cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gender and the Digital Divide in Latin America

Objectives We analyze differences in how men and women in Latin American countries are utilizing the Internet to identify a possible regional gendered digital divide in Internet use. The extent, degree, and implications of this gender digital divide are explored across countries with varying degrees of digital freedom. Methods We employ a series of random- and fixed-effects models utilizing individual-level data from the 2010 Latin Barometer merged with country-level data obtained from the U.N. Gender Inequality Index. Results Our results suggest that, in general, Latin American men tend to use the Internet more than women. Men also use more social media and gather political information more frequently. In addition, Internet use is higher across these categories in countries with more gender equality. Conclusion The potential for the Internet to serve as a social and political equalizing force in Latin America is stymied in part by the gendered digital divide.
237 FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH BLOOD PRODUCT USE IN LIVER TRANSPLANTATION USING PIGGYBACK HEPATECTOMY.

Background Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) may be associated with massive blood loss related to the coexistence of varices, thrombocytopenia or other coagulopathies, or portal hypertension. Piggyback hepatectomy (PGB) is a surgical technique increasingly used in OLT to avoid venovenous bypass and vena cava clamping. This study evaluates the factors associated with blood product requirement with the use of this surgical approach. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the anesthesia preoperative and operative notes and laboratory values for all adult cadaveric OLTs over a 42-month period (N = 527). Ninety-eight percent of the transplants were performed using a PGB approach with no use of venovenous bypass. A direct entry multivariate regression analyses was performed. Results Overall median blood loss was 1,000 cc, with the median transfusion rate being PRBCs 3 units, FFP 7 units, and platelets 6 units. Multivariate regression found significant predictors of PRBC transfusion to be male gender, starting Hgb, MELD, age, starting platelets, and a history of major surgery. These results correspond with a mean 1.0 additional unit for males, an additional 0.7 unit for each g/dL Hgb below 11.8, an additional 1.0 unit for each 5 MELD points above 18.1, an additional 0.5 unit for each 10 years age above 52, an additional 0.5 units for each 50,000 platelets below 100,000, and an additional 2.2 units for major surgery versus no surgery. Conclusions These results demonstrate that, similar to previous reports using venovenous bypass or clamping of the vena cava, certain factors predictably increase the likelihood that blood products will be administered during OLT. Our data also indicate that overall, the PGB technique, typically requiring less warm ischemia time, may represent a safe and cheaper alternative to the conventional approach.
Research on corporate social responsibility in our country

To perform corporate social responsibility is one of the main contents to construct a harmonious society at present in our country.Following the principles of combining inheritance with innovation and theory with practice,the paper conducts in-depth study of the topics.Based on the theoretical research and literature review of corporate social responsibility,comparing China CSR situation with that of the United States,and according to the survey results,in recognition of the achievement of Chinese corporate in building the social responsibility,the paper analyzes the status and problems of the state-owned enterprise social responsibility and puts forward the suggestions and countermeasures of to build corporate social responsibility in China.
Longitudinal Patterns of Blood Pressure, Incident Cardiovascular Events, and All-Cause Mortality in Normotensive Diabetic People

Lower blood pressure (BP) within the normotensive range has been suggested to be deleterious in diabetic people using antihypertensive drugs. We hypothesized that BP <120/80 mm Hg and BP trajectories may predict further risk of all-cause mortality or cardiovascular events in normotensive diabetic individuals. We included 3159 diabetic adults, free of hypertension, atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, or cancer in 2006 (baseline), from a community-based cohort including 101 510 participants. A total of 831 participants with BP <120/80 mm Hg and 2328 participants with BP of 120 to 139/80 to 89 mm Hg were included. BP and other clinical covariates were repeatedly measured every 2 years. During 7 years of follow-up, we documented 247 deaths and 177 cardiovascular events. Diabetic people with BP <120/80 mm Hg had a 46% increased risk of all-cause mortality (95% confidence interval, 10%-93%) compared with those with BP of 120 to 139/80 to 89 mm Hg at baseline. We then estimated the association between BP trajectories from 2006 to 2008 and adverse events among 2311 diabetic people who had both BP measures at 2006 and 2008. Relative to stable BP of 120 to 139/80 to 89 mm Hg, having persistently BP <120/80 mm Hg (hazard ratio: 2.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-5.01) or a spontaneous decrease in BP from 120 to 139/80 to 89 to <120/80 mm Hg (hazard ratio: 3.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.56-5.92) was significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality during 2008 to 2014. A rise in BP from 120 to 139/80 to 89 to ≥140/90 mm Hg conferred a high risk of cardiovascular events (hazard ratio: 1.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.24-3.17). In normotensive diabetic people having a low BP or a decline in BP was both associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, whereas development of incident hypertension increased the risk of cardiovascular events.
Abstract PR07: Precision genomic medicine improves clinical outcomes in advanced cancer patients

