight social calls: a primer for biologists and managers studying echolocation

Recent technological advances have permitted collection of immense data sets through automated recordings that are primarily aimed at capturing bat echolocation. Analyses of echolocation calls are ...
Silver screen sorting: Social identity and selective exposure in popular film viewing

While research in media and politics has long stressed the importance of television, the political impact of movies has largely been ignored. However, a small body of literature suggests that both ...
Exploring How the Home Environment Influences Eating and Physical Activity Habits of Low-Income, Latino Children of Predominantly Immigrant Families: A Qualitative Study.

Latinos are the largest and fastest growing minority population group in the United States, and children in low-income Latino families are at elevated risk of becoming overweight or having obesity. A child’s home is an important social environment in which he/she develops and maintains dietary and physical activity (PA) habits that ultimately impact weight status. Previous research suggests the parents are central to creating a home environment that facilitates or hinders the development of children’s early healthy eating and PA habits. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore low-income Latino parents’ beliefs, parenting styles, and parenting practices related to their children’s eating and PA behaviors while at home. Methods: Qualitative study using focus group discussions (FGDs) with 33 low-income Latino parents of preschool children 2 to 5 years of age. FGDs were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Data analyses revealed that most parents recognize the importance of healthy eating and PA for their children and themselves. However, daily life demands including conflicting schedules, long working hours, financial constraints, and neighborhood safety concerns, etc., impact parents’ ability to create a home environment supportive of these behaviors. Conclusions: This study provides information about how the home environment may influence low-income Latino preschool children’s eating and PA habits, which may be useful for health promotion and disease prevention efforts targeting low-income Latino families with young children, and for developing home-based and parenting interventions to prevent and control childhood obesity among this population group. Pediatric healthcare providers can play an important role in facilitating communication, providing education, and offering guidance to low-income Latino parents that support their children’s development of early healthy eating and PA habits, while taking into account daily life barriers faced by families. Moreover, pediatric healthcare providers also can play an important role in the integration and coordination of home-visitations to complement office-based visits and provide a continuum of care to low-income Latino families.
Release of Heat Shock Proteins and their Effects When in the Extracellular Space in the Nervous System

The ability of heat shock proteins (Hsps) to make cells more resistant to most types of metabolic stress has great implications for all post-mitotic cells, especially those of the nervous system. Preventing the loss of neurons is a more parsimonious approach to treatment of injury and disease than is replacement because of the difficulty in reconstructing the complex architecture of the nervous system, the basis for its function storage of information. The discoveries that the 70,kD Hsps are released and that neurons can take them up from the extracellular fluid provides a rationale to investigate how to use them to rescue injured neurons teetering between life and death. We present some of the history behind those discoveries and review the current understanding of the release and uptake of the 70,kD Hsps, discussing the distinct significance these observations have for neurons and some hypotheses about how extracellular Hsps protect neurons from potentially lethal injuries
Hemorrhage During Endovascular Repair of Thoracic Aorta

A case of massive hemorrhage during thoracic endovascular aortic repair is presented. Removal of the endovascular sheath at the completion of the procedure precipitated the massive blood loss at the site of the iliac artery and was eventually controlled with surgical hemostasis, product transfusion, and vasopressor support. The prerequisites for performing a thoracic aorta endovascular repair and details of the surgical procedure are described. Preoperative anesthetic evaluation is discussed which includes need for blood product availability, adequate venous access, hemodynamic monitoring, and appropriate airway management in the event a thoracotomy is necessary for surgical control of hemorrhage. Lastly the differential diagnosis for an acute drop in end-tidal CO2 despite a constant minute ventilation and no change in peak inspiratory pressures is described.
Optimization of Unit Hydrograph Determination

