cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of graded d-spacing multilayers for hard x-ray telescopes

The Multilayer Facility at the Center for Astrophysics is involved in developing graded-d spacing multilayers for coating X-ray optics for hard x-ray focusing telescopes. Graded d spacing W/C multilayers have been fabricated on flat substrates of silicon and characterized using specular x-ray reflectivity, AFM, and TEM. Results are presented and compared with theoretical models.
SU-FF-J-109: Conformal Prostate Treatment — a Closer Look at Dose Delivery Uncertainty and Adaptive Options

Purpose: To evaluate uncertainties in Tomotherapy conformal prostate treatment due to inter‐fraction organ variation. On board MVCT images were evaluated for reconstruction, comparing planned dose and delivered dose. Clinical feasibility of a closed feed back process for image guided adaptive process was studied. Method and Materials: Five prostate patients were randomly chosen for this study. The positional variations of inter‐fraction organ motion for each treatment fraction were systematically monitored and characterized using onboard MVCT images. Rectum and bladder were re‐contoured on MVCT images after each treatment and delivered dose was reconstructed using a sinogram that was generated during kVCT based treatment planning optimization. Reconstructeddoses were compared with treatment planningdoses for individual organs through dose volume histograms. Results: MVCT images were shown to be useful for dosereconstruction purposes. Three patients' treatment delivery showed large dose delivery variations for individual treatment fractions. Rectal doses were significantly higher (10–50%) due to large changes in rectal volume. Bladder dose varied less compared to rectal dose. However, two patients' delivered dose was close to planned dose.Conclusions: The current report describes an adaptive process for Tomotherapy prostate radiation treatment. Re‐planning with dose differences will ultimately allow one to adjust for any dose variation (in order to correct for under dosing or overdosing). However, at this point, re‐contouring, re‐planning, and verification of quality assurance are very labor intensive and require strategies for offline patient specific adaptive treatment. One may, however, sum dose differences for all fractions to evaluate actual total dose delivery. In the future, the development of automatic adaptive processes may pave the way for true closed loop intervention.
AN ANTIVIRAL SUBSTANCE FROM PENICILLIUM FUNICULOSUM IV. INQUIRY INTO THE MECHANISM BY WHICH HELENINE EXERTS ITS ANTIVIRAL EFFECT

1. Helenine injected intraperitoneally 24 hr prior to a regularly fatal dose of Semliki Forest virus saves most of the mice to which it is administered. 2. Mice saved by helenine develop no viral immunity and regularly succumb when rechallenged 2 wk later with the same dose of virus from which they were originally saved. 3. The time during which helenine is optimally effective in protecting mice from death by Semliki Forest virus covers a period of approximately 36 hr beginning after about 12 hr and extending to 48 hr before virus infection. When periods of less than 12 hr, or more than 48 hr, elapse between the time of helenine administration and virus inoculation, its protective effectiveness diminishes progressively. 4. Repeated injections of helenine at 2- or 3-day intervals, if continued long enough, exhaust the capacity of a host to respond favorably to helenine administered 24 hr before virus inoculation. 5. Helenine injections at intervals of 4, 3, and 2 wk before its administration 24 hr prior to infection do not decrease the effectiveness of this final dose in protecting mice from fatal infection by the virus. The experimental results here reported indicate that, as suggested by the findings of earlier work, helenine does not act directly as an antiviral substance, but instead exerts its effect through some substance that it induces the host to elaborate. The nature of this induced antiviral substance is as yet unknown though, to judge from the failure of spared mice to acquire viral immunity, it appears to act at a stage in viral replication prior to that at which antigenic viral protein is produced. The findings with helenine and those thus far reported for interferon afford no factual basis for judging the relationship of the two, if any.
Evolving Indications for Active Surveillance in Low-Risk Localized Prostate Cancer

Abstract As a result of improvements in techniques for detecting prostate cancer, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening, prostate cancer is more frequently being detected while still localized within the prostate. Furthermore, the development of predictive nomograms has made it possible to estimate the risk (low, intermediate, or high) of disease progression for these patients. For some patients with low-risk, localized cancer, use of radical therapies may be inappropriate, exposing the patient unnecessarily to the traumas of surgery/radiotherapy and the concomitant complications associated with these treatment options. The protracted natural history often seen with low-risk, localized prostate cancers suggests that many of these patients may be suitable for less aggressive treatment options such as watchful waiting. Where this option is employed, a rigorous surveillance protocol is required to identify patients rapidly who are not performing well with such conservative management, and to facilitate prompt initiation of more aggressive treatment. For some patients with higher risk, non-metastatic disease, immediate hormone treatment with bicalutamide (‘Casodex'1‘Casodex' is a trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies. 1 ) 150mg, which at 3 years' median follow-up significantly improves progression-free survival compared with watchful waiting alone, could be considered as a treatment option.
Congenital cardiovascular malformations: Questions on inheritance

