cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Phenomenology of Dance

This book on its 50th anniversary is like a little gem. Similar to the characteristics of a fine gem, it is unique, brilliant, and timeless; it is hard and has potential. The brilliance of the book...
Mode effects in cultural domain analysis: Comparing pile sort data collected via internet versus face-to-face interviews

AbstractThis article tests whether collecting pile-sort data online produces results similar to those obtained with face-to-face methods. We collected pile sorts from 227 university students in the cultural domain of emotions. To test for mode and design effects, we randomly assigned participants to face-to-face or internet modes and to either a 15- or 30-item sort. We found no evidence of mode effects in semantic structure, but the level of agreement among respondents varied by mode, depending on the number of items in the task. Agreement was higher among online respondents in the 15-item task but among face-to-face respondents in the 30-item one. Because the central purpose of pile sorting is to elicit semantic structure, we conclude that online data collection is a viable option for most researchers, but the mode effect in level of agreement implies that other design elements may affect comparability of face-to-face and web-based methods.
International Approaches for Nuclear Waste Disposal in Geological Formations: Report on Fifth Worldwide Review

Author(s): Faybishenko, Boris; Birkholzer, Jens; Persoff, Peter; Sassani, David; Swift, Peter
Micromesh-covered superhydrophobic surfaces for efficient condensation heat transfer

Condensation is a ubiquitous phase-change phenomenon and has been widely used in energy-intensive industrial applications. By promoting self-propelled droplet jumping, superhydrophobic surfaces offer an avenue to improve condensation heat transfer performance. However, the tendency of condensed droplets to form as pinned states greatly limits its applicability in condensation heat transfer, especially under large surface subcooling. Here, we report the development of a micromesh-covered superhydrophobic surface via a simple fabrication method that allows for high-efficiency jumping condensation at small surface subcooling and the continuous droplet suction-enhanced condensation at large surface subcooling. We show that the cooperation of droplet jumping and suction effect can lead to enhanced heat transfer performance throughout the large range of surface subcooling: an 80% higher heat flux at ΔT < 4 K and a 35% higher heat flux at 4 K < ΔT < 30 K compared to dropwise condensation on the state-to-the-art plain hydrophobic surface. The new insights about the cost-effective surface fabrication and the novel condensation modes induced by the integration of droplet jumping and suction can guide the development of new technology for enhancing phase-change heat transfer.
Making RAMs Oblivious Requires Superlogarithmic Overhead.

We prove a time-space tradeoff lower bound of T = Ω ( n log( n S ) log log( n S ) ) for randomized oblivious branching programs to compute 1GAP , also known as the pointer jumping problem, a problem for which there is a simple deterministic time n and space O(log n) RAM (random access machine) algorithm. Ajtai [3, 4] and Damgard, Meldgaard, and Nielsen [11] recently derived simulations of general RAMs by randomized oblivious RAMs with only a polylogarithmic factor increase in time and space. Our lower bound implies that a superlogarithmic factor increase is indeed necessary in any such simulation.
Arguing for a knowledge-base in language teacher education, then (1998) and now (2018):

This article examines how the concept of a knowledge-base in language teacher education has changed since the 1998 proposal. Arguing that a knowledge-base evolves in two ways: through changes in the field of knowledge, and through changes driven by the work that knowledge supports, I describe two problems: ‘translating’ theory into practice and the ‘positionality’ of those defining what counts as knowledge. The 1998 proposal outlined a work-driven framework in response to the former without fully acknowledging the latter: who is doing English language teaching, with whom, and to what ends. Revising the knowledge-base now depends on taking that positionality into account. With this in mind, I suggest three concepts – of teacher language use (English-for-Teaching), participation and agency, and professional confidence as a measure of outcome – as work-driven alternatives to our present thinking.
How to Read the Literature, Develop a Hypothesis, and Design an Experiment for Basic Science and Translational Research

Once the broad research theme is chosen, the investigation begins. The first step is to develop a foundation of knowledge to be able to formulate meaningful questions within a focused area of study. Approaches to reviewing the literature effectively are presented, including search strategies and tips on how to critically assess original scientific articles. In addition, the mentor, an expert in the field, should assist in refining the thought processes and understanding of the background information before entering the next step in the research plan. Key questions for scientific inquiry are then formed. A hypothesis is subsequently developed, along with null and alternative hypotheses, which sets the stage for experimental design and execution of the planned experiments. One of the most important steps in designing experiments is the identification of the most appropriate model to address the hypothesis being tested and the method for analysis chosen. A basic overview is presented reviewing considerations on reading and evaluating the literature, developing a hypothesis, and designing an experiment to test the hypothesis for in vitro and animal studies. These elements are essential to an effective experimental design that will generate new data that is valid and can be replicated.
Ischemia-Induced Neurotransmitter Release: Effects of Mild Intraischemic Hyperthermia

