cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Absence of CD34 on murine skeletal muscle satellite cells marks a reversible state of activation during acute injury.

Background Skeletal muscle satellite cells are myogenic progenitors that reside on myofiber surface beneath the basal lamina. In recent years satellite cells have been identified and isolated based on their expression of CD34, a sialomucin surface receptor traditionally used as a marker of hematopoietic stem cells. Interestingly, a minority of satellite cells lacking CD34 has been described. Methodology/Principal Findings In order to elucidate the relationship between CD34+ and CD34- satellite cells we utilized fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate each population for molecular analysis, culture and transplantation studies. Here we show that unless used in combination with α7 integrin, CD34 alone is inadequate for purifying satellite cells. Furthermore, the absence of CD34 marks a reversible state of activation dependent on muscle injury. Conclusions/Significance Following acute injury CD34- cells become the major myogenic population whereas the percentage of CD34+ cells remains constant. In turn activated CD34- cells can reverse their activation to maintain the pool of CD34+ reserve cells. Such activation switching and maintenance of reserve pool suggests the satellite cell compartment is tightly regulated during muscle regeneration.
Random sampling of thought and mood

In two studies, subjects were interrupted at unpredictable times and asked to rate their immediate experience on 42 rating scales tapping thought and mood variables. In the first study, the interruptions were random signals in the subject's natural everyday environment; in the second study, the interruptions occurred while subjects watched the movie Annie Hall.Both sets of ratings were subjected to identical factor analyses, and factor structures were quite similar. Stable factors were identified as Aggressive/Bad Mood, Pleasant Sexual, Daydreaming/Past Sexual, Clear Thought, Self-Critical, and Thought or Mood Duration.
Choosing Is Believing? How Web Gratifications and Reliance Affect Internet Credibility Among Politically Interested Users

This study relied on an online survey of politically interested Web users during the 2004 presidential election to examine the degree to which people judged online information as credible. All online media were seen as only moderately credible, with blogs and online newspapers being rated higher than online broadcast and cable news. Reliance on the online source proved to be the strongest predictor of whether it was judged as credible.
Partial reduction in ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity by carboxypeptidase A.

Abstract Treatment with carboxypeptidase A of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco) from spinach and Chlamydomonas, but not tobacco, reduced activity by 60–70%. Further studies with the spinach enzyme indicated that only one amino acid from each of the large (valine) and small (tyrosine) subunits was removed and the loss of activity was correlated with modification of the large subunit. The modified enzyme also had a two-fold greater Km for RuBP but CO 2 O 2 specificity was only 5% lower and may not be significantly different. The relative rates of release of valine and tyrosine also depended on the presence or absence of RuBP or CO2 plus Mg during treatment. The results indicate that the C-terminal amino acid in the large subunit of spinach, which is not located near the active site region, plays a previously unrecognized role in determining the catalytic activity of the enzyme.
The Marketing Effectiveness of Social Media in the Hotel Industry: A Comparison of Facebook and Twitter

The unprecedented popularity of social media outlets have forced scholars to inquire about their marketing effectiveness, especially in the hotel industry. This study attempted to explore the marke...
High frequency Piezoelectric Resonant Nanochannel for bio-sensing applications in liquid environment

This paper reports on the first demonstration of a 457 MHz AlN Piezolectric Resonant Nanochannel (PRN) for bio-sensing applications in liquid environment. A novel process consisting of 7 lithographic steps was developed to fabricate the PRN. The new resonant device shows an unchanged value of the electromechanical coupling, k t 2 (about 0.8 %), whether the channel is filled with air or water and a quality factor, Q, in liquid of approximately 170. The value of k t 2 and Q are respectively about 2.7 and 2 times the ones recorded for conventional laterally vibrating AlN Contour Mode Resonant Sensors (CMR-Ss) submerged in water. Overall, these results translate in a ∼ 5 fold enhancement in the figure of merit (k t 2-Q product) of the resonant device when operated in liquid and simultaneously permit the efficient delivery of ultra-low concentrations of fluid samples directly on the surface of the sensor.
A Generalized, Mathematical Approach For Exploiting Stack Overflow Vulnerabilities on 2n-Bit Architectures

