cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
COMPENSATION OF ARTERIAL INSUFFICIENCY BY AUGMENTING THE CIRCULATION WITH INTERMITTENT COMPRESSION OF THE LIMBS.

Abstract 1. 1. The effect of intermittent compressive massage to the lower leg of subjects seated in the upright position was studied in normal persons and in patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans. 2. 2. The measured reduction in venous pressure despite the gravity-induced increase in arterial pressure indicated a 40 to 50 per cent improvement in the arteriovenous pressure differential across the tissues of the foot, with a corresponding increase in the rate of total blood flow. 3. 3. Measured rates of removal from the tissues of the foot of I 131 injected in aqueous solution showed uniform acceleration both during and after massage. 4. 4. This evidence of improved nutritional circulation in the massaged extremity throws light on the mechanisms underlying the reported clinical improvement that follows such treatment.
Gender Differences in Motivation and Strategy Use in Science: Are Girls Rote Learners?.

This study explored Ridley and Novak's (1983) hypothesis that gender differences in science achievement are due to differences in rote and meaningful learning modes. To test this hypothesis, we examined gender differences in fifth- and sixth-grade students' (N = 213) self-reports of confidence, motivation goals (task mastery, ego, and work avoidance), and learning strategies (active and superficial) in whole-class and small-group science lessons. Overall, the results revealed few gender differences. Compared with girls, boys reported greater confidence in their science abilities. Average-achieving girls reported greater use of meaningful learning strategies than did their male counterparts, whereas low-ability boys reported a stronger mastery orientation than did low-ability girls. The results further showed that students report greater confidence and mastery motivation in small-group than whole-class lessons. In contrast, students reported greater work avoidance in whole-class than small-group lessons. In general, the findings provide little support for Ridley and Novak's hypothesis that girls tend to engage in rote-level learning in science classes. Differences in self-reports of motivation and strategy-use patterns were more strongly related to the student's ability level and to the structure of learning activities (small group vs. whole class) than to gender. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Interactive Computer Graphical Solutions of Constrained Minimax Location Problems

Abstract This paper introduces interactive computer graphical optimization to location analysis. An interactive graphical program is described for solving single-facility minimax location problems with nonconvex feasible regions. The core of the program is a well-defined algorithm with a simple, human-executed pattern recognition task as one of its steps. Globally optimal solutions are assured under very mild assumptions on human performance, and the program is reasonably fast.
Low-noise and wideband hot-electron superconductive mixer for terahertz frequencies

Superconductive hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixers have been built and tested in the frequency range from 1.1 THz to 2.5 THz. The mixer device is a 0.15 - 0.3 micrometer microbridge made from a 10 nm thick Nb film. This device employs diffusion as a cooling mechanism for hot electrons. The double sideband noise temperature was measured to be less than or equal to 3000 K at 2.5 THz and the mixer IF bandwidth is expected to be at least 10 GHz for a 0.1 micrometer long device. The local oscillator (LO) power dissipated in the HEB microbridge was 20 - 100 nW. Further improvement of the mixer characteristics can be potentially achieved by using Al microbridges. The advantages and parameters of such devices are evaluated. The HEB mixer is a primary candidate for ground based, airborne and spaceborne heterodyne instruments at THz frequencies. HEB receivers are planned for use on the NASA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and the ESA Far Infrared and Submillimeter Space Telescope (FIRST). The prospects of a submicron-size YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-(delta ) (YBCO) HEB are discussed. The expected LO power of 1 - 10 (mu) W and SSB noise temperature of approximately equals 2000 K may make this mixer attractive for various remote sensing applications.
The methionyl aminopeptidase from Escherichia coli can function as an iron(II) enzyme.

The identity of the physiologically relevant metal ions for the methionyl aminopeptidase (MetAP) from Escherichia coli was investigated and is suggested to be Fe(II). The metal content of whole cells in the absence and presence of expression of the type I MetAP from E. coli was determined by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) emission analysis. The observed change in whole cell concentrations of cobalt, cadmium, copper, nickel, strontium, titanium, and vanadium upon expression of MetAP was negligible. On the other hand, significant increases in the cellular metal ion concentrations of chromium, zinc, manganese, and iron were observed with the increase in iron concentration being 4.4 and 6.2 times greater than that of manganese and zinc, respectively. Activity assays of freshly lysed BL21(DE3) cells containing the pMetAAP plasmid revealed detectable levels (>2 units/mg) of MetAP activity. Control experiments with BL21(DE3) without the MetAP plasmid showed no detectable enzymatic activity. Since MetAP is acti...
The supernova explosion mechanism and dimensionality of hydrodynamics

It is argued that multidimensional hydrodynamics is the key to a robust supernova explosion mechanism.
Determination of Important Underlying Dimensions of E-Commerce Competencies in Hospitality Curricula from the Hotel Managers' Perspective

