cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CULTURAL CHANGE AND POLICY IMAGES IN POLICY SUBSYSTEMS

Baumgartner and Jones' theory of conflict expansion highlights the importance of policy imagery in the maintenance of policy subsystems, as a sharp increase in negative imagery can drive conflict expansion and subsystem dissolution. However, we still know relatively little about what drives rapid shifts in image valence. In this study, I examine how cultural change affects receptiveness to policy images, drawing on the cultural theory (CT) developed by Douglas and Wildavsky. Affecting both perception and risk assessment, cultural commitments impact how policy images are received. Returning to the policy subsystem anchored in the Atomic Energy Commission, I find that its imagery – well suited for an earlier cultural milieu – created negative associations for egalitarians, who were increasingly prevalent during this time frame. As my study shows, CT can add to the study of administration by helping us better understand, categorize, and predict which images and institutions may be endangered by specific cultural changes.
Multilayer spectral graph clustering via convex layer aggregation

Multilayer graphs are commonly used for representing different relations between entities and handling heterogeneous data processing tasks. New challenges arise in multilayer graph clustering for assigning clusters to a common multilayer node set and for combining information from each layer. This paper presents a theoretical framework for multilayer spectral graph clustering of the nodes via convex layer aggregation. Under a novel multilayer signal plus noise model, we provide a phase transition analysis that establishes the existence of a critical value on the noise level that permits reliable cluster separation. The analysis also specifies analytical upper and lower bounds on the critical value, where the bounds become exact when the clusters have identical sizes. Numerical experiments on synthetic multilayer graphs are conducted to validate the phase transition analysis and study the effect of layer weights and noise levels on clustering reliability.
Torquing the Levers of International Power

The world now is at its climate’s environmental “tipping point” as it attempts to mobilize efforts to redress global warming; after which our ability to halt climate temperature below 2 degrees Centigrade (3.4 degrees Fahrenheit) is unreachable. International climate agreements have operated imperfectly: The 1997 Kyoto Protocol concluded its operative phase in 2012, and thereafter three major covered world powers– Russia, Japan and New Zealand -- refused to agree to any subsequent obligations. It remains unclear whether the levers of international power can be moved to put in place an aggressive, mandatory set of world climate restrictions to reduce rampant emissions of greenhouse gases. The technology exists to dramatically mitigate carbon emissions. The most used mechanism internationally and in the European Union to promote quick implementation of mitigating requirements, feed-in tariffs (FiTs), has been declared fundamentally unconstitutional when mandated by U.S. states. When misused, U.S. states are subject to pay challengers’ attorneys’ fees when challenged. Even though FiTs are legal in European Union countries, the record demonstrates flawed and uneconomic use of these mechanisms, causing severe financial hemorrhage in Germany, Italy and Spain, the primary countries aggressively employing FiTs. Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) are the alternative international mechanism employed by 29 U.S. states to maneuver mitigating power development. When maneuvered in a discriminatorily fashion, the RPS levers have resulted in successful constitutional attack on U.S. RPS programs. RPS programs are now gaining popularity internationally. Each of these world carbon reduction levers operates differently, exerts distinct economic impacts, and now confronts different legal barriers in different national systems of law. This article identifies, compares, contrasts, and torques these levers of international power. This article compares U.S. to international experiences, and analyzes why these same techniques have been held unconstitutional in the U.S. when implemented by California and other states. And even though legal in Europe, this article carefully analyzes the related financial and legal problems that their implementation created in Germany, Italy, and Spain.
An Analysis of the Climate Change Mitigation Potential through Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration in a Corn Belt Watershed.

Land-based carbon sequestration constitutes a major low cost and immediately viable option in climate change mitigation. Using downscaled data from eight atmosphere-ocean general circulation models for a simulation period between 2015 and 2099, we examine the carbon sequestration potential of alternative agricultural land uses in an intensively farmed Corn Belt watershed and the impact of climate change on crop yields. Our results show that switching from conventional tillage continuous corn to no-till corn-soybean can sequester the equivalent of 192.1 MtCO2 eq of soil organic carbon per hectare with a sequestration rate of 2.26 MtCO2 eq ha−1 yr−1. Our results also indicate that switchgrass can sequester the equivalent of 310.7 MtCO2 eq of soil organic carbon per hectare with a sequestration rate of 3.65 MtCO2 eq ha−1 yr−1. Our findings suggest that, unlike for corn and soybean yields, climate change does not have a significant effect on switchgrass yields, possibly due to the carbon fertilization effect.
LIPOSOMAL BUPIVACAINE INJECTABLES: GAME CHANGERS IN PAIN MANAGEMENT – OPPOSES

