cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of groups and decision aid reliance on fraud risk assessment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the brainstorming component of Statement of Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 99 influences decision aid use and reliance, and the effectiveness of fraud risk assessment.Design/methodology/approach – The research framework links the influences of the fraud assessment setting and decision aid reliance. The hypotheses are tested in an experiment with two manipulated factors: setting (group or individual) and decision aid (provided or not provided).Findings – The results of the study provide insight on how the brainstorming impacts fraud risk assessment, decision aid use and decision aid reliance. The results show that groups using a decision aid with fraud risk factors demonstrate superior decision quality and effectiveness even with lower decision aid reliance.Research limitations/implications – The influence of the setting (group or individual) on the fraud evaluation and detection is highlighted.Practical implications – This paper will be informative f...
The Potential Usefulness of Natural Tritium.

that the tritium content of rain water will decrease with time elapsed after precipitation, since the cosmic ray source can introduce fresh tritium atoms only in the atmosphere where the new tritium atoms react with the atmospheric oxygen to form radioactive water. The time scale is set by the decay constant for tritium-12.5 years half life and 18.0 years average life. We expect therefore that whereas freshly fallen rain or snow will show a definite radioactivity due to tritium, old water will show none, and that the age of the water in the sense of the time elasped since precipitation may be determinable from the specific radioactivity. Further, agricultural products should be datable by the tritium content of their constituent hydrogen, the principle being that a considerable fraction of the hydrogen utilized in plant growth originates as rain water and is incorporated in the first few months after precipitation. The time of harvest therefore is close to the time of precipitation. Consequently, it seems possible that the age of agricultural products in the practical sense of the time elapsed since harvest probably can be measured by determination of the tritium content of the product itself. A series of tests is in progress in our laboratory using water of known age and wines of known vintage to test these postulates. B. Hydrology and the Identification of Water Sources.-A second type of application occurs in the identification of water sources. The mean storage time of rain or snow water before it appears in a given water supply should be given directly by the tritium content of the given supply relative to that of average rain in the region involved. The determination of mean storage times of between about three and twenty-five years should prove possible, these times corresponding to between 15 and 75% loss of tritium due to radioactive decay. The determination of tritium in wells should reveal whether their ultimate supplies are closely connected to the rainfall and therefore are subject to seasonal fluctuations in rainfall.
Improved polarization stability of the output mean wavelength in an Er-doped superfluorescent fiber source incorporating a Faraday rotator mirror

Erbium-doped superfluorescent fiber sources (SFS) in the standard forward, backward, and double-pass configurations exhibit significant dependencies of the output mean wavelength on the pump state of polarization. This is due largely to polarization-dependent gain (PDG) and gives rise to long-term drifts of the source output mean wavelength through changes in the fiber birefringence. By replacing the mirror in a double- pass source with a Faraday rotator mirror (FRM), the magnitude of the SFS mean wavelength variations due to pump polarization changes is reduced by a factor of 5 - 40, depending on source design parameters. Simulation results as well as experimental demonstration of the Faraday double-pass SFS are discussed in this paper. We measured 10 parts per million for the polarization-related mean-wavelength variations in this source, approaching the requirement for high-accuracy fiber gyros.
Sturm's algorithm and isolating blocks

A topological existence proof for certain solutions of the Newtonian three-body problem is based on the construction of isolating blocks for the flow on an integral manifold. An isolating block is a submanifold whose boundary satisfies a convexity condition with respect to the three-body flow. Verifying this convexity condition can be reduced to the problem of checking the sign of a very complicated function of one variable. This can be done numerically, but the goal of this paper is to show that Sturm's algorithm can be used to provide rigorous verification in some cases.
Mechanical refrigeration, seasonality, and the hog–corn cycle in the United States: 1870–1940

Abstract This paper examines the role of mechanical refrigeration in seasonality and structural change in the U.S. hog–corn cycle, 1870–1940. This period covers an era in which the widespread adoption of mechanical refrigeration greatly affected the ability to store and transport perishable commodities. These developments in turn altered the seasonal production and price structure for many commodities, including pork. We use a new class of time series models, time-varying smooth transition autoregressions (TV-STARs), to document both the structural change and the nonlinear features observed in seasonal patterns for the U.S. hog–corn price relationship during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Observation of radical pair zero quantum coherence effects in the FT-EPR spectra of SO3− and eaq− generated by photoionization of sulfite ions

Abstract The time evolution of the intensities of FT-EPR signals from the hydrated electron (e aq − ) and SO 3 − radical formed by photoionization of SO 3 2− in aqueous solution shows an oscillatory pattern. The effect is attributed to the coherent S–T 0 spin state evolution in the [e aq − ⋯SO 3 − ] radical pair producing spin polarization in the free radicals. The damping of these oscillations is not as strong as that predicted by the radical pair mechanism (RPM) chemically induced dynamic electron polarization (CIDEP) theory formulated by Adrian [Chem. Phys. Lett. 272 (1997) 120]. The experimental data can serve to test alternative theoretical descriptions of RPM CIDEP in terms of coherent radical pair spin state evolution combined with diffusive motion of the radicals.
Pharmacognostical and Chemical Studies of Indian Belladonna, Atropa Acuminata Royle Ex Lindley

