cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of bubble chambers with sensitivity to WIMPs

Bubble nucleation in moderately superheated liquids can be triggered by nuclear recoils from WIMPs. This phenomenon is the basis for superheated droplet detectors. The droplet technique is currently limited by insensitivity to spin-independent interactions, due to lack of heavy elements in the usual target liquids, and sensitivity to contamination of the gel by alpha emitters. As an alternative, we have developed a new type of homogeneous bubble chamber, which can contain heavy liquids, including CF3Br, CF3I, and C3F8. Detectors of this type may be scalable to large size at modest cost and could have very low backgrounds. We discuss results obtained with a 12 ml prototype and plans for a 1 liter chamber.
Hole-Mediated Photodecomposition of Trimethyl Acetate on a TiO2(001) Anatase Epitaxial Thin Film Surface

Surfaces of titanium dioxide in both rutile and anatase polymorphs have attracted significant attention in catalysis and photochemistry. The (110) orientation of rutile, and to a lesser extent other rutile orientations, have been studied on an atomic scale, yielding information on surface structure and chemical reactivity. In contrast, the thermal and photochemistry of well-defined, single-crystal anatase surfaces has not been investigated, largely because of the metastable nature of anatase, as well as the lack of availability of high-quality surfaces. Here we describe a study of the adsorption and photoreactivity of an organic adlayer, trimethyl acetate (TMA), on structurally excellent anatase (001) epitaxial thin films grown by oxygen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (OPAMBE). High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photodesorption spectrometry have been used to study the chemisorption and ultraviolet (UV) light-induced photodecomposition o...
Within-Family Differences in Parent–Child Relations Across the Life Course

Despite a powerful social norm that parents should treat offspring equally, beginning in early childhood and continuing through adulthood, parents often differentiate among their children in such domains as closeness, support, and control. We review research on how parent–child relationships differ within families, focusing on issues of parental favoritism and differential treatment of children. We begin by examining within-family differences in childhood and adolescence and then explore differentiation by older parents among adult children. Overall, we find considerable similarities across the life course in the prevalence, predictors, and consequences of parents' differentiation among their offspring.
Frustrating patients: physician and patient perspectives among distressed high users of medical services.

OBJECTIVE To identify differences between patients viewed as frustrating by their physicians and those considered typical and satisfying. DESIGN This cross-sectional observational study focused on psychologically distressed high users of medical services. Frustrating patients were compared with typical and satisfying patients, using data from patient questionnaires, physician assessments, structured psychiatric interviews, and computerized utilization records. SETTING Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, a large health maintenance organization. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS Study patients were in the top decile for ambulatory visits, and bad elevated scores for anxiety, depression, and somatization. Among the 339 patients invited to participate in the study, 251 agreed, and 228 were rated by their physicians. MAIN RESULTS A substantial proportion (37%) of the high users were viewed as frustrating by their physicians. Physicians' ratings of physical disease severity did not differ among the groups, but frustrating patients rated their own health status less favorably and reported more somatic symptoms and disabilities. The frustrating group utilized more medical services than did other distressed high utilizers. All three groups had a high prevalence of mental disorders. However, frustrating patients had higher rates of somatization and generalized anxiety disorder. CONCLUSIONS Physicians and their frustrating patients had contrasting views of the patients' illnesses. The best predictors of physician frustration were somatization and increased medical service utilization. There is need for further research and clinical attention concerning optimal clinical management for patients with somatization.
Remark on exit times from cones in \(\mathbb{R}^n \)of Brownian motion

Our purpose is to show how the asymptotics in Corollary 1.3 of [2] can be obtained under much weaker hypotheses. It turns out the problem essentially reduces to showing that if R(s) is a Bessel process, u>0 and α>0, then $$P\left( {\mathop f\limits_0^1 R(s)^{ - 2} ds \leqq u} \right) = O(t^{ - \alpha } )$$ as t→∞. We provide a simple proof of this fact.
Chemical Evidence for Separating the Psilotaceae from the Filicales

The distribution of flavonoid compounds in Psilotum, Tmesipteris, and primitive filicalean ferns shows that it is unlikely the two groups are closely related. The Psilotaceae synthesize only amentoflavone and related biflavonyls which are totally absent from ferns. The primitive ferns contain the full complement of flavonols and proanthocyanidins, as found in all other filicalean families.
Post-post-Newtonian deflection of light by the Sun

Using a generalized metric, we calculate the post-post-Newtonian (ppN) contribution to the deflection of starlight by the Sun as well as the post-Newtonian deflections due to the Sun's gravitational quadrupole moment and angular momentum. For light rays grazing the Sun, the magnitudes of these deflections predicted by general relativity are, respectively, about 11, 0.2, and 0.7 ..mu..arcsec. A covariance analysis shows that the ppN contribution could be measured with an uncertainty under 20% with an optical interferometer, in Earth orbit, that can determine the separation of stars with an uncertainty of 1 ..mu..arcsec.
The logical representation of extensive games

Given an extensive formG, we associate with every choice an atomic sentence and with every information set a set of well-formed formulas (wffs) of prepositional calculus. The set of such wffs is denoted by Γ(G). Using the so-called topological semantics for propositional calculus (which differs from the standard one based on truth tables), we show that the extensive form yields a topological model of Γ(G), that is, every wff in Γ(G), is “true in G”. We also show that, within the standard truth-table semantics for propositional calculus, there is a one-to-one and onto correspondence between the set of plays ofG and the set of valuations that satisfy all the wffs in Γ(G).
Ideas, Institutions and Diffusion: What Explains Tobacco Control Policy in Australia, Canada and New Zealand?

