cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Most-Surely vs. Least-Surely Uncertain

Active learning methods aim to choose the most informative instances to effectively learn a good classifier. Uncertainty sampling, arguably the most frequently utilized active learning strategy, selects instances which are uncertain according to the model. In this paper, we propose a framework that distinguishes between two types of uncertainties: a model is uncertain about an instance due to strong and conflicting evidence (most-surely uncertain) vs. a model is uncertain about an instance because it does not have conclusive evidence (least-surely uncertain). We show that making a distinction between these uncertainties makes a huge difference to the performance of active learning. We provide a mathematical formulation to distinguish between these uncertainties for naive Bayes, logistic regression and support vector machines and empirically evaluate our methods on several real-world datasets.
α‐Substituted diisopropylbenzene hydroperoxides for low‐temperature SBR polymerization

Four pure hydroperoxides were evaluated as initiators for the polymerization of styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) at 5°C. These materials were the meta and para isomers of mono- and dihydroperoxy-diisopropylbenzene. Results showed that the monohydroperoxides produced somewhat faster reactions than a control hydroperoxide, p-menthane hydroperoxide. Response to mercaptan level adjustments was good, providing polymer with a Mooney viscosity in the 50 to 60 range. The reaction rate with the dihydroperoxides was slower, but again provided polymer with a satisfactory viscosity. Basic physical property measurements on polymers prepared with the pure hydroperoxides or control hydroperoxides showed only minor differences. It is anticipated that these differences can be eliminated by small adjustments in the compound recipe.
Microscopic Mechanisms for Reduced Static Dielectric Constants in Si-O-F Alloy Films

There is considerable interest in insulators with static dielectric constants lower than SiO2; an alloy system attracting recent attention is Si-O-F. Alloying of F atoms into plasma-deposited SiO2 films leads to major changes in the SiO2 bond-stretching and -bending infrared bands accounting for a significant fraction of the reduction in the dielectric constant. These changes are explained by F induced modifications of force constants and effective charges of the neighboring Si-O-Si groups.
Bacteremia and sternal infection after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Abstract Sternal wound infection remains a source of substantial morbidity and mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting. We noted an association between bacteremias and sternal wound complications in these patients. A review of 835 consecutive coronary bypass patients showed a 3.2% incidence of bacteremia and a 1.9% incidence of deep and superficial sternal wound infection. The sternal wound was the most common source of bacteremia, accounting for 59% of the infections. Coagulasc-negative Staphylococcus was responsible for one half of the sternal wound infections. Often, a positive blood culture was the first manifestation of wound infection, occurring before local signs were manifest. We recommend multiple blood cultures in postoperative coronary bypass patients with pronounced fever. If no source of infection can be identified, sternal wound aspirate may be revealing. Appropriate early wound management can then be carried out, maximizing chances for good recovery.
Graphical Analysis of Linear Magnetic Recording Using High-Frequency Excitation

The addition of a high-frequency component to an audio signal which is to be recorded magnetically results in a low-distortion, linear recording characteristic under certain conditions. This paper gives a graphical method for constructing the recording characteristic from the B R versus H curve of the record material. An analysis accounts for such magnetic-recording characteristics as variation in sensitivity with bias, linearity at low recording levels, adjustment for maximum sensitivity, and adjustment for minimum distortion.
The scholar as reader: the last 50 years of economic theory seen through G.C. Harcourt’s book reviews

G.C. Harcourt has written over 100 book reviews during the last 50 years. These are published in a number of journals and on widely different topics. In this article this literature is used in order to discuss three important issues. (i) How did Harcourt engage with the developments in economic theory across the different schools in economics during this period? (ii) What do these book reviews tell us about how Harcourt does economics? (iii) Why is this reviewing activity such an important part of Harcourt’s research activity and what does this tell us about the structure of post-Keynesian economics? This article argues that book reviews as well as review articles are a constitutive element of how Harcourt does economics, as they organise different and occasionally disparate theoretical contributions into a coherent narrative that gives form and substance to his theoretical approach.
Additional Winter Recoveries of Indiana Bats (Myotis sodalis) Banded During Summer in Michigan

Abstract We report 4 new recoveries of the endangered Myotis sodalis (Indiana Bat) that were banded in Michigan during summer and found hibernating in Ohio, Indiana, or Kentucky, 225–386 km from the initial banding site. A fifth individual apparently made the longest migration on record for Indiana Bats (575 km) on multiple occasions. Since 1997, 15% of 71 Indiana Bats banded in Michigan during summer have been recovered during winter.
Modified quasi-deutron model

Abstract Saclay measurements of the photon absorption cross section by lead can be fitted from 35 to 106 MeV by my 12 year old modified quasi-deuteron model, with a damping factor D of 60 MeV.
Qualitative Research in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education:

Descriptive information about the qualitative research studies reviewed as part of the Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices project is provided. Seventy-four articles that met our cri...
Somatic genetics and targeted therapies for cutaneous melanoma

