cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monovision laser in situ keratomileusis for pre-presbyopic and presbyopic patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcome and success of refractive surgery in pre-presbyopic and presbyopic patients with monovision after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 748 eyes of 374 patients over 35 years of age treated in one or both eyes for a monovision outcome using the Alcon LADARVision 4000 laser. Analysis of age at the time of surgery, gender, bilateral versus unilateral treatment, targeted outcome, and patient acceptance are reported. RESULTS: The success rate of monovision patients in this study was 92.5%. Acceptance rate was higher in older patients, although there was no significantly greater acceptance of monovision for any of the variables studied (P values >.26). CONCLUSIONS: Monovision is a valuable option for pre-presbyopic and presbyopic patients considering refractive surgery.
Procedure‐related complications and adverse events associated with pediatric autologous peripheral blood stem cell collection

Introduction: Autologous peripheral blood hematopoietic progenitor cell collection (A-HPCC) in pediatric patients is considered relatively safe although technically challenging. Very little is known regarding the incidence, risk factors and impact of procedure-related adverse events (AE) on pediatric A-HPCC outcomes. Methods: Prospective 4.5-year review of AE associated with pediatric A-HPCC. AE were graded by severity and type. Potential demographic and procedural risk factors, and the impact on product quality, were compared by t-test, chi-square, and linear regression. Results: Sixty-two children underwent 110 A-HPCC, including 36 (58%) under 20 kg. Fifty-five AE were documented in 25.4% A-HPCCs and 39% of children (citrate 25%, access 19%, technical 11%, cardiovascular 0%, allergic 1.8%). No AE were noted in children < 10 kg anticoagulated with heparin. Access and technical AE accounted for 73% of severe AE, with line-related problems underlying most technical AE (87.5%, P = 0.006). AE were more likely in older (P = 0.012), heavier patients (P = 0.02), who frequently required more than one A-HPCC (P = 0.012). In contrast, young children were more likely to experience citrate AE with gastrointestinal symptoms (median age, 6 years; P = 0.076). AE had no impact on CD34 collection rates; however, mean CD34 yields (4.2 vs. 20.4 million/kg; P = 0.0035) were decreased in patients with technical AE due to lower peripheral CD34 counts and a high number of aborted procedures (37%). Conclusion: Venous access and flow-related issues are a major factor associated with moderate and severe AE, effecting ∼10% of patients. AE are more frequent with increasing patient age, weight, and number of procedures. J. Clin. Apheresis 32:35–48, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Exposure to the environmental endocrine disruptor TCDD and human reproductive dysfunction: Translating lessons from murine models

Humans and other animals are exposed to a wide array of man-made toxicants, many of which act as endocrine disruptors that exhibit differential effects across the lifespan. In humans, while the impact of adult exposure is known for some compounds, the potential consequences of developmental exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is more difficult to ascertain. Animal studies have revealed that exposure to EDCs prior to puberty can lead to adult reproductive disease and dysfunction. Specifically, in adult female mice with an early life exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), we demonstrated a transgenerational occurrence of several reproductive diseases that have been linked to endometriosis in women. Herein, we review the evidence for TCDD-associated development of adult reproductive disease as well as known epigenetic alterations associated with TCDD and/or endometriosis. We will also introduce new "Organ-on-Chip" models which, combined with our established murine model, are expected to further enhance our ability to examine alterations in gene-environment interactions that lead to heritable disease.
Brief of Amicus Curiae: Widener University Law School Environmental Law and Sustainability Center

On Wednesday, May 20, 2015, a Brief of Amicus Curiae was filed by John C. Dernbach with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Middle District, on behalf of the Widener University Law School Environmental Law and Sustainability Center for case 10MAP2015 Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, in his official capacity as Governor. The case is a challenge under Article I, Section 27 to legislative and executive branch actions involving oil and gas leasing on public lands. The Widener University Law School Environmental Law and Sustainability Center requests the court, if it reaches the merits, to decide this case based on the text of the public trust clause of Article I, Section 27 and traditional rules of constitutional interpretation. The rules articulated by the Robinson Township v. Commonwealth plurality require that those challenging government action as unconstitutional must demonstrate that the action clearly and palpably violates the constitution.
Performance Characteristics and Validation of Next-Generation Sequencing for Human Leucocyte Antigen Typing