Abstract Recent comparative studies find Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to be among world leaders in tobacco control, but the explanations differ. Are cultural or institutional factors, especially federalism, more important in making these three English-speaking countries among the strongest tobacco-control regimes in the world? This study employs data on policy instruments that have been commonly used in tobacco control policy. Paradoxically, the federation that is more fiscally centralised, Australia, has had the most decentralised process of tobacco control, which has allowed it to initiate new policies earlier. Through similar underlying ‘secular morality’ values of public health promotion and diffusion, both within and across countries, similar outcomes are achieved through different institutional processes.
Light‐ and dopamine‐regulated receptive field plasticity in primate horizontal cells

Center-surround antagonistic receptive fields (CSARFs) are building blocks for spatial vision and contrast perception. Retinal horizontal cells (HCs) are the first lateral elements along the visual pathway, and are thought to contribute to receptive field surrounds of higher order neurons. Primate HC receptive fields have not been found to change with light, and dopaminergic modulation has not been investigated. Recording intracellularly from HCs in dark-adapted macaque retina, we found that H1-HCs had large receptive fields (λ = 1,158 ± 137 μm) that were reduced by background light (-45%), gap junction closure (-53%), and D1 dopamine receptor activation (-48%). Tracer coupling was modulated in a correlative manner, suggesting that coupling resistance plays a dominant role in receptive field formation under low light conditions. The D1 antagonist SCH23390 increased the size of receptive fields (+13%), suggesting tonic dopamine release in the dark. Because light elevates dopamine release in primate retina, our results support a dopaminergic role in post-receptoral light adaptation by decreasing HC receptive field diameters, which influences the center-surround receptive field organization of higher-order neurons and thereby spatial contrast sensitivity.
Longitudinal Examination of Medical Staff Utilization in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Organizations.

Abstract This study examined changes in utilization of medical staff within organizations specializing in treatment of patients with substance use disorder (SUD) at two points in time (2007 and 2010). Utilization was calculated as the number of hours paid weekly for psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, and other medical staff working as employees or on contract. Study data come from a longitudinal national sample of 274 substance use disorder treatment centers. Average utilization of medical staff by these SUD treatment organizations increased by 26% from 2007 to 2010. The results showed that growing SUD treatment centers that obtained more referrals from health care providers, used case managers to coordinate comprehensive approaches to patient care, provided medication assisted treatment (MAT), and that were connected more closely with hospitals made increased use of medical staff over the 2007–2010 period. In 2010, these organizations seem to have been moving in directions consistent with trends forecasted for the SUD treatment environment after implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Shouldn’t snowpacks be sources of monocarboxylic acids?

Abstract We report the first measurements of the mixing ratios of acetic (CH3COOH) and formic (HCOOH) acids in the air filling the pore spaces of the snowpacks (firn air) at Summit, Greenland and South Pole. Both monocarboxylic acids were present at levels well above 1 ppbv throughout the upper 35 cm of the snowpack at Summit. Maximum mixing ratios in Summit firn air reached nearly 8 ppbv CH3COOH and 6 ppbv HCOOH. At South Pole the mixing ratios of these acids in the top 35 cm of firn air were also generally >1 ppbv, though their maximums barely exceeded 2.5 ppbv of CH3COOH and 2.0 ppbv of HCOOH. Mixing ratios of the monocarboxylic acids in firn air did not consistently respond to diel and experimental (fast) variations in light intensity, unlike the case for N oxides in the same experiments. Air-to-snow fluxes of CH3COOH and HCOOH apparently support high mixing ratios (means of (CH3COOH/HCOOH) 445/460 and 310/159 pptv at Summit and South Pole, respectively) in air just above the snow during the summer sampling seasons at these sites. We hypothesize that oxidation of carbonyls and alkenes (that are produced by photo- and OH-oxidation of ubiquitous organic compounds) within the snowpack is the source of the monocarboxylic acids.
Impaired motor performance in adolescents at familial high-risk for schizophrenia