The Baltimore-Washington Infant Study, an epidemiologic investigation of congenital heart disease, searches for genetic and environmental risk factors. Among 2,102 infants with heart disease, 17.5% had a noncardiac abnormality of chromosomal or genetic origin, whereas among 2,328 control infants, only 0.7% had a genetic abnormality. Familial cardiovascular malformations encountered can be grouped into five distinct etiologic mechanisms. Single gene effects may be responsible for the specific histologic and biochemical changes in familial atrial septal defect with conduction disturbance and also in idiopathic ventricular hypertrophy. Left heart lesions showed familial concordance by the presumed morphogenetic mechanism of abnormal embryonic blood flow with phenotypes of varying severity. Pulmonary stenosis appeared with familial heritable disorders, as well as a partially concordant lesion with tetralogy of Fallot. Ventricular septal defect with transposition of the great arteries (one sibling pair) and with truncus arteriosus (two sibling pairs) indicate forme fruste expression of conotruncal defects. Endocardial cushion defect occurred with and without Down's syndrome in members of three families, suggesting inheritance of a defect affecting cellular migration. Heritable blood coagulopathies occurred in case families and not in control families. The associated of hemophilia and transposition, observed also by others, is extremely unlikely by chance and suggests genetic errors of endothelial cell function. The description of specific families from a population-based study emphasizes biologic questions on the nature of the inheritance of cardiovascular malformations.
Doing things the ‘right’ way: legitimating educational inequalities in conservative times1

We are in the middle of a period of reaction in education. Many of our educational institutions are seen as failures. High drop‐out rates, a decline in ‘functional literacy,’ a loss of standards an...
Dynamic pretenuring schemes for generational garbage collection

Previous research efforts have shown that pretenuring can potentially reduce the copying cost by creating long lived objects into the mature memory regions directly. To date, researchers often employ profiling and static analysis to accurately select the objects that should be pretenured. However, little research efforts have been spent on dynamic approaches for pretenuring objects. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that dynamically predicts object lifespan to assist with pretenuring selection. The proposed scheme performs dynamic pretenuring selection based on a feedback mechanism that records lifespan of objects from each class during garbage collection invocations. This information is then used to pretenure objects in subsequent allocation requests. We experiment with two approaches, jumpstart feedback and continuous feedback, to collect tenuring information. The experimental results of selected benchmark programs show that our schemes can improve the garbage collection time of IBM's Jikes RVM by up to 37%, and improve the overall execution time by up to 28%.
SplicerEX: A tool for the automated detection and classification of mRNA changes from conventional and splice-sensitive microarray expression data

The key postulate that one gene encodes one protein has been overhauled with the discovery that one gene can generate multiple RNA transcripts through alternative mRNA processing. In this study, we describe SplicerEX, a novel and uniquely motivated algorithm designed for experimental biologists that (1) detects widespread changes in mRNA isoforms from both conventional and splice sensitive microarray data, (2) automatically categorizes mechanistic changes in mRNA processing, and (3) mitigates known technological artifacts of exon array-based detection of alternative splicing resulting from 5′ and 3′ signal attenuation, background detection limits, and saturation of probe set signal intensity. In this study, we used SplicerEX to compare conventional and exon-based Affymetrix microarray data in a model of EBV transformation of primary human B cells. We demonstrated superior detection of 3′-located changes in mRNA processing by the Affymetrix U133 GeneChip relative to the Human Exon Array. SplicerEX-identified exon-level changes in the EBV infection model were confirmed by RT-PCR and revealed a novel set of EBV-regulated mRNA isoform changes in caspases 6, 7, and 8. Finally, SplicerEX as compared with MiDAS analysis of publicly available microarray data provided more efficiently categorized mRNA isoform changes with a significantly higher proportion of hits supported by previously annotated alternative processing events. Therefore, SplicerEX provides an important tool for the biologist interested in studying changes in mRNA isoform usage from conventional or splice-sensitive microarray platforms, especially considering the expansive amount of archival microarray data generated over the past decade. SplicerEX is freely available upon request.
Optimal transmission scheduling over a fading channel with energy and deadline constraints

We seek to maximize the average data throughput of a single transmitter sending data over a fading channel to a single user class. The transmitter has a fixed amount of energy and a limited amount of time to send data. Given that the channel state determines the throughput obtained per unit of energy expended, the goal is to obtain a policy for scheduling transmissions that maximizes the expected data throughput. We develop a dynamic programming formulation that leads to an optimal transmission schedule, first where the present channel state is known just before transmission, and then to the case where the current channel state is unknown before transmission, but observed after transmission and evolves according to a Markov process. We then extend our approach to the problem of minimizing the expected energy required to send a fixed amount of data over a fading channel given deadline constraints.
Stability Limits In Extreme Postures: Effects Of Load Positioning, Foot Placement, and Strength:

