cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teaching Social Class

Discussing socioeconomic status in college classes can be challenging. Both teachers and students feel uncomfortable, yet social class matters more than ever. This is especially true, given increas...
Object-Oriented Modeling and Simulation of AC/DC Systems

This paper summarizes the experience gained while using the object-oriented language Modelica for modeling an AC/DC electric distribution system: the Naval electric shipboard power generation and DC distribution testbed. Modelica's hybrid system modeling capabilities allow efficient formulation of continuous and discrete information processing systems and these have been used to map the power system's components to objects in Modelica. The language clearly shows its advantages in the design phase, as domain knowledge can be directly incorporated into the basic and well-defined components. The limiting factor of using this approach could be the large set of algebraic-differential equations handled at event detection that would slow down the simulation.
Collagenolytic Activity of Crevicular Fluid from Pericoronal Gingival Flaps

Collagenolytic activity was seen in fluids from the mandibular pericoronal gingival flap. Based on the response of this activity to sodium thiocyanate, and on the disc gel electrophoretic pattern of the collagen breakdown products, the collagenase appeared to be of tissue rather than of bacterial origin. Moreover, this activity seemed to parallel the collagenase activity and the breakdown of collagen in the adjacent gingival tissue, and thus, may be of diagnostic importance.
Reply to "Accuracy of Self-Report of Sexual Activity among Adolescent Girls: Implications for Interpretation of Vaginal Flora Patterns".

We appreciate the interest of Muzny and Schwebke in our paper entitled “Vaginal microbiota of adolescent girls prior to the onset of menarche resemble those of reproductive-age women” (1, 2), in which we report the longitudinal changes in vaginal and vulvar microbial communities of adolescents that occur prior to and immediately following menarche. Muzny and Schwebke focus their comments on the occurrence of Gardnerella vaginalis in the vaginal and vulvar communities of some perimenarcheal adolescents. …
Sectarianism in Pakistan: The Radicalization of Shi‘i and Sunni Identities

This essay is an enquiry into the context, nature, and significance of militant sectarian conflict in Pakistan. The parties to the conflict are the Sunnis, who constitute the majority of Muslims in Pakistan, and the Shi‘a, a small but influential minority. Conflict between these two religious communities has deep roots in the history of Islam and of South Asia. In Pakistan, which aspires to be in some sense an ‘Islamic state’, sectarian conflict is part of, and interacts with, broader issues concerning the place of Islam in public life. This essay seeks to analyse some of factors which have contributed, especially in the past twenty-five years or so, to militant sectarian conflict in Pakistan and to assess the significance of this rather neglected form of Islamic radicalism.
Pilot Trials in Clinical Research: Of What Value Are They?

Pilot trials are exploratory studies limited in size and scope that give insight into the actions, efficacy, and safety of a drug or device but cannot provide definitive support for specific mechanistic or therapeutic claims. Defined in this way, pilot trials have been used to guide clinical and translational research for many years. As studies defined as pilot trials are regularly published in Circulation , I feel it is important for our readers to appreciate their appropriate use and key limitations for clinical and translational cardiovascular research. Two broad classes of pilot trials can be identified: those designed a priori by the investigators and those redefined a posteriori. The first article published in Circulation identified by its title as a pilot study appeared in 1976,1 and since that time 146 such studies have graced our pages. Since the current editorial office’s tenure began in 2004, 41 pilot trials have been published in the journal, and many of these were not initially submitted as pilot studies: After reviewing the data carefully and recognizing their limitations, the editors requested that the authors define the trials as pilots to alert the reader to the preliminary nature of the results. It is likely that many trials published before 1976 in Circulation would have been redefined as pilot studies owing to similar limitations and rigorous attention paid to the statistical validity of the conclusions drawn in them. Clinical pilot studies designed as such a priori are generally performed at the earliest phase of the development of a drug or device when little or no experience has been acquired with its use in humans. For the purpose of this editorial, pilot studies are defined as those clinical trials used to acquire specific essential information about a drug or device before beginning the pivotal trial (ie, …
Automatic indexing and content-based retrieval of captioned photographs

This research explores the interaction of textual and photographic information in an integrated text/image database environment. Specifically, We present a content-based retrieval system for captioned group photographs of people (i.e., human faces) where groups can consist of one or more members. By understanding the caption accompanying a picture, we are able to extract information useful in (i) retrieving the picture and (ii) directing an image interpretation system identify relevant objects (in this case, faces) in the picture. For the latter, we incorporate techniques from our ongoing research on photo understanding using accompanying text. Current image-based techniques have limitations; for example, similarity techniques used for retrieving faces will not perform well in group photographs where the locations of faces is not known a priori or where face sizes are small. By exploiting caption information, we assist a face locator in detecting human faces in a photograph and subsequently labelling them. Text-based similarity algorithms have principally relied on statistical techniques to index and classify documents (e.g., vector models). It is necessary to employ natural language processing techniques in order to derive deeper semantics from captions which contain far fewer words than documents. Our approach is unique since it goes beyond a superficial combination of existing text-based and image-based approaches to information retrieval.
Perceptions, Knowledge, and Satisfaction With Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy Among Young Women With Breast Cancer: A Cross-sectional Survey