Comparative gross anatomical and histological studies are reported on the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits of Atropa acuminata and of Atropa Belladoma. A chemical study of the alkaloidal content of both species is reported in which it is shown that Indian Belladonna possesses a higher alkaloidal content than the European species.
Motor learning by field approximation

We investigated how human subjects adapt to forces perturbing the motion of their ams. We found that this kind of learning is based on the capacity of the central nervous system (CNS) to predict and therefore to cancel externally applied perturbing forces. Our experimental results indicate: (i) that the ability of the CNS to compensate for the perturbing forces is restricted to those spatial locations where the perturbations have been experienced by the moving arm. The subjects also are able to compensate for forces experienced at neighboring workspace locations. However, adaptation decays smoothly and quickly with distance from the locations where disturbances had been sensed by the moving limb. (ii) Our experiments also how that the CNS builds an internal model of the external perturbing forces in intrinsic (muscles and / or joints) coordinates.
Funciones de las lesiones autoinfligidas en adultos jóvenes que se cortan: clarificación de las evidencias para la regulación del afecto

The functions of non-suicidal self-injury were examined in 39 young adults with a history of skin-cutting and other self-injurious behaviors including banging, burning, and severe scratching. Consequences, affect-states, and reasons associated with self-injury were assessed by a structured interview. Results indicate that self-injury is associated with improvements in affective valence and decreases in affective arousal. Specifically, participants tended to feel overwhelmed, sad, and frustrated before self-injury, and relieved and calm after self-injury. Further, these affective changes predict lifetime frequency of self-injury, suggesting that they reinforce the behavior. Finally, although reasons for self-injury related to both affect-regulation (e.g., to release emotional pressure that builds up inside of me) and self-punishment (e.g., to express anger at myself) were endorsed by a majority of participants, affectregulation reasons were overwhelmingly rated as primary and self-punishment reasons as secondary.
Stability constants for Gd3+ binding to model DTPA-conjugates and DTPA-proteins: implications for their use as magnetic resonance contrast agents.

Five DTPA-amide and ester derivatives have been synthesized and their Gd3+ stability constants have been measured using a simple spectrophotometric method. These results are compared to stability constants measured for Gd3+ binding to two different DTPA-conjugated proteins. Although the thermodynamic constants for Gd3+ binding to DTPA-monopropylamide and DTPA-monopropvlester relative to Gd( DTPA)2− decrease by log K = 2.6 and 3.4, respectively, the blood pH conditional constants differ from Gd( DTPA)2− only by log K = 1.2 and 1.9, respectively. The corresponding diprooylamide and ester conjugates of DTPA show considerably lower thermodynamic and conditional constants. This has important implications in the covalent attachment of chelates to macromolecules for use in magnetic resonance imaging. The measured binding constants for Gd(DTPA)-IgG and Gd( DTPA)-BSA suggest that many of the DTPA molecules in these systems, prepared under our experimental conditions, are diconjugated. The model compound results indicate that it is important to use methods in attaching DTPA to macromolecules which preclude diconjugation of the chelate. Otherwise, their affinity for Gd3+ and consequently their usefulness as MRI contrast agents may be severely compromised. © 1988 Academic Press, Inc.
Bacterial contamination rates for non-clean-catch and clean-catch midstream urine collections in uncircumcised boys

D'apres les examens realises chez 99 garcons sains de 2 a 15 ans, non circoncis, le nettoyage du meat avant le recueil des urines ne reduit pas le pourcentage d'urocultures contaminees ou positives et les resultats ne different pas de ceux des garcons circoncis
Systematic design of drug delivery therapies

This paper presents an engineering approach for optimal drug delivery to the human brain. The hierarchical design procedure addresses three major challenges: (i) physiologically consistent geometric models of the brain anatomy, (ii) discovery of unknown transport and metabolic reaction rates of therapeutic drugs by problem inversion, and (iii) a rigorous method for determining optimal parameters for delivering therapeutic agents to desired target anatomy in the brain. The proposed interdisciplinary approach integrates medical imaging and diagnosis with systems biology and engineering optimization in order to better quantify transport and reaction phenomena in the brain in vivo. It will enhance the knowledge gained from clinical data by combining advanced imaging techniques with large scale optimization of distributed systems. The new procedure will allow physicians and scientists to design and optimize invasive drug delivery techniques systematically based on in vivo drug distribution data and rigorous first principles models.
Vapor pressure and thermodynamics of beryllium carbide