Although injuries related to postural stability are prevalent, ergonomic job analyses traditionally have not addressed stability issues. In this research functional stability limits are quantified for persons standing in extreme postures under various external load and foot positioning conditions. Participants were asked to lean and displace their center of gravity (COG) as far as possible in eight directions to the sides and front of the body. Stability measures based on these COG displacements were calculated. All controlled variables significantly affected the stability measures. When standing unladen, participants extended their COG to within 99% of their theoretical maximum. Movement was much more restricted when handling a load (89%), especially when holding it with one hand on the shoulder (84%). On average, increased separation of the feet in a particular direction resulted in larger COG displacements in that direction. The results are discussed relative to their effects on balance and stability modeling.
Life Expectancy as an Objective Factor of a Subjective Well-Being

The paper has two parts. In the first part we offer a definition of well-being which makes life expectancy an explicit variable. We recognize the importance of happiness as a significant aspect of any definition of well-being, but we side-step the issue of what determines its level or how to measure it, and concentrate instead on the consequences of our new variable, life expectancy. We argue that life is valued for its quality, and, if positive, its extension is an improvement of well-being. From this we show how, given certain assumptions, disparate problems that have moral and/or social significance can be approached from the perspective of improving well-being. We close the first part by showing that our definition has enough flexibility to be used for that class of decisions which require tradeoffs between quality of life (happiness) and life expectancy. As a corollary we show that attitudes toward risk depend on expectations, and on some occasions, age itself. In the second part we argue, first, that real economic factors, not reducible to mere psychological ones, may still offer an adequate explanation for the fact that absolute income and happiness do not always correlate well. However, we take no position on the many controversies, such as whether it is relative or absolute increases in wealth that bears most directly on changes in happiness. We confirm through statistical analysis (simple regressions) the well established influence that absolute income has on life expectancy, and, hence, by inference and definition, we argue that this must also be the case with well-being. Secondly, we find through statistical analysis that healthcare has as much impact on life expectancy as does absolute income, leading us to theoretically examine the appropriate income cost for access to healthcare if life expectancy is to improve. And thirdly, by assuming a homogeneous function of life expectancy, we theoretically show how a market oriented healthcare system can exacerbate inequities in life expectancy, and so on well-being. Lastly, we consider some policy implications of those inequities.
Equiangular tight frames and fourth root seidel matrices

In this paper we construct complex equiangular tight frames (ETFs). In particular, we study the grammian associated with an ETF whose off-diagonal entries consist entirely of fourth roots of unity. These ETFs are classified, and we also provide some computational techniques which give rise to previously undiscovered ETFs.
Global Schrödinger maps in dimensions $d≥ 2$: Small data in the critical Sobolev spaces

We consider the Schrodinger map initial-value problem ¤ @ t = on R d R; (0) = 0; where : R d R! S 2 ,! R 3 is a smooth function. In all dimensions d 2, we prove that the Schrodinger map initial-value problem admits a unique global smooth solution 2 C(R : H 1 Q ), Q2 S 2 , provided that the data 02 H 1 Q is smooth and satises the smallness condition
Comparative Evaluation of the Local Police

Analysis of a 1973 national sample of American adults indicates that the affective attitudes of whites toward local police are very positive compared to their attitudes toward 15 other well-known organizations, irrespective of the age of respondents. Sentiment toward local police among both young and old black respondents, however, is low compared to black attitudes toward the other organizations, while middle-age black respondents evaluate the police as neither worse nor better than most other organizations. Charles W. Peek and George D. Lowe are Associate Professors in the Depaitment of Sociology, Texas Tech University. Jon P. Alston is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Texas A & M University. The data reported here were made available through a grant from the Research Center Committee of the College of Liberal Arts, Texas AM Clark, 1965; Skolnick, 1966: 49-62; Niederhoffer, 1967: 1; Alex, 1969: Ch. 5; Alex, 1976: Ch. 5 and 6). Proper assessment of the degree of police isolation requires comparison of affective as well as instrumental evaluations of police to evaluations of other well-known organizations.4 Such a strategy allows a contextual interpretation of police isolation-their degree of isolation in relation to other organizations rather than measured against some arbitrary standard. Our purpose is to provide such a comparison. Specifically, we shall investigate the degree to which the general public like the local police in relation to how well they like 15 other well-known organizations. We will also examine comparative evaluations of the police within racial and age segments of the public, since the literature cited earlier suggests the most variation in attitudes toward police among these
Lupus Anticoagulants/Antiphospholipid-Protein Antibodies: The Great Imposters