Background There has been a dramatic increase in rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM), particularly among younger women with breast cancer, however little is known about how women approach the decision to undergo CPM.
Overpaid CEOs and Underpaid Managers: Fairness and Executive Compensation

In this study we propose that norms of fairness are salient to top decision makers and show that over- or underpayment of the CEO cascades down to lower organizational levels. Moreover, it appears that CEOs use their own power not only to increase their own salaries, but also those of their subordinates. One implication of such a process may be that the overpayment of a top executive has higher costs than have previously been realized. We also find evidence suggesting that CEOs serve as a key referent for employees in determining whether their own situation is “fair,” and this influences their reactions to their own compensation. More specifically, we find that when lower-level managers are underpaid relative to the CEO---that is, underpaid more than the CEO or overpaid less---they are more likely to leave the organization. Results obtained from testing our hypotheses on a sample of more than 120 firms over a five-year period demonstrates the importance of considering fairness in the setting of CEO pay. Implications for the design of executive compensation packages are discussed.
Altered Expression of RET Proto-oncogene Product in Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia and Prostate Cancer

Background The RET proto-oncogene encodes a protein that belongs to the tyrosine kinase growth factor receptor family. Germline point mutations in RET are found in individuals with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) syndromes, and gene rearrangements have been reported in papillary thyroid cancers. We recently identified transcripts of the RET proto-oncogene in human prostate cancer xenografts and prostate cancer cell lines by means of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses. The purpose of this study was to investigate Ret protein expression in human prostate tissue. Methods Ret protein expression was evaluated immunohistochemically in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded whole-prostate sections. The prostate specimens were obtained from 30 patients with prostate cancer after radical prostatectomies. Ret protein expression was compared in tumor foci and benign prostatic tissue. Medullary thyroid carcinoma tissue associated with an MEN syndrome and papillary thyroid cancer tissue served as positive controls. Results Ret appeared to be overexpressed in high-grade (histopathologically advanced) prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and prostate cancer when compared with its expression level in benign prostatic secretory epithelium. In addition, there was an apparent increase in Ret protein expression with decreased cellular differentiation, i.e., increasing Gleason pattern. Conclusion Expression of the RET proto-oncogene in benign prostatic epithelium, high-grade PIN, and histopathologically advanced prostate cancer suggests that RET may play a role in the growth of both benign and neoplastic prostate epithelial cells.
Women and the Social Gospel Novel

The American Social Gospel and the role of women in American religion recently have emerged as significant concerns for American religious historians, after a period of relative neglect. In 1976 Ronald C. White, Jr. and C. Howard Hopkins called for a fresh, more inclusive look at the Social Gospel, pointing to women as among the "neglected reforms and reformers" in Social Gospel study.' Scholarship on women and religion has exploded in the last decade, focusing not only on important individuals and traditional religious images of women, but also on women's own ideas and activities. This article is presented with the hope that it not only may add to the study of the history of women in American religion, but also may contribute to a new understanding of the Social Gospel movement. There is considerable scholarly debate on the exact nature and duration of the Social Gospel movement. For the purpose of this paper, I have considered the Social Gospel movement to extend from the 1870s through World War I, although, of course, it had roots before and continuities after this period. The concern of the Social Gospelers was to relate the Christian message to the needs of their age, especially the problems of the emerging labor movement and structures of American economic and political systems. Theologically, the Social Gospel was allied closely to nineteenth-century liberalism. However, it did not exclude evangelical roots, evident in such an unquestioned leader as Rauschenbusch, and its proponents spanned a theological spectrum from mild conservatism to Christian socialism.2 Distinctive theological insights of the Social Gospel, such as the conviction that the social nature of sin and salvation is at least as important to understand as individual sin, reform, and salvation, are clearest in the most articulate and theologically trained leaders
Different Predictors of Multiple-Target Search Accuracy between Nonprofessional and Professional Visual Searchers:

Visual search, locating target items among distractors, underlies daily activities ranging from critical tasks (e.g., looking for dangerous objects during security screening) to commonplace ones (e.g., finding your friends in a crowded bar). Both professional and nonprofessional individuals conduct visual searches, and the present investigation is aimed at understanding how they perform similarly and differently. We administered a multiple-target visual search task to both professional (airport security officers) and nonprofessional participants (members of the Duke University community) to determine how search abilities differ between these populations and what factors might predict accuracy. There were minimal overall accuracy differences, although the professionals were generally slower to respond. However, the factors that predicted accuracy varied drastically between groups; variability in search consistency—how similarly an individual searched from trial to trial in terms of speed—best explained acc...
SOLAR ACTIVITY OBSERVED IN X-RAYS AND THE EUV FROM OSO 7