Abstract The vapor pressure of beryllium carbide has been measured over the temperature range 1388 to 1763 K using Knudsen-effusion mass spectrometry. Vaporization occurs incongruently according to the reaction Be2C(s) = 2Be(g) + C(s). The equilibrium vapor pressure above the mixture of Be2C and C over the experimental temperature range is ( R J K − mol − ) 1n ( p Pa )= −(3.610±0.009)× 10 5 ( K T ) + (221.43±1.06) . The third-law enthalpy change for the above reaction obtained from the present vapor pressures is ΔHo(298.15 K) = (740.5 ± 0.1) kJ mol−1. The corresponding second-law result is ΔHo(298.15 K) = (732.0 ± 1.8) kJ mol−1. The enthalpy of formation for Be2C(s) calculated from the present third-law vaporization enthalpy and the enthalpy of formation of Be(g) is ΔHfo(298.15 K) = −(92.5 ± 15.7) kJ mol−1.
INTEGRAÇÃO AFRICANA: DA ORGANIZAÇÃO DA UNIDADE AFRICANA À UNIÃO AFRICANA

Desde Kwame N´Krumah a unidade da Africa era um grande desejo. A Organizacao da Unidade Africana (OUA) servia aos olhares de alguns na pobreza moral e material do continente. Destaca-se, que dentro da OUA, alguns fundadores militavam em favor da instituicao dos Estados Unidos da Africa enquanto que outros pregavam, ao contrario, pela fragmentacao dos Estados-Nacoes sob uma forma organizacional. Os Estados Unidos da Africa certamente seriam limitados a exploracao continua deste continente, mas muitos nao tinham esse entendimento. Felizmente, alguns chefes de Estados africanos conscientizaram-se dessa situacao e como uma pandemia, esta tomada de consciencia esta se estendendo pouco a pouco. Em Syrte na Libia, no dia 9 de setembro, os chefes de Estados e de governos da Africa, sob a iniciativa de Mouhammar El Kadhafi, resolveram criar a Uniao Africana (UA). Assim, em 11 de julho de 2000, em Lome (Togo), os Estados Africanos adotaram o Ato Constitutivo da Uniao Africana. A assinatura desse ato foi tomada sem dificuldades, mas este nao foi o caso para a sua ratificacao, feita com muitas reservas. Nesse espirito, no dia 25 de maio de 2001, a Uniao Africana foi criada politica e juridicamente, marcando assim uma nova era para a Africa. Era preciso adaptar a Africa na nova ordem mundial. Palavras-chave: Organizacao da Unidade Africana. Uniao Africana. Pan-Africanismo. Direitos Fundamentais.
Sampling and reconstruction of a turbulence-distorted wave front

This paper examines the problem of linear least-mean-squares reconstruction of a wave front distorted by turbulence described by the Kolmogorov 5/3 law. The wave-front sensors are assumed to be of the Hartmann imaging type, with circular apertures of arbitrary size and location relative to the beam to be reconstructed and having a four-quadrant photodiode detector in the focal plane. The weighting function for x1 and x2 slopes across the sensor aperture is determined, and the sensor signal-to-noise ratio, modulation transfer function, and cross-correlation matrix are calculated. Some examples involving various sensor configurations and the interpolation functions for their outputs are presented as well as the least-squares estimation of a low-order Zernike coefficient.
A New Species of Hymenoxys (Asteraceae, Helenieae, Tetraneuridinae) from Texas

Hymenoxys perpygmaea W. C. Holmes, Singhurst & Mink (Asteraceae, Helenieae, Tetraneuridinae) is described as a new annual species. The species, which is ephemeral, is endemic to an alfisol prairie that contains mima mounds in Lamar County from northeastern Texas, U.S.A. It is similar to H. texana (J. M. Coult. & Rose) Cockerell, but is easily distinguished from that species by its diminutive rosette and fewer florets per capitulum.
Compressive loading causes unique mechanism of failure in second generation sliding hip screw

The sliding hip screw (SHS) has been used for the fixation of intertrochanteric hip fractures for decades. Newer devices have been designed to address persistent failures in SHS; however, the superiority of all new devices has not been established. We compared the stability of a classic SHS to a 2nd generation device. Intertrochanteric fractures were created in cadaveric and synthetic femurs, and then repaired with either a 1st generation SHS or a 2nd generation SHS. Fixation by both implants was tested by compressive loading. There was a significantly higher rate of failure via rotational instability of the proximal fragment (p < 0.05) with the 2nd generation SHS due to disengagement of an anti-rotational bushing mechanism. Further studies are needed to determine if this study translates to concerns for higher failure rates in the clinical setting, however our results suggest that there is no benefit to the use of this 2nd generation device.
Flowering of understory herbs following thinning in the western Cascades, Oregon