With the growing significance of e-commerce and its impact on the hotel industry, it is crucial for hospitality programs to offer courses in this area. This study identifies thirty competencies and seven groupings of content that could be considered for hospitality e-commerce curricula. All seven groupings (E-Business Models, Electronic Information Sharing, Website Design and Management, E-Marketing, Intranet and Extranets, General Use of Technology, and Managing E-Commerce for Sales) are important content areas for the development of e-commerce in the hotel industry. Hospitality educators could use these groupings to form individual courses or to provide content modules in existing courses.
Beyond Informed Consent : Educating the Patient

The informed consent doctrine was conceived as a basis for allowing patients to meaningfully participate in the decision-making process. It has evolved into a formal, legal document that reflects a desire by physicians and surgeons to have patients execute “waivers of liability.” In the process it has lost its educational value by shifting the emphasis to obtaining a “preoperative release” from an exchange of information upon which a patient can make important decisions about their healthcare choices. This is unfortunate because, in the process, both patients and physicians have suffered. Patients have become alienated from the informed consent process and, paradoxically, physicians and surgeons may have created more liability exposure through this alienation. We propose that by returning to an educational model, the patients will develop a greater sense of control, become more compliant, and potentially experience improved healthcare outcomes. There may also develop an alliance between the patient and the physician or surgeon, such that the seeds of an antagonistic or litigious relationship will not be planted before treatment begins. Liability reduction, therefore, may more likely arise from the educational model.
Hazard assessment of rainfall-induced landslides: a case study of San Vicente volcano in central El Salvador

The San Vicente volcano in central El Salvador has a recurring and destructive pattern of landslides and debris flows occurring on the northern slopes of the volcano, and in recent memory, there have been at least seven major destructive debris flows. There has been no known attempt to study the inherent stability of these slopes and determine the factors that might lead to slope instability. Past events on the volcano were used to perform a 2D slope stability back analysis and to estimate the unknown model parameters. This analysis confirmed that the surface materials of the volcano are highly permeable and have very low shear strength. Additionally, the analysis provided insight into the groundwater table behavior during a rainstorm. Slope geometry, rainfall totals and initial groundwater table location were found to have the greatest effect on stability. A methodology is outlined for creating a stability chart to be used during rainfall events for monitoring slope stability. This chart could be used by local authorities in the event of a known extreme rainfall event to help make evacuation decisions. Finally, recommendations are given to improve the methodology for future application in other areas as well as in central El Salvador.
Injuries from explosions: Physics, biophysics, pathology, and required research focus

BACKGROUND: Explosions cause more complex and multiple forms of damage than any other wounding agent, are the leading cause of death on the battlefield, and are often used by terrorists. Because explosion-related injuries are infrequently seen in civilian practice, a broader base of knowledge is needed in the medical community to address acute needs of patients with explosion-related injuries and to broaden mitigation-focused research efforts. The objective of this review is to provide insight into the complexities of explosion-related injury to help more precisely target research efforts to the most pressing areas of need in primary prevention, mitigation, and consequence management. METHODS: An understanding of the physics and biological consequences of explosions together with data on the nature or severity of contemporary combat injuries provide an empiric basis for a comprehensive and balanced portfolio of explosion-related research. Cited works were identified using MeSH terms as directed by subtopic. Uncited information was drawn from the authors' surgical experience in Iraq, analysis of current combat trauma databases, and explosion-related research. RESULTS: Data from Iraq and Afghanistan confirm that survivable injuries from explosions are dominated by penetrating fragment wounds, substantiating longstanding and well-known blast physics mechanisms. Keeping this factual basis in mind will allow for appropriate vectoring of funds to increase understanding of this military and public health problem; address specific research and training needs; and improve mitigation strategies, tactics, and techniques for vehicles and personal protective equipment. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive approach to injury from explosions should include not only primary prevention, but also injury mitigation and consequence management. Recalibration of medical research focus will improve management of injuries from explosions, with profound implications in both civilian and military healthcare systems. Language: en
Challenges for measurement of myocardial perfusion and perfusion reserve by SPECT imaging.

The present study by Storto et al1 provides additional evidence that quantitative estimates of myocardial perfusion and perfusion reserve can be derived from SPECT myocardial perfusion images by use of equipment, tracers, and techniques that are available in most nuclear cardiology laboratories. Additional clinical studies are needed to optimize the methods used to derive the quantitative estimates of perfusion and perfusion reserve from the SPECT imaging studies and, ultimately, to determine the applicability of these measurements to the daily practice of nuclear cardiology.
Morphological and Behavioral Impact of AAV2/5-Mediated Overexpression of Human Wildtype Alpha-Synuclein in the Rat Nigrostriatal System