Background: The advent of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), and other diagnostic technologies, has enabled the use of genomic information to guide targeted treatment in cancer patients. Utilizing these technologies, we established a precision medicine program within a large, integrated healthcare delivery system. We then monitored the outcomes, including progression free survival and treatment delivery costs, associated with the delivery of precision medicine for patients with advanced cancer. We report the structure of our program and an analysis of the clinical outcomes associated with precision cancer medicine. Methods: We conducted a matched cohort study of 72 patients from July 01, 2013 to December 31, 2014, with metastatic cancer of diverse subtypes. The outcomes of 36 patients treated with precision cancer medicine were compared to 36 historical control patients who received standard chemotherapy. Study and control patients were matched according to age, gender, histological diagnosis, and number of previous treatment lines. Progression free survival was compared between the two groups using a Cox Proportional Hazard model for survival and accounting for potential confounders. Costs included subsequent ED visits, hospitalizations, NGS costs, and costs for targeted treatment or standard therapy. Results: Establishing a precision cancer medicine program for advanced cancer patients was feasible and scalable. Evaluation of the outcomes revealed that progression free survival was 22.9 weeks for the treatment group and 12.0 weeks for the historical control group (p = 0.002). Patients receiving precision cancer medicine compared to conventional treatment patients had a hazard ratio of 0.47 (95% confidence interval of 0.29-0.75) when adjusting for age, gender, histological diagnosis and previous treatment lines. Cost per week was $3,204 in the treatment group and $3501 in the historical control group, p = 0.22 Conclusions: Precision cancer medicine appears to significantly improve survival for patients with advanced cancer when compared to control patients who received conventional chemotherapy. The additional survival is not associated with increased health care costs. While the results of this study warrant further investigation, this genomics-based approach appears to be a viable, and perhaps superior, option for patients with advanced or metastatic cancer. This abstract is also presented as Poster 16. Citation Format: Lincoln D. Nadauld, Burke Van Norman, Gail Fulde, David newman, Allison Butler, Brian Tudor, Heather Gilbert, Karen Lin, Gary Stone, Anish Konde, Iva Petrovchich, James M. Ford, Derrick Haslem. Precision genomic medicine improves clinical outcomes in advanced cancer patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Integrating Clinical Genomics and Cancer Therapy; Jun 13-16, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(1_Suppl):Abstract nr PR07.
Demonstration of a prototype hydrogen sensor and electronics package

This is a progress report for the demonstration of a prototype hydrogen sensor and electronics package. There are five tasks associated with this, and four have been completed as of August 2016: Station Demonstration and Site Recommendation, Order Sensor Equipment, Build Sensors, and Install Sensors. The final task to be completed is Sensor Demonstration and Data Analysis, and expected completion date is January 26, 2017. This progress report details each of the tasks and goes into detail about what is currently being worked on, along with the budget and planned work for July 27, 2016 to January 26, 2017.
How sulfidation of ZnO powders enhances visible fluorescence

The mechanism for producing efficient white light phosphors from sulfidated zinc oxide (ZnO) powders is elucidated. ZnO powders prepared by vacuum annealing produce powders of oxygen-deficient ZnO:Zn, while ZnO powders annealed in a sulfur atmosphere produce a doped ZnO core with a radially-increasing sulfur concentration gradient capped by a shell of zinc sulfide (ZnS) domains, ZnO:S/ZnS. As compared to ZnO:Zn powders, the intensity and quantum efficiency of the broad, green-tinted white defect fluorescence more than doubled for the ZnO:S/ZnS powders. This fluorescence is mediated by certain neutral donor-bound excitons (DBEs), and it is found that the DBE lifetime and the rate of energy transfer to the defect emission band increases for the ZnO:S/ZnS powders. These DBEs are destroyed by photoexcited free holes, and the hypothesis that they are removed by the type-II band alignment of the ZnS cap with the ZnO:S core is confirmed when ZnO:Zn and ZnO:S/ZnS powders under vacuum are dosed with the hole scavenger methanol: defect emission increases as the free hole concentration decreases. The highest ZnO:S/ZnS quantum efficiency occurs when excited through an impurity band, also produced by sulfur doping, whose energy coincides with the light emitting diodes used for commercial solid state lighting.
Loss of dopaminergic neurons in parkinsonism: possible role of reactive dopamine metabolites

Parkinson’s disease affects one out of every 100 people above the age of 55. Its cause is unknown and although the symptoms can be treated, there is no cure. The disease is associated with the selective loss of neurons that contain biogenic amines, and among these it is the dopamine (DA) neurons of the nigrostraital projection that are the most consistently and severely affected (Bernheimer et al., 1973). In this review we discuss the possibility that DA may act as an endogenous neurotoxin, causing the degeneration of the very neurons that release it. We further suggest that although treatments which increase the synthesis and release of DA reduce the symptoms, they also may serve to exacerbate the neurodegenerative process. We propose that the treatments which increase the antioxidant capacity of brain may be protective.
Editorial: Creating the Future, Preserving the Past