High-resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching reduces graft-versus-host disease and improves overall patient survival after hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Sanger sequencing has been the gold standard for HLA typing since 1996. However, given the increasing number of new HLA alleles identified and the complexity of the HLA genes, clinical HLA typing by Sanger sequencing requires several rounds of additional testing to provide allele-level resolution. Although next-generation sequencing (NGS) is routinely used in molecular genetics, few clinical HLA laboratories use the technology. The performance characteristics of NGS HLA typing using TruSight HLA were determined using Sanger sequencing as the reference method. In total, 211 samples were analyzed with an overall accuracy of 99.8% (2954/2961) and 46 samples were analyzed for precision with 100% (368/368) reproducibility. Most discordant alleles were because of technical error rather than assay performance. More important, the ambiguity rate was 3.5% (103/2961). Seventy-four percentage of the ambiguities were within the DRB1 and DRB4 loci. HLA typing by NGS saves approximately $6000 per run when compared to Sanger sequencing. Thus, TruSight HLA assay enables high-throughput HLA typing with an accuracy, precision, ambiguity rate, and cost savings that should facilitate adoption of NGS technology in clinical HLA laboratories.
The Effects of WBCs and RBCs on Ligament Healing

The role of leukocytes and erythrocytes in ligament healing follows the road map of the wound healing process that occurs in all soft tissues. However, the effects of the various cell types on features specific to ligament healing, such as the rates of fibroblast proliferation and the functional outcome of healing ligaments, have not yet been fully elucidated. In the previous chapters, we examined the healing process for wounds in soft tissues and the role of platelets in this process. In this chapter, we review the literature to date focusing on the interactions of red blood cells (erythrocytes) as well as white blood cells (neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes) with the healing ligament at both the tissue and the cellular level.
Regional Geology as a Unifying Theme and Springboard to Deep Time

By focusing much of an introductory geology course on real features within a specific region, instructors can introduce concepts while gradually building the region s geologic framework. Then, approximately halfway through the course, and before discussion of radiometric dating methods, a summary lecture pulls together the course material to demonstrate deep time. This lecture walks through the region's geologic events, unconformities and stratigraphic thicknesses in the context of geologic rates to make the connection to deep time explicit. The lecture finishes with discussion of the radiometric age of the earth and why a sense of geologic time is important. This approach unifies course material within the context of regional geology. In turn, regional geology provides tangible and convincing evidence for deep time.
High-speed 3D surface measurement with mechanical projector

This paper presents a method to overcome the light spectral range limitation of using digital-light-processing (DLP) projector for 3D shape measurement by developing a mechanical projector. The mechanical projector enables much broader spectral range of light than that the DLP projector allows. The rapidly spinning disk with binary structures can generate desired sinusoidal patterns at a frequency of 10 kHz or higher with a single DC motor. By precisely synchronizing the camera with the projector, phase-shifted fringe patterns can be accurately captured for high-accuracy 3D shape measurement. We further employed a computational framework that could enable absolute phase and thus absolute 3D shape measurement. We developed such prototype system that experimentally demonstrated the success of the proposed method.
Deployment Length, Inflammatory Markers, and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Military Couples

ABSTRACT Introduction: Changes in the frequency, duration, and nature of military deployments over the past 14 years have spurred efforts to understand the effects of deployment on the health of military service members and their spouses. However, few studies have examined the impact of deployments on health outcomes in both veterans and their partners. This study aims to examine the association between deployment length and health, including ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and stress-related markers of inflammation, in military veterans and their spouses. Materials and Methods: This study includes 32 male veterans and 29 female civilian partners. Veterans reported about their deployment and military experiences, including deployment length, combat exposure, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Plasma measures of inflammatory markers, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), were collected from veterans and spouses. Participants also completed 48 hours of BP monitoring for calculat...
Download Delay, Tolerable Wait Time, and Online Learning

Download delay, also known as “download time” and “tolerable wait time (TWT),” is the amount of time needed for instructional materials to appear on a Web page on a client computer after the page is accessed from a server. It is a new challenge specific to designing and using Internet-based materials (Davis & Hantula, 2001), but is related to an older mainframe computing difficulty known as system response time (SRT), the time between when a user issues a command and the system responds to the command. Download delay/TWT is primarily a function of the size of the data files being transmitted from the server to the client, the technological limitations of the client and server computers as well as the network infrastructure. A file of equal size may download more slowly or quickly on different client computers, depending on capabilities of the hardware, speed of the network and connections, and relative efficiency in the design of programs and transfer protocols. In an Internet environment with a broadband connection, download delay is usually a matter of seconds, often fractions of a second.
Probing dynamic response to temperature changes in Berea Sandstone using acoustic time-of-flight and resonant ultrasound spectroscopy