Abstract Background The Harvard Adolescent Family High Risk (FHR) Study examined multiple domains of function in young relatives of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia to identify precursors of the illness. One such area is motor performance, which is deviant in people with schizophrenia and in children at risk for schizophrenia, usually offspring. The present study assessed accuracy of motor performance and degree of lateralization in FHR adolescents and young adults. Methods Subjects were 33 non-psychotic, first-degree relatives of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, and 30 non-psychotic comparison subjects (NpC), ranging in age from 13 to 25 who were compared using a line-drawing task. Results FHR individuals exhibited less precise and coordinated line drawing but greater degree of lateralization than controls. Performance on the linedrawing task was correlated with degree of genetic loading, a possible predictor of higher risk for schizophrenia in the pedigree. Conclusions The observation of increased motor deviance and increased lateralization in FHR can be utilized in identification and initiation of the treatment in those at high risk in order to prevent or delay the full manifestation of this devastating condition. The use of a rigorously quantified measure is likely to add to the sensitivity of measuring motor performance, especially when impairments may be subtle.
Elevated leukocyte cyclic AMP—phosphodiesterase in atopic disease: a possible mechanism for cyclic AMP—agonist hyporesponsiveness

Previous studies have documented that leukocytes from atopic individuals show reduced cyclic AMP (cAMP) responsiveness to isoproterenol, histamine, and prostaglandin E1. We questioned whether this blunted response was due to rapid enzymic breakdown of cAMP. We measured cAMP-phosphodiesterase activity in mononuclear leukocytes of patients with atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis and noted consistent, significantly elevated levels. Kinetic studies showed differences in two of three leukocyte enzyme forms between normals and patients. Isolated lymphocytes from atopic dermatitis patients lacked a low Km phosphodiesterase form and showed an increase in the high Km, high-activity form seen in normal monocytes. The increased phosphodiesterase activity provides an explanation for the blunted cAMP responsiveness in atopic leukocytes and may reflect a basic biochemical characteristic relevant to abnormal immunocellular regulation in atopic disease.
Behavioral Auditory Function After Transectlon of Crossed Olivo-Cochlear Bundle in the Cat

This report describes the results in cats of a visual-auditory dual modal experiment after translateral olivo-cochlear bundle ablation at the floor of fourth ventricle. Subjects were behaviorally conditioned (avoidance) to respond in a shuttle box to show that they detected changes in ambient light intensity during the existence of intense background noise. With the given experimental paradigm, no noticeable difference was found between the response of the experimental animals and those of animals that underwent sham operation.
Characteristics of iron doped Pt-InAlAs Schottky diodes grown by LP-MOCVD using ferrocene

Iron doped InAlAs layers were grown by MOCVD with the purpose of improving the electrical properties of this material. Photoreflectance studies clearly showed the increase of deep traps by introducing iron into the layers. Pt-Schottky diodes were fabricated on undoped and iron doped InAlAs with various iron concentrations and device parameters were extracted to reveal the impact of iron concentration on the electrical characteristics. Although iron doped layers showed lower Schottky barrier height, extremely high reverse breakdown voltage of /spl sim/90 V could be obtained with properly doped materials. The results showed that the electrical properties of InAlAs can be greatly improved if an appropriate level of iron doping is employed. Beyond certain level of ferrocene flow, the material starts presenting less pronounced semi-insulating characteristics, possibly due to the presence of iron precipitates. Low frequency noise current spectra of iron doped InAlAs showed a Lorentz-shaped spectrum near /spl sim/40 Hz suggesting an increased presence of traps with high activation energy in InAlAs:Fe.
Lineage-based identification of cellular states and expression programs

Summary: We present a method, LineageProgram, that uses the developmental lineage relationship of observed gene expression measurements to improve the learning of developmentally relevant cellular states and expression programs. We find that incorporating lineage information allows us to significantly improve both the predictive power and interpretability of expression programs that are derived from expression measurements from in vitro differentiation experiments. The lineage tree of a differentiation experiment is a tree graph whose nodes describe all of the unique expression states in the input expression measurements, and edges describe the experimental perturbations applied to cells. Our method, LineageProgram, is based on a log-linear model with parameters that reflect changes along the lineage tree. Regularization with L1 that based methods controls the parameters in three distinct ways: the number of genes change between two cellular states, the number of unique cellular states, and the number of underlying factors responsible for changes in cell state. The model is estimated with proximal operators to quickly discover a small number of key cell states and gene sets. Comparisons with existing factorization, techniques, such as singular value decomposition and non-negative matrix factorization show that our method provides higher predictive power in held, out tests while inducing sparse and biologically relevant gene sets. Contact: [email protected]
Fast Nth-order Hankel transform algorithm

An Nth-order Hankel transform (also called Fourier-Bessel transform) algorithm designed for many analytically defined functions is presented. This algorithm is not restricted to order zero. As such, it provides greater generality than many others. The traditional difficulty in the evaluation of Hankel transforms, the presence of Bessel functions in the kernel of the integral transform, is eliminated in this new Hankel transform algorithm. The algorithm presented is composed of a fast (linear time) Nth-order Chebyshev transform followed by a fast Fourier transform. >
Evolutionary reature evaluation for online Reinforcement Learning

