cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Equivalence of Gaussian Measures and Prediction

The basic message of the results of 3.8 is that for interpolating a mean 0 weakly stationary random field based on observations on an infinite square lattice, the smaller the distance between neighboring observations in the lattice, the less the low frequency behavior of the spectrum matters. This suggests that if our goal is to interpolate our observations and we need to estimate the spectral density from these same observations, we should focus on getting the high frequency behavior of the spectral density as accurately as possible while not worrying so much about the low frequency behavior. Supposing that our observations and predictions will all take place in some bounded region R, a useful first question to ask is what can be done if we observe the process everywhere in R. Answering this question will put an upper bound on what one can hope to learn from some finite number of observations in R.
Frequency and experience with carcinoma of the thyroid at a private, a Veterans Administration, and a university hospital.

We evaluated the treatment experiences with thyroid carcinoma at a private, a Veterans Administration, and a University hospital to determine the frequency, treatment, and outcome of patients with this uncommon malignant tumor. All 120 patients with thyroid carcinoma were identified through hospital tumor registries between 1953 and 1988, representing 0.3% of the total cancer registry cases during this period. Well-differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid represented 73%, medullary carcinoma 7%, poorly differentiated carcinoma 18%, and Hurthle cell carcinoma 2% of histologic varieties. Seventy-eight percent of patients were treated initially by surgery or by surgery plus postoperative irradiation. The remaining patients received other treatment. At 10 years after treatment, 90% of patients with well-differentiated carcinoma survived, while only 20% of patients with medullary and poorly differentiated carcinoma survived. Sixty percent of recurrences for all histologic types appeared within the first 12 months after treatment. Patients with well-differentiated carcinoma had sporadic recurrences over a 21-year period. Recognition of these time intervals allows for better follow-up management.
Tweaking energy metabolism to prevent and treat neurological disorders.

Accumulating data from epidemiological and clinical studies, and from animal models, point to pivotal roles for disordered behavioral and neuroendocrine control of energy metabolism in the pathogenesis of several major neurodegenerative disorders. Particularly troubling is the mounting evidence that excessive dietary energy intake and a sedentary lifestyle render the brain vulnerable not only to stroke, but also to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Recent advances in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which energy intake and expenditure affect neuronal vulnerability are leading to novel therapeutic interventions that increase the durability and resiliency of the brain during aging.
Gangliogenesis in leech: Morphogenetic processes leading to segmentation in the central nervous system

Using intracellular lineage tracers to study the main neurogenic lineage (N lineage) of the glossiphoniid leech embryo, we have characterized events leading from continuous columns of segmental founder cells (nf and ns primary blast cells) to discrete, segmentally iterated ganglia. The separation between prospective ganglia was first evident as a fissure between the posterior boundary of nf- and the anterior boundary of ns-derived progeny. We also identified the sublineages of nf-derived cells that contribute parallel stripes of cells to each segment. These stripes of cells project ventrolaterally from the dorsolateral margin of each nascent ganglion to the ventral body wall. The position and orientation of the stripes suggests that they play a role in forming the posterior segmental nerve; they are not coincident with the ganglionic boundary, and they form well after the separation of ganglionic primordia. Previous work has shown that cells in the anterior stripe express the leech engrailed-class gene. Thus, in contrast to the role of cells expressing engrailed in Drosophila, the stripes of N-derived cells expressing an engrailed-class gene in leech do not seem to play a direct role in segmentation or segment polarity.
Modification of root IAA concentrations, tree growth, and survival by application of plant growth regulating substances to container-grown conifers.

Tree survival after planting is partially a function of the tree's capacity to produce new roots. In a field trial we assessed the potential to modify the IAA concentration in roots, root growth responses, and plant survival by root application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) such as IBA, NAA, and ethylene, or alginate, a moisture retention material. Container-grown Douglas-fir, Englemann spruce, and lodgepole pine were lifted before and during prescribed lifting windows and treated with Stim-root ,E threl, Hormogel , or alginate before or after cold-storage, then planted in a clearcut. Lifting trees outside of the prescribed lifting window decreased IAA concentrations in roots of Douglas-fir, Englemann spruce, and lodgepole pine. Treating plants with different PGRs after cold storage increased root IAA concentrations and root growth after planting compared to treating plants prior to cold storage. Root growth and above ground plant growth and survival were well correlated to IAA concentrations in roots of Douglas-fir and Englemann spruce. IAA concentrations in roots of lodgepole pine correlated with root growth, but did not correlate with survival. A cost analysis of treatment effects on growth and survival showed that certain post-cold storage PGR treatments can decrease the cost necessary to attain target stocking and increase the size of the trees. Our results suggest that application of PGRs or other root-promoting materials to tree roots before planting has the potential to be a cost-beneficial method for increasing root growth and tree survival.
Psychosocial Treatments for Schizophrenia