Peri-articular injections (PAI) have become an important component in many multimodal pain protocols after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Liposomal bupivacaine has emerged as a highly marketed and touted ingredient for PAI. However, the true efficacy of this material, particularly compared with less expensive PAI “cocktails” such as traditional bupivacaine or ropivacaine, has not been proven to date. Ropivacaine is considered a long-active local analgesic and in combination with epinephrine, ketorolac and clonidine has been shown to be a very effective PAI in a multimodal pain program. Liposomal bupivacaine has been similarly touted as a long-acting PAI. Initial reports provided support for liposomal bupivacaine PAI9s providing similar pain relief as epidurals or femoral nerve blocks. The authors of these studies tout comparable pain control with decreased length of stay attributable to avoiding the side effects of epidurals and regional blocks. However, the ultimate clinical issue relates to how liposomal bupivacaine PAI9s compares to traditional PAI cocktail ingredients such as bupivacaine and ropivacaine, which also avoid deleterious effects of regional analgesia, and at a much cheaper price point. Fortunately the highest quality research to date, which includes randomised prospective trials and retrospective controlled cohort studies, have reported consistent results. In a retrospective cohort study comparing a traditional ropivacaine and epinephrine versus liposomal bupivacaine PAI demonstrated no difference between the two groups in inpatient pain scores when used in a comprehensive multimodal pain control program. Further, two prospective randomised trials reported no difference in liposomal bupivacaine PAI compared to a traditional PAI of either bupivacaine or ropivacaine, epinephrine, ketorolac and clonidine. Finally, there have been some authors who contend the efficacy of liposomal bupivacaine PAI9s is entirely dependent on a meticulous injection technique, however, comparative studies against traditional PAI ingredients with this recommended technique do not exist. In summary, the existing data supports that liposomal bupivacaine is an effective PAI that can be used to provide comparable pain relief to that achieved by regional blocks. However, liposomal bupivacaine has not been shown to provide superior pain relief when compared to traditional ropivacaine or bupivacaine PAI9s in multimodal pain protocols after TKA. Further, liposomal bupivacaine is prohibitively priced at approximately six times that of ropivacaine-based PAI cocktails. Therefore, the “game changer” is likely the implementation of peri-articular injections as an essential component of multimodal pain control programs and NOT liposomal bupivacaine.
STACKING CAUSTIC MASSES from GALAXY CLUSTERS

Ongoing and future spectroscopic surveys will measure numerous galaxy redshifts within tens of thousands of galaxy clusters. However, the sampling within these clusters will be low, per cluster. With such data, it will be difficult to achieve accurate and precise mass estimates for individual clusters using phase-space mass estimation techniques. We develop and test a new stacking algorithm based on the caustic technique, which reduces the mass scatter in for ensemble clusters from 70% for individual clusters to less than 10% for ensemble clusters with only 15 galaxies per cluster and 100 clusters per ensemble. With galaxies per ensemble phase space, the escape-velocity edge becomes readily identifiable and the presence of interloping galaxies is minimized. We develop and test an algorithm to trace the projected phase-space surface directly, which results in minimally biased dynamical mass estimates. We then quantify how binning and sampling affect the phase-space-based mass estimates when using an observational proxy that incorporates realistic mass scatter, like richness, and find the added uncertainty in the binning procedure has minimal influence on the resulting bias and scatter of the stacked mass estimates.
Local House Price Diffusion

We contribute to the literature on house price diffusion by carrying out our analysis at three levels: CBSA (nationwide), town and census tract (Greater Boston Area). We estimate fixed‐effect models of house price growth on lagged growth (“Persistence”), nearby lagged growth (“Spillovers”) and Fundamentals growth. CBSA‐level Persistence and Spillover Effects are positive and significant. These large ripple/contagion effects likely contributed to the recent national‐level housing downturn. We find evidence of smaller town‐level Persistence and Spillover Effects. Hence, diffusion appears stronger across than within housing markets. Fundamentals and price expectations drive price diffusion, leaving room for bubbles from future price overoptimism.
When to Take Up Roots: The Effects of Morphology Instruction for Middle School and High School English Learners

A majority of the challenging words that adolescent readers encounter in school texts are morphologically complex and from the Latinate layer of English. For these words, bound roots carry important meaning, such as the relation between innovative and its bound root, nov, meaning “new.” This study investigated the effects of instruction about bound Latin roots on academic word learning and morphological problem-solving skill with English Learners (EL) at three grade bands: Grades 6–8, 9–10, and 11–12. Employing a within-subjects design, 82 students participated in two counterbalanced intervention conditions: an academic vocabulary without morphology (comparison condition) and a morphology-focused academic vocabulary intervention (treatment condition). The largest treatment effects were observed for oldest students, but positive effects were observed at all grade levels. Results suggest that instruction focused on the major meaning-carrying components of academic words of the Latinate layer in English—boun...
The effect of EHR-integrated patient-reported outcomes on satisfaction with chronic pain care.

