cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Attachment Theory and Reactive Attachment Disorder: Theoretical Perspectives and Treatment Implications

TOPIC: Attachment theory and reactive attachment disorder (RAD). PURPOSE: To highlight current perspectives on attachment theory, RAD, and treatment implications using a case study of an 8-year-old patient with RAD. SOURCES: Selected multidisciplinary literature related to attachment theory and RAD. CONCLUSIONS: The literature provides a body of work that substantiates the importance of early attachment relationships to human development and highlights gaps in our knowledge related to treatment of children with RAD. The quality of early attachment relationships is correlated with future personality and brain development. Attachment disturbances are associated with psychopathology in childhood and adulthood. Although evidence for the effective treatment of children with attachment disorders is minimal and inconclusive, the two major perspectives, developmental psychology and neuropsychoanalysis, offer guidelines for practice. Language: en
Evaluating and grading student course work product design: a creative approach

Engineering design courses such as the Senior Capstone Design Project Course or the Creative Product Design require students to utilize their creative design talents. Teaching a student how to think "out-of-the-box" or to be creative is made even more difficult (if it is possible at all to teach) when the time comes to evaluate and grade the creates solutions that are offered by the students. A constant refrain from the student to the instructor is "What makes you (the instructor) the expert" or "Why is your (the instructor's) design solution better (i.e more creative and simpler) than mine?". In any creative environment where the art of the solution is as much a part of the solution as the science, the qualification of a creative solution is inherently very subjective and the student's reaction to a poor grade may not be unwarranted and forces the instructor to be creative in the method(s) of teaching and grading the course itself. This paper identifies a protocol for an evaluation of a midterm exam in engineering product design that has been followed by the author with some success; if success can be judged by the battles that have been avoided between the instructor and the engineering design student.
Airborne surveys of snow depth over Arctic sea ice

During the spring of 2009, an ultrawideband microwave radar was deployed as part of Operation IceBridge to provide the first cross-basin surveys of snow thickness over Arctic sea ice. In this paper, we analyze data from three approx 2000 km transects to examine detection issues, the limitations of the current instrument, and the regional variability of the retrieved snow depth. Snow depth is the vertical distance between the air \snow and snow-ice interfaces detected in the radar echograms. Under ideal conditions, the per echogram uncertainty in snow depth retrieval is approx 4 - 5 cm. The finite range resolution of the radar (approx 5 cm) and the relative amplitude of backscatter from the two interfaces limit the direct retrieval of snow depths much below approx 8 cm. Well-defined interfaces are observed over only relatively smooth surfaces within the radar footprint of approx 6.5 m. Sampling is thus restricted to undeformed, level ice. In early April, mean snow depths are 28.5 +/- 16.6 cm and 41.0 +/- 22.2 cm over first-year and multiyear sea ice (MYI), respectively. Regionally, snow thickness is thinner and quite uniform over the large expanse of seasonal ice in the Beaufort Sea, and gets progressively thicker toward the MYI cover north of Ellesmere Island, Greenland, and the Fram Strait. Snow depth over MYI is comparable to that reported in the climatology by Warren et al. Ongoing improvements to the radar system and the utility of these snow depth measurements are discussed.
The Mark of Zorro: Effects of the Exotic Annual Grass Vulpia myuros on California Native Perennial Grasses

Native perennial grasses were once common in California prairies that are now dominated by annual grasses introduced from Europe. Competition from exotics may be a principal impediment to reestablishment of native perennial grasses. Introduced annual grasses, such as Vulpia myuros (zorro fescue), are often included with native perennial species in revegetation seed mixtures used in California. To examine the potential suppressive effect of this graminoid, we evaluated the growth and performance of a mixture of California native perennial grasses and resident weeds when grown with varying densities of V. myuros. The annual fescue exhibited a strongly plastic growth response to plant density, producing similar amounts of above-ground biomass at all seeding densities. Perennial grass seedling survival and aboveground biomass decreased and individuals became thinner (i.e., reduced weight-to-height ratio) with increasing V. myuros seeding density. V. myuros also significantly suppressed above-ground biomass and densities of weeds and had a more negative effect on weed densities than on native perennial grass densities. Biomass of native grasses and weeds was not differentially affected by increasing densities of V. myuros. Overall, because V. myuros significantly reduced the survival and performance of the mixture of native perennial grasses and this effect increased with increasing V. myuros density, we conclude that including this exotic annual in native seed mixtures is counterproductive to restoration efforts.
Gaussian broadcast channels with receiver message side information

This paper considers the problem of communicating private messages over Gaussian broadcast channels with receiver message side information and proposes a separate physical and network coding strategy that combines layered codes and linear index codes. Though generally suboptimal, the proposed separate physical and network coding scheme is shown to achieve the capacity region of the channel within one bit per user with less or equal to three users for any given channel parameters and any given side information configuration.
A Look at the Surface-Based Temperature Inversion on the Antarctic Plateau