Abstract The standard treatments for metastatic melanoma have not evolved in the past 30 years. It has been a decade since the emergence of high-dose interferon in the adjuvant setting: a therapy with significant limitations in both efficacy and tolerability. The conventional therapies that have proven useful for other cancers have been exhausted with regard to their exploration in melanoma and novel approaches are required. The identification of somatic genetic alterations that activate the MAP kinase and PI3 kinase pathways has provided a foothold for the investigation of signal transduction inhibitors that counter them. Melanoma is more complex than some of the cancers with early success in the application of signal transduction inhibitors, such as chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia or gastrointestinal stromal tumors, with regard to the number of genetic aberrations found within any one cell. While reductive laboratory studies have supported the potential therapeutic value of inhibitors of these and other signaling pathways in melanoma, even those experiments do not suggest that every cell in a given tumor will be eradicated with agents that target a single pathway. The current generation of clinical trials, which seek to develop novel signal transduction inhibitors, will ultimately provide the building blocks for regimens that take into account the greater complexity of melanoma at the level of aberrant signal transduction.
Glycyl Cα chemical shielding in tripeptides: Measurement by solid-state NMR and correlation with X-ray structure and theory

We report here (13)C(alpha) chemical shielding parameters for central Gly residues in tripeptides adopting alpha-helix, beta-strand, polyglycine II, and fully extended 2 degrees structures. To assess experimental uncertainties in the shielding parameters and the effects of (14)N-(13)C(alpha) or (15)N-(13)C(alpha) dipolar coupling, stationary and magic angle spinning (MAS) spectra with and without (15)N decoupling were obtained from natural abundance and double-labeled samples containing [2-(13)C, (15)N]Gly. We find that accurate (<1 ppm uncertainty) shielding parameters are measured with good sensitivity and resolution in (15)N decoupled 1D or 2D MAS spectra of double-labeled samples. Compared to variations of isotropic shifts with peptide angles, those of (13)C(alpha) shielding anisotropy and asymmetry are greater. Trends relating shielding parameters to the 2 degrees structure are apparent, and the correlation of the experimental values with unscaled ab initio shielding calculations has an rms error of 3 ppm. Using the experimental data and the ab initio shielding values, the empirical trends relating the 2 degrees structure to shielding are extended to the larger range of torsion angles found in proteins.
Vesicular stomatitis virus defective interfering particles can contain extensive genomic sequence rearrangements and base substitutions

Abstract We sequenced the 5′ and 3′ RNA termini of 16 defective interfering (DI) particles of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) isolated at intervals from persistent infections and from a series of undiluted lytic passages. All DI RNAs exhibited complementary termini, but sequences internal to these termini were extensively rearranged in a variety of ways. Despite extensive rearrangement, these internal sequences (in addition to the termini) apparently are important for DI particle interference properties. Some of these DI particles are derived from multiple intrastrand and interstrand recombination events, and the generation of each can be explained by current replicase error models. During viral evolution in persistent and acute infections, DI particles with specific termini base substitutions are selected. One DI particle exhibits a remarkable clustering of specific A → G (and complementary U → C) substitutions, apparently as a result of repetitive misincorporations by an error-prone viral polymerase complex.
From Peptide Precursors to Oxazole and Thiazole-Containing Peptide Antibiotics: Microcin B17 Synthase

Esherichia coli microcin B17 is a posttranslationally modified peptide that inhibits bacterial DNA gyrase. It contains four oxazole and four thiazole rings and is representative of a broad class of pharmaceutically important natural products with five-membered heterocycles derived from peptide precursors. An in vitro assay was developed to detect heterocycle formation, and an enzyme complex, microcin B17 synthase, was purified and found to contain three proteins, McbB, McbC, and McbD, that convert 14 residues into the eight mono- and bisheterocyclic moieties in vitro that confer antibiotic activity on mature microcin B17. These enzymatic reactions alter the peptide backbone connectivity. The propeptide region of premicrocin is the major recognition determinant for binding and downstream heterocycle formation by microcin B17 synthase. A general pathway for the enzymatic biosynthesis of these heterocycles is formulated.
Support Vector Fuzzy Adaptive Network in the Modeling of Material Removal Rate in Rotary Ultrasonic Machining

Rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) is one of the cost-effective machining methods for machining difficult to process material. It is a hybrid machining process that combines the material removal mechanisms of diamond grinding with ultrasonic machining. However, due to the lack of understanding of the mechanisms of these operations, models for these machining processes are difficult to establish. In this paper, the support vector fuzzy adaptive network (SVFAN), a parameter free nonlinear regression technique, is used to model the material removal rate in RUM. The SVFAN retains the advantages of both the fuzzy adaptive networks and the support vector machines. The former possesses the linguistic representation ability and the latter is a very effective learning machine. The results are compared with that obtained by the use of fuzzy adaptive network and it is shown that the combined approach is a more effective algorithm for the modeling of complex manufacturing processes.
Dealing with near collinearity in chemical mass balance receptor models