Objectives Given its complexity, chronic noncancer pain presents an opportunity to use health information technology (IT) to improve care experiences. The objective of this study was to assess whether integrating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) data in an electronic health record (EHR) affects provider and patient satisfaction with chronic noncancer pain care. Study design We conducted a pragmatic cluster randomized trial involving 4 family medicine clinics. Methods We enrolled primary care providers (PCPs) and their patients with chronic noncancer pain. In the first 7 months (education phase), PCPs in intervention practices received education on how to use PROs for pain care. In the second 7 months (PRO phase), patients in intervention practices reported pain-related outcomes on arrival at their visits. PROs were immediately reported to PCPs through the EHR. Control group PCPs provided usual care. We compared intervention and control practices in terms of provider and patient satisfaction with care. Results During the education phase, patients' mean ratings of their visits did not differ between control and intervention (9.33 vs 9.08; P = .20). During the PRO phase, patients' mean ratings did not differ between control and intervention (9.28 vs 9.01; P = .20). Similarly, there were no differences between the intervention and control groups in terms of provider satisfaction. Conclusions Delivering EHR-integrated PROs did not consistently improve patient or provider satisfaction. Positively, we found no evidence that the PRO tools negatively affected satisfaction. Future studies and technological innovations are needed to translate point-of-care health IT tools into improvements in patient and provider experiences.
METAL-METAL HIP REPLACEMENT: INDICATIONS FOR INTERVENTION

Revision of M-O-M articulation: Indications Loose cup either radiographically or clinically. Clinical symptoms are persistent startup pain; straightening from the bent position; inability to do single limb stance; limp. Unrelenting pain with any activity, even turning over in bed. Soft tissue mass in groin or anterior hip (more common anterior to greater trochanter than posterior. Elevated ion levels, especially cobalt. Elevated is 10µg/L but dangerous levels not defined (my definition is 40µg/L. Danger is cobalt poisoning. Also elevated ions almost always mean increased wear so local osteolysis and bone destruction is a risk with increased follow up. Cobalt poisoning: objective findings are cardiopulmonary with increasing shortness if breath; second most common is cognitive change. (Memory loss, psychomotor retardation). Subjective finding is psychological effect of a poison in their body.
Ultra-relativistic double explosions

We consider fluid dynamics of relativistic double explosion—when a point explosion with energy E1 is followed by a second explosion with energy E2 after time td (the second explosion could be in a form of a long lasting wind). The primary explosion creates a self-similar relativistic blast wave propagating with Lorentz factor Γ1(t). A sufficiently strong second explosion, with total energy E2≥10−2E1, creates a fast second shock in the external fluid previously shocked by the primary shock. At times longer than the interval between the explosions td, yet short compared with the time when the second shock catches up the primary shock at ∼tdΓ12, the structure of the second shock is approximately self-similar. The self-similar structure of the second shock exists for the case of constant external density (in this case Γ2∝t−7/3), but not for the wind environment. At early times, the Lorentz factor of the second shock may exceed that of the primary shock and may boost the synchrotron emission of locally acceler...
Products as Pals: Engaging with Anthropomorphic Products Mitigates the Effects of Social Exclusion

Feeling left out has been shown to trigger primal, automatic responses in an attempt to compensate for threats to social belongingness. Such responses typically involve reconnection with other human beings. However, four experiments provide evidence that exposure to or interaction with anthropomorphic consumer products (i.e., products featuring characteristics of being alive through design, interaction, intelligence, responsiveness, and/or personality) can also satisfy (at least partially) social needs, ultimately mitigating previously documented effects of social exclusion. Specifically, interacting with anthropomorphic (vs. non-anthropomorphic) products following social exclusion reduces 1) the need to exaggerate the number of one’s current social connections, 2) the anticipated need to engage with close others in the future, and 3) the willingness to engage in prosocial behavior. These effects are driven by a need for social assurance, rather than positive affect. Moreover, an important boundary condition exists: drawing attention to the fact that an anthropomorphic product is not actually alive (i.e., the product does not provide genuine human interaction) limits its ability to fulfill social needs. Thus, in a time when consumer products are becoming increasingly anthropomorphic in design and function, the results reveal potentially important consequences for human-to-human relationships.
THE ROLE OF HINGES IN REVISION TKA: WHEN TO USE THEM