Small differences in intraischemic brain temperature can significantly affect the neuropathological and functional outcome following transient global forebrain ischemia. Lowering intraischemic brain temperature by 2–3°C in the rat prevents the delayed neuronal damage that typically occurs in zones of selective vulnerability following 20 minutes of ischemia (Busto et al, 1987), and improves the behavioral outcome following a 10 min insult (vanDijk et al, 1991). Conversely, raising the intraischemic brain temperature to 39°C significantly worsen ischemic outcome and increased the vulnerability of resistant brain areas (Dietrich et al, 1990a). The protective effect of intraischemic hypothermia was not associated with the reduction in the degree of ischemia as reflected by the magnitude of energy metabolites depletion or cerebral blood flow recluction (Busto et al, 1987; Busto et al, 1989), suggesting that Some other mechanism prevails.
Groups 4 and 15 and Organotin Condensation Polymers for The Treatment of Cancers and Viruses

This short review describes the use of group 4 metallocenes, group 15 organometallics and organotin polymers in the treatment of human cancer tumors and viruses. These metal-containing polymers show good inhibition of all the main group solid tumors including pancreatic, lung, brain, breast, prostate and colon human cell lines. They also show inhibition of a variety of viruses including zika, herpes and vaccinia viruses. Synthesis of the polymers is rapid employing interfacial polymerization and commercially available reactants. They offer physicians a new class of drugs for the treatment of a variety of cancers and viruses.
The acquisition of exercises in adolescents with severe intellectual disabilities

People with intellectual disabilities are at higher risk for obesity and associated disease and often do not engage in enough physical activity. By teaching people with intellectual disabilities ho...
The Honest Muse: Judge Wisdom and the Uses of History

This essay, from a volume of tributes to Judge John Minor Wisdom, examines Judge Wisdom's use of history by considering two opinions illustrating two distinct uses that the liberally educated mind may make of history. The first opinion is Judge Wisdom's opinion for the majority in U.S. v. Louisiana, a voter registration case, in which the Judge surveyed the various means which had been used in Louisiana to disenfranchise free blacks for almost 250 years. The second opinion is Judge Wisdom's dissenting opinion in U.S. v. Barnett, in which the Fifth Circuit dismissed the criminal contempt charges which had been brought against Ross Barnett, the Governor of Mississippi and his Lieutenant, based on their efforts to subvert enforcement of the court's mandate requiring the admission of James Meredith to the University of Mississippi.
Is Foley Catheter Use during a Trial of Labor after Cesarean Associated with Uterine Rupture

Objective We sought to assess the safety of transcervical Foley catheter (TCF) placement for cervical ripening in women undergoing induction of labor (IOL) after prior cesarean by evaluating the risk of uterine rupture. Study Design We performed a secondary analysis of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit's Cesarean Section Registry, a prospective observational cohort study. We included women with a history of ≤2 low-transverse cesarean deliveries who underwent IOL at ≥24 weeks of gestational age with a live singleton fetus without major anomalies. We excluded those who received prostaglandins or laminaria. We performed multinomial logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for uterine rupture and dehiscence. Relevant confounders included prior vaginal delivery, pregnancy-induced hypertension, chorioamnionitis, and cervical effacement and dilation on admission. Results A total of 2,564 women were eligible. Unadjusted analysis demonstrated no increased risk of uterine rupture with TCF (1.9 vs. 0.9%; p = 0.10) but an increased risk of uterine dehiscence (1.9 vs. 0.6%; p = 0.02). After adjustment, TCF was not associated with an increased risk of uterine rupture (aOR: 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71–5.78) or uterine scar dehiscence (aOR: 1.32; 95% CI: 0.37–4.72). Conclusion Foley catheter is a safe tool for mechanical dilation in women undergoing IOL after prior cesarean.
Statistics of Extreme Gravitational Lensing Events. I.The Zero Shear Case

For a given source and lens pair, there is a thin on-axis tube-like volume behind the lens in which the radiation flux from the source is greatly increased due to gravitational lensing. Any objects (such as dust grains) which pass through such a thin tube will experience strong bursts of radiation, i.e., Extreme Gravitational Lensing Events (EGLE). We study the physics and statistics of EGLE for the case in which finite source size is more important than shear. One of the several possible significant astrophysical effects is investigated with an illustrative calculation.
Probabilistic error bounds on constraint violation for empirical-analytical Lagrangian models of motion

In contrast to many systems studied in the field of classical mechanics, models of animal motion are often distinguished in that they are both highly uncertain and evolve in a high-dimensional configuration space Q. Often it is either suspected or known that a particular motion regime evolves on or near some smaller subset $$Q_0\subseteq Q$$ . In some cases, $$Q_0$$ may itself be a submanifold of Q. A general strategy is presented in this paper for constructing empirical-analytical Lagrangian (EAL) models of the mechanics of such systems. It is assumed that the set $$Q_0\,\subseteq \,Q$$ is defined by a collection of unknown holonomic constraints on the full configuration space. Since the analytic form of the holonomic constraints is unknown, EAL models are defined that use experimental observations $$\{z_1,\ldots ,z_N\}\subseteq Q^N$$ to ensure that the approximate system models evolve near the underlying submanifold $$Q_0$$ . This paper gives a precise characterization of a probabilistic measure of the distance from the EAL model to the underlying submanifold.
Precocious and Problematic? The Consequences of Youth Violent Victimization for Adolescent Sexual Behavior