In this study, through-transmission acoustic time-of-flight experiments and bulk resonance tracking were used to study the anomalous elastic behavior in Berea Sandstone with temperature cycling. Previously published results (Davis et al., 2016) using Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy (RUS) indicated that Berea Sandstone softens by as much as 10% when cooled from 205°C to 110°C. This result is in contrast to the behavior of most materials, which stiffen when cooled. The time-of-flight experiments confirmed the RUS results and revealed the need for additional analysis of this phenomenon. By tracking the location of resonant frequencies at each temperature step, the qualitative behavior of the sample was obtained without the need for a rigorous RUS analysis. The results from this analysis showed that Berea Sandstone has significant hysteretic behavior under temperature cycling. It was also revealed that the qualitative elastic behavior of Berea Sandstone is unchanged with increasing relaxation time from the thermal shock induced by rapid cooling of the sample.
Exercise Induced Coronary Collateral Development: A Comparison to Other Models of Myocardial Angiogenesis

Many investigators consider exercise to be a stimulus for coronary collateral development. According to Schaper (1) the primary factors affecting coronary collateral development include dilation secondary to hypoxia and increased tangential wall stress. Investigators still debate whether these factors occur during prolonged exercise stress. The effect of endurance exercise training, i.e. a decreased heart rate at a given work load, indicates more efficient cardiac function which implies less cardiac stress, thus reducing the stimulus for collateral development. However, chronic exercise training accentuates coronary collateral development when a critical coronary artery stenosis is present (2). To summarize the current knowledge of the interrelationship between exercise and coronary collateral development, we will analyze exercise’s influence on angiogenesis in the heart, discuss different animal models of angiogenesis and indicate what similarities exist in these different models that merit further investigation.
MARX, FREUD, E OS DEUSES QUE OS NEGROS FAZEM: A TEORIA SOCIAL EUROPEIA E O FETICHE DA VIDA REAL

Desde o encontro entre os comerciantes africanos e europeus na Costa da Guine no inicio da modernidade, o termo “fetiche” faz analogia entre supostos disturbios do pensamento europeu e deuses africanos. Estes deuses, porem, tem uma logica propria que dispoe de tanta razao – dada a posicao de seus seguidores na economia do Atlântico – quanto as teorias de Marx e Freud, diferentes em certos aspectos mas igualmente influenciados pelo posicionamento dos seus expoentes. Esta palestra oferece uma nova perspectiva das raizes sociais destas compreensoes africanas e europeias – que sao simultâneas – sobre o conceito de acao coletiva, elucidando a relacao da teoria social europeia com o racismo sofrido tanto por africanos quanto por judeus assimilados.
PredJoule: A Timing-Predictable Energy Optimization Framework for Deep Neural Networks

The revolution of deep neural networks (DNNs) is enabling dramatically better autonomy in autonomous driving. However, it is not straightforward to simultaneously achieve both timing predictability (i.e., meeting job latency requirements) and energy efficiency that are essential for any DNN-based autonomous driving system, as they represent two (often) conflicting goals. In this paper, we propose PredJoule, a timing-predictable energy optimization framework for running DNN workloads in a GPU-enabled automotive system. PredJoule achieves both latency guarantees and energy efficiency through a layer-aware design that explores specific performance and energy characteristics of different layers within the same neural network. We implement and evaluate PredJoule on the automotive-specific NVIDIA Jetson TX2 platform for five state-of-the-art DNN models with both high and low variance latency requirements. Experiments show that PredJoule rarely violates job deadlines, and can improve energy by 65% on average compared to five existing approaches and 68% compared to an energy-oriented approach.
Co2+-Linked [NaP5W30O110]14−: A Redox-Active Metal Oxide Framework with High Electron Density

A new metal oxide framework based on the redox-active Preyssler anion linked with Co(H2O)42+ bridging units is presented. The framework can be photochemically reduced, allowing the storage of multi...
Fragility and rheological behavior of metaphosphate liquids: Insights into their chain vs. network characters

Abstract The viscosity and the shear relaxation behavior of supercooled Ag- and Sn- metaphosphate liquids are measured using parallel plate techniques. The fragility index m of these liquids, when taken together with that of other metaphosphate liquids, shows variation over a rather large range spanning from ~30 to 90 and is found to be a sensitive function of the strength and extent of connectivity or coupling between the phosphate chains provided by the modifier-oxygen coordination polyhedra. The high fragility of the Ag-metaphosphate liquid (m ≈ 90) is a result of the weak inter-chain coupling which is manifested in a polymer-like rheological behavior that is in contrast with the network-liquid like behavior of the metaphosphate liquids with lower fragility.
Nationwide shift in patterns of prophylactic cranial irradiation utilization for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer patients.

e20099Background: A recent phase III trial (Takahashi et al., 2017) showed no overall survival (OS) benefit in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) treated with prophylact...
BALANCING DOCUMENTATION AND DIRECT PATIENT CARE ACTIVITIES: A STUDY OF A MATURE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD SYSTEM.

