cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Home Automation Internet of Things: Adopted or Diffused?

The term Internet of Things has become very popular over the past few years. Major tech organizations and manufacturers are dedicating big portions of their focus on developing the foundations of the Internet of Things, including IBM, Cisco, Google, and many others. Most companies are developing tools and applications that are targeted to different industries like: home automation, smart cities, manufacturing, logistics, etc. This study is focused on the Home Automation and how the Internet of Things is disrupting the regular “non-smart” homes we once knew. This research is planned to study the effects of the Home Automation devices and tools currently available in the market and measure how adopted “accepted” they are within the general community. We will also measure how much disruption is it causing to the non-smart home appliances and devices industry, and how is the industry is being reshaped to cater for this newly developed market.
Ultra high pressure liquid chromatography: Column permeability and changes of the eluent properties

The behavior of four similar liquid chromatography columns (2.1mm i.d. x 30, 50, 100, and 150 mm, all packed with fine particles, average d(p) approximately 1.7 microm, of bridged ethylsiloxane/silica hybrid-C(18), named BEH-C(18)) was studied in wide ranges of temperature and pressure. The pressure and the temperature dependencies of the viscosity and the density of the eluent (pure acetonitrile) along the columns were also derived, using the column permeabilities and applying the Kozeny-Carman and the heat balance equations. The heat lost through the external surface area of the chromatographic column was directly derived from the wall temperature of the stainless steel tube measured with a precision of +/-0.2 degrees C in still air and +/-0.1 degrees C in the oven compartment. The variations of the density and viscosity of pure acetonitrile as a function of the temperature and pressure was derived from empirical correlations based on precise experimental data acquired between 298 and 373 K and at pressures up to 1.5 kbar. The measurements were made with the Acquity UPLC chromatograph that can deliver a maximum flow rate of 2 mL/min and apply a maximum column inlet pressure of 1038 bar. The average Kozeny-Carman permeability constant of the columns was 144+/-3.5%. The temperature hence the viscosity and the density profiles of the eluent along the column deviate significantly from linear behavior under high-pressure gradients. For a 1000 bar pressure drop, we measured DeltaT=25-30 K, (Deltaeta/eta) approximately 100%, and (Deltarho/rho) approximately 10%. These results show that the radial temperature profiles are never fully developed within 1% for any of the columns, even under still-air conditions. This represents a practical advantage regarding the apparent column efficiency at high flow rates, since the impact of the differential analyte velocity between the column center and the column wall is not maximum. The interpretation of the peak profiles recorded in UPLC is discussed.
Dihydrosphingosine growth inhibition and repression of 3-ketodihydrosphingosine synthetase activity in Bacteroidesmelaninogenicus

Abstract Addition of dihydrosphingosine or 3-ketodihydrosphingosine to growing cultures of Bacteroides melaninogenicus markedly reduced the activity of 3-ketodihydrosphingosine synthetase in extracts. Neither compound reduced the activity of a previously solubilized preparation of the enzyme. Dihydrosphingosine and synthetic acetyl ceramides inhibited the growth of the microorganism; 3-ketodihydrosphingosine was not inhibitory and reversed the growth inhibition caused by dihydrosphingosine. This reversal may indicate a preferential utilization of 3-ketodihydrosphingosine over dihydrosphingosine by the cells for the biosynthesis of complex sphingolipids.
Parametric Response Mapping of Coregistered Positron Emission Tomography and Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Computed Tomography to Identify Radioresistant Subvolumes in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer.

Purpose To identify subvolumes that may predict treatment response to definitive concurrent chemoradiation therapy using parametric response mapping (PRM) of coregistered positron emission tomography (PET) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) computed tomography (CT) in locally advanced cervical carcinoma. Methods and Materials Pre- and midtreatment (after 23 ± 4 days of concurrent chemoradiation therapy) DCE CT and PET imaging were performed on 21 patients with cervical cancer who were enrolled in a pilot study to evaluate the prognostic value of CT perfusion for primary cervical cancer (NCT01805141). Three-dimensional coregistered maps of PET/CT standardized uptake value (SUV) and DCE CT blood flow (BF) were generated. PRM was performed using voxel-wise joint histogram analysis to classify voxels within the tumor as highly metabolic and perfused (SUVhiBFhi), highly metabolic and hypoxic (SUVhiBFlo), low metabolic activity and hypoxic (SUVloBFlo), or low metabolic activity and perfused (SUVloBFhi) tissue based on thresholds determined from population means of pretreatment PET SUV and DCE CT BF. Relationships between baseline pretreatment imaging metrics and relative changes in metabolic tumor volume (ΔMTV), calculated from before treatment and during treatment imaging, were determined using univariable and multivariable linear regression models. Results The relative volume of three PRM subvolumes significantly changed during treatment (SUVhiBFhi: P = .04; SUVhiBFlo: P = .0008; SUVloBFhi: P = .02), whereas SUVloBFlo did not (P = .9). Pretreatment PET SUVmax (r = −.58, P = .006), PET SUVmean (ρ = −.59, P = .005), DCE CT BFmean (r = −.50, P = .02), tumor volume (ρ = −.65, P = .001) and PRM SUVhiBFhi (ρ = −.59, P = .004) were negatively correlated with ΔMTV, whereas PRM SUVloBFlo was positively related to ΔMTV (r = .77, P Conclusions PRM was applied in locally advanced cervical carcinoma treated definitively with chemoradiation, and radioresistant subvolumes were identified that correlated with changes in MTV and predicted treatment response. Identification of these subvolumes may assist in clinical decision making to tailor therapies, such as brachytherapy, in an effort to improve patient outcomes.
Determining the Tractional Forces on Vitreoretinal Interface Using a Computer Simulation Model in Abusive Head Trauma.