Abstract The amount of airborne particulate pollution attributable to various sources can be estimated from a linear least squares (LLS) fit of concentrations of chemical elements observed at a receptor to the known elemental composition of the particles emitted by the sources. The resulting least squares problem often displays a high degree of ill-conditioning and associated inflation of the uncertainties in the estimates. Because of the physical constraints of the problem, variable selection and ridge regression cannot be used to remedy the ill-conditioning. In particular, it is shown that a stable ridge regression solution is equivalent to assuming sources of airborne particulates with negative elemental composition. A method is developed which defines, for a specific level of acceptable uncertainty, three classes of sources; those which can be estimated accurately by LLS, those which cannot be so estimated and those which cannot be accurately estimated individually but participate in linear combinations which can be accurately estimated. A technique is presented which determines those linear combinations of source contributions of minimum variance.
Research Note: Development of a Quantitative Method for the Evaluation of Varus-Angular Bone Deformity in Chickens

Abstract A quantitative technique was developed to measure the degree of flexion (twisting) and torsion (angulation) of the tibiotarsus bone from chickens affected with varus-angular bone deformity (varus-ABD). A plexiglass device was constructed consisting of X, Y, and Z-axis planes. The Y-axis plane was used to position the tibia in a constant reference position. The distance in millimeters from the (0, 0, 0) coordinate to the (X′, 0, 0) coordinate was used to measure medial tibial flexion (TF), and the distance from the (0, 0, 5 cm) coordinate to the (X′, 0, 5 cm) coordinate was used to measure lateral TF. The X-axis plane was fitted with a protractor to measure the angle of the proximal head of the tibia as a measure of tibial torsion (TT). The Z-axis plane was used to measure tibial length. Tibias with mild varus-ABD had TF values of >0 but ≤5 mm, whereas severe varus-ABD tibias had TF values of >5 mm. The TT values ranged from 10 to 60°, with the lower values associated with severe varus-ABD.
Protein kinase A regulates β2 integrin avidity in neutrophils

The adhesive phenotype of neutrophils (PMN) depends largely on activating and deactivating intracellular signals regulating beta2 integrin avidity for ligand. Our hypothesis is that PKA is a negative regulator of beta2 integrin avidity. In this work, we examined the role of PKA in PMN alphaMbeta2 integrin activation. Elevation of cAMP inhibited alphaMbeta2 integrin-dependent adhesion of PMN to immune complexes (IC), but not PMA-induced adhesion. The PKA inhibitor KT5720 reversed the ability of cAMP to suppress adhesion to IC. Moreover, inhibition of PKA activity was sufficient to activate alphaMbeta2 integrin-dependent adhesion and increase beta2 integrin expression and binding of the monoclonal antibody CBRM1/5, which recognizes activated alphaMbeta2 specifically. However, PKA activity was necessary for sustained adhesion. Disruption of A kinase-anchoring, protein-PKA binding with a cell-permeant peptide derived from the AKAP Ht31 also activated adhesion. Unlike pharmacologic inhibition of PKA, AKAP peptide-induced adhesion was PKC dependent and did not affect beta2 integrin expression or CBRM1/5 binding. These data demonstrate that PKA appears to have a dual role in the mechanism regulating alphaMbeta2 integrin avidity and adhesion.
Defect-tolerant nanoelectronic pattern classifiers

SUMMARY Mixed-signal neuromorphic networks (‘CrossNets’), based on hybrid CMOS/nanodevice circuits, may provide unprecedented performance for important pattern classification tasks. The synaptic weights necessary for such tasks may be imported from an external ‘precursor’ network with either continuous or discrete synaptic weights (in the former case, with the quantization—‘clipping’—due to the binary character of the elementary synaptic nanodevices—latching switches.) Alternatively, the weights may be adjusted ‘in situ’ (inside the CrossNet) using a pseudo-stochastic method, or set-up using a mixed-mode method partly employing external circuitry. Our calculations have shown that CrossNet pattern classifiers, using any of these synaptic weight adjustment methods, may be remarkably resilient. For example, in a CrossNet with synapses in the form of two small square arrays with 4 ×4 nanodevices each, the resulting weight discreteness may have a virtually negligible effect on the classification fidelity, while the fraction of defective devices which affects the performance substantially ranges from ∼20% to as high as 90% (!), depending on the training method. Copyright q 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A new species of striped mongoose from Madagascar