Since 1971 the Goddard X-ray and EUV spectroheliograph aboard OSO 7 has been measuring the spatial distribution and time-variations of localized temperature and density features in solar active centers and flares. In some cases the sizes, shapes, orientations and locations of emitting plasmas at temperatures ranging from 104 K (Hα) to as high as 2 × 107 K (Fe xxv) have now been measured simultaneously. Our observations of active regions are consistent with the coronal structure being made up of nested systems of arches with footpoints in areas of opposite magnetic polarity. Temperatures seem to increase for arches nearer the center and also towards the top of any given magnetic arch, the innermost loops having the highest temperature gradients. There is also some evidence for electric current flow along such loops. Radiative cooling is significant for the region’s hot central core which therefore must be maintained by a more or less continuous injection of energy.
Association of dietary factors and selected plasma variables with sex hormone-binding globulin in rural Chinese women.

Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is an important regulator of plasma sex steroids as well as a sensitive indicator of insulin resistance. SHBG may be an important diag- nostic measure of risk for pathologies associated with insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) such as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and ath- erosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In women, SHBG is also im- plicated in diverse pathologies such as cancers of steroid-sensitive tissues and hirsutism. Data from an ongoing ecological study linking diet and health in rural China were analyzed to determine the relation of selected plasma variables and diet to plasma con- centrations of SHBG. All data represent county mean values, pooled by age and sex, to assess the relation between biochemical and lifestyle characteristics and disease-specific mortality rates at the county level. The study sample consisted of 3250 Chinese women between the ages of 35 and 64 y living in 65 widely dispersed rural counties. Consumption patterns for 2 1 different food groups were derived from a food-frequency questionnaire and a 3-d dietary survey and subsequently compared. Correlation anal- yses of county mean values demonstrated a significant association between SHBG and insulin, testosterone, triacylglycerols, body mass index, age at menarche, and several foods. In regression analyses, after adjustments, the strongest predictors of SHBG concentrations were the dietary intakes of rice (f3 = 0.42, P < 0.01), fish (13 0.34, P < 0.05), millet ((3 = -0.27, P < 0.01), and wheat ((3 = -0.34, P < 0.01). When insulin, testosterone, and triacylglycerols were added to the model only triacylglycerols (13 = -0.26, P < 0.05) remained a significant independent predictor of SHBG. Additional analyses suggested that the consumption of green vegetables was modestly positively correlated with SHBG and negatively with insulin values. Consumption of rice and fish in particular appeared to favorably influence the principle plasma variables associated with a reduction in the risk for IRS patholo- gies. Am J Clin Nutr 1996;63:22-3l.
Monitoring Plants at Ecotones for Effects of Environmental Change

ABSTRACT Monitoring is used to detect changes in the abundance of threatened, dominant, or invasive species in natural areas. Management actions will be more effective if change is detected quickly. Ecological theory suggests that changes will often occur first at the margin of a plant's occurrence, rather than in the center of distribution. Ecological monitoring at these occurrence margins, or ecotones, should allow more rapid detection of change and mitigation actions. An example of ecotone monitoring is provided.
The artificial organs program at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation: past, present, and future.

The artificial organs program at the Cleveland Clinic was reorganized in 1967. Active circulatory support programs, metabolic and immunoassist programs, and biomaterials and biocompatibility programs have been established during the past 16 years. A skeletomuscular assist program is in the process of being integrated into the artificial organs program. The main emphasis in the circulatory assist program is on the development of a permanent totally implantable artificial heart. In addition, a clinical temporary ventricular assist device, a permanent implantable ventricular assist system (electrical and thermal), and a nonpulsatile circulatory support system are included in the circulatory assist program. The metabolic and immunoassist program is directed toward the development of a system to modulate the human immune system in an effort to treat and prevent metabolic and immunological diseases. The biomaterials and compatibility program is devoted to the study of the interaction between "human spare parts" and/ or artificial organs and human tissues and organs. Various types of innovative systems to replace or augment human organs are included in the scope of the artificial organs program, including the artificial heart, circulatory assist devices, artificial kidney, hepatic assist, pancreatic assist, immunoassist, oxygenator, and biomaterials.
Composition of urinary calculi from mink.

SummaryThirty-one mink urinary calculi have been quantitatively analyzed for calcium, magnesium, ammonia and phosphorus. The results of the analyses indicate that the main constituent of the calculi is magnesium ammonium phosphate. Small amounts of calcium phosphate and magnesium phosphate may also be present.
Validation of photoscreening technology in the general pediatrics office: a prospective study.