The responsibilities of my position as head of Central Technical Services for Rutgers University Libraries include oversight for acquisitions, cataloging, and the creation of non-MARC metadata for digital projects. Like many libraries, my institution has experienced budget cuts that have reduced the number of print materials that can be acquired and made accessible to our user community. Although a great deal of information is now provided electronically, we continue to acquire print resources for many reasons. For example, science selectors have argued that chemical equations and other figures are easier to read in print and do not display well in e-books. Other disciplines, such as art history, are better served by print. Smaller presses might not be able to afford to publish electronically and only provide print titles.
TIMES: Temporal Information Maximally Extracted from Structures

Inferring the node arrival sequence from a snapshot of a dynamic network is an important problem, with applications ranging from identifying sources of contagion to flow of capital in financial transaction networks. Variants of this problem have received significant recent research attention, including results on infeasibility of solution for prior formulations. We present a new formulation of the problem that admits probabilistic solutions for broad classes of dynamic network models. Instantiating our framework for a preferential attachment model, we present effectively computable and practically tight bounds on the tradeoff curve between optimal achievable precision and density/recall. We also present efficient algorithms for partial recovery of node arrival orders and derive theoretical and empirical performance bounds on the precision and density/recall of our methods in comparison to the best possible. We validate our methods through experiments on both synthetic and real networks to show that their performance is robust to model changes, and that they yield excellent results in practice. We also demonstrate their utility in the context of a novel application in analysis of the human brain connectome to draw new insights into the functional and structural organization and evolution of the human brain.
PhO2: Smartphone based Blood Oxygen Level Measurement Systems using Near-IR and RED Wave-guided Light

Accurately measuring and monitoring patient's blood oxygen level plays a critical role in today's clinical diagnosis and healthcare practices. Existing techniques however either require a dedicated hardware or produce inaccurate measurements. To fill in this gap, we propose a phone-based oxygen level estimation system, called PhO2, using camera and flashlight functions that are readily available on today's off-the-shelf smart phones. Since phone's camera and flashlight are not made for this purpose, utilizing them for oxygen level estimation poses many challenges. We introduce a cost-effective add-on together with a set of algorithms for spatial and spectral optical signal modulation to amplify the optical signal of interest while minimizing noise. A light-based pressure detection algorithm and feedback mechanism are also proposed to mitigate the negative impacts of user's behavior during the measurement. We also derive a non-linear referencing model that allows PhO2 to estimate the oxygen level from color intensity ratios produced by smartphone's camera. An evaluation using a custom-built optical element on COTS smartphone with 6 subjects shows that PhO2 can estimate the oxygen saturation within 3.5% error rate comparing to FDA-approved gold standard pulse oximetry. A user study to gauge the reception of PhO2 shows that users are comfortable self-operating the device, and willing to carry the device when going out.
Assessment of the Use of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone in Psoriatic Arthritis

BackgroundA 39-amino-acid peptide of the natural form of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) was designed to provide a prolonged release after administration by intramuscular or subcutaneous injecti...
The Semantics of Event-Based Nominals

In this paper, I examine the set of agentive nominals and argue that, in spite of their heterogenous behavior, we can find generalizations by characterizing their semantic properties in terms of the stage-level and individual -level distinction. This parallel with the domain of predicates provides a useful semantic classification of the class of agentive nouns and explains a range of syntactic phenomena as well as issues of semantic interpretation.
Brunei: A Country with Surplus Balance of Payments

Brunei is one of the smallest countries in Southeast Asia, but it is the richest in terms of per capita income. It is situated on the north coast of the island of Borneo (Kalimantan) and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sarawak. On the north, Brunei is bordered by the South China Sea. The state is, in fact, two separate but unequal areas of land. The capital, Bander Seri Begawan, is situated in the larger western part of the two enclaves of Sarawak.
Transdifferentiation of Mouse Fibroblasts and Hepatocytes to Functional Neurons

Nuclear reprogramming by defined transcription factors became of broad interest in 2006 with the work of Takahashi and Yamanaka (Cell 126:663-676, 2006), but the first example of cell fate reshaping via ectopic expression of transcription factor was provided back in 1987 when Davis and colleagues induced features of a muscle cell in fibroblast using the muscle transcription factor MyoD (Davis et al., Cell 51:987-1000, 1987). In 2010 our laboratory described how forced expression of the three neuronal transcription factors Ascl1, Brn2, and Myt1l rapidly converts mouse fibroblasts into neuronal cells that exhibit biochemical and electrophysiological properties of neurons. We named these cells induced neuronal cells (iN cells) (Vierbuchen et al., Nature 463:1035-1041, 2010; Vierbuchen and Wernig, Nat Biotechnol 29:892-907, 2011). Interestingly, iN cells can also be derived from defined endodermal cells such as primary hepatocytes, suggesting the existence of a more general reprogramming paradigm (Marro et al., Cell Stem Cell 9:374-382, 2011). In this chapter we describe the detailed methods used to attain the direct conversion.
Service Innovation—A Jobs-to-Be-Done Guide