A new species of Galidictis (Carnivora, Herpestidae) from Madagascar is de- scribed. It is larger than G. fasciata and can be distinguished from it in possessing a longer, wider and more robust skull, larger carnassials and canines, and a nearly parallel longitudinal striping pattern with wide interspaces. It is compared to other Malagasy and striped mongooses with qualitative and quantitative characteristics which can be used to separate and identify species. The distribution of collection localities along the eastern slopes of the Great Eastern Escarpment of G. fasciata suggests an ecological and geographical separation from the paratype locality in the southwest spiny desert. The family Herpestidae is represented on Madagascar by four endemic genera, all belonging to the subfamily Galidiinae. This subfamily, an Oligocene offshoot from other herpestine and mungotine mongooses, can be distinguished by basicranial characters. In the Galidiinae, the entotympanic chamber is flat or slightly inflated and the ectotympanic is drawn out laterally into a long external meatal tube. In other mongooses, the entotympanic is greatly inflated and the external auditory meatus does not form a tube (Petter, 1974; Van der Klaauw, 1931; Woz- encraft, 1984). The external morphology of the Malagasy mongooses is also distinctive. Galidia is the only reddish-brown mongoose with a black-ringed tail. Salanoia is unicolored brown. Mungotictis and Galidictis are the only mongooses with longitudinal stripes running from just behind the ears to the base of the tail. During the course of a systematic study of the Herpestidae, two specimens were discovered in collections that represented morphotypes outside the range of variation for the currently recognized taxa. These specimens most closely resemble Galidictis in cranial and external mor- phology and are here named as a new species in that genus.
Energy conversion issues for airborne directed energy weapons

The ability of an airborne directed energy weapon (DEW) to effectively strike a target depends strongly on the ability to develop, deliver, and manage the required energy for the onboard DEW source. The energy flow within various generic airborne DEW systems is examined from power generation to waste heat management. Each airborne DEW system is analyzed by considering the energy flow through an example configuration of generalized DEW system components. The numbers used in the analysis are not representative of any airborne DEW system under development, but simply allow for an illustration of energy flow within a DEW system of advanced power level.
Accuracy of QTc and QTI for Detection of Autonomic Dysfunction

Background:Correlates of QT interval duration have been described although their effects on its ability to identify autonomic neuropathy have not. Methods:We examined the ability of QTc and QTI to detect pharmacologically simulated autonomic dysfunction (PSAD) in persons without bundle branch block, U waves, or long QT syndrome by reviewing 249 articles published through 1996 describing the influence of adrenergic beta antagonists or atropine on QT duration. Six of the articles described effects of intravenous drug administration on the ECG among 94 individuals in sinus rhythm. Autonomic dysfunction was pharmacologically simulated in a subset of 30 men and women via coadministration of both drugs. We used logistic regression to estimate accuracy of QTc and QTI for PSAD, reported as area under summary receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC [95% Cl]) and sensitivity (95% Cl) of test thresholds with specificity of 0.80. Results:Sensitivity of QTC > 436 ms1/2 was 0.20 (0.09–0.38) and AUCQTC, 0.54 (0.41–0.66). A QTI < 95% was similarly insensitive, 0.30 (0.16–0.48), and AUCQTI equally low. However, stratum-specific AUCQTI' was higher than overall AUCQTI, 0.69 (0.64–0.74) when age mean (37.7 years), 0.77 (0.73–0.81) in males, and 0.87 (0.77–0.97) in participants without history of arrhythmia. Sensitivity of QTI thresholds in these strata, range 0.41 to 0.62, was 2.2 to 7.8 times greater than sensitivity, range 0.08 to 0.19, of equally specific QTc thresholds. In a model combining age (y), gender, and arrhythmia, AUCQTI was 0.88 (0.86–0.90). Conclusions: In isolation, QTc and QTI inaccurately detect PSAD. When confounding is taken into consideration, low QTI identifies PSAD with greater sensitivity and accuracy than high QTc. A.N.E. 1999;4(3):257–266
Regularized Estimation for the Accelerated Failure Time Model

SUMMARY In the presence of high-dimensional predictors, it is challenging to develop reliable regression models that can be used to accurately predict future outcomes. Further complications arise when the outcome of interest is an event time, which is often not fully observed due to censoring. In this article, we develop robust prediction models for event time outcomes by regularizing the Gehan's estimator for the accelerated failure time (AFT) model (Tsiatis, 1996, Annals of Statistics 18, 305-328) with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalty. Unlike existing methods based on the inverse probability weighting and the Buckley and James estimator (Buckley and James, 1979, Biometrika 66, 429-436), the proposed approach does not require additional assumptions about the censoring and always yields a solution that is convergent. Furthermore, the proposed estimator leads to a stable regression model for prediction even if the AFT model fails to hold. To facilitate the adaptive selection of the tuning parameter, we detail an efficient numerical algorithm for obtaining the entire regularization path. The proposed procedures are applied to a breast cancer dataset to derive a reliable regression model for predicting patient survival based on a set of clinical prognostic factors and gene signatures. Finite sample performances of the procedures are evaluated through a simulation study.
Comparison of weight loss and body composition changes with four surgical procedures.