Background Photoscreening instruments have been widely validated in pediatric ophthalmology clinics and field studies; however, validation by general pediatricians is lacking. We performed the first prospective, multisite evaluation of a commercially available photoscreener in the medical home. Methods Eleven practices in Middle Tennessee recruited over 3,100 children between 12 months and 5 years to be screened at well-child examinations. Participants were those who received a “refer” result; controls received a “pass.” Referred children received a comprehensive eye examination with cycloplegic retinoscopy. A subset of control children underwent eye examinations in an attempt to determine sensitivity and specificity. Results The overall referral rate was 10%. Amblyopia risk factors (ARFs) were confirmed in 47% of referred children, with positive predictive values (PPVs) of 77.8% for suspected hyperopia, 60% for myopia, 50% for anisometropia, and 44.8% for astigmatism by the 2013 guidelines of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Vision Screening Committee. Using the 2003 guidelines, the overall PPV was 60.3%; PPVs were determined for suspected hyperopia (77.8%), myopia (60%), anisometropia (67.6%), and astigmatism (61.2%). Of referred children who received follow-up, 18 (13.2%) had amblyopia. PPVs for children ≤36 months (n = 79) did not differ from those 37-72 months (n = 57). No child who passed screening and had a follow-up examination had any ARFs. Conclusions Our results replicate those of previously published field studies and support recent United States Preventive Services Task Force and American Academy of Pediatrics position statements. They provide prospective evidence that photoscreening is an effective tool for children aged 12-72 months.
Bacteriuria in pregnancy. Therapeutic considerations.

If bacteriuria in pregnancy is considered to be no more than an incidental or interesting finding, significant and irreversible renal disease may result. Selection of optimal therapy depends on consideration of the site of infection within the urinary tract, the infecting organism(s), and the chronicity of infection. I n too many cases the treatment given leads to prolonged illness or infection with resistant organisms.
Factors associated with adverse events after distal biceps tendon repair or reconstruction.

Background Factors associated with adverse events after distal biceps tendon repair or reconstruction are incompletely understood. This study examined factors associated with adverse events, prevalence of adverse events, and rate of second surgeries after distal biceps repair or reconstruction. Methods Between January 2002 and March 2015, 373 adult patients who underwent repair or reconstruction of the distal biceps tendon at 1 of 3 area hospitals were analyzed to determine factors associated with adverse events after surgical repair or reconstruction of the distal biceps tendon. Results Of 373 distal biceps tendon repairs or reconstructions, 82 (22%) had an adverse event; 5.3% were major adverse events. In multivariable analysis, a single-incision anterior approach and obesity were associated with a higher rate of adverse events. Fifteen patients (18% of patients with an adverse event and 4% of all patients) had a second surgery after distal biceps tendon surgery. Conclusion Patients should be counseled that 1 in 5 patients will have a minor complication and 1 in 20 patients will have a major complication after surgery on the distal biceps tendon. The most common adverse event is lateral antebrachial cutaneous neurapraxia.
Novel effective parameter for MPSK/MFSK classification

A novel parameter, named centrality of instantaneous frequency, was proposed for the classification of M-ary phase-shift keying (MPSK) and M-ary frequency-shift keying (MFSK) signals. The distributions of instantaneous frequency (IF) of MPSK and MFSK signals were introduced, both without and with additive white Gaussian noise by analyzing the characteristic of the distribution, a conclusion was arrived at and the new parameter was put forward naturally. Then, all factors which would affect the value of the parameter were carefully investigated. Monte carlo experiments were carried out to test the performance of the parameter. The computer simulation results show the overall effectiveness of the parameter in dividing MPSK and MFSK signals. The accuracy is not below than 96% when the SNR is above 4dB.
Tubulin binding affinities of podophyllotoxin and colchicine analogues.

The lignan podophyllotoxin competitively inhibits colchicine binding to tubulin. The ability of 12 podophyllotoxin and three colchicine analogues to inhibit colchicine binding to mouse brain tubulin was investigated in order to identify drugs with high affinity for the colchicine binding site on tubulin. Colchicine binding was assayed by the DEAE-cellulose filter paper method. Results indicated that podophyllotoxin binds to tubulin more rapidly and in less temperature-dependent fashion than colchicine. All active drug analogues were competitive inhibitors. β-Peltatin was found to have a significantly greater affinity for mouse brain tubulin than either podophyllotoxin or colchicine. Analogues containing hydrophilic substitutions had greatly reduced tubulin binding activity, as did stereoisomers of podophyllotoxin. Other results suggest that the conformation about the lactone ring on podophyllotoxin may be of importance in determining tubulin binding activity. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the colchicine binding site is located in a hydrophobic pocket. Tubulin binding assays in vitro are suggested as useful steps in the screening of antitumor agents.
Smell preservation following endoscopic unilateral resection of esthesioneuroblastoma: a multi‐institutional experience