Purpose Abusive head trauma (AHT) is the leading cause of infant death and long-term morbidity from injury. The ocular consequences of AHT are controversial, and the pathophysiology of retinal research findings is still not clearly understood. It has been postulated that vitreoretinal traction plays a major role in the retinal findings. A computer simulation model was developed to evaluate the vitreoretinal traction and determine whether the distribution of forces in different layers and locations of the retina can explain the patterns of retinal hemorrhage (RH) seen in AHT. Design Computer simulation model study. Methods A computer simulation model of the pediatric eye was developed to evaluate preretinal, intraretinal, and subretinal stresses during repetitive shaking. This model was also used to examine the forces applied to various segments along blood vessels. Results Calculated stress values from the computer simulation ranged from 3-16 kPa at the vitreoretinal interface through a cycle of shaking. Maximal stress was observed at the periphery of the retina, corresponding to areas of multiple vessel bifurcations, followed by the posterior pole of the retina. Stress values were similar throughout all 3 layers of the retina (preretinal, intraretinal, and subretinal layers). Conclusions Ocular manifestations from AHT revealed unique retinal characteristics. The model predicted stress patterns consistent with the diffuse retinal hemorrhages (RH) typically found in the posterior pole and around the peripheral retina in AHT. This computer model demonstrated that similar stress forces were produced in different layers of the retina, consistent with the finding that retinal hemorrhages are often found in multiple layers of the retina. These data can help explain the RH patterns commonly found in AHT.
A System for Multi-person, Multi-modal Data Collection in Behavioral Information Systems

The majority of deception research to date has focused on deception in the context of dyadic communication. Among this body of research are efforts to identify what signals can be used to discriminate deceivers from non-deceivers. The general form of this research involves observing (typically recording to observe and/or manually code after the fact) relevant behaviors of individuals with ground truth knowledge of which individuals are deceiving and which are not. In this chapter, the general process is discussed, and considerations for extending it from dyadic to group observation are considered. Additionally, this chapter provides details of the particular implementation from which many results described in the remainder of this book are found.
Imaging Diagnostics in Pancreatic Cancer from the Perspective of an Oncologist

Medical therapy plays a vital role in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and palliative management of patients with pancreatic cancer. The medical therapeutic options are largely limited to chemotherapy, and thus consideration for toxicity to balance with intended anticancer effect is requisite. The possible goals of therapy therefore need clear establishment at the outset. Various imaging modalities are an important part of the toolset needed to ascertain the baseline status of a cancer in terms of potential for resection, which will ultimately guide the treatments recommended and sequences of their use. These same imaging modalities remain critical to the assessment of treatment response over time. A considered understanding on how to use these imaging tools is important to ensure that a thorough and focused assessment of a patient’s cancer is achieved, and to tailor management to the individualized goals of the patient. In this chapter, the role of various imaging modalities will be discussed in the context of oncologic management.
From Ethological Linguistics to Animal Linguistics and Ecolinguistics

Biosemiotics and biolinguistics share some common origins in comparative psychology and ethology, both viewing language as a species-specific cognitive capacity whose main purpose is not communication but thought. From this perspective, biosemiotics should be at the center of cognitive science. However, biolinguistics and biosemiotics (or linguistics and semiotics) have been marginalized in the context of cognitive science and neuroscience; nonetheless there are currents in mainstream linguistics and cognitive science operating from a biosemiotic perspective without overtly articulating their research agendas as such. I believe that the future success of the biosemiotic movement will depend on recognizing and connecting with those research agendas.
Polysomnographic Phenotypes of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Incident Type 2 Diabetes: Results from the DREAM Study

Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with cardiovascular disease and incident type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Seven OSA phenotypes, labeled based on their most distinguishing polysomnogra...
Reducing the Tax Costs of Indexed Options

