cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrical breakdown in polar liquids

Polar liquids are being studied as switch media for the generation of sub-microsecond pulses with nanosecond or even shorter rise times. The inherent dielectric strength of polar liquids allows for small gap lengths, down to less than 1 mm even for voltages up to 100 kV, and consequently enables the reduction of the switch inductance. Most of the breakdown studies to date have been conducted for longer gap distances and pulse durations in the microsecond range. Empiric equations for the breakdown strength under these conditions, which do not include effects of electrode materials, have been developed by J. C. Martin. In recent studies, we found that for shorter, high voltage pulses of only 200 ns duration, the dielectric strength of sub-millimeter water gaps can be much higher than expected from these empirical formulas. Moreover, the dielectric strength strongly depends on the electrode condition. By polishing the stainless steel electrodes of a pin-to-plane geometry (diameter of the pin electrode: 1.7 mm) the breakdown strength in a 200 m gap was increased from 1 MV/cm up to 1.8 MV/cm. For propylene carbonate, a breakdown strength of 2.2 MV/cm was achieved instead of only 1 MV/cm for unpolished electrode surfaces J. Kolb et al., (2003). Experiments indicate that the initiation of breakdown is independent of the conductivity of the bulk, but depends on effects at the liquid-electrode interface. To explore this hypothesis further, experiments were conducted using electrode materials of different work functions (zirconium, silver, stainless steel). The conductivity of the liquid dielectric was varied by adding salt (NaCl) in different concentrations to distilled water. For comparison, similar experiments were carried out with propylene carbonate. In order to relate the breakdown strength in sub-millimeter water gaps to results for longer gap distances, increasingly longer pulses, of up to 5 s, were applied
Temporal spectral residual: fast motion saliency detection

Saliency detection has attracted much attention in recent years. It aims at locating semantic regions in images for further image understanding. In this paper, we address the issue of motion saliency detection for video content analysis. Inspired by the idea of Spectral Residual for image saliency detection, we propose a new method Temporal Spectral Residual on video slices along X-T and Y-T planes, which can automatically separate foreground motion objects from backgrounds, also with the help of threshold selection and voting schemes. Different from conventional background modeling methods with complex mathematical model, the proposed method is only based on Fourier spectrum analysis, so it is simple and fast. The power of our proposed method is demonstrated in the experiments of four typical videos with different dynamic background.
Robust and distributed localization in sensor networks

We present a robust localization system allowing Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNETs) to determine the physical location of their nodes. The coverage area is split into partitions and the system seeks to identify the partition where a sensor resides based on observations made by stationary sensors (clusterheads). These observations are assumed random and are often RF-characteristics of the signal transmitted by the sensor and received by the clusterheads. To every partition-clusterhead pair we associate a family of probability density functions (pdfs) from which observations are assumed to be drawn and pose the localization problem as a composite multi- hypothesis testing problem. We establish conditions under which the Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT) is optimal in a Generalized Neyman-Pearson (GNP) sense. We obtain the optimal GLRT threshold to minimize the maximum probability of error and establish a probabilistic performance guarantee for the resulting decision rule. We study the problem of optimally placing clusterheads to minimize the maximum probability of error and establish a performance guarantee for the optimal placement. We also demonstrate how the localization system can be implemented in a distributed manner by appropriate in-network processing. The proposed approach is validated in a testbed yielding promising results.
Acute hepatitis C and HIV coinfection

Hepatitis C is a common infection worldwide, but acute infection is often asymptomatic and difficult to diagnose. People coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C might progress to chronic liver disease more quickly. We present a case of a man infected with HIV with sexually acquired acute hepatitis C and discuss the immunology, natural history, and epidemiology of acute hepatitis C and coinfection with HIV. Several recent reports have documented acute hepatitis C among men who have sex with men who engage in high risk sexual practices and often have concomitant genital ulcer disease. We review treatment options for the medical management of acute hepatitis C and coinfection with HIV.
Cyclic decoding procedures for Bose- Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem codes

This paper presents new general error-correction procedures for fhe class of codes known as Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem codes. It is shown that these procedures are efficient in time required for error-correction, and that they can be implemented with relatively simple electronic circuits. A comparison is also made with existing procedures.
Survey of antibiotic resistance in cell phone and computer keyboard isolated bacteria

Abstract. Surveillance and tracking of antibiotic resistant bacteria carried on common-use items will help to elucidate the prevalence of antibiotic resistance within communities. Communication of these data will allow healthcare agencies and basic researchers to better plan mechanisms for combatting the problem of antibiotic resistance. During this project, samples were collected from public access computer keyboards and personal cell phones of the faculty, staff, and students at Troy University in Troy, Alabama. From these samples, thirty-eight individual isolates were identified by biochemical testing; one sample could not be identified. Nine distinct organisms were identified to the species level and included both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Each of the 39 isolates was tested for resistance to 17 antibiotics. Resistance to three β-lactams (ampicillin, oxacillin [methicillin], and penicillin) was most common while overall drug resistance remained low. β-lactam antibiotics are commonly use...
Climate versus emission drivers of methane lifetime against loss by tropospheric OH from 1860-2100