Rotating Hinge total knee replacement designs are currently more frequently used for revision total knee replacement. As the designs of these implants have improved over time, the threshold for using them has been lowered. Cases of global instability and severe bone loss have not been adequately addressed by the standard use of unlinked constrained designs. Recurrent dislocation and polyethylene post failure due to cold flow and wear make the use of the unlinked designs insufficient to address the mechanical forces developed in a grossly unstable knee. The linked rotating hinge designs have been able to address global ligamentous instability in four planes. Medial-lateral instability is well addressed by these implants. In cases of severe ankylosis with large flexion contractures, it is often necessary to resect the distal femur above the femoral insertions of the medial and lateral collateral ligaments. The absence of the tethering effect of severely contracted collateral ligaments demand the need for linked designs, although there has been reported success with the use of unlinked designs. Rotating hinges are particularly important for use in cases of recurvatum where an extension stop is incorporated in the design. The design permits slight hyperextension which permits application to clinical situations with incompetent quadriceps strength or paralysis. The clinical results are quite acceptable even though most reports present 65–75% success rates. However, it should also be stated that these patient cohorts represent the most severe cases of revision surgery. Current hinged designs should continue to lower the threshold for use.
Information theoretic limits for linear prediction with graph-structured sparsity

We analyze the necessary number of samples for sparse vector recovery in a noisy linear prediction setup. This model includes problems such as linear regression and classification. We focus on structured graph models. In particular, we prove that sufficient number of samples for the weighted graph model proposed by Hegde and others [2] is also necessary. We use the Fano's inequality [11] on well constructed ensembles as our main tool in establishing information theoretic lower bounds.
Finitely stable racks and rack representations

ABSTRACTWe define a new class of racks, called finitely stable racks, which, to some extent, share various flavors with Abelian groups. Characterization of finitely stable Alexander quandles is established. Further, we study twisted rack dynamical systems, construct their cross-products, and introduce representation theory of racks and quandles. We prove several results on the strong representations of finite connected involutive racks analogous to the properties of finite Abelian groups. Finally, we define the Pontryagin dual of a rack as an Abelian group which, in the finite involutive connected case, coincides with the set of its strong irreducible representations.
Action dimension of lattices in Euclidean buildings

We show that if a discrete group Γ acts properly and cocompactly on an n–dimensional, thick, Euclidean building, then Γ cannot act properly on a contractible (2n−1)–manifold. As an application, if Γ is a torsion-free S–arithmetic group over a number field, we compute the minimal dimension of contractible manifold that admits a proper Γ–action. This partially answers a question of Bestvina, Kapovich, and Kleiner.
Estimating Ridership of Rural Demand–Response Transit Services for the General Public

The general objective of this study was to develop a model for estimating ridership for rural demand–response transit services for the general public. A lack of data for demand–response service characteristics and geographic coverage has limited the estimation of such models. This study developed and estimated two models. The first was estimated with data from the 2013 rural National Transit Database, and the second was estimated with more detailed service data collected from surveys of transit agencies. Results showed that in addition to total population, demographic characteristics were important. Ridership was found to increase significantly when the percentage of the population composed of older adults or people without access to a vehicle increased. Both models showed a negative effect of fares on ridership. The second model analyzed the effects of service span and reservation requirements on ridership. Results showed that providing more days of service had an expected positive effect on ridership; a...
Using Aggregated Relational Data to Feasibly Identify Network Structure without Network Data.

Social network data is often prohibitively expensive to collect, limiting empirical network research. Typical economic network mapping requires (1) enumerating a census, (2) eliciting the names of all network links for each individual, (3) matching the list of social connections to the census, and (4) repeating (1)-(3) across many networks. In settings requiring field surveys, steps (2)-(3) can be very expensive. In other network populations such as financial intermediaries or high-risk groups, proprietary data and privacy concerns may render (2)-(3) impossible. Both restrict the accessibility of high-quality networks research to investigators with considerable resources. We propose an inexpensive and feasible strategy for network elicitation using Aggregated Relational Data (ARD) – responses to questions of the form “How many of your social connections have trait k?” Our method uses ARD to recover the parameters of a general network formation model, which in turn, permits the estimation of any arbitrary node- or graph-level statistic. The method works well in simulations and in matching a range of network characteristics in real-world graphs from 75 Indian villages. Moreover, we replicate the results of two field experiments that involved collecting network data. We show that the researchers would have drawn similar conclusions using ARD alone. Finally, using calculations from J-PAL fieldwork, we show that in rural India, for example, ARD surveys are 80% cheaper than full network surveys.
Identification of and Correction for Publication Bias

Some empirical results are more likely to be published than others. Such selective publication leads to biased estimates and distorted inference. This paper proposes two approaches for identifying the conditional probability of publication as a function of a study’s results, the first based on systematic replication studies and the second based on meta-studies. For known conditional publication probabilities, we propose median-unbiased estimators and associated confidence sets that correct for selective publication. We apply our methods to recent large-scale replication studies in experimental economics and psychology, and to meta-studies of the effects of minimum wages and de-worming programs.
Catalytic activity of supported metal particles for sulfuric acid decomposition reaction

