cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Robust Airline Crew Pairing: Move-up Crews

Due to irregular operations, the crew cost at the end of a month is typically substantially higher than the crew cost projected in planning. We assume that the fleeting and the aircraft routing decisions have already been made. We present a model and a solution methodology that produces robust crew schedules in planning. Besides the objective of minimizing the crew cost, we introduce the objective of maximizing the number of move-up crews, i.e., the crews that can potentially be swapped in operations. To solve the resulting large-scale integer program, we use a combination of delayed column generation and Lagrangian relaxation. The restricted master problem is solved by means of Lagrangian relaxation and the “duals” of the restricted master problem, which are used in delayed column generation, and correspond to the Lagrangian multipliers. We report computational experiments that demonstrate the benefits of using the robust crew schedule instead of the traditional one. We evaluate various crew schedules by generating random disruptions and then running a crew recovery module. We compare solutions with respect to the direct crew cost and indirect costs such as uncovered legs, reserved crews, and deadheading. The main conclusion is that robustness leads to reduced operational crew cost; however, in planning the trade-off between the inflated direct crew cost and robustness needs to be exploited judicially.
Growth status in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease.

Objectives: To assess the BMI status of children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) and determine if zBMI status during adolescence is predicted by gender, childhood zBMI status, disease genotype, and healthcare utilization (emergency department visits or hospitalizations). Study Design: Medical chart reviews were conducted on 133 patients followed through a regional Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center to obtain anthropometric measures and healthcare utilization data. Gender-specific BMI z-scores were calculated based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) norms using Epi Info NutStat Software and SPSS generated syntax. Data were summarized categorically across two time periods for each participant: childhood (age 6–12 years) and adolescence (age 13–18 years). Results: Males were three times more likely to be underweight in adolescence compared to CDC norms, whereas females were three times more likely to be obese in adolescence. In addition, regression analyses indicated that BMI in adolescence wa...
On Maximum Speedup Ratio of Restart Algorithm Portfolios

We discuss two possible parallel strategies for randomized restart algorithms. Given a set of available algorithms, one can either choose the best performing algorithm and run its multiple copies in parallel single algorithm portfolio or choose some subset of algorithms to run in parallel mixed algorithm portfolio. It has been previously shown that the latter approach may provide better results computationally. In this paper, we provide theoretical investigation of the extent of such improvement generalizing some of the known results from the literature. In particular, we estimate the computational value of mixing randomized restart algorithms with different properties. Under some mild assumptions, we prove that in the best case the mixed algorithm portfolio may perform approximately up to 1.58 times faster than the best single algorithm portfolio. We also show that the obtained upper bound is sharp. Furthermore, the constructive proof of the main result allows us to characterize algorithms that are likely to form an effective mixed algorithm portfolio.
Effect of desacetylmethylcolchicine (Colcemide) in acute gouty arthritis

Desacetylmethylcolchicine (Colcemide) compared favorably with colchicine in the treatment of acute gout in 17 patients. Although gastrointestinal symptoms were avoided, other more serious undesirable effects such as bone-marrow depression and alopecia are cited. Disacetylmethylcolchicina (Colcemide) esseva favorabile in comparation con colchicina in le tractamento de gutta acute in 17 patientes. Ben que symptomas gastrointestinal esseva evitate, altere plus serie effectos adverse, per exemplo depression del medulla ossee e alopecia, es citate.
Social mediation of vocal amplitude in a songbird, Taeniopygia guttata

Bird vocalizations are produced under various social contexts. It could therefore benefit birds, as social contexts change, to alter the amplitude of their signals. We tested this by recording male and female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, when they were placed in isolation, in auditory contact, and in visual and auditory contact with each sex. The majority of females increased call amplitude only when in auditory contact with either sex. Most males increased both song and call amplitudes only when in visual and auditory contact with either sex. We found no changes in patterns of harmonic suppression (timbre) for males or females across social conditions. One explanation for the sex difference is that females increase amplitude for affiliative reasons, whereas males increase amplitude to advertise fitness.
Safety and efficacy of intranasally administered medications in the emergency department and prehospital settings