To encourage pay for performance, Congress offers certain tax advantages when stock options are used as compensation. Yet these advantages arguably are not available to so-called "indexed" options, which reward executives for good relative performance (i.e., instead of absolute increases in stock price). The tax costs of indexed options are as ironic as they are unintended. The relevant tax rules are supposed to favor performance-based pay and, if anything, indexed options are more performance-based than conventional options. As a result, these tax rules should be reformed. While portions of this Article originally appeared in David M. Schizer, Tax Constraints on Indexed Options, 149 U. PA. L. REV. (2001), this Article is substantially different. Most importantly, this Article explains why some practitioners believe indexed options cannot qualify as performance-based pay under Section 162(m), and thus cannot be deducted in excess of $1 million. This Article offers a legal interpretation that allows a deduction, and suggests that the tax authorities are likely to offer a favorable ruling on this issue.
A New Bound for the 2-Edge Connected Subgraph Problem

Given a complete undirected graph with non-negative costs on the edges, the 2-Edge Connected Subgraph Problem consists in finding the minimum cost spanning 2-edge connected subgraph (where multiedges are allowed in the solution). A lower bound for the minimum cost 2-edge connected subgraph is obtained by solving the linear programming relaxation for this problem, which coincides with the subtour relaxation of the traveling salesman problem when the costs satisfy the triangle inequality. The simplest fractional solutions to the subtour relaxation are the 1/2 - integral solutions in which every edge variable has a value which is a multiple of 1/2. We show that the minimum cost of a 2-edge connected subgraph is at most four-thirds the cost of the minimum cost 1/2 -integral solution of the subtour relaxation. This supports the long-standing 4/3 Conjecture for the TSP, which states that there is a Hamilton cycle which is within 4/3 times the cost of the optimal subtour relaxation solution when the costs satisfy the triangle inequality.
Ensemble confidence estimates posterior probability

We have previously introduced the Learn++ algorithm that provides surprisingly promising performance for incremental learning as well as data fusion applications. In this contribution we show that the algorithm can also be used to estimate the posterior probability, or the confidence of its decision on each test instance. On three increasingly difficult tests that are specifically designed to compare posterior probability estimates of the algorithm to that of the optimal Bayes classifier, we have observed that estimated posterior probability approaches to that of the Bayes classifier as the number of classifiers in the ensemble increase. This satisfying and intuitively expected outcome shows that ensemble systems can also be used to estimate confidence of their output.
Funny and late: targeting currents governing heart rate in atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, contributing significantly to cardiac morbidity and mortality. Currently available agents for pharmacologic management of AF are limited by suboptimal efficacy and proarrhythmic risk. Therapeutic strategies are broadly categorized as rhythm control, where therapy is directed at minimizing AF burden, and rate control, in which the ventricular response is targeted. Medical and interventional treatments focusing on rhythm control for patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF have improved significantly over the past two decades with the introduction of new antiarrhythmic agents and advances in ablation therapy. However, over the same time period, little progress has emerged in available options to control ventricular rate in patients with AF. Most medications used for rate control slow conduction through the AV node by increasing refractoriness. Beta-blockers remain the most commonly prescribed agents for rate control, followed by calcium channel blockers and digoxin.1 Each of these agents slows AV nodal conduction. A second mechanism by which the ventricular rate is reduced in AF may be by altering the dominant frequency within the fibrillating atria. Some have postulated that decreasing the dominant AF frequency, with fewer impulses engaging the AV node, will reduce ventricular rate.2 In a report in this issue of the Journal, new rate control strategies are tested that combine these two mechanisms using drugs that were developed to treat angina: ivabradine and ranolazine.2
Hume's “Wilt Chamberlain Argument” and taxation

Robert Nozick addresses the idea of egalitarian redistribution in an argument standardly considered original: the “Wilt Chamberlain Argument”. However, this argument (without reference to Wilt Chamberlain) is found in David Hume's AnEnquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, first published in 1751. Placing this argument within a Humean and Hayekian, rather than a Lockean or Kantian, perspective radically changes its import for issues of economic justice. Rather than vindicating the radical individualism of Nozick and other libertarians, applied to our circumstances using Hume's conventionalist and evolutionary account of justice, Hume's Wilt Chamberlain argument vindicates moderate redistribution constrained by the rule of general laws and the goal of fostering innovation and industriousness.
An 'ever closer union' in need of a human rights policy : the European union and human rights

While the EU is a staunch defender of human rights in both its internal and external policies, it lacks a comprehensive or coherent policy at either level. This discrepancy is even less sustainable in 1999 than it was just a few years ago. Monetary union, enlargement, a need to match growing powers with effective human rights scrutiny, and various other developments all necessitate a far more developed human rights policy. Existing institutional arrangements are especially unsatisfactory and the article puts forward a wide range of measures that should be explored in relation to the role of the Council, Commission, Parliament and Court, as well as Member States.
Accessing x applications over the world-wide web

The X Protocol, an asynchronous network protocol, was developed at MIT amid the need to provide a network transparent graphical user interface primarily for the UNIX Operating System. Current examples of Open Source implementations of the X server, require specific software to be downloaded and installed on the end-user’s workstation. To avoid this and other issues involved in the conventional X setup, this paper proposes a new solution by defining a protocol bridge that translates the conventional X Protocol to an HTTP-based one. This approach makes an X application accessible from any web browser. With the goal of leveraging the enormous browser install base, the web-based X server supports multiple web browsers and has been tested to support a number of X clients.
BARIUM AND STRONTIUM IN SILICATES. A STUDY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANALYTICAL METHODS.

