cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Submucosal endoscopic esophageal myotomy: a novel experimental approach for the treatment of achalasia.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The most permanent method of treating achalasia is a surgical myotomy. Because of the requirement for a mucosal incision and the risk of perforation, this procedure has not generally been approached endoscopically. We hypothesized that we could perform a safe and robust myotomy by working in the submucosal space, accessed from the esophageal lumen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four pigs were used for this experiment. Baseline lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressures were recorded and the pigs underwent upper endoscopy using a standard endoscope. A submucosal saline lift was created approximately 5 cm above the LES and a small nick was made in the mucosa in order to facilitate the introduction of a dilating balloon. After dilation, the scope was introduced over the balloon into the submucosal space and advanced toward the now visible fibers of the LES. The circular layer of muscle was then cleanly incised using an electrocautery knife in a distal-to-proximal fashion, without complications. The scope was then withdrawn back into the lumen and the mucosal defect was closed with endoscopically applied clips. The entire procedure took less than 15 minutes. Manometry was repeated on day 5 after the procedure and the animals were euthanized on day 7. RESULTS: LES pressures fell significantly from an average of 16.4 mm Hg to an average of 6.7 mm Hg after the myotomy. The necropsy examinations revealed no evidence of mediastinitis or peritonitis. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic submucosal esophageal myotomy is feasible, safe, and effective in the short term. It has the potential for being useful in patients with achalasia. The submucosal space is a novel and potentially important field of operation for endoscopic procedures.
Considerations of Study Design

Research projects attempt to answer specific questions. The particular study design that is selected will depend in large measure on the nature of the question and the time and resources available. There are 5 common categories of clinical questions; they relate to etiology, prognosis, utility of diagnostic tests, efficacy of proposed interventions, and cost of treatment in specific disease states. A number of study designs can be used. Case reports serve to memorialize unusual or novel aspects of diseases. Retrospective case series are useful for defining natural history. Case-control studies are used by epidemiologists to elucidate potential etiologies of diseases. Prospective cohort studies can be used to assess natural history or to assess potential disease etiologies. Controlled trials are designed to assess the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Studies that define the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests can be used to assess the utility of those tests. Economic analyses estimate the costs that particular diseases or therapies will require. Each of these study designs has limitations; with the exception of high-quality randomized trials, none of these study designs can establish a causative relationship between putative etiologic (or therapeutic) factors and disease (outcomes).
Sandstone matrix olistostrome deposited on intra-subduction complex serpentinite, Franciscan Complex, western Marin County, California

Abstract Detailed field mapping in the Franciscan Complex in western Marin County, California, offers insight into the origins and development of melanges, as well as accretionary complex architecture. From structurally high to low, the study area units comprise a structurally high sandstone matrix olistostrome, serpentinite, a structurally intermediate sandstone matrix olistostrome, Early Cretaceous Nicasio Reservoir Terrane greenstone, and coherent Cretaceous greywacke, all exhibiting prehnite–pumpellyite burial metamorphism. The structurally high sandstone matrix olistostrome includes volcanic blocks up to 700 m in diameter and chert blocks up to 100 m in diameter, whereas the structurally intermediate olistostrome unit comprises a lithic-rich sandstone matrix enclosing volcanic blocks 1–20 m in diameter. The youngest detrital zircons in the high olistostrome and the coherent greywacke have U–Pb ages of ≈ 20 m.y. older than the inferred depositional ages of the units themselves, suggesting that the bulk of the detritus comprising these units was derived by exposure and sedimentary recycling of significantly older, previously accreted sediments. The matrix of both olistostrome units exhibits minimal strain with weak local development of pressure solution cleavage. These findings demonstrate introduction of Franciscan exotic blocks and development of Franciscan block-in-matrix fabrics through sedimentary sliding and support sedimentary interpretations for more highly strained shale and serpentinite matrix melanges. Additionally, these data suggest that sandstone matrix olistostromes/melange may constitute a larger part of the Franciscan and other accretionary complexes than previously believed. The structurally high olistostrome preserves a depositional contact on serpentinite, verifying an intra-subduction complex origin for the serpentinite. The serpentinite lacks block-in-matrix structure and likely represents a tectonically emplaced unit derived from the subducting plate as a coherent nappe, rather than a sedimentary serpentinite deposit. Multi-kilometer scale west-vergent overturned folds with subhorizontal fold axes deform the nappes of the field area, and a later generation of open, northeast-trending folds overprints the earlier folds.
Smaller frontal gray matter volume in postmortem schizophrenic brains.