Purpose The safety and efficacy of medications that may be administered via the intranasal route in adult patients in the prehospital and emergency department (ED) settings are reviewed. Summary When medications of appropriate molecular character and concentration are delivered intranasally, they are quickly transported across this capillary network and delivered to the systemic circulation, thereby avoiding the absorption-limiting effects of first-pass metabolism. Therapeutic drug concentrations are rapidly attained in the cerebrospinal fluid, making intranasal administration a very effective mode of delivery. To optimize the bioavailability of intranasally administered drugs, providers must minimize the barriers to absorption, minimize the volume by maximizing the concentration, maximize the absorptive surface of the nasal mucosa, and use a delivery system that maximizes drug dispersion and minimizes drug runoff. Medications can be instilled into the nasal cavity with syringes or droppers by applying a few drops at a time or via atomization. The intranasal route of administration may be advantageous for patients who require analgesia, sedation, anxiolysis, termination of seizures, hypoglycemia management, narcotic reversal, and benzodiazepine reversal in the ED or prehospital settings. Medications that have been studied in the adult population include fentanyl, sufentanil, hydromorphone, ketamine, midazolam, haloperidol, naloxone, flumazenil, and glucagon. The available data do indicate, however, that intranasal administration may be a safe, effective, and well tolerated route of administration. Conclusion Based on the published literature, intranasal administration of fentanyl, sufentanil, ketamine, hydromorphone, midazolam, haloperidol, naloxone, glucagon, and, in limited cases, flumazenil may be a safe, effective, and well-tolerated alternative to intramuscular or intravenous administration in the prehospital and ED settings.
The Nutrition of the Protozoa.

Summary The principal feature of recent studies on the nutrition of the Protozoa has been the development of culture media suitable for the maintenance of several score of species in ‘pure culture’. As investigators approached precise definition of the constitution of the culture media the significance of ‘trace elements’, accessory food factors and the like became more apparent. The types of culture apparatus, the methods of sterilization of organism and medium, the procedures of estimating growth of populations, and the exact composition of reagents have all been found to be of greater importance than originally realized. Within the phylum there exist chlorophyll-bearing, plant-like forms and numerous intermediary types up to and including those requiring living particulate food, thus providing the full range of nutritional types. The older systems of physiological classification have been extensively revised, but none of those proposed is adequate. In some instances the relations between variations in cytoplasmic structure (plastids) and nutritional requirements have been demonstrated. Many species of chlorophyll-bearing and colourless flagellates have been studied. Intensive work on Polytoma, Chilomonas and Euglena has revealed notable species and strain variations with respect to factors such as fatty acid metabolism, nitrogen requirements, the effects of light on nutrient requirements and on response to plant hormones and vitamin constituents. The effect of systematic modification of chemical structure on the utilization of vitamin components has been studied for some species. A few dozen of the normally phagotrophic (holozoic) forms have been grown in the absence of other living forms (pure liquid culture), while certain forms have been grown on single species of food organisms (pure mixed culture) or on dead food organisms. With the exception of certain amoebae the salient work on pure culture has been carried out with the smaller ciliates, particularly Glaucoma. The media employed (protein hydrplysates, tissue autolysates, etc.) are chemically and physically highly complex. Such media contain labile constituents susceptible to important changes when subjected to minor procedural variations. Analyses of the media before and after the growth of organisms have given some indications of the nature of the nitrogenous fractions metabolized. The accessory growth-factor requirements of these forms are complex. The very specialized nutrients required by parasitic forms have demonstrated interesting evolutionary relationships. An increasing number of biochemical experiments is being reported on the existence of various enzyme systems in the Protozoa. Our knowledge, however, of the metabolism of representative Protozoa remains fragmentary.
Gleason Score 7 Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate With Lymph Node Metastases: Analysis of 184 Radical Prostatectomy Specimens

Context.—Prostate cancer (PC) with lymph node metastases (LN+) is relatively rare, whereas it is relatively common in disease with a Gleason score (GS) 8 to 10 and virtually never seen in PC with GS 6 or less. It is most variable in GS 7 PC. Objective.—To determine clinicopathologic features associated with GS 7 PC with LN+ compared with a control group without lymph node metastases (LN−). Design.—We analyzed 184 GS 7 radical prostatectomies with LN+ and the same number of LN− Gleason-matched controls. The LN+ cases were GS 3 + 4 = 7 (n = 64; 34.8%), GS 4 + 3 = 7 (n = 66; 35.9%), GS 3 + 4 = 7 with tertiary 5 (n = 10; 5.4%), and GS 4 + 3 = 7 with tertiary 5 (n = 44; 23.9%). Results.—The LN+ cases demonstrated higher average values in preoperative prostate-specific antigen (12.2 versus 8.1 ng/mL), percentage of positive biopsy cores (59.1% versus 42.9%), prostate weight (54.4 versus 49.4 g), number of LNs submitted (12.7 versus 9.4), incidence of nonfocal extraprostatic extension (82.6% versus 63.6%), tumor...
Species-Level Phylogenetic Analysis of Pterocephaliids (Trilobita, Cambrian) from the Great Basin, Western USA

