cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analyzing the NIBRS Data: the Impact of the Number of Records Used per Segment

In an effort to upgrade and improve criminal justice statistics, the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program is currently in the process of transitioning from the Summary Reporting System (SRS) to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). While this transition will increase the capacity for law enforcement agencies and analysts to make informed decisions regarding crime and policing policy, the detail of NIBRS increases analytic complexity. More specifically, NIBRS includes variables in six data segments, five of which can include multiple records per incident. As a result, analysts must decide how many records to use. However, there is currently no guidance for best practices in making this decision. This research addresses this gap by examining the impact of this decision on descriptive analyses and regression estimates. Results indicate some estimates are measured accurately using only one record, using three records reduces inaccuracy, and with some exceptions, using more than three records is methodologically unnecessary. As the NIBRS data become increasingly representative and useful in the coming years, it will be important that they are used both efficiently and effectively. Taken together, this research suggests that for most analyses there is substantial consistency when using at least three records per data segment but that there are some cases for which the number of records is consequential and researchers should consider the methodological and theoretical implications of each strategy when choosing between them.
Role of Technology in Self-Assessment and Feedback Among Hospitalist Physicians: Semistructured Interviews and Thematic Analysis

Background: Lifelong learning is embedded in the culture of medicine, but there are limited tools currently available for many clinicians, including hospitalists, to help improve their own practice. Although there are requirements for continuing medical education, resources for learning new clinical guidelines, and developing fields aimed at facilitating peer-to-peer feedback, there is a gap in the availability of tools that enable clinicians to learn based on their own patients and clinical decisions. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the technologies or modifications to existing systems that could be used to benefit hospitalist physicians in pursuing self-assessment and improvement by understanding physicians’ current practices and their reactions to proposed possibilities. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted in two separate stages with analysis performed after each stage. In the first stage, interviews (N=12) were conducted to understand the ways in which hospitalist physicians are currently gathering feedback and assessing their practice. A thematic analysis of these interviews informed the prototype used to elicit responses in the second stage. Results: Clinicians actively look for feedback that they can apply to their practice, with the majority of the feedback obtained through self-assessment. The following three themes surrounding this aspect were identified in the first round of semistructured interviews: collaboration, self-reliance, and uncertainty, each with three related subthemes. Using a wireframe, the second round of interviews led to identifying the features that are currently challenging to use or could be made available with technology. Conclusions: Based on each theme and subtheme, we provide targeted recommendations for use by relevant stakeholders such as institutions, clinicians, and technologists. Most hospitalist self-assessments occur on a rolling basis, specifically using data in electronic medical records as their primary source. Specific objective data points or subjective patient relationships lead clinicians to review their patient cases and to assess their own performance. However, current systems are not built for these analyses or for clinicians to perform self-assessment, making this a burdensome and incomplete process. Building a platform that focuses on providing and curating the information used for self-assessment could help physicians make more accurately informed changes to their own clinical practice and decision-making.
Effect of a fourth-generation transcatheter valve enhanced skirt on paravalvular leak.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the 30 day incidence of paravalvular leak (PVL) and need for aortic valve reintervention of a fourth generation balloon expandable transcatheter valve with enhanced skirt (4G-BEV) (SAPIEN 3 Ultra) compared with a third generation balloon expandable transcatheter valve (3G-BEV) (SAPIEN 3). BACKGROUND The incidence of PVL has steadily declined with iterative improvements in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) technology and implantation strategies. METHODS Patients who underwent TAVR at Mayo Clinic from 7/2018 to 7/2019 were included in a prospective institutional registry. 4G-BEV has been utilized since 2/2019, and, after this date, 3G-BEV and 4G-BEV were simultaneously used. 4G-BEV had three sizes (20, 23, and 26 mm) while 3G-BEV included four sizes (20, 23, 26, and 29 mm). Both cohorts were evaluated at 30 days post-TAVR with a transthoracic echocardiogram to assess for PVL. RESULTS A total of 260 consecutive patients were included. Of these, 101 patients received a 4G-BEV and 159 patients received a 3G-BEV. There were more females (p = .0005) and a lower aortic valve calcium score (p = .02) in the 4G-BEV cohort at baseline. Age, STS risk score, NYHA Class, and aortic valve mean gradient did not differ between groups. 4G-BEV was associated with a lower incidence of mild PVL (10.8 vs. 36.5%; p < .0001) and moderate PVL (0 vs. 5.8%) compared to the 3G-BEV at 30 days. There was no association between PVL and valve size in either cohort. CONCLUSIONS Utilization of 4G-BEV is associated with reduced PVL at 30 days post-TAVR compared with 3G-BEV.
Abstract 1102: Integrated approach towards defining mechanism based combinations to guide clinical development of glutaminase inhibitors