Antiphospholipid-protein antibodies (APA) represent a family of immunoglobulins which recognize protein-phospholipid complexes. A variety of proteins have been implicated including: prothrombin, annexin V, beta 2-Glycoprotein I, and protein S. APA are detected utilizing either coagulation-based tests to identify lupus anticoagulants (LA) or solid phase ELISA assays to identify anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA). APA may be seen in a variety of different clinical settings including convalescence from infections, resulting from exposure to certain drugs, or in association with autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune APA have been linked to a variety of thromboembolic complications involving both arterial and venous sites. In addition, recurrent fetal loss has been linked to a APA. The underlying pathophysiology of the thromboembolic events remains controversial. Given the diversity of anatomic sites, more than one thromboembolic mechanism(s) is likely. Abnormalities of the protein C system most likely account for the venous thromboembolic events. Because of the spectrum of clinical complications, virtually any clinician may encounter patients with the APA syndrome (thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, recurrent fetal loss coupled with positive LA or ACA testing).
The Influence Of Coaching On Employee Perceptions Of Supervisor Effectiveness And Organizational Policies

This study investigates the effects of the use of coaching as a management style on supervisor effectiveness and key employee-related organizational policies. Specifically, we examine the direct effects of coaching on employee perceived supervisor effectiveness and organizational work-family balance support, as well as the impact of supervisory effectiveness on employee perceived effectiveness of organizational rewards programs. Ordinal regression was used to test the hypotheses, and data from 134 undergraduate and graduate business students enrolled in a Northeast university who indicated that they were currently employed on a full-time basis support these relationships. Results show that the degree to which employees view their supervisor as acting as a coach positively influences perceived supervisor effectiveness and organizational work-family balance support. Additionally, results support the notion that organizational workfamily balance support also leads to perceived supervisor effectiveness which, in turn, positively influences employee perception regarding the effectiveness of organizational rewards programs.
Culture, Charisma, and the CEO: An Essay on the Meaning of High Office

The collective attribution of meaning to offices of authority and the constraints this attribution imposes on the. individuals who occupy these offices is little understood in the study of bureaucratic organization. In this essay, the relationship between the CEO and the vice-presidents in a Bell Telephone operating company is analyzed with regard to this phenomenon. An interpretive concept of culture is employed to gain access to the locally constructed system of symbols that these managers used to guide their behavior. The concept of institutional charisma is utilized to bring into focus the part of the cultural system that was used to attribute meaning to relationships of authority. My approach is contrasted with the management as symbolic action approach and the historical-interpretive approach to the study of culture in organizations. The former is found to be based on a false dichotomy between expressive and substantive levels of reality which limits its range of applicability. The latter is found t...
California Secondary School Physical Education Teachers' Attitudes toward the Mandated Use of the Fitnessgram.

This study aimed to determine how California secondary physical education teachers perceive the state mandated youth fitness testing for the 5th, 7th, and 9th grades using Fitnessgram. The participants were secondary school physical education teachers (N = 323). A previously validated attitudinal instrument (Keating & Silverman, 2004a) was used to collect the data. The means and standard deviations for each attitude subdomain and the overall attitudes were computed. MANOVA and ANOVA were employed to test the differences in attitudes by demographic and profession-related variables. Teachers?overall attitudes toward the Fitnessgram were slightly higher than a neutral attitude, indicating slightly positive attitudes on a 7-point Likert scale (M = 4.47, SD = 1.06). The mean scores for the attitude subdomain of cognitive (i.e., usefulness of fitness test results) and the affective (i.e., enjoyment of implementing fitness tests, and enjoyment of using fitness test results) components were 4.25 (SD = 1.38), 4.90 (SD = 1.15), and 4.39 (SD = 1.17), respectively. The data from the study suggested that teachers marginally agreed that the test results were useful and that they somewhat enjoyed implementing the test. Class size and student grade levels taught were important profession-related variables to consider regarding teacher attitudes toward the Fitnessgram.
Going in and Getting out of the Colonial Asylum: Families and Psychiatric Care in French Indochina