Abstract Barium and strontium in silicates have been determined by a number of methods, and their contents in several standard samples are reported. Instrumental techniques evaluated include isotope dilution mass spectrometry, flame emission and absorption spectrometry, emission spectrography and spectrometry. X-ray fluorescence spectrography, and neutron activation analysis. Classical gravimetric methods are reported. Two X-ray fluorescence procedures were used; one involves fusion with lithium metaborate and yields only strontium values. The other uses a direct dilution technique and gives results for both barium and strontium. In practice, this method requires a suite of analyzed standards, which should be generally similar in composition to the unknown. Strontium can be satisfactorily determined by atomic absorption spectrometry in whole-rock solutions, but there are difficulties in determining barium in this way. Emission spectrometry, with a spark-solution technique and automated equipment, gives rapid and accurate results for both barium and strontium. Flame emission spectrometry, neutron activation analysis, and classical gravimetric methods are not satisfactory as practicable routine methods for barium and strontium in silicate rocks. Conslusions are that barium and strontium may be satisfactorily determined by several methods, and that refinement of these methods is possible to the point where sampling error, rather than analytical error, may often determine variance in the results.
Role of bromine in restoring superconductivity in YBa 2 Cu 3 O y

${}^{63,65}\mathrm{Cu}$ nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR), ${}^{63,65}\mathrm{Cu}$ and ${}^{79,81}\mathrm{Br}$ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Br K-edge x-ray-absorption fine-structure (XAFS) measurement techniques have been used to study the local structures of Cu and Br in well-characterized samples of deoxygenated and brominated ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{y}$ (YBCO). The combined results provide a detailed picture of the role of bromine in reoxygenating the YBCO structure and an explanation for the partial restoration of superconductivity in the YBCO system. Characterization of the powder samples, with particle sizes of 1, 20, 30, and 40 \ensuremath{\mu}m, included x-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, energy dispersive x-ray analysis, and magnetometry. From the XAFS and NMR results, it is concluded that, upon bromination at 260 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, Br does not enter the YBCO lattice either substitutionally or interstitially. Instead, there is compelling evidence for the formation of nanoscale ${\mathrm{BaBr}}_{2}$ precipitates which result from the local destruction of the ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{y}$ phase. Furthermore, on the basis of the NQR and NMR experiments, it is concluded that through this decomposition into an inhomogeneous material, oxygen is liberated which repopulates the nearby O(4) chain sites, thus restoring superconductivity.
On reducing i/o overheads in large-scale invariant subspace projections

Obtaining highly accurate predictions on properties of light atomic nuclei using the Configuration Interaction (CI) method requires computing the lowest eigenvalues and associated eigenvectors of a large many-body nuclear Hamiltonian, H. One particular approach, the J-scheme, requires the projection of the H matrix into an invariant subspace. Since the matrices can be very large, enormous computing power is needed while significant stresses are put on the memory and I/O sub-systems. By exploiting the inherent localities in the problem and making use of the MPI one-sided communication routines backed by RDMA operations available in the new parallel architectures, we show that it is possible to reduce the I/O overheads drastically for large problems. This is demonstrated in the subspace projection phase of J-scheme calculations on 6Li nucleus, where our new implementation based on one-sided MPI communications outperforms the previous I/O based implementation by almost a factor of 10.
Erasure Coding Vs. Replication: A Quantitative Comparison

Peer-to-peer systems are positioned to take advantage of gains in network bandwidth, storage capacity, and computational resources to provide long-term durable storage infrastructures. In this paper, we quantitatively compare building a distributed storage infrastructure that is self-repairing and resilient to faults using either a replicated system or an erasure-resilient system. We show that systems employing erasure codes have mean time to failures many orders of magnitude higher than replicated systems with similar storage and bandwidth requirements. More importantly, erasure-resilient systems use an order of magnitude less bandwidth and storage to provide similar system durability as replicated systems.
Relative Performance Evaluation in an Oligopoly