Abstract US hospitals now fully embrace electronic documentation systems as a way to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety outcomes. Whether spending time on electronic documentation detracts from the time available for direct patient care, however, is still unresolved. There is no knowledge on the permanent effects of documenting electronically and whether it takes away significant time from patient care when the healthcare information system is mature. To understand the time spent on documentation, direct patient care tasks, and other clinical tasks in a mature information system, we conducted an observational and interview study in a midwestern academic hospital. The hospital implemented an electronic medical record system 11 years ago. We observed 22 health care workers across intensive care units, inpatient floors, and an outpatient clinic in the hospital. Results show that healthcare workers spend more time on documentation activities compared to patient care activities. Clinical roles have no influence on the time spent on documentation. This paper describes results on the time spent between documentation and patient care tasks, and discusses implications for future practice. Relevance to industry The study applies to healthcare industry that faces immense challenges in balancing documentation activities and patient care activities.
Knowledge of the Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Breast Cancer Risk Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Women.

Research indicates breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women. Black and Hispanic women are more likely to die from breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women and are least likely to breastfeed. The current study was designed to evaluate women’s knowledge of the link between breastfeeding and decreased breast cancer risk among a racially diverse cohort of pregnant women. Pregnant women 18 and older (N = 89; 48.4% black; 28% Hispanic) were recruited during a prenatal visit to complete a survey. Women indicated limited understanding of the association between breastfeeding and breast cancer risk reduction; less than 40% of black and white women indicated knowledge, while 64.7% of Hispanic women were aware of the association. These findings underscore the need for interventions to educate women about the protective benefits of breastfeeding as a strategy to reduce their breast cancer incidence and mortality.
Smelling Danger: Olfactory Stem Cells Control Immune Defense during Chronic Inflammation.

Neurogenesis is critical to continuously replacie olfactory neurons but is impaired during chronic inflammatory rhinosinusitis. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Chen et al. (2019) describe the inflammation-induced switching of olfactory stem cells from a regenerative phenotype to one participating in immune defense; this process contributes to deficient replacement of olfactory sensory neurons.
Two Ways of Thinking About New Materialism

Now that some of the initial thrill of “new materialism” has faded, the label has been called to answer for a lot. Some of these critiques—its incompatibilities with religious studies, for instance...
Recursive Least Squares Calibration of an Ultrasonic Transducer Array

Travel time measurements from an acoustic array interrogating a fluid within the cross-section of a pipe include systemic errors: from mispositioning of array elements, group delays from the transceiver circuits at each element, and acoustic propagation effects between transmitter/receiver pairs. An enhanced calibration model is described which includes the influence of these error sources, and a recursive least squares solution is applied to find calibration travel-time corrections that minimize systemic error. This enhanced calibration model is applied in-situ to an acoustic transducer array, resulting in increased accuracy and precision of acoustic travel-time measurements.
A Look into the Realities and Complexities of Tuberculosis as Observed Amongst Zulu Populations of Durban, South Africa

In the global health field we place particular emphasis on infectious diseases, which have challenged the health of societies across the globe for much of history. Infectious diseases—most notably HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria—have reached alarming levels and become a public health priority. While most infectious diseases are fundamentally similar in the fact that they can spread quickly, they affect different populations in a variety of ways. It is a global health necessity to understand both the cultures of the countries in which infectious diseases are common as well as the ways in which these infectious diseases affect the individual cultures in order to address effectively the challenges that people are facing. This paper focuses on TB, specifically drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). I have used my experiences with TB and Zulu populations in Durban, South Africa, to compile some of the most notable challenges the disease is posing to the population and KwaZulu-Natal health system today.
Soviet computers in the 1980s: a review of the hardware