Background The gold standard of treatment for esthesioneuroblastoma consists of en bloc craniofacial resection with postoperative therapy dictated by histology and tumor extent. Numerous studies have shown fully endoscopic approaches to provide comparable survival and recurrence rates with decreased patient morbidity. Here we report the first multi-institutional series assessing smell outcomes of patients who underwent unilateral endoscopic resection of esthesioneuroblastoma with preservation of the contralateral olfactory bulb. Methods A multi-institutional retrospective review was performed identifying patients who underwent endoscopic unilateral resection of esthesioneuroblastoma with preservation of 1 olfactory bulb between 2003 and 2015. After completion of postoperative radiation, patients were administered the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) to assess olfactory function. Results Fourteen patients (7 males, 7 females) were identified and tested for posttreatment olfactory function. All 14 patients received postoperative radiotherapy and 4 patients received additional chemotherapy. Mean follow-up time was 51.7 months. There was no disease recurrence. Six patients (43%) were found to have residual smell function with 2 patients (14%) having normal or mildly reduced smell function. Conclusion Here we report the first multi-institutional series demonstrating smell preservation after unilateral endoscopic resection of esthesioneuroblastoma. In carefully selected patients, this approach can yield comparable survival with decreased patient morbidity.
Regulating Patent Assertions

Recent years have seen a proliferation of statutes regulating and lawsuits challenging patent enforcement conduct. The Federal Circuit, however, has held that acts of patent enforcement are illegal only if there is clear and convincing evidence both that the patent holder’s infringement allegations were objectively baseless and that the patent holder knew or should have known its allegations were baseless. This chapter summarizes recent efforts by state governments and the federal government to control patent enforcement behavior, questions the broad immunity the Federal Circuit has conferred on patent holders, and seeks to improve pending federal legislation governing patent enforcement. In the past three years, the Supreme Court has twice overturned Federal Circuit case law embracing objective/subjective tests similar to the court’s immunity rule. A more flexible standard, focused on the patent holder’s good faith or bad faith, would not only accommodate the Supreme Court’s disdain for rigid rules in patent law, it would accord with a century of well-reasoned regional circuit and district court case law that the Federal Circuit has ignored. More importantly, a good-faith standard would allow courts to condemn the questionable tactics lately deployed by so-called bottom feeder patent trolls while still respecting patent holders’ rights to make legitimate allegations of infringement. Although pending federal legislation to regulate patent assertions would rely heavily on the Federal Trade Commission for implementation, this chapter sketches a regulatory model that emphasizes the comparative advantages of both state governments and the federal government. The federal government’s strengths include Congress’s ability to provide a uniform legal standard governing patent assertions and to clarify questions of personal and subject matter jurisdiction that arise in cases challenging patent enforcement conduct. By contrast, state governments, as well as private parties, have a superior ability to identify unfair or deceptive patent assertions and to pursue lawsuits against patent holders who violate the law. A model of cooperative federalism, grounded in these functional considerations, would deter and punish overzealous patent enforcement with minimal uncertainty about what, exactly, the law prohibits.
Performing System Tradeoff Analyses Using Human Performance Modeling

Humans perform critical functions in nearly every system, making them vital to consider during system development. Human Systems Integration (HSI) would ideally permit the human’s impact on system performance to be effectively accounted for during the systems engineering (SE) process, but effective processes are often not applied, especially in the early design phases. Failure to properly account for human capabilities and limitations during system design may lead to unreasonable expectations of the human. The result is a system design that makes unrealistic assumptions about the human, leading to an overestimation of the human’s performance and thus the system’s performance. This research proposes a method of integrating HSI with SE that allows human factors engineers to apply Systems Modeling Language (SysML) and human performance simulation to describe and communicate human and system performance. Using these models, systems engineers can more fully understand the system’s performance to facilitate des...
How Does Ethnic Rebellion Start

Because insurgent group formation typically occurs in secrecy and in poorly monitored areas, the empirical record on conflicts’ start is spare and systematically omits rebels who fail before committing substantial violence. This article argues that this presents a fundamental challenge for the study of conflict onset and demonstrates the theoretical and empirical problems it causes in studying a controversial relationship: how ethnicity influences armed conflicts’ start. Unusual evidence on all armed groups that formed in Uganda since 1986 indicates that ethnic mobilization was unimportant to the initial formation of rebel groups—but mattered after nascent groups had already formed. Contrasting evidence from Uganda with a prominent argument that ethnic marginalization induces rebellion shows why lack of evidence about how insurgencies begin can lead to broader inferential pitfalls.
Modeling p-types dopants in gallium arsenide with SUPREM 3.5

