cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling the Impact of Transcendental Meditation on Stroke Incidence and Mortality

Abstract Objectives Meditation has shown promise in clinical trials in reducing systolic blood pressure, one of the main risk factors for stroke. We aim to estimate the potential benefits of popularizing meditation on stroke incidence and mortality in the United States (U.S.). Methods We developed a dynamic population-based microsimulation model to simulate the disease progression of each individual and compute disease burden. We calibrated the microsimulation model for stroke incidence and further validated it by comparing the stroke-related mortality for each age group generated by the model with that observed in the U.S. We used the population simulation model to estimate the effects of meditation intervention on the number of stroke cases and deaths over a course of 15 years. Results Our results show that we could avert nearly 200,000 stroke cases and 50,000 stroke-related deaths over the course of 15 years. Our sensitivity analysis reveals that most of the benefits come from applying the intervention for individuals older than 60 years. In addition, meditation acceptance and adherence rate play a critical role in its effectiveness. Conclusions The practice of meditation, if properly utilized along with the regular antihypertensive medication, could substantially alleviate the burden of stroke in the U.S. In order to design an effective meditation program, policymakers may prioritize funding to the programs that aim to encourage older individuals to practice meditation.
Agency on the Edge: Women of Colonial St. Louis and the Power They Held

In 1763, the city of St. Louis began its life on the western side of the Mississippi River. From its inception the city had aspects that were uncommon for a frontier village. The people there still dealt with normal frontier problems, like relations with neighboring Native American tribes, taming and shaping the land, and supplying the town. However, its location gave St. Louis an interesting history. It was first settled by French merchants who quickly found themselves under Spanish rule. The Spanish would last until 1803 when Louisiana was given back to France then promptly sold to the United States. Through all of these changes the people remained steady, and they developed somewhat uncommon views of women for the time. Those views were reflected in how women came to settle in the city, spent their days, appeared in courts, and how they obtained education. The unique circumstances of women in St. Louis make it an interesting setting for a case study of how women in the early nineteenth century had different levels of agency in their own lives.
On “Market Socialism” and the Soviet Experience

This chapter discusses, in sequence, (a) the debate over “market socialism” and (b) the Soviet planning process. Bertell Ollman’s 1999 collection, Market Socialism: The Debate Among Socialists, confronts critics with defenders of that hybrid concept. From analysis of the respective positions, it appears that reviving or preserving market practices tends to bring back capitalist relations. The way to avoid the rigidities of central planning is not to restore the pressures of the market, but rather to spread participatory mechanisms into every dimension of economic decision-making. Michael Lebowitz’s 2012 book on Soviet planning, The Contradictions of Real Socialism, addresses both the achievements and the shortfalls of the Soviet system, stressing finally the importance of democratizing production relations.
Separation of the Cell Envelope for Gram-negative Bacteria into Inner and Outer Membrane Fractions with Technical Adjustments for Acinetobacter baumannii

This method works by partitioning the envelope of Gram-negative bacteria into total, inner, and outer membrane (OM) fractions and concludes with assays to assess the purity of the bilayers. The OM has an increased overall density compared to the inner membrane, largely due to the presence of lipooligosaccharides (LOS) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) within the outer leaflet. LOS and LPS molecules are amphipathic glycolipids that have a similar structure, which consists of a lipid-A disaccharolipid and core-oligosaccharide substituent. However, only LPS molecules are decorated with a third subunit known as the O-polysaccharide, or O-antigen. The type and amount of glycolipids present will impact an organism's OM density. Therefore, we tested whether the membranes of bacteria with varied glycolipid content could be similarly isolated using our technique. For the LPS-producing organisms, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Escherichia coli, the membranes were easily isolated and the LPS O-antigen moiety did not impact bilayer partitioning. Acinetobacter baumannii produces LOS molecules, which have a similar mass to O-antigen deficient LPS molecules; however, the membranes of these microbes could not initially be separated. We reasoned that the OM of A. baumannii was less dense than that of Enterobacteriaceae, so the sucrose gradient was adjusted and the membranes were isolated. The technique can therefore be adapted and modified for use with other organisms.
Patient Data-Sharing for AI: Ethical Challenges, Catholic Solutions:

Recent news of Catholic and secular healthcare systems sharing electronic health record (EHR) data with technology companies for the purposes of developing artificial intelligence (AI) applications...
What kind of cities are more vulnerable during the COVID-19 crisis?

While the COVID-19 crisis is taking an economic toll, none of us know the magnitude of it. The objective of this paper is to provide some ballpark estimates for declines in sales taxes by simulatin...
Inter-rater reliability in diagnosis and treatment of type one laryngeal cleft: A blinded observational study.