Publisher Summary The chapter surveys the important Soviet civilian computer hardware produced in the 1980s. It summarizes the official plans for computer technology in the 1980s. The chapter discusses the main computer systems designed or manufactured in 1980s. The Soviet computers are organized not by type of computer but, rather, by manufacturing or designing organization e.g., IBM, DEC, or Apple. The chapter discusses the impact of Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms (perestroika) on the Soviet computer hardware industry. The purpose is to see what promise recent policy changes hold for bringing needed improvements. The Soviet policy of copying Western hardware design, combined with international isolation and an industrial structure that retards domestic development, production, and support, effectively doomed Soviet computerdom to an expanding lag behind the West during the 1980s. There were merits and demerits for the Soviet computer user in the late 1980s. The available hardware and software continued to fall farther behind what their Western counterparts were at every level, from supercomputers to microcomputers. The Soviet's scientific and political leadership now openly recognizes the problem and vows to resolve it, but it seems doubtful that the attempted solutions, which so far have been limited to industrial reorganization and bureaucratic reshuffling, will be sufficient to slow the rate at which they are falling behind, much less actually begin to close the gap.
Scale and timing of Rare Earth Element redistribution in the Taconian foreland of New England

Clastic sedimentary rocks, deposited on eastern North America in response to the Taconian Orogeny, commonly have Sm/Nd isotope relationships indicating substantial isotope disturbance near or subsequent to the time of sedimentation that may be associated with severe depletion in light rare earth elements (LREE). Affected units [Normanskill Formation (Austin Glen and Pawlet Members), Frankfort Formation and Perry Mountain Formation] are widely separated both geographically (western New York to western Maine) and stratigraphically (Middle Ordovician to Silurian). A model is proposed for the most likely explanation of the observed REE and Sm/Nd isotope relationships involving a two-stage process. In the first stage, REE are redistributed on a mineralogical scale (dissolution/precipitation on a sample scale) often with the involvement of REE-enriched trace phases such as apatite and monazite. This stage typically takes place during diagenesis but may also take place later during metamorphism and/or recent weathering, and results in isotope re-equilibration on a sample scale. The second stage occurs when one or more of these phases is redissolved and REE are transported on large advective scales. Where LREE-enriched phases are involved, this gives rise to LREE depletion in whole rocks. The timing of this second stage cannot be constrained from Sm/Nd isotope data and may take place at any time subsequent to the isotope re-equilibration. Such complex histories of REE redistribution may result in serious errors in estimating Nd model ages but not in estimating the Nd isotope composition at the age of sedimentation. Thus, Sm/Nd ratios even of unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks have to be carefully evaluated before the calculation of depleted mantle model ages for the provenance.
Modified quadratic hill-climbing with SAS/IML

This article describes EZClimb, a set of SAS/IML steps useful in solving numerical optimization problems. The program uses the method of modified quadratic hill-climbing with either analytical or numerical derivatives to maximize a user-defined criterion function. Modified quadratic hill-climbing is one of the more powerful algorithms known for function optimization but is not widely available outside of the software package GQOPT. The efficacy of the SAS steps is illustrated using Rosenbrock's function, Savin and White's Box-Cox extended autoregressive model, and Klein's Model.
Prognostic impact of combined NPM1+/FLT3- genotype in patients with acute myeloid leukemia with intermediate risk cytogenetics stratified by age and treatment modalities.

Abstract The prognostic impact of combined NPM1+/FLT3− genotype is not well defined in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and in the setting of different treatments, such as cytotoxic chemotherapy (Chemo), hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), or hypomethylating agents (HMA). Eighty-two elderly (age >60 years) and 78 younger adults (age 18–60 years) with newly diagnosed intermediate-risk cytogenetic AML were classified according to the presence or absence of NPM1+/FLT3− genotype, and treatments (Chemo vs. HCT. vs. HMA). The estimated 3-year overall survivals (OS) in elderly ( N = 17) and younger adults ( N = 13) with NPM1+/FLT3− treated with Chemo were 59% and 64%, respectively ( P = 0.71). In the absence of NPM1+/FLT3−, younger adults had a superior OS when treated with HCT than with Chemo ( P P = 0.79). Combined NPM1+/FLT3− is associated with a favorable prognosis irrespective of age in AML patients treated with Chemo. In the absence of NPM1+/FLT3− genotype, younger adults undergoing HCT have an improved survival, while elderly have comparable OS when treated with Chemo vs. HMA.
Chapter 7 The Morphine Alkaloids