Data from radiosondes, towers, and a thermistor string are used to characterize the temperature inversion at two stations: the Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole, and the somewhat higher and colder Dome C Station at a lower latitude. Ten years of temperature data from a 22-m tower at the South Pole are analyzed. The data include 2- and 22-m temperatures for the entire period and 13-m temperatures for the last 2 yr. Statistics of the individual temperatures and the differences among the three levels are presented for summer (December and January) and winter (April–September). The relationships of temperature and inversion strength in the lowest 22 m with wind speed and downward longwave flux are examined for the winter months. Two preferred regimes, one warming and one cooling, are found in the temperature versus longwave flux data, but the physical causes of these regimes have not been determined. The minimum temperatures and the maximum inversions tend to occur not with calm winds, but with winds of 3–5 m s 1 , likely due to the inversion wind. This inversion wind also explains why the near-surface winds at South Pole blow almost exclusively from the northeast quadrant. Temperature data from the surface to 2 m above the surface from South Pole in the winter of 2001 are presented, showing that the steepest temperature gradient in the entire atmosphere is in the lowest 20 cm. The median difference between the temperatures at 2 m and the surface is over 1.0 K in winter; under clear skies this difference increases to about 1.3 K. Monthly mean temperature profiles of the lowest 30 km of the atmosphere over South Pole are presented, based on 10 yr of radiosonde data. These profiles show large variations in lower-stratospheric temperatures, and in the strength and depth of the surface-based inversion. The near-destruction of a strong inversion at South Pole durin g7ho n 8September 1992 is examined using a thermal-conductivity model of the snowpack, driven by the measured downward longwave flux. The downward flux increased when a cloud moved over the station, and it seems that this increase in radiation alone can explain the magnitude and timing of the warming near the surface. Temperature data from the 2003/04 and 2004/05 summers at Dome C Station are presented to show the effects of the diurnal cycle of solar elevation over the Antarctic Plateau. These data include surface temperature and 2- and 30-m air temperatures, as well as radiosonde air temperatures. They show that strong inversions, averaging 10 K between the surface and 30 m, develop quickly at night when the sun is low in the sky, but are destroyed during the middle of the day. The diurnal temperature range at the surface was 13 K, but only 3 K at 30 m.
Response to: Is the pro-choice position for infanticide ‘madness’?

As Charles Camosy observes, he and I agree more than we disagree. He believes with no less conviction than I do that deliberately killing infant children is profoundly morally wrong and a grave violation of human rights.1 So where do we disagree? I think that killing infant children, or promoting the moral permissibility of doing so, is moral madness, and that we should say so, rather than treating infanticide as just one more legitimate, albeit in the end morally mistaken view. We owe this to potential victims of the potential mainstreaming of support for infanticide. Professor Camosy suggests that my view, or its public expression, is uncharitable towards advocates of infanticide and ‘at variance with a Christian …
Science Signaling Podcast: 11 November 2008

This is a conversation with two of the authors of a Research Article published in the 11 November issue of Science Signaling . They explain how combining a functional genetics screen with proteomics data provides new insight into Wnt signaling in a particular human cell line.
Novel Batteryless Wireless Sensor for Traffic-Flow Measurement

This paper presents a novel batteryless wireless sensor that can be embedded in the road and used for the measurement of traffic-flow rate. Compared with existing inductive loop-based traffic sensors, the new sensor is expected to provide increased reliability, easy installation, and low cost. The sensor requires no external power source and has zero idle power loss. Energy to power this sensor is harvested from the short-duration vibrations that result when an automobile passes over the sensor. Since much of the earlier work in literature on vibration energy harvesting has focused on continuous sources of vibration, this paper focuses on short-duration vibrations and on developing low-power control algorithms that can be implemented on the sensor using an analog circuit. To this effect, this paper develops and compares three control algorithms: 1) “fixed threshold switching,” 2) “maximum voltage switching,” and 3) “switched inductor.” The “switched inductor” algorithm is shown to be the most effective at maximizing harvested energy. Experimental results are presented and validate the fact that adequate energy can be harvested from each passing vehicle to enable successful wireless transmission of traffic data.
Trends and influences of al Qaeda in Iraq during operation Iraqi freedom