OBJECTIVE: The prefrontal cortex exhibits prominent functional, biochemical, and anatomic abnormalities in schizophrenic patients. However, smaller than normal volume of the frontal lobe has not been found in previous postmortem studies of schizophrenic subjects, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of schizophrenic subjects have not consistently revealed frontal volumetric deficits. The variability in MRI findings may be related partly to difficulty in defining the posterior border of the frontal lobe. In this study, precise measurements of frontal lobe volume from postmortem brains were derived by defining the posterior border according to the brain atlas of Talairach and Tournoux and by applying stereologic methods to estimate gray and white matter volumes. METHOD: Whole, or nearly whole, formalin-fixed left hemispheres from 14 schizophrenic and 19 normal comparison subjects were analyzed. Total cortical gray and white matter volumes, as well as frontal cortical gray and white matter volumes, wer...
A comparative study of the growth, nutrition, and metabolism of the primary and the transformed human cells in vitro.

The growth characteristics, nutritional requirements, and metabolic activities of primary explants (chiefly amnion) and transformed human cells (derived from amnion, conjunctiva, and cervical cancer) were compared. Major differences observed are as follows: 1. Five types of human tissue when freshly explanted in vitro were found to have varying but limited growth potential in contrast to the autonomous and apparently unlimited growth of the transformed cell. 2. A requirement for an external source of inositol or glutamine could not be demonstrated for the slowly multiplying primary amnions in contrast to the rapidly growing transformed cells which degenerated in the absence of either metabolite. 3. Unlike the transformed cells, the primary amnion cells fixed an insignificant amount of CO2; when infected by the Coxsackie virus, however, a requirement for CO2 in the formation of more virus became readily demonstrable. 4. The biggest difference in the incorporation of various C14 substrates occurred in the nucleic acid fractions. 5. The difference in the incorporation of glycine into the protein fraction was very small. 6. The utilization of glucose, ribose, and xylose as well as the oxidation of lactic acid into CO2 by the primary amnion cells occurred at a rate much lower than that of the transformed cells. 7. The cytotoxic dose of 5-fluorodeoxyuridine for the primary amnion was at least 100 times that of the transformed cells although growth inhibition was readily demonstrated at 0.1 µg. per ml. for both types of cells. Based on these observations, several hypotheses are put forth for consideration.
Nurturing young student mathematicians

Developing mathematical talent in our students should be of primary consideration in education today as nations respond to the challenges of economic crises and ever-changing technological advances...
MARXISM IN LATIN AMERICA: A PHILOSOPHICAL DEFENSE

Indeed the people are no longer what they were ten years ago. Some have been awakened by the revoluFionXy ferment. All have matured in blood and fire and become acutely conscious of their daily interests …… They have a strong belief in their historical mission, a salvation mission …… They are attracted by an extremely fascinating theory, Marxism, which is endowed with an immense power and is capable of turning the common people into fighters ready for all sacrifices.
Isentropic Compression of Mixtures of Fuels and Inert Gases

In selected aerospace applications, mixtures of fuels and gases can be compressed nearly adiabatically. Thermodynamic analysis has shown that under isentropic compression, the fuels hydrazine and monomethylhydrazine must be treated as real fluids using appropriate equations of state. The current work examines similar thermodynamic analysis for the gases helium, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water vapor. Using appropriate equations of state and corresponding mixing rules, mixtures of fuel and gases also are considered to be isentropically compressed. Three approaches to mixing are considered: (1) a pseudo-Kay's method; (2) an enthalpy balance; and (3) complete thermodynamic mixing rules. The results identify those pressure and temperature regimes requiring the more stringent thermodynamic mixing rules for fuel/gas systems for appropriate design and safety analysis.
A Deformable Statistical Shape Model Applied to Three-Dimensional Lumbar Vertebra Images

A surface morphing technique utilizing the generalized gradient vector flow (GGVF) method was implemented and tested. The surface morphing results in a homeomorphic deformation of a reference surface onto individual members of a data set. Internal and external forces that drive the surface morphing result in correspondences between the parameterized surfaces. Principal component analysis was used to form a statistical shape model from the resulting surfaces. Three dimensional LI-lumbar vertebral images were used to demonstrate the algorithm. Volume image preprocessing and segmentation is described as well.
Inactivation of Lysozyme by Native Ovalbumin

Abstract IN A STUDY of the heat stability of egg white and egg white proteins, Cunningham and Lineweaver (1965) reported that in egg white heated to 62.5°C. for 10 minutes at pH 9 lysozyme was inactivated extensively, but that the purified protein dissolved in buffer was unaffected by this time-temperature condition. These results confirmed the heat sensitivity of lysozyme in egg white (Sandow, 1926; Cotterill and Winter, 1954; and Seideman, Cotterill and Funk, 1963) and the stability of lysozyme in buffer (Gorini and Felix, 1953), but they do not explain the reason for the marked difference in stability of lysozyme in the two media. Highly basic lysozyme is known to form electrostatic complexes with other substances. It forms complexes with sodium thymus nucleate and yeast nucleate (Klotz and Walker, 1948), bovine plasma albumin (Steiner, 1953) ovomucin (Hawthorne, 1950; Cotterill and Winter, 1955), conalbumin (Ehrenpreis and Warner, 1956), ovalbumin (Forsythe and Foster . . .
Estimation of the three-dimensional aerodynamic structure of a green ash shelterbelt