Considerable systematic work devoted to late Cambrian trilobites includes very little species-level phylogenetic analysis. This paper presents the phylogenetic analysis of 36 species representing eight genera assigned to the Family Pterocephaliidae that occur in the Great Basin of the western United States during the Steptoean stage (Furongian). Continuous characters are treated in four different ways: discretization using finite mixture coding, discretization using gap-weighting, “as such” using ranges of values as implemented in the phylogeny program TNT, and exclusion altogether. Results indicate that even the inclusion of only a few continuous characters dramatically increases the resolution of nodes. Despite the different treatments of continuous characters, major features of the trees are shared across all results. The subfamily Pterocephaliinae is restricted to genera which possess a concave anterior border. Relative stratigraphic placement was estimated using a composite section built in CONOP and used to scale the tree topologies and to assess stratigraphic consistency. Although previously hypothesized multispecies evolutionary series are not supported by the results, tree topology, stratigraphic distribution, and optimized character state transformation support the interpretation of several sister taxa as direct ancestor-descendent pairs.
Design of bilateral teleoperation controllers for haptic exploration and telemanipulation of soft environments

In this letter, teleoperation controller design for haptic exploration and telemanipulation of soft environments is studied. First, a new measure for fidelity in teleoperation is introduced which quantifies the teleoperation system's ability to transmit changes in the compliance of the environment. This sensitivity function is appropriate for the application of telesurgery, where the ability to distinguish small changes in tissue compliance is essential for tasks such as detection of embedded vessels. The bilateral teleoperation controller design problem is then formulated in a task-based optimization framework as the optimization of this metric, with constraints on free-space tracking and robust stability of the system under environment and human operator uncertainties. The control design procedure is illustrated with a case study. The analysis is also used to evaluate the effectiveness of using a force sensor in a teleoperation system.
Performance of multicell CDMA with power control error

It has been found that power control is a critical factor in the performance of a CDMA mobile system. The error probability of a multicell mobile CDMA system operating with imperfect power control over a frequency selective multipath fading channel is derived. A simple asymptotic expression for the error probability is found when the signal to interference and Gaussian noise ratio is large. In addition, an upper bound on the error probability is obtained by using Jensen's inequality for a frequency nonselective fading channel. It is found analytically that the error probability increases exponentially with the power control error, and linearly with other factors such as the number of users or the processing gain. It is also found that diversity techniques increase the error probability due to the power control error, because the power control error is identical for each diversity channel.
Analysis of triquetral-lunate fusion

Fusion of the centers of the triquetral and lunate (the os lunato-triquetrum) was observed in 1.6% of 7,543 subjects primarily of African origin as compared with 0.1% of 11,663 persons of European origin. The fusion was twice as common in females as in males, multifactorial inheritance was suggested in the lineages studied, and a possible selective disadvantage was postulated after comparison with West African fusion frequencies.
Performance on a visual sustained attention and discrimination task is associated with urinary excretion of norepineprhine metabolite in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD).

ABSTRACT The degree of association between performance on a sustained attention task requiring visual discrimination and urinary excretion of catecholamine metabolites was examined in a cohort of 6- to 12-year-old children (n = 31) strictly selected and diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) according to DSM-IV and other strict criteria. Sustained visual attention and discrimination were measured using the Test of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A.). Urinary excretion of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) metabolites was measured by reversed high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Pearson product-moment correlations were used to investigate the relationship between T.O.V.A. errors of omission (OMM), errors of commission (COM), response time (RT), and response time variability (RTV) and catecholamine metabolites of DA and NE. All T.O.V.A. indexes under investigation were significantly correlated with urinary excretion of NE metabolites, but correlations were low-to-moderate in...
Observation and analysis of fishery processes: larval pollock at Shelikof Strait, Alaska

Conditions affecting distributions of larval walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) were examined at Shelikof Strait, Alaska, during springtime, 1986 and 1987. Abundance and distribution of larval pollock southwest of the Strait's southern entrance was determined with oblique plankton tows taken each year in May. Infrared images of sea surface temperature patterns were derived from AVHRR scenes obtained by NOAA satellites during each April and May. Pattern displacements between 24-hour-interval images were used to estimate surface motion. Each spring, measurements were taken by remote weather stations and ships, and a nearsurface current meter record was obtained during 1987. Treated as quasi-synoptic, spatial relations between sets of surface temperature, surface flow, and larval pollock distributions show coincidences between submesoscale physical and biological features. The highest larval abundances occurred as patches within a cold plume (1986) and an eddy (1987). These confirm that physical features can retain larval pollock on the continental shelf. Observations are examined for evidence of physical and biological events that jointly can cause such coincidences and foster alternatives for survival during transport to nursery grounds. Explanations for presence of cohorts observed within the 1987 eddy are given in terms of spatial and temporal relationships evident between spawning and hatching areas, hatch date distributions, meanders, eddy generation and movement, background flow, and advection times. The observations, analyses, and results are consistent with the concept of a coupled, fluctuating biophysical process that can emulate variations in larval abundance and provide a multiplicity of system pathways for early-life stages representations.
Physician specialization and the quality of care for human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Background There is debate over the types of physicians who should treat patients with complex chronic medical conditions such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We sought to assess the relationship between specialty training and expertise and the quality of care delivered to patients with HIV infection. Methods We selected random samples of HIV-infected patients receiving care at 64 Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency) Act–funded clinics throughout the country and their primary HIV physicians for an observational cohort study in which quality-of-care measures were assessed by medical record review. Results We studied 5247 patients linked to 177 physicians who responded to a survey. Fifty-eight percent of the physicians were general medicine physicians (“generalists”) and 42% were infectious diseases specialists. Sixty-three percent of the generalists (37% overall) considered themselves expert in HIV care. In hierarchical logistic regression models that controlled for patient characteristics, infectious diseases physicians and expert generalists had similar performance. In contrast, nonexpert generalists delivered lower quality care. More than 80% of the appropriate patients being cared for by infectious diseases physicians and expert generalists were receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy, compared with 73% of appropriate patients of nonexpert generalists ( P P = .04) and saw patients less frequently. Conclusion These findings extend previous work by examining a range of quality-of-care measures and suggest that generalists with appropriate experience and expertise in HIV care can provide high-quality care to patients with this complex chronic illness.
Distributed Optimization With The ALOPEX Algorithms