Metabolic dysregulation is a hallmark of cancer, and recently, increasing evidence has shown a critical role for glutamine metabolism to support the bioenergetics and biosysnthetic needs of tumor and immune cells. We have previously disclosed the development of the GLS1 inhibitor, IPN60090, which is currently advancing through Phase 1 clinical studies (NCT03894540). Metabolic plasticity has been suggested to confer adaptive resistance to metabolic inhibitors and defines mechanisms that could be exploited to enhance therapeutic benefit. To address the clinical problems of innate drug resistance and adaptation, we interrogated metabolic and adaptive responses to IPN60090 in vitro and in vivo. We and others have previously identified KEAP1/NFE2L2 mutant non-small cell lung cancer models as sensitive to GLS1 inhibition. Through an integrated approach, including metabolic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analysis, we have identified molecular pathways that confer resistance to GLS1 inhibition. Nodes in these pathways that drive aquired resistance, may serve as additional patient stratification biomarkers in subsets on NSCLC or provide opportunites for further drug development. Additionally, unbiased in vivo functional genomics screening identified mulitple signaling pathways that act as critical nodes governing resistance to GLS1 inhibition. Drug combinations were tested in vitro and in vivo to identify those that are most synergistic with IPN60090. We found that PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling is a major contributor to IPN60090 resistance, and we demonstrate that dual targeting of GLS1 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in tumors with KEAP1/NFE2L2 mutations results in synergistic anti-tumor efficacy. IPN60090, dosed in combination with inhibitors of these pathways yields regressions and off-treatment, durable responses in preclinical models of KEAP1-mutant NSCLC. Based on these data, combination strategies are being developed for Phase 1b expansion cohorts. Citation Format: Jeffrey J. Kovacs, Nakia D. Spencer, Christopher A. Bristow, Alessandro Carugo, Virginia Giluiani, Meredith A. Miller, Angela Harris, Ningping Feng, Michael L. Soth, Kang Le, Elisa de Stanchina, Charles M. Rudin, Giulio Draetta, Timothy A. Yap, Philip Jones, Timothy Heffernan. Integrated approach towards defining mechanism based combinations to guide clinical development of glutaminase inhibitors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1102.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging measurements of scalar dispersion for a scaled urban transient release

Abstract Atmospheric dispersion in urban environments is highly complex, and a fundamental understanding requires a combination of field tests, laboratory experiments, and simulations. In this study, a transient release dispersion experiment was performed involving a scaled model of Oklahoma City, with the intention of being relevant for Joint Urban 2003 (JU2003) related studies. Flow over the city model was fully turbulent and housed in a water channel, with a characteristic building Reynolds number of 6200. The transient release was achieved by injecting a passive scalar at street level following a square waveform with a frequency of 1 Hz. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques were leveraged to obtain phase-averaged velocity and concentration measurements over 12 intervals throughout the transient release cycle, with average uncertainties of 5.4% and 2.2% of the bulk velocity and injected concentration, respectively. Velocity and concentration measurements are obtained on three-dimensional grids of roughly 2 million data points each. An investigation of three-dimensional flow and dispersion features is presented, and a control volume encompassing an intersection within the city model is analyzed by applying the scalar transport equation to the experimental data. The phase-averaged measurements enable the calculation of scalar flux time series as well as the transient storage term. Scalar flux and transient storage indicate complex dispersion characteristics, and can potentially be used to infer the turbulent diffusion of contaminant. The MRI datasets can provide a reference for other atmospheric dispersion modelers and experimentalists, and the corresponding analyses demonstrate particular advantages of MRI data for model evaluation.
Industrial Transformation in Eastern Europe in the Light of the East Asian Experience

List of Tables - Preface - Notes on the Editors and Contributors - PART ONE: INTRODUCTION - On Appropriate Models for Transformation in Eastern Europe J.Henderson - PART TWO: TRANSFORMATION IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE - Social and Political Dimensions of Economic Transformation: Eastern Europe and Pacific Asia J.Henderson & R.Whitley - Industrial Transformation in East-Central Europe and East Asia: Should the State Whither Away? W.Andreff - Privatization and the State: Russia, Eastern Europe, East Asia N.Harris & D.Lockwood - The Starting Point of Liberalization: China and the Former USSR on the Eve of Reform P.Nolan - Institutional Change and Economic Development in East-Central Europe and China: Contrasts in the Light of the 'East Asian Model' D.Lo & H.Radice - PART THREE: NATIONAL SPECIFICITIES - Institutional Foundations of Robust Economic Performance: Public Sector Industrial Growth in China V.Nee & S.Su - The Developmental Alliance for Industrialization in East Asia: State and Business in South Korea and Taiwan E.M.Kim - Enterprise Strategies and Labour Relations in Central and Eastern Europe S.Vickerstaff, J.Thirkell & R.Scase - Ideologies, Economic Policies and Social Change: the Cyclical Nature of Hungary's Transformation L.Czaban - Index
Long-Term Potentiation: Its Effect on Classically Conditioned Behavior and Hippocampal Network Properties