Abstract Introduction Type one laryngeal cleft (T1LC) has been implicated as a major contributor to aspiration in non-syndromic pediatric dysphagia. Despite an increasing incidence, there remains controversy in diagnosis and treatment algorithms. Objectives The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the inter-rater reliability (IRR) for the diagnosis and treatment of T1LC. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted to identify children evaluated for a T1LC from 2016 to 2017 at a single tertiary care center. The microlaryngoscopy video recordings depicting palpation of the interarytenoid region with a right-angle probe were reviewed. These recordings were shown to blinded pediatric otolaryngologists and each surgeon's determination of the presence or absence of a T1LC as well as recommended treatment (observation, injection laryngoplasty, or endoscopic cleft repair) was recorded and compared against the other blinded surgeons. Fleiss's kappa was calculated to evaluate IRR in both diagnosis and treatment. Results Eight pediatric otolaryngologists were included in the study with a mean post-training experience of 15 years (range 1–35 years). The inter-rater percent agreement in diagnosis of our patient population was 28.6% (range 3.7–71%) with a kappa value of 0.31 (p Conclusion This study highlights the challenges and variation that exists among surgeons in diagnosing and managing potential T1LC. Further standardizing the endoscopic examination and treatment algorithm may reduce diagnostic and treatment discordance.
Population agglomeration is a harbinger of the spatial complexity of COVID-19.

The spatial template over which COVID-19 infections operate is a result of nested societal decisions involving complex political and epidemiological processes at a broad range of spatial scales. It is characterized by 'hotspots' of high infections interspersed within regions where infections are sporadic to absent. In this work, the sparseness of COVID-19 infections and their time variations were analyzed across the US at scales ranging from 10 km (county scale) to 2600 km (continental scale). It was found that COVID-19 cases are multi-scaling with a multifractality kernel that monotonically approached that of the underlying population. The spatial correlation of infections between counties increased rapidly in March 2020; that rise continued but at a slower pace subsequently, trending towards the spatial correlation of the population agglomeration. This shows that the disease had already spread across the USA in early March such that travel restriction thereafter (starting on March 15th 2020) had minor impact on the subsequent spatial propagation of COVID-19. The ramifications of targeted interventions on spatial patterns of new infections were explored using the epidemiological susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR) model mapped onto the population agglomeration template. These revealed that re-opening rural areas would have a smaller impact on the spread and evolution of the disease than re-opening urban (dense) centers which would disturb the system for months. This study provided a novel way for interpreting the spatial spread of COVID-19, along with a practical approach (multifractals/SIR/spectral slope) that could be employed to capture the variability and intermittency at all scales while maintaining the spatial structure.
Elevated cAMP protects against diclofenac-induced toxicity in primary rat hepatocytes: a protective effect mediated by EPACs

Chronic consumption of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac may induce drug-induced liver injury (DILI). The mechanism of diclofenac-induced liver injury is partially elucidated and involves mitochondrial damage. Elevated cAMP protects hepatocytes against bile acid-induced injury. However, it is unknown whether cAMP protects against DILI and, if so, which downstream targets of cAMP are implicated in the protective mechanism, including the classic protein kinase A (PKA) pathway or alternative pathways like the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC). The aim of this study was to investigate whether cAMP and/or its downstream targets protect against diclofenac-induced injury in hepatocytes. Rat hepatocytes were exposed to 400 µmol/l diclofenac. Apoptosis and necrosis were measured by caspase-3 activity assay and Sytox green staining, respectively. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was measured by JC-10 staining. mRNA and protein expression were assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blot, respectively. The cAMP-elevating agent 7β-acetoxy-8,13-epoxy-1α,6β,9α-trihydroxylabd-14-en-11-one (forskolin), the pan-phosphodiesterase inhibitor IBMX, and EPAC inhibitors 5,7-dibromo-6-fluoro-3,4-dihydro-2-methyl-1(2H)-quinoline carboxaldehyde (CE3F4) and ESI-O5 were used to assess the role of cAMP and its effectors, PKA or EPAC. Diclofenac exposure induced apoptotic cell death and loss of MMP in hepatocytes. Both forskolin and IBMX prevented diclofenac-induced apoptosis. EPAC inhibition but not PKA inhibition abolished the protective effect of forskolin and IBMX. Forskolin and IBMX preserved the MMP, whereas both EPAC inhibitors diminished this effect. Both EPAC1 and EPAC2 were expressed in hepatocytes and localized in mitochondria. cAMP elevation protects hepatocytes against diclofenac-induced cell death, a process primarily involving EPACs. The cAMP/EPAC pathway may be a novel target for treatment of DILI. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study shows two main highlights. First, elevated cAMP levels protect against diclofenac-induced apoptosis in primary hepatocytes via maintenance of mitochondrial integrity. In addition, this study proposes the existence of mitochondrial cAMP-EPAC microdomains in rat hepatocytes, opening new avenues for targeted therapy in drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Both EPAC1 and EPAC2, but not protein kinase A, are responsible for this protective effect. Our findings present cAMP-EPAC as a potential target for the treatment of DILI and liver injury involving mitochondrial dysfunction.
Fast Probabilistic Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis of a Mars Life Support System Model