(1994). Psychosocial Treatments for Schizophrenia. Psychiatry: Vol. 57, Psychosocial Treatments, pp. 104-114.
Methods to Predict Response to Chemotherapy

There have been numerous attempts to develop an assay system that will allow the correct choice of systemic therapy for an individual patient with cancer. The empirical method used at present to select such therapy involves both the possibility that ineffective agents will be chosen and the probability that the patient will suffer some untoward effects as a result of their use
Marriott Rooms Forecasting

The manager of a large downtown hotel has to decide whether to accept 60 additional reservations. If she accepts, she will be overbooked and face certain costs if all the people holding reservations show up. The manager must forecast, based on historical data, how many of the people holding reservations will show up and then decide, after taking into account the cost involved, whether to accept the additional bookings. This case can be used in a class on seasonality and exponential smoothing in time-series forecasting.
Replacement of Coal by Fracgas in the Production of Electric Power

New well drilling technologies, when utilized to fracture common shale formations promise to provide access to very large volumes of gas. Indeed, the trade press and news media have generally taken the position that “fracgas” over the next decade can add up to 800 trillion cubic feet of reserves, four times the current level of reserves, almost equally spaced over the four quadrants of the country. But estimates of reserves are notably judgmental and with respect to new finds can be over optimistic.
“Dry” Versus “Wet” Development and Women in Three World Regions

This article explores whether a region9s traditional type of agricultural production - “dry” (rain-fed) vs. “wet” (irrigated rice) - has long-term effects on women9s equality and on development. It examines the three world regions with the widest range of gender stratification: a “dry” region (Middle East/North Africa/much of South Asia, the most gender-unequal) and two “wet” regions (East Asia, and Southeast Asia - traditionally the most gender-equal). Men are primary cultivators in “dry” agriculture but irrigated rice is so labor-intensive that both genders are producers. Participation in production is posited as a precondition for greater gender equality (Blumberg 1984). Working toward a theory incorporating traditional production and region into gender and development, the article considers additional factors. One is the kin/property system: in the first two regions, it privileges men (patrilineal descent; patrilocal residence; male-dominated inheritance). In Southeast Asia, it is bilateral/matrifocal. And only in Southeast Asia do women traditionally earn and control income, i.e., have economic power, the key (although not only) factor affecting gender equality in Blumberg9s theory of gender stratification. Cultural-normative variables remain least favorable to women in the “dry” region (especially compared to Southeast Asia). Today, the “dry” region has the least dynamic growth, with continued low female labor force participation (LFP) in oil-poor and, especially, oil-rich nations; the two “wet” regions have pursued successful export manufacturing development strategies with high female LFP, with Southeast Asia now having the fastest growth. Development prospects vs. potential problems align similarly from worst to best in the three regions.
Key Directions of Economic Policy

The paper deals with main directions of Russia's economic policy in the first half of 2000's. The author speaks about the outcome of economic reforms which took place during the period. He also draws conclusions on what the future economic policy may be.
Stones of Contention: The Acheulean Handaxe Lethal Projectile Controversy

AbstractThe function of the Acheulean handaxe is controversial. Several competing usage theories are currently being debated amongst paleoanthropologists. One such hypothesis is the lethal projectile theory. Past experimentation has indicated that the handaxe could have been used as a lethal projectile thrown from a distance to hunt prey. Ibis actualistic study augments such experimentation. The latest argument posed by Whittaker and McCall opposing the utility of the lethal projectile theory indicates vastly different results from O'Brien's experimentation, which was notable for finding that a majority of thrown handaxes landed point or edge first. Whittaker and McCall's study found that a significant proportion of impacts were flat-face landings.This study increases the data set, using three separate handaxe replicas. It results in an edge/point landing percentage that is comparable to O'Brien's results and suggests that O'Brien's findings are representative of the past situation, although functional hy...
Incidental magnetic resonance imaging signal changes in the extensor carpi radialis brevis origin are more common with age

Background Patients with enthesopathy of the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) demonstrate signal changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is likely that these MRI changes persist for many years or may be permanent, regardless of symptoms, and represent an estimation of disease prevalence. We tested the hypothesis that the prevalence of incidental signal changes in the ECRB origin increases with age. Methods We searched MRI reports of 3374 patients who underwent an MRI scan, including the elbow, for signal changes in the ECRB origin. Medical records were reviewed for symptoms consistent with ECRB enthesopathy. Prevalences of incidental and symptomatic signal changes were calculated and stratified by age. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to test whether age, sex, and race were independently associated with ECRB enthesopathy and calculated odds ratios. Results Signal changes in ECRB origin were identified on MRI scans of 369 of 3374 patients (11%) without a clinical suspicion of tennis elbow. The prevalence increased from 5.7% in patients aged between 18 and 30 years up to 16% in patients aged 71 years and older. Older age (odds ratio, 1.04; P .001) was independently associated with the incidental finding of ECRB enthesopathy on elbow MRI scans. Conclusions Increased MRI signal in the ECRB origin is common in symptomatic and in asymptomatic elbows. Our findings support the concept that ECRB enthesopathy is a highly prevalent, self-limited process that seems to affect a minimum of 1 in approximately every 7 people.
0122 Approaches to developing exposure estimates that reflect temporal trends in total particulate matter in aluminium smelters