True service innovation requires a shift in focus away from what the company sells to what the customer is trying to achieve–their job(s)-to-be-done. This chapter offers four fundamental truths about customer jobs-to-be-done to guide service innovation. Based on these truths, the chapter then introduces a framework for identifying distinct customer jobs that can guide meaningful service innovation. The chapter concludes by presenting an unbounded view of ways a company can help customers get their jobs done more successfully.
Vehicle Configuration Design Using Cellular-Division and Level-Set Based Topology Optimization

In this research, a combination of global-local optimization with the possibility of multi-objective trade-off solutions is considered for vehicle configuration design. At global-level, many potential configurations are created as initial designs using cellular-division method for design space exploration. At local-level, level-set method optimizes these initial shapes for strict constraint satisfaction. A combination of these two approaches with their individual strengths are synergistically integrated for evolving a configuration from an open-ended design space for better optima. This research demonstrates the framework using several benchmark problems of topology optimization.
Jaccard Affiliation Graph (JAG) model for explaining overlapping community behaviors

Understanding overlapping community structures is crucial for network analysis and prediction. AGM (Affiliation Graph Model) is one of the favorite models for explaining the densely overlapped community structures. In this paper, we thoroughly re-investigate the assumptions made by the AGM model on real datasets. We find that the AGM model is not sufficient to explain several empirical behaviors observed in popular real-world networks. To our surprise, all our experimental results can be explained by a parameter-free hypothesis, leading to more straightforward modeling than AGM which has many parameters. Based on these findings, we propose a parameter-free Jaccard-based Affiliation Graph (JAG) model which models the probability of edge as a network specific constant times the Jaccard similarity between community sets associated with the individuals. Our modeling is significantly simpler than AGM, and it eliminates the need of associating a parameter, the probability value, with each community. Furthermore, JAG model naturally explains why (and in fact when) overlapping communities are densely connected. Based on these observations, we propose a new community-driven friendship formation process, which mathematically recovers the JAG model. JAG is the first model that points towards a direct causal relationship between tight connections in the given community with the number of overlapping communities inside it. Thus, the most effective way to bring a community together is to form more sub-communities within it. The community detection algorithm based on our modeling demonstrates a significantly simple algorithm with state-of-the-art accuracy on six real-world network datasets compared to the existing link analysis based methods.
A Concurrent Dual-Beam Phased-Array Doppler Radar Using MIMO Beamforming Techniques for Short-Range Vital-Signs Monitoring

This paper presents the theoretical and experimental results of a new approach for multitarget vital-signs monitoring using an electromagnetic-based Doppler radar. A phased-array radar is designed and implemented using a hybrid beamforming architecture to generate two simultaneous beams. The proposed system significantly mitigates the phase collision problem in the presence of multiple targets. Comprehensive discussions on the theory of multibeam systems alongside detailed simulations are provided. For the purpose of demonstration, a prototype dual-beam phased-array continuous-wave Doppler radar has been designed and implemented at 2.4 GHz. The system is fully characterized, and the measurement results confirm the feasibility of the proposed method. The experimental measurements show that for the first time, the breathing rates of two individuals can be monitored at the same time and using the same frequency. Several practical aspects of the system are examined, and a pilot study on the subject tracking is presented. The proposed dual-beam system prevents the phase collision of the signatures of the targets and hence provides multiperson detection capability to the system.
Catalysts of Change: An Examination of Coaches' Leadership Practices in Framing a Reading Reform (2015).

Using framing theory to analyze reading coaches’ leadership practices, this article surfaces the competency of framing reform. It presents findings from a qualitative case study of coaches’ work in...
Methodological limitations in the measurement and statistical modeling of violence among adults with mental illness

OBJECTIVES Methodological limitations of extant research hinder the development of effective violence risk screening, assessment, and management strategies for adults with mental illness. This study quantifies the effects of three common limitations: (a) insensitive measurement of violence that results in violence classification with high levels of information bias, (b) use of cross-sectional data, and (c) use of data lacking spatiotemporal contiguity. METHODS We utilize secondary data (N = 3,000 participants; N = 10,017 observations) and parametric and nonparametric bootstrap simulation methodologies. RESULTS Not utilizing self-reported violence data increases information bias. Furthermore, cross-sectional data that exclude self-reported violence produce biased associations between substance use and psychiatric symptoms and violence. Associations between baseline variables and subsequent violence attenuate over longer time lags and, when paired with high levels of violence information bias, result in fewer significant effects than should be present. Moreover, the true direction of the simulated relationship of some significant effects is reversed. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the validity of conclusions from some extant research on violence among adults with mental illness should be questioned. Efforts are needed to improve both the measurement of violence, through inclusion of self-report, and the statistical modeling of violence, using lagged rather than nonlagged models with improved spatiotemporal contiguity.
Randomized within-subject trial to evaluate smokers' initial perceptions, subjective effects and nicotine delivery across six vaporized nicotine products.