Abstract. With a more-than-doubling in the atmospheric abundance of the potent greenhouse gas methane (CH4) since preindustrial times, and indications of renewed growth following a leveling off in recent years, questions arise as to future trends and resulting climate and public health impacts from continued growth without mitigation. Changes in atmospheric methane lifetime are determined by factors which regulate the abundance of OH, the primary methane removal mechanism, including changes in CH4 itself. We investigate the role of emissions of short-lived species and climate in determining the evolution of methane lifetime against loss by tropospheric OH, (τCH4_OH), in a suite of historical (1860–2005) and future Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) simulations (2006–2100), conducted with the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) fully coupled chemistry-climate model (CM3). From preindustrial to present, CM3 simulates an overall 5% increase in τCH4_OH due to a doubling of the methane burden which offsets coincident increases in nitrogen oxide (NOx emissions. Over the last two decades, however, the τCH4_OH declines steadily, coinciding with the most rapid climate warming and observed slow-down in CH4 growth rates, reflecting a possible negative feedback through the CH4 sink. Sensitivity simulations with CM3 suggest that the aerosol indirect effect (aerosol-cloud interactions) plays a significant role in cooling the CM3 climate. The projected decline in aerosols under all RCPs contributes to climate warming over the 21st century, which influences the future evolution of OH concentration and τCH4_OH. Projected changes in τCH4_OH from 2006 to 2100 range from −13% to p4%. The only projected increase occurs in the most extreme warming case (RCP8.5) due to the near-doubling of the CH4 abundance, reflecting a positive feedback on the climate system. The largest decrease occurs in the RCP4.5 scenario due to changes in short-lived climate forcing agents which reinforce climate warming and enhance OH. This decrease is more-than-halved in a sensitivity simulation in which only well-mixed greenhouse gas radiative forcing changes along the RCP4.5 scenario (5% vs. 13%).
A method to predict response of cell populations to cocktails of chemotherapeutics and radiopharmaceuticals: Validation with daunomycin, doxorubicin, and the alpha particle emitter 210Po

Abstract There is considerable interest in the use of α-emitting radionuclides in radioimmunotherapy. However, the high toxicity of α-emitting radionuclides often does not permit administration of high activities for fear of normal tissue toxicity. Accordingly, targeting procedures need to be optimized for improved tumor control and minimized normal tissue toxicity. To guide design of effective cocktails of α-emitting radiopharmaceuticals and chemotherapy drugs, approaches that can predict biological response of a cell population on a cell-by-cell basis are needed. Methods Cells were concomitantly treated with the α-particle emitting radiochemical 210 Po-citrate and daunomycin, or with 210 Po-citrate and doxorubicin. The responses of the treated cell populations were measured with a colony forming assay. The nonuniform cellular incorporation of the radiochemical and drugs was determined simultaneously on a cell-by-cell basis using flow cytometry. Monte Carlo methods were used to simulate cell survival on the basis of individual cell incorporation of each cytotoxic agent and validated by direct comparison with the experimental clonogenic cell survival. Results Both daunomycin and doxorubicin enhanced the toxicity of the α-particles with a magnitude greater than expected based on single-agent toxicities. Cell survival obtained by Monte Carlo simulation was in good agreement with clonogenic cell survival for the combination treatments. Conclusion Flow cytometry assisted Monte Carlo simulations can be used to predict toxicity of cocktails of α-emitting radiopharmaceuticals and chemotherapy drugs in a manner that takes into account the effects of nonuniform distributions of agents within cell populations.
When three is not some: On the pragmatics of numerals

Both numerals and quantifiers like some have more than one possible interpretation i.e., weak and strong interpretations. Some studies have found similar behavior for numerals and quantifiers, whereas others have shown critical differences. It is, therefore, debated whether they are processed in the same way. A previous fMRI investigation showed that the left inferior frontal gyrus is linked to the computation of the strong interpretation of quantifiers derived by a scalar implicature and that the left middle frontal gyrus and the medial frontal gyrus are linked to processing the mismatch between the strong interpretation of quantifiers and the context in which they are presented. In the current study, we attempted to characterize the similarities and differences between numbers and quantifiers by examining brain activation patterns related to the processing of numerals in these brain regions. When numbers were presented in a mismatch context i.e., where their strong interpretation did not match the context, they elicited brain activations similar to those previously observed with quantifiers in the same context type. Conversely, in a match context i.e., where both interpretations of the scalar item matched the context, numbers elicited a different activation pattern than the one observed with quantifiers: Left inferior frontal gyrus activations in response to the match condition showed decrease for numbers but not for quantifiers. Our results support previous findings suggesting that, although they share some features, numbers and quantifiers are processed differently. We discuss our results in light of various theoretical approaches linked to the representation of numerals.
Pharmacology Review: Pharmacotherapy for the Treatment of Parenteral Nutrition-associated Cholestasis