The purpose of this study is to better understand trends and influences of terrorist behavior of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and related groups during and directly following Operation Iraqi Freedom. Terror attacks in Iraq carried out by AQI from 2003 through 2012 were analyzed, with data taken from the Global Terrorism Database. Trends in the data were examined to determine the impact of a variety of events including religious holidays, elections both in Iraq and in the USA, the US troop ‘surge’, the Anbar Awakening, the killing of terrorist leaders, and the drawdown and eventual withdrawal of US troops from the country. Changes tracked included frequency fluctuations of attacks, various types and targets of attacks, and severity of attacks (measured by the number of fatalities an attack produced). The analyses indicate that when planning and conducting terrorist attacks, AQI terrorists are tactical though not necessarily driven by a commitment to regularly carry out attacks in connection with certain signific...
Effect of Layer Thickness and Orientation on Mechanical Behavior of Binder Jet Stainless Steel 420 + Bronze Parts

Abstract The aim of this research is to determine the effect of process parameters of Binder Jet manufactured Stainless Steel 420 + Bronze parts on the mechanical properties such as tensile strength, yield strength and elastic modulus. Different process parameters such as layer thickness and part orientation during the printing were varied. A full factorial design of experiments matrix was made by varying 3 different layer thicknesses (50 μm, 100 μm and 200 μm) and 5 different angles in different planes. ASTM E8 standard was used for tensile testing of the specimen and the results were compared. The testing showed that different parameters affect the properties in different manner. Layer thickness was very important to the mechanical properties because it changed the chemical composition of the product, while the part orientation had negligible effect. Based on various applications, different process parameters can be chosen to achieve the strength of a required component made by binder jetting of this material.
Transport of NH3/NH 4 + in oocytes expressing aquaporin-1

The aim of this study was to determine whether expressing aquaporin (AQP)-1 could affect transport of NH3. Using ion-selective microelectrodes, the experiments were conducted on frog oocytes (cells...
S‐allylmercaptocysteine inhibits cell proliferation and reduces the viability of erythroleukemia, breast, and prostate cancer cell lines

Abstract Organosulfur compounds are the biologically active components of allium vegetables. Many health benefits have been ascribed to them, including inhibition of carcinogenesis. Inasmuch as several of these thioallyl compounds are quite unstable and others are rapidly inactivated in the body, we have investigated one of the stable components present in aged garlic extract, S‐allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), in an effort to determine whether it can inhibit proliferation of cancer cells. Proliferation and viability of two erythroleukemia cell lines, HEL and OCIM‐1, two hormone‐responsive breast and prostate cancer cell lines, MCF‐7 and CRL‐1740, respectively, and normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells in response to different concentrations of SAMC were studied for up to two weeks. There were variations in sensitivity to this organosulfur compound in the different cell lines examined, but the two hormone‐responsive cancer cell lines of breast and prostate clearly were far more susceptible to the gro...
High Density Storage: From There to Here and Beyond

Abstract This article presents results from a national survey regarding library high density storage, as well as qualitative and quantitative analysis of various aspects of a library high density storage facility at a major academic research institution. Findings are contextualized within a discussion of the past, present, and potential future of library high density storage.
Effect of methylation on the side chain pKa value of arginine

Arginine methylation is important in biological systems. Recent studies link the deregulation of protein arginine methyltransferases with certain cancers. To assess the impact of methylation on interaction with other biomolecules, the pKa values of methylated arginine variants were determined using NMR data. The pKa values of monomethylated, symmetrically dimethylated, and asymmetrically dimethylated arginine are similar to the unmodified arginine (14.2 ± 0.4). Although the pKa value has not been significantly affected by methylation, consequences of methylation include changes in charge distribution and steric effects, suggesting alternative mechanisms for recognition.
Assimilative dynamic addiction psychotherapy.

The present article contains a discussion of Assimilative Dynamic Addiction Psycho- Therapy (ADAPT)—an assimilative integrative psychodynamic psychotherapy for the treatment of people with addictive disorders. This article focuses on the treatment of people who are diagnosed with a substance use disorder. The ADAPT approach uses a psychodynamic model of substance use disorder psychopathology while advocating for a technically flexible and integrative psychotherapeutic treatment practice. A clinical example of the treatment model is provided. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a signif- icant public health problem throughout most of the world. They are a costly problem that takes a large toll on the health and well-being of people with an SUD, their families and friends, and on society as a whole in terms of lost wages, family disruption, increased health prob- lems, drug-related crime, and legal and treat- ment expenditures. Indeed, total estimates of annual monetary costs are several hundred bil- lion dollars for the United States alone (Coombs, 2005). Understanding and treating SUDs occurs from many different perspectives (Frances, Miller, & Mack, 2005; Johnson, 1993). The self-medication hypothesis (Khantzian & Alba- nese, 2008) is a psychodynamic model of SUD that argues that people become substance abus- ers because they use drugs to cope with persis- tent and overwhelming painful emotions. Treat- ment based on the self-medication hypothesis uses an assimilative psychodynamic psycho- therapy integrative approach in which psy- chodynamic principles and therapeutic tech- niques exist at the treatment core, but other treatment interventions based on a variety of therapeutic models are integrated into the treat- ment based on the needs of the clinical situation (Khantzian & Albanese, 2008; Stricker, 2006; Tatarsky, 2007; Washton & Zweben, 2006).
On ramification filtrations and p-adic differential modules, I: the equal characteristic case