A computer simulation program has been developed which simulates the processes used to fabricate ion-implanted GaAs integrated circuits. This 1-D simulator, named SUPREM 3.5, predicts the structure and doping profiles of the channel and source/drain regions of GaAs MESFETs and JFETs using recently developed models and recently determined parameters for ion implantation, diffusion, and activation. The simulator can model not only the common n-type dopants, but also the p-type dopants (e.g. Be and Mg) used in JFET and buried p-layer structures SUPREM 3.5 can be used to determine the optimal process conditions for the different structures and dopants, and also to assist in determining which dopant to use. >
The effect of mTOR inhibitors on respiratory infections in lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a destructive cystic lung disease. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors are the primary treatment for LAM but it is unknown whether these immunosuppressing medications increase the risk for or the severity of respiratory infections in LAM patients. We searched multiple databases for original articles that reported the rate of respiratory infections in LAM patients treated with mTOR inhibitors or placebo. We calculated incidence rates for respiratory infections in these groups and incidence rate ratios for respiratory infections and severe respiratory infections in mTOR inhibitors treated versus placebo treated patients. 11 studies were included. There were 294 patients in the treatment groups and 93 patients in the placebo groups. Among subjects in placebo arms, the incidence rate of respiratory infections was 58.8 per 100 patient-years (95% CI 35.3–82.3 per 100 patient-years). The incidence-rate ratio (IRR) for respiratory infection among treated subjects was 0.71 (95% CI 0.50–1.02; p=0.06 compared to placebo subjects). The IRR for severe respiratory infections among treated subjects was 1.56 (95% CI 0.43–8.55; p=0.52). We found that respiratory infections are common in patients with LAM. Importantly, treatment with mTOR inhibitors does not increase the incidence of these infections and may be protective.
Measurement of RF propagation around corners in underground mines and tunnels

This paper reports measurement results for radio frequency (RF) propagation around 90° corners in tunnels and underground mines, for vertically, horizontally and longitudinally polarized signals. Measurements of signal power attenuation from a main entry into a crosscut were performed at four frequencies - 455, 915, 2450 and 5800 MHz - that are common to underground radio communication systems. From the measurement data, signal power loss was determined as a function of signal coupling from the main entry into the crosscut. The resultant power loss data show there are many factors that contribute to power attenuation from a main entry into a crosscut, including frequency, antenna polarization and cross-sectional entry dimensions.
Working in scarcity: Effects on social interactions and biomedical care in a Tanzanian hospital

Based on mixed-methods, ethnographic research in government health facilities conducted in Rukwa, Tanzania over 23 months between 2012 and 2015, this paper explores the social implications of budget shortfalls in the healthcare system at the level of a regional hospital. Budget crises resulted from the late disbursal of funds and the failure of outside donors to meet aid commitments needed to subsidize healthcare at the national level. Healthcare administrators recounted specific donors who pulled out of commitments as a direct result of foreign government austerity measures enacted after the global financial crisis of 2008. In this environment of scarcity, partially due to years of reduced donor funds in the region, regional healthcare administrators circumvented bureaucratic fiscal procedures to ensure the continued functioning of facilities, and healthcare personnel struggled to provide pregnant women with high quality care in times of emergencies. Providers cited low morale and demotivation due to deteriorating physical infrastructure, lack of supplies, and poor relations with the community as key factors inhibiting their ability to care for the women who came to their facilities.
The Keys to Managing Instruction and Behavior: Considering High Probability Practices:

Academics and behavior are inextricably linked, and as such, management of behavior should be considered not as an addition to the teacher’s repertoire of skills but as an integral foundational com...
A Reconsideration of Lehman’s Findings

The youthful and brief span of creativity was established by and rests largely on Lehman’s seminal analyses of historical figures (Chapter 3). No less an authority than Terman, a pioneer in the study of gifted children, declared in the foreword to Lehman’s (1953) book, Age and Achievement, that this work “deserves to be ranked among the most important contributionsi­ to the literature on genius” (p. v). Ironically, Terman was a proponent of the persistence of creativity, rather than its early declinethe position championed by Lehman.
Bis- and Tris(2-oxobenzimidazolyl)hydroborato Complexes of Sodium and Thallium: New Classes of Bidentate and Tridentate Oxygen Donor Ligands.

A series of bis- and tris(oxobenzimidazolyl)hydroborato compounds, namely, [BoRBenz]Na and [ToRBenz]-Na (R = Me, But, Ad), which feature uncommon sterically demanding LX [O2] and L2X [O3] donor ligands, have been obtained via the reactions of NaBH4 with 1-R-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-ones. Evidence that the alkyl substituents are suitably located to have a significant impact on the coordination environment is provided by the observation that the methyl derivative [ToMeBenz]Na(κ3-diglyme) exhibits κ3-coordination of the diglyme, whereas the t-butyl and adamantyl derivatives, [ToButBenz]Na(κ2-diglyme) and [ToAdBenz]Na(κ2-diglyme), exhibit κ2-coordination. The [BoRBenz] and [ToRBenz] ligands also allow for isolation of discrete mononuclear thallium compounds, [BoRBenz]Tl and [ToRBenz]Tl, for which the steric demands of the ligands have been quantified in terms of both cone angle and buried volume concepts.
What Makes Smartphone Use Meaningful or Meaningless