A male infant was born at 26 6/7 weeks’ gestation to a 38-year-old woman whose pregnancy was complicated by premature rupture of membranes at 20 weeks’ gestation and placental abruption. The infant's birthweight was 910 g and Apgar scores were 5 and 7 at 1 and 5 minutes, respectively. He developed feeding intolerance and experienced four episodes of medically managed suspected necrotizing enterocolitis. He required parenteral nutrition (PN) for a total of 71 days and received full enteral feedings throughout the remainder of his hospitalization without evidence of acholic stools. On postnatal day 42, he developed jaundice, but the remainder of his physical examination findings were normal. Laboratory values at that time included a total bilirubin of 3.3 mg/dL (56.4 mcmol/L) and direct bilirubin of 2.6 mg/dL (44.5 mcmol/L) . The jaundice continued to progress, and on postnatal day 72, total bilirubin measured 9.5 mg/dL (162.5 mcmol/L) and direct bilirubin measured 6.4 mg/dL (109.5 mcmol/L). Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a liver and gallbladder of normal size and echotexture. Doppler flow evaluation demonstrated patency of the hepatic veins and inferior vena cava. The common bile duct was identified and measured 1 mm in diameter. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) (20 mg/kg per day) was started. The laboratory studies were negative for coagulopathy and glucose lability. Mild elevation of alanine aminotransferase (43 to 108 U/L) and elevated gamma-glutamyl transferase (250 to 256 U/L) were noted. Assessments for cystic fibrosis, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, neonatal iron storage disease, and bile acid synthesis disorders returned negative results. A HIDA scan performed on postnatal day 74 revealed no obvious flow into the intestine, and phenobarbital (5 mg/kg per day) was started . Despite full enteral nutrition and treatment with UDCA and phenobarbital, the direct bilirubin continued to increase to 12.1 mg/dL (206.9 mcmol/L) on postnatal day 97. A repeat HIDA …
Acute myelogenous leukemia in a patient with severe factor IX deficiency

We present a case of acute myelogenous leukemia in a patient with severe hemophilia and our approach to the prevention of bleeding complications during chemotherapy. In the few reports of acute leukemia occurring in patients with hemophilia, management of bleeding has mostly consisted of replacement of factor and platelets on demand. By prophylactically treating our patient with Factor IX at 50% correction three times per week and maintaining his platelet count above 30 × 103/mm3, bleeding complications were avoided. However, due to the rarity of this combination, it is difficult to draw a best practice recommendation. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;56:156–157. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Current Diagnosis and Management of Suspected Reflux Symptoms Refractory to Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy.

Suspected reflux symptoms that are refractory to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are rapidly becoming the most common presentation of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in patients seen in gastroenterology clinics. These patients are a heteroge- neous group, differing in symptom frequency and severity, PPI dosing regimens, and responses to therapy (from partial to absent). Before testing, the physician needs to question the patient carefully about PPI compliance and the timing of drug intake in relation to meals. Switching PPIs or doubling the dose is the next step, but only 20% to 25% of the group refractory to PPIs will respond. The first diagnostic test should be upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. In more than 90% of cases, the results will be normal, but persistent esophagitis may suggest pill esophagitis, eosinophilic esophagitis, or rarer diseases, such as lichen planus, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, or genotype variants of PPI metabolism. If the endoscopy results are normal, esophageal manometry and especially reflux testing should follow. Whether patients should be tested on or off PPI therapy is controversial. Most physicians prefer to test patients off PPIs to identify whether abnormal acid reflux is even present; if it is not, PPIs can be stopped and other diagnoses sought. Testing patients on PPI therapy allows nonacid reflux to be identified, but more than 50% of patients have a normal test result, leaving the clinician with a conundrum—whether to stop PPIs or continue them because the GERD is being treated adequately. Alternative diagnoses in patients with refractory GERD and normal reflux testing include achalasia, eosinophilic esophagitis, gastroparesis, rumination, and aerophagia. However, more than 50% will be given the diagnosis of functional heartburn, a visceral hypersensitivity syndrome. Treating patients with PPI-refractory GERD-like symptoms can be difficult and frustrating. Any of the following may help: a histamine-2 receptor antagonist at night, baclofen to decrease transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations, pain modulators, acupuncture, or hypnotherapy. At this time, antireflux surgery should be limited to patients with abnormal acid reflux defined by pH testing and a good correlation of symptoms with acid reflux.
Dielectric Constant of Cr 2 O 3 Crystals