In this paper, a generalized, mathematical approach for exploiting stack overflow vulnerabilities on 2n-bit architectures is presented. This approach can be applied to 32 and 64-bit architectures and to future architectures 128-bit and beyond.
Legitimita, angažovanost a vytváření sociálního kapitálu na českém pracovišti v období pozdní transformace*

Previous research indicates that Czechs harbor considerable doubt about the honesty of their political and economic system. One response to this perceived dishonesty has been disengagement, to the extent possible, from their work and public life. Disengagement was, both before and after 1989, the potent weapon used by Czechs in their workplaces to covertly make their wishes known on the factory fl oor. This behavior has proven problematic for the managers of the "new" private enterprises in the country. The tension be- tween management and workers has resulted in the creation of complex inter- actions which can begin to be understood through an analysis of transactions in social capital. To accomplish this, this paper will examine two relatively successful companies in the Southern Moravian city of Brno during the pe- riod preceding E.U. accession. Through fi eld notes, interview and survey data gathered during more than a year of ethnographic fi eldwork, this paper will accomplish three objectives. It will analyze the interplay in those companies of discourses of honesty with the twin goals of managerial legitimacy and worker engagement. It will document the process of negotiation which has resulted in the development of a new moral economy on the workfl oor and the growth of powerful worker networks within the enterprise. Finally, it will present a theoretical framework to capture the process of social capital crea- tion and expenditure which is the product of these processes.
An assessment of air cooling for use with automotive power electronics

In this research, we evaluate the potential for air cooling to meet the stringent cooling requirements of advanced automotive power electronics. We assess air cooling of power electronic components using laminar airflow micro-channel heat exchangers. Comparisons are made with ethylene glycol systems commonly used in tandem with engine cooling. Our analysis shows that despite a lower coefficient of performance and higher parasitic losses, air cooling compares quite favorably, offering lower mass, fewer components, and a lower projected cost. Air cooling also has many significant, less obvious advantages such as simpler design and greater reliability. Micro-channel heat exchangers appear to offer the most promise and can be further enhanced by simple design changes, such as reducing passage lengths. Direct air cooling appears to be a viable option for the current generation of silicon-based power switches and will be more attractive for anticipated future electronic components made of materials that operate at higher temperatures. Continuing work includes experimentation and data validation. Recommendations for future research include fabricating and testing air-cooled inverters. A micro-channel performance estimator program we developed was found to over-project heat flux in comparison to a more detailed computational fluid dynamics model. However, the program provides an initial estimate that can be used as a quick, convenient means of estimating micro-channel heat transfer with a variety of configurations and fluids.
Implications of Chronic Kidney Disease for Dietary Treatment in Cardiovascular Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) often accompanies cardiovascular disease (CVD). Trends foretelling a greater burden of CKD and CVD are largely a result of increasing frequencies of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Nutritional therapy occupies a critical role in reducing risk factors and preventing progressive damage to the kidneys and heart. Nutritional assessment and treatment should take into account both health concerns. This review examines several diet components and eating styles for efficacy in the treatment of these conditions. A variety of dietary regimens claim to provide health benefits, but rigorous scientific validation of long-term efficacy is frequently lacking. An urgent need exists for eating styles that reduce risk of chronic diseases and that are acceptable and achievable in free-living populations. We describe our ongoing study, a randomized controlled trial comparing the American Heart Association Step II diet and a Mediterranean diet, in survivors of a first myocardial infarction. The primary end point is a composite of mortality and major CVD events. Because many in this population have CKD, indicators of kidney damage and function are prespecified secondary end points. Results of this trial should provide insight into optimal dietary interventions for persons with both CVD and CKD.
Scaling phloem transport: elasticity and pressure-concentration waves.