The discovery of the involvement of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathogenesis has resulted in the development and use of viral vector-mediated α-syn overexpression rodent models. The goal of these series of experiments was to characterize the neurodegeneration and functional deficits resulting from injection of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) serotype 2/5-expressing human wildtype α-syn in the rat substantia nigra (SN). Rats were unilaterally injected into two sites in the SN with either rAAV2/5-expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP, 1.2 x 1013) or varying titers (2.2 x 1012, 1.0 x 1013, 5.9 x 1013, or 1.0 x 1014) of rAAV2/5-α-syn. Cohorts of rats were euthanized 4, 8, or 12 weeks following vector injection. The severity of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (THir) neuron death in the SN pars compacta (SNpc) was dependent on vector titer. An identical magnitude of nigrostriatal degeneration (60-70% SNpc THir neuron degeneration and 40-50% loss of striatal TH expression) was observed four weeks following 1.0 x 1014 titer rAAV2/5-α-syn injection and 8 weeks following 1.0 x 1013 titer rAAV2/5-α-syn injection. THir neuron degeneration was relatively uniform throughout the rostral-caudal axis of the SNpc. Despite equivalent nigrostriatal degeneration between the 1.0 x 1013 and 1.0 x 1014 rAAV2/5-α-syn groups, functional impairment in the cylinder test and the adjusting steps task was only observed in rats with the longer 8 week duration of α-syn expression. Motor impairment in the cylinder task was highly correlated to striatal TH loss. Further, 8 weeks following 5.9 x 1013 rAAV2/5-α-syn injection deficits in ultrasonic vocalizations were observed. In conclusion, our rAAV2/5-α-syn overexpression model demonstrates robust nigrostriatal α-syn overexpression, induces significant nigrostriatal degeneration that is both vector and duration dependent and under specific parameters can result in motor impairment that directly relates to the level of striatal TH denervation.
A Uniqueness Theorem for Rational Points in Projective Space

Abstract This paper proves a uniqueness result of the following type which has an analogy in Nevanlinna theory. Let K be a number field and S a finite set of places of K containing the infinite places. Let L1, …, L3m+2 be linear forms in m+1 variables with coefficients in Q which are in general position. Let xn, yn be two infinite sequences in P m(K) such that at least one of them is non-degenerate and such that Lj(xn)≠0, Lj(yn)≠0, and Lj(xn)/Lj(yn) is an S-unit for 1⩽j⩽3m+2. Then there exists an infinite subsequence {nk} with xnk=ynk.
A survey of residential carbon monoxide detector utilization among Connecticut Emergency Department patients.

Context. The use of carbon monoxide detectors may prevent deaths due to unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. Currently, there is limited data regarding the characteristics of residential carbon monoxide detector use. Objective. To determine the characteristics of residential carbon monoxide detector use. Methods. A survey was administered to a convenience, cross-sectional sample of Emergency Department patients between June and August 2011. Inclusion criteria included patients who were older than 18 years, able to understand written or spoken English or Spanish, and lived in independent residential settings. Survey questions assessed the presence or absence of carbon monoxide and smoke detectors within the participant's home, the frequency of regular battery changes for both devices, location of carbon monoxide detectors within the home, and reasons for not installing carbon monoxide detectors (if applicable). Correlations between racial background, geographical area of residence (urban versus suburban), and income were also assessed. Results. A total of 1030 patients were surveyed. While 97.8% of respondents reported smoke detector use, only 44.4% had home carbon monoxide detectors installed. Only 17.2% had carbon monoxide detectors installed in or near their sleeping area, the correct location for detector placement. Carbon monoxide detector usage was found to be lowest among households earning less than $25,999 per year (27.3% reported having detectors), non-Caucasians (only 42.0% of African-Americans and 24.7% of Hispanics surveyed reported using detectors compared with 57.8% of Caucasians), renters, and urban residents. Reasons given for not having a carbon monoxide detector varied; many answers were consistent with a lack of awareness of the importance of using carbon monoxide detectors. Discussion and conclusions. Residential carbon monoxide detectors were underutilized compared to smoke detectors. Increased public education, especially for minorities and lower income populations, is necessary regarding the use of carbon monoxide detectors for poisoning prevention. Language: en
Electromagnetic pion pair current from quark models.

The pionic pair current is calculated from bag and constituent quark models which include a two-quark pion exchange potential. Except for form factors from the large Dirac-quark wave function, the result agrees with conventional nuclear theory. Gauge invariance is maintained. From the pion quark-pair and exchange currents inside a nucleon, a corresponding contribution to the proton and neutron magnetic moments is calculated.
Reporting of Uncertainty at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology

Purpose The annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is designed to disseminate new scientific findings and technical advances to professionals. Best practices of scientific dissemination require that some level of uncertainty (or imprecision) is provided. Methods and Materials A total of 279 scientific abstracts were selected for oral presentation in a clinical session at the 2013 ASTRO Annual Meeting. A random sample of these abstracts was reviewed to determine whether a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) or analogous measure of precision was provided for time-to-event analyses. Results A sample of 140 abstracts was reviewed. Of the 65 abstracts with Kaplan-Meier or cumulative incidence analyses, 6 included some measure of precision (6 of 65 = 9%; 95% CI, 2-16). Of the 43 abstracts reporting ratios for time-to-event analyses (eg, hazard ratio, risk ratio), 22 included some measure of precision (22 of 43 = 51%; 95% CI, 36-66). Conclusions Measures of precision are not provided in a significant percentage of abstracts selected for oral presentation at the Annual Meeting of ASTRO.
Organization of the current U.S. biopower industry: A template for future bioenergy industries

The development of biomass based industries face many challenges. Technological and environmental questions are paramount. However, the organization of developing biomass based industries could be a key non-technical barrier. Given that industrial organization is not the focus of many research agendas, this article attempts to fill the void. Biomass sources could be a low cost feedstock for energy production such as cellulosic ethanol. This potential low cost hinges on effective and efficient methods of exchange. One way to address the need to understand the organization of future biomass based industries is to examine current related industries such as the United States biopower industry. This article first examines the broad industrial structure of the current biopower industry by briefly discussing inputs, technology, function and production trends. Then the discussion is narrowed to focus on the type of organizational form used to procure or transfer ownership of biomass materials in the current U.S. biopower industry. Based on survey evidence the current biopower industry is found to be highly vertically integrated with little use of spot markets. This result is found to be consistent across the type of biomass fuel used.
Rapidly progressive primary central nervous system vasculitis

Objective To describe a subset of cases in a large cohort of patients with primary CNS vasculitis (PCNSV) who appear to have a rapidly progressive clinical course. Method In the present study, we use our updated cohort of 131 consecutive patients with PCNSV seen over the 25-year period of 1983-2007 at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. The diagnosis of PCNSV was based on brain/spinal cord biopsy or cerebral angiography. The modified Rankin scale was used to identify rapidly progressive disease and included patients with Rankin scores indicating severe disability or death at diagnosis or within 6 months after the diagnosis. We compared patients with rapidly progressive disease to those without. Results Compared with the 120 patients without rapidly progressive vasculitis, the 11 patients with rapidly progressive vasculitis more frequently had paraparesis/quadriparesis at presentation, angiographic presence of bilateral, large-vessel vasculitis and MRI evidence of cerebral infarctions; those infarctions were more frequently multiple and bilateral, and more frequently involved both the cortex and subcortical regions on initial MRI. Granulomatous and/or necrotizing histopathological patterns of vasculitis were observed in patients with positive biopsies. Conclusion Rapidly progressive PCNSV appears to form a subset of PCNSV at the worst end of the clinical spectrum of this vasculitis, characterized by bilateral, multiple, large cerebral vessel lesions and multiple CNS infarctions.
What Biosocial Criminology Offers Criminology

Criminology has historically maligned biological perspectives despite the scientific rigor of the biological sciences. In recent years, however, a growing number of criminologists are incorporating biological, neurological, genetic, and neuropsychological constructs along with environmental measures into their research. This review explores the relevance of biosocial criminology to the parent discipline of criminology by focusing on its scientific discovery, advanced methodologies, increased theoretical specificity, acknowledgement and illumination of individual differences, and promise of effective policy based on knowledge of human development. In sum, biosocial criminology is a potential fruitful paradigm shift in the scientific study of crime.
Duplication and expression of CYC2-like genes in the origin and maintenance of corolla zygomorphy in Lamiales

Summary � Duplication, retention, and expression of CYCLOIDEA2 (CYC2)-like genes are thought to affect evolution of corolla symmetry. However, exactly what and how changes in CYC2-like genes correlate with the origin of corolla zygomorphy are poorly understood. � We inferred and calibrated a densely sampled phylogeny of CYC2-like genes across the Lamiales and examined their expression in early diverging (EDL) and higher core clades (HCL). � CYC2-like genes duplicated extensively in Lamiales, at least six times in core Lamiales (CL) around the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary, and seven more in EDL relatively more recently. Nested duplications and losses of CYC2-like paralogs are pervasive but may not correlate with transitions in corolla symmetry. We found evidence for dN/dS (x) variation following gene duplications. CYC2-like paralogs in HCL show differential expression with higher expression in adaxial petals. � Asymmetric expression but not recurrent duplication of CYC2-like genes correlates with the origin of corolla zygomorphy. Changes in both cis-regulatory and coding domains of CYC2like genes are probably crucial for the evolution of corolla zygomorphy. Multiple selection regimes appear likely to play important roles in gene retention. The parallel duplications of CYC2-like genes are after the initial diversification of bumble bees and Euglossine bees.
P-news: Deeply Personalized News Dissemination for MPEG-7 Based Digital Libraries