The dielectric constants of ${\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ were measured at 25.5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C by a two-terminal substitution method on specimens cut from single crystal. The average dielectric constants thus obtained are: at 1 kc/sec parallel $a$ axis 13.3, parallel $c$ axis 11.9; at 2 Mc/sec parallel $a$ axis 13.0, parallel $c$ axis 11.8. The dielectric constant for either orientation increased approximately ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ per 1\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C in the temperature interval 298 to 325\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. A small anomaly was observed in the neighborhood of the N\'eel temperature.
The treatment of bulbar poliomyelitis.

(1956). The Treatment of Bulbar Poliomyelitis. Postgraduate Medicine: Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 168-176.
Procedural Portfolio Planning in Plastic Surgery, Part 1: Strategic Changes in Clinical Practice to Increase Physician Revenue, Improve Operative Throughput, and Maintain Patient Satisfaction.

PURPOSE Portfolio planning in health care represents the strategic prioritization of services that permits an organization to better achieve its goals of margin and mission. Because of recent volatility in the economy, declining reimbursement, and rising costs of providing care, such strategic planning has become increasingly important if physicians want to remain leaders in health care. This project assesses the financial impact of procedural portfolio planning on an academic plastic surgery practice from the physician's perspective. METHODS We tracked the top 50 procedures, defined as total charges per CPT code, that were performed in our baseline year, for 6 providers in a stable plastic surgery practice. At the end of the first year, we implemented 3 types of strategic changes: growth of areas with high contribution margin (laser resurfacing of burn scars), curtailment of high-risk procedures with negative contribution margin (panniculectomy in smokers), and improved efficiency of mission-critical services with high resource consumption (free-flap breast reconstruction). During the 2-year study period, we had no turnover in faculty, did not pursue any formal marketing, did not change our surgical fees or billing system, provided care independent of payer mix, and maintained our commitment to indigent care. Outcome measures included procedural charges and revenue, collection rates, work relative value units, operating room times, idle times (room time less case time), receipts/minute in operating room, uncompensated charity care, and patient satisfaction (Press-Gainey scores). Before the study period, annual incremental growth in our practice was 1% to 2%, in terms of charges and receipts. RESULTS After implementation of the portfolio planning project, the financial position of our division improved significantly, with patient satisfaction rates increasing from 85.5% to 94.1% and charity care remaining constant at US $400,000 per year. Encounters, work relative value units, charges, and receipts all increased by 16% to 27%, with receipts/minute increasing from US $5.60 per minute to US $7.28 per minute. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, highest margin cases did not correspond with highest volume or highest revenue cases; portfolio analysis helped us to align these parameters, without sacrificing patient satisfaction or commitment to indigent care. The highest receipt/minute procedure was laser ablation of vascular lesions (US $23.87), whereas one of the lowest receipt/minute cases was muscle free flap (US $3.07). CONCLUSIONS Procedural portfolio analysis is a powerful tool that can guide strategy and positively impact the financial position and clinical value of the services provided by an academic plastic surgery practice. Identifying high margin procedures allows the surgeon to focus marketing efforts, target areas of future growth, and optimize the blend of margin and mission.
The Meaning of Lipid Profiles.

(1975). The Meaning of Lipid Profiles. Postgraduate Medicine: Vol. 57, CORONARY CARE: BEFORE AND AFTER HOSPIT ALIZATION, pp. 34-38.
Smart-Beta ETFs: Market Growth and Performance Trends

A new category of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), arguably referred to as smart-beta ETFs, has lately issued a meaningful challenge to traditional ETFs. Although they seem new, a review of the relevant academic literature shows that most of the ideas behind these innovative products come from this scholarly work.
Genome-wide significance testing of variation from single case exomes