Abstract Background A paucity of information is available on the comparative body composition changes after bariatric procedures. The present study reports on the body mass index (BMI) and body composition changes after 4 procedures by a single group. Methods At the initial consultation, the weight and body composition of the patients undergoing 4 different bariatric procedures were measured by bioimpedance (Tanita 310). Follow-up examinations were performed at 1 year and at subsequent visits after surgery. Analysis of variance was used to compare the postprocedure BMI and body composition. Analysis of covariance was used to adjust for baseline differences. Results A total of 101 gastric bypass (GB) patients were evaluated at 19.1 ± 10.6 months, 49 biliopancreatic diversion with the duodenal switch (BPD/DS) patients at 27.5 ± 16.3 months, 41 adjustable gastric band (AGB) patients at 21.4 ± 9.2 months, and 30 sleeve gastrectomy (SG) patients at 16.7 ± 5.6 months ( P P 2 , 53.2, 46.7, and 44.3 kg/m 2 for the SG, BPD/DS, GB, and AGB group, respectively. The postoperative BMI adjusted for baseline differences was 27.8 (difference 23.6 ± 8.3), 32.5 (difference 15.6 ± 5.0), 37.2 (difference 18.2 ± 8.2), and 39.5 kg/m 2 (difference 7.5 ± 4.3) for the BPD/DS, GB, SG, and AGB groups, respectively ( P P P Conclusion Although the BPD/DS procedure reduced the BMI the most effectively and promoted fat loss, all the procedures produced weight loss. The AGB procedure resulted in less body fat loss within 21.5 months than SG within 16.7 months. Longer term observation is indicated.
Measuring the Mathematical Attitudes of Elementary Students: The Effects of a 4-Point or 5-Point Likert-Type Scale

The purpose of this study was to compare how students in Grades 3 to 6 respond to a mathematics attitudes instrument with a 4-point Likert-type scale compared with one with an additional neutral point (a 5-point Likert-type scale). The 606 participating students from six elementary and middle schools randomly received either the 4-point or 5-point format of the Math and Me Survey. Regardless of whether a neutral midpoint was offered or not, the structure of the instrument was virtually the same, with equal intercepts, means, variances and covariances, pattern coefficients, and nearly all residuals. The 5-point scale is preferred with this population because with this format the reliability estimate for the Mathematical Self-Perceptions subscale was higher (p = .049), and the pattern coefficients were stronger. Additionally, this format provided less model misfit than the 4-point format. Based on these findings, the authors recommend administration of the Math and Me Survey in the 5-point format. These fin...
Virtual and Face-to-Face Teamwork Differences in Culturally Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Teams

Performance on a decision-making task and cohesion were examined in dyadic (two-person) teams. A total of 118 university students in the United States and Japan participated in the study and were placed in either homogeneous (American–American or Asian–Asian) or heterogeneous (American–Asian) teams, based on whether they were raised in the United States or in an Asian country. Teams worked either face-to-face or via videoconferencing (i.e., virtual teams) and performed a hidden profile task simulating a personnel selection process (i.e., ranking candidates). American–American teams and American–Asian teams outperformed Asian–Asian teams regardless of whether they worked face-to-face or virtually. Team cohesion results mirrored the performance results. The findings suggest that individuals from Asian cultures may require more time to form a cohesive and high-performing team.
Antibacterial Activity of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Extract and Synergistic Effect with Amoxicillin against some Human Pathogens

Objective: Study the Antibacterial activity of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis extract and Synergistic Effect with Amoxicillin against some human pathogens. Methods: Test microorganism for antibacterial assay (Agar well diffusion method) (Influence of combination between antibiotics and plant extracts against selected multi drug resistant strains). Results : A total of five clinical isolates ( P. aeruginosa , Serratia, Micrococcus, Enterobacter and Salmonella ) belonging to different bacterial species were collected from the Department were obtained from the department of biology, college of science, Al-Mustansiryia university, Baghdad, Iraq. Co-trimoxazol, Tetracycline, Lincomycin, Enterobacter isolate was resistant to Amikacin. All bacterial isolates were sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, Norfloxacin. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of Amoxicillin most effective antibiotics was tested against the five MDR isolates. Furthermore In the present study, only the susceptibilities of clinical bacterial isolates to the extracts of H. rosa-sinensis leaves and flowers have been examined. Therefore, further microbiological studies would be carried out to determine the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the extracts prepared from H. rosa-sinensis against ( P. aeruginosa , Serratia, Micrococcus, Enterobacter and Salmonella ). The watey extracts of H. rosa-sinensis was evaluated against isolates and the results showed that the crude extracts of them with boiling water were more effective than the cold watery extracts. Conclusion: Of this work the combination between H. rosa-sinensis and Amoxycillin showed synergistic effect against the tested bacteria than each of them alone.
Media Credibility and Journalistic Role Conceptions: Views on Citizen and Professional Journalists among Citizen Contributors

This study identifies citizen journalists' role conceptions regarding their news contributing activities and their perceptions of professional journalists' roles. Specifically, the ethical criterion of media credibility was assessed to identify predictors on their perceptions of roles. Analyses reveal citizen journalists perceive their roles to be generally similar to professional journalists and even rated certain roles more prominently for themselves. Further, their perceptions of media credibility were found to function as a core belief in how they assessed their roles and also those of professional journalists, which has implications for a system of open ethics.
“You Have to Give Her That Confidence” Conversations About Sex in Hispanic Mother-Daughter Dyads