The possibility is explored that long-term potentiation (LTP) of hippocampal synapses is induced by classical conditioning. LTP of perforant path-dentate synapses is shown to influence the rate of behavioral learning, and to alter functional network properties of the hippocampus. Data relevant to prerequisites for the induction of LTP by conditioning stimuli also are presented.
White Spotting: Piebald, Lethal Spotting, and Belted

The preceding chapters have been concerned almost entirely with the genetic control of melanin synthesis in melanocytes which are distributed uniformly, at least insofar as the coat is concerned. Attention now will be focused on genetic factors which can eliminate melanocytes either partially or completely.
Near-optimal control of a wave energy device in irregular waves with deterministic-model driven incident wave prediction

Abstract This paper investigates wave-by-wave control of a wave energy converter using incident wave prediction based on up-wave surface elevation measurement. The goal of control is to approach the hydrodynamically optimum velocity leading to optimum power absorption. This work aims to study the gains in energy conversion from a deterministic wave propagation model that accounts for a range of group velocities in deriving the prediction. The up-wave measurement distance is assumed to be small enough to allow a deterministic propagation model, and further, both wave propagation and device response are assumed to be linear. For deep water conditions and long-crested waves, the propagation process is also described using an impulse response function (e.g. [1] ). Approximate low and high frequency limits for realistic band-limited spectra are used to compute the corresponding group velocity limits. The prediction time into the future is based on the device impulse response function needed for the evaluation of the control force. The up-wave distance and the duration of measurement are then determined using the group velocity limits above. A 2-body axisymmetric heaving device is considered, for which power capture is through the relative heave oscillation between the two co-axial bodies. The power take-off is assumed to be linear and ideal as well as capable of applying the necessary resistive and reactive load components on the relative heave oscillation. The predicted wave profile is used along with device impulse response functions to compute the actuator force components at each instant. Calculations are carried out in irregular waves generated using a number of uni-modal wave spectra over a range of energy periods and significant wave heights. Results are compared with previous studies based on the use of instantaneous up-wave wave-profile measurements, both without and with oscillation constraints imposed. Considerable improvements in power capture are observed with the present approach over the range of wave conditions studied.
Pluto and Charon

Pluto is a small, cold planet on the outskirts of the known solar system. Pluto's diameter (∼2370 km) is roughly equivalent to the distance from New York to Las Vegas, or about two-thirds the size of our Moon. Pluto has one known moon of its own, Charon, whose diameter (∼1250 km) is slightly more than half of Pluto's. Unlike seven of the other eight planets (Uranus is the exception), Pluto rotates on its side, as does Charon in its orbit around Pluto. Charon's distance from Pluto is 19,636 km, compared to the Earth–Moon distance of 384,400 km. Despite their proximity, Pluto and Charon are covered by bright frosts of differing compositions: H2O ice covers Charon, whereas Pluto's surface is predominantly N2 frost that has traces of methane and carbon monoxide ices. Both objects have densities near 2 gm/cm3, implying a roughly even mixture of rock and H2O ice for their bulk compositions. The Pluto/Charon system has a highly elliptical orbit around the Sun. A Pluto recedes from the Sun, much of its thin N2 atmosphere will condense as frost on the surface. This periodic redeposition of fresh frost takes place every Pluto year (248 Earth-years) and is the reason that Pluto's surface has one of the highest albedos in the solar system. The Pluto/Charon system currently represents one of the wide open frontiers in the solar system. No spacecraft has visited Pluto/Charon (although NASA has plans for an upcoming Pluto–Kuiper Belt mission). The angular diameter of Pluto is only a tenth of an arcsecond at best, which is just about the resolving limit of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and ground-based observatories that have adaptive optics capabilities. Consequently much of what is known about the Pluto/Charon system has been pieced together from indirect clues or observations taken during unique observing geometries. Much has been determined by infrared spectroscopy. A rare opportunity to study Pluto's atmosphere takes place when Pluto passes directly between Earth and a star (stellar occulations). The 1988 occulation provided the most detailed and direct information about Pluto’s atmosphere. Keywords: Pluto; Charon; orbital dynamics; surface; atmospheres; origins; spectroscopy; stellar occultation; Volatile Transport
Endovascular Management of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Using a Cook Zenith TX2 Endograft