Let k be a complete discretely valued field of equal characteristic p>0 with possibly imperfect residue field, and let Gk be its Galois group. We prove that the conductors computed by the arithmetic ramification filtrations on Gk defined by Abbes and Saito (Amer. J. Math 124:5, 879–920) coincide with the differential Artin conductors and Swan conductors of Galois representations of Gk defined by Kedlaya (Algebra Number Theory 1:3, 269–300). As a consequence, we obtain a Hasse–Arf theorem for arithmetic ramification filtrations in this case. As applications, we obtain a Hasse–Arf theorem for finite flat group schemes; we also give a comparison theorem between the differential Artin conductors and Borger’s conductors (Math. Ann. 329:1, 1–30).
MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF A MAGNETO-RHEOLOGICAL SHOCK DAMPER

A magneto-rheological (MR) shock damper for a 12.7 mm machine gun test application is discussed. Based on Herschel-Bulkley shear model, a one-dimensional axisymmetric laminar flow model of the MR damper is constructed. The finite element analysis of magnetic field of the MR valve of the damper is done via ANSYS package, and the magnetic flux density of the annular duct of the MR valve is obtained. Combining the MR fluid flow model and the FEM model of the MR valve, the relation curves of damping force and piston velocity of the MR damper is computed. Using the force-velocity characteristics of the MR damper, a drop-mass impact test and a 12.7 mm gun firing test for the MR recoil damper is numerically simulated. The theoretical and experimental results are compared, and it indicates that good consistency between test and simulation can be achieved when applied magnetic field is low.
Design and Application of Knowledge Management and Intelligence Service System for Power Enterprises

Based on the theory of knowledge management(including knowledge generation,accumulation,communication and application),the knowledge management and intelligence service system has been established,applicable to the business development and network management in technology-based power enterprises.The system constitutes the enterprise knowledge system by sorting and integrating the enterprise's internal and external knowledge resources.The unstructured platform and modular design are adopted to realize knowledge storing,sorting,sharing and mining,as well as personalized intelligence service,providing valuable reference to the construction of enterprise knowledge system.
Constraints on Dbar Uplifts

We discuss constraints on KKLT/KKLMMT and LVS scenarios that use antibranes to get an uplift to a deSitter vacuum, coming from requiring the validity of an effective field theory description of the physics. We find these are not always satisfied or are hard to satisfy.
Capillary permeability: an albumin component attenuates active changes in Lp

The mechanisms whereby atrial natriuretic peptide (AP) acutely and reversibly elevates hydraulic conductivity (Lp) are not known. This is the second of two studies of the influence of perfusate albumin composition on AP alterations in capillary Lp. In this study, we investigated the effect of dialysis of the perfusate albumin. A 2.2-fold increase in frog (Rana pipiens) mesenteric microvessel Lp occurred when 100 nM AP was added to the control perfusate containing dialyzed, crystallized bovine serum albumin (DXL-BSA 10 mg/ml; n = 20). By contrast, Lp was unchanged by 100 nM AP in 10 mg/ml untreated, crystallized BSA (XL-BSA; n = 8). The response to AP was unaltered at DXL-BSA contents of 10, 20, or 30 mg/ml (2.4-, 2.2-, and 3.1-fold, respectively; n = 8). Dialysis of the albumin, per se, did not influence control Lp (LpXL-BSA/LpDXL-BSA = 1.0; n = 5). The receptor-independent nitrovasodilator, sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 1 microM) elevated Lp by 1.7-fold in DXL-BSA (n = 30). The response was abolished in XL-BSA (n = 8). We conclude that small hydrophilic albumin-associated substances antagonize AP- and SNP-induced elevations of exchange microvessel hydraulic conductance without interfering with albumin's role in the maintenance of normal exchange vessel permeability.
Surgical management of arterial peripheral vascular disease.