A method of distributed optimization using the ALOPEX algorithm and a paradigm of temperature spreading is described. It shows several desirable properties: the number of iterations is significantly smaller than with the global optimization and independent on the data set size; a stopping condition is introduced; the biological plausibility for neural network implementations is also maintained. In particular, applications to the problem of pattern recognition are presented.
The JMJD2A demethylase regulates apoptosis and proliferation in colon cancer cells

JMJD2A is a transcriptional cofactor and enzyme that catalyzes demethylation of histone H3 lysines 9 and 36 and is overexpressed in human tumors, but its role in oncogenesis remains unclear. Here, we show that JMJD2A interacts with the tumor suppressor p53 both in vitro and in HCT116 colon cancer cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that JMJD2A was recruited together with p53 to the promoter of the p21 cell cycle inhibitor upon stimulation with the DNA damaging agent, adriamycin. Downregulation of JMJD2A resulted in increased expression of p21 and of the pro-apoptotic Puma protein, whereas levels of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein were decreased. Furthermore, JMJD2A knock-down led to reduced HCT116, DLD-1 and HT-29 colon cancer cell proliferation, while overexpression of JMJD2A enhanced HCT116 proliferation in low serum media. Finally, JMJD2A depletion induced apoptosis in HCT116 cells and this effect was less pronounced in the absence of p53. Collectively, these data indicate that JMJD2A is a novel promoter of colon cancer cell proliferation and survival, which mediates its effects in p53-dependent and -independent ways. JMJD2A may therefore be a valid target to sensitize tumor cells to chemotherapy-induced cell death and growth suppression.
K99 surface antigen of Escherichia coli: antigenic characterization.

Abstract K99 prepared by acid precipitation hemagglutinated guinea pig erythrocytes, whereas K99 prepared by chromatography on diethylaminoethyl-Sephadex did not. K99 purified by either procedure hemagglutinated horse erythrocytes. K99 prepared by acid precipitation contained a second antigen not presnet in the K99 prepared by chromatography on diethylaminoethyl-Sephadex. This antigen could be detected by immunoprecipitation with some, but not all, sera prepared against K99-positive Escherichia coli strains. It was assumed that this second antigen is not K99 and is responsible for the guinea pig erythrocyte hemagglutination reaction. Furthermore, the second antigen has an isoelectric point of 4.2, which has been reported by Morris and co-workers to be the isoelectric point of K99.
PhoP-PhoQ-Regulated Loci Are Required for Enhanced Bile Resistance in Salmonella spp.

As enteric pathogens, Salmonella spp. are resistant to the actions of bile. Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella typhi strains were examined to better define the bile resistance phenotype. The MICs of bile for wild-type S. typhimurium and S. typhi were 18 and 12%, respectively, and pretreatment of log-phase S. typhimurium with 15% bile dramatically increased bile resistance. Mutant strains of S. typhimurium and S. typhi lacking the virulence regulator PhoP-PhoQ were killed at significantly lower bile concentrations than wild-type strains, while strains with constitutively active PhoP were able to survive prolonged incubation with bile at concentrations of >60%. PhoP-PhoQ was shown to mediate resistance specifically to the bile components deoxycholate and conjugated forms of chenodeoxycholate, and the protective effect was not generalized to other membrane-active agents. Growth of both S. typhimurium and S. typhi in bile and in deoxycholate resulted in the induction or repression of a number of proteins, many of which appeared identical to PhoP-PhoQ-activated or -repressed products. The PhoP-PhoQ regulon was not induced by bile, nor did any of the 21 PhoP-activated or -repressed genes tested play a role in bile resistance. However, of the PhoP-activated or -repressed genes tested, two (prgC and prgH) were transcriptionally repressed by bile in the medium independent of PhoP-PhoQ. These data suggest that salmonellae can sense and respond to bile to increase resistance and that this response likely includes proteins that are members of the PhoP regulon. These bile- and PhoP-PhoQ-regulated products may play an important role in the survival of Salmonella spp. in the intestine or gallbladder.
Resistance to adipocyte hyperplasia in ground squirrels given high-fat diets