A linear programming model is developed for the optimal determination of unit hydrographs. The model determines the best unit hydrograph by minimizing the sum of deviation between observed and calculated runoff hydrographs. The principles of linearity and superposition of unit hydrograph theory are the basis of the model. Several multiperiod rainfall events can be considered simultaneously for the optimal unit hydrograph determination. The model is tested using both hypothetical and actual rainfall events.
Molecular biomarkers in bladder preservation therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Summary Although muscle-invasive bladder cancer is commonly treated with radical cystectomy, a standard alternative is bladder preservation therapy, consisting of maximum transurethral bladder tumour resection followed by radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy. Although no successfully completed randomised comparisons are available, the two treatment paradigms seem to have similar long-term outcomes; however, clinicopathologic parameters can be insufficient to provide clear guidance in the selection of one treatment over the other. Recent advances in the molecular understanding of bladder cancer have led to the identification of new predictive biomarkers that ultimately might help guide the tailored selection of therapy on the basis of the intrinsic biology of the tumour. In this Review, we discuss the existing evidence for molecular alterations and genomic signatures as prognostic or predictive biomarkers for bladder preservation therapy. If validated in prospective clinical trials, such biomarkers could enable the identification of subgroups of patients who are more likely to benefit from one treatment over another, and guide the use of combination therapies that include other modalities, such as immunotherapy, which might act synergistically with radiotherapy.
A Mechanistic Model of Gut-Brain Axis Perturbation and High-Fat Diet Pathways to Gut Microbiome Homeostatic Disruption, Systemic Inflammation, and Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a highly prevalent metabolic disease, affecting nearly 10% of the American population. Although the etiopathogenesis of T2D remains poorly understood, advances in DNA seque...
Introduction: Death and Dying in Comparative Philosophical Perspective

This introductory chapter previews the content and conclusions of The Comparison Project’s 2015–2017 programming cycle on death and dying. First, it explicates each of the 12 content essays on death and dying, especially with respect to the focus of the series—how traditional theologies of death and rituals of dying are affected by and respond to the medicalization of death. Then, it highlights the four, brief comparative conclusions to the series.
Alkaline earth ion exchange study of pure silica LTA zeolites using periodic first-principles calculations

Experiments show that zeolites, such as Linde Type A (LTA), are promising materials for radioactive decontamination processes. In this work, the thermodynamic properties associated with alkaline earth ion (Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+) exchange in pure silica LTA was studied using periodic first-principles calculations. The adsorption energies of alkaline earth ions compared with that of Na+ were investigated. The driving forces for alkaline earth exchange and related isotherms were calculated, and analyzed as a function of the electron chemical potential. The results demonstrate that Na+ in a pure silica LTA can completely be removed by Ba2+ and almost completely be removed by Sr2+ from a stream, but cannot be effectively exchanged by Ca2+. We also showed that electron-donating dopants should suppress Sr2+ and Ba2+ ion exchange, and that there is a substantial preference for incorporating Ba2+ over Sr2+. Lastly, the substantial difference between the adsorption energies of the ions in an assumed vacuum and those computed in water suggests that a solvation model is needed for accurate representation of ion adsorption in an LTA zeolite.
Archiving of Experimental Data for LEAP-UCD-2017

This paper describes how the LEAP-UCD-2017 data is organized in DesignSafe; it is intended to help users, archivers, and curators find or organize data of interest. Several key files, folders, and documents included in the archive are discussed: (1) an Excel format data template used to document much of the data and metadata for each model (sensor data, cone penetrometer data, and surface marker data as reported by the experimenters), (2) processed sensor data files with time offsets and zero and calibration corrections that facilitate comparison of consistently formatted data from various model tests, (3) plots of processed data for quick overview and comparison of results among experiments, and (4) photographs taken during construction and testing.
Glaucoma Care of Prison Inmates at an Academic Hospital.