Much progress has been made in the past decade in the surgical management of arterial peripheral vascular disease. Future advances must be based on a better understanding of underlying physiologic defects so that preventive measures can be instituted before organic damage occurs in the vessels.
Inflammatory “Cap” Polyposis

Cap polyposis is a rare sporadic disorder of the colon recognized by the presence of inflammatory polyps covered by a fibrinopurulent exudative cap. It predominantly affects women in the fifth decade of life but can be seen in both sexes with a wide range age of onset. The exact pathogenesis of this condition is not known but its association with E. coli and H. pylori infection as well as motility disorders of the colon has been reported. Red- and white-capped polyps with a wide range of numbers ranging from one to hundreds of lesions can be detected in the entire colon during the endoscopic exam. Histologically elongated crypts with superficial attenuation of the epithelium are generally reported. Affected individuals could be asymptomatic, although rectal bleeding, diarrhea, and constipation are commonly seen with this condition. Due to the rarity of this disorder, a well-established therapeutic approach is lacking, however, response to antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and immunosuppressive therapies has been reported in the literature.
Plant Tolerance: A Unique Approach to Control Hemipteran Pests.

Plant tolerance to insect pests has been indicated to be a unique category of resistance, however, very little information is available on the mechanism of tolerance against insect pests. Tolerance is distinctive in terms of the plant’s ability to withstand or recover from herbivore injury through growth and compensatory physiological processes. Because plant tolerance involves plant compensatory characteristics, the plant is able to harbor large numbers of herbivores without interfering with the insect pest’s physiology or behavior. Some studies have observed that tolerant plants can compensate photosynthetically by avoiding feedback inhibition and impaired electron flow through photosystem II (PSII) that occurs as a result of insect feeding. Similarly, the up-regulation of peroxidases and other oxidative enzymes during insect feeding, in conjunction with elevated levels of phytohormones can play an important role in providing plant tolerance to insect pests. Hemipteran insects comprise some of the most economically important plant pests (e.g., aphids, whiteflies), due to their ability to achieve high population growth and its potential to transmit plant viruses. In this review, results from studies on plant tolerance to hemipterans are summarized, and potential models to understand tolerance are presented.
L’alphathérapie, une nouvelle option dans la lutte contre le cancer ?

L’alphatherapie, ou l’utilisation du rayonnement alpha a des fins therapeutiques, a demontre depuis plusieurs annees son potentiel pour lutter contre certains types de cancer. Le developpement de cette discipline a neanmoins ete limite jusqu’a aujourd’hui, faute d’approvisionnement en radio-isotopes appropries suffisant. De nouvelles methodes de production et de purification de certains isotopes ont recemment relance l’interet pour l’alphatherapie qui pourrait devenir dans les annees a venir une option therapeutique de choix dans le traitement de nombreux types de cancers. Explications.
Assessing Colorectal Cancer Screening Barriers by Two Methods.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is commonly diagnosed in the USA despite screening tests that have decreased CRC incidence and mortality. Finding the best method to identify patient-level screening barriers is important to improve CRC screening rates. A group-randomized trial was conducted among ten primary-care clinics. Clinics were randomized to a multi-level (clinic, provider, patient) CRC screening intervention or usual care (2007–2013). Subsequent to clinic- and provider-level interventions, a three-step, patient-level intervention was conducted. One step of the patient-level intervention was a CRC screening barriers counseling call conducted by a lay health advisor (LHA). During the call, two methods were used to identify CRC screening barriers. An open-ended question was used first to determine why participants had not completed screening (without probes). Subsequently, the LHA read a list of additional potential screening barriers and asked participants whether each barrier was applicable (with probes). A generalized estimating equation approach was used to compare the two methods. Participants (n = 109) were female (59%), had a mean age of 57.2 years, and were white (67%) or black (31%). Most participants had some college education or a college degree (79%), annual household income $30,000+ (60%), and health insurance (80%). The number of CRC screening barriers increased with probing compared to the open-ended question format (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.92–2.31; p < 0.01). The ranking of reported CRC screening barriers did not vary by assessment method. However, the methodology used to document CRC screening barriers may influence the content of patient-directed interventions.
Algorithms for Public Key Cryptosystems: Theory and Application

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses recent advancements in cryptographic techniques, known as public key cryptography, which provides elegant solutions not only to secrecy and authentication, but also to protection against forgery through a provision called digital signatures. The chapter begins by introducing a few useful concepts, definitions, and notations. The process of transforming the message or plain text and locking its contents from being known to others is called encryption or enciphering. Decryption is the unlocking of the ciphered text to get back the original plain text. The locking and unlocking is done by a key, which is known only to the legitimate sender-receiver and the encryption-decryption pair constitutes a cryptosystem. Cryptography deals with the analysis and design of cryptosystems. The modern public-key cryptosystem uses different keys for the encryption and decryption process. The chapter presents various algorithms for public key cryptosystems and describes its various applications, such as authentication, digital signatures, read-only secure communications, conference key distribution systems, and data-base security.
Health Services Research: Opportunities for Pathology

This Guest Editorial advocates for expanded health services research in the field of pathology.
Interaction of yttrium disilicate environmental barrier coatings with calcium-magnesium-iron alumino-silicate melts