The rationale of RPE use in executive pay is to filter out common risk, not firm idiosyncratic risk. As common risk is often interpreted casually as non-diversifiable and firms’ idiosyncratic risks as totally independent of one another, we show that these casual interpretations contain three basic flaws and therefore are directly responsible for the RPE puzzle. First, common (non-diversifiable) risk needs filtering, but executives can personally consider it, implying that RPE use in executive pay to filter it out is unnecessary. Second, a firm’s idiosyncratic risk is diversifiable for investors but not for the firm’s executives; therefore it too needs to be reduced through filtering. Third, this latter risk reduction would be impossible, however, if all firms’ idiosyncratic risks were totally independent of each other. This view of total independence among firms’ idiosyncratic risks may be harmless from one firm and duopoly’s standpoint, but it is clearly unrealistic and no longer innocuous, because two firms can share unique shocks not shared by another, or all other firms, in an oligopoly. These unique shocks represent correlated firm idiosyncratic risks which may also be filtered out through RPE-related peer-group selections; yet they do not fit into the casual interpretation of common risk.
Tubulogenesis CLICs into Place

Organs such as the kidney and vascular system have tubes as their functional units. Vital though such tubes are, little is known about how they are formed during embryonic development. In their Perspective, Paul and Beitel discuss new work in the worm ( Berry et al.) demonstrating that an intracellular chloride channel protein called EXC-4 is required for tube formation.
Data record size requirements of MVDR-optimized adaptive antenna arrays

We investigate the data-record-size requirements of the minimum-variance-distortionless-response beamformer to meet a given performance objective in signal detection and direction-of-arrival estimation problems. For signal detection problems we consider the output-energy performance measure while for direction-of-arrival estimation problems we adopt a spectrum-based measure defined as the ratio between the estimated and the ideal spectrum. In both cases, closed form expressions are derived that provide the data record size that is necessary to achieve a given performance confidence level in a neighborhood of the optimal performance point. This is done by utilizing close approximations of the involved probability density functions and Markoff-type inequalities. The practical significance of the derived expressions lies in the fact that the expressions are functions of the number of antenna elements only, while they are independent of the ideal input covariance matrix which is not known in most realistic applications.
History of IBM's technical contributions to high level programming languages

This paper discusses IBM's technical contributions to high level programming languages from the viewpoint of specific languages and their contributions to the technology. The philosophy used in this paper is that it is the appropriate collection of features in a language which generally makes the contribution to the technology, rather than an individual feature. Those IBM languages deemed to have made major contributions are (in alphabetical order) APL, FORTRAN, GPSS, and PL/I. Smaller contributions (because of lesser general usage) have been made by Commercial Translator, CPS, FORMAC, QUIKTRAN, and SCRATCHPAD. Major contributions were made in the area of formal definition of languages, through the introduction of BNF (Backus-Naur Form) for defining language syntax and VDL (Vienna Definition Language) for semantics.
Behavior, net reproduction, longevity, and mummy-stage survival of Aphidius matricariae [Hym. Aphidiidae]

The courtship, mating and ovipositional behavior ofA. matricariae Haliday were studied. UsingMyzus persicae (Sulzer) as the host, the production of progeny per female parasite and survival from mummy stage to the adult were studied at constant temperatures of 10°, 12.8°, 15.6°, 18.3°, 21°, 24°, 26.7°, 29.5° and 32°C. The longevity of male and female parasites was determined at temperatures of 7°, 10°, 15.6°, 21°, 26.7°, 29.5° and 32°C. The greatest number of progeny (392) was produced at 21°C. The optimal temperatures for production of progeny and survival of the parasites during the mummy stage were from 12.8°C to 21°C. The longevity of male and female adult parasites decreased as temperatures increased and male parasites lived significantly (P<0.05) longer than females at 10° and 15.6°C.
Biochemical applications of mass spectrometry in pharmaceutical drug discovery

Biochemical applications of mass spectrometry (MS) are important in the pharmaceutical industry. They comprise compositional analyses of biomolecules, especially proteins, and methods that measure molecular functions such as ligand binding. In early drug discovery, MS is used to characterize essential reagents and in structural biology. A number of MS-based methods have been proposed for use in high-throughput screening (HTS), but are unlikely to supplant established radiometric and fluorometric methods for this purpose. These methods, which include pulsed-ultrafiltration MS, frontal affinity chromatography-MS, and size-exclusion chromatography-MS, may ultimately be most successful in the post-screening lead development phase. In full development, MS is used heavily in the search for biomarkers that can be used to gauge disease progression and drug action. This review gives equal attention to the technical aspects of MS-based methods and to selective pressures present in the industrial environment that influence their chances of gaining wide application.
Relationship between left ventricular wall thickness and left atrial size: Comparison with other measures of diastolic function