This paper explores the movements of asylum patients in and out of psychiatric care in French Indochina as the product of everyday interactions between psychiatrists, colonial authorities, and the public, especially patients' families. Throughout the interwar years, families and communities actively participated in psychiatric decision-making in ways that disrupt our notions of the colonial asylum as a closed setting that patients rarely left, run by experts who enjoyed broad, unquestioned authority. Vietnamese families, by debating individuals' suitability for social life, engaged with professional psychiatrists to find common ground for thinking about and discussing mental illness. At the same time, they pursued their own strategies in ways that significantly limited the power of experts. Debates revolved around the mental health of patients, but also around the capacity of families to assume their care upon release, and whether the asylum itself was the most appropriate site for treatment and rehabilitation. By considering how lay people and experts came together to negotiate the confinement and release of asylum patients, this paper offers a novel perspective on the development of psychiatric knowledge and power in colonial settings. I argue that by situating the history of psychiatry within the local dynamics of colonial rule as opposed to expert discourse, the asylum emerges here less as a blunt instrument for the social control and medicalization of colonial society than as a valuable historical site for reframing narratives of colonial repression and resistance.
El camino a la locura: Ofelia en el arte de Shakespeare

El tratamiento de la anormalidad psiquica y la locura que encontramos en las obras de Shakespeare es en si misma de gran interes para el psiquiatra ya que representa lo que el observa en su practica clinica diaria. El ha descrito en la locura de Ofelia algo que no ha sido tan adecuadamente reproducido en parte alguna: el fenomeno de llegar a descarrilarse en el sentido propio de la palabra -el descarrilamiento de si- misma de su estado anterior. El descarrilamiento de la fisiognomia precede a la cristalizacion del delirio y hemos seguido la ruta del curso de Ofelia hacia la locura, locura que esta especificamente estructurada.
Short-Selling Constraints: The Asymmetric Role of Institutional Ownership, Relative Short Interest, Options and Dividends

We assess the effect of four short-sale constraints on stock returns in isolation and in combination, in generally falling versus generally rising markets, and considering relative effects for large/mid-cap versus small/micro-cap firms. There is substantial evidence that our more fully specified model provides considerable additional explanatory power with less factor omission bias than prior studies. We also find that the constraint behavior is asymmetric when testing during generally falling versus generally rising markets, and that small- and micro-cap firms provide important effects when viewed separately. Our results provide substantive pricing differences between least versus most short-sale constrained stocks.
Abstract 820: Analysis of potential mutagenic effects of World Trade Center dust on in vitro systems

Following the World Trade Center tragedy of September 11, 2001 rescue workers as well as New York City residents were exposed to thousands of tons of complex particulate matter that was inhaled and ingested over an extended period of time. Some of the immediate effects of these pollutants included “World Trade Center Cough,” a condition that resulted in increased coughing, respiratory pathway irritation, and decreases in lung function. Though there are several known carcinogens found within the heterogeneous mixture of particles that make up World Trade Center dust, there is has been no clearly defined link between World Trade Center dust inhalation and specific cancer development. This study investigated the physical and chemical properties of World Trade Center dust using in vitro methods. A sample of this dust from the tragic events was given for this research by Dr. Paul Lioy of Rutgers University in New Jersey, who was the leader of the 20+ scientists who analyzed and published information on the chemical contents of this particulate matter. Human lung fibroblast cells (MRC-5 and WI-38) were exposed to various concentrations of World Trade Center dust and controls to simulate the World Trade Center dust exposure in in vivo lung systems. Proliferation and apoptosis rates were measured in cells exposed to various concentrations of World Trade Center dust. Assays such as the Apo-Live Glo Multiplex Assay (Promega) utilizing the techniques of luminescence and fluorescence were read by 96 well plate reader. The goal was to elucidate any physical or chemical interactions between cells and particles that may decrease cell viability and induce injury or mutation in DNA. These studies indicate that there is a very specific timing and concentration of particulate matter exposure which leads to noticeable apoptotic events in cultured cells. Apoptosis occurs after 24 hours of incubation for cells exposed to 25 ppm, but likely occurs earlier in cells exposed to 50 ppm and greater. An Ames assay was also performed to further demonstrate possible mutagenic effects that various concentrations of World Trade Center dust may have on living systems. Mutations were incurred by Salmonella typhimurium cells and successfully point to the increased possibility that World Trade Center dust would be a definite mutagenic material. These studies conclude that analysis of proliferation and the timing of apoptosis in cells exposed to World Trade Center dust, in conjunction with Ames assay, allow for a better understanding of the future risks to be faced by personnel exposed to particulate matter pollution following the World Trade Center attack of 9-11. Citation Format: Barbara Soares, Kayla Cortese, Ann Marie DiLorenzo. Analysis of potential mutagenic effects of World Trade Center dust on in vitro systems. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 820. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-820
Erratum for Cheruvanky et al., Cost-Effectiveness of 30- Compared to 20-Milliliter Blood Cultures: a Retrospective Study