Abstract Reactions between molten calcium-magnesium-iron alumino-silicate (CMFAS) deposits and yttrium disilicate (Y2Si2O7, YDS) based environmental barrier coatings (EBC) on SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) were investigated at 1300 °C. The coating readily dissolves into the melt from which an apatite phase, nominally Ca2Y8(SiO4)6O2, precipitates. These reactions are sufficiently fast to consume the majority of the approximately 275 μm thick coating in 24 h. Liquid phase separation, producing an essentially pure SiO2 second phase, occurs near the reaction front suggesting dissimilar rates of CaO and SiO2 exchange with the overlaying deposit. The rise of large bubbles through the melt above the coatings appears to disrupt the reaction layer and distributes apatite throughout the residual deposit. Channel cracks were found in the deposits and the reaction layers; after longer exposures, the cracks branch and extend laterally through the Si bond coat and into the underlying CMC. Complementary experiments performed on monolithic YDS pellets yielded long-term recession rates similar to those of the coatings, although some differences were evident in recession rates and reaction layer morphologies in the early stages. Thermodynamic calculations were used to understand the evolving driving force for the YDS-to-apatite conversion. The agreement between the simulated and experimentally observed behaviors suggests that such calculations could be used to predict the influence of temperature and deposit composition on EBC degradation.
Editorial for economic impact of an enhanced recovery pathway for lung resection.

Initiatives to standardize patient care have evolved from fast tracking efforts aimed primarily at reducing costs to more sophisticated enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) or enhanced recovery pathways (ERPs). The goals of ERAS pathways are to minimize the perioperative stress response, reduce complications, decrease postoperative length of stay, and enable a faster return to preoperative functional status. Patient care pathways designed to achieve these goals were initially developed in colorectal surgery, and have been validated in studies and in practice (1).
Molecular Pathology and Pre-Analytic Variables: Impact on Clinical Practice From a Breast Pathology Perspective

Cancer therapy is increasingly becoming dependent on the ability to target specific molecular pathways that drive disease progression. Consequently, the identification of specific molecular pathways requires the use of companion diagnostic assays that are accurate and reproducible. This review will discuss the data and concerns surrounding pre-analytic variables in the evaluation of breast cancer tissue. Although ASCO/CAP guidelines offer recommendations for the collection and preservation of diagnostic clinical tissues, standard clinical practice has paid little attention to the suitability of these tissues for further molecular analysis. Current research suggests that alterations in the molecular integrity of tissue during the pre-analytic stage may result in inaccurate results and potentially sub-standard patient care. Threshold recommendations for optimal molecular analyses associated with pre-analytic variables are limited. Future recommendations regarding pre-analytic variables and molecular diagnostics of breast cancer tissue will require additional research on the effects of pre-fixation, fixation, processing, and storage on nucleic acid integrity, comparing fixed material with fresh and/or frozen controls.
Variability, Coherence and Predictability of Shallow Water Acoustic Propagation in the Straits of Florida

Results of two shallow water propagation experiments are analyzed and compared with model predictions using observed environmental parameters as model inputs. The site of the experiments is off the coast of South Florida near Ft. Lauderdale nearby the future location of the planned Acoustic Observatory. Unique to the Florida Straits Propagation Experiments (FSPE) is an autonomous source that transmits broad band pulse-like signals at each of six center frequencies from 100 to 3200 Hz in octave steps. The transmissions last for 28 days and are received with a 32 element vertical array that is connected to shore by fiber-optic cable. Pulse arrivals along water born paths are identified by comparison with PE and normal mode model predictions. Three mode/ray groups of arrivals are identified: 1) RBR arrivals, which refract in the water column and interact with the bottom below the critical angle. These modes have low loss and nearly identical group velocities so that they coalesce to form a very intense focuse d arrival, 2) SRBR arrivals, that are spread in time and have increasing bottom angle with mode number and 3) numerous and mysterious late arrivals that couple with deep layers of the bottom and rapidly attenuate with higher frequency. The ocean environment, near the edge of the Florida Current, is highly variable with a saturated GM internal wave field and relatively large sub-inertial fluctuations from eddies and stream meanders. Sound speed fluctuations are generally 1 to 2 orders of magnitude larger than observed in the deep ocean. The bottom is composed of unconsolidated carbonate granules that have the density of sand and attenuation of fine sediment. Fluctuation statistics and coherence are computed and modeled in a parameter space of range, depth and frequency. The acoustic propagation, like the environment, is highly variable and complicated and many new interesting dependencies are revealed.
The Physical Principles Controlling the Remote Sensing Process