Objectives To evaluate different approaches for including time trends in quantitative exposures to total particulate matter (TPM) in an aluminium smelter for use in epidemiologic evaluation of incident heart disease, we compared the use of regression modelling to discrete modelling of changes in the workplace environment. Method We used an industrial hygiene database containing results for sampling conducted over 30 years and information on workplace environment (e.g. personal protective equipment policy, ventilation modifications, changes to materials or work organisation). The effects of these changes were tested with an analysis of variance model using log-transformed TPM concentrations. We compared the outcome of this approach to the use of a regression model for TPM concentrations over time. Results Time trends in 57 jobs in an aluminium smelter were evaluated by using 1123 TPM samples collected from 1984–2012. There was an overall decline in median TPM concentrations (mg/m 3 ) at the smelter (3.7% per year). The trend was not observed in the majority individual jobs. The decreasing trend was concentrated in 14% of the jobs. The majority of jobs (61%) had no change over the time period, 19% had no consistent pattern of change, and 5% increased in TPM concentrations. Conclusions Applying a global trend to worker exposures would result in misclassification error in epidemiologic evaluations. When possible, process changes should be used to define changes in worker exposures rather than using a facility- or industry-wide time trend. Future work will explore regression modelling as a way to explain any remaining time trends in TPM.
Circadian and Day-to-Day Variation of Prostatic Acid Phosphatase

AbstractThe circadian and day-to-day variation of serum levels of prostatic acid phosphatase determined by radioimmunoassay was investigated in 10 men with a normal prostate, 8 with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 10 with prostate cancer. Serum samples were obtained on 1 day at 8 a.m., 12:00 noon and 4:30 p.m. in 23 patients, and on 3 consecutive days at 8 a.m. in an additional 5 patients.There was a variability in enzyme level throughout the day but without any distinct pattern. Prostate cancer patients with elevated levels of prostatic acid phosphatase did demonstrate a greater variability throughout the day than patients with a normal prostate or with benign prostatic hyperplasia.The day-to-day serum prostatic acid phosphatase in patients with a normal prostate varied little and remained within the normal range.
Coevolution, Bacterial-Phage

Bacteriophage viruses (phages) are seemingly ubiquitous across all niches on earth occupied by their bacterial hosts. These phages can either integrate into the genomes of bacterial hosts or reproduce within, and then lyse their host cells. In both cases phages are able to shape the evolution and ecology of bacterial populations, often with important consequences for other interacting species or ecological and biogeochemical processes that depend on microbial organisms. This article explores the process and impact of bacteria–phage coevolution as evidenced from both controlled laboratory experiments and studies of natural populations.
Deductive Proofs of Almost Sure Persistence and Recurrence Properties

Martingale theory yields a powerful set of tools that have recently been used to prove quantitative properties of stochastic systems such as stochastic safety and qualitative properties such as almost sure termination. In this paper, we examine proof techniques for establishing almost sure persistence and recurrence properties of infinite-state discrete time stochastic systems. A persistence property $$\Diamond \Box P$$ specifies that almost all executions of the stochastic system eventually reach P and stay there forever. Likewise, a recurrence property $$\Box \Diamond Q$$ specifies that a target set Q is visited infinitely often by almost all executions of the stochastic system. Our approach extends classic ideas on the use of Lyapunov-like functions to establish qualitative persistence and recurrence properties. Next, we extend known constraint-based invariant synthesis techniques to deduce the necessary supermartingale expressions to partly mechanize such proofs. We illustrate our techniques on a set of interesting examples.
Can Absorption and Scattering Images of Heterogeneous Scattering Media Be Simultaneously Reconstructed Using DC Data

In this report, we present a carefully designed phantom experimental study aimed to provide solid evidence that both absorption and scattering images of heterogeneous scattering media can be reconstructed independently from dc data. We also study the important absorption-scattering crosstalk issue. In this regard, we develop a simple normalizing scheme that is incorporated into our nonlinear finite-element-based reconstruction algorithm. Our results from the controlled phantom experiments show that the crosstalk of an absorption object appearing in scattering images can be eliminated and that the crosstalk of a scattering object appearing in absorption images can be reduced considerably. In addition, these carefully designed phantom experiments clearly suggest that both absorption and scattering images can be simultaneously recovered and quantitatively separated in highly scattering media using dc measurements. Finally, we discuss our results in light of recent theoretical findings on nonuniqueness for dc image reconstruction.
Do gender and racial/ethnic disparities in sleep duration emerge in early adulthood? Evidence from a longitudinal study of U.S. adults.