Prior research indicates that many people wish to limit aspects of their smartphone use. Why is it that certain smartphone use feels so meaningless? We examined this question by using interviews, the experience sampling method, and mobile logging of 86,402 sessions of app use. One motivation for use (habitual use to pass the time) and two types of use (entertainment and passive social media) were associated with a lower sense of meaningfulness. In interviews, participants reported feeling a loss of autonomy when using their phone in these ways. These reports were corroborated by experience sampling data showing that motivation to achieve a specific purpose declined over the course of app use, particularly for passive social media and entertainment usage. In interviews, participants pointed out that even when smartphone use itself was meaningless, it could sometimes still be meaningful in the context of broader life as a 'micro escape' from negative situations. We discuss implications for how mobile apps can be used and designed to reduce meaningless experiences.
Flowers increase ecosystem biodiversity in Midwestern prairies

Loss of biodiversity due to anthropogenic factors, such as climate change and habitat conversion or loss, is among the largest problems affecting many native ecosystems today. Declines in plant diversity can often have detrimental effects on other forms of biodiversity through cascading trophic systems and negatively impact large-scale ecosystem processes. This is particularly relevant in grassland ecosystems, where in undisturbed systems grasses, forbs, and legumes coexist in diverse communities. Previous studies have explored the hypothesis that loss of plant species negatively impacts biodiversity of other trophic groups and can diminish whole ecosystem functions. In this study we tested how flowering plant species richness influenced arthropod order richness on eight sites in the Grand River Grasslands of south central Iowa, and whether that relationship depended on the vegetation height at which arthropods were sampled. We hypothesized that (1) flowering plant species richness would positively affect arthropod order richness, and that (2) a greater number of arthropod orders would be found 2 centimeters above the ground (hereafter “low”) than 1 meter above the ground (hereafter “high”) at given equal flowering plant species richness. With greater richness of flowering plant species, it is likely that this variety of vegetation supplies a greater amount of habitat available for arthropod communities. Counter to our expectations, flowering plant species richness was not significantly correlated with total arthropod order richness (p = 0.0785). However, richness of “low” arthropod order did increase with an increase in nectar richness (p = 0.0463). Further research including all plant species (rather than merely nectar producing species) and identifying arthropods to a finer taxonomic level may provide more conclusive results supporting our hypotheses. Results of such studies would contribute to the success of biodiversity conservation efforts that focus on bottom-up management practices that can enhance ecosystem functioning at higher trophic levels.
A COMPARISON OF RHYTHMIC STRUCTURES IN MUSIC AND LANGUAGE

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the form of musical structure developed in A Generative Theory of Tonal Music (GTTM). GTTM takes as its goal the explication of the musical intuitions of a listener experienced in a musical idiom. By musical idiom is meant a particular genre or style of music, either broadly or narrowly defined. Musical intuition manifests itself in a variety of ways. A listener experienced in an idiom can make various sorts of judgments about pieces he has never heard before, such as whether it is a typical or an unusual example of the genre, whether the performer is making mistakes that result in ungrammatical configurations, or whether one part constitutes a repetition or variation of another. If one plays an instrument, one is more likely to be able to sight-read a piece in a familiar idiom than a piece in an unfamiliar one and even to unconsciously rectify errors in the printed music. In general, the characteristics of musical intuition suggest that there is more to hearing a piece of music than merely perceiving a sequence of notes.
Distributed Scheduling of a Network of Adjustable Range Sensors for Coverage Problems

In this paper, we present two distributed algorithms to maximize the lifetime of Wireless Sensor Networks for target coverage when the sensors have the ability to adjust their sensing and communication ranges. These algorithms are based on the enhancement of distributed algorithms for fixed range sensors proposed in the literature. We outline the algorithms for the adjustable range model, prove their correctness and analyze the time and message complexities. We also conduct simulations demonstrating 20% improvement in network lifetime when compared with the previous approaches. Thus, in addition to sleep-sense scheduling techniques, further improvements in network lifetime can be derived by designing algorithms that make use of the adjustable range model.
Desorptionskinetik Flüchtiger Organischer Verbindungen bei Aquifer Material