Violent victimization is concentrated in adolescence and is disruptive to both the timing and sequencing of key life course transitions that occur during this developmental stage. Drawing on recent work establishing the interpersonal consequences of youth victimization, we examined the effect of violent victimization on adolescents’ timing of sexual debut and involvement in additional sexual risk behaviors (multiple sexual partnering and inconsistent contraceptive use). This study relied on secondary data analysis of 10,070 youth from four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). To predict sexual debut and subsequent sexual risk-taking, analyses were limited to youth not yet sexually active at their wave I interview. Findings from Cox proportional hazards models, negative binomial regression, and repeated measures ordinal logistic regression showed that adolescent victims of violence initiated sex sooner than non-victims and accumulated more sexual partners, but patterns varied by age at victimization. Youth victimized in late adolescence displayed an accelerated trajectory of sexual activity while youth victimized in early adolescence were less likely to debut or engage in other sexual risk behaviors (although younger victims were more likely to engage in other deviant activities). Sexual activity is a normative part of adolescent development, yet this study finds that violent victimization may disrupt the timing of this life course task, exacerbating deviant risk-taking and undermining youths’ subsequent well-being. This study also highlights the importance of life course criminology’s attention to timing in lives, given that the consequences of victimization varied by the age when it occurred.
scHiCTools: a computational toolbox for analyzing single cell Hi-C data

Single-cell Hi-C (scHi-C) sequencing technologies allow us to investigate three-dimensional chromatin organization at the single-cell level. However, we still need computational tools to deal with the sparsity of the contact maps from single cells and embed single cells in a lower-dimensional Euclidean space. This embedding helps us understand relationships between the cells in different dimensions such as cell-cycle dynamics and cell differentiation. Here, we present an open-source computational toolbox, scHiCTools, for analyzing single cell Hi-C data. The toolbox takes single-cell Hi-C data files as input, and projects single cells in a lower-dimensional Euclidean space. The toolbox includes three commonly used methods for smoothing scHi-C data (linear convolution, random walk, and network enhancing), three projection methods for embedding single cells (fastHiCRep, Selfish, and InnerProduct), three clustering methods for clustering cells ($k$-means, spectral clustering, and HiCluster) and a build-in function to visualize the cells embedding in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional plot. We benchmark the embedding performance and run time of these methods on a number of scHi-C datasets, and provide some suggestions for practice use. scHiCTools, based on Python3, can run on different platforms, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. Our software package is available at https://github.com/liu-bioinfo-lab/scHiCTools/.
Vapor-Deposited Biointerfaces and Bacteria: An Evolving Conversation

At the biointerface where materials and microorganisms meet, the organic and synthetic worlds merge into a new science that directs the design and safe use of synthetic materials for biological app...
The effect of radiation exposure on carbon fiber-reinforced Rohacell® core laminate structural composites:

Two equivalent density foams with identical shear strengths were used to manufacture carbon-fiber reinforced composite sandwich structures. One foam core system (Rohacell® 71 WF) has a cell diamete...
A snapshot of SARS-CoV-2 genome availability up to 30th March, 2020 and its implications

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been growing exponentially, affecting nearly 900 thousand people and causing enormous distress to economies and societies worldwide. A plethora of analyses based on viral sequences has already been published, in scientific journals as well as through non-peer reviewed channels, to investigate SARS-CoV-2 genetic heterogeneity and spatiotemporal dissemination. We examined full genome sequences currently available to assess the presence of sufficient information for reliable phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies in countries with the highest toll of confirmed cases. Although number of-available full-genomes is growing daily, and the full dataset contains sufficient phylogenetic information that would allow reliable inference of phylogenetic relationships, country-specific SARS-CoV-2 datasets still present severe limitations. Studies assessing within country spread or transmission clusters should be considered preliminary at best, or hypothesis generating. Hence the need for continuing concerted efforts to increase number and quality of the sequences required for robust tracing of the epidemic.
Atrial and Sinoatrial Node Development in the Zebrafish Heart

Proper development and function of the vertebrate heart is vital for embryonic and postnatal life. Many congenital heart defects in humans are associated with disruption of genes that direct the formation or maintenance of atrial and pacemaker cardiomyocytes at the venous pole of the heart. Zebrafish are an outstanding model for studying vertebrate cardiogenesis, due to the conservation of molecular mechanisms underlying early heart development, external development, and ease of genetic manipulation. Here, we discuss early developmental mechanisms that instruct appropriate formation of the venous pole in zebrafish embryos. We primarily focus on signals that determine atrial chamber size and the specialized pacemaker cells of the sinoatrial node through directing proper specification and differentiation, as well as contemporary insights into the plasticity and maintenance of cardiomyocyte identity in embryonic zebrafish hearts. Finally, we integrate how these insights into zebrafish cardiogenesis can serve as models for human atrial defects and arrhythmias.
Optical spectroscopy to monitor tumor response to immunotherapy