Abstract Objective Gender and racial/ethnic disparities in sleep duration are well documented among the U.S. adult population, but we know little about how these disparities are shaped during the early course of adult life, a period marked by substantial changes in social roles that can influence time for sleep. Methods Prospective data was used from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), a U.S.-based representative sample of persons born between 1980 and 1984, who were first interviewed in 1997. Sleep duration was assessed in 2002, 2007/2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Random-coefficient models were estimated to examine gender and racial/ethnic disparities in trajectories of sleep duration across early adulthood as a function of educational experiences, employment, and family relationships. Results Sleep duration declined during early adulthood. Women reported shorter sleep than men from age 18 to 22, but slept longer than men by age 28. Black Young adults reported sleep durations similar to those of White young adults until age 24, after which blacks slept less than whites. Educational experiences and employment characteristics reduced gender and racial/ethnic disparities, but family relationships exacerbated them. Conclusion This study is the first to establish the emergence of gender and racial/ethnic disparities in sleep duration during early adulthood.
A Review of Estimation of Key Parameters and Lead Time in Cancer Screening

Early detection combined with effective treatments are the only ways to fight against cancer, and cancer screening is the primary technique for early detection. Although mass cancer screening has been carried out for decades, there are many unsolved problems, and the statistical theory of cancer screening is still under developed. Screening sensitivity, time duration in the preclinical state, and time duration in the disease free state are the three key parameters, which are critical in cancer screening, since all other estimates are functions of the three key parameters. Lead time is the diagnosis time advanced by screening, and it serves as a measurement of effectiveness of screening programs. In this article, we provide a review for major probability models and statistical methodologies that have been developed on the estimation of the three key parameters and the lead time distributions. These methods can be applied to screening of other chronic diseases after slight modifications.
Late transition metal complexes of oxypyriporphyrin and the platinum(II) complex of oxybenziporphyrin

Even though oxypyriporphyrin, a pyridone-containing porphyrinoid system, has the equivalent coordination core to true porphyrins, its coordination chemistry has been little explored. In this study, the first examples of palladium(II), platinum(II) and silver(II) oxypyriporphyrins have been synthesized. Conventional conditions failed to result in the formation of a platinum(II) complex, but moderate yields were obtained when oxypyriporphyrin was reacted with platinum(II) chloride in refluxing mixtures of DMF and acetic acid containing potassium acetate. The palladium(II) and platinum(II) derivatives were characterized by X-ray crystallography. The structurally analogous carbaporphyrinoid system oxybenziporphyrin was also shown to react with platinum(II) chloride under the same conditions to give a platinum(II) hydroxybenziporphyrin complex. Unlike oxybenziporphyrin, this complex is only weakly diatropic. In the presence of base, the diatropic character was reasserted to afford an aromatic anionic species.
How can we trust a robot

If intelligent robots take on a larger role in our society, what basis will humans have for trusting them?
Internal Experts Collaborate to Reduce Critical Hypoglycemia and Insulin Errors and Improve Insulin Administration Timing

IN BRIEF "Quality Improvement Success Stories" are published by the American Diabetes Association in collaboration with the American College of Physicians, Inc., and the National Diabetes Education Program. This series is intended to highlight best practices and strategies from programs and clinics that have successfully improved the quality of care for people with diabetes or related conditions. Each article in the series is reviewed and follows a standard format developed by the editors of Clinical Diabetes. The following article describes a project aimed at reducing inpatient critical hypoglycemia episodes in a community hospital setting.
A comparison of machine learning algorithms for the surveillance of autism spectrum disorder

Objective The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coordinates a labor-intensive process to measure the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children in the United States. Random forests methods have shown promise in speeding up this process, but they lag behind human classification accuracy by about 5%. We explore whether more recently available document classification algorithms can close this gap. Materials and methods Using data gathered from a single surveillance site, we applied 8 supervised learning algorithms to predict whether children meet the case definition for ASD based solely on the words in their evaluations. We compared the algorithms’ performance across 10 random train-test splits of the data, using classification accuracy, F1 score, and number of positive calls to evaluate their potential use for surveillance. Results Across the 10 train-test cycles, the random forest and support vector machine with Naive Bayes features (NB-SVM) each achieved slightly more than 87% mean accuracy. The NB-SVM produced significantly more false negatives than false positives (P = 0.027), but the random forest did not, making its prevalence estimates very close to the true prevalence in the data. The best-performing neural network performed similarly to the random forest on both measures. Discussion The random forest performed as well as more recently available models like the NB-SVM and the neural network, and it also produced good prevalence estimates. NB-SVM may not be a good candidate for use in a fully-automated surveillance workflow due to increased false negatives. More sophisticated algorithms, like hierarchical convolutional neural networks, may not be feasible to train due to characteristics of the data. Current algorithms might perform better if the data are abstracted and processed differently and if they take into account information about the children in addition to their evaluations. Conclusion Deep learning models performed similarly to traditional machine learning methods at predicting the clinician-assigned case status for CDC’s autism surveillance system. While deep learning methods had limited benefit in this task, they may have applications in other surveillance systems.
Radioembolization Super Survivors: Extended Survival in Non-operative Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