The considerable risk of negative consequences of unprotected intercourse underscores a need to better understand how Latina adolescent girls acquire the skills to manage the risks associated with sexuality. The authors used in-depth qualitative interviews with mothers and their daughters to examine communication related to sexuality with the goal of understanding the sociocultural and family context of Latina adolescents’ sexual behavior and reproductive health care seeking. Mothers and daughters agree that sexual activity threatens girls’ health and future and that open communication about sexuality is highly valued but difficult to achieve. Communication content tends to focus on the threats of sexual activity, but process is important. Strategies of effective communicators include deliberate creation of an atmosphere of approachability and a flow of information from daughter to mother.
Intravesical Gemcitabine for High Risk, Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer after Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Treatment Failure

Purpose: We report our experience with intravesical gemcitabine for bladder cancer after failed bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients at our cancer center treated with intravesical gemcitabine after bacillus Calmette-Guerin failure. We estimated progression-free, recurrence-free and cancer specific survival using the cumulative incidence function, considering death from another cause as a competing risk. Comparisons were made using the Gray test. Overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and differences were compared with the log rank test.Results: Of 69 patients treated with intravesical gemcitabine 37 had bacillus Calmette-Guerin refractory disease. Median followup in progression-free patients was 3.3 years. Progression-free and cancer specific survival were similar in patients with refractory disease and those with other types of bacillus Calmette-Guerin failure. Overall survival was lower in patients with refrac...
A comparison of sea ice type, sea ice temperature, and snow thickness distributions in the arctic seasonal ice zones with the DMSP SSM/I

In recent years, researchers have used various combinations of DMSP SSM/I channels to independently estimate the thin ice type (which is related to ice thickness), the thin ice temperature, and the depth of snow on the ice. In each case validation efforts provided encouraging results, but taken individually each algorithm gives only one piece of the information necessary to compute the energy fluxes through the ice and snow. In this paper the authors present a comparison of the results from each of these algorithms to provide a more comprehensive picture of the seasonal ice zone using passive microwave observations.
Mining recent temporal patterns for event detection in multivariate time series data

Improving the performance of classifiers using pattern mining techniques has been an active topic of data mining research. In this work we introduce the recent temporal pattern mining framework for finding predictive patterns for monitoring and event detection problems in complex multivariate time series data. This framework first converts time series into time-interval sequences of temporal abstractions. It then constructs more complex temporal patterns backwards in time using temporal operators. We apply our framework to health care data of 13,558 diabetic patients and show its benefits by efficiently finding useful patterns for detecting and diagnosing adverse medical conditions that are associated with diabetes.
Using Comparable Corpora to Adapt MT Models to New Domains

In previous work we showed that when using an SMT model trained on old-domain data to translate text in a new-domain, most errors are due to unseen source words, unseen target translations, and inaccurate translation model scores (Irvine et al., 2013a). In this work, we target errors due to inaccurate translation model scores using new-domain comparable corpora, which we mine from Wikipedia. We assume that we have access to a large olddomain parallel training corpus but only enough new-domain parallel data to tune model parameters and do evaluation. We use the new-domain comparable corpora to estimate additional feature scores over the phrase pairs in our baseline models. Augmenting models with the new features improves the quality of machine translations in the medical and science domains by up to 1.3 BLEU points over very strong baselines trained on the 150 million word Canadian Hansard dataset.
Cropping sequence and tillage system influences annual crop production and water use in semiarid Montana, USA

Available water is typically the biggest constraint to spring wheat production in the northern Great Plains of the USA. The most common rotation for spring wheat is with summer fallow, which is used to accrue additional soil moisture. Tillage during fallow periods controls weeds, which otherwise would use substantial amounts of water, decreasing the efficiency of fallow. Chemical fallow and zero tillage systems improve soil water conservation, allowing for increased cropping intensity. We conducted a field trial from 1998 through 2003 comparing productivity and water use of crops in nine rotations under two tillage systems, conventional and no-till. All rotations included spring wheat, two rotations included field pea, while lentil, chickpea, yellow mustard, sunflower, and safflower were present in single rotations with wheat. Growing season precipitation was below average most years, resulting in substantial drought stress to crops not following fallow. Preplant soil water, water use, and spring wheat yields were generally greater following summer fallow than wheat recropped after wheat or alternate crops. Water use and yield of wheat following summer fallow was greater than for chickpea or yellow mustard, the only other crops in the trial that followed summer fallow. Field pea performed best of all alternate crops, providing yields comparable to those of recropped spring wheat. Chickpea, lentil, yellow mustard, safflower, and sunflower did not perform well and were not adapted to this region, at least during periods of below average precipitation. Following summer fallow, and despite drought conditions, zero tillage often provided greater amounts of soil water at planting compared to conventional tillage.
Learning philosophies: A glimpse into students' approaches to learning