Standard techniques from genetic epidemiology are ill-suited to formally assess the significance of variants identified from a single case. We developed a statistical inference framework for identifying unusual functional variation from a single exome or genome, what we refer to as the 'n-of-one' problem. Using this approach we assessed our ability to identify the causal genotypes in over 5 million simulated cases of Mendelian disease, identifying 39% of disease genotypes as the most damaging unit in a typical exome background. We applied our approach to 129 n-of-one families from the Undiagnosed Diseases Program, nominating 60% of 30 disease genes determined to be diagnostic by a standard clinical workup. Our method can currently produce well-calibrated P values when applied to single genomes, can facilitate integration of multiple data types for n-of-one analyses, and, with further work, could become a widely used epidemiological method like linkage analysis or genome-wide association analysis.
The Value of Tissue Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing for the Diagnosis of Tissue-Invasive Cytomegalovirus Disease Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Background: CMV disease is a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Our widely used diagnostic modalities (HE Figure 1). Using this cutoff, 45% of equivocal cases were classified as negative, suggesting that anti-CMV treatment in almost half of H&E/IHC-equivocal cases is unnecessary and potentially detrimental. Among viremic, H&E/IHC-concordant cases, tissue PCR with a cutoff Ct of 40 had a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 50%, PPV of 44%, and NPV of 100%. Among non-viremic, H&E/IHC-concordant cases, these numbers were 80%, 91%, 36%, and 99%, respectively. In this analysis on viremic cases, all double-positive and 50% of double-negative cases were classified positive, while 31% of equivocal cases were classified negative. In non-viremic patients, 91% of double-negatives, 20% of double-positives, and 62% of equivocal cases were classified negative. Conclusions: Tissue PCR is a useful adjunct to H&E and IHC, particularly in H&E/IHC-equivocal cases, and can help avoid unnecessary, potentially toxic, anti-CMV treatment in cases without tissue-invasive disease. We propose the following algorithm: ( i ) If the cost and labor associated with tissue PCR on all patients are prohibitive, start with H&E and IHC. Perform tissue PCR in H&E/IHC-equivocal cases and consider this test also in non-viremic, H&E/IHC-positive cases. In all other cases forgo tissue PCR. ( ii ) If the cost and labor are not prohibitive, perform PCR on all cases. A negative PCR rules out CMV disease. In PCR-positive cases, use H&E/IHC results and treat only if H&E and IHC are both positive. One limitation of our study is related to using FFPE specimens rather than the real-life fresh tissue. Our results warrant testing in prospective studies. Disclosures DiPersio: Incyte Corporation: Research Funding.
Influence of Sulfur on the Interaction of Iron with Carbon Monoxide

The growth of filamentous carbon along with the gas phase product analysis has been used to determine the influence of sulfur on the iron catalyzed decomposition of carbon containing gas mixtures at 600°C. Pretreatment of the metal in H2S was found to initially suppress the reactions leading to carbon deposition from the decomposition of CO/H2 mixtures. After a short time the activity was restored to approximately the same level as that exhibited by an unadulterated iron powder, suggesting that most of the sulfur atoms were being removed from the surface. The small residual fraction of adatoms did, however, induce modifications in the structural characteristics of the filamentous carbon deposit and also altered the reactivity pattern of the iron towards decomposition of a CO/C2H4/H2 mixture.
Multiple Sclerosis in the Contemporary Age: Understanding the Millennial Patient with Multiple Sclerosis to Create Next-Generation Care.

The average age of onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) is between 20 and 40 years of age. Therefore, most new patients diagnosed with MS within the next 10 to 15 years will be from the millennial generation, representing those born between 1982 and 2000. Certain preferences and trends of this contemporary generation will present new challenges to the MS physician and effective MS care. By first understanding these challenges, relevant and successful solutions can be created to craft a system of care that best benefits the millennial patient with MS.
The Role of Field Experiences in the Professional Socialization of Early Career Literacy Teachers

Scholarship on field experiences often addresses issues of integration with coursework and the development of students’ pedagogical knowledge, with less focus on their role in the development of teachers’ professional identities. Drawing on data from a yearlong qualitative study, this article addresses a central concern for students in a literacy teacher preparation program—fieldwork as a lonely venture. This research suggests that traditional field experiences explicitly and implicitly perpetuate images of teaching as a solitary act. These findings highlight the need to reconceptualize field experiences as sites of inquiry in order to disrupt narratives of isolation within teacher education.
INFLUENCE OF AN ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORD BASED BLEEDING RISK CALCULATOR ON BLEEDING EVENTS, READMISSIONS AND COST FOLLOWING PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION

Bleeding events are the most common complication of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). We sought to develop an electronic medical record (EMR) based system to assess bleeding risk and decrease bleeding rates in PCI patients. Utilizing the validated NCDR risk score, we developed an EMR based
Toxicogenomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics

The Human Genome Project and Genomic Sciences have not only produced valuable insights into the workings of the genome but have produced a wealth of tools. These tools are enabling a detailed analysis of the expression of the complete set of genes encoded in the genome, from the fine detail of the DNA sequence to the transcription of genes to mRNA and the translation of mRNA into protein, and are collectively referred to as ‘Omics Technologies.’ The knowledge base being developed by the genomics revolution, through its associated technologies, is impacting the practice of all of the biological sciences and giving rise to a discipline within toxicology referred to as ‘Toxicogenomics.’ Toxicogenomics integrates the knowledge base and tools of genome biology into the modern practice of toxicology to determine and predict potential adverse effects to humans. The relatively new science of toxicogenomics has clearly demonstrated that cells or tissues respond to environmental stressors by activating the expression of genomic, biological, and cellular response networks that act as cellular defense mechanisms. These cellular and genomic responses to cytotoxic and genotoxic stress are based on the genetic constitution of the test organism or individual and involve hierarchical activation of genetic pathways that are dose-dependent and can define the molecular mechanisms of biological or phenotypic outcomes (phenotypic anchors). Toxicogenomic-based studies thus far have shown that the genomic response to stressors occurs in a dose-dependent manner and demonstrate that tissue responses at low concentrations are qualitatively different from those at high concentrations. Toxicogenomics-based approaches integrated with traditional rodent studies, PBPK-based dosimetry, and human in vitro primary cell culture systems or directly in humans will decrease some of the uncertainties in current risk assessment and extrapolation practices.
Reinforcement-Based Response Elimination: The Effects Of Response-Reinforcement Interval and Response Specificity

Extinction and four reinforcement-based procedures for eliminating a response were compared in groups of 10 rats. Two procedures provided for reinforcement of a specific alternative behavior (ALT-R) while two others were differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) contingencies. The effect of 10-s and 1-s response-reinforcement intervals was examined with each of the ALT-R and DRO groups in (a) a training phase, in which an original response was established, (b) a response elimination phase, (c) an extinction phase, and (d) a reacquisition phase. Results indicated (a) the fastest response elimination occurred in the ALT-R 10-s group and the slowest occurred in the DRO 1-s group; (b) all reinforcement-based procedures showed an increase in original lever responses during the extinction phase, but (c) this effect was lessened for both the groups that had experienced the 10-s response-reinforcement interval; (d) all groups showed rapid recovery of the original lever responses during reacquisition, but (e) slower recovery was shown in the DRO 10-s group.
Selective Cytotoxicity of Ricin a Chain-Anti Carcinoembryonic Antibody Conjugates to Human Adenocarcinoma Cells

Studies of immunotoxins as selective anti-tumor agents have been performed primarily with hematologic tumor antigens, such as mouse T cell differentiation antigens (1, 2) and immunoglobulin on the surface of murine and human B cell leukemia cells (3–6). We have recently explored this approach utilizing antibodies directed against the carcinoembryonic antigen, CEA (7–9), a well described tumor-associated antigen of adult human solid malignancies.
Russia's age structure in 1996: a research report.

This research note provides a preliminary analysis of Russias current age-sex structure with a focus on the recent past and on what the current levels may indicate about the Russian populations future growth potential. The author notes that "Russia currently is experiencing an absolute decline in the size of its population as well as negative natural increase. It is one of several countries in the world now experiencing an absolute decline in its population and one of about 11 countries registering a negative rate of natural increase. Because of Russias age structure and the trends in its fertility and mortality rates there does not appear to be much of a reason for any of these trends to reverse themselves until some future time in the next century." (EXCERPT)
Dual-Axis Confocal Microscopy for Point-of-Care Pathology

Dual-axis confocal (DAC) microscopy is a high-resolution optical imaging modality that utilizes simple low-numerical-aperture (NA) beams to achieve effective optical sectioning and superior image contrast in biological tissues. In addition to providing enhanced imaging performance, the DAC architecture provides certain advantages for miniaturization, facilitating the development of endoscopic, and handheld systems for in vivo imaging. This article reviews the principles of DAC microscopy, highlighting the differences between DAC microscopy and conventional confocal microscopy. Several technical variations of DAC microscopy will be surveyed, as well as clinical DAC microscopy prototypes that have been developed as noninvasive real-time alternatives to conventional biopsy and histopathology.
Artificial intelligence-assisted interpretation of bone age radiographs improves accuracy and decreases variability.

Radiographic bone age assessment (BAA) is used in the evaluation of pediatric endocrine and metabolic disorders. We previously developed an automated artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning algorithm to perform BAA using convolutional neural networks. We compared the BAA performance of a cohort of pediatric radiologists with and without AI assistance. Six board-certified, subspecialty trained pediatric radiologists interpreted 280 age- and gender-matched bone age radiographs ranging from 5 to 18 years. Three of those radiologists then performed BAA with AI assistance. Bone age accuracy and root mean squared error (RMSE) were used as measures of accuracy. Intraclass correlation coefficient evaluated inter-rater variation. AI BAA accuracy was 68.2% overall and 98.6% within 1 year, and the mean six-reader cohort accuracy was 63.6 and 97.4% within 1 year. AI RMSE was 0.601 years, while mean single-reader RMSE was 0.661 years. Pooled RMSE decreased from 0.661 to 0.508 years, all individually decreasing with AI assistance. ICC without AI was 0.9914 and with AI was 0.9951. AI improves radiologist’s bone age assessment by increasing accuracy and decreasing variability and RMSE. The utilization of AI by radiologists improves performance compared to AI alone, a radiologist alone, or a pooled cohort of experts. This suggests that AI may optimally be utilized as an adjunct to radiologist interpretation of imaging studies to improve performance.
Faculty–Student Affairs Collaboration on Assessment: Lessons from the Field