To identify baseline characteristics and long-term prognostic factors in non-transplant patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had prolonged survival after treatment with yttrium-90 radioembolization (Y90). Sixty-seven “Super Survivors” (defined as ≥ 3-year survival after Y90) were identified within our 1000-patient Y90 database (2003–2017). Baseline imaging and follow-up occurred at 1 month and every 3 months thereafter. Overall survival (OS) was calculated with Kaplan–Meier estimates with log-rank test in subgroups: Child–Pugh (CP) score, distribution of disease, portal vein thrombus (PVT), and technique (segmental vs lobar Y90). Median age 69.5 years (range 45–94 years); 69% male; 60% solitary HCC; 79% unilobar disease; 12% PVT; 10% ascites; Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage A—54%/B—28%/C—16%/D—2%; CP A—70%/B—28%/C—2%. Longest baseline tumor diameter was 5.4 ± 4.0 cm (mean ± SD). All patients had an imaging response (either partial or complete response). Median OS was 67.5 months (95% CI 55.2–82.5). CP score and main PVT stratified median OS (p = 0.0007 and p = 0.0187, respectively). Beyond 3 years, segmental versus lobar Y90 was associated with improved OS with a median OS of 80.2 versus 46.7 months, respectively (p = 0.0024). Dosing > 200 Gy was not a significant predictor of improved OS. Super Survivors spanning the BCLC staging system maintained durable OS after radioembolization that was stratified by the extent of underlying liver disease. The common variable among all patients was an imaging response. Segmental versus lobar Y90 may have a long-term associated OS benefit.
Interaction Semantics for Components of Distributed Systems

The actor model is a natural starting point for a semantic theory that treats both heterogeneity and modularity (encapsulation and composability) in open distributed systems. This paper begins with some simple examples of actor systems that illustrate the essential features of actor based computation, and the interactions and combinations of components these systems. We then present a semantic theory that models these features. A notion of abstract actor structure (AAS) is introduced that characterizes the minimal semantic requirements for an actor language and allows for components to be defined using multiple languages. We model components as collections of actors accessed via a specified subset called receptionists. A transition system semantics for components is derived from the local rules for behavior of individual actors given in an AAS. This semantics accounts for both internal computation and interaction of a component with its environment. We abstract away from details of internal computation to define a notion of interaction semantics. This allows us to reason about equivalence of actor system components considered as black boxes. An algebra of interaction sets corresponding to the algebra of components is defined, verifying that the interaction semantics compositional. This provides a basis for modular reasoning about construction and transformation of components specified as abstract actor systems.
On the Regulation of Investment Advisory Services: Where Do We Go from Here?

A controversy has arisen over the regulation of investment advisers in the United States. Traditionally, larger registered investment advisers (RIAs) have been regulated by the SEC and smaller ones by the states. The Investment Advisers Act of 1940 severely restricts the ability of RIAs to engage in principal trades with their customers. Brokers, on the other hand, are regulated by a self-regulatory organization, FINRA, as well as by the SEC. Brokers may engage in principal trades with their customers as long as the advice is merely “incidental” to their other activities. In recent years, the boundaries between RIAs and brokers have become blurred as brokers offer more advisory services, and there is substantial confusion among consumers as to the differences between brokers and RIAs. In a study mandated under §914 of Dodd-Frank, the SEC documented that it is examining RIAs at a rate of approximately once every eleven years, and recommended the study of additional means to increase the frequency of examinations including user fees to fund more examinations by the SEC, or requiring RIAs to become part of an SRO. It should be noted that the SEC has assigned fewer employees to its Office of Compliance, Inspections, and Enforcement (OCIE) in 2010 than in 2004, despite an increase in overall FTE over this period. This SEC diversion of resources presumably reflects its belief that RIA examinations are less important than other SEC activities. This study examines several alternatives for increasing the frequency of examinations. It is unlikely in the current political environment that the SEC will be able to charge users fees to RIAs or to get the budgetary resources it needs. Moving more RIAs from federal to underfunded state regulatory agencies is likewise unsatisfactory. SROs do much more than just examine their members; they also create and enforce rules and other activities. As RIAs who are not also brokers lack the same degree of conflict of interest as brokers trading opposite their own customers, they do not need the same regulation. However, institutional dynamics at the SEC would result in a new adviser SRO acting just like FINRA. The problem is that RIAs are not being examined frequently enough. No other serious deficiencies in RIA regulation have been documented. Exam frequency can be increased by requiring RIAs to engage independent auditors such as accounting or consulting firms or an SRO to examine their regulatory compliance on a more frequent basis. Precedents for this include the SEC’s requiring corporate issuers to provide audited financial statements, and the SEC’s proposal to require broker-dealers to submit independently audited compliance reviews. This would free up scarce SEC resources for more important activities, and provide the benefits of competition in the provision of examination services.
Immunpathologische Aspekte der endogenen Uveitis