Volume 54, no. 1, p. [64–67][1], 2016. Page 64, abstract, lines 2–4: The parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence beginning “Recently, …” should read “(R. Patel, E. A. Vetter, W. S. Harmsen, C. D. Schleck, H. J. Fadel, and F. R. Cockerill III, J Clin Microbiol 49:4047–4051,
New therapeutic drugs in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remains a major health problem for which new and improved treatments are desperately needed. Recent trials strongly suggest that treatments are improving. Longer-acting bronchodilators will be more convenient and may have additional advantages. Combinations of bronchodilators may offer additive effects and, possibly, synergies. Inhaled glucocorticoids, although unable to alter the loss of forced expiratory volume in 1 second when used alone, may reduce exacerbation frequency and health status deterioration and improve mortality. These clinically meaningful goals represent end points not previously targeted in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drug development. Moreover, inhaled glucocorticoids may offer benefits in combination with long-acting beta-agonists. Finally, new classes of agents such as the phosphodiesterase inhibitors are on the horizon. The prospect for better treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease looks brighter than ever. Caution is required, however. Much of the excitement has been generated by small studies, presented only in abstract form, and as yet unpublished work. Therapeutic recommendations will require publication of appropriately designed and adequately powered clinical trials.
Nonvisual depth avoidance behavior of infant rats and mice

Three experiments were performed in order to determine whether or not infant rats and mice can employ echolated information to avoid an apparently dangerous fall from an auditory cliff The results indicate that rodents do not normally use echolocation cues to control the initial exploratory activities that occur just prior to eye opening.
An Illustrative Example of Four HCI Design Approaches for Evaluating an Automated System Interface

Automation technology has been embedded into nearly every facet of today's society, from cellular phones and personal digital assistants to automated teller machines to highly advanced systems in aviation and industrial operations. Still, the fundamental element for the successful operation of these products and systems is a well designed interface between humans and technology. To address this issue, this paper seeks to highlight how Ebert's (1994) four approaches to HCI design (ethnographic/anthropomorphic, cognitive, predictive modeling, empirical) can be effectively integrated to develop better interfaces between humans and society's complex systems. First, a brief overview of these approaches will be presented, emphasizing how the outcomes of one approach can inform the implementation of the next approach. Then, a step-by-step analysis of a hypothetical task performed using an automated postal machine will serve to illustrate the process of applying these approaches to evaluating an automated system ...
HOXB13 and other high penetrant genes for prostate cancer.

Cancer initiation and progression is the result of an accumulation of mutations in key tumor suppressor genes, mismatch repair genes, or oncogenes, which impact cancer cell growth, death, and differentiation. Mutations occurring in cancer tissue are termed somatic; whereas, heritable mutations that may be passed onto subsequent generations occur in germline DNA. It is these germline mutations that can lead to cancer family syndromes whereby family members carrying a deleterious germline mutation have an increased susceptibility to certain cancer phenotypes. Common features of hereditary cancer syndromes include early age-of-onset, multiple affected generations, rare tumor types, and/or multiple primary malignancies. Approximately, 5%–10% of all common cancers, including prostate cancer, have a hereditary component and are attributable to highly penetrant germline mutations. Across all cancer types, known cancer susceptibility syndromes number >100; however, it is important to note that mutations in high-penetrance genes explain only a fraction of heritable cancers. Well-known examples of hereditary cancer syndromes include Lynch (HNPCC), Cowden (PHTS), Li-Fraumeni, and Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) syndromes, which are attributable to mutations in mismatch repair genes, PTEN, p53, and BRCA1/2, respectively.
Neural tube defects: maternal serum screening and prenatal diagnosis.

Neural tube defects represent some of the most common and serious of the congenital malformations. Measurement of alpha-fetoprotein in amniotic fluid and maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein assay in prenatal diagnosis are discussed.
Influence of Ligand Shell Composition upon Interparticle Interactions in Multifunctional Nanoparticles

The interactions of nanoparticles with biomolecules, surfaces, or other nanostructures are dictated by the nanoparticle's surface chemistry. Thus, far, shortcomings of syntheses of nanoparticles with defined ligand shell architectures have limited our ability to understand how changes in their surface composition influence reactivity and assembly. We report new synthetic approaches to systematically control the number (polyvalency), length, and steric interactions of omega-functionalized (targeting) ligands within an otherwise passivating (diluent) ligand shell. A mesofluidic reactor was used to prepare nanoparticles with the same core diameter for each of the designed ligand architectures. When the targeting ligands are malonamide groups, the nanoparticles assemble via cross-linking in the presence of trivalent lanthanides. We examined the influence of ligand composition on assembly by monitoring the differences in optical properties of the cross-linked and free nanoparticles. Infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and solution small-angle X-ray scattering provided additional insight into the assembly behavior. Lower (less than 33%) malonamide ligand densities (where the binding group extends beyond the periphery of diluent ethylene glycol ligands) produce the strongest optical responses and largest assemblies. Surprisingly, nanoparticles containing a higher surface number of targeting ligand did not produce an optical response or assemble, underscoring the importance of an informed mixed ligand strategy for highest nanoparticle performance.
Contiguous Loop Partitions for Neighborhood Communication