We postulated that in patients with essential hypertension and normal left ventricular (LV) systolic function, left atrial (LA) size correlates with LV wall thickness by better reflecting the chronicity and duration of LA hypertension than the commonly used hemodynamic and Doppler measures of LV diastolic function. Accordingly, hemodynamic, Doppler, and two-dimensional echocardiographic measurements were performed in 30 subjects with no cardiovascular abnormalities other than essential hypertension (mean systolic blood pressure of 150±29 mm Hg). The mean LV wall thickness was 0.57±0.14 cm/m 2 and the mean LV ejection fraction was 0.62±0.12. Hemodynamic and Doppler measures including pulmonary capillary wedge and LV end-diastolic pressures, isovolumic LV pressure relaxation, LV chamber elastic stiffness, and E/A ratio (E and A waves on the pulsed Doppler signal of the mitral valve) correlated poorly ( r =0.01 to −0.52) with LV wall thickness. Both E/A ratio and isovolumic LV pressure relaxation correlated better ( p =0.05) with patient age than with LV wall thickness. In contrast, LA area (in the apical four-chamber view) had a good correlation ( r =0.77 for LA area in atrial diastole and r =0.86 for LA area in atrial systole) with LV wall thickness. Multiple regression analysis revealed LA area in atrial systole to be the best correlate of LA wall thickness. We conclude that because the left atrium is a thin-walled structure, its size may increase with an increase in LA pressure. In the absence of mitral valve disease and atrial fibrillation, LA size may reflect the chronicity and duration and thus the history of LA hypertension. LA size in the apical four-chamber view may, therefore, provide a simple noninvasive assessment of the degree of LV diastolic dysfunction.
Patterns of note onset asynchronies in expressive piano performance.

This paper presents an analysis of the asynchronies among nominally simultaneous notes in ten graduate student pianists’ performances of three compositions (Schumann’s ‘‘Traumerei,’’ Debussy’s ‘‘La fille aux cheveux de lin,’’ and Chopin’s Prelude in D‐flat major), each repeated twice and recorded in MIDI format on a Yamaha Disklavier. Note onset times were sensed from hammer motion shortly before hammer‐string contact. A pervasive tendency was found for the highest‐pitched notes (usually the principal melody) to lead lower‐pitched notes, especially those played with the same hand. Inner notes of within‐hand chords tended to lag behind outer notes. Strong correlations between average MIDI velocity difference and average lead time were found within each hand, as well as between hands for some of the pianists. Other pianists had a tendency to lead with the left hand, independent of MIDI velocity. These individual differences in between‐hand coordination were stable across the three compositions and did not reflect handedness. The results suggest that within‐hand asynchronies and melody leads are largely a consequence of dynamic differentiation of voices (i.e., an artifact of hammer travel time), whereas left‐hand leads are an individual characteristic and, in part, a deliberate expressive strategy exhibited by some pianists.
Quantifying Aesthetic Form Preference in a Utility Function

One of the greatest challenges in product development is creating a form that is aesthetically attractive to an intended market audience. Market research tools, such as consumer surveys, are well established for functional product features, but aesthetic preferences are as varied as the people that respond to them. Additionally, and possibly even more challenging, user feedback requires objective measurement and quantification of aesthetics and aesthetic preference. The common methods for quantifying aesthetics present respondents with metric scales over dimensions with abstract semantic labels like "strong" and "sexy. " Even if researchers choose the correct semantics to test, and even if respondents accurately record their responses on these semantic scales, the results on the semantic scales must be translated back into a product shape, where the designer must take the consumers' numerical scores for a set of semantics and translate that into a form which consumers will find desirable. This translation presents a potential gap in understanding between the supply and demand sides of the marketplace. This gap between designer and user can be closed through objective methods to understand and quantify aesthetic preferences because the designer would have concrete directions to use as a foundation for development of the product form. Additionally, the quantification of aesthetic preference could be used by the designer as evidence to support certain product forms when engineering and manufacturing decisions are made that might adversely affect the aesthetics of the product form. This paper demonstrates how the qualitative attribute, form, cannot only be represented quantitatively, but also how customer preferences can be estimated as utility functions over the aesthetic space, so that new higher utility product forms can be proposed and explored. To do so, the form is summarized with underlying latent form characteristics, and these underlying characteristics are specified to be attributes in a utility function. Consumer surveys, created using design of experiments, are then used to capture an individual's preference for the indicated attributes and thus the form. Once preference is summarized in the utility function, the utility function can be used as the basis for form generation and modification or design verification.
Droplet coalescence by geometrically mediated flow in microfluidic channels

Microfluidic flow is geometrically mediated at a trifurcating junction allowing periodically formed, equally spaced out emulsion droplets to redistribute and fuse consistently. This is achieved by controlling the ratio between the droplet transport time across the trifurcating junction and the drainage time of the fluid volume separating the droplets t r/t d. Three different microfluidic trifurcation geometries have been designed and compared for their droplet fusion efficiencies. Fusion of up to six droplets has been observed in these devices. The fusion of two droplets occurs when t r/t d is equal to 1.25 and the number of fused droplets increases with t r/t d. When the junction length (d) is 216 μm fusion of 2–6 six droplets are possible however when the junction length is increased to 360 μm fusion of only two droplets is observed.
See my work: sustaining a data reporting practice by mental health clinicians in Liberia

Working with the Carter Center, we have developed and sustained software and training to enable data reporting at the patient level by mental health clinicians in Liberia. Over a four year time period, more than 140 clinicians have been trained in the use of the data reporting software, and more than 3000 valid reports have uploaded to the cloud. This participation has persisted despite significant technology challenges and little data feedback to clinicians. Because so many ICTD interventions fail, we were interested in the factors that contributed to sustaining the human and technology infrastructure to enable data reporting over this fairly long time period. We focus on motivations to participate and find support for positive motivations such as clinician pride. We find that being seen to do health work, not just doing the work, plays a critical role in motivation. We describe and critically analyze a novel approach to sustaining the technology, using student teams in a class. We assess project success through two lenses provided by the literature, first on characterization of project success and failure factors, and then on project champions.
Equations of motion for the heterotic string theory from the conformal invariance of the sigma model.