Abstract Production of hydrogen by splitting of water in the thermochemical sulfur-based cycles that employs the catalytic decomposition of sulfuric acid into SO 2 and O 2 is of considerable interest. However, all of the known catalytic systems studied to date that consist of metal particles on oxide substrates deactivate with time on stream. To develop an understanding of the factors that are responsible for catalyst activity, we investigate the fresh activity of several platinum group metals (PGM) catalysts, including Pd, Pt, Rh, Ir, and Ru supported on titania at 850 °C and perform an extensive theoretical study (density-functional-theory-based first-principles calculations and computer simulations) of the activity of the PGM nanoparticles of different size and shape positioned on TiO 2 (rutile and anatase) and Al 2 O 3 (γ- and η-alumina) surfaces. The activity and deactivation of the catalytic systems are defined by (i) the energy barrier for the detachment of O atoms from the SO n ( n = 1, 2, 3) species, and (ii) the removal rate of the products of the sulfuric acid decomposition (atomic O, S, and the SO n species) from metal nanoparticles. We show that these two nanoscale features collectively result in the observed experimental behavior. The removal rate of the reaction products is always lower than the SO n decomposition rates. The relation between these two rates explains why the “softer” PGM nanoparticles (Pd and Pt) exhibit the highest initial catalytic activity.
Small quantum groups associated to Belavin-Drinfeld triples

For a simple Lie algebra L of type A, D, E we show that any Belavin-Drinfeld triple on the Dynkin diagram of L produces a collection of Drinfeld twists for Lusztig's small quantum group u_q(L). These twists give rise to new finite-dimensional factorizable Hopf algebras, i.e. new small quantum groups. For any Hopf algebra constructed in this manner, we identify the group of grouplike elements, identify the Drinfeld element, and describe the irreducible representations of the dual in terms of the representation theory of the parabolic subalgebra(s) in L associated to the given Belavin-Drinfeld triple. We also produce Drinfeld twists of u_q(L) which express a known algebraic group action on its category of representations, and pose a subsequent question regarding the classification of all twists.
Detecting Sockpuppets in Deceptive Opinion Spam

This paper explores the problem of sockpuppet detection in deceptive opinion spam using authorship attribution and verification approaches. Two methods are explored. The first is a feature subsampling scheme that uses the KL-Divergence on stylistic language models of an author to find discriminative features. The second is a transduction scheme, spy induction that leverages the diversity of authors in the unlabeled test set by sending a set of spies (positive samples) from training set to retrieve hidden samples in the unlabeled test set using nearest and farthest neighbors. Experiments using ground truth sockpuppet data show the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.
Auditor Mindsets and Audits of Complex Estimates

Auditors experience significant problems auditing complex accounting estimates, and this increasingly puts financial reporting quality at risk. Based on analyses of the specific errors that auditors commit, we propose that auditors need to be able to think more broadly and incorporate information from a variety of sources in order to improve audit quality for these important accounts. We experimentally demonstrate that a deliberative mindset intervention improves auditors’ ability to identify unreasonable estimates by improving their ability to identify and incorporate into their analyses contradictory information from diverse parts of the audit and improving their ability to think critically about the evidence. We perform additional analyses to demonstrate that our intervention improves auditor performance by causing them to think differently rather than simply to work harder. We demonstrate that critical thinking can improve the identification of unreasonable estimates and, in doing so, we provide new directions for addressing audit quality issues.
SIMULTANEOUS BILATERAL TKA: DOES IT HAVE A PLACE?

Bilateral one stage total knee replacement has a number of advantages. There is one operative procedure and anesthetic and overall recovery time is significantly reduced. It is a more cost effective procedure in that acute hospital stay is less and although rehabilitation time is greater in the short term overall it is less. Additionally if there is a bilateral flexion contracture present there is an inevitable loss of extension if a single knee is operated upon as this knee will assume the position of the unoperated knee. Patients greatly prefer having both knees corrected at one operative setting rather than having to have the inconvenience and pain associated with a second operative procedure at three to six months after the first one. There are potential disadvantages to a one stage procedure. One concern has been that there is more peri-operative morbidity associated with one stage bilateral total knee replacement. In a review of 501 patients undergoing bilateral one stage total knee replacement at the Hospital for Special Surgery there were no peri-operative deaths, myocardial infarctions or cerebrovascular accidents. There were arrhythmias present in 5% of patients. Fat emboli were present in 3% and 2 patients (0.4%) had pulmonary emboli. The average transfusion requirement was 2.6 units and allogeneic blood was required in 42%. There were 2 deep infections, 3 hematomas and 5 patients with delayed wound healing. There was an increased incidence of major complications in patients with ASA classification 3 and with increasing age over 70 years. New data indicates peri-operative administration of hydrocortisone my mitigate lung injury as demonstrated by reduction in cytokine and desmosine levels in a randomised trial. There was also a trend toward less need for narcotic medication and better range of motion in the steroid treated group Patient selection is important and all patients are screened pre-operatively by an internist and anesthesiologist. In over 3000 bilateral TKR at HSS infection rate and mortality were lower than in the unilateral total knee replacement patients. Much of this has is due to patient selection criteria. All patients underwent the procedure with epidural anesthesia with post-operative epidural PCA for 48 hours. All patients are discharged on warfarin and spend the operative night in the recovery room. The procedure has acceptable morbidity and great advantage in properly selected patients.
Impact of Hospital Admission for Patients with Transient Ischemic Attack