Most successful examples of Reinforcement Learning (RL) report the use of carefully designed features, that is, a representation of the problem state that facilitates effective learning. The best features cannot always be known in advance, creating the need to evaluate more features than will ultimately be chosen. This paper presents Temporal Difference Feature Evaluation (TDFE), a novel approach to the problem of feature evaluation in an online RL agent. TDFE combines value function learning by temporal difference methods with an evolutionary algorithm that searches the space of feature subsets, and outputs franking over all individual features. TDFE dynamically adjusts its ranking, avoids the sample complexity multiplier of many population-based approaches, and works with arbitrary feature representations. Online learning experiments are performed in the game of Connect Four, establishing (i) that the choice of features is critical, (ii) that TDFE can evaluate and rank all the available features online, and (iii) that the ranking can be used effectively as the basis of dynamic online feature selection.
Ellipsometer Study of Anomalous Absorption in Very Thin Dielectric Films on Evaporated Metals

To resolve observed absorption anomalies in the visible region in very thin films on evaporated metals a model is proposed which assumes that: (1) absorption can be separated into x, y, and z components and each of the components decreases exponentially with distance from the film-metal interface and that (2) the absorption at a point in the film is given by the sum of products involving the relative electric-field components and the respective absorption coefficients in the coordinate directions. A procedure is presented for calculation of the relative electric field components for a given film, substrate, wavelength, and angle of incidence. The relative tangential electric field has a dominant influence on the absorption, particularly for very thin films. This conclusion is based on the observed correlation between the slopes of the measured absorption and the calculated tangential field. The substrate has an important influence. This is evident in differences in measured absorption and calculated fields comparing Au and Cr substrates.
In Search of My Queer Fathers (In Response to Bishop Eddie Long)

This poetic meditation engages homosexuality as pathology and inherited “disease” as propagated by some factions of the Black church. Reinterpreting the notion of genealogical “inheritance” the author pays tribute to his queer ancestors, tracing a legacy of racial and sexual struggle and how the two are imbricated. At the same time, the meditation points to the hypocrisy of Black clergy who always already carry within them a part of the Black queer.
Biosynthesis of the carbohydrate antigenic determinants, Globo H, blood group H, and Lewis b: a role for prostate cancer cell α1,2-L-fucosyltransferase

Prostate carcinoma LNCaP cells were unique among several human cancer cell lines which include two other prostate cancer cell lines, PC-3 and DU-145, in expressing alpha1,2-L-fucosyltransferase (FT) as an exclusive FT activity. Affinity gel-GDP and Sephacryl S100 HR columns were used for a partial purification of this enzyme from 3.9 x 10(9) LNCaP cells (approximately 200-fold; 40% yield). The K(m) value (2.7 mM) for the LacNAc type 2 acceptor was quite similar to the one reported for the cloned blood group H gene-specified alpha1,2-FT [Chandrasekaran et al. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 8914-8924]. N-Ethylmaleimide was a potent inhibitor (K(i ) 12.5 microM). The enzyme showed four-fold acceptor preference for the LacNAc type 2 unit in comparison to the T-hapten in mucin core 2 structure. Its main features were similar to those of the cloned enzyme: (1) C-6 sulfation of terminal Gal in the LacNAc unit increased the acceptor efficiency, whereas C-6 sialylation abolished acceptor ability; (2) C-6 sulfation of GlcNAc in LacNAc type 2 decreased by 80% the acceptor ability, whereas LacNAc type 1 was unaffected; (3) Lewis x did not serve as an acceptor; (4) the C-4 hydroxyl rather than the C-6 hydroxyl group of the GlcNAc moiety in LacNAc type1 was essential for activity; and (5) the acrylamide copolymer of Galbeta1,3GlcNAcbeta-O-Al was the best acceptor among the acrylamide copolymers. Additionally, highly significant biological features of alpha1,2FT were identified in the present study. The synthesis of Globo H and Lewis b determinants became evident from the fact that Galbeta1,3GalNAcbeta1,3Galalpha-O-Me and Galbeta1,3(Fucalpha1,4)Glc-NAcbeta1,3Galbeta-O-Me served as high-affinity acceptors for this enzyme. Further, D-Fucbeta1,3Gal-NAcbeta1,3Galalpha-O-Me was a very efficient acceptor, indicating that the C-6 hydroxyl group of the terminal Gal moiety in Globo H is not essential for the enzyme activity. Thus, the present study was able to demonstrate three different catalytic roles of LNCaP alpha1,2-FT, namely, the expressions of blood group H, Lewis b from Lewis a, and Globo H.
Continuous correction of differential path length factor in near-infrared spectroscopy

In continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopy (CW-NIRS), changes in the concentration of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin can be calculated by solving a set of linear equations from the modified Beer-Lambert Law. Cross-talk error in the calculated hemodynamics can arise from inaccurate knowledge of the wavelength-dependent differential path length factor (DPF). We apply the extended Kalman filter (EKF) with a dynamical systems model to calculate relative concentration changes in oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin while simultaneously estimating relative changes in DPF. Results from simulated and experimental CW-NIRS data are compared with results from a weighted least squares (WLSQ) method. The EKF method was found to effectively correct for artificially introduced errors in DPF and to reduce the cross-talk error in simulation. With experimental CW-NIRS data, the hemodynamic estimates from EKF differ significantly from the WLSQ (p < 0.001). The cross-correlations among residuals at different wavelengths were found to be significantly reduced by the EKF method compared to WLSQ in three physiologically relevant spectral bands 0.04 to 0.15 Hz, 0.15 to 0.4 Hz and 0.4 to 2.0 Hz (p < 0.001). This observed reduction in residual cross-correlation is consistent with reduced cross-talk error in the hemodynamic estimates from the proposed EKF method.
Soft nanotechnology: "structure" vs. "function".