Abstract Mars life support system models consist of numerous mission-critical, interrelated, and scenario-specific parameters. The large size and involved nature of these models make them computationally expensive, with parameters that are subject to several sources of uncertainty. Accurately characterizing these uncertainties and their impact on overall model predictions is crucial for decision-support and mission optimization. This paper focuses on uncertainty quantification of a model of a space crop cultivation system, which is one of several systems that are required on a long-duration manned Mars mission. The model performs constrained optimization of the equivalent system mass (ESM) metric, which augments shipped mass costs with those of pressurized volume, demanded power, thermal control, and needed crew time. This paper uses surrogate modeling for fast quantification of the effect of probabilistic uncertainty in mission-critical parameters of semi-empirical equations that describe crop growth and equipment operation. This work shows sparse polynomial chaos-Kriging (PCK) yields a computationally cheap-to-evaluate surrogate for the minimum ESM that accounts for probabilistic uncertainty in 86 model parameters. This surrogate model accelerates a global sensitivity analysis that elucidates which crop growth and equipment operation parameters are critical to mission outcome variability. The PCK surrogate model realizes a 100-fold computational speed gain in the estimation of the probability distribution of the minimum ESM.
TERT Copy Number Alterations, Promoter Mutations and Rearrangements in Adrenocortical Carcinomas

Molecular characterization of adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) has highlighted a high prevalence of TERT alterations, which are associated with disease progression. Herein, 78 ACC were profiled using a combination of next generation sequencing (n = 76) and FISH (n = 9) to assess for TERT alterations. This data was combined with TCGA dataset (n = 91). A subset of borderline adrenocortical tumors (n = 5) and adrenocortical adenomas (n = 7) were also evaluated. The most common alteration involving the TERT gene involved gains/amplifications, seen in 22.2% (37/167) of cases. In contrast, “hotspot” promoter mutations (C > T promoter mutation at position -124, 7/167 cases, 4.2%) and promoter rearrangements (2/165, 1.2%) were rare. Recurrent co-alterations included 22q copy number losses seen in 24% (9/38) of cases. Although no significant differences were identified in cases with and without TERT alterations pertaining to age at presentation, tumor size, weight, laterality, mitotic index and Ki67 labeling, cases with TERT alterations showed worse outcomes. Metastatic behavior was seen in 70% (28/40) of cases with TERT alterations compared to 51.2% (65/127, p = 0.04) of cases that lacked these alterations. Two (of 5) borderline tumors showed amplifications and no TERT alterations were identified in 7 adenomas. In the borderline group, 0 (of 4) patients with available follow up had adverse outcomes. We found that TERT alterations in ACC predominantly involve gene amplifications, with a smaller subset harboring “hotspot” promoter mutations and rearrangements, and 70% of TERT-altered tumors are associated with metastases. Prospective studies are needed to validate the prognostic impact of these findings.
In situ comparison of varying composite tibial tunnel interference screws used for ACL soft tissue graft fixation

Abstract Purpose This mechanical study using an in vitro porcine model compared composite interference screw fixation of soft tissue ACL grafts in tibial tunnels. Methods Forty-eight porcine profundus tendons and tibiae were divided into four groups of 12 closely matched specimens. Equivalent diameter grafts were assigned to each group. Tibial bone tunnels were drilled to 0.5 mm greater than graft diameter. Grafts were fixed in tunnels using one 10 × 35 mm composite interference screw designed by four different manufacturers. Maximal insertion torque and perceived within group mechanical testing outcome predictions were recorded. Constructs were potted and loaded into a six degrees of freedom clamp that placed the servohydraulic device tensile loading vector in direct tunnel alignment. Constructs were pre-loaded to 25 N, pre-conditioned between 0 and 50 N for 10 cycles (0.5 Hz), submaximally tested between 50 and 250 N for 500 cycles (one hertz) and load to failure tested at 20 mm/min. Results Statistically significant differences were not observed between groups for displacement during submaximal cyclic loading, yield load, displacement at yield load, stiffness, ultimate load at failure and displacement at ultimate load. One composite screw group displayed a slightly greater proportion of specimens that required use of more than one screw during insertion. Conclusions Under highly controlled conditions groups displayed comparable fixation.
Sensitivity Analysis, Validation, and Other Issues

In this section we discuss sensitivity analysis. In general, sensitivity analysis is the study of how variation in an observed response can be apportioned to different possible sources or factors. In computer experiments, the “observed response” is the output of the computer code and the “factors” are inputs to the code. In other words, sensitivity analysis tries to determine how variable the output is to changes in the inputs. There are many applications of sensitivity analysis and Saltelli, Chan and Scott (2000) discuss these in detail. One application of sensitivity analysis is the following. Suppose we collect data to determine whether a response depends on any of several factors. We wish to identify which factors are responsible for most of the variation in the response and which produce little variation in the response over some specified range of values of these factors. Sensitivity analysis provides methods that can be used to accomplish this.
Mpk1: MAP kinase 1 (S. cerevisiae) (Slt2)