We used Diffuse Reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) to investigate functional changes within the tumor microenvironment when treated with different immunotherapy drugs. We injected the CT26 cell line into the flank of 35 mice that were assigned to 4 different groups: anti-PD-1, anti-CTLA-4, combination treatment, and IgG. The 4 groups were injected intraperitoneally on days 1, 4 and 7 (Day 1 – tumor at 80-120 mm3). DRS spectra were acquired simultaneously for 9 consecutive days and a lookup table (LUT)-based inverse model was implemented to decompose the spectral data. We found statistically significant differences in functional changes among the different immunotherapy groups.
Book Review of The entrepreneurial artist: Lessons from Highly Successful Creatives by Aaron Dworkin

Book Review of The entrepreneurial artist: Lessons from Highly Successful Creatives (Rowman & Littlefield) by Aaron Dworkin
Motivations, goals, and benefits associated with organic grain farming by producers in Iowa, U.S.

Abstract CONTEXT The U.S. has the world's largest organic food market. However, low domestic production and a low adoption rate of organic grain farming limit the overall development of this sector. Multiple organic stakeholders have called for a better understanding of cognitive and motivational aspects of farmers' decision-making processes to help policymakers, agricultural scientists, and extension practitioners to work more effectively with farmers to explore and adopt organic grain production. OBJECTIVE This paper assesses farmers' adoption motivations, long-term goals, and perceived benefits to examine the congruence between initial motivations, long-term goals, and current perceived benefits. METHODS We employed a sequential mixed-method approach that first interviewed organic farmers in Iowa, U.S. Then developed and administered a statewide survey for the organic farmers. Survey data were analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis, paired-samples t-tests, and heteroskedasticity-robust regression models. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS We identified five highly-rated motivations for farmers to adopt organic grain: 1) profitability, 2) personal safety, 3) natural resources stewardship, 4) consumers and public health, and 5) honor and tradition. We found organic farmers' long-term goals are strongly orientated to both productivism and stewardship but less strongly oriented to civic-mindedness. This research assessed five areas of benefits associated with organic grain farming: 1) economic benefit, 2) addressed health concerns, 3) environmental natural resources, 4) values and beliefs validation, and 5) social benefit. This study found the benefits farmers experienced by adopting organic grain farming aligned with most of their original adoption motivations and long-term goals, except for serving the motivation of consumer and public health concerns. SIGNIFICANCE By understanding the relative importance of the roles that different types of motivations play in farmers' decisions to adopt organic grain farming, policymakers and agricultural extension practitioners can strategically design effective policies and programs to encourage more U.S. farmers to consider raising organic grains to fulfill the market demand. Our findings deepen our understanding of how organic farmers synergizes the competing goal orientations into organic farming practices. This study also fills a gap in the literature that lacks understanding of farmers' perceived benefits of organic farming after adoption. By examining the relationships among farmers' adoption motivations, goal orientations, and adoption benefits, we can conclude that organic grain farming is working well for farmers, suggesting that further promotion and support for transition to organic grain farming is socially desirable.
Lenalidomide in dlbcl: Are we past the cell of origin?

Single-agent lenalidomide has modest activity in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and is thought to be more potent in activated B-cell (ABC) lymphomas, which are more treatment-resistant. However, the addition of lenalidomide to rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in randomized clinical trials has shown equivocal benefit, despite phase 2 studies that suggested otherwise. These equivocal results suggest that either the cell of origin (COO) has limited importance for prescribing lenalidomide, or that lenalidomide is not the optimal agent for exploiting the vulnerability of ABC lymphomas. As more recent analyses have shown that the genetic landscape of DLBCL is considerably more complex than the binary COO paradigm, the disappointing impact of lenalidomide is less surprising. In contrast to the marginal benefit from the addition of lenalidomide to R-CHOP, recent studies suggest that lenalidomide in combination with novel agents has potent activity. Lenalidomide was recently approved in combination with the anti-monoclonal B-cell antibody tafasitamab for patients with relapsed DLBCL after 1 to 3 previous treatments. This combination has led to surprisingly prolonged progression-free survival rates, along with possible cure in a subset of patients. In addition, early-phase single-arm trials are also showing deep and durable responses in relapsed patients when lenalidomide is combined with the novel agents ibrutinib and venetoclax. Although these drugs have limited single-agent activity in DLBCL, their pronounced activity in combination suggests a possible unique synergistic effect. Overall, recent studies suggest that lenalidomide will continue to be an active player in the treatment for DLBCL but likely in combination with other novel agents rather than in combination with chemotherapy.
Competition Law Limits on Ride Sharing Enterprises

The paper treats competition law issues arising in the context of sharing economies, with a particular look at the law and the economy of India.
Cytokine expression in a rat model of Staphylococcus aureus endophthalmitis.