Thinning of young forest stands encourages development of the understory layer by increasing the levels of light and belowground resources. High-intensity thinning, with associated ground disturbance and high light levels, can lead to dominance by early seral species or by a few species of shrubs, while low-intensity thinning may not increase resource levels enough to encourage forest herbs. Changes in herb-layer abundance can be hard to detect because forest-floor herbs are often slow growing, but flowering increases rapidly in response to high resource levels. This study examined flowering of the understory herb community before and 5 years after low-intensity thinning. Flowering of 10 herb species was sampled in 62 nine-meter radius plots in six treatment units within the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Thinning proved to be the most important determinant of the composition of the flowering assemblage (that is of which plants were flowering in a given plot). Old-growth species and release species (those specializing in large forest openings) showed higher numbers of flowering ramets following thinning. Release species also showed significant positive linear relationships with the plot-level degree of reduction in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) basal area (BA), while old-growth species showed no significant relationships and forest generalist species showed significant negative linear relationships with reduction in BA. Plot-level reduction in BA explained little of the variation in numbers of flowering ramets per plot for most species except for the release species Hieracium albiflorum and the forest generalist Trillium ovatum. The overall lack of strong linear relationships between herb flowering and reduction in BA makes it difficult to predict optimal thinning intensities for these species. However, the results of this study suggest that even when low-intensity thinning does not significantly change herb abundance it could still influence the ecology of the understory herb community by increasing carbon allocation to sexual reproduction.
Agreement via the edge laplacian

This work explores the properties of the edge variant of the graph Laplacian in the context of the edge agreement problem. We show that the edge Laplacian, and its corresponding agreement protocol, provide a useful perspective on the well-known node agreement, or the consensus problem. Specifically, the dynamics induced by the edge Laplacian facilitates a better understanding of the role played by certain subgraphs, e.g., cycles and spanning trees, in the original agreement problem. We also point out a reduced order modeling of the edge agreement as parameterized by the spanning trees of the underlying graph.
Continuous inference of psychological stress from sensory measurements collected in the natural environment

Repeated exposures to psychological stress can lead to or worsen diseases of slow accumulation such as heart diseases and cancer. The main challenge in addressing the growing epidemic of stress is a lack of robust methods to measure a person's exposure to stress in the natural environment. Periodic self-reports collect only subjective aspects, often miss stress episodes, and impose significant burden on subjects. Physiological sensors provide objective and continuous measures of stress response, but exhibit wide between-person differences and are easily confounded by daily activities (e.g., speaking, physical movements, coffee intake, etc.). In this paper, we propose, train, and test two models for continuous prediction of stress from physiological measurements captured by unobtrusive, wearable sensors. The first model is a physiological classifier that predicts whether changes in physiology represent stress. Since the effect of stress may persist in the mind longer than its acute effect on physiology, we propose a perceived stress model to predict perception of stress. It uses the output of the physiological classifier to model the accumulation and gradual decay of stress in the mind. To account for wide between-person differences, both models self-calibrate to each subject. Both models were trained using data collected from 21 subjects in a lab study, where they were exposed to cognitive, physical, and social stressors representative of that experienced in the natural environment. Our physiological classifier achieves 90% accuracy and our perceived stress model achieves a median correlation of 0.72 with self-reported rating. We also evaluate the perceived stress model on data collected from 17 participants in a two-day field study, and find that the average rating of stress obtained from our model has a correlation of 0.71 with that obtained from periodic self-reports.
Progesterone improves the number and quality of hormone induced Fowler toad ( Bufo fowleri ) oocytes

Combinations of progesterone, lutenizing hormone releasing hormone analogue (LHRHa), human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), and the dopamine-2 (DA2) receptor antagonist 1-[1-[4,4-bis(4-Fluorophenyl)butyl]-4-piperidinyl]-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzimidazol-2-one (Pimozide; Orap) were tested for improvement of spawning rates, oocyte numbers, fertilization and neurulation rates of the Fowler toad (Bufo fowleri). Only treatments combined with progesterone produced large numbers of oocytes. The best treatment on oocyte numbers, neurulation rates, and the number of neurulas was with 5 mg progesterone, 20 mic.g LHRHa, and 0.25 mg Pimozide. Progesterone (5 mg) with 60 mic.g LHRHa gave high spawning rates, oocyte numbers, and fertilization rates but neurulation rates were low. Progesterone alone in high repeated doses did not result in ovulation. High doses of LHRHa (60 mic.g) with hCG, progesterone, and Pimozide gave the greatest number of toads spawning, however, they resulted in low oocyte numbers, fertilization and neurulation rates. A low dose of LHRHa (4 mic.g) with hCG, or hCG alone as a second administration, and progesterone with Pimozide produced few good quality oocytes. Toads were given normal ovulatory doses of hormones 24 or 48 hrs after their initial dose, but these resulted in low oocyte numbers followed by poor fertilization. Overall, these results suggest that progesterone with a dose between 20 mic.g and 60 mic.g of LHRHa may be optimal for the induction of ovulation in these toads. Moreover, Pimozide can supplement low doses of LHRHa but not replace it.
The informed engineer