MAP kinase 1 (Mpk1) mediates signaling by the protein kinase C isozyme encoded by PKC1 (ScPKC). Genetic analysis of MPK1 revealed a role in cell wall construction. Deletion mutants display a temperature-dependent cell lysis defect that is suppressed by osmotic stabilizing agents. The MPK1 gene was isolated as a dosage-dependent suppressor of a deletion mutant of BCK1, which encodes a protein kinase whose mutational activation suppresses the cell lysis defect associated with loss of PKC1 function. Mpk1 is proposed, based on genetic epistasis experiments, to function at the end of a protein kinase cascade in which the PKC1 gene product ScPKC activates Bck1, which activates a redundant pair of MAP kinase kinases Mkk1/2, which activate Mpk1. Mpk1 kinase activity is stimulated by heat shock and reduced osmolarity. The Mpk1 subunit consists of 484 amino acids. Its database accession number is X59262 for EMBL.
Complete Atrioventricular Block Third-Degree Heart Block

Complete atrioventricular (AV) block is defined as interruption in the transmission of the cardiac impulse from the atria to the ventricles due to an anatomical or functional impairment in the AV conduction system. The conduction disturbance can be transient or permanent.
Split-Precharge Differential Noise-Immune Threshold Logic Gate (SPD-NTL)

After a short review of the state-of-the-art, a new low-power differential threshold logic gate is introduced: split-precharge differential noiseimmune threshold logic(SPD-NTL). It is based on combining the split-level precharge differential logic, with a technique for enhancing the noise immunity of threshold logic gates: noise suppression logic. Another idea included in the design of the SPD-NTL gates is the use of two threshold logic banks implementing fand f_bar, and working together with the noise suppression logicblocks for enhanced performances. Simulations in 0.25 im CMOS @ 2.5 V show the functionality of the gate up to 2 GHz. An advanced layout based on high matching centroid techniques is currently under development.
Decay of Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Amino Acid-Starved Escherichia coli After Rifampin Treatment

Abstract The concentration of rifampin necessary to affect the initiation of ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis quickly in Escherichia coli strains K-12 and 15TAU was about 200 μg/ml, as determined by extrapolation of the effect of the drug on the induction of β-galactosidase synthesis. A lag in the action of rifampin of about 10 s was confirmed. Rifampin was then used as a probe to compare RNA synthesis in growing and amino acid-starved E. coli. Restoring arginine to arginine-starved strain 15TAU immediately after rifampin inhibition did not detectably restore the rate of uracil uptake to that of uninhibited cells. The residual rate of RNA synthesis (corrected for acid-soluble triphosphate specific activities) after rifampin treatment of both growing and isoleucine-starved (valine-inhibited) cultures of strain K-12 showed similar decay kinetics. These findings support the notion that amino acid starvation blocks the initiation of some RNA transcription units, but do not rule out other possibilities.
The Myth of Digital Democracy, by Matthew Hindman: Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009. 198 pp. $55.00 cloth, $22.95 paper.

The democratizing potential of the Internet has been a subject of vigorous scholarly debate since the early 1990s. Proponents argue that the Internet has made politics more inclusive by increasing ...
Jacqueline Broad and Karen Green. A History of Women's Political Thought in Europe, 1400 to 1700 : Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009

The Oxford English Dictionary defines feminism as an “advocacy of the rights of women (based on the theory of equality of the sexes).” It is no coincidence then that its etymologies date back no fu...
On Making Monetary Policy More Effective Domestically and Internationally

The organizers of the Seventh International Conference have chosen a theme and a set of issues that, I believe, should be revisited frequently by all central banks. How can monetary policy be made most effective? What task or tasks should the central bank undertake in its role as protector of the value of money and all nominal obligations nationally and internationally? What institutional arrangements are most useful for fulfilling these responsibilities? How have recent developments in academic research and central banking practice changed our answers to these questions?
Natural killer cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity to herpes simplex virus-infected target cells in murine pregnancy.

In vitro natural killer cytotoxicity (NKC) and antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity against herpes simplex virus (HSV)-infected cells were evaluated in a pregnant murine model (C57Bl6 inbred strain). Virgin (n = 16) and pregnant (late gestation) mice (n = 15) were infected intraperitoneally with HSV, type 1. After 18 hr, a 0.5-ml aliquot of the peritoneal wash was frozen for virus plaque assay, and the cells were cultured in the 51chromium release assay for NKC and ADCC. %NKC (mean +/- S.E.) to HSV-infected targets was significantly suppressed (P less than 0.05) in pregnant mice, 10.3% +/- 1.9, compared to that of virgin mice, 32.5% +/- 2.5. This suppression was abrogated with HSV-specific antisera (%ADCC); 53.9% +/- 4.4 (pregnant) compared to 49.1% +/- 3.6 (virgin). The diminished NKC activity in pregnant mice was reflected in an increased mean number of virus particles in the peritoneal wash, 266 +/- 66 PFU/ml, compared to 38 +/- 11 PFU/ml in virgin mice (P less than 0.05). We concluded that NKC, but not ADCC, to HSV-infected targets was suppressed and that HSV elimination was impaired in pregnant mice.
Methotrexate elimination in a patient with an orthotopic neobladder with and without a urethral catheter.