Die endogene Uveitis stellt dem klinischen Ophthalmologen einige der schwierigsten Probleme hinsichtlich der atiologischen Diagnostik, der Therapie und besonders hinsichtlich einer Definition der pathogenetischen Mechanismen, die fur diese Erkrankung verantwortlich sind. Wahrend der letzten 50 Jahre haben indirekte Hinweise annehmen lassen, das immunologische Mechanismen zu den verschiedenen Formen der Uveitis beitragen konnen. In diesem Referat habe ich einige der grundlegenden humoralen und zellularen Reaktionen kritisch angesprochen, die zu einer uvealen Entzundung fuhren konnen, entweder im Zusammenhang mit einigen gut definierten klinischen Erkrankungen oder mit experimentellen Tiermodellen.
Fostering Professional Virtue in the Market: Reflections on the Challenges Facing Chinese Health Care Reform

Free markets are anonymous; they allow individuals with radically different goals, purposes, and understandings of virtue to trade goods and services peacefully and efficiently. Free markets are not only efficient means for allocating goods and services; they also tend to stimulate the production of new goods and services. Markets are the mother of innovation and creation. Although markets possess all these important advantages in general and for health care in particular, they do not of themselves directly support attitudes that lead to attentive care for customers, especially when those customers are patients. Nor do they directly lead to the nurturing of moral integrity. As a consequence, when customers are patients, one may have concerns about the role of the market in the provision of health care, as well as about giving a central place to private health care institutions. This essay argues that such concerns, although they are sincere and they identify important moral issues, are often misplaced. In fact, on closer examination, the bond between markets and care for customers (in this case patients) turns out to be more significant than might at first blush be anticipated. There are good reasons to hold that, in a health care market with appropriate supporting institutions, these and similar concerns will be met. In particular, where (1) health care consumers have good data regarding quality of care and the integrity of health care professionals and (2) where the rule of law is taken seriously, private health care institutions and providers will nurture, not undermine, the quality of health care. At stake are two central but complex insights regarding human social and economic activity: (1) Mandeville’s recognition that “private vices can produce public benefits” and (2) Adam Smith’s metaphor of the “invisible hand.” The point is that the free and private pursuit of market gain, what Mandeville provocatively refers to as the pursuit of “vice,” along with what Smith characterizes as the pursuit of “self-interest,” can
Autism-associated Shank3 is essential for homeostatic plasticity and neuronal circuit stability

Mutations in Shank3 are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorders and circuit disfunction, but a unified view of how Shank3 loss disrupts circuit function and excitability is lacking. Stabilizing, homeostatic forms of synaptic and intrinsic plasticity are critical for preventing circuit hyper- or hypo-excitability, leading us to ask whether Shank3 loss perturbs circuits by disrupting homeostatic plasticity. We show that Shank3 loss abolishes synaptic and intrinsic homeostatic plasticity, which can be rescued by lithium, a drug with therapeutic potential in human Shankopathies. Further, Shank3 loss in vivo severely compromises the ability of visual cortical circuits to recover from perturbations to sensory drive. Our findings suggest that the loss of homeostatic compensation is a critical endophenotype that can explain a range of circuit disfunctions in Shankopathies.
SYNTHETIC POLYMER BIOMATERIALS IN MEDICINE — A REVIEW

A review is presented of the applications of synthetic polymers in medicine. The major uses of these biomaterials are in devices and implants for diagnosis or therapy. The composition and properties, characterization, and biologic interactions of a wide variety of synthetic polymers are reviewed. Biologic testing and clearance of biomaterials for clinical use are also covered.
Who’s Afraid of Canaan’s Curse? : Genesis 9:18–29 and the Challenge of Reparative Reading