Importance Glaucoma care for prison inmates is underrepresented in the literature even though managing the treatment of such patients may provide unique challenges. Objectives To evaluate the glaucoma profile of prison inmates treated at an academic ophthalmology center and to report on the medical and surgical management and follow-up metrics. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study assessed data from 82 incarcerated patients treated at the glaucoma clinic, an academic referral center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, between January 2013 and December 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures Diagnosis, glaucoma severity, medical and surgical interventions, and patient-reported medication adherence were recorded for each visit. Recommended and actual follow-up times were recorded and compared. Data analyses were conducted from January 2013 to December 2018. Results In total, 82 patients (161 eyes) had 375 visits during the study period. All patients were male and ranged from 20 to 75 years of age (mean [SD] age, 50.8 [11.9] years). Most participants were black patients (65 [79.3%]). The most common diagnoses were primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG; 53 eyes [32.9%]) and POAG suspect (52 eyes [32.3%]). Glaucoma severity ranged from mild (25 of 77 eyes [32.5%]) to advanced (41 of 77 eyes [53.2%]). Overall, 59 patients (73.2%) were treated medically with up to 4 topical agents (40.0%). Of those treated, 70.0% of patients (95% CI, 57.7%-81.2%) reported medication nonadherence during at least 1 visit. Medication nonadherence was more common among those taking 4 different topical medications (21 of 24 [87.5%]) compared with others taking fewer medications (20 of 35 [57.1%]), for a difference of 30.4% (95% CI, 7.0%-53.6%;P = .02), and among those with advanced disease (22 of 26 [84.6%]) compared with glaucoma suspect (6 of 13 [46.2%]), for a difference of 38.4% (95% CI, 9.3%-67.5%;P = .02). Nineteen office procedures, including laser peripheral iridotomy and laser trabeculoplasty, were performed on 14 eyes. Seventeen incisional glaucoma procedures were performed on 15 eyes, including glaucoma drainage device implant (11 procedures [64.7%]) and trabeculectomy (3 procedures [17.6%]). Only 26.6% of return office visits (95% CI, 21.3%-32.3%) occurred within the recommended follow-up time frame. Furthermore, 93 patients (34.8%; 95% CI, 28.2%-40.0%) were seen more than 1 month after the recommended follow-up. Conclusions and Relevance Despite incarceration in prison, where medication administration and appointment attendance are theoretically controlled, the results of this study suggested that substantial medication and follow-up nonadherence exists among inmates.
An Informatics Framework to Assess Consumer Health Language Complexity Differences: Proof-of-Concept Study

Background: The language gap between health consumers and health professionals has been long recognized as the main hindrance to effective health information comprehension. Although providing health information access in consumer health language (CHL) is widely accepted as the solution to the problem, health consumers are found to have varying health language preferences and proficiencies. To simplify health documents for heterogeneous consumer groups, it is important to quantify how CHLs are different in terms of complexity among various consumer groups. Objective: This study aimed to propose an informatics framework (consumer health language complexity [CHELC]) to assess the complexity differences of CHL using syntax-level, text-level, term-level, and semantic-level complexity metrics. Specifically, we identified 8 language complexity metrics validated in previous literature and combined them into a 4-faceted framework. Through a rank-based algorithm, we developed unifying scores (CHELC scores [CHELCS]) to quantify syntax-level, text-level, term-level, semantic-level, and overall CHL complexity. We applied CHELCS to compare posts of each individual on online health forums designed for (1) the general public, (2) deaf and hearing-impaired people, and (3) people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: We examined posts with more than 4 sentences of each user from 3 health forums to understand CHL complexity differences among these groups: 12,560 posts from 3756 users in Yahoo! Answers, 25,545 posts from 1623 users in AllDeaf, and 26,484 posts from 2751 users in Wrong Planet. We calculated CHELCS for each user and compared the scores of 3 user groups (ie, deaf and hearing-impaired people, people with ASD, and the public) through 2-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests and analysis of covariance tests. Results: The results suggest that users in the public forum used more complex CHL, particularly more diverse semantics and more complex health terms compared with users in the ASD and deaf and hearing-impaired user forums. However, between the latter 2 groups, people with ASD used more complex words, and deaf and hearing-impaired users used more complex syntax. Conclusions: Our results show that the users in 3 online forums had significantly different CHL complexities in different facets. The proposed framework and detailed measurements help to quantify these CHL complexity differences comprehensively. The results emphasize the importance of tailoring health-related content for different consumer groups with varying CHL complexities.
Water, Air, and Land: The Foundation of Life, Food, and Society

Understanding the delicate balance of life and the elements that support life is essential to advocating for the health and well-being of our planet and ecosystems. The conditions that sustain life are threatened by the behavior of humans, including the rapid pace of climate change. This chapter explores the importance of healthy land, air, and water and examines some of the most critical threats to them resulting from human behaviors. Some of the major threats include degrading and depleting fresh water, pollution of the oceans and the coastline, air pollution, and natural resource extraction. We explore the role of land, air, and water in sustaining life, including human life, and the ways the physical, social, cultural, and economic well-being of humans is interrelated with the health of our planet.
Quantifying relative virulence: when μ max fails and AUC alone just is not enough.