Future engineers need an education program that can provide them with the breadth of knowledge necessary to be knowledgeable and productive contributors to both the workplace and to society. In short, engineers need information. Unfortunately, most technical science courses don't require assignments that involve information research. It is even more unfortunate, that due the heavy technical nature of their curriculum, students are often only exposed to these information retrieval skills a few times in their college career. The Association of College & Research Libraries and the American Association for Higher Education endorsed Information Literacy Competency Standards for higher education to describe essential skills that a student should possess to effectively identify the need for and utilize information. These standards correlate with several of the ABET evaluation criteria. This paper both examines these relationships and explores the need for engineering students to master information competencies.
Do Short Sellers Convey Information About Changes in Fundamentals or Risk

We examine whether unexpected levels of short interest are associated with subsequent downward revisions in fundamentals and/or subsequent upward revisions in risk. We use prediction errors from monthly models of short interest over 1992-2000 to proxy for unexpectedly high (and low) short interest positions, and we compare changes in fundamentals (as captured by analysts’ earnings forecasts) and changes in risk factor loadings that occur subsequent to these unexpected positions. Relative to a sample of control firms with the lowest unexpected short interest, we find that analysts revise downward their earnings forecasts more severely for firms with high unexpected short interest; in addition, realized earnings for the high unexpected short interest firms are more likely to fall short of the consensus forecast. Tests examining shifts in three-factor risk loadings following high unexpected short interest show little evidence of significant risk changes. Overall, our evidence suggests that the information short sellers exploit mainly concerns the market’s misperception of these firms’ fundamentals.
Compartmentalized microbial composition, oxygen gradients and nitrogen fixation in the gut of Odontotaenius disjunctus

Coarse woody debris is an important biomass pool in forest ecosystems that numerous groups of insects have evolved to take advantage of. These insects are ecologically important and represent useful natural analogs for biomass to biofuel conversion. Using a range of molecular approaches combined with microelectrode measurements of oxygen, we have characterized the gut microbiome and physiology of Odontotaenius disjunctus, a wood-feeding beetle native to the eastern United States. We hypothesized that morphological and physiological differences among gut regions would correspond to distinct microbial populations and activities. In fact, significantly different communities were found in the foregut (FG), midgut (MG)/posterior hindgut (PHG) and anterior hindgut (AHG), with Actinobacteria and Rhizobiales being more abundant toward the FG and PHG. Conversely, fermentative bacteria such as Bacteroidetes and Clostridia were more abundant in the AHG, and also the sole region where methanogenic Archaea were detected. Although each gut region possessed an anaerobic core, micron-scale profiling identified radial gradients in oxygen concentration in all regions. Nitrogen fixation was confirmed by 15N2 incorporation, and nitrogenase gene (nifH) expression was greatest in the AHG. Phylogenetic analysis of nifH identified the most abundant transcript as related to Ni–Fe nitrogenase of a Bacteroidetes species, Paludibacter propionicigenes. Overall, we demonstrate not only a compartmentalized microbiome in this beetle digestive tract but also sharp oxygen gradients that may permit aerobic and anaerobic metabolism to occur within the same regions in close proximity. We provide evidence for the microbial fixation of N2 that is important for this beetle to subsist on woody biomass.
Clinical response to nitroglycerin as a diagnostic test for coronary artery disease.

Abstract The clinical response to nitroglycerin was correlated with the results of coronary angiography in 70 patients with chest pain of the anginal type: 49 patients with coronary artery disease and 21 without demonstrable cardiac disease. Of the patients with coronary disease, 76 percent were regularly relieved of pain in 3 minutes or less; 16 percent required more than 3 minutes for relief; and 8 percent were not relieved by the drug. Of the patients without coronary disease, only 19 percent consistently obtained relief in 3 minutes or less. Patients with coronary disease whose response to nitroglycerin was delayed or absent tended to have more frequent and intense pain, more coronary arteries involved by obstructive lesions and more hemodynamic or wall motion abnormalities than those who had prompt relief. Severe or bizarre side effects were common in patients without coronary disease but rare in patients with disease. It is concluded that 90 percent of patients with recurrent, angina-like chest pain who exhibit a prompt response to nitroglycerin have coronary artery disease; a delayed or absent response paradoxically indicates either absence of coronary artery disease or unusually severe disease and angina.
Use of C/C++ models for architecture exploration and verification of DSPs