Author(s): Voos, Natalie; Kaiser, Lisa; Mahoney, Martin C; Bradizza, Clara M; Kozlowski, Lynn T; Benowitz, Neal L; O'Connor, Richard J; Goniewicz, Maciej L | Abstract: Background and aimsVaporized nicotine products (VNPs) can vary in important characteristics including size, shape, flavor and nicotine yield. We examined whether complex interactions among these characteristics could affect smokers' VNP perceptions and usage patterns.DesignA within-subject randomized cross-over trial.SettingRoswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, USA.ParticipantsEighteen daily cigarette smokers.MeasurementsParticipants attended eight weekly visits during which they sampled six different VNPs (disposable, rechargeable, eGO, mod, e-Cigar and e-Pipe) with tobacco-flavored e-liquid. Prior to device use, participants completed product-ranking questionnaires. Participants completed controlled puffing sessions during each of the six trials, after which satisfaction questionnaires were completed and blood samples were taken.FindingsInitial perceptions showed that the smallest device (disposable) was ranked as safer compared with a larger device (e-Pipe) (P l 0.05). Participants rated the eGO and mod devices higher on satisfaction and enjoyment from use, taste, pleasantness, harshness ('throat hit') and speed of effect, but lower on perceived health risk and embarrassment from use (P l 0.05). All devices had a lower Cmax than the combustible cigarette (P l 0.05), but there were differences among devices (P l 0.05). The mod, e-Pipe and eGO provided the highest amount of perceived smoking urge relief, and this correlated strongly with Cmax across all devices (R2 = 0.8614, P = 0.007). The perceived speed of urge relief was not correlated with Tmax (R2 = 0.0035, P = 0.911) CONCLUSIONS: Daily cigarette smokers testing six types of vaporized nicotine products (VNPs) reported that they varied in taste, amount of withdrawal relief, harshness, embarrassment from use, perceived health risk and subjective and objective nicotine delivery. The eGO and mod models have properties that may make them most effective for cigarette substitution among smokers who intend to switch to a VNP.
Approximate Inference in Continuous Determinantal Processes

Determinantal point processes (DPPs) are random point processes well-suited for modeling repulsion. In machine learning, the focus of DPP-based models has been on diverse subset selection from a discrete and finite base set. This discrete setting admits an efficient sampling algorithm based on the eigendecomposition of the defining kernel matrix. Recently, there has been growing interest in using DPPs defined on continuous spaces. While the discrete-DPP sampler extends formally to the continuous case, computationally, the steps required are not tractable in general. In this paper, we present two efficient DPP sampling schemes that apply to a wide range of kernel functions: one based on low rank approximations via Nystrom and random Fourier feature techniques and another based on Gibbs sampling. We demonstrate the utility of continuous DPPs in repulsive mixture modeling and synthesizing human poses spanning activity spaces.
Use of Skeletal Myoblasts for the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure

Recent investigation of cell transplantation has provided new hope for the treatment of heart failure, a historically incurable disease. Although multiple cell types and delivery techniques have been employed, no clear consensus has been reached as to the superiority of any single method. Skeletal myoblasts have several unique properties that make them an attractive cell type for use in the clinical arena. Most importantly they are autologous, readily available, and easily harvested and expanded ex vivo. Furthermore, they can be modified genetically to optimize engraftment. Their successful use in animal studies has justified several clinical trials in the United States and Europe. Autologous engraftment of skeletal myoblasts in patients has been associated with modest improvements in cardiac function. The mechanisms by which these cells might exert their positive effect remain in question, but a direct contribution to contractile function seems unlikely. Enthusiasm for these cells has further been tempered by an apparent arrhythmogenic risk. This chapter explores the use of skeletal myoblasts for the treatment of heart failure. The preclinical and clinical data published to date are reviewed. The ultimate role of these cells in the clinical armamentarium of heart failure treatments will depend on the results of ongoing studies. Regardless of their future, the use of skeletal myoblasts has provided important insights in the burgeoning field of cell therapy for heart failure.
Objective Detection of Cigarette Smoking from Physiological Sensor Signals

Cigarette smoking has severe health impacts on those who smoke and the people around them. Several wearable sensing modalities have recently been investigated to collect objective data on daily smoking, including detection of smoking episodes from breathing patterns, hand to mouth behavior, and characteristic hand gestures or cigarette lighting events. In order to provide new insight into ongoing research on the objective collection of smoking-related events, this paper proposes a novel method to identify smoking events from the associated changes in heart rate parameters specific to smoking. The proposed method also accounts for the breathing rate and body motion of the person who is smoking to better distinguish these changes from intense physical activities. In this research, a human study was first performed on 20 daily cigarette smokers to record heart rate, breathing rate, and body acceleration collected from a wearable chest sensor consisting of an ECG and bioimpedance measurement sensor and a 3D inertial sensor. Each participant spent ~2 hours in a laboratory environment (mimicking daily activities that included smoking 4 cigarettes) and ~24 hours under unconstrained free-living conditions. A support vector machine-based classifier was developed to automatically detect smoking episodes from the captured sensor signals using fifteen features selected by a forward-feature selection method. In a leave one subject out cross-validation, the proposed approach detected smoking events (187 out of total 232) with the sensitivity and F-score accuracy of 0.87 and 0.79, respectively, in the laboratory setting (known activities) and 0.77 and 0.61, respectively, under free-living conditions. These results validate the proof-of-concept that, although further research is necessary for performance improvement, characteristic changes in heart rate parameters could be a useful indicator of cigarette smoking even under free-living conditions.
Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI model selection for predicting tumor aggressiveness in papillary thyroid cancers.