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the morphine alkaloids. The total synthesis of morphine was successfully completed in 1952. The morphine alkaloids may originate via an oxidation of laudanine or its derivatives has become even more compelling since the elucidation of the course of the oxidation of p-cresol. An analogous scheme for thebaine can be written from a partially demethylated laudanine. The reduction of codeinone to codeine has been achieved in high yield with sodium borohydride, while it has been claimed that dihydrocodeinone gives mainly dihydroisocodeine under the conditions of the Meerwein-Ponndorf reduction. It has been noted that those morphine derivatives in which the nitrogen is allylic can be degraded to dihydromethines by reduction of their methiodides with sodium in liquid ammonia, and the important observation has been made that a useful alternative to the Hofmann degradation consists in the decomposition of tertiary amine oxides, especially in those cases in which the Hofmann elimination results in loss of the side chain.
Effects of group goal content on group processes, collective efficacy, and satisfaction

We examined the efficacy of groups possessing learning as opposed to performance goals on an interactive group task. As such, we predicted that the possession of learning goals focuses groups more on strategic processes than the possession of performance or do-best goals. We further hypothesized that collective efficacy beliefs are most strongly correlated with performance for groups that possess performance goals because performance goals direct attention to task outcomes. Results indicated that groups assigned learning goals discussed more strategic information and reported greater satisfaction with performance. In addition, the relationship between task performance and collective efficacy was stronger for performance-goal groups than learning-goal groups. Overall, results suggested that causing groups to attend to processes required for effective group performance influences how groups regulate behavior and interpret feedback.
Supervising latent topic model for maximum-margin text classification and regression

In this paper, we investigate the text classification and regression problems: given a corpus of text documents as training, each of which has a response label, the task is to train a predictor for predicting its response of any given document. In previous work, many researchers decompose this task into two separate steps: they first use a generative latent topic model to learn low-dimensional semantic representations of documents; and then train a max-margin predictor using them as features. In this work we demonstrate that it is beneficial to combine both steps of learning low-dimensional representations and training a predictor into one step of minimizing a singe learning objective. We present a novel step-wise convex optimization algorithm which solves this objective properly via a tight variational upper bound. We conduct an extensive experimental study on public available movie review and 20 Newsgroups datasets. Experimental results show that compared with state of art results in the literature, our one step approach can train noticeably better predictors and discover much lower-dimensional representations: a 2% relative accuracy improvement and a 95% relative number of dimensions reduction in the classification task on the Newsgroups dataset; and a 5.7% relative predictive R2 improvement and a 55% relative number of dimensions reduction in the regression task on the movie review dataset.
Sex-Related Disparities in Criminal Justice and HIV Treatment Outcomes: A Retrospective Cohort Study of HIV-Infected Inmates

Objectives. We evaluated sex-related differences in HIV and criminal justice (CJ) outcomes.Methods. We quantified sex-related differences in criminal offenses, incarcerations, and HIV outcomes among all HIV-infected inmates on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Connecticut (2005–2012). Computed criminogenic risk scores estimated future CJ involvement. Stacked logistic regression models with random effects identified significant correlates of HIV viral suppression on CJ entry, reflecting preceding community-based treatment.Results. Compared with 866 HIV-infected men on ART (1619 incarcerations), 223 women (461 incarcerations) were more likely to be younger, White, and medically insured, with shorter incarceration periods (mean = 196.8 vs 368.1 days), mostly for public disorder offenses. One third of both women and men had viral suppression on CJ entry, correlating positively with older age and having treated comorbidities. Entry viral suppression inversely correlated with incarceration duration for women and ...
Near-field scanning optical microscopy/spectroscopy in molecular aggregates and polymers

Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) combines high-resolution force microscopy with nanometer-resolution optical imaging. NSOM, therefore, has the power not only to resolve optical features on the tens of nanometer distance scale, but it can also correlate those features to topography. The results of the NSOM studies of numerous aggregated systems is reported.
Television's Influence on Children's Encoding of Person Information.

A recent model of person memory suggests that people will use the most accessible or most recently thought about traits in describing other people. An experiment was conducted to test the notion that once a trait is activated or “primed” by television, that trait will be more accessible and, therefore, more likely to influence encoding of new information. A group of 64 children in second, fourth, and sixth grades watched a 10-minute videotape designed to prime the trait “funny” by showing children representative segments of humorous situation comedy programs. After viewing, children evaluated a child they had never met on several traits including “funny” and two other traits taken from past television research—“attractive” and “strong.” A control group (n= 68) evaluated the new child only. Results showed no significant main effects of treatment, but significant interactions between treatment and grade. Second grade children in the experimental group rated the new child lower on traits funny, attractive, and strong in comparison to the control group. Sixth graders rated the new child higher on the same traits, and fourth graders showed no differences between the two conditions. No effects were found for 22 other traits. The results are discussed in terms of direct and contrast effects of prior information on person judgments.
Detection of α‐Methylacyl‐CoA Racemase in Serum and Urine Using a Highly Sensitive Electrochemical Immunodetector