There may be many obstacles to faculty and student affairs collaborating on assessment, but they can be surmounted. Indeed, on campuses across the country, educators are finding strategies for brea...
Swing time: on children, peat bogs, and pendulums

ABSTRACTThis contribution is part of a special issue, comprising an essay by Tim Ingold (“From Science to Art and Back Again: the Pendulum of an Anthropologist”) and nine invited responses.
The Engineer and The Plumber: Mediating Mumbai's Conflicting Infrastructural Imaginaries

Two decades ago, the rules governing the provision of piped municipal water supply in Mumbai became linked to the policy frameworks governing eligibility for a property titling scheme. This article outlines the ideological basis and practical implications of the shift, as well as the contradictions of the new regulatory regime. The article demonstrates how these contradictions have been mediated by the material and practical knowledge, embodied expertise, local authority and wide‐ranging socio‐political work of two sets of actors: municipal water engineers and a cast of characters known locally as ‘plumbers’. The social, political and hydraulic imaginaries animating the work of ‘plumbing’ are bound up with a temporal and spatial imaginary distinctly at odds with the network‐flow conception of hydraulic engineering within which the work of water supply planning and distribution in Mumbai is conceptualized, materialized and institutionalized. The hydraulic and legal contradictions of these clashing infrastructural idioms of flow and event have rendered the regulatory framework highly unstable. These contradictions eventually erupted in Mumbai's waterscape, leaving the city's water infrastructures suspended in a highly politicized state of limbo between dueling infrastructural imaginaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Proportionality Theory in Punishment Philosophy: Fated for the Dustbin of Otiosity?

Proportionality theory’s influence is waning. It is beset by challenges. Some, such as difficulties in scaling crime seriousness and punishment severity, and linking them, are primarily analytical and of interest mostly to theorists. Others, such as trade-offs between proportionality and crime prevention, relate to real world applications. The big question is whether the challenges are epiphenomenal and portend displacement of retribution as the most intellectually influential normative frame of reference for thinking about punishment. My best guess is yes. The lesser question is whether proportionality theory can provide satisfactory answers to core questions about crime seriousness, punishment severity, and links between them. Alas, it cannot. Proportionality theory does, however, support two injunctions with which most people, citizens, scholars, and professionals alike, would say they agree. First, no one should be punished more severely than he or she deserves. Second, all else being equal, people who commit more serious crimes should be punished more severely than people who commit less serious ones, and vice versa. Converting that principled agreement into real-world policies and practices is not easy. The post-Enlightment values of fairness, equality, justice, and parsimony, however, that underlie proportionality theory are widely accepted and are likely to remain influential even if punishment paradigms once again shift. Proportionality theory is likely to be eclipsed but not to disappear.
Another approach to population control

(1971). Another Approach to Population Control? Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 34-34.
Acoustical modeling considerations in noise assessment of live fire training ranges

In the US, long-term noise assessments near military firing ranges are required to estimate the weighted average of simulated sounds from thousands of noise-producing activities. Each of these activities are modeled with a set of parameters and heuristics. Parameters include source type, including quantification of firing and munition explosive charges; location information; high or low angle of fire designation; and basic environmental conditions including time of day, time of year, generalized surface type, and some meteorological information. Heuristics model the source strength and directivity, divergence of waves, ground reflection, atmospheric refraction, absorption of sound, and shielding by noise barriers and terrain. The heuristics represent limitations to the fidelity of the modeling result, and they produce estimates with significant uncertainties. In view of the uncertainties, validation of results is particularly difficult and must be performed on single activity calculations rather than long...
Neural Development and Plasticity of Multisensory Representations