Objectives To determine the impact of admission among transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients in the emergency department (ED). Study Design Retrospective cohort study using national Veterans Health Administration data (2008). Methods We first analyzed whether admitted patients were discharged from the hospital with a diagnosis of TIA. We then analyzed whether admission was associated with a composite outcome (new stroke, new myocardial infarction, or death in the year after TIA) using multivariate logistic regression modeling with propensity score matching. Results Among 3623 patients assigned a diagnosis of TIA in the ED, 2118 (58%) were admitted to the hospital or placed in observation compared with 1505 (42%) who were discharged from the ED. Among the 2118 patients who were admitted, 903 (43% of admitted group) were discharged from the hospital with a diagnosis of TIA, and 548 (26% of admitted group) were discharged with a diagnosis of stroke. Admitted patients were more likely than nonadmitted patients to receive processes of care (i.e., brain imaging, carotid imaging, echocardiography). In matched analyses using propensity scores, the 1-year composite outcome in the admitted group (15.3%) was not lower than the discharged group (13.3%, OR 1.17 [.94-1.46], P = .17). Conclusions Less than half of patients admitted with a diagnosis of TIA retained that diagnosis at hospital discharge. Although admitted patients were more likely to receive diagnostic procedures, we did not identify improvements in outcomes among admitted patients; however, evaluating care for patients with TIA is limited by the reliability of secondary data analysis.
Avoiding pitfalls in China’s transition of its growth model

The pace of GDP growth in China has shifted from an average of 10 per cent between 1980 and 2010 to below 7 per cent recently. This change is to some extent desirable, if the moderated growth reflects a successful transition towards a more efficient, inclusive and sustainable economy. However, certain ideas about China’s transition are problematic. This article rebuts a particular notion that China needs to replace its investment-driven growth by consumption-driven growth. This notion is erroneous both theoretically and empirically. Should China follow this path, its growth in the future would decelerate more precipitously than intended, falling into the middle-income trap.
Dark Matter and Baryogenesis from Non-Abelian Gauged Lepton Number

A simple model is constructed based on the gauge symmetry SU(3)c ×SU(2)L ×U(1)Y ×SU(2)l, with only the leptons transforming nontrivially under SU(2)l. The extended symmetry is broken down to the Standard Model gauge group at TeV-scale energies. We show that this model provides a mechanism for baryogenesis via leptogenesis in which the lepton number asymmetry is generated by SU(2)l instantons. The theory also contains a dark matter candidate — the SU(2)l partner of the right-handed neutrino.
Spectrum Management in Cognitive Radio Networks

Today's wireless networks are characterized by a fixed spectrum assignment policy. However, a large portion of the assigned spectrum is used sporadically and geographical variations in the utilization of assigned spectrum ranges from 15% to 85% with a high variance in time. The limited available spectrum and the inefficiency in the spectrum usage necessitate a new communication paradigm to exploit the existing wireless spectrum opportunistically. This new networking paradigm is referred to as cognitive radio networks. In this talk, the novel functionalities and current research challenges of the cognitive radio networks are explained in detail. More specifically, an overview of the cognitive radio technology is provided and the network architecture is introduced. Moreover, the cognitive network functions such as spectrum management, spectrum mobility and spectrum sharing are explained in detail. The influence of these functions on the performance of the upper layer protocols such as routing and transport are investigated. Moreover, the network management, operation and maintenance problems are highlighted and open research issues in these areas are also outlined.
From Monetary to Non-Monetary Mechanism Design via Artificial Currencies

Non-monetary mechanisms for repeated resource allocation are gaining widespread use in many real-world settings. Our aim in this work is to study the allocative efficiency and incentive properties of simple repeated mechanisms based on artificial currencies. Within this framework, we make three main contributions: We provide a general black-box technique to convert any static monetary mechanism to a dynamic mechanism with artificial currency, that simultaneously guarantees vanishing loss in efficiency, and vanishing gains from non-truthful bidding over time. On a computational front, we show how such a mechanism can be implemented using only sample-access to the agents' type distributions, and requires roughly twice the amount of computation as needed to run the monetary mechanism alone. For settings with two agents, we show that a particular artificial currency mechanism also results in a vanishing price of anarchy. This provides additional justification for the use of artificial currency mechanisms in practice. Moreover, we show how to leverage this result to demonstrate the existence of a Bayesian incentive-compatible mechanism with vanishing efficiency loss in this setting. Our work takes a significant step towards bridging the gap between monetary and non-monetary mechanisms, and also points to several open problems.
A mean-field stackelberg game approach for obfuscation adoption in empirical risk minimization