Abstract Earlier theoretical analyses of the rate of propagation of pressure–concentration waves in the phloem were performed without adequate attention to the elastic expansion of sieve tube walls. Here, it is shown that the rate of propagation of pressure–concentration waves in phloem sieve tubes is not significantly impeded by wall elasticity, but rather, as previously implicated, by the ratio of sap osmotic pressure to the axial drop in sap hydrostatic pressure. It is also shown that pressure–concentration waves move equally well in both the upstream and downstream directions. These results permit future models to ignore elastic effects, and lend additional theoretical support to the “osmoregulatory flow” hypothesis, which argues that efficient molecular control of the phloem is permitted by maintaining sieve sap hydrostatic pressure at a value that is spatially nearly constant, which in turn permits changes in sieve tube state to be rapidly transmitted throughout the sieve tube via pressure–concentration waves.
Non‐smooth multisurface plasticity and viscoplasticity. Loading/unloading conditions and numerical algorithms

Rate-independent plasticity and viscoplasticity in which the boundary of the elastic domain is defined by an arbitrary number of yield surfaces intersecting in a non-smooth fashion are considered in detail. It is shown that the standard Kuhn-Tucker optimality conditions lead to the only computationally useful characterization of plastic loading. On the computational side, an unconditionally convergent return mapping algorithm is developed which places no restrictions (aside from convexity) on the functional forms of the yield condition, flow rule and hardening law. The proposed general purpose procedure is amenable to exact linearization leading to a closed-form expression of the so-called consistent (algorithmic) tangent moduli. For viscoplasticity, a closed-form algorithm is developed based on the rate-independent solution. The methodology is applied to structural elements in which the elastic domain possesses a non-smooth boundary. Numerical simulations are presented that illustrate the excellent performance of the algorithm.
Zones of Chemical and Physical Interaction at Interfaces Between Microbial Communities and Minerals: A Model

Four zones of biogeochemical weathering of silicate mineral assemblages colonized by lithobiontic communities (lichens) are proposed based on electron microscopic studies. Zone 1 (photosynthetic), represented by the upper thallus of lichens, is devoid of mineral transformations. In the lower thallus, communities of microorganisms physically disaggregate minerals to a depth of ∼10 mm. This physical disruption delineates Zone 2 (direct biochemilithic), defined by the intimate association of all mineral surfaces with microorganisms and their extracellular products. Complex mixtures of organic polymers, nontopotactic Ca, K, Fe clay minerals with a 1‐nm basal spacing, and nanocrystalline aluminous Fe oxyhydroxides coat corroded mineral surfaces extensively. Mineral weathering reactions in Zone 3 (indirect biochemilithic) show clear evidence of biological impact, yet surfaces are not coated with organic polymers. This zone occurs below the direct biochemilithic zone and also within mineral fragments in the dire...
Associations between bacteremia from oral sources and distant-site infections: tooth brushing versus single tooth extraction

Objectives To determine the impact of antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) on the incidence of bacteremia caused by oral bacterial species associated with infective endocarditis (IE) and prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) and to compare the incidence of following tooth brushing versus single tooth extraction. Study Design Bacterial species in blood following single tooth extraction, with or without AP, and tooth brushing 1 were compared with IE- and PJI-associated bacteria reported in the literature. Results Of the 98 bacterial species identified in blood following single tooth extraction and tooth brushing, 32 1 and 12 were species were associated with IE and PJI, respectively. AP decreased the frequency of IE- and PJI-causing oral bacterial species in blood; however, single tooth extraction versus brushing resulted in bacteremia with IE- and PJI-causing species with similar frequencies: 65% versus 56% for IE, and 31% versus 28% for PJI. Conclusions Although AP significantly decreased the incidence of bacteremia, the similarity between the incidence of bacteremia following brushing and extraction undermines AP as an effective strategy for the prevention of these distant-site infections.
Digital precompensation for faulty D/A converters: the "missing pixel" problem

In some contexts, DACs fail in such a way that specific samples are dropped. For example, in flat-panel video displays, some of the pixel LEDs can malfunction and get permanently set to particular values. We refer to this as the "missing pixel" problem. Under certain conditions, it may be possible to compensate for the dropped samples by preprocessing the digital signal. The paper describes a number of such compensation strategies. Each strategy is analyzed and results from numerical simulations are presented. Of particular interest is the relationship between compensation and the class of discrete prolate spheroidal sequences.
Not just quantity: Gluteus maximus muscle characteristics in able-bodied and SCI individuals – Implications for tissue viability