This paper offers a perspective on “soft nanotechnology”; that is, the branch of nanotechnology concerned with the synthesis and properties of organic and organometallic nanostructures, and with nanofabrication using techniques in which soft components play key roles. It begins with a brief history of soft nanotechnology. This history has followed a path involving a gradual shift from the promise of revolutionary electronics, nanorobotics, and other futuristic concepts, to the realization of evolutionary improvements in the technology for current challenges in information technology, medicine, and sustainability. Soft nanoscience is an area that is occupied principally by chemists, and is in many ways indistinguishable from “nanochemistry”. The paper identifies the natural tendency of its practitioners—exemplified by the speakers at this Faraday Discussion—to focus on synthesis and structure, rather than on function and application, of nanostructures. Soft nanotechnology has the potential to apply to a wide variety of large-scale applied (information technology, healthcare cost reduction, sustainability, energy) and fundamental (molecular biochemistry, cell biology, charge transport in organic matter) problems.
The placement of shocking electrodes for escape and avoidance learning in fish

Measurements were made to determine whether the voltage gradient in the body of a fish swimming between two vertical electrically charged plates would vary with the animal’s orientation. The voltage gradient in anesthesized goldfish positioned perpendicular to the electrodes was found to be five times greater than when oriented parallel to them. A suggestion is made for minimizing this differential in avoidance-learning apparatus.
A high performance, high voltage output buffer in a low voltage CMOS process

The proposed output buffer circuit uses 1.8V transistors in 90nm CMOS process to develop I/Os for 2.5V and 3.3V interfaces. A voltage clamp circuit, bias generators, and a feedback circuit are used to ensure reliability and noise decoupling. Use of these circuits enables achieving low power (130/spl mu/A) and high performance (up to 275MHz) in a comparative area of an equivalent I/O in 90nm 3.3V process.
The Effects of Short Term Feeding of Aflatoxin on Egg Production and Some Plasma Constituents of the Laying Hen

Abstract The effect on White Leghorn laying hens of feeding 20 p.p.m. dietary aflatoxin for seven days was investigated. During this feeding period egg production was not affected although plasma calcium, protein, cholesterol, triglycerides were decreased significantly (P
Morphologic clues and utility of fluorescence in situ hybridization for the diagnosis of nevoid melanoma.

BACKGROUND Nevoid melanomas include melanomas with a low power silhouette similar to melanocytic nevi. However, at higher power magnification, nevoid melanoma may have severe nuclear atypia and dermal mitoses. METHODS We performed a clinical, pathological and molecular study on a series of 58 examples of nevoid melanoma, excluding cases with spitzoid morphology. RESULTS We identified distinct morphologic patterns: 'classic' nevoid melanoma, superficial spreading melanomas with nevoid invasive melanoma, lentigo maligna with nevoid invasive melanoma and deep penetrating nevus-like nevoid melanoma. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was positive in 74% of cases. Copy number gains in 8q24 were common in amelanotic nevoid melanoma. The median follow-up was 28 months (range 140). At last follow-up, 37 patients had no evidence of disease, 3 were alive with metastases and 6 died from metastatic melanoma. Of these six patients who died, four had a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) performed, which was negative in all four. CONCLUSIONS We describe distinct clues to the diagnosis of nevoid melanoma including occult intraepidermal atypia, and expansile nesting resulting in asymmetric silhouette or dermal papillae expansion. We also describe that nevoid melanoma have infrequent SLNB involvement in aggressive cases, and have frequent 8q24 gains rather than 9p21 deletions. Our results suggest that nevoid melanoma are distinct from spitzoid melanomas and should be distinguished.
Circumcision of male infants as a human rights violation

Every infant has a right to bodily integrity. Removing healthy tissue from an infant is only permissible if there is an immediate medical indication. In the case of infant male circumcision there is no evidence of an immediate need to perform the procedure. As a German court recently held, any benefit to circumcision can be obtained by delaying the procedure until the male is old enough to give his own fully informed consent. With the option of delaying circumcision providing all of the purported benefits, circumcising an infant is an unnecessary violation of his bodily integrity as well as an ethically invalid form of medical violence. Parental proxy ‘consent’ for newborn circumcision is invalid. Male circumcision also violates four core human rights documents—the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture. Social norm theory predicts that once the circumcision rate falls below a critical value, the social norms that currently distort our perception of the practice will dissolve and rates will quickly fall.
Trends in biomedical informatics: Automated topic analysis of JAMIA articles