Architectural decisions for DSP modules are often analyzed using high level C models. Such high-level explorations allow early examination of the algorithms and the architectural trade-offs that must be made for a practical implementation. The same models can be reused during the verification of the RTL subsequently developed, provided that various "hooks" which are desirable during the verification process are considered while creating these high level models. In addition, consideration must be given to the qualitative content of these high level models to permit an optimal verification flow allowing for compromise between features of the model and the completeness of the verification. Thus, high quality design and verification are achieved by the use of valid models and the valid use of models. In this paper, we describe our approach and show examples from a typical image processing application.
Retrospective review of reoperative pectus excavatum repairs

Abstract Background/Purpose Despite success of several techniques described for pectus excavatum repair, a minority of patients require multiple reoperations for recurrence or other complications. We aimed to review our experience in reoperative pectus excavatum repairs and to identify features correlating with need for additional reoperations. Methods Charts were reviewed of all patients undergoing reoperative pectus excavatum repair for 3 years at a university-based children's hospital. Number and type of previous repairs, time between operations, lengths of stay, analgesia, and complications were recorded. Results From February 2004 to December 2007, 170 pectus excavatum repairs were performed. Among these, 27 were reoperative. Overall, 18.2% of reoperative patients required subsequent additional reoperations. 21.1% of patients undergoing repeat open repairs and 33.3% of patients undergoing repeat minimally invasive repairs required further operative interventions. There was no need for additional repairs among patients who had open repairs after minimally invasive repairs, nor for any patients who had minimally invasive repairs after open repairs. Conclusions We conclude that patients with failed open repairs will have better success with minimally invasive reoperations, whereas patients with failed minimally invasive repairs will have better success with open reoperations. When faced with reoperative pectus excavatum, we recommend consideration of an alternative operative approach from the initial procedure.
Integration of Motion Cues in Optical and Sonar Videos for 3-D Positioning

Target-based positioning and 3-D target reconstruction are critical capabilities in deploying submersible platforms for a range of underwater applications, e.g., search and inspection missions. While optical cameras provide high-resolution and target details, they are constrained by limited visibility range. In highly turbid waters, target at up to distances of 10 s of meters can be recorded by high-frequency (MHz) 2-D sonar imaging systems that have become introduced to the commercial market in years. Because of lower resolution and SNR level and inferior target details compared to optical camera in favorable visibility conditions, the integration of both sensing modalities can enable operation in a wider range of conditions with generally better performance compared to deploying either system alone. In this paper, estimate of the 3-D motion of the integrated system and the 3-D reconstruction of scene features are addressed. We do not require establishing matches between optical and sonar features, referred to as opti-acoustic correspondences, but rather matches in either the sonar or optical motion sequences. In addition to improving the motion estimation accuracy, advantages of the system comprise overcoming certain inherent ambiguities of monocular vision, e.g., the scale-factor ambiguity, and dual interpretation of planar scenes. We discuss how the proposed solution provides an effective strategy to address the rather complex opti-acoustic stereo matching problem. Experiment with real data demonstrate our technical contribution.
Eye-voice span during rapid automatized naming: evidence of reduced automaticity in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their siblings

Background: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents demonstrate impaired performance in rapid automatized naming (RAN), a task that recruits a variety of linguistic and executive processes. Though the basic processes that contribute to RAN differences remain unclear, eye-voice relationships, as measured through eye tracking, can provide insight into cognitive and perceptual processes contributing to RAN performance. For example, in RAN, eye-voice span (EVS), the distance ahead the eyes are when articulation of a target item's label begins, is an indirect measure of automaticity of the processes underlying RAN. The primary objective of this study was to investigate automaticity in naming processes, as indexed by EVS during RAN. The secondary objective was to characterize RAN difficulties in individuals with ASD and their siblings. Methods: Participants (aged 15–33 years) included 21 individuals with ASD, 23 siblings of individuals with ASD, and 24 control subjects, group-matched on chronological age. Naming time, frequency of errors, and EVS were measured during a RAN task and compared across groups. Results: A stepwise pattern of RAN performance was observed, with individuals with ASD demonstrating the slowest naming across all RAN conditions, controls demonstrating the fastest naming, and siblings demonstrating intermediate performance. Individuals with ASD exhibited smaller EVSs than controls on all RAN conditions, and siblings exhibited smaller EVSs during number naming (the most highly automatized type of naming). EVSs were correlated with naming times in controls only, and only in the more automatized conditions. Conclusions: These results suggest that reduced automaticity in the component processes of RAN may underpin differences in individuals with ASD and their siblings. These findings also provide further support that RAN abilities are impacted by genetic liability to ASD. This study has important implications for understanding the underlying skills contributing to language-related deficits in ASD.
Pediatric patient safety in hospitals: a national picture in 2000.