Advanced personalization techniques are required to cope with novel challenges posed by attribute-rich MPEG-7 based digital libraries. At the heart of our deeply personalized news dissemination system P-News is one extensible preference model that serves all purposes, preventing impedance mismatches between the various stages: User modeling by structured preference patterns, automatic query expansion including ontologies, preference query evaluation by Preference XPath including nested preferences on categorical data, quality assessment of query results, personalized notification and news syndication.
Aspects of network formation in glassy thermosets

Aspects of network formation and the physical properties of stoichiometric amine-cured epoxy resins are investigated. The state of network formation is systematically controlled by using isothermal cure conditions and a linear temperature ramp condition. Affine deformation in compression at a constant true strain rate is used to measure the true stress–strain response from small strains to large strains. Beginning with the low-strain responses and continuing through yielding, partially cured samples demonstrate characteristics of physical ageing that diminish as the networks approach full conversion. The postyield properties are characterized by a strong dependence on network connectivity with little influence of the curing method. The mechanical responses are also applied to necking and shear banding analyses. The resins are unable to achieve stable necking in tension. However, shear bands are able to be stabilized, as predicted by a model developed in this work. These results suggest that physical ageing is inherent in epoxy network formation, and the resulting strain localization significantly degrades the mechanical integrity of epoxy resins in the partially cured state, regardless of the cure conditions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Helper virus-free transfer of herpes simplex virus type 1 plasmid vectors into neural cells

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) plasmid vectors have promise for genetic intervention in the brain, but several problems caused by the helper virus have compromised their utility. To develop a helper virus-free packaging system for these vectors, the DNA cleavage/packaging signals were deleted from a set of cosmids that represents the HSV-1 genome. Following cotransfection into cells, this modified cosmid set supported replication and packaging of vector DNA. However, in the absence of the DNA cleavage/packaging signals, the HSV-1 genome was not packaged, and consequently vector stocks were free of detectable helper virus. In the absence of helper virus, the vectors efficiently infected rat neural cells in culture or in the brain with minimal cytopathic effects. beta-galactosidase-positive cells were observed for at least 1 month in vivo, and vector DNA persisted for this period. This system may facilitate studies on neuronal physiology and potential therapeutic applications.
Confirmation Bias in Complex Analyses

Most research works investigating the confirmation bias has used abstract experimental tasks where participants drew inferences from just a few items of evidence. The experiment reported in this paper investigated the confirmation bias in a complex analysis task that is more characteristic of law enforcement investigations, financial analysis, and intelligence analysis. Participants were professionals, half of whom had intelligence analysis experience. The effectiveness of a procedure designed to mitigate the confirmation bias, called analysis of competing hypotheses (ACH), was tested. Results showed a confirmation bias for both experience groups, but ACH significantly reduced bias only for participants without intelligence analysis experience. Confirmation bias manifested as a weighting bias, not as an interpretation bias. Participants tended to agree on the interpretation of evidence (i.e., whose hypothesis was supported by the evidence) but tended to disagree on the importance of the evidence-giving more weight to the evidence that supported their preferred hypothesis and less weight to evidence that disconfirmed it.
A canker disease of autumn olive caused by Tubercularia vulgaris

T. vulgaris a ete identifie comme etant l'agent pathogene du chancre de Elaeagnus umbellata en Illinois et Indiana. Les arbres affectes presentent des chancres a la base du tronc, qui finalement le ceinturent. Ces arbres ne debourrent pas ou ne developpent qu'un feuillage chlorotique qui fletrit au milieu de l'ete. Les sporodochies sont frequemment presents, mais les peritheces n'ont pas ete trouves. Trois mois apres l'inoculation de 60 troncs sains, 82% ont developpe des chancres de 16 cm de long en moyenne, desquels T-vulgaris a ete isole a chaque fois
On the solution near the critical frequency for an oscillating and translating body in or near a free surface

We consider a floating or submerged body in deep water translating parallel to the undisturbed free surface with a steady velocity U while undergoing small oscillations at frequency ω. It is known that for a single source, the solution becomes singular at the resonant frequency given by τ ≡ Uω/g=¼, where g is the gravitational acceleration. In this paper, we show that for a general body, a finite solution exists as τ → ¼ if and only if a certain geometric condition (which depends only on the frequency ω but not on U) is satisfied. For a submerged body, a necessary and sufficient condition is that the body must have non-zero volume. For a surface-piercing body, a sufficient condition is derived which has a geometric interpretation similar to that of John (1950). As an illustration, we provide an analytic (closed-form) solution for the case of a submerged circular cylinder oscillating near τ = ¼. Finally, we identify the underlying difficulties of existing approximate theories and numerical computations near τ = ¼, and offer a simple remedy for the latter.
Estimating a Marginal Causal Odds Ratio Subject to Confounding