Placement of a urethral catheter has been recommended to ensure adequate methotrexate elimination in patients with a neobladder ; however, the need for this and its impact on methotrexate elimination have not been determined. A 53-year-old man with a cecal continent urinary diversion received intravenous methotrexate 30 mg/m 2 on two occasions, with and without urethral catheter drainage of the neobladder. Serum methotrexate concentrations declined at a rate that resulted in 24- and 48-hour values falling below the accepted toxic concentration threshold of 5-50 μmol/L and 0.05 μmol/L, respectively. In this man, who received low-dose methotrexate, catheterization of the neobladder did not alter methotrexate elimination sufficiently to justify its cost, risk, and inconvenience.
Regional distribution of macroscopic lung disease in cystic fibrosis.

We used macroscopic morphometry and multivariate analysis (Hotelling’s T2) to quantitate the extent of chronic lung disease and Its regional distribution in formalin-inflated right lungs obtained at autopsy from 17 young adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) and 5 without CF as control subjects. Lungs were point-counted, by lobe, for 6 anatomic variables: parenchyma, nonparenchyma, bronchi, vessels, cysts, and emphysema, and the results were expressed for each as volume proportion (Vv). Considering all 6 variables simultaneously, CF lungs differed significantly from control lungs (p = 0.003). For individual variables, Vv bronchus was significantly elevated and Vv parenchyma was significantly reduced in the CF group. Within the CF lungs, there was a significant difference between upper and lower lobes when all variables were considered together (p = 0.001). For individual variables, Vv parenchyma and Vv vessels were significantly less, and Vv bronchus was significantly greater in the upper compared with the low...
A Serious Complication of Illicit Silicone Injections: Latent Silicone Embolization Syndrome after Incision and Drainage of Local Injection Site

Abstract Background: Silicone embolization syndrome, a serious adverse effect of illicit silicone injections by laypersons, occurs when silicone particles enter the circulation and shower the lungs and other vital organs. Methods: We review the literature on silicone embolization syndrome and describe a unique case of the syndrome that developed after a latent period of several months, upon surgical debridement of an injection site abscess. Results: In the scientific literature, silicone embolization syndrome has been well described and multiple presentations have been delineated. Immediate presentation with a rapidly fatal course occurs in cases of erroneous intra-vascular injection, in which large volumes of silicone occlude pulmonary arteries and cause cor pulmonale. Insidious presentation of progressive respiratory distress and systemic inflammatory response syndrome occurs in cases of peri-vascular injection, caused by gradual vascular infiltration by smaller silicone emboli that shower pulmonary cap...
Heritage language and linguistic theory

This paper discusses a common reality in many cases of multilingualism: heritage speakers, or unbalanced bilinguals, simultaneous or sequential, who shifted early in childhood from one language (their heritage language) to their dominant language (the language of their speech community). To demonstrate the relevance of heritage linguistics to the study of linguistic competence more broadly defined, we present a series of case studies on heritage linguistics, documenting some of the deficits and abilities typical of heritage speakers, together with the broader theoretical questions they inform. We consider the reorganization of morphosyntactic feature systems, the reanalysis of atypical argument structure, the attrition of the syntax of relativization, and the simplification of scope interpretations; these phenomena implicate diverging trajectories and outcomes in the development of heritage speakers. The case studies also have practical and methodological implications for the study of multilingualism. We conclude by discussing more general concepts central to linguistic inquiry, in particular, complexity and native speaker competence.
An Examination of Hyperconjugative and Electrostatic Effects in the Hydride Reductions of 2-Substituted-4-tert-butylcyclohexanones

To better understand electronic effects on the diastereoselectivity of nucleophilic additions to the carbonyl group, a series of 2-X-4-tert-butylcyclohexanones (X = H, CH3, OCH3, F, Cl, Br) were re...
The Critic and the Computer: A Multiple Technique Analysis of the "ABC Evening News.".

Two analytic techniques, Fantasy Theme Analysis and TOGETHER, a computer‐assisted technique, were applied to ten hours of the ABC Evening News coverage of the Nixon‐McGovern campaign. Results are reported separately for the two analyses, then examined for overlap and discrepancy.
Fundamental limits on power consumption for lossless signal reconstruction

Does approaching fundamental limits on rates of information acquisition or transmission fundamentally require increased power consumption in the processing circuitry? Our recent work shows that this is the case for channel coding for some simple circuit and channel models. In this paper, we first develop parallel results for source coding. Reinterpreting existing results on complexity of lossless source coding, we first observe that the sum power consumed in computational nodes in the circuitry of the encoder and the decoder diverges to infinity as the target error probability approaches zero and the coding rate approaches the source entropy. Next, focusing on on-chip wires, we show that the power consumed in circuit wiring also diverges to infinity as the error probability approaches zero. For the closely related problem of recovering a sparse signal, we first derive a fundamental bound on the required number of “finite-capacity” (e.g. quantized or noisy) measurements. By extending our bounds on wiring complexity and power consumption to sparse-signal recovery, we observe that there is a tradeoff between measurement power and power required to compute the recovered signal.
Overbuilding: doctoral degree surplus.