The three-dimensional aerodynamic structure of a tree shelterbelt is described by two structural descriptors: vegetative surface area density (vegetative surface area per unit canopy volume) and cubic density (vegetative volume per unit canopy volume). Based on destructive measurements, estimates of both descriptors for a two-row 31-year-old green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) shelterbelt are developed. In order to estimate the structural descriptors in three dimensions based on data measured in two dimensions, equations to predict vegetative surface area and volume, their marginal distribution with height, and their marginal distribution across width at a given height are derived for each tree component: trunk, branches, leaves and seeds. The procedure to use these equations to estimate the structure of the green ash shelterbelt either in three dimensions or in the width and height dimensions is demonstrated. The estimated structure can be used to test current models of turbulence through a tree shelterbelt under a field conditions, and to simulate the wind fields as influenced by the actual structure of a tree shelterbelt. The developed equation can be used to generate the three-dimensional structure of a shelterbelt with a design similar to the sampled shelterbelts or a shelterbelt of green ash mixed with other species similar to those in the sampled shelterbelts. Thus, the boundary-layer flows as influenced by the overall structure of tree shelterbelts with different designs can be numerically simulated. These simulated results can provide guidance for shelterbelt design. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Redesign Of The Undergraduate Business Curriculum: The Way Forward, A Paradigm Shift

The need to reform the undergraduate business curriculum was in evidence before 9/11 and is more imperative since the stock market disintegration beginning in December 2007. The stakeholders will not tolerate the old methods of functional teaching for business school graduates. Graduates must be work ready and the challenges to business schools are evident in declining enrollments and loss of funding trends which will be evident for the next decade. What we do now will be how we operate for the next ten years. Schools cannot invest in professional development of faculties and redesign of courses in a casual manner. This article poses the process business model as one pattern for redesign and explores the implementation of this model with specific examples of pedagogical methods for the redesign of the undergraduate business curriculum. An example for implementation of the approach to include the experiential element which begins to breakdown silo teaching in a three-hundred level undergraduate Management class is included in the appendix.
International Student–Athlete Adjustment Issues: Advising Recommendations for Effective Transitions

Through an extensive literature review, student–athlete college transition issues as well as concerns of international student-athletes are identified. Research on general student advising, developmental advising, and mentoring literature points to successful tactics for assisting domestic students, international students, and student-athletes through the transition to college life. This review culminates in a table that combines findings from previous studies into a set of suggested practices for academic advisors working with international student-athletes. Advisors can use this research to support international student-athletes during recruitment and throughout their collegiate career.
Regan isoenzyme in patients with hematopoietic tumors.

The incidence of the Regan isoenzyme (RI) in 94 patients with lymphoma and 37 with leukemia was studied. A significant increase was observed in patients with stage IV Hodgkin’s disease and poorly-differentiated lymphoma. Levels of serum alkaline phosphatase were not correlated with the incidence of patients with RI. RI represented less than 1% of the serum levels of alkaline phosphatase. In 52 patients, no association of RI with carcinoembryonic antigen was noted. Serial RI determination in a patient with Hodgkin’s disease failed to reveal any correlation of RI levels with disease activity, but did reveal a positive correlation of RI levels with a rectal abscess. The potential usefulness of serial RI determinations in patients such as those investigated in this study is unclear.
Insufflation with carbon dioxide reduces pneumoperitoneum after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG): a randomized controlled trial.

Background and study aims: Pneumoperitoneum following PEG placement has been reported in up to 60 % of cases, and while usually benign and self-limited, it can lead to evaluation for suspected perforation. This study was designed to determine whether using CO2 compared to ambient air for insufflation during PEG reduces post-procedure pneumoperitoneum. Patients and Methods: Prospective, double-blind, randomized trial of 35 consecutive patients undergoing PEG at a single academic medical center. Patients were randomized to insufflation with CO2 or ambient air. The primary outcome was pneumoperitoneum determined by left-lateral decubitus abdominal x-rays 30 minutes after PEG placement. Secondary endpoints included abdominal distention, pain, and bloating. Results: PEG was successfully placed in 17 patients using CO2 and 18 patients using ambient air. Three patients in each arm were unable or declined to have x-rays completed and were excluded. Pneumoperitoneum was identified in 2/14 (14.3 %) using CO2 and 8/15 (53.3 %) using ambient air (P = 0.05). There was no significant difference in abdominal distention, visual analog scale (VAS) scores for pain or bloating between CO2 and ambient air. Conclusion: Utilizing CO2 significantly reduces the frequency of post-procedural pneumoperitoneum compared to use of ambient air during PEG placement, with no difference in waist circumference, pain or bloating between CO2 and ambient air. CO2 appears to be safe and effective for use and may be the insufflation agent of choice during PEG.
Forecasting the Effects of an Aging Population on Product Consumption: An Age-Period-Cohort Framework:

A method of forecasting the effects of changing age distributions and cohort succession on product consumption is presented. Cohort analysis is used to estimate the effects of age, period, and coho...
Application of SAS to Bulk Amorphous Polymers, Block Copolymers and Polymer Blends

This article discusses the application of small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering techniques to the study of bulk amorphous polymers, block copolymers and polymer blends. The subject matter discussed include density fluctuation in single component amorphous polymers, concentration fluctuation in compatible polymer blends and its interpretation in terms of the random phase approximation theory, analysis of the scattering from incompatible polymer blends as developed by Porod, determination of the phase boundary thickness, order-disorder transition in block copolymer, interpretation of the scattering from disordered block copolymer systems by means of the random phase approximation theory, characterization of ordered block copolymer structure, and the study of block copolymer micelles.
TWO-WAY HETEROSCEDASTIC ANOVA WHEN THE NUMBER OF LEVELS IS LARGE

We consider testing for main treatment eects and interaction eects in crossed two-way layouts when one or both factors have large number of levels. Ran- dom errors are allowed to be nonnormal and heteroscedastic. In the heteroscedastic case, we propose new test statistics. The asymptotic distributions of our test statis- tics are derived under both the null hypothesis and local alternatives. The sample size per treatment combination can either be xed or tend to innit y. Numerical simulations indicate that the proposed procedures have good power properties and maintain approximately the nominal -level with small sample sizes. A data set from a study evaluating forty varieties of winter wheat in a large-scale agricultural trial is analyzed.
Short-exposure turbulence effects on the modulation transfer function of annular aperture optical systems

The results of recent analytical work performed to characterize the short-exposure blurring effects of path integrated optical turbulence for annular aperture systems is described using the modulation transfer function. Results presented here extend the circular case to the annular aperture problem involving a circularly symmetric central obscuration associated with telescope optics secondary mirrors. To enable this extension, adjustments to procedures that compute the tilt-variance and phase-tilt correlation effects are described, and the results are illustrated. A four-dimensionally parameterized function of turbulence strength, diffraction influence, angular frequency, and fractional central obscuration is given.
Children Crossing Streets: The Cognitive Task of Pedestrians Across Nations

Abstract Background About 100,000 children die worldwide in pedestrian crashes, more than 90% of whom live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, most existing research on children's ability to cross the street is conducted in high-income countries (HICs). Objective The present study discusses 4 ways pedestrian behavior in LMICs differs from that in HICs, influencing both children's ability to cross streets safely and adult efforts to train children in pedestrian safety. Findings First, in many LMICs one cannot simply wait for a traffic gap that is large enough to permit crossing at a typical walking pace. Instead, pedestrians must enter traffic gaps they deem large enough to permit the oncoming driver to stop, slow, or swerve around them. Second, decisions in LMICs must be made very quickly to maximize safety. In many cases, pedestrians must anticipate how oncoming drivers will behave as a crossing is initiated. Third, multilane LMIC crossings sometimes involve separated decisions to cross each lane and then evaluate safety in the middle of the roadway rather than making a single decision to cross the entire span within a safe traffic gap. Last, children's short stature may substantially influence behavior in LMIC settings. When gaps are small and open spaces limited, the ability to see over oncoming vehicles and perceive them approaching, including how spread they are and at what speeds they are traveling, offers a distinct advantage to the taller pedestrian Conclusions Taken together, it is concluded that safe child pedestrian engagement in LMICs is more complex, and may require more developed cognitive skill, than safe child pedestrian engagement in HICs.
Completion Without Failure

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses completion without failure. The design of efficient methods for dealing with the equality predicate is one of the major goals in automated theorem proving. Just adding equality axioms almost invariably leads to unacceptable inefficiencies. A number of special methods have been devised for reasoning about equality. Within resolution-based provers, demodulation, that is, using equations in only one direction to rewrite terms to a simpler form, is frequently employed. A complete method for handling equations is paramodulation in which equational consequences are generated by using all equations in both directions. Paramodulation is difficult to control and may produce hosts of irrelevant or redundant formulas. The chapter discusses the purely equational case in which a theory is presented as a set of equations and one is interested in proving a given equation to be valid in that equational theory. In important special cases, validity can be decided using canonical rewrite systems that have the property that all equal terms simplify to an identical form. Deciding validity in theories for which canonical systems are known is thus easy and reasonably efficient.
Maya Crocodilians: Intersections of Myth and the Natural World at Early Nixtun-Ch’ich’, Petén, Guatemala