PURPOSE: To examine the ability of viable Staphylococcus aureus to induce the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC), and interferon (IFN)-gamma after intravitreal injection. METHODS: Experimental rat eyes were injected with a 25-microl volume of approximately 80 colony-forming units of viable S. aureus; control eyes received sterile saline. Eyes were graded daily for signs of clinical inflammation and were removed 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours after injection. One group was prepared for histologic analysis, and vitreous was removed from the other group for cytokine analysis, using standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedures. RESULTS: TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, CINC, and IFN-gamma were detected in experimental vitreous samples at increased levels that peaked at 24 hours. TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and CINC declined at 48 hours, but IFN-gamma remained elevated. At 72 hours, levels returned to baseline. Statistically significant elevations of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and CINC were detected in experimental samples at 24, but not at 6 and 48 hours compared with levels in saline control samples (P < 0.03). A statistically significant increase in IFN-gamma was detected at 24 and 48 hours compared with control levels (P < 0.03). In experimental animals, clinical inflammation and inflammatory cells peaked at 24 hours, persisted at 48 hours, and began to decline thereafter. Neutrophils were the predominant inflammatory cell detected at 24 (72.3% of cells) and 48 (60.1%) hours. By 72 hours, the total number of inflammatory cells had decreased by 75.0%, and the cellular infiltrate had changed so that neutrophils equaled monocytes-macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: S. aureus induced the expression of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, CINC, and IFN-gamma. The time course of these cytokine levels could account for the clinical inflammatory responses and the entry and decline of vitreous cells in this model of bacterial endophthalmitis.
Accurate Imputation of Rare and Common Variants in a Founder Population From a Small Number of Sequenced Individuals

Advances in DNA sequencing technologies have greatly facilitated the discovery of rare genetic variants in the human genome, many of which may contribute to common disease risk. However, evaluating their individual or even collective effects on disease risk requires very large sample sizes, which involves study designs that are often prohibitively expensive. We present an alternative approach for determining genotypes in large numbers of individuals for all variants discovered in the sequence of relatively few individuals. Specifically, we developed a new imputation algorithm that utilizes whole-exome sequencing data from 25 members of the South Dakota Hutterite population, and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes from >1,400 individuals from the same founder population. The algorithm relies on identity-by-descent sharing of phased haplotypes, a different strategy than the linkage disequilibrium methods found in most imputation algorithms. We imputed genotypes discovered in the sequence data to on average ∼77% of chromosomes among the 1,400 individuals. Median R(2) between imputed and directly genotyped data was >0.99. As expected, many variants that are vanishingly rare in European populations have risen to larger frequencies in the founder population and would be amenable to single-SNP analyses.
Auction Size and Price Dynamics in Sequential Auctions

This paper uses a unique data-set collected in a consistent way over a number of different auctions to investigate how empirical regularities in sequential auctions depend on the number of lots sold in those auctions. It is shown that prices tend to decline faster in auctions in which a small number of lots were sold. Starting prices tend to be higher in auctions with fewer lots, while average prices are higher in auctions with more lots. Price declines do not appear to be localized at the end of the auctions. Finally, there is no evidence of (i) serial correlation in prices, (ii) changes in price volatility over the course of each auction, and (iii) a systematic relationship between price volatility and number of lots sold.
Improved outcomes in adjuvant radiotherapy for oral cavity carcinoma at an academic center: a matched-pair analysis.

Objectives/Hypothesis Our objective was to evaluate for outcomes differences for patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) who underwent primary surgical resection at an academic center (AC), followed by postoperative radiation therapy either at the AC or at a nonacademic radiation treatment center (non-AC). Design Secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort of patients with previously untreated upper aerodigestive tract SCC who underwent surgery followed by adjuvant therapy at an AC from 2002 to 2012. Fifty-three matched pairs of OCSCC patients surgically treated at the AC, but receiving adjuvant radiation at either an AC or a non-AC, were evaluated for differences in clinicopathologic variables, radiation treatment metrics, and survival outcomes. The main outcome measures were overall survival, disease-specific survival, and locoregional control rates. Results Matched pairs were closely comparable in TNM (tumor, node, metastasis) stage, age, and gender. There were no significant between-groups differences in demographic and clinicopathologic variables except for smoking status (never smokers 43.3% for AC vs. 20.8% for non-AC; P = 0.037). Non-AC OCSCC patients received a significantly lower total radiation dose (P = 0.0004) and lower radiation fractional dose (P = 0.0002) than their AC matched-pair counterparts. AC treatment was associated with improved overall survival (P = 0.005), disease-specific survival (P = 0.019), and locoregional control (P = 0.016). AC treatment was an independent predictor of overall survival on multivariate analysis (P = 0.044), after adjustment for clinicopathologic differences between groups. Conclusions Improved survival for combined modality treatment of OCSCC at the AC was noted on multivariate analysis. Differences in key radiation treatment metrics could explain survival differences noted in this study. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 124:1603–1608, 2014
Uncovering Cognitive Processes in Music Composition: Educational and Computational Approaches