The purpose of this study was to identify the optimal tracer kinetic model from T1 -weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) data and evaluate whether parameters estimated from the optimal model predict tumor aggressiveness determined from histopathology in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) prior to surgery. In this prospective study, 18 PTC patients underwent pretreatment DCE-MRI on a 3 T MR scanner prior to thyroidectomy. This study was approved by the institutional review board and informed consent was obtained from all patients. The two-compartment exchange model, compartmental tissue uptake model, extended Tofts model (ETM) and standard Tofts model were compared on a voxel-wise basis to determine the optimal model using the corrected Akaike information criterion (AICc) for PTC. The optimal model is the one with the lowest AICc. Statistical analysis included paired and unpaired t-tests and a one-way analysis of variance. Bonferroni correction was applied for multiple comparisons. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated from the optimal model parameters to differentiate PTC with and without aggressive features, and AUCs were compared. ETM performed best with the lowest AICc and the highest Akaike weight (0.44) among the four models. ETM was preferred in 44% of all 3419 voxels. The ETM estimates of Ktrans in PTCs with the aggressive feature extrathyroidal extension (ETE) were significantly higher than those without ETE (0.78 ± 0.29 vs. 0.34 ± 0.18 min-1 , P = 0.005). From ROC analysis, cut-off values of Ktrans , ve and vp , which discriminated between PTCs with and without ETE, were determined at 0.45 min-1 , 0.28 and 0.014 respectively. The sensitivities and specificities were 86 and 82% (Ktrans ), 71 and 82% (ve ), and 86 and 55% (vp ), respectively. Their respective AUCs were 0.90, 0.71 and 0.71. We conclude that ETM Ktrans has shown potential to classify tumors with and without aggressive ETE in patients with PTC.
Involvement of Sirt1 in ultraviolet radiation mediated damages and transformation of skin keratinocytes

4826 Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a well-established causative factor for non-melanoma skin cancers, precancerous conditions such as actinic keratoses and skin aging. Further, like several other cancers, skin cancer is believed to be associated with aging. Therefore, it may be useful to decipher the molecular determinant(s) that connect skin aging and skin cancer. Sirtuins are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+))-dependent deacetylases which have been implicated in the process of aging. Studies are increasingly suggesting that Sirtuins may be involved in cancer development. Sirt1 is the most well studied member of sirtuin family that has been shown to be linked to cell longevity through a number of biological functions such as gene silencing, apoptosis, fatty acid metabolism, oxidative stress and regulation of cellular life span. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that Sirt1 plays a critical role in the UV response including UV-induced transformation of skin keratinocytes. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effect of UVA (0.1 to 0.4 J/cm2) and UVB (10 to 200 mJ/cm2), alone or in combination, on Sirt1 in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK), hTERT immortalized keratinocytes (N/TERT-1) and HaCaT immortalized keratinocytes. Studies have shown that repeated UVA and UVB exposures leads to a transformed phenotype in HaCaT keratinocytes. Single UVA or UVB treatment to NHEK cells resulted in an initial increase followed by a decrease in Sirt1 protein levels. Interestingly, single UVA or UVB treatment to N/TERT-1 or HaCaT cells resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in Sirt1 protein levels as well as Sirt1 activity. Further, repeated exposures to N/TERT-1 and HaCaT keratinocytes with a combination of UVA and UVB resulted in an initial decrease in Sirt1 protein. However, Sirt1 protein and activity levels were found to be appreciably upregulated when keratinocytes became transformed. This increased Sirt1 activity was associated with decrease in p53 levels in both N/TERT-1 cells which contain normal p53 as well as HaCaT cells with mutated p53. Further, treatment of UV-transformed N/TERT-1 and HaCaT keratinocytes with Sirt1 inhibitor nicotinamide resulted in an induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Taken together, our data suggested that Sirt1 plays an important role in UV response including UV-induced keratinocyte cell transformation. Based on our study, we suggest that Sirt1 manipulation should be evaluated as a strategy for the management of UV-damages including skin cancer and skin aging.
Simulating fermions in spin-dependent potentials with spin models on an energy lattice