Abstract Study aim Some individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) remain pressure ulcer (PU) free whilst others experience a recurring cycle of tissue breakdown. Detailed analysis of gluteal muscle characteristics may provide insights to local tissue viability variability. The study hypothesis was that SCI individuals have altered muscle composition compared to able-bodied (AB). Materials Ten AB and ten SCI received a supine pelvic CT scan, with contrast. Methods Cross-sectional area (CSA) and overall muscle volume were derived using image analysis. Gluteal muscle tissue type was classified at the S2/S3 sacral vertebrae midpoint, the superior greater trochanters margin (GT) and the inferior ischial tuberosities margin (IT) using the linear transformation Hounsfield Unit scale. Results SCI gluteal CSA was less than for AB throughout the muscle, with the greatest relative atrophy at the IT (48%). Average AB gluteal volume was nearly double SCI. Eight SCI had over 20% infiltrative adipose tissue, three with over 50%. SCI gluteal CSA and intramuscular fat infiltration were significantly negatively correlated ( p p Conclusion SCI gluteal muscle characteristics were indicative of impaired tissue viability. SCI disuse muscle atrophy was anticipated; the analytic approach further indicated that intramuscular atrophy was not uniform. SCI muscle composition showed increased proportions of both low density muscle and adipose tissue. CT scan with contrast is effective for gluteal muscle characterization. This assessment technique may contribute to determination of personalized risk for PU development and other secondary complications.
Optimizing simulated annealing on GPU: A case study with IC floorplanning

In this paper, we propose a novel floorplanning algorithm based on simulated annealing on GPUs. Simulated annealing is an inherently sequential algorithm, far from the typical programs suitable for Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) style concurrency in a GPU. We propose a fundamentally different approach of exploring the floorplan solution space, where we evaluate concurrent moves on a given floorplan. We illustrate several performance optimization techniques for this algorithm on GPUs. Compared to the sequential algorithm, our techniques achieve 6–160X speedup for a range of MCNC and GSRC benchmarks, while delivering comparable or better solution quality.
Discovery of Prokaryotic Relationships through Latent Structure of Correlated Nucleotide Sequences

This paper describes an application of statistical techniques that have yielded fruitful results in many fields including artificial intelligence and information retrieval to the problem of establishing relationships among organisms. A combination of these techniques constitutes a new method of comparing organisms based on their whole genomic sequences. The method represents genomes as sets of short overlapping nucleotide subsequences and employs latent structure modeling to capture correlations in the observed patterns of their distribution. Factor scores computed to measure the correlations serve as the input to a Wards hierarchical cluster analysis method, which produces a tree of their relationships. The runtime results indicate that this method allows for the fast and efficient comparison that scales well as the number of organisms increases.
Phase II trial of vorinostat and gemtuzumab ozogamicin as induction and post-remission therapy in older adults with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia

Histone deacetylase inhibitors such as vorinostat enhance gemtuzumab ozogamicin efficacy in vitro. We, therefore, investigated vorinostat+gemtuzumab ozogamicin for adults aged 60 years and over with untreated acute myeloid leukemia. We stratified patients into 2 groups (group 1: patients aged ≥70 years and performance status 2–3; group 2: aged 60–69 years with performance status 0–3 or aged ≥70 years and performance status 0–1). Responses were monitored separately in group 2 patients with normal or favorable cytogenetics (group 2A) and other cytogenetics (group 2B). Among 31 patients, 6 (19.4%) achieved complete remission, and one (3.2%) achieved complete remission with incomplete platelet recovery; these patients had a higher median overall survival than non-responders (553 vs. 131 days, P=0.0026). Response rates were: group 1, one of 10 (10.0%); group 2A, 6 of 13 (46.2%); and group 2B, none of 8 (0%). These data indicate that vorinostat+gemtuzumab ozogamicin has activity that is mostly confined to patients with normal karyotype disease. ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT00673153.
Characterization of the helicase activity of the Escherichia coli recBCD enzyme using a novel helicase assay