We present the initial results of a combined music education and artificial intelligence (AI) study on the cognitive processes underlying music composition. The examination of a body of protocol data collected in an earlier study by Younker & Smith led to the development of two models of compositional behavior. One is embodied as a production system emphasizing the high-level actions of novice and expert composers. A hypermedia system has been implemented allowing one to “experience” this model both visually and aurally. In addition, we present some initial unimplemented thoughts regarding the composition task which examine opportunism and memory and their relationship with the final musical product. Both formulations are motivated by the assumption that understanding musical processes and the intermediate products generated during a composer’s work may help to increase our perspective on music cognition. As well. we discuss these two models in terms of educational applications and the construction of learning environments based in part on the work described here.
Shape analysis on the hypersphere of wavelet densities

We present a novel method for shape analysis which represents shapes as probability density functions and then uses the intrinsic geometry of this space to match similar shapes. In our approach, shape densities are estimated by representing the square-root of the density in a wavelet basis. Under this model, each density (of a corresponding shape) is then mapped to a point on a unit hypersphere. For each category of shapes, we find the intrinsic Karcher mean of the class on the hyper-sphere of shape densities, and use the minimum spherical distance between a query shape and the means to classify shapes. Our method is adaptable to a variety of applications, does not require burdensome preprocessing like extracting closed curves, and experimental results demonstrate it to be competitive with contemporary shape matching algorithms.
Dietary Supplementation with Mushroom-Derived Protein-Bound Glucan Does Not Enhance Immune Function in Young and Old Mice

Decline in immune response is a well-documented age-associated biological change. Protein-bound polysaccharides (PSP) are biological response modifiers and have been shown to have immunoenhancing and antitumor effects. This study was conducted to examine the effect of dietary supplementation with PSP-containing extract derived from mycelia of Coriolus versicolor on in vitro and in vivo indices of immune function of young and old mice. Young (5 mo) and old (23 mo) C57BL/6NIA mice were fed purified diets containing 0, 0.1, 0.5 or 1.0% PSP for 1 mo at which time indices of immune function were measured. PSP supplementation had no significant effect on mitogenic response to concanavalin A (Con A), phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or on production of interleukin (IL)-1, IL-2, IL- 4 and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Of the in vivo indices of immune function tested, old mice fed 1.0% PSP had significantly higher delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response than those fed 0% PSP. No significant effect of PSP was observed on the DTH response of young mice. The antibody response to sheep red blood cells was not significantly influenced by PSP in young or old mice. These results suggest that PSP-containing extract from mycelia of Coriolus versicolor might have a modest immunoenhancing effect in aged mice, but not in young mice.
A Multigene Prognostic Assay for Selection of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with T3, Stage II Colon Cancer: Impact on Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy and Costs

ABSTRACT Objectives Uncertainty exists regarding appropriate and affordable use of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II colon cancer (T3, proficient DNA mismatch repair). This study aimed to estimate the effectiveness and costs from a US societal perspective of a multigene recurrence score (RS) assay for patients recently diagnosed with stage II colon cancer (T3, proficient DNA mismatch repair) eligible for adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods RS was compared with guideline-recommended clinicopathological factors (tumor stage, lymph nodes examined, tumor grade, and lymphovascular invasion) by using a state-transition (Markov) lifetime model. Data were obtained from published literature, a randomized controlled trial (QUick And Simple And Reliable) of adjuvant chemotherapy, and rates of chemotherapy use from the National Cooperative Cancer Network Colon/Rectum Cancer Outcomes study. Life-years, quality-adjusted life expectancy, and lifetime costs were examined. Results The RS is projected to reduce adjuvant chemotherapy use by 17% compared with current treatment patterns and to increase quality-adjusted life expectancy by an average of 0.035 years. Direct medical costs are expected to decrease by an average of $2971 per patient. The assay was cost saving for all subgroups of patients stratified by clinicopathologic factors. The most influential variables affecting treatment decisions were projected years of life remaining, recurrence score, and patients' disutilities associated with adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusions Use of the multigene RS to assess recurrence risk after surgery in stage II colon cancer (T3, proficient DNA mismatch repair) may reduce the use of adjuvant chemotherapy without decreasing quality-adjusted life expectancy and be cost saving from a societal perspective. These findings need to be validated in additional cohorts, including studies of clinical practice as assay use diffuses into nonacademic settings.
Hirschsprung’s Disease

Hirschsprung’s disease is a congenital absence of ganglion cells in the distal gastrointestinal tract. The length of affected intestine varies and treatment requires resection of abnormal intestine and pull-through of normal intestine with ganglion cells to the anus.
Stereological sex difference during development of the magnocelluar subdivision of the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN mag).