In this presentation, the physical principles controlling the reflection and emission of radiation from natural and from man-made surfaces will be considered. The interaction of the downwelling radiance field with the atmosphere will be considered, as will the interaction of the global irradiance field with the anisotropic reflectance, absorbtance and emissivity characteristics of clouds and of terrestrial surfaces. The interaction of the upwelling radiance field with the sensor will be considered. The impact of these factors and their interactions will be considered for the visible-reflective infrared part of the spectrμm (0.4 μm – 2.0 μm), for the mid-infrared region (3.5 μm – 4.1 μm) and for the thermal infrared regions (8 – 12 μm). The need for sensors capable of recording radiance with high signal-to-noise ratios in several different portions of the spectrum will be considered. The need for multiband sensors in order to discriminate cloud and land cover types will be discussed.
Second Order Natural Scene Statistics Model of Blind Image Quality Assessment

The univariate statistics of bandpass-filtered images provide powerful features that drive many successful image quality assessment (IQA) algorithms. Bivariate Natural Scene Statistics (NSS), which model the joint statistics of multiple bandpass image samples also provide potentially powerful features to assess the perceptual quality of images, by capturing both image and distortion correlations. Here, we make the first attempt to use bivariate NSS features to build a model of no-reference image quality prediction. We show that our bivariate model outperforms existing state of the art image quality predictors.
Lean Learning of Risks in Students’ Agile Teams

Risk—the possibility of resulting in an unsatisfactory outcome—is an important driving force for a software development project to progress. Although techniques like identifying a project’s top-10 risk items are taught commonly in software engineering courses, little work has been carried out to examine how students working in agile teams perceive and mitigate the risks over multiple software development cycles. In this chapter, we summarize our recent work where we discovered the collaborative nature of students’ risk management strategies. Furthermore, we show that students also followed lean practices by wasting little effort on non-actionable risks. Linking collaboration and waste-elimination provided additional insights into teaching a wider range of lean principles in agile settings, e.g., students should deliver as fast as possible the non-collaborative risk mitigations but should decide as late as possible when facing interdependent mitigations.
Bullying assessment: A call for increased precision of self-reporting procedures.

Accurate assessment of bullying is essential to intervention planning and the evaluation of bullying prevention programs; however, assessment itself has been called the “Achilles’ heel” of bullying research (Cornell, Sheras, & Cole, 2006). Researchers worldwide have long struggled to defi ne and operationalize bullying in ways that facilitate cross-national comparisons and to accurately estimate the prevalence of bullying. Th ese eff orts have produced equivocal results with considerable diff erences in prevalence rates across studies (Smith et al., 1999), a fi nding that raises the issue of whether rates of bullying diff er dramatically across samples or if differences refl ect measurement imprecision. Other measurement concerns include variations in defi nitions and time frames used, whether or not to provide an a priori defi nition of bullying to respondents (Espelage & Swearer, 2003; Solberg & Olweus, 2003); whether to use self-report, peer nomination, or teacher report methods (Cornell et al. 2006; Solberg & Olweus, 2003); and whether currently used measures actually assess the subset of peer victimization that is intended to be captured by the scientifi c defi nition of bullying (Greif & Furlong, 2006).
A randomized controlled trial of exercise to prevent muscle mass and functional loss in elderly hemodialysis patients: Rationale, study design, and baseline sample.

Abstract Background Elderly maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients exhibit muscle wasting and impaired physical function. This trial determines whether MHD patients benefit from a 12-week home-based exercise program, protein supplementation, or both. Design and Methods: This is a randomized, blinded controlled trial involving 60 elderly MHD patients with impaired exercise capacity and function. Patients are randomized into either a homebased exercise program or normal care over a 12-week period. Measures at baseline include peak VO2, strength and body composition as well as cognitive and disease-specific questionnaires. Muscle biopsies are obtained and analyzed for protein signaling, expression of IGF-1, androgen receptors, and myostatin. Results At baseline, patient characteristics in the exercise and normal care groups were similar by age, gender and anthropomorphic measures. Peak VO2 was impaired (14.7 ± 3.3 ml/kg/min), representing 55 ± 14% of the age-predicted value. Six-minute walk distance was 322 ± 71 m, and the mean 1-min sit to stand test was 18 ± 8 repetitions, representing 69 ± 16% and 55 ± 22% of the age-predicted values, respectively. Indices of muscle function, including upper and lower body and hand grip strength all indicate marked impairment. Quality of life (QoL) using the SF36, the Beeson cognitive test, and KDQOL all suggest marked impairments compared to age-expected reference values for non-MHD patients. Conclusions Patients undergoing MHD exhibit markedly reduced physical function and QoL. Thus, there are potentially significant gains to be made through a program of aerobic and resistance exercise. We anticipate this trial will demonstrate that home-based exercise improves cardiopulmonary function, protein signaling and QoL, and increases muscle mass, strength, and body composition.
Global/local model order reduction in coupled flow and linear thermal-poroelasticity