This essay pursues a four-pronged, interdisciplinary approach in considering the possibility that the unusual layout of the lowland Maya site of Nixtun-Ch’ich’ in the lakes region of central Peten, Guatemala, might have been modeled on the scaly back of a crocodile. Part 1 summarizes the biological characteristics of crocodilians, particularly Crocodylus moreletii, and their habitats in lowland Mesoamerica. Part 2 reviews interpretations of these reptiles in myth and art, and exploitation of the creature in the lakes area. Third, the ceremonial core of Nixtun-Ch’ich’, established in the Middle Preclassic (800–400 BCE) period, is discussed. It exhibits an unusual grid of corridors creating a landscape resembling the bony plates of a crocodilian’s back, and a natural cenote-like fosa is proposed to relate to a mythical “Starry Deer Crocodile.” Part 4 discusses probable social and political characteristics of early community leaders who planned this site’s atypical layout, viewed through selectionist theories of cooperation and costly signaling. Designed to mimic the mythical crocodile of creation, Nixtun-Ch’ich’ illustrates the role of ideological power in the development of complex societies.
Narrative and Notice in Livy's Fourth Decade: The Case of Scipio Africanus

This paper argues for the importance of Livy9s annalistic notices in structuring the author9s aims and the reader9s reception of the history, as against the standard conception of the notices as archaic memoranda. Taking the later career of Scipio Africanus the Elder as a test case, the paper demonstrates the tension between the formal features of the narrative and the actual content of the notices. As summarized in the eulogy for Africanus (38.53.9â€“11), Livy constructs a narrative of Scipio9s decline emphasizing his peripeteia after the Hannibalic war. This narrative finds corroboration in the confinement of Africanus9 subsequent actions chiefly to the annalistic notices. The notices themselves, however, provide a counter-narrative to the main text, albeit in fragmentary and marginal form. Through the interaction of narrative center and periphery the notices thus offer a space for Livy, and the reader, to explore alternative visions of Roman history.
The Structure and Function of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Membranes

The first clear description of sarcoplasmic reticulum as a network of filaments located in the sarcoplasm between myofibrils was given by Emilio Veratti (1902, 1961). From then, until its rediscovery 50 years later (Bennett and Porter, 1953; Bennett, 1955), this membrane system was completely forgotten. As Bennett wrote (1960), “it is astonishing that a structure once described as accurately and as beautifully as the reticulum was by Veratti (1902) should have so quickly become almost lost to man’s knowledge.”
Cytology and histology: Complementary diagnostic modalities during endoscopic ultrasound-guided tissue acquisition

Abstract Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) has become the preferred method of sampling accessible intraintestinal and extraintestinal abdominal masses, as well as peri-intestinal lymphadenopathy. Despite the success of endoscopic ultrasound-guided-FNA, there are settings in which FNA appears to underperform when compared to other techniques. To overcome some of the limitations of FNA, endoscopists have used small-gauge cutting and core needle biopsies in conjunction with or as an alternative to FNA. This review, from the pathologists′ perspective, will cover these complementary techniques, including definitions, advantages, and limitations, as well as the role of rapid on-site evaluation. Our conclusions include that cytologic specimens, which use alcohol-based fixation during processing, appear preferable for molecular testing that relies on nucleic acid preservation, such as next-generation sequencing. However, core biopsy should be considered when immunohistochemistry and tissue architectural details are required for diagnosis.
Estimación del índice de área foliar en plantaciones de Pinus elliottii var. elliottii y Pinus taeda

Se estimo el indice de area foliar en plantaciones de 6 anos de Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii y P. taeda L. conducidas bajo continuas aplicaciones de fertilizantes y control sostenido de malezas. Se aplicaron tres metodos indirectos: produccion de 2 anos de hojarasca, analisis dimensional y mediciones de intercepcion de luz. Los resultados obtenidos por las tres tecnicas arrojaron valores similares, variando el indice de area foliar segun los tratamientos aplicados desde 2,2 a 5,6 para P. elliottii y de 1,5 a 10,3 para P.taeda. Las mediciones de luz, sin embargo, no permitieron el calculo de la variacion mensual en el indice foliar, lo que fue atribuido al agrupamiento de aciculas de estas especies que limita la aplicacion del metodo. El contenido de nitrogeno en la hojarasca, considerado como indicador de la condicion nutritiva del suelo, explico el 97 p. 100 de la variacion en el area foliar. La produccion primaria neta aerea (produccion de hojarasca + incremento anual en biomasa) se correlaciono positivamente con la superficie foliar. Esta relacion indico una mayor eficiencia de P. taeda, es decir, mayor produccion primaria para igual indice de area foliar que P. elliottii.
p53: Jack of all (cell death) trades, master of all

p53 has well-established roles in modulating many forms of cell death including apoptosis, autophagy, necrosis, necroptosis, and increasingly, ferroptosis as well.
Networked estimation-privacy games