A learning philosophy, as discussed in this paper, is a collection of beliefs about how one learns and approaches learning activities and tasks. Learning is often studied from the instructor's point of view, but learning from the student's perspective is not examined much. A baseline understanding of how students learning philosophies might be disclosed and interpreted are described by the nineteen student responses to an open-ended survey in an undergraduate elective course titled “Engineering in Global Context.” The findings suggest implications for course and curriculum design in order to promote higher levels of thinking and to develop appropriate epistemological beliefs. Partially through the lenses of Bloom's Taxonomy and Schommer's Epistemological Dimensions, this paper offers a glimpse into students' conceptions about learning.
Prediction of response to therapy with clarithromycin/lenalidomide/dexamethasone (BIRD) in multiple myeloma using FDG-PET

17530 Background: End points based on functional imaging data hold promise to better define and stratify response. As a metabolic imaging modality, FDG-PET can characterize tumor aggressiveness and...
Inpatient Warfarin Management

Vitamin K antagonists are a class of oral anticoagulants prescribed for medical conditions that often require long-term anticoagulation therapy (e.g., atrial fibrillation, venous thromboembolism, heart valve replacement). Within this drug class, warfarin is the most commonly prescribed medication.
Abstract 2494: A Transient Decrease in Spleen Size Following Stoke Corresponds to Splenocyte Release into Systemic Circulation

Objective: Splenectomy is protective in ischemic injuries to renal, hepatic, and gastrointestinal systems, showing that the splenic response promotes cellular degeneration. Removal of the spleen is also protective in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Therefore, we investigated the cellular response of the spleen to brain ischemia. Hypothesis: Immune cells are released from the spleen following cerebral ischemia contributing to neural injury. Methods: A time course was conducted to investigate splenic size changes in rats over time following permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and sham-MCAO (n≥3). In a second experiment, splenocytes were labeled in situ with carboxyfluorescein diacetate, succinimidyl ester (CFSE). Five evenly spaced splenic injections, 4 mg/ml in DMSO, were given to all groups five days prior to MCAO or sham-MCAO. The experimental groups were: 48 hr post-MCAO (n=4), 48 hr post-sham-MCAO (n=4), 96 hr post-MCAO (n=6), 96 hr post-sham-MCAO (n=4), and a CFSE only group that was euthanized five days following injection of CFSE without undergoing MCAO (n=4). Spleen, brain, thymus, and blood smears were collected for all groups. Results: The spleen was found to decrease in size at 48 hrs following MCAO in rats compared to controls (p Conclusion: These results demonstrate that CFSE is a viable and safe way to track immune cells in situ in an animal model of stroke. The spleen transiently decreases in size post-MCAO in rats and releases splenocytes into systemic circulation at 48 hrs following MCAO. These cells are migrating to the brain or other lymphoid organs, affecting the overall immune response to ischemia. Brains and thymi from the CFSE injected animals will be analyzed for the presence of these cells.
Synergy Landscapes: A Multilayer Network for Collaboration in Biological Research

Physical interactions among molecules, cells, and tissues influence research in biology. While conferences and departments are created to study these interactions, previous attempts to understand the large-scale organization of science have only focused on social relationships among scientists. Here, we combine the structure of molecular interaction networks with other science networks, such as coauthorship networks, for a more complete representation of the interests and relationships that determine the direction and impact of research. This multilayer network that we call Synergy Landscapes will allow us to identify broad patterns of scientific research, and in particular factors that predict innovative and high-impact research. Synergy Landscapes also will dynamically track research trends in a customized framework that informs scientists of research on molecules which are relevant to their core research areas. This will facilitate collaborations that would otherwise be difficult to produce and which mirror the natural organization of biological systems.
Vapor phase transport of AlN in an RF heated reactor: Low and high temperature studies

AlN crystals were grown from the vapor phase in an RF heated AlN sublimation reactor. The studies were performed with the following goals: 1) to optimize the growth rate by investigating mass transfer effects, and 2) to establish a process for epitaxial growth on AlN seeds. A one-dimensional mass transfer model based on equilibrium sublimation and gas-phase diffusion was developed. Model parameters were estimated and the model was validated from growth experiments carried out in a 600 Torr nitrogen atmosphere and temperatures ranging from 2000 to 2400°C. Continuous growth on AlN seed crystals was accomplished as a result of optimizing the initial stage of growth and achieving a delicate balance between the rate of mass transfer and the rate of surface rearrangement. During this experimental study, centimeter-size single crystals of AlN were obtained within the 1.25” diameter boule that was grown at a predicted growth rate of 0.1–0.3 mm/hr, at 500 Torr of nitrogen, short source-to-seed distance, low supersaturation and growth temperatures of 2110–2140°C. Chemical analysis of impurities in the grown AlN boules confirmed a very low oxygen contamination of 100 ppm wt. Cathodoluminescence studies showed well defined near band edge emission peak located slightly above 6 eV.
Roads Less Traveled: Sexual Dimorphism and Mast Cell Contributions to Migraine Pathology