The detection of α-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR), a novel biomarker for prostate cancer, is demonstrated in serum and urine using a novel immuno-detection method. The detection system consists of a three-electrode conventional electrochemical cell modified with a gating electrode for applying a gating voltage VG to the immune complex immobilized on the working electrode to provide signal amplification. The detection system is realized by integrating gating electrodes with screen-printed electrodes. This detection method does not require involved sample preparation procedures. The detection was demonstrated in serum and urine samples on the nanogram/mL level with VG equal to 0.6 V. Detection in serum was also performed on the picogram/mL level with a limit of 100 picogram/mL with VG=0.6 V being a necessary condition.
A test for symmetry in contingency tables.

Abstract Suppose that a sample of N individuals is classified according to two arguments, A and B, in an m by m contingency table and suppose that the categories of classification A are associated in some unique way with the categories of classification B. For example, in the study in which this problem arose the categories were related to the position of plates of stickleback (Gasterosteus) and the two arguments corresponded to right and left sides; it was logical to associate identical patterns on opposite sides. Denote by Pij the probability that a randomly chosen individual belongs to the ith. row and jth column of the table. As usual, a dot indicates summation over the replaced index.
Dynamics of Exchange between αS1-Casein and β-Casein during Adsorption at Air−Water Interface

Competitive adsorption of αS1-casein and β-casein at the air−water interface has been investigated. In single-component systems, the adsorptivities of these caseins to the air−water interface were very similar and the binding affinity of β-casein was only slightly greater than that of αS1-casein. However, in a 1:1 binary mixture of αS1- and β-caseins, the ratio of surface load of these caseins was 2:1 in favor of β-casein adsorption. Kinetic studies showed that αS1-casein arrived first at the interface, but the late arriving β-casein was able to displace the adsorbed αS1-casein from the interface and establish a new equilibrium. Exchange and displacement experiments showed that bulk phase β-casein was able to readily displace adsorbed αS1- and β-casein molecules; similarly, αS1-casein was also able to displace αS1- and β-caseins from the interface, although to a lesser extent. The mechanism of the dynamic exchange between αS1- and β-caseins is discussed. Keywords: Air−water interface; protein adsorption; ...
Purification and properties of calmodulin from adrenal cortex

Abstract Calmodulin (CaM), a multifunctional calcium binding protein with no known enzymatic activity, has been purified to homogeneity from bovine adrenal cortex. The purification included anion exchange on DE-52 cellulose, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and separation by molecular sieving on Sephadex G-150. The yield of CaM from 900 g of whole adrenal was 150 mg. Adrenocortical CaM showed a molecular weight of 18,000 on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, an isoelectric point of 4.1, and demonstrated a characteristic shift in mobility on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of calcium. The spectral properties of adrenocortical CaM differed slightly from those of CaM isolated from bovine brain. Minor differences were observed in peptide maps and amino acid composition between adrenocortical and brain CaM, but adrenocortical CaM contained a single trimethyllysine residue characteristic of all mammalian forms of CaM isolated to date. Adrenocortical CaM is biologically active in the stimulation of activator-deficient phosphodiesterase, and showed a half-maximal effective concentration (EC 50 ) of 3 n m for stimulation of adenylate cyclase from Bordetella pertussis .
Fast motion estimation algorithms for overlapped block motion compensation

While block motion compensation has been the preferred method for reducing inter-frame dependencies in most standards for video coding (H.261, MPEG), a new proposal for very low bit rate video coding (H.263) has included overlapped block motion compensation (OBMC) as an optional mode of operation. In this paper, we present fast algorithms for motion estimation when compensating with OBMC. Standard block matching motion vectors are not optimal for OBMC. Our algorithms estimate which block motion vectors yield the most improvements upon optimizing motion, orders the blocks and optimizes motion vectors based on the ordering. The estimation is based on readily available information about block matching, viz., prediction errors over blocks. As simulation results will demonstrate, the algorithms result in near optimal performances at low computational costs. An additional advantage of the algorithms is that they may be terminated after a few motion vectors have been optimized and still result in high performance gains. This is of advantage in situations where the available computational power at the encoder varies (as in a videophony situation where the frame rate adapts depending on scene activity or available band-width) and it becomes desirable that the motion vectors chosen for optimization result in the highest gains possible.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A preliminary study of interactive questioning methods to assess and improve understanding of informed consent among patients with schizophrenia