This paper studies non-cooperative estimation-privacy games over a network of multiple informed transmitters and one receiver. The transmitters and the receiver have different objectives due to transmitters' privacy concerns which are modeled in the context of the Stackelberg equilibrium of a strategic communication problem. In broad terms, the receiver wants to accurately estimate a random variable, while the transmitters aim to strike the optimal trade-off between providing an accurate measurement and minimizing the amount of leaked information about a private type available to the transmitters. The transmitters, having access to source and type variables, are the leaders and the receiver is the follower. Assuming an entropy based privacy measure on the type variable, a quadratic distortion measure on the source, and jointly Gaussian statistics, we characterize the Stackelberg equilibrium for two different notions of equilibria: i) All transmitters have the identical objective of minimizing the total estimation error subject to an aggregate privacy constraint, ii) Nash equilibria among the transmitters where each one is strategic and aims to minimize its own distortion subject to individual privacy constraints. We show the existence and uniqueness of Nash equilibrium and derive the strategies achieving this unique equilibrium for both notions of equilibrium.
Practical Management and Monitoring of Psoriasis Patients on Biologic Therapy: A Survey of Opinion Leaders and Practitioners:

ObjectiveTo provide practical guidance to dermatologists on how to monitor psoriasis patients on biologic therapies.DesignSurvey of health care providers on monitoring and vaccination practices in ...
Short communication: Automatic EEG seizure detection using dual-tree complex wavelet-Fourier features

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders with 0.8% of the world population. The epilepsy is unpredictable and recurrent, so it is very difficult to treat. In this paper, we propose a new Electroencephalography (EEG) seizure detection method by using the dual-tree complex wavelet (DTCWT) - Fourier features. These features achieve perfect classification rates (100%) for the EEG database from the University of Bonn. These classification rates outperform a number of existing EEG seizure detection methods published in the literature. However, it should be mentioned that several recent works also achieved this perfect classification rate (100%). Our proposed method should be as good as these works since our method only performs the DTCWT transform for up to 5 scales and our method only conducts the FFT to the 4th and 5th scales of the DTCWT decomposition. In addition, we could replace the conventional FFT in our method by sparse FFT so that our method could be even faster.
Mechanisms of Radiation Transformation

The carcinogenic properties of ionizing radiation were evident within a few years of the discovery of X-rays by Roentgen, when skin cancer began developing in radiation ulcers amongst a number of early radiation workers. This phenomenon has since been confirmed in a number of cellular and animal models, in which it has been shown that radiation will induce cancer in most tissues of most mammalian species. Despite these observations, however, the molecular mechanisms for this effect remain obscure. In order to better elucidate the molecular and cellular events associated with the conversion of a normal cell to a malignant one, recent attention has focused on the induction of malignant transformation of mammalian cells in vitro (1, 2). Such studies have shown that the induction of transformation in vitro is a complex, multi-stage process (1, 3). They have also allowed the correlation of transformation with the induction and repair of specific molecular DNA damage (4), as well as with other cellular effects such as cytogenetic changes (4, 5), and single gene mutations (6, 7). In particular, they have facilitated the design of experiments to test the somatic mutation theory of carcinogenesis; that is, the hypothesis that the initial radiation induced lesion which initiates the process of carcinogenesis is a mutation in a structural gene. It should be remembered, however, that the conversion of a normal cell to one with malignant potential represents but a very early stage in the overall process of the induction of an invasive metastatic tumor in vivo.
THE ELASTICITY AND VIBRATIONAL MODES OF PERCOLATING NETWORKS AND OTHER FRACTAL STRUCTURES

A scaling theory for the macroscopic elastic properties of an elastic percolating network in the critical region is presented. A microscopic elastic Hamiltonian is used, which contains bending energy terms, leading to a rigidity threshold identical to the percolation threshold pc. The critical exponent which describes the behavior of the elastic stiffness near pc is considerably higher than the exponent t of the related electrical conductivity problem, suggesting that the elastic problem belongs to a different universality class. The vibrational properties of fractal structures in which the microscopic elasticity is described by this Hamiltonian are discussed.
RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION

In these days of research and scientific study, we are being called upon to prove that Physical Education deserves its place in the curriculum. It is not enough for us to claim a number of “educational outcomes.” We must prove that health and exercise instruction makes a definite contribution to organic vigor and establishes health habits that will endure.—F. W. Maroney. American physical education at the cross roads. Journal of Health and Physical Education 1(1): 20; January 1930.
Long-Range Comparison: Methodological Disputes

Proposals of long-range language relationships, such as the Altaic, Amerind, and Nostratic hypotheses, are disputed and have generated much debate about methods for investigating distant genetic relationships among languages. The methods for long-range comparison are surveyed, the nature of the evidence for some of the better-known proposed macro-families is summarized, and the reasons why many do not accept these proposals are explained.
A sex offender as a patient.