We study spin-1/2 fermions in spin-dependent potentials under the spin-model approximation, in which interatomic collisions that change the total occupation of single-particle modes are ignored. The spin-model approximation maps the interacting fermion problem to an ensemble of lattice spin models in energy space, where spin-spin interactions are long range and spin anisotropic. We consider a Ramsey-type sequence in which quantum degenerate, initially spin-polarized fermions are rotated to a spin superposition, and the differences in potential for the two spin states induce $s$-wave interactions. Applied to such a setup, we show that the spin-model approximation qualitatively captures the collective spin dynamics for weak interactions compared to the harmonic-oscillator frequency, and often captures quantitative features at timescales much longer than would be expected from perturbation theory. We explore corrections to the spin model, and the relative importance of corrections for both collective spin and fidelity metrics when realistic anharmonic potential corrections are taken into account, demonstrating that anharmonicity can significantly improve the fidelity of the spin-model approximation. Additionally, we present numerical techniques that are useful for analysis of spin models on an energy lattice, including enacting a change of single-particle basis on a many-body state as an effective time evolution, and fitting of spatially inhomogeneous long-range interactions with exponentials. This latter technique is useful for constructing matrix product operators for use in density-matrix renormalization group analyses, and may have broader applicability within the tensor network community.
Errores de interpretación en el Sendebar: el cuento Nomina y las mujeres

La compleja transmision textual del Sendebar (1253), que solo en su rama oriental se ha conservado en versiones en arabe, persa, griego, siriaco, hebreo y castellano, ha provocado que muchos de sus cuentos se hayan transmitido imperfectamente. De entre todos ellos destacan por su problematica los que conservan referencias culturales de la India, de Persia o del mundo arabe que en cada sucesiva traduccion fueron perdiendo mas y mas matices. En este articulo analizamos uno de ellos, el denominado Nomina, al que la critica ha considerado problematico, mal transmitido y alejado tematicamente del resto de la rama oriental. Por el contrario, nuestra lectura propone que en realidad son los criticos los que han interpretado erroneamente una oracion clave del relato y, con ella, el resto de la narracion, que no solo no se aparta del resto de versiones de su rama, sino que encaja a la perfeccion con ellas.
Reevaluation of Astrocyte-Neuron Energy Metabolism with Astrocyte Volume Fraction Correction: Impact on Cellular Glucose Oxidation Rates, Glutamate–Glutamine Cycle Energetics, Glycogen Levels and Utilization Rates vs. Exercising Muscle, and Na+/K+ Pumping Rates

Accurate quantification of cellular contributions to rates of substrate utilization in resting, activated, and diseased brain is essential for interpretation of data from studies using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose-positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET) and [13C]glucose/magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). A generally-accepted dogma is that neurons have the highest energy demands of all brain cells, and calculated neuronal rates of glucose oxidation in awake, resting brain accounts for 70-80%, with astrocytes 20-30%. However, these proportions do not take cell type volume fractions into account. To evaluate the conclusion that neuron-astrocyte glucose oxidation rates are similar when adjusted for astrocytic volume fraction (Hertz, Magn Reson Imaging 2011; 29, 1319), the present study analyzed data from 31 studies. On average, astrocytes occupy 6.1, 9.6, and 15% of tissue volume in hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and cerebellum, respectively, and regional astrocytic metabolic rates are adjusted for volume fraction by multiplying by 17.6, 11.4, and 6.8, respectively. After adjustment, astrocytic glucose oxidation rates in resting awake rat brain are 4-10 fold higher than neuronal oxidation rates. Volume-fraction adjustment also increases brain glycogen concentrations and utilization rates to be similar to or exceed exercising muscle. Ion flux calculations to evaluate sodium/potassium homeostasis during neurotransmission are not correct if astrocyte-neuron volume fractions are assumed to be equal. High rates of glucose and glycogen utilization after adjustment for volume fraction indicate that astrocytic energy demands are much greater than recognized, with most of the ATP being used for functions other than glutamate processing in the glutamate-glutamine cycle, challenging the notion that astrocytes 'feed hungry neurons'.
Evidence for the Endocannabinoid System as a Therapeutic Target in the Treatment of Cannabis Use Disorder.

Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is highly prevalent. Psychotherapeutic treatment alone is not adequately effective, with few individuals achieving abstinence. Pharmacotherapeutic supplementation may improve efficacy, and the endocannabinoid system presents a target specifically dysregulated by heavy cannabis use. This review compiles current literature evaluating endocannabinoid modulation as a treatment strategy for CUD, with implications for future research. Cannabinoid receptor agonists have been found to reduce cannabis withdrawal symptoms without a notable effect on relapse, and antagonists can produce severe psychiatric symptoms. Fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitors and cannabidiol demonstrate the most promise in treating CUD thus far, but research with these compounds is still preliminary. Components of the endocannabinoid system may serve as unique treatment targets with differential efficacy for the treatment of cannabis use disorder as a whole. Further research is needed exploring novel methods for targeting endocannabinoid dysfunction in CUD.
Environmental Spinoffs: The Attempt to Dump Liability Through Spin and Bankruptcy