Biomedical Informatics is a growing interdisciplinary field in which research topics and citation trends have been evolving rapidly in recent years. To analyze these data in a fast, reproducible manner, automation of certain processes is needed. JAMIA is a "generalist" journal for biomedical informatics. Its articles reflect the wide range of topics in informatics. In this study, we retrieved Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms and citations of JAMIA articles published between 2009 and 2014. We use tensors (i.e., multidimensional arrays) to represent the interaction among topics, time and citations, and applied tensor decomposition to automate the analysis. The trends represented by tensors were then carefully interpreted and the results were compared with previous findings based on manual topic analysis. A list of most cited JAMIA articles, their topics, and publication trends over recent years is presented. The analyses confirmed previous studies and showed that, from 2012 to 2014, the number of articles related to MeSH terms Methods, Organization & Administration, and Algorithms increased significantly both in number of publications and citations. Citation trends varied widely by topic, with Natural Language Processing having a large number of citations in particular years, and Medical Record Systems, Computerized remaining a very popular topic in all years.
Differential effects of prandial and non-prandial GLP-1 receptor agonists in type 2 diabetes therapy

In type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), decreased pancreatic beta-cell function and increased insulin resistance contribute to a steady decline in glucose homeostasis. Maintaining levels of glycated hemoglobin ≤7.0% is thought to reduce the microvascular and possibly macrovascular complications that result if T2DM is not properly managed. Recent guidelines have recognized the importance of postprandial glucose (PPG) control in reducing cardiovascular risks, and have recommended a more patient-centered approach. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) mimic the action of the endogenous gastrointestinal hormone GLP-1 to activate the insulin response in pancreatic beta cells in a glucose-dependent manner. Prandial GLP-1 RAs have a short plasma half-life and are particularly effective at targeting PPG elevations, whereas long-acting non-prandial GLP-1 RAs are more effective at reducing fasting plasma glucose. These differences highlight the potential for treatment with these agents to be tailored to the need of individual patients and their glycemic imbalance. All GLP-1 RAs are being evaluated in long-term cardiovascular outcome trials. To date, the only cardiovascular trial that has been completed is the ELIXA trial for lixisenatide, which was found to meet the pre-specified criterion of non-inferiority versus placebo in terms of cardiovascular outcomes.
The association of specific traumatic experiences with cannabis initiation and transition to problem use: Differences between African-American and European-American women

Abstract Introduction To examine the contribution of trauma exposure to cannabis initiation and transition to first cannabis use disorder (CUD) symptom in African-American (AA) and European-American (EA) emerging adults. Methods Data are from the Missouri Adolescent Female Twins Study [(N = 3787); 14.6% AA; mean age = 21.7 (SD 3.8)]. Trauma exposures (e.g. sexual abuse, physical abuse, witnessing another person being killed or injured, experiencing an accident, and experiencing a disaster) were modeled as time-varying predictors of cannabis initiation and transition to CUD symptom using Cox proportional hazards regression. Other substance involvement and psychiatric disorders were considered as time-varying covariates. Results Analyses revealed different trauma-related and psychiatric predictors for cannabis use supporting racially distinct etiologic models of cannabis involvement. For AA women, history of witnessing injury/death or experiencing a life-threatening accident was associated with cannabis initiation across the complete emerging adult risk period while sexual abuse predicted cannabis initiation only before 15 years old. For EA women, history of sexual or physical abuse and major depressive disorder (MDD) predicted cannabis initiation and physical abuse and MDD predicted transition from initiation to first CUD symptom. No association was discovered between trauma exposures and transition to first CUD symptom in AA women. Conclusions Results reveal trauma exposures as important contributors to cannabis initiation and to a lesser extent transition to CUD symptom, with different trauma types conferring risk for cannabis involvement in AA and EA women. Findings suggest the importance of considering racial/ethnic differences when developing etiologic models of cannabis involvement.
Subjective social status and readiness to quit among homeless smokers

OBJECTIVES To explore the predictive value of subjective social status (SSS-US and SSS-Community) on readiness to quit among 245 homeless smokers. METHODS Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted (stratified by sex). RESULTS Higher SSS-US (p = .02) and SSS-Community (p < .001) predicted greater readiness to quit in the total sample. These relationships upheld for men (p's <. 01), but only SSS-Community predicted readiness to quit for women (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS Higher SSS is associated with greater readiness to quit among homeless smokers. SSS-Community may be a more relevant index of SSS for women relative to SSS-US. Results suggest SSS may be a factor that contributes to smoking, disease, and health disparities.
Improved foamy virus vectors with minimal viral sequences.