Data ecosystems are becoming larger and more complex, while privacy concerns are threatening to erode their potential benefits. Recently, users have developed obfuscation techniques that issue fake search engine queries, undermine location tracking algorithms, or evade government surveillance. These techniques raise one conflict between each user and the machine learning algorithms which track the users, and one conflict between the users themselves. We use game theory to capture the first conflict with a Stackelberg game and the second conflict with a mean field game. Both are combined into a bi-level framework which quantifies accuracy using empirical risk minimization and privacy using differential privacy. We identify necessary and sufficient conditions under which 1) each user is incentivized to obfuscate if other users are obfuscating, 2) the tracking algorithm can avoid this by promising a level of privacy protection, and 3) this promise is incentive-compatible for the tracking algorithm.
Interpersonal Skills in MBA Admissions: How Are They Conceptualized and Assessed?:

Employers and students concur that soft skills or interpersonal skills are critical to managerial success, yet we know little about how MBA program admissions professionals conceptualize and assess...
Truncated-Newton Methods for Large-Scale Function Minimization

Abstract The problem of minimizing a real-valued function F of n variables arises in many contexts, such as the discretization of problems in optimal control. Most solution methods have their roots in Newton's method, i.e. they are based on approximating F by a quadratic function. If the number of variables is large, then using Newton's method can be problematic since it requires the computation and storage of the Hessian matrix of second derivatives. Use of finite-differencing and sparse-matrix techniques has overcome some of these problems but not all. Truncated-Newton methods are a flexible family of methods for solving large minimization problems. By only approximating a step of Newton's method at each stage, they achieve savings in computation and storage. They can be efficiently implemented to achieve linear to quadratic convergence rates, and have been shown to be effective in solving a variety of test problems.
Computation in networks of passively mobile finite-state sensors

The computational power of networks of small resource-limited mobile agents is explored. Two new models of computation based on pairwise interactions of finite-state agents in populations of finite but unbounded size are defined. With a fairness condition on interactions, the concept of stable computation of a function or predicate is defined. Protocols are given that stably compute any predicate in the class definable by formulas of Presburger arithmetic, which includes Boolean combinations of threshold-k, majority, and equivalence modulo m. All stably computable predicates are shown to be in NL. Assuming uniform random sampling of interacting pairs yields the model of conjugating automata. Any counter machine with O (1) counters of capacity O (n) can be simulated with high probability by a conjugating automaton in a population of size n. All predicates computable with high probability in this model are shown to be in P; they can also be computed by a randomized logspace machine in exponential time. Several open problems and promising future directions are discussed.
Clinical Stage I Nonseminomatous and Mixed Germ Cell Tumors of the Testis: A Clinicopathologic Study of 93 Patients on a Surveillance Protocol after Orchiectomy Alone

This study of 93 patients with Stage I nonseminomatous and mixed germ cell testicular tumors who were placed in a surveillance study following orchiectomy was designed to evaluate pathologic prognostic factors. Follow-up was at least 12 months post-orchiectomy except for one patient who was followed for 9 months. Lymphatic invasion was identified in 26 patients, 62% of whom developed distant metastases; metastasis developed in only 18% of 67 patients without lymphatic invasion (P less than 0.01). Relapse was also associated with the presence of embryonal carcinoma. Of 81 patients with an embryonal carcinoma component, 35% developed metastases, whereas none of those without an embryonal carcinoma developed metastasis (P = 0.05). Effects of other histologic features and tumor size were not significant. Lymphatic invasion appeared to be a significant poor prognostic factor, and embryonal carcinoma was an independent poor prognostic factor.
Renal Failure and Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions: Salvage by Vascular Reconstruction

• Occlusive renal artery lesions and progressive renal failure have a dismal prognosis if not treated. We analyzed our results to determine if the risks of renal vascularization were justified based on the final outcome in such patients. Inclusion criteria were a creatinine concentration of at least 160 μmol/L (1.8 mg/dL) and one of the following angiographic findings: (1) severe (≥75%) bilateral occlusions, (2) total occlusion with severe (≥75%) contralateral occlusion, or (3) solitary kidney with severe (≥75%) occlusion. Thirty patients met these criteria and underwent revascularization. Six required simultaneous aortic reconstruction. The average creatinine concentration on admission was 310 μmol/L (3.55 mg/dL); this had a statistically significant improvement to 210 μmol/L (2.41 mg/dL) at discharge. There was one perioperative death (3.3%). Initially, 22 patients had improved function (creatinine concentrations 20% lower), and seven patients had stable creatinine values. Eight patients ultimately required long-term dialysis. In the remaining 21 patients, with an average follow-up of 32 months, the average creatinine concentration was 220 μmol/L (2.51 mg/dL), still a significant improvement. Thus, we have demonstrated the relative safety and benefit of operating on these high-risk patients. ( Arch Surg 1988;123:610-613)
Fat-Filled Postoperative Renal Cortical Defects: Sonographic and CT Appearance