Coupled flow and geomechanics computations are very complex and require solving large nonlinear systems. Such simulations are intense from both runtime and memory standpoint, which strongly hints at employing model order reduction (MOR) techniques to speed them up. Different types of Reduced-Order Models (ROM) have been proposed to alleviate this computational burden. MOR approaches rely on projection operators to decrease the dimensionality of the problem. We first execute a computationally expensive “offline” stage, during which we carefully study the full order model (FOM). Upon creating a ROM basis, we then perform the cheap “online” stage. Our reduction strategy estimates a ROM using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). We determine a family of solutions to the problem, for a suitable sample of input conditions, where every single realization is so-called a “snapshot.” We then ensemble all snapshots to determine a compressed subspace that spans the solution. Usually, POD employs a fixed reduced subspace of global basis vectors. The usage of a global basis is not convenient to tackle problems characterized by different physical regimes, parameter changes, or high-frequency features. Having many snapshots to capture all these variations is unfeasible, which suggests seeking adaptive approaches based on the closest regional basis. We thus develop such a strategy based on local POD basis to reduce one-way coupled flow and geomechanics computations. We partition the time window to adequately capture regimes such as depletion/build-up and decreasing the number of snapshots per basis. We focus on linear elasticity and consider factors such as the role of the heterogeneity. We also assess how to tackle different degrees of freedom, such as the displacements (intercalated and coupled), pressure, and temperature, with MOR. Preliminary 2- and 3-D results show significant compression ratios up to 99.9% for the mechanics part. We formally compare FOM and ROM and provide time data to demonstrate the speedup of the procedure. Examples focus on linear and nonlinear poroelasticity. We employ continuous Galerkin finite elements for all of the discretizations.
Automatic Variance Reduction for Three-Dimensional Monte Carlo Simulations by the Local Importance Function Transform—II: Numerical Results

The performance of the local importance function transform (LIFT) method for several three-dimensional, linearly anisotropic-scattering, one-group, and multigroup transport problems is demonstrated. In these problems, the LIFT method is shown to be more efficient than the AVATAR scheme, which is one of the most efficient variance reduction techniques currently available in a production Monte Carlo code. For most of the problems considered, the LIFT method produces higher figures of merit than AVATAR, even when the LIFT method is used as a black box.
Understanding of the Immigration Flow and Stock in Washington DC Metropolitan Area: Observations from Panel Data

This report takes an innovative approach to the investigation the foreign-born population in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area (WMA): it distinguishes (1) the immigrant (and nonimmigrant) flows to the area (by examining the annual snapshot data provided by Department of Homeland Security (DHS)) and (2) the immigrant stocks (by examining Census data provided by American Community Survey (ACS) and Census of Bureau). The immigration data from these two main sources complement each other. The analyses of both immigration flows and stocks provide a comprehensive description of the WMA’s foreign-born population and labor pool.
Soil Moisture Retrieval Using Reflection Coefficients: Numerical Experiments

Ready access to small, inexpensive, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) allows for small-scale electromagnetic propagation and scattering experiments using airborne antennas. We consider a low-power, copter-mounted transmit antenna radiating at frequencies on the order of a hundred megahertz, corresponding to wavelength on the order of meters, which at some horizontal distance generates a vertical interference pattern due to the interaction of a direct and ground-reflected wave. The depth of the interference fringes, which is directly related to the modulus of the soil reflection coefficient, can be measured by a second copter-mounted receiving antenna. By varying the geometry of the copter pair, and/or the transmitted signal frequency, the soil moisture profile up to a depth of a few meters can, in principle, be retrieved. In this article, we present the results of numerical experiments designed to evaluate the sensitivity of the angle- and frequency-dependence of the measured reflection coefficient to the soil moisture profile. Our simulations indicate that the retrieval errors are small suggesting that the technique is feasible.
Pseudomelanosis coli, its relation to laxative use and association with colorectal neoplasms: A comprehensive review

Pseudomelanosis coli is historically associated with anthraquinone laxatives and is often used as a surrogate marker for chronic laxative use. The opioid epidemic has seen an increase in laxative use for chronic constipation. Anthraquinone laxatives have demonstrated tumorigenic potential in animal studies due to their apoptotic effects on colonic epithelial cells. Colorectal cancer is associated with significant mortality and morbidity worldwide. Human studies have not shown a significant correlation between anthraquinone laxative use, pseudomelanosis coli, and colorectal carcinoma. The characteristic pigmentation of pseudomelanosis also appears to be absent macroscopically and on histology of neoplastic epithelium. However, there appears to be a slightly higher risk of adenoma development. This has been attributed to a higher polyp detection rate during endoscopy on account of the color contrast between the polyp against a darker background of pseudomelanosis.