Foamy virus (FV) vectors show promise for gene therapy applications. However, existing FV vectors either retain a significant portion of the wild-type virus genome or are produced at low titers. We describe a transient cotransfection system that produces high-titer FV vectors with minimal cis-acting regions. These vector genomes have deletions in the gag, pol, env, and bel1–3 accessory genes, as well as the LTR U3 region, but retain an essential 2.5-kb cis-acting region. In addition, stop codons were introduced into the remaining gag sequences to prevent expression of viral peptides and to eliminate dominant-negative effects of a Gag-Pol fusion protein. Although these deleted foamy (ΔΦ) vectors were produced at relatively low titers with our prior packaging construct, we designed separate helper plasmids for Gag, Pol, and Env expression that allowed us to routinely produce helper-free, unconcentrated vector stocks with titers of over 105 transducing units/ml by four-plasmid transient transfection. The ΔΦ vector stocks were then concentrated by ultracentrifugation to titers over 107 transducing units/ml. A ΔΦ vector containing a 9.2-kb transgene cassette was produced at unconcentrated titers of over 105 transducing units/ml, demonstrating the utility of these deleted vectors for large therapeutic genes.
A computer-aided broad-band impedance-matching technique using a comparison reflectometer

An improved broadband impedance matching technique was developed. The technique is capable of resolving points in the waveguide which generate reflected energy. A version of the comparison reflectometer was developed and fabricated to determine the mean amplitude of the reflection coefficient excited at points in the guide as a function of distance, and the complex reflection coefficient of a specific discontinuity in the guide as a function of frequency. An impedance matching computer program was developed which is capable of impedance matching the characteristics of each disturbance independent of other reflections in the guide. The characteristics of four standard matching elements were compiled, and their associated curves of reflection coefficient and shunt susceptance as a function of frequency are presented. It is concluded that an economical, fast, and reliable impedance matching technique has been established which can provide broadband impedance matches.
Detecting dark-matter waves with a network of precision-measurement tools

A method is proposed to detect some candidates of dark matter with a network of precision-measurement devices such as atomic clocks. Spatiotemporal correlation functions of the ultralight dark-matter fields are derived for formalizing the proposed scheme.
The Dash for Gas

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of extracting reserves of natural gas and oil from shale formations deep underground. This process, initially met with public support in the United Kingdom, has since become a highly contentious issue primarily debated between government, industry, and anti-fracking advocacy groups. Through the employment of three levels of agenda-building as a theoretical lens of examination (object, attribute, and network connections), this study investigated the political discourse between these stakeholder groups and national news media in the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2014. In total, 1354 unique messages were coded, with 840 information subsidies and 514 news media content analyzed. To determine the short-, mid-, and long-term effects of agenda-building, a time-lag analysis was conducted. The results suggest solid support for all three levels of agenda-building. Our findings indicate that anti-fracking advocacy groups were more successful at influencing news med...
Ethical Issues in the Use of New Treatments for HIV

The stunningly rapid growth of the medical and psychosocial knowledge about HIV and its treatment has left many caregivers struggling to incorporate new findings into their work and many patients uncertain about the implications for their future life. This is a period of tremendous expectation, where the rewards of research appear high for AIDS investigators, clinicians, and people living with HIV: High expectations, however, may also lead to profound disappointment if the implied promises of new treatments for HIV are not fulfilled. Broken promises, real or imagined, will ultimately undermine the trust that is the foundation of the ethics of health care and of scientific research.
The Fifth Force: A Personal History, by Ephraim Fischbach

At approximately 11 AM on Monday, January 6, 1986 I received a call from John Noble Wilford of the New York Times inquiring about a paper of mine which had just been published in Physical Review Letters (PRL). As a subscriber to the Times I knew who John was, and so it was exciting to find myself speaking to him in person. My excitement was tempered by the fact that I had returned the day before to Seattle with a major cold which made it difficult for me to talk to him or anybody else. Two days later a front page story appeared in the Times by John under the headline “Hints of 5th Force in Universe Challenge Galileo’s Findings,” accompanied by a sketch of Galileo’s supposed experiment on the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Thus was born the concept of a “fifth force”. As used now, this generically refers to a gravity-like long-range force (i.e., one whose effects extend over macroscopic distances) co-existing with gravity, presumably arising from the exchange of any of the ultra-light quanta whose existence is predicted by various unification theories such as supersymmetry. Depending on the specific characteristics of this hypothesized force, it could manifest itself in various experiments as an apparent deviation from the predictions of Newtonian gravity.
Fears of Positive versus Negative Evaluation: Distinct and conjoint neuroendocrine, emotional, and cardiovascular responses to social threat

Fear of evaluation in general is important in social anxiety, including fear of positive evaluation (FPE) and fear of negative evaluation (FNE). The present study examined various FPE- and FNE-asso...
The Sexy Science of The Big Bang Theory: Essays on Gender in the Series Nadine Farghaly and Eden Leone, Editors. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2015.