Mammalian hibernators prepare for the winter by depositing fat in existing fat cells. There is little, if any, production of new fat cells. This is curious because equivalent fat deposition in rats is associated with substantial fat cell production. To determine whether degree of weight gain, diet composition, or some special mechanism militating against adipocyte hyperplasia may underlie the absence of adipocyte hyperplasia in hibernators, male Richardson's ground squirrels, Spermophilus richardsonii, were fed a fattening high-fat diet for either 5 mo or 1 yr. The 5-mo high-fat feeding period caused peak body weights to increase 36% relative to the peak body weights seen in control animals fed ordinary chow. Despite this increase, there was no apparent increment in fat cell number in any of the major fat depots. Animals fed the diet for 1 yr reached body weights similar to those of the 5-mo group but showed significant adipocyte hyperplasia in all fat depots studied. Thus adult ground squirrels are clearly capable of enlarging their pool of mature fat cells, but they fail to do so, at least at certain times, in response to conditions of weight gain that cause considerable adipocyte hyperplasia in rats.
Arresting Dress. Cross-Dressing, Law, and Fascination in Nineteenth-Century San Francisco

When I came across Clare Sears’s new book Arresting Dress last summer, I was struck by its precise timing. This book came out just as local legislators across the country were increasingly proposin...
Spatial epidemiological study on malaria epidemics in Hainan province

Objective To better understand the characteristics of spatial distribution of malaria epidemics in Hainan province and to explore the relationship between malaria epidemics and environmental factors, as well to develop prediction model on malaria epidemics. Methods Data on Malaria and meteorological factors were collected in all 19 counties in Hainan province from May to Oct. , 2000, and the proportion of land use types of these counties in this period were extracted from digital map of land use in Hainan province. Land surface temperatures (LST)were extracted from MODIS images and elevations of these counties were extracted from DEM of Hainan province. The coefficients of correlation of malaria incidences and these environmental factors were then calculated with SPSS 13.0, and negative binomial regression analysis were done using SAS 9.0. Results The incidence of malaria showed (1) positive correlations to elevation, proportion of forest land area and grassland area; (2) negative correlations to the proportion of cultivated area, urban and rural residents and to industrial enterprise area, LST; (3) no correlations to meteorological factors, proportion of water area, and unemployed land area. The prediction model of malaria which came from negative binomial regression analysis was: Ⅰ(monthly, unit:1/1 000 000) = exp( - 1. 672 - 0. 399 × LST). Conclusion Spatial distribution of malaria epidemics was associated with some environmental factors, and prediction model of malaria epidemic could be developed with indexes which extracted from satellite remote sensing images. Key words: Malaria; Spatial epidemiology; Land use type; Land surface temperature; Negative binomial regression analysis
Static Analysis: Hard Real Time is Hard, “Big Time!”

Hard real time (HRT) programs are correct only if they produce a correct output within a specified time. Failure to meet timing constraints can be disastrous, and can be caused by subtle bugs that are difficult to find by testing [3]. While formal methods are often proposed to deal with this problem [11], these cannot presently handle large systems in full generality. We believe that the real-time community should adopt programming language methodology, e.g., static anomaly detection, to certify that programs meet termination [9] and timing [5] constraints.
ydjN encodes an S-sulfocysteine transporter required by Escherichia coli for growth on S-sulfocysteine as a sulfur source

Sulfur is an essential element for growth and many physiological functions. As sulfur sources for Escherichia coli and related bacteria, specific transporters import various sulfur-containing compounds from the environment. In this study, we identified and characterized an alternative function of the cystine transporter YdjN in E. coli as a transporter of S -sulfocysteine, a sulfur-containing intermediate in the assimilatory cysteine biosynthesis that is used as a sulfur source for the growth of E. coli . We also demonstrated that the transport of S -sulfocysteine via YdjN depends on the transcriptional regulator CysB, a master regulator that controls most of the genes involved in sulfur assimilation and cysteine metabolism. We found that the use of S -sulfocysteine as a sulfur source depends on glutathione because mutations in glutathione biosynthetic genes abolish growth when S -sulfocysteine is used as a sole sulfur source, thereby supporting the previous findings that the conversion of S -sulfocysteine to cysteine is catalyzed by glutaredoxins. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a functional S -sulfocysteine transporter across organisms, which strongly supports the hypothesis that S -sulfocysteine is not only a metabolic intermediate but also a physiologically significant substance in specific natural environments.
Probability Theory on Coin Toss Space