Objective. To describe potential patient safety events for hospitalized children, examine associated factors, and explore impacts of safety events. Methods. The newly released Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs), developed by researchers at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to identify potential in-hospital patient safety problems using administrative data, were applied to hospital discharge data. All 5.7 million discharge records for children younger than 19 years from 27 states in the 2000 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project were analyzed for PSI events. Prevalence of PSI events and associations with patient-level and hospital-level characteristics were examined. Multivariate regression adjusting for patient severity of illness was used to estimate impacts of safety events in terms of excess length of stay, charges, and in-hospital mortality. Results. The prevalence of pediatric patient safety events is significant. PSI events occurred more frequently in the very young and those on Medicaid insurance, some of the most vulnerable hospitalized children. Regression analysis found that almost all PSIs are associated with significant and substantial increases in length of stay, charges, and in-hospital death. Using the estimates derived here and the actual number of cases identified in the 2000 data, we estimate that patient safety events incurred >$1 billion in excess charges for children alone in 2000. Conclusions. Patient safety problems for hospitalized children occur frequently and with substantial impacts to our health care industry. Unmeasurable by this study are the additional “costs” and “burdens” of safety events that our patients are forced to handle. Additional work to describe and quantify better these outcomes in addition to ones measured here can help solidify the “business case” for patient safety efforts.
Enhanced detection of acoustic waves using thick and thin reference gratings

Propagating acoustic waves typically produce small effective refractive-index variations and can thus be difficult to detect by simple optical probing. It has been shown that use of stationary reference gratings can greatly facilitate the detection of these waves. In this paper, the application of thick (Bragg diffraction regime) and thin (Raman–Nath diffraction regime) sinusoidal-phase reference gratings is considered for enhanced detection of acoustic waves, and their relative performance is compared. Simple, analytical expressions are obtained that describe the diffraction characteristics in each case. It is shown that thick reference gratings produce a purely sinusoidal temporal-intensity modulation, whereas thin gratings, in general, produce nonsinusoidal modulation.
Dynamics of Atlantic White-Cedar Populations at a Northern New England Coastal Wetland

Abstract Decline of Atlantic white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), an uncommon, wetland tree of the eastern coastal United States, may be due in part to successional change in which cedar is replaced by more shade-tolerant tree species. The purpose of this study was to assess population structure and natural regeneration of cedar, project future changes in stand composition, and suggest appropriate management. The research was conducted at Brown Mill Pond, an ecological reserve in Rye, New Hampshire. Age and size structure of tree species were used to infer successional trends in five plant communities: (1) mixed conifer, (2) cedar I, (3) cedar II, (4) cedar-red maple, and (5) pond edge. Depth to water table was measured over two field seasons. Differences in species composition and stand structure were associated with variations in water table depth. In all communities except the pond edge and small ( 90 years old) and recruitment was lacking. In three communit...
Open cyberGIS software for geospatial research and education in the big data era

CyberGIS represents an interdisciplinary field combining advanced cyberinfrastructure, geographic information science and systems (GIS), spatial analysis and modeling, and a number of geospatial domains to improve research productivity and enable scientific breakthroughs. It has emerged as new-generation GIS that enable unprecedented advances in data-driven knowledge discovery, visualization and visual analytics, and collaborative problem solving and decision-making. This paper describes three open software strategies–open access, source, and integration–to serve various research and education purposes of diverse geospatial communities. These strategies have been implemented in a leading-edge cyberGIS software environment through three corresponding software modalities: CyberGIS Gateway, Toolkit, and Middleware, and achieved broad and significant impacts.
Optimizing accuracy and precision of micro-coil localization in active-MR tracking

Abstract Objective To examine whether a centroid peak detection algorithm and micro-transmit tracking improve the accuracy and precision of active-MR tracking when combined with previously published strategies of Hadamard Multiplexing and Phase-field Dithering. Materials and methods The dipole magnetic field of a solenoid tracking coil was modeled and MR spin excitation using both a uniform body coil and the tracking coil was simulated for 5329 orientations of the solenoid coil with respect to B0. A lumenless micro-coil was built onto a rotation platform and MR-tracking accuracy and precision were experimentally assessed for 576 orientations within a 1.5-T MRI scanner. Peak identification strategies (i.e. maximum pixel detection and the centroid pixel method) and transmit modes (body transmit and micro-transmit tracking) were employed and localization accuracy was assessed for each orientation in both simulation and experimentation. Results The simultaneous use of the centroid pixel method, micro-transmit tracking, Phase-field Dithering, and Hadamard Multiplexing resulted in high MR tracking accuracy and precision: 0.52 ± 0.41 mm and 0.34 mm respectively. Furthermore, all four methods combined offered a tracking error less than the size of the micro-coil, despite the lack of a signal source within the micro-coil. Conclusions Micro-transmit tracking and the centroid pixel method improve MR tracking accuracy and precision when combined with Phase-field Dithering and Hadamard Multiplexing compared to using Phase-field Dithering and Hadamard Multiplexing alone.
Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia and Familial Hypertriglyceridemia

Familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) and familial hypertriglyceridemia (FHTG) are two common genetic forms of hyperlipidemia that differ in their clinical consequences and pathophysiology but are as yet poorly understood. The first is characterized by multiple lipoprotein phenotypes in affected relatives, an increase in plasma levels of apolipoprotein B (apo B), and a marked predisposition toward early-onset atherosclerosis. In FCHL, affected relatives can have increased plasma cholesterol and plasma triglyceride alone or in combination, with increased levels of LDL, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), or both. Further, an affected individual might manifest any of these different plasma lipid and lipoprotein patterns at different stages of his/her life. In FHTG, affected individuals have primary elevations of their plasma triglyceride levels, with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in the normal range. They do not appear to be particularly at increased risk for early-onset atherosclerosis. A major clinical consequence of this disorder, the chylomicronemia syndrome (Brunzell and Bierman, 1982), occurs when FHTG coexists with untreated diabetes or with the use of drugs that elevate plasma trigylceride levels (Chait and Brunzell, 1983), such as estrogens, alcohol, glucocorticoids, diuretics, and β blockers.
Epidemiology of Anorectal Melanoma in the United States: 1992 to 2011.

BACKGROUND Anorectal melanoma is a rare type of malignant melanoma and thus the epidemiology of patients with this tumor has been poorly defined. OBJECTIVE To describe the epidemiology of anorectal melanoma in the United States. METHODS AND MATERIALS We obtained case and population data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 13 Registries Database (SEER 13) between 1992 and 2011 using rectal diagnostic codes C20.9 to 21.8 and ICD-O-3 melanoma codes 8720 to 8721 and 8742 to 8746. RESULTS There were 260 primary anorectal melanomas in SEER 13 from 1992 to 2011, occurring mostly in the rectum. The incidence of anorectal melanoma was higher among women than men with the highest rates occurring among white Hispanics ages 65 to 74 years. During this time period, the age-adjusted incidence rates rose significantly (p < .05) for both women and men with estimated annual percentage changes of 3.02% and 5.08%, respectively. Overall and melanoma-specific survival was poor irrespective of gender or ethnicity. CONCLUSION Anorectal melanoma in the United States is increasing in both men and women, with the highest rates in elderly Hispanic white women. Hispanic whites were more likely to develop anorectal melanoma than non-Hispanic whites, suggesting that this population may be targeted for screening interventions. These results warrant further investigation to better understand the gender, racial, ethnic, and geographic variations for anorectal melanomas.
Book Review of ‘In the Interests of Justice: Reforming the Legal Profession,’ by Deborah L. Rhode

Professor Rhode's work is an important contribution to the advancement of the enterprise of understanding not just narrow issues of legal ethics, but the broader issues of the legal profession, its role in contemporary society, and its effectiveness in delivering necessary professional services, not simply to the rich, but across a broad spectrum of society. Nonetheless, a broader and more ambitious agenda clearly requires an equally broad and ambitious methodology. Whether we can continue to make strides in this area depends upon our willingness to pursue additional modes of analysis and lines of inquiry. Given the current orientation of legal scholarship in the United States, that may well prove difficult.
Kinematic analysis of wrist motion during simulated colonoscopy in first-year gastroenterology fellows.

Background and study aims: Gastroenterology trainees acquire skill and proficiency in performing colonoscopies at different rates. The cause for heterogeneous competency among the trainees is unclear. Kinematic analysis of the wrist joint while performing colonoscopy can objectively assess the variation in wrist motion. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that the time spent by the trainees in extreme ranges of wrist motion will decrease as the trainees advance through the fellowship year. Subjects and methods: Five first-year gastroenterology fellows were prospectively studied at four intervals while performing simulated colonoscopies. The setting was an endoscopy simulation laboratory at a tertiary care center. Kinematic assessment of wrist motion was done using a magnetic position/orientation tracker held in place by a custom-made arm sleeve and hand glove. The main outcome measure was time spent performing each of four ranges of wrist motion (mid, center, extreme, and out) for each wrist degree of freedom (pronation/supination, flexion/extension, and adduction/abduction). Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the time spent for wrist movements across the three degrees of freedom throughout the study period. However, fellows spent significantly less time in extreme range (1.47 ± 0.34 min vs. 2.44 ± 0.34 min, P = 0.004) and center range (1.02 ± 0.34 min vs 1.9 ± 0.34 min, P = 0.01) at the end of the study compared to the baseline evaluation. The study was limited by the small number of subjects and performance of colonoscopies on a simulator rather than live patients. Conclusions: Gastroenterology trainees alter the time spent at the extreme range of wrist motion as they advance through training. Endoscopy training during the first 10 months of fellowship may have beneficial effects on learning ergonomically correct motion patterns.