The Sexy Science of The Big Bang Theory. Essays on Gender in the Series Nadine Farghaly and Eden Leone, Editors. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2015.This anthology examines what The Big Bang Theory {BBT), a phenomenally successful television series, has to say about America's popular culture, especially in relation to sexual behavior.A few caveats for the reader. First off, writing about a current sitcom results in out-of-date analysis: none of the essays reflects character changes after May 2012, the end of the sixth season. That means that Leonard is about to leave Penny for research on the North Sea; Sheldon is still studying string theory, while Amy is still studying Sheldon; Bernadette finally persuades Howard, whose mother still lives, to move in with her; and heartbroken Raj no longer needs booze to talk in front of women. Second, if you're looking for what-Ilike appreciation, celebrity gossip, or description of funniest clips, you've come to the wrong place. Here you'll find serious scholarship about scripted behavior of characters (their actors are irrelevant) from ten different viewpoints. The results, as expected in any multi-authored anthology, are uneven. The prose style ranges from conversationally compelling to academically dense; the discussion, from quick consensus to lively debate; the observations, from obvious to illuminating.Most of the essays focus on three women characters: Penny, Bernadette, and Amy. In the opening essay, "Penny and the Politics of Plausibility," Raewyn Campbell argues that everything revolves around Penny, who stands in contrast to the social awkwardness of the scientists. Her common sense, physical attractiveness, and eye-rolling reactions translate "nerdom" for the audience. But she also raises questions about the femininity of women scientists. Does BBT allow women to be both sexy and smart? In "Science in Stilettos," Lauren R. Archer stylishly says no; the show typically demeans brainy women for the sake of easy jokes. But in "The American Female Dichotomy," Abigail G. Scheg, says yes, for the smart and sexy Bernadette; no, for the almost asexual Amy and the unintellectual Penny.Three essays deserve special mention for their quality. In "The Big Theory on the (Not So) Bangin' Mother," Julia Spiegel (hers is the only essay that sees Leonard, not Penny, as the show's center) examines the treatment of Howard's mother. Spiegel's survey of the history of Jewish-mother humor is wide-ranging and instructive. …
Relevance Vector Sampling for Reinforcement Learning in Continuous Action Space

To be applicable to real world problems, much reinforcement learning (RL) research has focused on continuous state spaces with function approximations. Some problems also require continuous actions, but searching for good actions in a continuous action space is problematic. This paper suggests a novel relevance vector sampling approach to action search in an RL framework with relevance vector machines (RVM-RL). We hypothesize that each relevance vector (RV) is placed on the modes of the value approximation surface as the learning converges. From the hypothesis, we select actions in RVs to maximize the estimated state-action values. We report the efficiency of the proposed approach by controlling a simulated octopus arm with RV-sampled actions.
Circulating tumor cell enumeration combined with gene expression analysis and clinical variables in castrate resistant prostate cancer

B33 Introduction: Enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) provides independent prognostic information in castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Expression of prostate cancer specific genes can be observed in peripheral blood cells following CTC-enrichment, and the molecular profiles of these cells has potential applications in predicting disease progression and in treatment selection. Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels are regularly measured and reflect cancer growth and disease activity in castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Here, we describe preliminary results of a pilot study to link CTC enumeration and targeted gene expression analysis with PSA and other clinical variables in CRPC. Methods: One 7.5ML volume of EDTA anti-coagulated bloodfor EpCAM-based immunomagnetic enrichment followed by QiagenRNA extraction and one 7.5ML volume of CellSaveTM preservedblood was collected for CTC enumeration and analysis was obtained from subjects prior to initiation of a cytotoxic chemotherapy (initial or salvage) for CRPC at time of disease progression. Clinical and pathological data including PSA is collected. RNA is analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. CTC enrichment and expression analysis from normal donors were performed in parallel as controls. Results: Data are available from the first 15 subjects enrolled. CTC elevation (≥1/ 7.5 ml blood) was found in 13 of 15 subjects and in 0 of 37 normal controls. Median (range) for CTCs was 17 (0-2362) cells/7.5 ml and for PSA was 261.4 (0.1-961.1) ng/ml. PSA doubling time could be calculated in 11 subjects with a median of 1.7 (0.2-5.3) months. Gene expression data are available for 11 subjects with CTC ≥ 5 and all normal controls. Elevated expression in subjects compared with controls was noted for several genes including: TACSTD (EpCAM; n=10); platelet-derived growth factor (PDEF; n=4); epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR, n=2), human epidermal growth factor receptor - 2 (HER2, n=2); androgen receptor (AR; n=8); and PSA (n=9). Co-expression of EGFR/HER2 (n=2) and AR/PSA (n=8) was observed. Conclusion: CTCs can be isolated and analyzed for gene expression patterns from patients with progressive CRPC. Analysis of this data in conjunction with serum PSA and other clinical variables may provide greater biologic insight into the nature of CTCs and provide a non-invasive assay to direct and monitor therapy in CRPC.
The Quality of Cognitive Tools and Development of the Mind

In this chapter, I continue discussing the role of cultural cognitive tools in the development of mind started in the previous chapter and focus on one of the most potent ideas in the activity-based framework – the idea that the specific qualities of culturally evolved cognitive tools acquired by children defines to large extent the character of their cognitive development. Accordingly, the analysis of the qualities of mastered cognitive tools (such as schemas, measures, criteria, standards, and so on – see the discussion in the previous chapter) helps to specify the relationship between development and learning.