The story of Noah’s curse of his grandson Canaan (Gen. 9:18–29) is especially well suited to an interpretive style Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick has labeled “paranoid reading.” Oft exploited by those invested in xenophobia and racism, this passage appears to present an intrinsically identitarian plot that cannot be shaken off, either by historicizing or by other kinds of critical engagement. Indeed, historical critical analysis has tended to confirm rather than undermine the story’s determination to justify disinheritance on the basis of some vague form of sexual perversion. In her later work, however, Sedgwick began to call such paranoid readings into question, advocating a more open, descriptive, and anti-foundational approach to texts and histories. These “reparative reading” practices cede paranoia’s determination to be “in the know” to descriptive multiplicity and more limited acts of noticing. Inspired by Sedgwick’s insights, this essay considers the advantages of paranoid reading strategies, especially when it comes to this story, even as it acknowledges the serious limits of such readings, which have yet to succeed if the goal is to undermine the stickiness of sexualized and racialized blaming rooted in this difficult biblical text.
The geochemistry of glacial deposits in Taylor Valley, Antarctica: Comparison to upper continental crustal abundances

Abstract Wet-based glacial deposits have been used traditionally as an analog for upper continental crust (UCC) abundances. To provide more information on the validity of using glacial deposits from wet-based glaciers, samples deposited by the dry-based polar glaciers located in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, were collected. Stream channel sediments, comprised of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks initially deposited as glacial tills by polar glaciers, were analyzed by XRF, ICP-MS, and SEM. Based on the Chemical Index of Alteration values and A–CN–K ternary diagram, there are low levels of chemical weathering in these tills. Additionally, major and trace element geochemical data are compared to the average UCC values. The observed discrepancies between the mean UCC and Antarctic samples develop from the existence of mafic components, most likely the McMurdo Volcanic Group and Ferrar Dolerite, being present in the Taylor Valley tills. Even though the mafic material typically comprises 3–7% of the till, the volcanic rocks have a significant influence on the tills’ bulk geochemistry. The existence of this mafic fraction in the dry-based glacial tills results from the reduced rate of weathering, as compared to wet-based glaciers. Geochemical analyses of the dry-based glacial tills in polar deserts, such as those found in Taylor Valley, may provide a better representative composition of the original material than wet-based glaciers and need to be incorporated into upper continental crust calculations.
NKG2D–DAP10 signaling recruits EVL to the cytotoxic synapse to generate F-actin and promote NK cell cytotoxicity

Natural killer (NK) cells eliminate abnormal cells through the release of cytolytic granule contents. In this process, NK cells must adhere to target cells through integrin-mediated adhesion, which is highly dependent on the generation of F-actin. Ena/VASP-like (EVL) is an actin regulatory protein previously shown to regulate integrin-mediated adhesion in other cell types, but its role in NK cell biology is not known. Herein, we show that EVL is recruited to the NK cell cytotoxic synapse and is required for NK cell cytotoxicity. Significantly, EVL is involved in the generation of F-actin at the cytotoxic synapse, antibody-stimulated spreading, and NK cell-target cell adhesion. EVL interacts with WASP and VASP and is required for localization of both proteins to the synapse. Recruitment of EVL to points of cellular activation occurs in a DAP10-dependent manner, through a binding site previously implicated in VAV1/Grb2 recruitment. In all, this study implicates DAP10-mediated Grb2/VAV1 signaling in the recruitment of an EVL-containing actin regulatory complex to the cytotoxic synapse where it can promote F-actin nucleation leading to NK cell-mediated killing.
Bioabsorbable soy protein plastic composites: Effect of polyphosphate fillers on water absorption and mechanical properties

The use of synthetic and natural bioabsorbable plastics has been severely limited due to their low stiffness and strength properties as well as their strong tendency to absorb moisture. This research focused on the development of bioabsorbable polyphosphate filler/soy protein plastic composites with enhanced stiffness, strength, and water resistance. Bioabsorbable polyphosphate fillers, biodegradable soy protein isolate, plasticizer, and adhesion promoter were homogenized and compression-molded. Physical, mechanical, and water absorption testing was performed on the molded specimens. Results showed improvements in stiffness, strength, and water resistance with increasing polyphosphate filler content up to 20% by weight. Application of a coupling agent produced further mechanical property enhancements and a dramatic improvement in water resistance, interpreted by an interfacial chemical bonding model. Examination of the fracture surfaces of the materials revealed that the addition of the polyphosphate fillers changed the failure mode from brittle to pseudo-ductile. These results suggest that these materials are suitable for many load-bearing applications in both humid and dry environments where current soy protein plastics are not usable.
Robotics in neurosurgery

Use of robots in surgery, especially in neurosurgery, has been a fascinating idea since the development of industrial robots. Using the advantages of a robot to complement human limitations could potentially enhance surgical possibilities, other than making it easier and safer. Over the last few decades, much progress has been made in this direction across various disciplines of neurosurgery such as cranial surgery, spinal surgery and radiation therapy. This chapter details the necessity, principles and the future directions of robotics in neurosurgery. Also, the concept of curvilinear robotic surgery and associated instrumentation is discussed.
A Broadband Polarization Rotator Metasurface