With the introduction of the first commercially available endograft, two additional endoprothesis are in the process of being evaluated for FDA approval. The Cook TX2 stent graft is designed as a two-piece system that incorporates hooks and barbs, distal fixation, and a proximal controlled deployment. Thoracic stent graft treatment of thoracic aortic pathologies, including thoracic aortic aneurysms, has been associated with migration of both proximal and distal fixation points,1 erosion of uncovered proximal portion through the aortic arch,2 and component separation with modular devices.2,3 These problems have been described with most of the thoracic endoprosthesis implanted for thoracic aortic pathologies.3–5 The ideal thoracic stent graft currently does not exist but would need to be flexible enough to accommodate the tortuosity of the arch, incorporate a fixation system that is secure both proximally and distally, seal within both straight and tortuous segments, be readily deliverable, and have favorable effects on the excluded region of the aorta. Additionally, delivery of the device would optimally not require the induction of hypotension or bradycardia even in the setting of extreme tortuousity. The Cook TX1 and TX2 device has been designed to attempt to solve some of these issues but currently at this time is not approved as a commercial device in the United States.
Studies in the Growth and Nutrition of Dairy Calves: IX. The Addition of Tomatoes to a Milk Ration

Summary From the work reported here it would appear that: 1. Milk can not be used as the sole ration for calves indefinitely. 2. A lack of the vitamines fat-soluble A, water-soluble B and water-soluble C, is not a cause of the inefficiency of milk. 3. A bulky roughage appears to be necessary for the calf. 4. A roughage such as good pea-green alfalfa may also provide some of the antirachitic vitamine and add to the lime supply of the calf.
The Role of Functional Analysis in Global Illumination

The problem of global illumination is virtually synonymous with solving the rendering equation. Although a great deal of research has been directed toward Monte Carlo and finite element methods for solving the rendering equation, little is known about the continuous equation beyond the existence and uniqueness of its solution. The continuous problem may be posed in terms of linear operators acting on infinite-dimensional function spaces. Such operators are fundamentally different from their finite-dimensional counterparts, and are properly studied using the methods of functional analysis. This paper summarizes some of the basic concepts of functional analysis and shows how these concepts may be applied to a linear operator formulation of the rendering equation. In particular, operator norms are obtained from thermodynamic principles, and a number of common function spaces are shown to be closed under global illumination. Finally, several fundamental operators that arise in global illumination are shown to be nearly finite-dimensional in that they can be uniformly approximated by matrices.
Identification of the epidural space in children. The application of a micro-drip infusion set.

Summary We have used an intravenous micro-drip infusion set to identify the epidural space in 350 infants and children. The infusion set was prepared with saline and connected to the hub of an epidural needle. Free dripping of saline was regarded as a sign that the needle tip had entered the epidural space. The overall success rate of this method was 97.7%.
kappa-opioid receptor agonists modulate excitatory transmission in substantia gelatinosa neurons of the rat spinal cord

This study examined the effects of selective activation of kappa 1-opioid receptors on excitatory transmission in substantia gelatinosa (SG) using intracellular recordings from SG neurons in transverse slices of the young rat lumbar spinal cord. Monosynaptic and polysynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were evoked by orthodromic electrical stimulation of A delta or C primary afferent fibers in the dorsal root after blocking inhibitory inputs with bicuculline and strychnine, NMDA receptors with D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid and mu- and delta-opioid receptors with CTAP and ICI 174,864, respectively. Bath application of dynorphin A1-17 or U-69, 593 caused dual modulation of the peak amplitude of presumed monosynaptic AMPA receptor-mediated EPSPs, decreasing synaptic potentials at nanomolar concentrations in a majority of SG cells examined (dynorphin, 63%; U-69,593, 91%), and increasing EPSPs at micromolar concentrations. Only the inhibitory action of dynorphin A1-17 was consistently and completely blocked by norbinaltorphimine (nor-BNI). Since U-69,593 and nor-BNI are selective for the kappa 1-opioid receptors, the depression of EPSPs is likely to be mediated by the kappa1-opioid receptors. Under conditions of blockade of synaptic transmission with TTX and mu-and delta-opioid receptors, dynorphin A1-17 and U-69,593 hyperpolarize most of SG neurons and decrease their membrane input resistance, the finding suggesting that direct interaction of kappa-agonists with a postsynaptic receptor is likely explanation for the inhibition of EPSPs. However, in some SG cells, the inhibition of EPSPs appears to be of presynaptic origin since dynorphin A1-17 and U-69,593 did depress the EPSPs in the absence of changes in passive membrane properties. Rp-cAMPS, a membrane permeant potent competitive inhibitor of cAMP-activated protein kinase, prevented the depressant effect of dynorphin A 1-17. This finding suggested a possibility that dynorphin A1-17, acting through a decrease in intracellular cyclic AMP levels, can reduce the synaptic responses of SG neurons. These results provide the first electrophysiological demonstration that the activation of kappa 1-opioid receptors inhibits AMPA receptor-mediated primary afferent neurotransmission in the substantia gelatinosa of the young rat spinal cord. This effect may mediate the ability of kappa-receptor agonists to produce antinociception.
Security Policy Integration and Conflict Reconciliation for Collaborations among Organizations in Ubiquitous Computing Environments