Migraine is a common, little understood, and debilitating disease. It is much more prominent in women than in men (~2/3 are women) but the reasons for female preponderance are not clear. Migraineurs frequently experience severe comorbidities such as allergies, depression, irritable bowel syndrome and others; many of the comorbities are more common in females. Current treatments for migraine are not gender-specific, and rarely are migraine and its comorbidities considered and treated by the same specialist. Thus, migraine treatments represent a huge unmet medical need, which will only be addressed with greater understanding of its underlying pathophysiology. We discuss the current knowledge about sex differences in migraine and its comorbidities, and focus in on the potential role of mast cells in both. Sex-based differences in pain recognition and drug responses, fluid balance, and the blood brain barrier are recognized but their impact on migraine is not well studied. Further, mast cells are well recognized for their prominent role in allergies but much less is known about their contributions to pain pathways in general and migraine specifically. Mast cell-neuron bidirectional communication uniquely positions these cells as potential initiators and/or perpetuators of pain. Mast cells can secrete nociceptor sensitizing and activating agents such as serotonin, prostaglandins, histamine and proteolytic enzymes that can also activate the pain-mediating transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels. Mast cells express receptors for both estrogen and progesterone that induce degranulation upon binding. Further, environmental estrogens such as Bisphenol A activate mast cells in preclinical models but their impact on pain pathways or migraine is understudied. We hope that this discussion will encourage scientists and physicians alike to bridge the knowledge gaps linking sex, mast cells and migraine to develop better, more comprehensive treatments for migraine patients.
The Clinical Features of the Hereditary and Nonhereditary Polypsis Syndromes

The polyposis syndromes are rare familial and noninherited syndromes associated with intestinal as well as extraintestinal malignancies in many cases. Their recognition and classification are critical in determining the appropriate management strategies.
What Is a Vitamin

The term vitamin was coined during a revolution in thinking about the health impacts of diet, when factors other than protein, fats, water, and “ash” were recognized as being essential for normal function and development. Originally coined to described nutrients like the factor that was later called thiamin, a “vital amine,” the term vitamin became the descriptor for organic compounds distinct from fats, carbohydrates, and proteins that are not synthesized by the host, are natural components of foods, and are essential, usually in minute amounts, for normal physiological functions, causing, by their absence or underutilization, specific deficiency syndromes. Most vitamins exist as multiple isomers called vitamers; some have metabolic precursors called provitamins.
StaticsTutor: Free Body Diagram Tutor for Problem Framing

While intelligent tutoring systems have been designed to teach free-body diagrams, existing software often forces students to define variables and equations that may not be necessary for conceptual understanding during the problem framing stage. StaticsTutor was developed to analyze solutions from a student-drawn diagram and recognize misconceptions at the earliest stages of problem framing, without requiring numerical force values or the need to provide equilibrium equations. Preliminary results with 81 undergraduates showed that it detects several frequent misconceptions in statics and that students are interested in using it, though they have suggestions for improvement. This research offers insights in the development of a diagram-based tutor to help problem framing, which can be generalized to tutors for other forms of diagrams.
Useful Techniques in an Extension Program in Farm Management

FARM management extension as it is carried on in the States today is broad and diverse. It includes educational work on farm management phases of farm planning and county planning, farm records and their analysis, enterprise records, farm surveys, farm business problems, farm labor utilization and efficiency, farm tenure, economic information and outlook, statistical information service to State and county extension workers, farm finance, land utilization, and national policy and economic forces. The problem of keeping up to date and abreast of new technical developments in the subject matter field as well as in educational procedure is an important part of the specialist's assignment. Numerous techniques have been used in carrying on extension programs in the broad field of farm management. Some of them have been very effective; others not so effective. Our need now is for techniques which will reach a maximum number of people with the limited amount of trained personnel available. Training of agents and farm leaders has materially increased specialists' efficiency in some States where definite attention has been given to this angle of the work. To be more effective in our farm management education, we must endeavor to make the subject matter simple and interesting rather than complex, confounding, and confusing. We must spend more time, whatever the technique, thinking about our audience and its level of understanding, and then prepare our material so it can be understood by that audience. In the time available to me, I would like for us to take a look at some of the teaching techniques used in farm management which have proved or promised to be more effective in reaching farmers. In order to save time, point up the discussion, and possibly be more specific, let us take a recognized farm management problem and examine a few of the extension techniques which may be used effectively in the teaching process. I think the problem of proper land use will serve our purposes quite satisfactorily.
Total Ionizing Dose Response of SDRAM, DDR2 and DDR3 Memories

Total Ionizing Dose response of SDRAM, DDR2 and DDR3 memories is reported in static bias, and auto refresh modes. Data analysis reveals some types of memory have significant increases in stuck bits during TID exposure when refreshed.