Although we live within a rich multisensory world, it is only relatively recently that we have gained some understanding of the brain mechanisms that serve to bind together information from the different senses. Despite this, our understanding of the developmental progression of events leading up to the mature multisensory state has lagged behind. Recent work carried out in both the primate and the cat models has enriched our understanding of the neural bases of multisensory development. This work has shown that there is a gradual growth in the size of the multisensory neuronal pools in both subcortical and cortical structures during early postnatal life, and that these neurons transition from an early non-integrative mode to a later mode in which they actively synthesize their multisensory inputs. The postnatal window within which these processes mature suggests that early sensory experience is a critical determinant in multisensory development. To assess the role of sensory experience, visual–nonvisual experiences have been eliminated (via dark-rearing) or altered (via spatial- or temporal-disparity rearing). In the absence of early postnatal visual experiences, a mature multisensory circuit fails to develop. In contrast, altering the statistics of early multisensory experiences results in the development of a circuit that reflects these experiences. New work is focused on characterizing the spatial receptive field (SRF) and spatiotemporal receptive field (STRF) architecture of subcortical and cortical multisensory neurons and has shown receptive field microstructure to be a key determinant in the evoked multisensory response. Although focused on the development of multisensory spatial representations, these studies provide important insights for studies examining the maturation of multisensory object representations.
Selecting Indicators for Assessing Community Sustainable Resilience

Communities are complex systems subject to a variety of hazards that can result in significant disruption to critical functions. Community resilience assessment is rapidly gaining popularity as a means to help communities better prepare for, respond to, and recover from disruption. Sustainable resilience, a recently developed concept, requires communities to assess system-wide capability to maintain desired performance levels while simultaneously evaluating impacts to resilience due to changes in hazards and vulnerability over extended periods of time. To enable assessment of community sustainable resilience, we review current literature, consolidate available indicators and metrics, and develop a classification scheme and organizational structure to aid in identification, selection, and application of indicators within a dynamic assessment framework. A nonduplicative set of community sustainable resilience indicators and metrics is provided that can be tailored to a community's needs, thereby enhancing the ability to operationalize the assessment process.
Inference for multiple object tracking: A Bayesian nonparametric approach

In recent years, multi object tracking (MOT) problem has drawn attention to it and has been studied in various research areas. However, some of the challenging problems including time dependent cardinality, unordered measurement set, and object labeling remain unclear. In this paper, we propose robust nonparametric methods to model the state prior for MOT problem. These models are shown to be more flexible and robust compared to existing methods. In particular, the overall approach estimates time dependent object cardinality, provides object labeling, and identifies object associated measurements. Moreover, our proposed framework dynamically contends with the birth/death and survival of the objects through dependent nonparametric processes. We present Inference algorithms that demonstrate the utility of the dependent nonparametric models for tracking. We employ Monte Carlo sampling methods to demonstrate the proposed algorithms efficiently learn the trajectory of objects from noisy measurements. The computational results display the performance of the proposed algorithms and comparison not only between one another, but also between proposed algorithms and labeled multi Bernoulli tracker.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Diagnostic, Molecular and Therapeutic Considerations

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer with poor prognosis. Treatment for non-metastatic disease is neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by mastectomy and radiation. IBC diagnosis is primarily a clinical diagnosis, which can lead to misdiagnosis and delayed management. In addition, there are no molecular criteria for diagnosis or therapeutic regimens developed specifically for IBC. We aimed to discuss recent developments in IBC, including diagnosis, molecular mechanisms, and treatment. Recently, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) breast cancer staging system has defined the diagnostic features of IBC. Current molecular characterization of IBC has not revealed a unique signature or marker for diagnosis; however, this work sheds light on the pathophysiology of IBC and provides potential therapeutic targets. The prognosis of IBC remains poor, although the survival is improved significantly with trimodal management. To date, a consensus on diagnosis and prospective trials specifically designed for IBC therapy are lacking. Standardized criteria incorporating clinical, pathologic, and molecular criteria remains an unmet need. Recent consensus recommendations regarding diagnosis and management are reviewed with a view towards evolving molecular characterization, potential targets, and current clinical trials.
Sexual Disgust: Evolutionary Perspectives and Relationship to Female Sexual Function

The aim of this review is to examine recent literature on the relationship between sexual disgust and aspects of female sexual functioning, with consideration of how an evolutionary perspective of this important emotion may help inform treatment and intervention programs. Researchers have begun to link sexual disgust with sexual dysfunction in women. There is evidence to suggest that sexual disgust has an inhibitory effect on sexual arousal, and that it is involved in the development and maintenance of sexual pain disorders. While research has begun to investigate the influence of sexual disgust as it relates to female sexual arousal disorder and orgasm, the overall picture of whether or not sexual disgust facilitates sexual dysfunction in these areas is unclear. Understanding the evolutionary relevance of sexual disgust provides an important perspective for diagnosing and treating sexual dysfunction in women. Sexual disgust is an emotion that evolved to coordinate a solution to the adaptive problem of avoiding negative outcomes such as disease or selecting a suboptimal mate. Although this emotion within the normal range has an adaptive function, excessively high levels are hypothesized to lead to sexual dysfunction. Understanding individual differences in trait or state-based disgust might elucidate individual differences in susceptibility of sexual dysfunction and expedite the development of interventions targeted to help resolve impediments to healthy sexual functioning.