A challenge in virology is quantifying relative virulence (V R) between two (or more) viruses that exhibit different replication dynamics in a given susceptible host. Host growth curve analysis is often used to mathematically characterize virus-host interactions and to quantify the magnitude of detriment to host due to viral infection. Quantifying V R using canonical parameters, like maximum specific growth rate (μ max), can fail to provide reliable information regarding virulence. Although area-under-the-curve (AUC) calculations are more robust, they are sensitive to limit selection. Using empirical data from Sulfolobus Spindle-shaped Virus (SSV) infections, we introduce a novel, simple metric that has proven to be more robust than existing methods for assessing V R. This metric (I SC) accurately aligns biological phenomena with quantified metrics to determine V R. It also addresses a gap in virology by permitting comparisons between different non-lytic virus infections or non-lytic versus lytic virus infections on a given host in single-virus/single-host infections.
Transcript Analysis of Two Spinach Cultivars Reveals the Complexity of Salt Tolerance Mechanisms

Increasing soil salinization threatens global crop productivity. An understanding of the genetic networks involved in salinity tolerance mechanisms of high-value crops, such as spinach, is lacking....
Ab initio anharmonic thermodynamic properties of cubic Ca Si O 3 perovskite

We present an ab initio study of the thermodynamic properties of cubic $\mathrm{Ca}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ perovskite (CaPv) over the pressure and temperature range of the Earth's lower mantle. We compute the anharmonic phonon dispersions throughout the Brillouin zone by utilizing the phonon quasiparticle approach, which characterizes the intrinsic temperature dependence of phonon frequencies and, in principle, captures full anharmonicity. Such temperature-dependent phonon dispersions are used to calculate ab initio free energy in the thermodynamic limit ($N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$) within the framework of the phonon gas model. Accurate free energy calculations enable us to investigate cubic CaPv's thermodynamic properties, e.g., thermal expansivity, Gr\"uneisen parameter, bulk modulus, heat capacity and thermal equation of state, where anharmonic effects are demonstrated. The present methodology provides an important theoretical approach for exploring phase boundaries, thermodynamic, and thermoelastic properties of strongly anharmonic materials at high pressures and temperatures.
56. Rare Presentation of Müllerian Duct Anomaly

Background Most congenital anomalies of the female reproductive system involve the uterus. Undescended fallopian tubes and ovaries are rare congenital defects and infrequently reported. Cases are usually discovered secondary to ectopic pregnancies or infertility. Case We present a 13-year-old postmenarcheal female who presented initially with left upper quadrant pain. Since preoperative imaging including an MRI of the abdomen was inconclusive, she underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy. Intraoperatively she was found to have a mass resembling a torsed accessory spleen adherent to an undescended fallopian tube as well as a small ovoid ectopic ovarian tissue. In the pelvis she was found to have a rudimentary left uterine horn which was associated with a truncated fallopian tube that appeared autoamputated; an enlarged left ovary with a simple ovarian cyst was noted as well. On the right side, a normal ovary, fallopian tube, and unicornuate uterus were noted. Pathology confirmed the mass was an infarcted accessory spleen associated with a portion of the fimbriated fallopian tube with a paratubal cyst, as well as ovarian tissue with a cystic follicle. Postoperatively she has done well with complete resolution of her pain. Comments Mullerian and splenic anomalies are rare, and co-presentation is rarer. Ultimately, clinical symptoms should guide surgical treatment and diagnosis of these rare anomalies.
Geostatistical Analysis of a Soil Salinity Data Set