The investigative capabilities and productivity of researchers and practitioners of various organizations can be greatly expanded with collaborations among these organizations in ubiquitous computing environments. However, in order to provide effective collaborations among organizations in ubiquitous computing environments, due to the heterogeneity and dynamic nature of the ubiquitous computing environments it is critical to generate an integrated security policy set to govern the interactions among collaborating organizations during the collaboration. Existing approaches in security policy integration and conflict analysis have focused on static policy analysis which cannot address the dynamic formation of collaborative groups in ubiquitous computing environments. In this paper, an approach is presented to security policy integration, including a similarity-based policy adaptation algorithm for changing collaborative groups and a negotiation-based policy generation protocol for the new resources generated by the collaboration as well as for conflict reconciliation. Our approach can be automated with user defined control variables, which can greatly improve the efficiency and make the system scalable with little human intervention.
Optimal measurement scheduling for state estimation

The authors consider the problem of optimal allocation of measurement resources when: (1) the total measurement cost and time duration of measurements is fixed; and (2) the cost of an individual measurement varies inversely with the (controllable) measurement accuracy. The objective is to determine the time distribution of measurement variances that minimizes a measure of error in forecasting a discrete-time, vector stochastic process by a linear estimator. The metric of estimation error used is the trace of weighted sum of estimation error covariance matrices at various time indices. When the stochastic process is a scalar, it is shown that this problem reduces to solving a quadratic programming problem with nonnegativity constraints on the optimization variables. For the special case when the vector stochastic process is the state of a linear, finite-dimensional stochastic system, the problem reduces to the solution of a nonlinear optimal control problem. >
Tumor necrosis factor alters evoked response potentials in dissociated neural networks in culture

Neural circuits such as cortical columns individually oscillate between functional states which are correlative with whole-organism sleep and waking. Localized injections of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) alter the functional state oscillations, pointing to their role in regulating local sleep. In this study, alteration of functional states by TNF, as evidenced by changed electrical response properties, was demonstrated in dissociated neural networks grown in tissue culture. Specifically, mixed cultures of neurons and glia from 1-day-old mice were grown on multi-electrode-array (MEA) dishes. The cultures were subjected to 1 Hz electrical stimulation at a single electrode over 30 minutes, just after addition of 0.1 ng TNF to the culture bath. Data were bandpass-filtered between 0.1 and 200 Hz to extract slow-wave response characteristics. Evoked response potentials (ERPs), i.e. slow-wave depolarizations induced by a single stimulus, were compared. ERPs after TNF addition exhibit (1) larger response amplitudes, (2) increased signal consistency (decreased variability) over time and across channels, and (3) enhanced cross-channel correlation, compared to the baseline. These patterns match with ERP characteristics observed in vivo during sleep and wake. TNF addition enhances the sleep-like state, in correspondence with its role as a sleep promoter.
Fusion of Modal Strain Energy for Health Monitoring of Aircraft Structures

An early prototype of the Vertical Stabilizer Assembly (VSA) of the Shuttle Orbiter was modal tested at healthy and damaged states to study vibrational nondestructive damage evaluation in aerospace structures. Frequency Response and Coherence functions were collected with a Laser Vibrometer at 84 points when the healthy and damaged VSA was shaken with a continuous random force from 0 to 300 Hz. The measurements were used to extract the resonant frequencies and modal shapes for the healthy and damaged states. After pairing of the mode shapes between the healthy and damaged states through the Modal Assurance Criterion and an analysis of the differences in the frequency response functions (FRFs), the strain energy densities of the elements due to modal deformations were determined through a finite element model. The energy densities were normalized so that the total energy of the structure be the same for the mode pairs of the undamaged and damaged sates. The differences in the modal strain energy densities between the healthy and damaged structures provide features that allow for the localization of damage. This is achieved by implementing fusion techniques that combine competing and complementing information obtained from the energy density differences of several mode pairs. This paper evaluates the detectability and performance of two fusion methods to localize damage in the VSA. These are averaging and Bayesian fusion. The performance is based on detectability and the number of false calls.
Omega-6 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease

Dietary linoleic acid (LA, an omega-6 fatty acid) is the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the Western diet. A review of the evidence, including randomised intervention trials of blood cholesterol reduction, observational studies of clinical endpoints and randomized intervention trials of clinical endpoints, indicates that increasing the consumption of PUFAs, including omega-6 fatty acids, from vegetable oils reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease.
Malignancy risk for the categories: Non-diagnostic, benign, atypical, suspicious, and malignant used in the categorization of endobronchial ultrasound guided-fine needle aspirates of pulmonary nodules.