A finite probability space is used to model a situation in which a random experiment with finitely many possible outcomes is conducted. In the context of the binomial model of the previous chapter, we tossed a coin a finite number of times.
Classifying the Evidence Base of Classwide Peer Tutoring for Students with High-Incidence Disabilities

ABSTRACTEvidence-based reforms that emphasize the identification and implementation of empirically validated practices are at the forefront of educational research, and recently, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC; 2014) published a set of standards for establishing evidence-based practices in special education. Although 30 years of research supports the effectiveness of ClassWide Peer Tutoring (CWPT), an instructional strategy intended to increase engagement and improve academic outcomes for students with disabilities, a formal evidence-based review has not yet been conducted on the practice. The purpose of this study is to examine whether CWPT, as developed by the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project at the University of Kansas, can be considered an evidence-based practice for academic outcomes of students with high incidence disabilities using the CEC standards. Sixteen single-case design studies met inclusion criteria; no studies addressed all the required quality indicators. Although results of ...
Formal synthesis of control strategies for dynamical systems

In formal verification, the goal is to check whether the executions of a system satisfy a rich property, usually expressed as a temporal logic formula. While the formal verification problem received a lot of attention from the formal methods community for the past thirty years, the dual problem of formal synthesis, in which the goal is to synthesize or control a system from a temporal logic specification, has not received much attention until recently. This tutorial paper provides a self-contained exposition on formal synthesis of control strategies for a particular class of dynamical systems. Central to this paper is the concept of transition system, which is shown to be general enough to model a wide variety of dynamical systems. It is shown how abstractions can be constructed by using simulation and bisimulation relations. The control specifications are restricted to formulas of Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) and some fragments of LTL, which are introduced together with the corresponding automata and the automata games used to generate control strategies for finite transition systems. At the end, we show how such control strategies can be adapted to discrete-time piecewise affine systems. Several examples are provided throughout the paper.
7-year follow-up after stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer: Results of a phase 2 clinical trial.

BACKGROUND The authors evaluated the efficacy, patterns of failure, and toxicity of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for patients with medically inoperable, clinical stage I non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a prospective clinical trial with 7 years of follow-up. Clinical staging was performed according to the seventh edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM staging system. METHODS Eligible patients with histologically confirmed NSCLC of clinical stage I as determined using positron emission tomography staging were treated with SABR (50 grays in 4 fractions). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival. Patients were followed with computed tomography and/or positron emission tomography/computed tomography every 3 months for the first 2 years, every 6 months for the next 3 years, and then annually thereafter. RESULTS A total of 65 patients were eligible for analysis. The median age of the patients was 71 years, and the median follow-up was 7.2 years. A total of 18 patients (27.7%) developed disease recurrence at a median of 14.5 months (range, 4.3-71.5 months) after SABR. Estimated incidences of local, regional, and distant disease recurrence using competing risk analysis were 8.1%, 10.9%, and 11.0%, respectively, at 5 years and 8.1%, 13.6%, and 13.8%, respectively, at 7 years. A second primary lung carcinoma developed in 12 patients (18.5%) at a median of 35 months (range, 5-67 months) after SABR. Estimated 5-year and 7-year progression-free survival rates were 49.5% and 38.2%, respectively; the corresponding overall survival rates were 55.7% and 47.5%, respectively. Three patients (4.6%) experienced grade 3 treatment-related adverse events. No patients developed grade 4 or 5 adverse events (toxicity was graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [version 3.0]). CONCLUSIONS With long-term follow-up, the results of the current prospective study demonstrated outstanding local control and low toxicity after SABR in patients with clinical stage I NSCLC. Regional disease recurrence and distant metastases were the dominant manifestations of failure. Surveillance for second primary lung carcinoma is recommended. Cancer 2017;123:3031–39. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Screening for Victims of Sex Trafficking in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Program.