Surgical filling of renal cortical wedge resection defects with vascularized retroperitoneal fat resulted in postoperative sonographic and CT appearances that simulated focal renal masses in four patients. Correct identification of this abnormality is important in order to avoid unnecessary further evaluation to exclude renal neoplasm.
Evaluation of In-111 Labeled Lymphocytes in an Acute Rejection Model

Four days after surgery, canine renal allografts were studied with 290-500 microCi of In-111/10(8) lymphocytes. All transplants were visualized, implying that it may not be necessary to harvest large numbers of lymphocytes from immunosuppressed patients. On the day of renal transplant, a second set of dogs were injected with 80-150 microCi of In-111/10(8) lymphocytes. No delayed visualization could be seen 2-4 days later when rejection commenced. Cellular damage, even at this lower level of labeling, may require injection of labeled lymphocytes after the onset of the rejection process in order to visualize the rejection organ.
Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Removal Device When Used With the BACTEC Blood Culture System

A study to determine the value of the Antimicrobial Removal Device (ARD) used in conjunction with radiometric detection of bacteremia using three media was conducted. During a 12-month period, 622 duplicate ARD/BACTEC blood-culture sets were collected. There were 88 positive cultures that yielded 68 pathogenic isolates and 28 probable contaminant isolates. When all patients were considered, 31 pathogenic isolates were detected by both systems, 25 pathogenic isolates were detected faster or only by the BACTEC system, and 12 pathogenic isolates were detected faster or only when the ARD was employed. This difference is statistically significant (P less than 0.05). Thus, the standard BACTEC blood-culture system using three different media was superior to the same BACTEC system using ARD-processed blood specimens. When only patients receiving antimicrobial therapy were considered, there were more pathogenic isolates detected from unprocessed blood than from blood processed in the ARD; however, this difference was not statistically significant. In conclusion, there appears to be no advantage to using the ARD system in conjunction with the three-bottle BACTEC blood-culture system.
Hartmann’s Pouch Carcinoma

Since 1921, when Henry Hartmann first described his procedure for rectal carcinoma, multiple modifications of the original technique have been proposed. However, the basic principle of a rectal pouch has always been retained. Two cases of carcinoma developing in such a pouch are described; both occurred years after creation of the pouch. One was managed by local resection through a transsacral approach; the other required an abdominoperineal resection. Consideration must be given to careful examination and sigmoidoscopy of these pouches as they tend to be forgotten by the physicians due to their hidden location.
Effect of Pretransplant Stored Donor-Specific Blood Transfusions on Early Renal Allograft Survival in One-Haplotype Living Related Transplants

The effect of pretransplant stored donor-specific blood transfusions (DSBTs) on early renal allograft survival in 37 consecutive one-haplotype living related donor (LRD) transplants (group B) was compared with a similar consecutive series of 38 one-haplotype LRD recipients (group A) who did not rece
Survival Following Self-Administered Chemotherapy for Liver Metastases

Fifty-three patients with unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer either self-administered or had a family member administer 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (12 mg/kg/day for 5 days in alternate weeks) through intraoperatively placed hepatic artery and/or portal vein catheters. Twenty percent had failed previous systemic chemotherapy. Seventeen who were symptomatic received additional radiotherapy. Metastasis was confined to the liver in 38, while 15 also had extrahepatic metastases. Median survival for those with hepatic metastases only was 21 months from diagnosis and 16 months from catheter insertion. There are three long-term survivors in this group, alive 58, 69, and 86 months, respectively, from diagnosis. Median survival for those with hepatic and extrahepatic metastases was 10 months from diagnosis and 6 months from catheter insertion. No patient in this group has survived long term. Catheter-related complications occurred in 20% of the patients; none were fatal. Drug toxicities were minor. Self-administered chemotherapy is a safe, effective, and simple method of achieving prolonged survival in patients with unresectable hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer.
Diagnostic Imaging in Children with Urinary Tract Infection: Review of Current Concepts and Suggested Guidelines

Symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) in childhood is estimated to occur with a frequency of up to 3% through adolescence. The practitioner caring for children requires both anatomic and physiologic information concerning the urinary tract to assist in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Advances in diagnostic imaging have resulted in numerous methods for evaluation of the urinary system. These procedures differ in the type of information obtained, risk or discomfort to the patient, and cost. Selection of the proper test(s) requires an understanding of these factors. Based on our survey of recent pertinent literature and our clinical experience, we present guidelines for appropriate diagnostic imaging in children with UTI, and we discuss the benefits and limitations of available imaging techniques along with concepts regarding the pathogenesis of UTI and causes of renal damage from UTI.