Background Endobronchial ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EBUS-FNA) is frequently used for the workup of pulmonary nodules. While no universally accepted diagnostic classification exists, many cytopathologists use the categories: Non-diagnostic, benign, atypical, suspicious and malignant. Sensitivity and specificity for the EBUS technique have been documented, but little information is available for malignancy risk associated with these categories. Methods Departments of Pathology records at the University of Utah and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill were searched for EBUS-FNAs of pulmonary nodules. Cases with surgical follow-up were selected. Cytologic diagnosis and subsequent surgical diagnosis were correlated and malignancy risk calculated for each category. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Results 155 EBUS-FNAs with surgical follow-up were obtained. Risks of malignancy were: Non-diagnostic 40%, benign 24%, atypical 54%, suspicious for malignancy 82% and malignant 87%. Sensitivity and specificity were 81% and 84% respectively for surgically confirmed cytologic diagnoses when indeterminate categories were excluded. Conclusion The diagnostic categories are associated with increasing risk of malignancy running from non-diagnostic to malignant. The non-diagnostic category has a significant risk of malignancy. While the risk of malignancy for a benign diagnosis is substantial (24%), it is significantly less than that associated with an atypical or suspicious diagnosis. A suspicious diagnosis carries a risk for malignancy essentially the same as a malignant diagnosis. The categories atypical and suspicious appear to have substantially different risks for malignancy (54% vs.82%). The atypical category has twice the risk of malignancy as benign. This risk stratification may be useful for patient management. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2015;43:892–896. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Three-dimensional skeletonization for computer-assisted treatment planning in radiosurgery

This paper describes a new algorithm for skeletonization of two- (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) objects based on ridge extraction. Ridges are formed when grassfire fronts collapse during grassfire propagation and they correspond to the locus of skeleton. The iso-distance contours/surfaces of a distance map are analogous to the grassfire fronts. They are locally smooth everywhere except at ridge locations. The new skeletonization algorithm extracts these ridge points based on local curvature measurement and is rotational invariant. It requires one scan of the image for curvature detection in any dimension, and is much faster than thinning methods. Connectivity checks are not required and the algorithm is extensible to higher dimensions. Our 3D skeletonization method is used in a novel algorithm to guide computerized planning of radiosurgical treatment of brain tumors.
Cloning and Characterization of a Functional Peroxisome Proliferator Activator Receptor-γ-responsive Element in the Promoter of the CAP Gene

c-Cbl-associating protein (CAP) is a multifunctional signaling protein that interacts with c-Cbl, facilitating the tyrosine phosphorylation of c-Cbl in response to insulin. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes and diabetic rodents, CAPgene expression is stimulated by activators of peroxisome proliferator activator receptor γ (PPARγ), such as thiazolidinediones (TZDs), resulting in increased insulin-stimulated c-Cbl phosphorylation. Sequence analysis of 2.5 kilobases of the 5′-flanking region of theCAP gene reveals a predicted peroxisome proliferator response element (PPRE) from −1085 to −1097. The isolated promoter was functional in 3T3 fibroblasts and adipocytes. Co-transfection of the CAP promoter with PPARγ and retinoic acid X receptor α caused fold stimulation of promoter activity. The TZD rosiglitazone produced an additional 2–3-fold stimulation of the promoter. Deletion of the predicted PPRE from the CAP promoter abolished its ability to respond to rosiglitazone. Gel shift analysis of the putative PPARγ site demonstrates direct binding of PPAR/retinoid X receptor heterodimers to the PPRE in the CAP gene. These data demonstrate that TZDs directly stimulate transcription of the CAP gene through activation of PPARγ.
Donation after cardiac death: A 29-year experience

Collaborative efforts in the transplant community as well as mandates from governmental agencies to increase organ donation are attempting to find solutions for the disparity between the availability of organs for transplant and the need. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) encouraged increasing donation after cardiac death (DCD).1 Despite these initiatives, the number of organs obtainable for transplant has declined in recent years.2 Over a 5-year period (2003–2008), the number of DCD donors has tripled nationwide; moreover, a growing portion of the total donors is from donation after cardiac death. The rate of DCD donors, which was 4% in 2003 increased to 11% by 2008.3 The rates of DCD donation at the University of Wisconsin organ procurement organization have been consistent over this period with DCD donors comprising 17–30% of total organ donors. In addition, recently available data demonstrates that organ recovery from DCD donors increased 24% between 2006 and 2007, compared with a decline of 2% for standard criteria donors (SCD).4 The increase in DCD donors has contributed to a utilization of additional younger donors, augmented total donors in the United States over the past decade, and although still not meeting the need of the numbers on transplant waiting lists, may have contributed to a stabilization of waitlist deaths.5 The purpose of this large single center study of the long-term outcomes of donation after cardiac death organs is meant to add to the data supporting DCD donation as a means to enhance the donor pool as well as reveal clinical challenges created by DCD allografts.
A comparison of alternative theoretical explanations of consumer food safety assessments