In the presence of arbitrary background gauge, gravitational, and antisymmetric tensor fields, the heterotic string may be described by a two-dimensional local field theory. It is conjectured, and verified to a certain approximation, that the conditions on the background fields for this model to have vanishing β function are identical to the equations of motion for the massless fields. In particular, the appearance of the Chern-Simons three-forms in the classical equations of motion is shown to be related to the chiral anomaly in two-dimensional gauge theories.
State‐of‐the‐art: anxiety management in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators

Through large-scale clinical trials, the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has been established as the treatment of choice for primary and secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death. Although the ICD offers a confirmed mortality benefit, it may incite psychological adjustment issues within recipients. The most predominant form of psychological morbidity for ICD patients is anxiety. The prevalence of anxiety is well documented within the context of cardiac patients; however, ICD recipients often present with device-specific concerns, including shock and death anxiety. Therefore, the interventions for these patients must be tailored to their unique concerns. This article will discuss forms and manifestations of anxiety within the ICD patient population, followed by an exploration of the components of psychosocial interventions found to be effective with these patients. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cost-of-illness of scleroderma: the case for rare diseases

Abstract Objective: To determine the societal costs of scleroderma (SSc), a rare chronicconnective tissue disease that affects approximately 98,000 Americans. Lack of reliable national databases limit rare disease cost studies, and this study suggests methods of using multiple data sources to assess the costs of rare diseases. Methods: Primary and secondary data sources were used to calculate directand indirect costs of SSc, including discounted lifetime mortality and morbidity costs. A prevalence-based, human capital approach was used. Sensitivity analyses were used to vary parameters that are uncertain, such as prevalence, mortality, and labor costs. Results: Annual direct and indirect costs of SSc in the United States are $1.5 billion. Morbidity represents the major cost burden, with costs of $819 million (56%) of total costs. The current value of lifetime earnings lost was $179 million (12%) or $300,000 per death. Direct costs were $462 million (32%) or $4,731 per person annually, indicating that costs are spread over the long disease duration. Conclusions: This study provides one model for the assessment of rare diseasecosts. Triangulation of data sources and sensitivity analyses are important for determining the costs of rare diseases. The high cost of SSc, despite its low prevalence, suggests that the burden of rare chronic diseases can be high. The high morbidity costs reflect the young age of onset of the disease as well as the need for treatments to decrease morbidity costs. Local shared databases and national surveys are needed to improve cost estimates of rare diseases.
Mandating coverage of biologic therapies for rheumatic disease: Where evidence and politics meet

In this issue of Arthritis Care & Research, we inaugurate an occasional series of commentaries entitled Policy Matters. In all of clinical research, our goal is to improve patient outcomes. Usually, that means focusing on the medical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors at the level of individuals with rheumatic diseases; sometimes, our scope of inquiry expands to encompass the impact of the communities in which they live. However, increasingly, the welfare of persons with rheumatic conditions is also affected by health policies through such diverse mechanisms as reimbursement decisions for specific treatments, insurance coverage, manpower, and NIH budgets (the foregoing list is hardly exhaustive).Recently, a piece of legislation was introduced in California (SB913) that has the potential to alter the availability of biologic response modifying agents (BRMs) by mandating that health plans that provide coverage for one such agent include all on their formularies (a revised version would preclude a trial of another disease-modifying antirheumatic drug before use of a BRM). In this state, the California Health Benefits Review Program (CHBRP) provides evidence reviews of the medical effectiveness, cost, and public health impact of proposed health insurance mandates for the legislature. The analysts from the University of California who conducted the medical effectiveness review of SB913 for CHBRP provide a legislative history of the proposed law in this article. We hope that the readership of Arthritis Care & Research find this article informative as an exemplar of the policies that could dramatically alter the welfare of our patients.
Approximate formulas to calculate the seismic response of light attachments to buildings