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a typical geostatistical analysis of a data set representative of the diversity and complexity of data sets handled through GIs. There is much more to geographical (spatial) data analysis than performing elementary operations of overlay, merge, and split and then merely mapping data with somewhat arbitrary, eye-pleasing, spline algorithms. The data talk when their geographic interdependence is revealed; there is an essential third component to any two data values taken at two different locations in space or time-their relation is seen as a function of the separation vector linking these two locations. Pictorial and numerical models of patterns of space or time dependence allow us to go far beyond data locations into alternative (stochastic equiprobable) maps that depict the true complexity of the data while always preserving an assessment of uncertainty. This chapter also illustrates the toolbox aspect of geostatistics, presenting several alternative ways to reach the same goal and proposing cross-validation exercises to help the operator in his or her decision.
Deconstruction of the trap model for the new conducting state in two dimensions

A key prediction of the trap model for the new conducting state in 2D is that the resistivity turns upwards below some characteristic temperature, $T_{\rm min}$. Altshuler, Maslov, and Pudalov have argued that the reason why no upturn has been observed for the low density conducting samples is that the temperature was not low enough in the experiments. We show here that $T_{\rm min}$ within the Altshuler, Maslov, and Pudalov trap model actually increases with decreasing density, contrary to their claim. Consequently, the trap model is not consistent with the experimental trends.
The necessity of assuring quality in software measurement data

Software measurement data is often used to model software quality classification models. Related literature has focussed on developing new classification techniques and schemes with the aim of improving classification accuracy. However, the quality of software measurement data used to build such classification models plays a critical role in their accuracy and usefulness. We present empirical case studies, which demonstrate that despite using a very large number of diverse classification techniques for building software quality classification models, the classification accuracy does not show a dramatic improvement. For example, a simple lines-of-code based classification performs comparatively to some other more advanced classification techniques such as neural networks, decision trees, and case-based reasoning. Case studies of the NASA JM1 and KC2 software measurement datasets (obtained through the NASA Metrics Data Program) are presented. Some possible reasons that affect the quality of a software measurement dataset include presence of data noise, errors due to improper software data collection, exclusion of software metrics that are better representative software quality indicators, and improper recording of software fault data. This study shows, through an empirical study, that instead of searching for a classification technique that perform well for given software measurement dataset, the software quality and development teams should focus on improving the quality of the software measurement dataset.
Classroom Motivation from A to Z: How to Engage Your Students in Learning

This book focuses on basic strategies you can integrate into everyday instruction in every subject area and across grade levels. It shows teachers how to motivate and engage students. The practical examples in this book make it easy for you to apply these strategies in your own classroom. It presents lively stories about how teachers help their students succeed. You'll meet teachers of all types, from preschool to high school, and you'll hear the voices of real students. Companion Study Guide Available
USING FICTION AS A VEHICLE FOR POPULARIZING HISTORY: JURJY ZAIDAN’S HISTORICAL NOVELS

Jurji Zaydan was born in Beirut, Lebanon on Dec. 14, 1861, into a Greek Orthodox family. Many of his works focused on the Arab Awakening. The journal that he founded, al-Hilal, is still published today. His writings have been translated from Arabic into Persian, Turkish and Urdu as well as English, French and German. By the time he died unexpectedly in Cairo on July 21, 1914, at the age of fifty three, he had already established himself, in a little over twenty years, as one of the most prolific and influential thinkers and writers of the Arab Nahda (Awakening), but also as an educator and intellectual innovator, whose education was not based on traditional or religious learning. Philip Thomas called Zaydan, “the archetypical member of the Arab Nahda at the end of nineteenth century.” Zaydan transformed his society by helping build the Arab media, but he was also an important literary figure, a pioneer of the Arabic novel, and a historian of Islamic civilization. Zaydan was an intellectual who proposed new world view, a new social order, and new political power. Zaydan was the author of twenty-two historical novels covering the entirety of Arab/Islamic history. In these novels Zaydan did not attempt to deal with the history in chronological order, nor did he cover the whole of Islamic history; rather, his purpose was to popularize Islamic history through the medium of fiction. This paper will offer a brief analytical outline of Zaydan’s historical novels and how his critics viewed them.
Case report: epidural abscess in a parturient with pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP).