In parallel program partitioning, a program is split into tasks that can execute concurrently on a multiprocessor. In this chapter, we develop methods for statically partitioning certain types of parallel loops. Static program partitioning is attractive since the program partition is specified during the compilation phase, thereby eliminating one source of run-time overhead. Furthermore, static partitionings reduce communication overhead relative to dynamic schemes that attempt to improve processor utilization. Our partitioning algorithm is adaptive data partitioning (ADP), which chooses a partition based on data access patterns.
YIG-tuned Oscillator Design on Printed Circuit Board using Surface Mount Technology

Previously most of microwave circuits were designed based on thin film or thick film technologies. Nowadays many microwave laminates are becoming available for microwave circuits to be fabricated using standard epoxy/glass (FR4) processes offered at competitive prices. However, until recently, many surface mount components available are meant for lower frequency applications i.e. below 3 GHz. In this work, design feasibility of a microwave oscillator, covering S & C bands on printed circuit board with surface mount technology components is presented. The oscillator is expected to oscillate from 3 to 7 GHz, with minimum output power of 11 dBm throughout the band.
Congressional Investigations and the Electoral Connection

opportunities to test these assumptions—and, by extension—the theories they support. We utilize one such historical moment to test existing theories of Congressional oversight of the bureaucracy. We leverage the 17th Amendment to evaluate the assumption that incentives motivated by the “electoral connection” drive members of Congress to investigate more vigorously during divided government. We show that the 17th Amendment “treatment” substantially increased the Senate’s propensity to investigate when encountering an opposition president.
Chapter 75 – 2000 Social Amoebas and Their Genomes

Social amoebas cooperate, compete, and cheat. Genomics gives us a window into the evolution and regulation of these behaviors.
Conclusion: Music, Subjectivity, Fiction

As I have tried to show, as Marcel Proust sits listening and writing, he has inherited crucial aspects of his approach to music and literature from the Romantics, but not in any simple or direct lineage. One could say that the strongest influence of the early nineteenth century on Proust lies in the more general outlines of its approach to art and thought rather than in the specifics of its conclusions. As Andrew Bowie suggests, the Romantics move away from rigid notions of truth in order to carve more space for the kinds of experience into which art can provide key insight: The early Romantics’ response to the question of absolute truth was precisely to make it a regulative idea which was a reminder of the finitude of our thought. This conception led them to link truth to art, because art manifested that reminder in a way which could always lead to new and unexpected insights, whereas systematic philosophy attempted to “foreclose” something which, given our finitude, must necessarily remain open. (Esthetics 143)
Legal and Compliance

Abstract Cancer hospitals deal with very sensitive information, such as cancer diagnoses and genetic testing information, on a daily basis. These types of highly sensitive information raise interesting and complex legal and compliance issues that, while not unique to cancer hospitals, certainly arise more frequently in cancer hospital settings. The types of issues that surface involve compliance with the state and federal laws and regulations governing the use and disclosure of genetic information. Some common concerns are the disclosure of genetic information to family members balanced with the right of privacy owed to each patient; laws (or lack thereof) that govern the use of genetic information, including incidental findings; genetic counseling rules and restrictions; and the return of genetic findings post-death. Because of the terminal nature of many cancer diagnoses, there are also many end-of-life legal issues that arise more often in the cancer treatment setting which must be addressed and handled within the confines of the law. Advance directive issues often arise in end-of-life matters and can create difficult situations for the patient, patient’s family, and medical team and providers who are all working toward providing the best care to the patient while also honoring the advance directive wishes of the patient. Sometimes those positions may appear to conflict and create challenging predicaments during end-of-life situations which are already quite stressful and emotional for all parties involved.
Facile conversion from biologic to mechanical prosthesis: A bailout for a hostile aortic root

Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) due to early prosthetic aortic valve (AV) failure can be a complex re-operative problem especially in the presence of a hostile aortic root. We present a case of seventh time sternotomy for re-replacement of the AV using a less conventional approach.
Electrodynamics of the superconducting state of kappa (BEDT-TTF)2Cu(NCS)2.