Introduction: Estimates suggest that hundreds of thousands of sex trafficking victims live in theUnited States. Several screening tools for healthcare professionals to identify sex trafficking victimshave been proposed, but the effectiveness of these tools in the emergency department (ED) remainsunclear. Our primary objective in this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a screening survey toidentify adult victims of sex trafficking in the ED. We also compared the sensitivity of emergencyphysician concern and a screening survey for identifying sex trafficking victims in the ED anddetermined the most effective question(s) for identifying adult victims of sex trafficking. Methods: We enrolled a convenience sample of medically stable female ED patients, age 18-40 years.Patients completed a 14-question survey. Physician concern for sex trafficking was documented priorto informing the physician of the survey results. A “yes” answer to any question or physician concernwas considered a positive screen, and the patient was offered social work consultation. We defined a“true positive” as a patient admission for or social work documentation of sex trafficking. Demographicand clinical information were collected from the electronic medical record. Results: We enrolled 143 patients, and of those 39 (27%, 95% confidence interval [CI] [20%-35%])screened positive, including 10 (25%, 95% CI [13%-41%]) ultimately identified as victims of sextrafficking. Sensitivity of the screening survey (100%, 95% CI [74%-100%]) was better than physicianconcern (40%, 95% CI [12%-74%]) for identifying victims of sex trafficking, difference 60%, 95% CI[30%-90%]. Physician specificity (91%, 95% CI [85%-95%]), however, was slightly better than thescreening survey (78%, 95% CI [70%-85%]), difference 13%, 95% CI [4%-21%]. All 10 (100%, 95%CI[74%-100%]) “true positive” cases answered “yes” to the screening question regarding abuse. Conclusion: Identifying adult victims of sex trafficking in the ED is feasible. A screening survey appearsto have greater sensitivity than physician concern, and a single screening question may be sufficient toidentify all adult victims of sex trafficking in the ED
The Papacy in the Modern World: A Political History. By Frank J. Coppa. (London, United Kingdom: Reaktion Books, 2014. Pp. 304. $35.00.) : Book Review

Few subjects are more interesting and difficult to navigate than the relationship between the head of the Catholic Church and what is often called “modernity.” It is not uncommon for the relationsh...
Food insecurity and physical activity insecurity among rural Oregon families.

Abstract Among rural families, rates of both child obesity and household food insecurity (FI) are higher compared to non-rural families. These disparities result from a complex interplay of social and environmental conditions that influence behavior. The Transtheoretical Model suggests individual readiness to change underlies success in modifying obesity-preventing behaviors; however, whether an association between readiness to change obesity-related behaviors and FI status among rural families exists is unknown. We examined the association between readiness to change family-level nutrition and physical activity (PA) behaviors that predict child obesity and family FI status within a sample of rural families to better understand these relationships. Families (n = 144) were recruited from six rural Oregon communities in 2013. Families completed a FI screener and the Family Stage of Change Survey (FSOC), a measure of readiness to change family-level nutrition and PA behaviors associated with obesity. Demographic differences by FI status were explored, and regression was applied to examine relationships between FI and FSOC scores, adjusting for relevant covariates. Among FI families (40.2%), more were non-white (77.8% vs. 22.2%; p = 0.036) and had lower adult education (30.4% vs. 11.8% with > high school degree; p = 0.015) compared to non-FI families. After adjusting for education, race, ethnicity, and eligibility for federal meal programs, readiness to provide opportunities for PA was lower among FI families (p = 0.002). These data highlight a need to further investigate how food insecurity and low readiness to provide PA opportunities, i.e. “physical activity insecurity” may be contributing to the higher obesity rates observed among rural children and families.
Patina: A Profane Archaeology

Rust, tarnish, a sheen reminding us of yesteryear. Peeling back the layers of patina gives a sense of hope to those wishing to see something once again new, something forgotten, or something that c...
Doxil-induced chemomyectomy : Effectiveness for permanent removal of orbicularis oculi muscle in monkey eyelid

PURPOSE. To test the safety and effectiveness of Doxil chemomyectomy in monkey eyelids using treatment schedules and doses similar to those proposed for the human blepharospasm patients in Phase I and II trials. METHODS. Bupivacaine/hyaluronidase and Doxil were injected sequentially into the eyelids of five Cynomolgus monkeys. Eyelids received 1, 2, or 3 sets of injections. The monkeys were euthanatized at a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 12 months after the final treatment. The eyelids were prepared for histologic examination, and muscle fiber loss was quantified. RESULTS. All Doxil injections resulted in a significant loss of myofibers. No bruising, ulceration, or other skin injuries occurred, even after a third injection regimen within a single treated eyelid. Two-day preinjury with a bupivacaine/hyaluronidase mixture had a significant adjuvant effect. CONCLUSIONS. Doxil chemomyectomy is an effective protocol to permanently remove muscle from injected eyelids in nonhuman primates. Serial injections over the course of several months using the preinjury protocol combined with Doxil treatment significantly increased Doxil’s myotoxic effects. Additionally, the injection of the liposome-encapsulated form of doxorubicin did not result in skin injury or ulceration. Species differences demonstrated the importance of testing these drugs in nonhuman primates. Thus, repeated doses of Doxil may prove to be as clinically effective as free doxorubicin injections in reducing muscle spasms in blepharospasm patients but with increased safety to the skin and tissue around the injection site. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2001;42: 1254 ‐1257)
Control of Western Corn Rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) Reproduction through Plant-Mediated RNA Interference