Abstract Simple approximate formulas are proposed to compute the maximum response of equipment or any other light secondary system attached to buildings subjected to earthquake ground motions. The formulas are derived on the basis of a modified version of the conventional response spectrum method and the consideration of building and attachment as one unit. Notwithstanding, they are expressed in terms of the independent dynamic properties of the two components and ordinates from the response spectrum of a specified ground motion. Secondary systems with multiple degrees of freedom attached to one or two arbitrary points of a supporting multistory structure may be considered. As presented, however, the formulas are restricted to cases in which the independent primary and secondary systems are linear elastic with classical modes of vibration, and the masses of the secondary system are small in comparison with those of the primary one. Their accuracy is verified by means of a comparative study with time-history solutions. In this comparative study, the approximate formulas yield an average error of about 4% and a maximum of about 22%.
Mo1442 Long-Term Follow-Up of a Randomized Trial of Laparascopic Cholecystectomy and Laparascopic Common Bile Duct Exploration vs. ERCP With Sphincterotomy and Laparascopic Cholecystectomy for Common Bile Duct Stone Disease

Determine if FISH can aid in the diagnosis of CCA in patients with nondiagnostic cytology. 2. Evaluate the accuracy of FISH in a routine clinical setting. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of patients with biliary strictures including those with and without primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) who had an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and brushings for both cytology and FISH analysis between2007-2010. A dominant stricture was found in 53% of those with PSC. ERCP was performed to evaluate obstructive signs/symptoms, or as part of surveillance for CCA in those with PSC. Patients with prior malignancy or positive cytology before or at the time of initial ERCP were excluded. Brushings for cytology were obtained within 1 year of FISH in 10 patients, and at the time of FISH in 46. Cytology reported as suspicious, atypical or negative was recorded as negative. FISH was positive if 5 cells had gains of 2 or more probes. Patients were considered to have malignancy if there was radiographic progression, positive cytology, or conclusive pathology from surgery or autopsy. Results: Brushing for FISH was obtained in 56 patients in whom cytology was non-diagnostic for malignancy. 3 were excluded as they had an inadequate sample for FISH. There were a total of 81 FISH specimen on these 53 patients, as some had multiple ERCP. PSC was the primary diagnosis in 37, while 16 underwent ERCP for signs or symptoms of a biliary stricture. Overall, 5 out of 53 had positive FISH (9.4%) and 3 of these positive patients had CCA. In the other two, one had pancreatic cancer and the other underwent liver transplantation with neoadjuvant chemoand radiation therapy; his explant was negative for CCA. All patients with an initial negative FISH remained negative on subsequent tests. There were 5 who had negative FISH but subsequently developed CCA. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of FISH for CCA were 37.5%, 95.6%, 60%, 89.6%, and 86.8% respectively. Conclusions: In cases of indeterminate biliary stricture and negative cytology, FISH may be performed to evaluate for CCA. FISH has an additive role in detecting CCA with modest PPV and high NPV. These findings are congruent with initial studies evaluating FISH and hence applicable to clinical practice. Those with negative FISH need intensive follow-up and there appears to be no added benefit of repeating FISH if initially negative.
Carrier dynamics and high-speed modulation properties of tunnel injection InGaAs-GaAs quantum-dot lasers

We have performed pump-probe differential transmission spectroscopy (DTS) measurements on In/sub 0.4/Ga/sub 0.6/As-GaAs-AlGaAs heterostructures, which show that at room temperature, injected electrons preferentially occupy the excited states in the dots and states in the barriers layers. The relaxation time of these carriers to the dot ground state is >100 ps. This leads to large gain compression in quantum-dot (QD) lasers and limits the attainable small-signal modulation bandwidth to /spl sim/ 5-7 GHz. The problem can be alleviated by tunneling "cold" electrons into the lasing states of the dots from an adjoining injector layer. The design, growth, and steady-state and small-signal modulation characteristics of tunnel injection In/sub 0.4/Ga/sub 0.6/As-GaAs QD lasers are described and discussed. The tunneling times, directly measured by three-pulse DTS measurements, are /spl sim/ 1.7 ps and independent of temperature. The measured small-signal modulation bandwidth for I/I/sub th/ /spl sim/ 7 is f/sub -3 dB/ = 23 GHz and the gain compression factor for this frequency response is /spl epsiv/ = 8.2 /spl times/ 10/sup -16/ cm/sup 3/. The differential gain obtained from the modulation data is dg/dn /spl cong/ 2.7 /spl times/ 10/sup -14/ cm/sup 2/ at room temperature. The value of the K-factor is 0.205 ns and the maximum intrinsic modulation bandwidth is 43.3 GHz. Analysis of the transient characteristics with appropriate carrier and photon rate equations yield modulation response characteristics identical to the measured ones. The Auger coefficients are in the range /spl sim/ 3.3 /spl times/ 10/sup -29/ cm/sup 6//s to 3.8 /spl times/ 10/sup -29/ cm/sup 6//s in the temperature range 15/spl deg/C<T<85/spl deg/C, determined from large-signal modulation measurements, and these values are smaller than those measured in separate confinement heterostructure QD lasers. The measured high-speed data are comparable to, or better than, equivalent quantum-well lasers for the first time.