The technical approach assumes that risk assessments made by technical experts are relatively objective and value-free evaluations of the probability of negative consequences arising from use of a technology. Risk communication strategies associated with the technical approach focus upon educating an uninformed public about ‘actual’ risk. When consumer perceptions do not agree with technical assessments, consumers are deemed to be uniformed, irrational and sometimes dangerous to public health programmes. The social process approach assumes that technical assessments and applications of technology are influenced by political, social and economic interests. Consumer perceptions arise from social interaction with family and friends and depend strongly upon trust in societal institutions. Risk communication strategy emphasizes the importance of two-way communication that encourages well reasoned public discourse and trust in societal institutions. Findings from examining the cognitive, emotional, and social determinants of perceptions of food irradiation for 164 adults residing in the Mid-western USA indicate that the technical and social process approaches are complementary, but most of the variance in acceptance and perceived risk was explained by variables associated with the social process approach.
The Non-Traditional Family: An Introduction

The single parent family has changed over the past 50 years. This introduction explains how it has changed and future directives.
Arthropod diversity of exotic vs. native Robinia species in northern Arizona

Summary 1 Arthropods were collected on native locust, Robinia neomexicana A. Gray, and exotic Robinia pseudoacacia L. in northern Arizona over a 2-year period to determine the number of arthropod species and number of individuals present. 2 More arthropod species were found on the native (251) than on the exotic Robinia (174). 3 Greater species diversity was likewise found on the native than the exotic. The five most numerous insects collected each year accounted for 81% to 91% of the total number collected on the exotic and native Robinia in 1997 and 1998. Only 12 species occurred on both the native and exotic Robinia in both years. 4 These findings are discussed in the context of using exotic trees in plantations and ecological theory regarding rates of arthropod species accumulation on exotic hosts.
Partial miscibility behavior in cryogenic natural gas systems

Abstract Three-phase fluid equilibria (liquid-liquid-vapor) can be observed under certain conditions for cryogenic natural gas mixtures. The appearance of the second liquid phase necessarily affects the liquified natural gas (LNG) process design for these systems. The occurrence of liquid-liquid-vapor (LLV) phenomena in natural gas systems is reviewed, and candidate mixtures for LLV behavior are identified. Experimental results on ten ternary natural gas systems studied by the investigators suggest a classification system for LLV behavior in natural gas mixtures.
Adiabatic and diabatic two-phase venting flow in a microchannel

Abstract The growth and advection of the vapor phase in two-phase microchannel heat exchangers increase the system pressure and cause flow instabilities. One solution is to locally vent the vapor formed by capping the microchannels with a porous, hydrophobic membrane. In this paper we visualize this venting process in a single 124 μm by 98 μm copper microchannel with a 65 μm thick, 220 nm pore diameter hydrophobic Teflon membrane wall to determine the impact of varying flow conditions on the flow structures and venting process during adiabatic and diabatic operation. We characterize liquid velocities of 0.14, 0.36 and 0.65 m/s with superficial air velocities varying from 0.3 to 8 m/s. Wavy-stratified and stratified flow dominated low liquid velocities while annular type flows dominated at the higher velocities. Gas/vapor venting can be improved by increasing the venting area, increasing the trans-membrane pressure or using thinner, high permeability membranes. Diabatic experiments with mass flux velocities of 140 and 340 kg/s/m 2 and exit qualities up to 20% found that stratified type flows dominate at lower mass fluxes while churn-annular flow became more prevalent at the higher mass-flux and quality. The diabatic flow regimes are believed to significantly influence the pressure-drop and heat transfer coefficient in vapor venting heat exchangers.
Wind and PV hybrid renewable system dispatch using battery energy storage

Increasing electricity demand reveals the challenges presented by limited resources and environment impacts. As an alternative to conventional plants, renewable resources such as wind power and PVs account for an increasing percentage of electricity generation in recent years. Although renewable resources have many advantages, their intermittent nature must addressed before large scale application. Unlike wind power, which usually has higher power output at night and in the early morning, solar power only exists during daytime. This paper proposes the idea of combining wind turbines and PVs at different capacity ratios to match the hybrid system output to the system load profile. With an optimal capacity ratio, feasibility studies are also made by adding battery storage to the hybrid system to dispatch total hybrid output.
The optimal design of pressure swing adsorption systems