In this communication, a broadband reflective 90° polarization rotator metasurface is presented. The metasurface unit cell is composed of double-slit circular split ring resonator with a Swiss-cross in the middle. A horizontally-polarized normally incident wave is rotated by this metasurface into vertically-polarized wave and vice versa within 3dB fractional bandwidth of 66.6% from 5.7–11.4 GHz. The polarization conversion ratio (PCR) of the proposed polarization rotator is above 75% within the operating band. A broadband polarization rotation is realized because of multiple plasmon resonances at different frequencies.
Demographic Components of Aging in the Nonmetropolitan U.S., 1980–2017

Aging is one of the transformational trends of the twenty-first century, and rural spaces in the United States and across the globe are in the vanguard of current aging trends. With the aging of the baby boom past 65 starting in 2011, we have entered an unprecedented period of rapid aging. What motivates the research presented here is that rural aging happens for very different reasons in very different places. The same outcome at the local level—a higher proportion of people in older age groups—can result from contrasting demographic trends. Here, I explore variation in the demographic causes of aging across nonmetropolitan areas as a whole and in six nonmetropolitan case study regions over four decades, 1980–2017. Findings show rapid expansion in the number of older age counties in the United States since 2010 in regions with different socioeconomic profiles than in previously aging regions.
A polarized partition relation and failure of GCH at singular strong limit

The main result is that for λ strong limit singular failing the continuum hypothesis (i.e. 2 > λ+), a polarized partition theorem holds.
Motivation Strategies and Exiting Class by Students in Inquiry-Oriented Biology Labs.

Experimental inquiry-oriented science labs can be designed to have students regulate their own learning and decide when they leave class or to have the teacher regulate student learning and determine when they leave class. In this study, grades were examined relative to student exit times in a student-regulated class design. Preliminary interviews revealed four motivation strategies likely to differentially influence exit times and grades: proficiency, grade-target-A, grade-target-C, and time-limited. Students were categorized into the four groups of motivation strategies with a survey. Twenty teaching assistants teaching three lab sections each taught the stand-alone lab class. Students recorded the time they left class each week. Grades were determined as the overall percentage of points a student received in class. Results of the survey showed that the four motivation strategies were well represented in the student population, and two additional strategies were also frequently seen: a hybrid-1 between proficiency and grade-target-A, and a hybrid-2 between time-limited and grade-target-C. Grades were significantly higher for grade-target-A and hybrid-1 students, followed by time-limited, proficiency, grade-target-C, and hybrid 2. Time spent in class was not significantly different among categories. Students who chose to stay in class longer had significantly higher grades. If a grade is the goal, these results support the idea of a teacher-controlled exit time for the students in these inquiry-oriented labs. Implications are discussed.
NextScour for improving bridge scour design in the United States

The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is developing the next-generation scour programme – that is, NextScour – to improve scour analysis for safe and economical bridge foundation design. Nex...
160 The impact of hysteroscopy on the disease course of high grade endometrial carcinoma

Background With hysteroscopy, concerns have surfaced regarding intraperitoneal spread of endometrial cancer (EC); no studies have evaluated the effect of hysteroscopy on the disease course of a large series of patients with exclusively high risk histology. Methods Patients who underwent hysterectomy for grade 3 EC at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN between January 2009-June 2016 were included, noting hysteroscopy within 6 months. Follow-up was restricted to five years. Cox proportional hazards models were fit to evaluate associations between hysteroscopy exposure and progression. Results Among 831 patients, 133 underwent hysteroscopy. Patients with versus without hysteroscopy did not differ in mean age (67.7 vs. 67.8 years), BMI (31.6 vs. 31.3 kg/m2), ASA ≥3 (35.3% vs. 38.3%), or serous histology (47.4% vs. 48.7%). Advanced disease (III/IV) was less common among hysteroscopy patients (30.1% vs 43.8%, p=0.003). No difference was observed between those with hysteroscopy versus without (all p>0.05) in positive cytology (22.0% [26/118] vs. 29.7% [191/643]), stage IV disease (16.5% [22/133] vs. 21.9% [153/698]), any positive cytology OR adnexal invasion OR stage IV (28.6% [38/133] vs. 36.1% [252/698]), the aforementioned OR peritoneal recurrence within 2 years (30.8% [41/133] vs. 39.3% [274/698]). After stratifying by stage, hysteroscopy did not increase risk of progression (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.59–1.92 for stage I/II; HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.62–1.48 for stage III/IV). Conclusion In this retrospective study of high grade EC, we did not observe any significant association between pre-operative hysteroscopy EC and incidence of positive cytology, peritoneal disease, or progression.
A View from an Economist on Econo-physics

Economists have learned much from physicists since the earlier days of economics. Mathematical optimization of the satisfaction of consumers is the key concept where economics find the analogy from the method of physics. It is highly welcomed that economists are now under the new stimulus from new concepts in physics such as fractals and the power distribution.