Sorption und Desorption leichtfluchtiger, halogenierter Kohlenwasserstoffe wurden mit Hilfe frontaler Gaschromatographie untersucht. Aquifermaterial mit nur geringen Anteilen an organischem Kohlenstoff oder Glasperlen wurden in HPLC-Saulen gepackt, die on-line an einen Flammen-Ionisationsdetektor angeschlossen waren, um die Extraktion fluchtiger organischer Verbindungen bei der Bodenluftabsaugung in der vadosen Zone zu simulieren. Das untersuchte Aquifermaterial umfaste einen schluffigen Sand mit 0.15% oc aus dem Santa Clara Valley, Kalifornien und einem Feinsand mit 0.02% oc aus Borden, Ontario. Die Entfernung der fluchtigen Verbindungen von feuchtem Material verlief nur sehr langsam. Nach dem Austausch von ca. 30 Porenvolumen wurde der Schadstoffaustrag unabhangig vom Volumenstrom. Bei wasserfreiem (ofentrockenem) Material blieb der Schadstoffaustrag uber die gesamte Extraktionszeit proportional dem Volumenstrom. Die Zeit um 90% Trichlorethen auszutragen, war bei feuchten Proben deutlich hoher als bei trockenem Material, obwohl dieses gleichzeitig eine weitaus grosere Sorptionskapazitat aufwies. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, das der Transport solcher Verbindungen im intrapartikularen Bereich auf molekulare Diffusion im Wasser zuruckgeht. Bereits ein Wassergehalt, der sich allein durch die Adsorption von Wasser bei einer relativen Luftfeuchtigkeit von annahernd 100% einstellt, reicht aus, um diese Ungleichgewichtsbedingungen hervorzurufen. Nach diesen Ergebnissen werden Sanierungsmasnahmen, wie die Absaugung von Bodenluft, oft unter Ungleichgewichtsbedingungen durchgefuhrt. Die Dekontamination der Feststoffphase verlauft sehr viel langsamer als die Abnahme der Schadstoffkonzentration in der mobilen Phase — der Bodenluft. Dies wird vor allem dann zutreffen, wenn porose Komponenten wie zum Beispiel Fragmente sedimentarer Gesteine verbreitet sind.
A brief summary of my scientific work and highlights of my career

I have worked in a number of different areas of (mostly computational) mathematics. They are organized here in thirteen sections. For the sake of brevity, when referring to joint papers, coauthors are not identified explicitly.
Plenary lecture 1: considering commonsense causal imperfection reasoning

A commonsense understanding of causal relationships is the key element of day-to-day decision making. Generally, commonsense causal relationships are drawn from non-experimental or observational data. Commonsense causal understanding accepts that causal relationships can be formed on incomplete or imprecise data. A complete definition of causality may not be possible or recognizing any particular causal relationship may be either obscure or overly complex. Commonsense causality is necessarily imprecise. Causal relationships may be in complexes that can be simplified at the price of increasing imprecision. Commonsense understanding of the world tells us that we have to deal with imprecision, uncertainty and imperfect knowledge. This is also the case with scientific knowledge of the world. A difficulty is striking a good balance between precise formalism and commonsense imprecise reality. Perhaps, complete knowledge of all possible factors might lead to a crisp understanding of whether an effect will occur. However, it is unlikely that all possible factors can be known for most situations, as the knowledge of at least some causal effects is imprecise for both positive and negative descriptions. Consequently, causal reasoning must accommodate inherent ambiguity and imprecision.
Cost Effectiveness of Transplanting HCV-Infected Livers Into Uninfected Recipients With Preemptive Antiviral Therapy

Background & Aims Guidelines do not recommend transplanting hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected livers into HCV-uninfected recipients. Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) can be used to treat donor-derived HCV infection. However, the added cost of DAA therapy is a barrier. We evaluated the cost effectiveness of transplanting HCV-positive livers into HCV-negative patients with preemptive DAA therapy. Methods A previously validated Markov-based mathematical model was adapted to simulate a virtual trial of HCV-negative patients on the liver transplant waitlist. The model compared long-term clinical and economic outcomes in patients willing to accept only HCV-negative livers vs those willing to accept any liver (HCV negative or HCV positive). Recipients of HCV-positive livers received 12 weeks of preemptive DAA therapy. The model incorporated data from the United Network for Organ Sharing and published sources. Results For patients with a model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score ≥ 22, accepting any liver vs waiting for only HCV-negative livers was cost effective, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios ranging from $56,100 to $91,700/quality-adjusted life-year. For patients with a MELD score of 28 (the median MELD score of patients undergoing transplantation in the United States), accepting any liver was cost effective at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $62,600/quality-adjusted life year. In patients with low MELD scores, which may not accurately reflect disease severity, accepting any liver was cost effective, irrespective of MELD score. Conclusions Using a Markov-based mathematical model, we found transplanting HCV-positive livers into HCV-negative patients with preemptive DAA therapy to be a cost-effective strategy that could improve health outcomes.
Belief in altruistic human nature and prosocial behavior: a serial mediation analysis

According to the theory of internal working model, belief in altruistic human nature positively influences prosocial behavior. However, the precise influencing mechanism remains unclear. Based on t...