RNA interference (RNAi) in transgenic maize has recently emerged as an alternative mode of action for western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) control which can be combined with protein-based rootworm control options for improved root protection and resistance management. Currently, transgenic RNAi-based control has focused on suppression of genes that when silenced lead to larval mortality. We investigated control of western corn rootworm reproduction through RNAi by targeting two reproductive genes, dvvgr and dvbol, with the goal of reducing insect fecundity as a new tool for pest management. The results demonstrated that exposure of adult beetles, as well as larvae to dvvgr or dvbol dsRNA in artificial diet, caused reduction of fecundity. Furthermore, western corn rootworm beetles that emerged from larval feeding on transgenic maize roots expressing dvbol dsRNA also showed significant fecundity reduction. This is the first report of reduction of insect reproductive fitness through plant-mediated RNAi, demonstrating the feasibility of reproductive RNAi as a management tool for western corn rootworm.
Using Human Error Information for Error Prevention

Developing error-free software requirements is of critical importance to the success of a software project. Problems that occur during requirements collection and specification, if not fixed early, are costly to fix later. Therefore, it is important to develop techniques that help requirements engineers detect and prevent requirements problems. As a human-centric activity, requirements engineering can be influenced by psychological research about human errors, which are the failings of human cognition during the process of planning and executinge a task. We have employed human error research to describe the types of problems that occur during requirements engineering. The goals of this research are: (1) to evaluate whether understanding human errors contributes to the prevention of errors and concomitant faults during requirements engineering and (2) to identify error prevention techniques used in industrial practice. We conducted a controlled classroom experiment to evaluate the benefits that knowledge of errors has on error prevention. We then analyzed data from two industrial surveys to identify specific prevention and mitigation approaches employed in practice. The classroom study showed that the better a requirements engineer understands human errors, the fewer errors and concomitant faults that engineer makes when developing a new requirements document. Furthermore, different types of Human Errors have different impacts on fault prevention. The industry study results identified prevention and mitigation mechanisms for each error type. Human error information is useful for fault prevention during requirements engineering. There are practices that requirements engineers can employ to prevent or mitigate specific human errors.
Mobilizing hospitality : the ethics of social relations in a mobile world

Contents: Introduction: mobilizing and mooring hospitality, Jennie Germann Molz and Sarah Gibson Seville to Hackney: a photographic journey, Elly Clarke Moments of hospitality, David Bell Hospitality and migrant memory in Maxwell Street, Chicago, Tim Cresswell Cosmopolitans on the couch: mobile hospitality and the internet, Jennie Germann Molz Sensing and performing hospitalities and socialities of tourist places: eating and drinking out in Harrogate and Whitehaven, Viv Cuthill Hospitality, kinesthesis and health: Swedish spas and the market for well-being, Tom O'Dell Resident hosts and mobile strangers: temporary exchanges within the topography of the commercial home, Paul Lynch, Maria Di Domenico, Majella Sweeney Hospitality in flames: queer immigrants and melancholic be/longing, Adi Kuntsman 'Abusing our hospitality': inhospitableness and the politics of deterrence, Sarah Gibson Hospitality and the limitations of the national, Karima Laachir Figures of oriental hospitality: nomads and sybarites, Judith Still Index.
Chapter 14 – Appendices

This chapter consists of two short appendices that provide methodological details. The first provides a geometrical derivation of Lagrange multipliers, a technique used in the book to implement minimization of a function subject to equality constraints. The second discusses how the formulas of probability theory and inverse theory can be generalized to handle complex numbers. While the most typical applications of inverse theory arise in cases where the data are purely real, complex data are occasionally encountered, especially in spectral analysis.
Outfit recommender system

The online apparel retail market size in the United States is worth about seventy-two billion US dollars. Recommender systems on retail websites generate a lot of this revenue. Thus, improving recommender systems can increase their revenue. Traditional recommendations for clothes consisted of lexical methods. However, visual-based recommendations have gained popularity over the past few years. This involves processing a multitude of images using different image processing techniques. In order to handle such a vast quantity of images, deep neural networks have been used extensively. With the help of fast Graphics Processing Units, these networks provide results which are extremely accurate, within a small amount of time. However, there are still ways in which recommendations for clothes can be improved. We propose an event-based clothing recommender system which uses object detection. We train a model to identify nine events/scenarios that a user might attend: White Wedding, Indian Wedding, Conference, Funeral, Red Carpet, Pool Party, Birthday, Graduation and Workout. We train another model to detect clothes out of fifty-three categories of clothes worn at the event. Object detection gives a mAP of 84.01. Nearest neighbors of the clothes detected are recommended to the user.
Indigenous sovereignty and the new developmentalism in plurinational Bolivia

Across Latin America indigenous groups are asserting an alternative form of sovereignty they are calling indigenous autonomy. They have found support in international documents such as the 2007 Uni...
“Sport Is Argument”: Polarization, Racial Tension, and the Televised Sport Debate Format:

This article analyzes what we term the “televised sport debate format” exemplified in shows such as Pardon the Interruption and First Take. This design borrows from established formats in political...