Odds ratios are frequently used to describe the relationship between a binary treatment or exposure and a binary outcome. An odds ratio can be interpreted as a causal effect or a measure of association, depending on whether it involves potential outcomes or the actual outcome. An odds ratio can also be characterized as marginal versus conditional, depending on whether it involves conditioning on covariates. This article proposes a method for estimating a marginal causal odds ratio subject to confounding. The proposed method is based on a logistic regression model relating the outcome to the treatment indicator and potential confounders. Simulation results show that the proposed method performs reasonably well in moderate-sized samples and may even offer an efficiency gain over the direct method based on the sample odds ratio in the absence of confounding. The method is illustrated with a real example concerning coronary heart disease.
Clustering clinical trials with similar eligibility criteria features

Display Omitted A feature-based approach identifies clinical trials with similar eligibility text.Identified clusters are effective according to crowd-sourced evaluation.Trial clusters can facilitate similarity-based trial search and systematic review. ObjectivesTo automatically identify and cluster clinical trials with similar eligibility features. MethodsUsing the public repository ClinicalTrials.gov as the data source, we extracted semantic features from the eligibility criteria text of all clinical trials and constructed a trial-feature matrix. We calculated the pairwise similarities for all clinical trials based on their eligibility features. For all trials, by selecting one trial as the center each time, we identified trials whose similarities to the central trial were greater than or equal to a predefined threshold and constructed center-based clusters. Then we identified unique trial sets with distinctive trial membership compositions from center-based clusters by disregarding their structural information. ResultsFrom the 145,745 clinical trials on ClinicalTrials.gov, we extracted 5,508,491 semantic features. Of these, 459,936 were unique and 160,951 were shared by at least one pair of trials. Crowdsourcing the cluster evaluation using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), we identified the optimal similarity threshold, 0.9. Using this threshold, we generated 8806 center-based clusters. Evaluation of a sample of the clusters by MTurk resulted in a mean score 4.331?0.796 on a scale of 1-5 (5 indicating "strongly agree that the trials in the cluster are similar"). ConclusionsWe contribute an automated approach to clustering clinical trials with similar eligibility features. This approach can be potentially useful for investigating knowledge reuse patterns in clinical trial eligibility criteria designs and for improving clinical trial recruitment. We also contribute an effective crowdsourcing method for evaluating informatics interventions.
FROM MANUAL TO LITERATURE: TWO TEXTS ON THE OTTOMAN TIMAR SYSTEM

Close comparison of the text erroneously attributed to Ali Cavus of Sofia and the Kavanin-i Al-i Osman of Ayn Ali shows that the two are related, having common content and a similar structure. A direct genetic relationship cannot be demonstrated. Rather, Ayn Ali used the other text as a literary model, transforming what was essentially a scribal manual into a literary work in the advice for kings genre.
A Lyapunov function for vehicles with lift and drag: stability of gliding

The energy of a mechanical system naturally provides a Lyapunov function to prove stability of steady motions. This is no longer the case when the system is subject to aerodynamic forces. We derive a Lyapunov function to prove stability of steady, gliding motions for vehicles subject to lift and drag. We make use of a conservation law derived by Lanchester in his original phugoid mode model and in so doing prove conditions under which Lanchester's simplifying assumptions are valid. We apply the results to prove stability and estimate the region of attraction for an underwater glider.
Current developments in spinal cord injury research

Abstract Background context : Recent advances in neuroscience have opened the door for hope toward prevention and cure of the devastating effects of spinal cord injury (SCI). Purpose: To highlight the current understanding of traumatic SCI mechanisms, provide information regarding state-of-the-art care for the acute spinal cord–injured patient, and explore future treatments aimed at neural preservation and reconstruction. Study design/setting: A selective overview of the literature pertaining to the neuropathophysiology of traumatic SCI is provided with an emphasis on pharmacotherapies and posttraumatic experimental strategies aimed at improved neuropreservation and late neuroregenerative repair. Methods: One hundred fifty-four peer-reviewed basic science and clinical articles pertaining to SCI were reviewed. Articles cited were chosen based on the relative merits and contribution to the current understanding of SCI neuropathophysiology, neuroregeneration, and clinical SCI treatment patterns. Results: A better understanding of the pathophysiology and early treatment for the spinal cord–injured patient has led to a continued decrease in mortality, decreased acute hospitalization and complication rates, and more rapid rehabilitation and re-entry into society. Progressive neural injury results from a combination of secondary injury mechanisms, including ischemia, biochemical alterations, apoptosis, excitotoxicity, calpain proteases, neurotransmitter accumulation, lipid peroxidation/free radical injury, and inflammatory responses. Experimental studies suggest that the final posttraumatic neurologic deficit is not only a result of the initial impaction forces but rather a combination of these forces and secondary time-dependent events that follow shortly after the initial impact. Conclusions: Experimental studies continue to provide a better understanding of the complex interaction of pathophysiologic events after traumatic SCI. Future approaches will involve strategies aimed at blocking the multiple mechanisms of progressive central nervous system injury and promoting neuroregeneration.
Design, implementation, and evaluation of the linear road bnchmark on the stream processing core