Growing recognition of the inadequacy of traditional methods of providing informed consent, especially for individuals vulnerable to impaired decisional capacity, has spurred recent interest in how to assess and improve components of consent-related decision making. In this preliminary study, we aimed to compare different methods of interactive questioning during presentation of research consent information among patients with schizophrenia. Patients were randomized to receive either standard administration (SA) of a consent form or one of two interactive questioning methods: Corrective Feedback (CF), in which the correct answer was provided following the participant's response, or Errorless Learning (EL), in which correct answers were provided just prior to the question. The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR) was used to measure understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and expression of a choice following presentation of the consent form. There was no significant effect of condition (SA vs. EL vs. CF) on any of the components of decisional capacity. Understanding scores measured during the consent process were higher than those measured afterward, but the two scores were highly correlated. Thus, the results of this randomized study suggest that interactive questioning neither helped nor harmed understanding, appreciation, or reasoning among patients with schizophrenia. Other considerations, however, may favor use of such methods in the consenting process.
Who will Meet China’s Import Demand for Forest Products?

Summary Via computable general equilibrium modeling we find that as a result of economic growth, Yuan appreciation, and logging restrictions in China, China’s imports and exports of forest products would dramatically increase, and China’s imports would have displacement effects as timber-exporting countries would increase their exports to China while reducing their shipments to other countries. Such displacement effects would make pressure on forests in supplying countries less than they otherwise might be. Global economic growth is a dominant driving force for China’s imports. Russia, Southeast Asia, and Africa would remain major foreign suppliers of logs to China, while supply sources for Chinese imported lumber and paper products would be relatively diverse.
Effect of Self-Esteem on an Unobtrusive Measure of Altruism

The present study investigated the effects of experimentally induced high and low self-esteem on altruistic behavior. While 31% of the female Ss and 46% of the male Ss in the experimental groups offered to help a female passerby carry a bulky load of boxes, these figures did not differ from those of a control group, even when competence feedback was augmented by verbal confrontation. The findings stressed the importance of using a nonreactive, unobtrusive measure of altruism and suggest that an aiding response may most appreciably be encouraged by dealing directly with the behavior rather than by manipulating antecedent affective or cognitive states.
A Construct Validation Study of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales:

The Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales were administered to 1541 junior high school students. To investigate the construct validity of the scales, factor analyses were performed on the responses to the 108 items comprising the scales. Additional factor analyses of the scale scores were performed, and a comparison was made with results reported by Fennema and Sherman (1976). Analysis of the items led to the interpretation of eight factors. The results generally provided empirical evidence to support the theoretical structure of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales.
Abstract 2852: Variation in centrosome-related genes and risk of breast cancer

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC INTRODUCTION: The centrosome is the primary microtubule organizing center of the cell. Numerical or functional defects of the centrosome can result in improper chromosome segregation, leading to aneuploidy and polyploidy. Because many cancer cells have aberrant numbers of chromosomes, many have suggested a link between centrosomes and cancer. We conducted an association study to determine whether common genetic variations in 100 genes involved in maintaining and regulating centrosome structure and function account in part for the contribution of the pathway to breast cancer risk. METHODS: Incident cases of BC were identified at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN from 2001 through 2005. Controls (N=843) were frequency matched to cases (N=798) on age and region of residence. Seven hundred-eighty-two tagging and candidate functional SNPs were selected from 100 genes involved in the structure and/or function of the centrosome. Genotyping was performed on an Illumina BeadLab using the Illumina GoldenGate genotyping assay. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for BC. Women having two copies of the most common allele were defined as the referent category. Linear regression was used to estimate mean and 95% CI for PD for each additional copy of the variant allele. All models were adjusted for age, residence, and confounding factors. RESULTS: Forty-eight SNPs from 29 genes (out of 782 SNPs examined) showed evidence of significant associations with breast cancer risk in our population in the log-additive (1 degree of freedom (d.f.)) model (Ptrend 0.6). No single SNP association was significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons via permutation testing. Haplotype analyses showed 20 genes for which global haplotypes were significantly associated with breast cancer risk. Of these, haplotype blocks in six genes (14-3-3 Epsilon, CDC16, CD-TOG, KIF2, NEK9, NPM2) were significantly associated with risk (global P<0.05), although none of the individual SNPs in these six genes displayed significant associations. This suggests that the associations of these specific combinations of alleles with risk were not due to the effects of individual SNPs. CONCLUSION: These analyses provide some evidence to support an association between genetic variation in centrosomal genes and risk of breast cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2852.