To describe the risk factors for epidural abscess (EA) formation following epidural analgesia in a parturient with pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP). A 33 yr-old gravida 2 nulliparous patient at 36 weeks gestation presented with severe pre-eclampsia, and PUPPP (treated with prednisone). Magnesium prophylaxis was started and labour was induced. An epidural catheter was placed at the L3–4 level using standard aseptic technique. Bupivacaine was incrementally injected to achieve a T10 sensory level, and analgesia was maintained using a continuous infusion of 0.0625% bupivacaine with fentanyl. Nine days post-delivery, the patient developed back pain radiating to her right leg, but she was otherwise asymptomatic. She was afebrile; with a slightly tender, nonerythematous, non-draining, 1 cm nodule at the epidural catheter site. Motor and sensory examinations were normal at that time. However, the patient returned 24 hr later and further investigations revealed: WBC 17,800·mm-3, platelets 486,000·mm-3, erythrocyte sedimentation rate 50 mm·hr-1, and C-reactive protein 8.8 mg·dL-1. The magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an EA at the L3–4 level causing minimal cord compression. The patient underwent an emergency decompressive laminectomy. Cultures revealed methicillin-sensitiveStaphylococcus aureus. Her pain improved, and she was discharged on the third postoperative day with a six-week course of iv ceftriaxone. Causative organisms for EAs include coagulase-negativeStaphylococci, S.aureus, and Gram-negative bacilli. Infection can occur either hematogenously or by direct contamination during catheter placement. Risk factors include immunocompromised states and PUPPP, as with the case of this patient.
WDR20 Regulates Activity of the USP12·UAF1 Deubiquitinating Enzyme Complex

The UAF1 (Usp1-associated factor 1) protein binds and stimulates three deubiquitinating enzymes: USP1, USP12, and USP46. Although the USP1·UAF1 complex is required for regulation of the Fanconi anemia (FA) DNA repair pathway, less is known about the USP12·UAF1 and the USP46·UAF1 complexes. To understand further the nature of the USP12 and USP46 complexes, we attempted to identify proteins that interact with the USP12 and USP46 deubiquitinating enzyme complexes. We identified WDR20, a WD40-repeat containing protein, as a common binding partner of UAF1, USP12, and USP46. Further analysis showed that WDR20 associates exclusively with USP12 and USP46, not with USP1. Furthermore, we demonstrate the purification of a ternary USP12·UAF1·WDR20 complex. Interestingly, and consistent with the binding assays, WDR20 stimulated the enzymatic activity of USP12·UAF1, but not of USP1·UAF1. Consistent with our previous report that USP12 and USP46 do not regulate the FA pathway, small interference RNA-mediated depletion of WDR20 protein did not affect the FA pathway or DNA damage responses. We provide a model in which WDR20 serves as a stimulatory subunit for preserving and regulating the activity of the subset of the UAF1·USP complexes.
A control algorithm for statistically stationary large‐eddy simulations of thermally stratified boundary layers

Large-eddy simulations (LESs) of thermally stratified atmospheric boundary layers (ABLs) typically involve imposed heating or cooling at the ground surface, leading to slowly varying temperature distributions in the domain. While for some applications an interpretation of the resulting fields as quasi-stationary is possible, there are certain applications for which the slow temporal variations are a serious drawback. An example occurs when using LES for a systematic analysis of effects of large wind farms on atmospheric heat fluxes, where analysis of stationary statistics greatly facilitates understanding. In order to obtain statistically stationary temperature fields in LES of thermally stratified boundary layers, in this article we introduce a control algorithm, and test its effectiveness for various levels of surface heating and cooling. The method uses a ‘proportional-integral’ (PI) control algorithm, designed to keep constant the horizontally averaged temperature in a computational fringe layer placed above the ABL region of interest. For flows driven by a geostrophic wind, another controller is used to adjust the mean flow angle within the ABL at a specified height to achieve a prescribed direction. This is done by controlling a source term (in the form of an additional Coriolis force) in the momentum equations. This term is deactivated once the statistics become stationary and the flow aligns with the desired direction. Together, these two control schemes enable very long-time simulations of thermally stratified heated or cooled boundary layers displaying fully stationary distributions of mean velocity and temperature.