Stream processing applications have recently gained significant attention in the networking and database community. At the core of these applications is a stream processing engine that performs resource allocation and management to support continuous tracking of queries over collections of physically-distributed and rapidly-updating data streams. While numerous stream processing systems exist, there has been little work on understanding the performance characteristics of these applications in a distributed setup. In this paper, we examine the performance bottlenecks of streaming data applications, in particular the Linear Road stream data management benchmark, in achieving good performance in large-scale distributed environments, using the Stream Processing Core (SPC), a stream processing middleware we have developed. First, we present the design and implementation of the Linear Road benchmark on the SPC middleware. SPC has been designed to scale to tens of thousands of processing nodes, while supporting concurrent applications and multiple simultaneous queries. Second, we identify the main performance bottlenecks in the Linear Road application in achieving scalability and low query response latency. Our results show that data locality, buffer capacity, physical allocation of processing elements to infrastructure nodes, and packaging for transporting streamed data are important factors in achieving good application performance. Though we evaluate our system primarily for the Linear Road application, we believe it also provides useful insights into the overall system behavior for supporting other distributed and large-scale continuous streaming data applications. Finally, we examine how SPC can be used and tuned to enable a very efficient implementation of the Linear Road application in a distributed environment.
Predictors of recurrence in the management of chordoid meningioma

Management of chordoid meningiomas (CMs) is complicated by high rates of recurrence, particularly following subtotal resection. Optimal management is not established given the paucity of published experience. To identify prognostic factors for recurrence following resection, the authors conducted the largest systematic review of CMs to date. A comprehensive search on MEDLINE (OVID and Pubmed), Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science utilizing the search terms "chordoid" AND "meningioma" was performed to identify all reports of pathologically confirmed intracranial CMs. A total of 221 patients were included, comprising 120 females and 101 males. Mean age, MIB-1/Ki67, and tumor size was 45.5 years, 4.3% (range 0.1-26.6%), and 4.1 cm (range 0.8-10 cm), respectively. 5-, and 10- year progression free survival was 67.5 and 54.4%, respectively. Gross total resection (GTR) and subtotal resection was achieved in 172 and 48 patients, respectively. Adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) was given to 30 patients. Multivariate analysis found GTR was strongly correlated with decreased recurrence rates (HR 0.04, p = <0.0001), while higher MIB-1 labeling index (≥5 vs <5%) was associated with increased recurrence (HR 7.08; p = 0.016). Adjuvant RT, age, gender, and tumor location were not associated with recurrence. GTR resection is the strongest predictor of tumor control, and should be the goal to minimize local progression. Additionally, higher MIB-1 labeling was associated with increased rates of tumor recurrence. Tumors that are subtotally resected or demonstrate higher MIB-1 are at greater recurrence and warrant consideration for RT and close long term follow up.
Pyruvate Metabolism in Sarcina maxima

The mechanisms of pyruvate cleavage and hydrogen production by Sarcina maxima were studied. It was found that a phosphoroclastic system for pyruvate oxidation, similar to that occurring in saccharolytic clostridia, is present in S. maxima. Cleavage of pyruvate by extracts of the latter organism resulted in the formation of acetyl phosphate, CO(2), and electrons which were transferred to ferredoxin. Formate was not an intermediate in this system. Pyruvate oxidation was coupled with ferredoxin-dependent nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) reduction. A hydrogenase, active in particulate extracts of S. maxima, did not accept electrons from reduced ferredoxin. Formate was detected as a fermentation product when S. maxima was grown in media buffered with CaCO(3). Whole cells and extracts degraded formate to H(2) and CO(2). The evidence suggests that electrons generated by ferredoxin-linked pyruvate oxidation by S. maxima are not used for H(2) production, but that they serve for the reduction of NADP. Reduced NADP may be utilized by the organisms for synthesis of cell material. Production of H(2) by S. maxima may occur through a pyruvate clastic system similar to that present in coliform bacteria.
Highly stretchable optical sensors for pressure, strain, and curvature measurement

Recent advances in soft sensors using microfluidic liquid conductors enabled sensing of large deformation of soft structures. However, the use of liquids as conductive media carries a risk of leakage in many cases. Furthermore, it could be harmful when exposed to the human body in certain applications. To address these issues, a different sensing mechanism was proposed: highly stretchable optical sensors that could detect multiple modes of deformation. The method of operation involves a simple waveguide and its housing which are both made of silicone elastomer. The soft waveguide is coated with a thin gold reflective layer to encapsulate light propagating internally, with an light-emitting diode (LED) and a photodiode embedded at each end. When the sensor is stretched, compressed, or bent, micro-cracks within the reflective layer form and allow part of the light to escape, resulting in optical power losses in the light transmission. In this paper, we describe the design and fabrication of the proposed soft sensors. A prototype was created and characterized for pressure, strain, and curvature up to 350 kPa, 90%, and 0.12 mm−1, respectively, showing promising results of reasonable repeatability and linearity in certain ranges.
Minicells, Back in Fashion

Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) has emerged as a leading technique for three-dimensional visualization of large macromolecular complexes and their conformational changes in their native cellular environment. However, the resolution and potential applications of cryo-ET are fundamentally limited by specimen thickness, preventing high-resolution in situ visualization of macromolecular structures in many bacteria (such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica). Minicells, which were discovered nearly 50 years ago, have recently been exploited as model systems to visualize molecular machines in situ, due to their smaller size and other unique properties. In this review, we discuss strategies for producing minicells and highlight their use in the study of chemotactic signaling, protein secretion, and DNA translocation. In combination with powerful genetic tools and advanced imaging techniques, minicells provide a springboard for in-depth structural studies of bacterial macromolecular complexes in situ and therefore offer a unique approach for gaining novel structural insights into many important processes in microbiology.
Mechanism of Biomineralization of Bovine Pericardium Tissue

Pathologic biomineralization is the major cause of failure of tissue derived heart valve bioprosthesis (Schoen, 1989). The formation of calcified deposits in the cardiovascular system is a very important process and if its mechanism is properly understood, it may greatly affect the technology of long-lasting bioprosthesis. The present study was to investigate the mechanism of in vitro mineralization of de-endotheliazed, glutaraldehyde-treated bovine pericardium (BP), the essential component of BP bioprostheses. The primary question is: does the mineralization in vitro proceed as surface (extrinsic) process (Tomazic et al, 1991) or as a subsurface (intrinsic) process recorded in vivo (Schoen et al., 1985)? The BP mineralization in vitro was investigated by using a diffusion cell with two compartments that contained calcium phosphate solutions of different concentrations, separated by de-endotheliazed BP membrane. Diffusion of Ca and P through the membrane was monitored over extended periods under specified thermodynamic conditions. This permitted predicting which calcium phosphate compound could form at the membrane/solution interface (extrinsic mineralization), but more complexity occurs within the membrane corresponding to intrinsic mineralization. The analysis of transport of Ca and P through the BP membrane indicated the retention of Ca and P at/within membrane. Histology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis (EDX) provided good evidence of subsurface mineralization, in addition to surface mineralization. The latter was not documented by histology, only with EDX. The EDX data compiled by line scan analyses indicated the Ca/P heterogeneity of the early precursor formed in the membrane environment that was indicated by Ca and P x-ray mapping of subsurface calcified regions.
Moore's Law and Law

Being human implies being part of a civilization that seeks to extend its cultural and humane boundaries, a civilization that reaches out to new horizons whilst overcoming its prejudices with regard to other minds and longstanding scientific insights. Law plays an important role in this extension of the human essence. The language of the Law, becoming almost universal and reaching beyond the boundaries of a specific legal system, is the language that guides us towards its vital questions about specific profiles of law today. Moore laid the groundwork for the narrative about reengineering the human body and brain in a process of accelerating progress. Hence Kurzweil: "we are shrinking the key feature size of technology ... at the exponential rate of approximately a factor of four per linear dimensions per decade." Shrinking seizes will enter the nanotechnology range with unknown frameworks, patterns and designs for a new technology are in place. Moore's Law will be highly relevant for legal discourse and its functionaries: lawyers and legal theoreticians alike!
Providers contextualise care more often when they discover patient context by asking: meta-analysis of three primary data sets

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in BMJ Quality and Safety. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in BMJ Quality and Safety, 2016. 25(3): 159-163. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2015-004283. © The Authors.
Clinal variation and morphology of woodrats (Neotoma) of the eastern United States

We examined the cranial and external morphology of putative specimens of Neotoma floridana from the eastern United States to investigate the morphological distinctness of N. f. magister and clinal variation in size of woodrats. Significant differences in quantitative morphologic characteristics between N. f. magister and non- magister specimens were detected using both univariate and multivariate analyses. Although most morphometric characteristics demonstrated distinct clinal variation, covariate analyses indicate that differences between N.f. magister and non- magister specimens cannot be attributed to patterns of clinal variation alone. Specimens of N. f. magister also differ from non- magister specimens with respect to the presence of a maxillo-vomerine notch and, unlike non-magister specimens, none possessed a strongly bifurcated anterior palatal spine. We contend that this pattern of morphologic variation, in conjunction with previous genetic studies, indicates that resurrection of the taxon N. magister is warranted.
The Need for Trained Professionals to Support Social Policy

Policy changes play an important role in shaping the environment to promote healthy choices in physical activity and nutrition. However, additional support is required for these policies to have an increased impact. This article discusses the roles professionals trained in a lifestyle approach can have in promoting policy.