Finally an influential voice in science has spoken out against the short-sighted, self-destructive approach that many universities have adopted to expand their research facilities (“Overbuilding research capacity,” B. Alberts, Editorial, 10 September, p. [1257][1]). The use of NIH funds to build
Interference subspace projection approach to subpixel target detection

A hyperspectral imaging spectrometer can reveal and uncover targets with a small range of diagnostic wavelengths. Unfortunately, it also extracts unknown targets such as background and natural signatures, interferers, which cannot be identified a priori. It has been shown that interference generally plays a more dominant role than noise. In order to resolve this issue, the standard signal/noise model is extended to a model that considers signals, interferers and noise as three separate information sources. Since the considered interferers can be interpreted as signal sources that are not targets of interest, they include undesired target signals, background sources. With this interpretation the recently reported signal/background/noise model can be treated as a special case of the proposed signal/interference/noise (SIN) model. Using this SIN model an interference subspace projection (ISP)-based detection method is developed along with generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) and constrained energy minimization (CEM) detector. A comparative study is conducted to evaluate their performance.
Temperature and strain rate dependence of the mechanical properties of a beryllium-38 wt.% aluminum alloy

Abstract Mechanical properties of a beryllium-38 wt.% aluminum alloy were measured at various temperatures from 77 to 700 K. The activation volume was also measured. A local maximum was observed in the yield stress at 293 K. The ductility reached a peak at 500 K which is similar to results for unalloyed beryllium. Strain-rate sensitivity tests showed that the alloy behaves similarly to aluminum. The aluminum alloy addition to the beryllium appears to make the alloy behavior more dependent on the aluminum properties.
Successful renal autotransplantation in a patient with bilateral renal artery thrombosis

Bilateral renal artery thrombosis is a rare but traumatic injury that is most commonly caused by sudden deceleration. Traditional methods of repair (e.g., in situ repair, bypass graft, and thrombectomy) have poor success rates. This report is the first successful use of autotransplantation in a patient with bilateral renal artery thrombosis.
Or we can be philosophers: a response to Barbara Forrest

This article is a response to Barbara Forrest’ 2011 Synthese article, “On the Non-Epistemology of Intelligent Design.” Forrest offers an account of my philosophical work that consists almost entirely of personal attacks, excursions into my religious pilgrimage, and misunderstandings and misrepresentations of my work as well as of certain philosophical issues. Not surprisingly, the Synthese editors include a disclaimer in the front matter of the special issue in which Forrest’s article was published. In my response, I address three topics: (1) My interest in Intelligent Design (ID) and public education and why as a Thomist I have grown more skeptical and explicitly critical of ID over the years, (2) the sorts of philosophical mistakes with which Forrest’s article is teeming, and (3) my Christian faith, religious exclusivism, and interfaith dialogue.
Many-body corrections to charged-current neutrino absorption rates in nuclear matter

Including nucleon-nucleon correlations due to both Fermi statistics and nuclear forces, we have developed a general formalism for calculating the charged-current neutrino-nucleon absorption rates in nuclear matter. We find that at one-half the nuclear density many-body effects alone suppress the rates by a factor of 2 and that the suppression factors increase to $\ensuremath{\sim}5$ at $4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{14} {\mathrm{g}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{}\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}.$ The associated increase in the neutrino-matter mean free paths parallels what we have found for neutral-current interactions and may open up interesting possibilities in the context of the delayed supernova mechanism and protoneutron star cooling.
Modeling the truebeam linac using a CAD to Geant4 geometry implementation: dose and IAEA-compliant phase space calculations

Purpose: To create an accurate 6 MV Monte Carlo simulation phase space for the Varian TrueBeam treatment head geometry imported from cad (computer aided design) without adjusting the input electron phase space parameters.Methods:geant4 v4.9.2.p01 was employed to simulate the 6 MV beam treatment head geometry of the Varian TrueBeam linac. The electron tracks in the linear accelerator were simulated with Parmela, and the obtained electron phase space was used as an input to the Monte Carlo beam transport and dose calculations. The geometry components are tessellated solids included in geant4 as gdml (generalized dynamic markup language) files obtained via STEP (standard for the exchange of product) export from Pro/Engineering, followed by STEP import in Fastrad, a STEP–gdml converter. The linac has a compact treatment head and the small space between the shielding collimator and the divergent arc of the upper jaws forbids the implementation of a plane for storing the phase space. Instead, an IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) compliant phase space writer was implemented on a cylindrical surface. The simulation was run in parallel on a 1200 node Linux cluster. The 6 MV dose calculations were performed for field sizes varying from 4 × 4 to 40 × 40 cm2. The voxel size for the 60 × 60 × 40 cm3 water phantom was 4 × 4 × 4 mm3. For the 10 × 10 cm2 field, surface buildup calculations were performed using 4 × 4 × 2 mm3 voxels within 20 mm of the surface.Results: For the depth dose curves, 98% of the calculated data points agree within 2% with the experimental measurements for depths between 2 and 40 cm. For depths between 5 and 30 cm, agreement within 1% is obtained for 99% ( 4 × 4 ), 95% ( 10 × 10 ), 94% ( 20 × 20 and 30 × 30 ), and 89% ( 40 × 40 ) of the data points, respectively. In the buildup region, the agreement is within 2%, except at 1 mm depth where the deviation is 5% for the 10 × 10 cm2 open field. For the lateral dose profiles, within the field size for fields up to 30 × 30 cm2, the agreement is within 2% for depths up to 10 cm. At 20 cm depth, the in-field maximum dose difference for the 30 × 30 cm2 open field is within 4%, while the smaller field sizes agree within 2%. Outside the field size, agreement within 1% of the maximum dose difference is obtained for all fields. The calculated output factors varied from 0 . 938 ± 0 . 015 for the 4 × 4 cm2 field to 1 . 088 ± 0 . 024 for the 40 × 40 cm2 field. Their agreement with the experimental output factors is within 1%.Conclusions: The authors have validated a geant4 simulated IAEA-compliant phase space of the TrueBeam linac for the 6 MV beam obtained using a high accuracy geometry implementation from cad. These files are publicly available and can be used for further research.
National Cholesterol Education Program Versus World Health Organization Metabolic Syndrome in Relation to All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality in the San Antonio Heart Study