Before addressing the particulars of this scenario, it may be helpful to review the current status of notification laws, which have evolved in the last decade. It is important to keep in mind that the presumptive purpose of community notification through registration is solely to inform the public, not to exclude or deny sex offenders services, not to ostracize them, and not to undermine their readjustment into society.
A life-cycle cost analysis of resilient flooring materials in acute-care facilities

Objective: This study compares the impact of maintenance protocols on coated and non-coated resilient flooring materials over the building life of an acute-care facility. The purpose of this study is to provide healthcare administrators, facility managers and designers with evidence regarding the total cost of ownership of different resilient flooring materials. Methods: Utilizing a life-cycle costing analysis (LCCA), a two-phase economic evaluation was conducted using both industry and real-time data collected from four health systems across three distinct geographic regions in the U.S. to evaluate the impact of coated and non-coated resilient flooring materials over the usable life of an acute-care facility. Results: Findings from both the first and second phase LCCA suggest that maintenance protocols can have a substantive impact on the total cost of ownership for resilient flooring materials due to the increase in operations and maintenance costs associated with a coated maintenance protocol. The point in time at which the factory applied finish failed for a non-coated flooring material was also shown to greatly contribute to the total cost of ownership. Conclusions: The use of real-time data, coupled with a systematic evaluation provided contextual information that proved essential to understanding some of the intricacies involved in resilient flooring maintenance protocols that can greatly influence economic outcomes. This approach supports an evidence-based decision making process for healthcare executives and environmental services staff to not only effectively evaluate new resilient flooring material selections, but to also proactively evaluate current maintenance protocols for increased monetary savings.
Lenin and the crisis of Russian Marxism

This article attempts to understand the philosophical significance of Lenin’s work, Materialism and Empiriocriticism (1909), by putting it in the historical perspective and context of the theoretical debates of the time. The author argues that Lenin’s decision to engage in philosophical discussion was motivated by the need to respond to the growing struggles of Marxism, and specifically to the dangerous consequences of positivism that spread to Russia, which thereby led to a crisis in theory and political practice. Lenin’s work is the first philosophical assault on positivism, and most notably on its specific form, Machism, which he criticizes from the position of dialectical materialism. Recognizing the damaging effects of the positivistic position for Marxism, Lenin attacks Alexander Bogdanov’s Empiriomonism as a form of Machism which undermines the materialistic foundation of Marxist philosophy.
Stochastic multistationarity in a model of the hematopoietic stem cell differentiation network

A central issue in the analysis of multi-stable systems is that of controlling the relative size of the basins of attraction of alternative states through suitable choices of system parameters. We are interested here mainly in the stochastic version of this problem, that of shaping the stationary probability distribution of a Markov chain so that various alternative modes become more likely than others. Although many of our results are more general, we were motivated by an important biological question, that of cell differentiation. In the mathematical modeling of cell differentiation, it is common to think of internal states of cells (quanfitied by activation levels of certain genes) as determining the different cell types. Specifically, we study here the “PU.l/GATA-l circuit” which is involved in the control of the development of mature blood cells from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). All mature, specialized blood cells have been shown to be derived from multipotent HSCs. Our first contribution is to introduce a rigorous chemical reaction network model of the PU.l/GATA-l circuit, which incorporates current biological knowledge. We then find that the resulting ODE model of these biomolecular reactions is incapable of exhibiting multistability, contradicting the fact that differentiation networks have, by definition, alternative stable steady states. When considering instead the stochastic version of this chemical network, we analytically construct the stationary distribution, and are able to show that this distribution is indeed capable of admitting a multiplicity of modes. Finally, we study how a judicious choice of system parameters serves to bias the probabilities towards different stationary states. We remark that certain changes in system parameters can be physically implemented by a biological feedback mechanism; tuning this feedback gives extra degrees of freedom that allow one to assign higher likelihood to some cell types over others.
21 Survival Analysis

Psychologists often ask whether-and, if so, when-critical events occur, over the life-course. Such questions about event occurrence present unique design and analytic difficulties. The core problem is that no matter when data collection begins and no matter its length of follow-up, some participants may not experience the target event while observed. The event-histories of such participants are said to be censored. Although the prospect of censoring complicates research design and the presence of censoring complicates statistical analysis, the censored cases themselves reveal important insights into patterns of event occurrence. Why? Because these cases provide information on how long a subset of participants can continue without experiencing the event of interest. Consequently, they cannot be ignored but must be incorporated into data-analyses in some reasonable and informative way, if event histories are to be modeled unbiasedly. Typically, this is achieved by application of the methods of survival analysis. These methods permit the investigator to specify sensible statistical models for the risk of event occurrence over time and to compare these patterns among groups, while controlling for covariates, even in the face of censoring. Data collection can be prospective or retrospective; research designs can be experimental or observational. The passage of time can be measured continuously or discretely. In this chapter, we present a nonmathematical introduction to survival analysis. After describing the conceptual and statistical “building blocks” of the approach, we focus on important issues in research design and data analysis. In each case, we survey the problems that must be faced when adapting the methodology to psychological research and we provide guidelines for making informed decisions. In the process, we review how psychologists have used survival analysis successfully in the past and we point out new applications of the methods in the future. We conclude with recommendations for follow-up reading. Keywords: data collection; research design; survival analysis
Friendship Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Individuals