Abstract In Syrian hamsters, reproductive behaviors are initiated in the presence of appropriate hormonal and chemosensory cues. These cues are detected and integrated within a highly conserved pathway that converges on a small nuclear group in the lateral aspect of the medial preoptic area, the magnocellular subdivision of the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN mag). The MPN mag plays a critical role in the regulation of male mating behavior—bilateral ablation of the MPN mag eliminates copulation. The MPN mag is sexually differentiated in both neuron number and density, but not in overall volume or volume of individual neurons. The current study used unbiased stereological methods to determine when the MPN mag becomes sexually differentiated. Our data indicate that the MPN mag becomes sexually dimorphic in volume and cell number after the critical period when steroid treatment induces male sexual behavior.
Evaluating the collaborative critique method

We introduce a new usability walkthrough method called Collaborative Critique (CC), which is inspired by the human-computer collaboration paradigm of system-user interaction. This method applies a "collaboration lens" to assessing the system's behavior and its impact on the user's efforts in the context of the task being performed. We present findings from a laboratory evaluation of the CC method with usability practitioners, in which the results of the CC walkthrough were compared to a benchmark set of problems collected via user testing with two experimental Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system tasks. The development of this new usability evaluation method was driven by the need for an approach that assesses the adequacy of the system's support for reducing the user's cognitive and physical effort in the context of the interaction.
Effects of bond coat misfit strains on the rumpling of thermally grown oxides

One factor governing the durability of thermal barrier systems is the concurrent thickening and elongation of the thermally grown oxide (TGO) upon temperature cycling. The elongation can cause cyclic rumpling of the TGO: influenced by oxide growth, bond coat phase transformations, substrate-bond coat interdiffusion, and constituent strengths. The individual effects of these phenomena cannot be understood by experiment alone. In the current study, simulations are conducted to isolate the effects of the misfit strains between the bond coat and substrate. These strains originate from thermal expansion mismatch, phase transformations, and bond coat swelling. For each calculation, the response of the system throughout an individual thermal cycle is linked to the stresses in the bond coat and TGO. Results obtained for representative misfit strains indicate that all three sources promote rumpling during the early stages, while phase transformations and thermal expansion mismatch are more prevalent upon extended cycling. These misfits also induce tensile stresses in the oxide large enough to cause cracking at high temperature. Further analysis has been used to assess the benefits of developing bond coats having lower phase transformation temperature, higher strength, and a more closely matched coefficient of thermal expansion.
An application of linear programming to contingency planning: A tactical airlift system analysis

A linear programming application for the selection of aircraft for a tactical airlift fleet is described.
A Reinforcing Circuit Action of Extrasynaptic GABAA Receptor Modulators on Cerebellar Granule Cell Inhibition

GABAA receptors (GABARs) are the targets of a wide variety of modulatory drugs which enhance chloride flux through GABAR ion channels. Certain GABAR modulators appear to acutely enhance the function of δ subunit-containing GABAR subtypes responsible for tonic forms of inhibition. Here we identify a reinforcing circuit mechanism by which these drugs, in addition to directly enhancing GABAR function, also increase GABA release. Electrophysiological recordings in cerebellar slices from rats homozygous for the ethanol-hypersensitive (α6100Q) allele show that modulators and agonists selective for δ-containing GABARs such as THDOC, ethanol and THIP (gaboxadol) increased the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) in granule cells. Ethanol fails to augment granule cell sIPSC frequency in the presence of glutamate receptor antagonists, indicating that circuit mechanisms involving granule cell output contribute to ethanol-enhancement of synaptic inhibition. Additionally, GABAR antagonists decrease ethanol-induced enhancement of Golgi cell firing. Consistent with a role for glutamatergic inputs, THIP-induced increases in Golgi cell firing are abolished by glutamate receptor antagonists. Moreover, THIP enhances the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents in Golgi cells. Analyses of knockout mice indicate that δ subunit-containing GABARs are required for enhancing GABA release in the presence of ethanol and THIP. The limited expression of the GABAR δ subunit protein within the cerebellar cortex suggests that an indirect, circuit mechanism is responsible for stimulating Golgi cell GABA release by drugs selective for extrasynaptic isoforms of GABARs. Such circuit effects reinforce direct actions of these positive modulators on tonic GABAergic inhibition and are likely to contribute to the potent effect of these compounds as nervous system depressants.
In situ measurement of dust devil dynamics: Toward a strategy for Mars

An intensive 3-day dust devil investigation was conducted near Eloy, Arizona, during June of 2001. The goal was to evaluate strategies for observing dust devils on Mars by studying the physics of terrestrial dust devils.
Stimulatory effect of interleukin-1 on adrenocorticotropin secretion in the rat: is it modulated by prostaglandins?