Background— To assess the utility of clinical definitions of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) to identify individuals with increased cardiovascular risk, we examined the relation between the MetS, using both the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and the World Health Organization definitions, and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in San Antonio Heart Study participants enrolled between 1984 and 1988. Methods and Results— Among 2815 participants, 25 to 64 years of age at enrollment, 509 met both criteria, 197 met NCEP criteria only, and 199 met WHO criteria only. Over an average of 12.7 years, 229 deaths occurred (117 from cardiovascular disease). Moreover, in the primary prevention population of 2372 participants (ie, those without diabetes or cardiovascular disease at baseline), 132 deaths occurred (50 from cardiovascular disease). In the primary prevention population, the only significant association adjusted for age, gender, and ethnic group was between NCEP-MetS and cardiovascular mortali...
Design and Growth of Visible-Blind and Solar-Blind III-N APDs on Sapphire Substrates

GaN-based visible-blind and AlGaN-based solar-blind avalanche photodiodes (APDs) have been grown and fabricated on sapphire substrates. The GaN p-i-n APDs show low dark current with high gain. The AlGaN layers for the Al0.55Ga0.45N-based APDs are grown using a newly developed pulsed metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process, and the material characterization results show excellent material quality. The spectral responsivity of the devices show a bandpass characteristic with cutoffs in the ultraviolet (UV) visible-blind and solar-blind spectrum for GaN- and Al0.55Ga0.45N-based APDs, respectively.
Navstar/Global Positioning System 18‐Satellite Constellations

The original baseline constellation for the Navstar/Global Positioning System consisted of 24 satellites. This would provide continuous world-wide three-dimensional navigation, and it would insure an accurate navigation solution 100 percent of the time at any location on earth. As a cost-saving measure, the Air Force has now been directed to develop Navstar/GPS with an 18-satellite constellation scheduled to be operational in 1987. This results in a constellation which will cause Navstar users to experience occasional outages of the system. Studies have been performed of various alternative 18-satellite constellations with the goal being to minimize the impact of outages on the Navstar user. Until recently, it has been generally accepted that with 6 satellites in each of the 3 orbit planes, the best arrangement would be to have the satellites spaced uniformly 60 deg apart. Studies by The Aerospace Corporation have shown that this is not true. A three-plane non-uniform arrangement has been found to provide far superior performance from the point of view of minimizing outages. Still another approach is to have 18 separate orbit planes, one for each satellite, which also provides superior performance. This paper discusses the difficulties inherent with the uniform 3-orbit-plane constellation and how these difficulties are in large measure overcome by the adoption of an alternate arrangement of the 18 satellites.
20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acid Inhibition Attenuates Balloon Injury-Induced Neointima Formation and Vascular Remodeling in Rat Carotid Arteries

20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) contributes to the migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in vitro, but there are few studies that address its effects on vascular remodeling in vivo. The present study determined whether inhibition of 20-HETE production attenuates intimal hyperplasia (IH) and vascular remodeling after balloon injury (BI). Sprague Dawley rats underwent BI of the common carotid artery and were treated with vehicle, 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT, 50 mg/kg i.p. once daily), or HET0016 (N-hydroxy-N′-(4-butyl-2-methylphenyl)-formamidine) (2 mg/kg s.c. twice daily) for 14 days. Fourteen days after BI and treatment, the animals underwent carotid angiography, and the arteries were harvested for morphometric, enzymatic and immunohistochemical analysis. There was a 96% reduction of angiographic stenosis in the rats treated with 1-ABT. There was a 61 and 66% reduction of the intima/media area ratios in the 1-ABT and HET0016 treated rats compared with the vehicle-treated group. 20-HETE levels were elevated in BI carotid arteries, and the levels were markedly suppressed in the groups treated with 1-ABT and HET0016 (P < 0.001). Immunostaining revealed that the expression of CYP4A enzyme was markedly increased in the neointima of BI arteries, and it colocalized with the expression of smooth muscle-specific actin, indicating increased proliferation of VSMC. An increase in the expression of CYP4A and the production of 20-HETE contributes to neointimal growth in BI rat carotid arteries. Systemic administration 1-ABT or HET0016 prevents the increase in 20-HETE levels and attenuates VSMC migration and proliferation, resulting in a marked reduction in IH and vascular remodeling after endothelial injury.
Invasive assessment of coronary flow reserve.