Friendships can play an important role in the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. LGBT friendship patterns and experience have been shown to vary across sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and race. Friendships also differ based on whether or not friends identify as part of the LGBT community. LGBT individuals often think of their friends as ‘families of choice’ as friendships take on increased significance when traditional support from family and community may not be consistently offered. In addition to having their own unique benefits, friendships with individuals outside of the LGBT community have been seen as important in the development of heterosexual allies to the LGBT community.
On Creativity in Reasoning

In my native language, Finnish, the word for creating, luoda, means etymologically “throwing” or “throwing out” or even “throwing out of the way”. This etymological meaning explains why the very same word is applied to shoveling snow. Last winter, living as I do in the Boston area, I spent more time than usual in “creative” work in the Finnish sense of the word.
Extending SQL’s Grant Operation to Limit Privileges

Privileges in standard SQL are unconditional, forcing the grantor to trust the recipient’s discretion completely. We propose an extension to the SQL grant/revoke security model that allows a grantor to impose limitations on how the received privilege may be used. This extension also has a non-traditional implication for view security. Although our examples are from DBMSs, most results apply to arbitrary sets of privileges, in non-database software.
Usability Assessment of the Missouri Cancer Registry's Published Interactive Mapping Reports: Round Two.

Background: Health-related data’s users have trouble understanding and interpreting combined statistical and mapping information. This is the second round of a usability study conducted after we modified and simplified our tested maps based on the first round’s results. Objective: To explore if the tested maps’ usability improved by modifying the maps according to the first round’s results Methods: We recruited 13 cancer professionals from National American Central Cancer registries (NACCR) 2016 conference. The study involved three phases per participant: A pretest questionnaire, the multi-task usability test, and the System Usability Scale (SUS). Software was used to record the computer screen during the trial and the users’ spoken comments. We measured several qualitative and quantitative usability metrics. The study’s data was analyzed using spreadsheet software. Results: In the current study, unlike the previous round, there was no significant statistical relationship between the subjects’ performance on the study test and the experience in GIS tools ( P = .17 previously was .03). Three out of the four (75%) of our subjects with a bachelor’s degree or less accomplished the given tasks effectively and efficiently. This study developed a comparable satisfaction results to the first round study, despite that the previous round’s participants were highly educated and more experienced with GIS. Conclusion: By considering the round one’s results and by updating our maps, we made the tested maps simpler to be used by subjects who have little experience in using GIS technology, and have little spatial and statistical knowledge.
In The Warlords’ Shadow: Special Operations Forces, the Afghans, and Their Fight Against the Taliban

Village Stability Operations (VSO) were one of the most important pacification-stability operations efforts in Afghanistan during the late stages of Operation Enduring Freedom. Aptly named as an ap...
Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students' Learning and Study Skills.

Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs) targeting college students’ stress and academic success have increased, despite limited research on academic outcomes. This randomized controlled trial (N = 349) examined the effects of incorporating levels of Human–animal Interaction (HAI) (0%, 50% or 100%) with therapy dogs in a four-week academic stress management program. Conditions included (1) Academic Stress Management (ASM) content only (0% HAI), (2) Human–animal Interaction only (100% HAI) and (3) equal combinations of ASM content and HAI (50% HAI). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses examined the effects of students’ risk status (N = 146; depression, anxiety, perceived stress, worry) and treatment condition on students’ learning and study strategies at posttest and follow-up. The results showed interactions between condition and risk status demonstrating higher posttest levels of WILL (i.e., anxiety, attitude, motivation) (Β = 0.582, p = 0.005) and SELFREGULATION (i.e., concentration, self-testing, study aids, time management) (Β = 0.501, p = 0.031) for at-risk students receiving equal combinations of HAI and content presentations. Moderation effects remained at follow-up (Β = 0.626, p = 0.005; Β = 0.630, p = 0.007). At-risk students receiving only HAI (100%) also showed higher levels of WILL at posttest (Β = 0.481, p = 0.021) and follow up (Β = 0.490, p = 0.038). University administrators should consider providing at-risk students with targeted programs with varying levels of HAI and ASM content, depending on the targeted academic outcome.