We have measured the temperature dependence of the penetration depth λ and surface resistance Rs using a resonant microwave cavity technique for different orientations of the ac magnetic field with respect to the conducting layers. The behavior of λ(T) and Rs(T) strongly suggests singlet pairing, and the anisotropy of the penetration depth and surface resistance are suggestive weakly coupled superconducting layers.
Twórcza drama w szkole i twórcze ćwiczenia dramowe

In the past years, numerous efforts for reformation of the traditional education system were witnessed in connection with changes in society. The educational process needs to be organized in a way which ensures individual development of a person to a full extent of his or her capabilities in order to prepare him or her for the best possible integration into society. Pre-primary education is an important milestone in the education of children who are spontaneous in their actions and communication. This paper focuses on the use of a creative drama which uses experiential and cooperative teaching during creative activities which enhance the development of child’s personality. Creative drama represents learning through experience and emphasizes the individuality of every person. Drama activities create space for gaining new experience and active participation in various creative drama situations.
Plasma phospho-tau181 increases with Alzheimer's disease clinical severity and is associated with tau- and amyloid-positron emission tomography.

Abstract Introduction We examined and compared plasma phospho-tau181 (pTau181) and total tau: (1) across the Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical spectrum; (2) in relation to brain amyloid β (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET), tau PET, and cortical thickness; and (3) as a screening tool for elevated brain Aβ. Methods Participants included 172 cognitively unimpaired, 57 mild cognitively impaired, and 40 AD dementia patients with concurrent Aβ PET (Pittsburgh compound B), tau PET (AV1451), magnetic resonance imaging, plasma total tau, and pTau181. Results Plasma total tau and pTau181 levels were higher in AD dementia patients than those in cognitively unimpaired. Plasma pTau181 was more strongly associated with both Aβ and tau PET. Plasma pTau181 was a more sensitive and specific predictor of elevated brain Aβ than total tau and was as good as, or better than, the combination of age and apolipoprotein E ( APOE ). Discussion Plasma pTau181 may have utility as a biomarker of AD pathophysiology and as a noninvasive screener for elevated brain Aβ.
Heptachlor and Heptachlor Epoxide

Heptachlor (1,4,5,6,7,8,8-heptachloro-3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-4,7-methanoindene) is an insecticide that was used on corn, alfalfa, hay, and vegetables, and as a termiticide. During the mid-1970s, use of heptachlor on food crops was phased out due to the persistence of the chemical and its epoxide. Currently, heptachlor is used only as a termiticide on a very limited number of crops. Its structure and properties are shown in Table 1.
Eeg measurements in a virtual reality headset

While virtual reality systems are used in training and in mental health treatment to simulate real-world environments, understanding the mental processing differences between artificial and real scenes has been difficult to substantiate. The ability to compare brain processing in virtual and real exposures could provide an objective quantitative comparison. In this paper, we demonstrate that verifiable EEG measurements of mental activity can be obtained while subjects are immersed in a virtual reality headset. Using standard commercial EEG measuring equipment, we recorded EEG activity in similar virtual and real scenes for 14 people encountering four different test conditions. We discuss the systematic exploration of the recording problems and the steps taken to verify the data. This data is further analyzed to conclude that differences do exist between real and virtual image processing, with variations affected more by subject and task than by which area of the brain is processing the image. We discuss some possible reasons for these findings.
Electrodiagnostic Findings in Patients With Poliomyelitis

Electrodiagnostic studies of patients with poliomyelitis reveal evidence of axonal degeneration from loss of anterior horn cells early in the course of the disease, and, in more chronic phases, reinnervation with increased motor unit size. Neuromuscular junction abnormalities may persist for three or more decades after the initial infection. Electrodiagnostic study techniques do not appear to be able to separate stable from unstable postpolio patients. These techniques may be helpful, however, in evaluating changes in muscle activity in postpolio patients who have adapted movements over time to improve their levels of function and the effects of interventions, such as exercise, on the surviving motor units.
Bidirectional reflectance spectroscopy 7: The single particle phase function hockey stick relation

Abstract The measured volume-average single particle angular scattering functions of a large number of types of particle of interest for planetary regoliths in the visible-near-IR wavelength region can be represented to a reasonable approximation by two-parameter, double Henyey–Greenstein functions. When the two parameters of this function are plotted against one another they are found to be inversely correlated and lie within a restricted zone shaped like a hockey stick within the parameter space. The centroid of the zone is a curve that can be represented by a simple empirical equation. The wide variety of types of particles used to construct the plot implies that this equation may represent most of the particles found in regoliths. This means that when modeling the bidirectional reflectance of a regolith it may be possible to reduce the number of parameters necessary to specify the reflectance, and also to characterize the entire single particle phase function from observations at phase angles less than 90°. Even if the hockey stick relation has a finite width, rather than being a line, it restricts the parameter space that must be searched when fitting data. The curve should also be useful for forward modeling particle phase functions.
Energetics of Adsorbed Methanol and Methoxy on Ni(111): Comparisons to Pt(111)

The heats of adsorption of methanol molecularly adsorbed on clean Ni(111) and dissociatively adsorbed on oxygen-precovered Ni(111) were measured by single-crystal adsorption calorimetry (SCAC). The...