Coronary angiography is a well-established invasive method of defining coronary anatomy and forms the basis for most decisions between medical therapy, surgery, and percutaneous revascularization in patients with coronary artery disease. Angiography is limited, however, in that it solely provides anatomic information. Although this may be more than adequate when the angiogram reveals an obvious high-grade stenosis or completely normal vessels, very often the angiogram reveals lesions of unclear significance. Uncertainty may arise from poor image quality resulting from the patient’s body habitus or the presence of overlapping vessel segments, arterial tortuosity, eccentric lesions, or diffuse atherosclerosis disease or when the stenosis is of intermediate severity (40%-70% narrowing). In these common scenarios, adjunctive diagnostic testing is crucial to assist the operator in determining the physiologic significance of these lesions and guiding further therapy.
A Survey of Security Standards Applicable to Health Information Systems

The information maintained by Health Information Systems (HIS) is often faced with security threats from a wide range of sources. Some government's regulations require healthcare organizations and custodians of personal health information to take practical steps to address the security and privacy needs of personal health information. Standards help to ensure an adequate level of security is attained, resources are used efficiently and the best security practices are adopted. In this paper, the authors survey security standards applicable to healthcare industry including Control OBjective for Information and related Technology (COBIT), ISO/IEC 27002:2005, ISO/IEC 27001:2005, NIST Special Publication 800-53, ISO 27799:2008, HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF), ISO 17090:2008, ISO/TS 25237:2008, etc. This survey informs the audience currently available standards that can guide the implementation of information security programs in healthcare organizations, and provides a starting point for IT management in healthcare organizations to select a standard suitable for their organizations.
Physiological reactivity to nonideographic virtual reality stimuli in veterans with and without PTSD.

Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) currently is diagnosed via clinical interview in which subjective self reports of traumatic events and associated experiences are discussed with a mental health professional. The reliability and validity of diagnoses can be improved with the use of objective physiological measures. Methods In this study, physiological activity was recorded from 58 male veterans (PTSD Diagnosis n = 16; Trauma Exposed/No PTSD Diagnosis: n = 23; No Trauma/No PTSD Diagnosis: n = 19) with and without PTSD and combat trauma exposure in response to emotionally evocative non-idiographic virtual reality stimuli. Results Statistically significant differences among the Control, Trauma, and PTSD groups were present during the viewing of two virtual reality videos. Skin conductance and interbeat interval features were extracted for each of ten video events (five events of increasing severity per video). These features were submitted to three stepwise discriminant function analyses to assess classification accuracy for Control versus Trauma, Control versus PTSD, and Trauma versus PTSD pairings of participant groups. Leave-one-out cross-validation classification accuracy was between 71 and 94%. Conclusions These results are promising and suggest the utility of objective physiological measures in assisting with PTSD diagnosis.
Reading and Writing in Co-Taught Secondary School Social Studies Classrooms: A Reality Check

In this reanalysis of narrative notes collected in a larger study of co-teaching, the reading and writing demands of high school social studies classes were explored. Eight pairs of teachers (one special education teacher, one social studies teacher) from five high schools in Western Pennsylvania and New York were observed co-teaching in social studies for 3–6 periods each. Observers were trained to document teacher and student behaviors in narrative notes; each five-minute segment was coded based on the literacy demands of the class. Results showed little reading and writing by students or teachers. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Resolution of localized small molecule-Aβ interactions by deep-ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy.

Abstract The mechanism by which flavonoids prevent formation of amyloid-β (Aβ) fibrils, as well as how they associate with non-fibrillar Aβ is still unclear. Fresh, un-oxidized myricetin exhibited excitation and emission fluorescence maxima at 481 and 531 nm, respectively. Introduction of either Aβ(1–42) or Aβ(25–40) resulted in a fluorescence decrease, when measured at 481 nm, suggesting formation of a myricetin–Aβ complex. Circular dichroism (CD) and ultraviolet resonance Raman (UVRR) studies indicate that the association of myricetin with the Aβ peptide or its hydrophobic fragment, Aβ(25–40), leads to subtle changes in each peptide's conformation. Aβ(25–40) formed amyloid fibrils at a similar rate, when compared to the full-length peptide, Aβ(1–42), using thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence. Studies also indicated that myricetin was equally effective at preventing the formation of both Aβ(1–42) and Aβ(25–40) fibrils. Although ThT assays indicated that Aβ(1–16) did not form amyloid fibrils, CD studies of the hydrophilic fragment, Aβ(1–16), suggest possible interactions between myricetin and aromatic side chains. UVRR studies of the full-length peptide and Aβ(1–16) showed increases in the intensity of the aromatic modes upon introduction of myricetin. Our findings suggest that myricetin interacts with soluble Aβ via two mechanisms, association with the hydrophobic C-terminal region and interactions with the aromatic side chains.