The in vivo release of ACTH by interleukin-1α (II-1α) is reportedly blocked by acute treatment with indomethacin (indo), suggesting an involvement of endogenous prostaglandins in the effect of cytokines on the hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenal axis. However, indo also increases plasma corticosterone levels, raising the possibility that inhibition of ACTH release is due to suppressive effects of hypercorticolemia rather than to blockade of the stimulatory effects of II-1α. We observed that the iv administration of indo (10 mg/kg) 15 min before II-1α completely abolished the rise in plasma ACTH levels caused by the peripheral injection of this lymphokine to intact rats. At the time of II-1α injection, plasma corticosterone levels were 39 ± 12 ng/ml in controls and 121 ± 22 ng/ml in indo-treated animals (P < 0.01). In contrast, implantation of intact rats with indo pellets (which delivered 30 Mg drug/h) 28 h before II-l only partially interfered with II-linduced ACTH secretion. In these rats plasma corticoster...
Opiate Dependence and Withdrawal: Preliminary Assessment Using Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT)

Naloxone (0.8 mg, s.c.) effects on opiate withdrawal signs and symptoms and regional brain function were assessed in 10 methadone-maintained patients and 10 healthy subjects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Regional brain function was assessed using single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) by evaluating the uptake of [99mTc]d,l-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) in the brain, a process related to regional cerebral perfusion. Comparisons of patients and healthy subjects after saline infusion suggested that chronic opiate dependence was associated with lower corrected activity ratios (regional count density/whole brain count density) in frontal and parietal cortices and greater activity ratios in the thalamus. Opiate-dependent patients, but not healthy subjects, developed opiate withdrawal signs and symptoms after naloxone administration. Following naloxone administration, patients undergoing opiate withdrawal exhibited lower whole brain count density than healthy subjects. They also had lower activity ratios in frontal and parietal cortices and increased thalamic activity ratios relative to healthy subjects receiving naloxone. Naloxone administration in healthy subjects, but not opiate withdrawal in patients, was associated with decreased right parietal cortex and increased right temporal cortex and left basal ganglia activity ratios. Relative to naloxone effects in healthy subjects, opiate withdrawal was associated with decreased whole brain count density and a reduced right temporal cortex activity ratio. This preliminary study reports an initial evaluation of HMPAO-SPECT imaging for assessing regional alterations in brain function during opiate dependence and withdrawal. While group differences were reported, the small magnitude of regional alterations in patients undergoing opiate withdrawal raised concern that HMPAO-SPECT methods employed were inadequate for assessing human regional brain function during phases of opiate addiction. Other emerging functional brain imaging technologies should be evaluated relative to improved HMPAO-SPECT methods for this purpose.
Status of Competency-Based Medical Education in Endoscopy Training: A Nationwide Survey of US ACGME-Accredited Gastroenterology Training Programs.

Status of Competency-Based Medical Education in Endoscopy Training: A Nationwide Survey of US ACGME-Accredited Gastroenterology Training Programs
Do information technology units have more power than other units in academic libraries

Systems offices that deal with library information technologies have played an important role in academic libraries; however, not much is known about how systems offices are positioned within academic libraries. This study examined the present status and the influence of systems offices by exploring the power differences among five principal functional units based on strategic contingencies theory. A mail questionnaire was sent to the principal functional unit heads of each of 95 university libraries belonging to the Association of Research Libraries in the United States. A total of 484 questionnaires were sent; 235 questionnaires were returned. The three major findings of this study were that (a) systems offices had more perceived power than all but public services; (b) systems offices had higher levels on contingency variables than did most of the other units; and finally, (c) criticality was a factor affecting perceived power between systems offices and most of the other units. The study findings imply that strategic contingencies theory may be partially applicable to library settings. Library staff or units may strategically increase their power by aligning their services with goals critical to their library and cooperating with other staff or other units.
The misfeeling of what happens: Slavoj Žižek, Antonio Damasio and a materialist account of affects

In The Parallax View, Slavoj Žižek outlines a Lacanian critique of neuroscientist Antonio Damasio's theories of affectively shaped mental life. Damasio is faulted for failing to account for the existence of the Cogito-like subject-as-$, an existence claimed to be emotionally significant in ways directly relevant to the Damasian project. Žižek's criticisms stage a confrontation pitting psychoanalytic anti-naturalism against neuroscientific naturalism. This article involves laying out a partial defense of Damasio's proposals. In so doing, it seeks, specifically with regard to the matters at stake in Žižek's engagement with the sciences of the brain, to delineate a position based on the rejection of what is alleged to be a false dichotomy between naturalism and anti-naturalism. The forms of subjectivity posited by what would be a Freudian–Lacanian neuro-psychoanalysis are torn apart in various directions, split along fault lines of tension between what are imprecisely designated as ‘natural’ and ‘non-natural’ dimensions.