Environmental costs are a legal obligation of companies and proper corporate governance requires that they be dealt with responsibly. Unfortunately, disturbing examples exist where companies have taken aggressive action to separate their businesses from exposure to their legacy liabilities. In this Closer Look, we examine the practice of spinning off environmental liabilities into a separate company that is inadequately capitalized to satisfy them, in what appears, in retrospect, to be an egregious attempt to avoid legal obligation. We ask: • How widespread is this type of activity among companies with environmental liabilities? • How rigorous, accurate, and reliable are estimates of liability at the time of spinoff? • Do companies take advantage of accounting rules to low-ball estimates? • How much underlying analysis does the board of directors review regarding environmental liabilities and capital structure prior to a spinoff? • Are restrictions against fraudulent conveyance strict enough to prevent companies from assigning liabilities that a spinoff ultimately cannot handle? • Do parent companies experience a net positive impact from their decision to spin off these liabilities?
Decolonizing cartography and ontological conflict: Counter-mapping in Colombia and “cartographies otherwise”

Abstract Discussions in decolonial literature have recently drawn on the concept of “ontological conflict” to reflect on the conflictual entanglements of diverse cosmologies. In Latin America (as elsewhere) these conflicts are frequently of a territorial nature, with indigenous and black communities making claims to communal land rights as indispensable part of their respective ways of being-in-the-world, which the post-colonial state has increasingly begun to acknowledge, often in the form of new political constitutions. In this article I examine the role of cartography in the resolution of such ontological conflicts; in particular a participatory mapping exercise in Colombia known as “social cartography,” which aims to challenge dominant cartographic representations and empowering local communities vis-a-vis the state. At the same time, I reflect on the limits of such an emancipatory vision and on the ways in which Colombia's version of counter-mapping has been coopted by dominant power. Inspired by the Modernity/Coloniality/Decoloniality framework, I contextualize this experience within other radical mapping exercises, or “cartographies otherwise,” in places such as Australia, Palestine and the Straits of Gibraltar, to finally suggest that the art of decolonizing cartography may be seen as a tool of Hardt & Negri's project of a multitude in resistance.
Numerical Calculations on Electron-Impact Ionization

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses numerical calculations on the electron impact ionization of single-electron systems at energies near threshold. The wave packet method is simply a numerical experiment whose advantage is that because the wave packet is ever confined to a finite region of position space; no boundary conditions are required on the wave function. The procedure is particularly suited to breakup problems where the asymptotic boundary conditions are uncertain. Another method, the finite element procedure include its ability to handle the Coulomb singularity, the capability of using grids with variable spacing, for example, taking larger steps at large r 1 than near r 1 = 0), great flexibility in treating different metrics and coordinate systems and above all, its inherent stability.
Automated Processing of Digitized Historical Newspapers: Identification of Segments and Genres

Many historical newspapers are being digitized. We aim to support access to them via text analysis of the OCRd content. However, the OCR includes many errors; so extracting meaningful content from it is difficult. A pipeline of processing steps is proposed. Here, we describe the first two steps: segmentation and genre identification. The segmentation procedure based on headings was quite successful. Genre identification worked well for easily defined genre categories such as weather reports. We also propose additional techniques which may improve the accuracy still farther.
CLOSURE ON ANALYSIS OF CIRCULAR FOOTINGS ON LAYERED SOILS

THE WRITERS AGREE WITH BANERJEE THAT APPROPRIATE CONSTITUTIVE RELATIONS SHOULD BE USED FOR REALISTIC SOLUTIONS. BECAUSE OF LIMITATIONS IN EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES AND RESTRICTIONS OF NUMERICAL SCHEMES FOR ALLOWING VARIABLE MODULI, ENGINEERING ANALYSTS MUST RESORT TO TESTS AND PROCEDURES THAT SIMULATE ACTUAL BEHAVIOR AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE. IN THE PARTICULAR CASE, THE FOOTING COULD BE CONVENIENTLY INCORPORATED AS A DISCRETIZED BODY. THE DISCUSSER'S SUGGESTIONS ABOUT A FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS ARE EVALUATED. THE COMMENTS OF GIROUD REGARDING THE PLOTS FOR SIGMA SUB Z AND TAU SUB RZ /OR GAMMA Z - ABSTRACTOR/ ARE QUITE IN ORDER.
Robust traffic sign recognition with feature extraction and k-NN classification methods

In this paper, a robust traffic sign recognition system is introduced for driver assistance applications and/or autonomous cars. The system incorporates two major operations, traffic sign detection and classification. The sign detection is based on color segmentation and incorporates hue detection, morphological filter and labeling. A nearest neighbor classifier is introduced for sign classification. The training features are extracted by SURF algorithm. Three feature extraction strategies are compared to find an optimal feature database for training. The proposed system benefits from the SURF algorithm, which achieves invariance to the rotated, skewed and occluded signs. Extensive experimental results show detection accuracy reaching up to 97.54%.