Abstract This work presents a model to determine the annualized cost optimal design of a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) separation system. Design decisions include the number of beds the operations to use, the scheduling of those operations, and the operating conditions. Operations include adsorption, pressure equalization, blowdown, desorption, and feed repressurization. Operations can be interconnected such as pressurizing one bed by connecting it to another which is to be depressurized. The capital and operating costs and adsorption behavior of each operation in the operating sequence is approximated by a set of algebraic equations, which due to the level of error in determining the physical properties, has been found to be sufficiently accurate to characterize the system. This paper presents each of the operation models and the assumptions behind them. The structure of the model is a mixed-integer nonlinear program (MINLP), the solution of which determines the optimal operating configuration, size, and operating conditions. The resulting structure may then be verified by either additional experiments or a more detailed simulation. Designing an “optimal” PSA system to remove methane from a hydrogen stream illustrates the approach.
Iron stress response in tomato affected by potassium and renewing nutrient solutions

Abstract Iron‐efficient T3238FER tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) did not respond to Fe‐deficiency stress by releasing hydrogen ions and reductants from their roots when the plants were grown in a K‐deficient nutrient solution with or without sodium. When increments of K were added to the nutrient solution, the plants responded proportionally to Fe‐deficiency stress, Fe was transported to plant tops and the chlorophyll concentration in plant tops increased. As the leaf Fe concentration was increasing, root K concentration was increasing and root Mn concentration was decreasing. The K and Mn in tops did not show the marked differences observed in roots. In the presence of adequate K, renewing the solutions each time the pH was lowered to near 4 (days 7 and 11) caused an increased concentration of most elements in the plant, especially Mn in both tops and roots. These plants had the same Fe concentration as plants grown in unchanged solutions but they contained much less chlorophyll. Balance of nutr...
User-interface design, culture, and the future

This paper introduces the cultural anthropologist Hofstede's culture dimensions and considers how they might affect user-interface designs. Examples from the Web illustrate the cultural dimensions User-interface designers have identified basic components of user interfaces. An initial mapping of culture dimensions to user-interface components seeks to help user-interface designers cope with global product and service development. Ultimately, tools might emerge to facilitate tuning designs per culture.
Prazosin unmasks a renin response to intravenous para-chloroamphetamine.

Abstract When injected intraperitoneally, p -chloroamphetamine (PCA) causes the acute release of catecholamines and serotonin, increases mean arterial pressure (MAP) and increases plasma renin activity (PRA) in rats. Experiments were designed to determine the dose-response and time-course for the effect of PCA administered intravenously on PRA in conscious, unrestrained rats. It was found initially that intravenous doses of PCA ranging from 0.3 – 6.0 mg/kg caused rapid and marked hypertension, but produced variable effects on PRA for up to 30 minutes after injection. In a second study PCA (0.3 – 6.0 mg/kg) did not alter PRA at 30 or 60 minutes after intravenous injection, but did increase PRA 60 minutes after 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally. When the hypertension elicited by intravenous PCA was abolished by pretreatment with the α 1 -adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin (100 μg/kg, iv), PCA produced marked elevations in PRA from 15 – 60 minutes. Thus it appeared that the renin response to intravenous PCA was masked by an elevation in MAP; when the vascular response to PCA was blocked, a large increase in PRA was observed.
A Global SU(5) F-theory model with Wilson line breaking

We engineer compact SU(5) Grand Unified Theories in F-theory in which GUT-breaking is achieved by a discrete Wilson line. Because the internal gauge field is flat, these models avoid the high scale threshold corrections associated with hypercharge flux. Along the way, we exemplify the ‘local-to-global’ approach in F-theory model building and demonstrate how the Tate divisor formalism can be used to address several challenges of extending local models to global ones. These include in particular the construction of G-fluxes that extend non-inherited bundles and the engineering of U(1) symmetries. We go beyond chirality computations and determine the precise (charged) massless spectrum, finding exactly three families of quarks and leptons but excessive doublet and/or triplet pairs in the Higgs sector (depending on the example) and vector-like exotics descending from the adjoint of SU(5)GUT. Understanding why vector-like pairs persist in the Higgs sector without an obvious symmetry to protect them may shed light on new solutions to the μ problem in F-theory GUTs.
Hallucinating objects versus hallucinating subjects

Collerton et al. propose that one and the same mechanism (PAD) underlies recurrent complex visual hallucinations (RCVH) in various disorders, including schizophrenia, dementia, and eye disease. The present commentary offers an alternative account of RCVH and other recurrent complex hallucinations specific to schizophrenia and related disorders only. The proposed account is consistent with the bias of schizophrenic RCVH contents toward animate, socially active entities.
Male-female relationships in the workplace: Perceived motivations in office romance

A survey of 218 recent business school graduates confirmed prior studies of differential evaluation of women involved in workplace romances. The research addressed whether women are still perceived as entering into relationships for motives different from men, particularly in terms of exploiting sexuality for gain. Few instances were found where relationships were formed for personal advancement; however, motivations for personal gain were far more commonly attributed to women. Women were also more likely to be perceived as victims of the office “fling.” Attributions did not differ between male and female observers. Implications for working women are discussed.