We describe an assay to measure the extent of enzymatic unwinding of DNA by a DNA helicase. This assay takes advantage of the quenching of the intrinsic protein fluorescence of Escherichia coli SSB protein upon binding to ssDNA and is used to characterize the DNA unwinding activity of recBCD enzyme. Unwinding in this assay is dependent on the presence of recBCD enzyme and linear dsDNA, is consistent with the known properties of recBCD enzyme, and closely parallels other methods for measuring recBCD enzyme helicase activity. The effects of varying temperature, substrate concentrations, enzyme concentration, and mono- and divalent salt concentrations on the helicase activity of recBCD enzyme were characterized. The apparent Km values for recBCD enzyme helicase activity on linear M13 dsDNA molecules at 25 degrees C are 0.6 nM dsDNA molecules and 130 microM ATP, respectively. The apparent turnover number for unwinding is approximately 15 microM base pairs s-1 (microM recBCD enzyme)-1. When this rate is corrected for the observed stoichiometry of recBCD enzyme binding to dsDNA, kcat for helicase activity corresponds to an unwinding rate of approximately 250 base pairs of DNA s-1 (functional recBCD complex)-1 at 25 degrees C. At 37 degrees C, the apparent Km value for dsDNA molecules was the same as that at 25 degrees C, but the apparent turnover number became 56 microM base pairs s-1 (microM recBCD enzyme)-1 [or 930 base pairs s-1 (functional recBCD complex)-1 when corrected for observed stoichiometry]. With increasing NaCl concentration, kcat peaks at 100 mM, and the apparent Km value for dsDNA increases by 3-fold at 200 mM NaCl. In the presence of 5 mM calcium acetate, the apparent Km value is increased by 3-fold, and kcat decreased by 20-30%. We have also shown that recBCD enzyme molecules are able to catalytically unwind additional dsDNA substrates subsequent to initiation, unwinding, and dissociation from a previous dsDNA molecule.
Novel Endogenous, Insulin-Stimulated Akt2 Protein Interaction Partners in L6 Myoblasts.

Insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes are marked by an aberrant response in the insulin signaling network. The phosphoinositide-dependent serine/threonine kinase, Akt2, plays a key role in insulin signaling and glucose uptake, most notably within skeletal muscle. Protein-protein interaction regulates the functional consequence of Akt2 and in turn, Akt2’s role in glucose uptake. However, only few insulin-responsive Akt2 interaction partners have been identified in skeletal muscle cells. In the present work, rat L6 myoblasts, a widely used insulin sensitive skeletal muscle cell line, were used to examine endogenous, insulin-stimulated Akt2 protein interaction partners. Akt2 co-immunoprecipitation was coupled with 1D-SDS-PAGE and fractions were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS to reveal Akt2 protein-protein interactions. The pull-down assay displayed specificity for the Akt2 isoform; Akt1 and Akt3 unique peptides were not detected. A total of 49 were detected with a significantly increased (47) or decreased (2) association with Akt2 following insulin administration (n = 4; p<0.05). Multiple pathways were identified for the novel Akt2 interaction partners, such as the EIF2 and ubiquitination pathways. These data suggest that multiple new endogenous proteins may associate with Akt2 under basal as well as insulin-stimulated conditions, providing further insight into the insulin signaling network. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002557.
Human-in-the-loop agent-based simulation for improved autonomous surveillance using unmanned vehicles

The goal of this work is to propose a hardware-in-the-loop, human-in-the-loop agent-based simulation which incorporates the human crowd characteristics and behaviors captured by computer vision techniques, for an effective crowd control using unmanned vehicles (UVs). Three major functions needed in our autonomous surveillance system include: 1) detection, 2) modeling, and 3) tracking. The proposed simulation communicates with the crowd detection module in the UVs' onboard computer in real-time, developing plans for a number of simulated crowd-individuals based on the parameters extracted from real crowds. Next, the social-force-based crowd modeling is used in the simulation to interpolate waypoints for moving the simulated individuals to their planned destinations. Finally, these waypoints are sent to the tracking module for a more realistic prediction of crowd's future location for the UVs' path planning purposes. Preliminary results reveal significant improvements in performance measures for this human-inthe- loop simulation, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
The Effects of Low Energy Irradiation on Organometallics. Organometal Halides of Group IVA.

A group of selected group IVA halides of the type (CH3) n MCl4-n , where n = 0, 1, 3 and M = Si, Ge, Sn have been subjected to low-energy irradiation (254 and 370 nm) in the condensed phase at - 196°C. This survey also examined related compounds including HSiCl3, CH2ClSiCl3, CH3SiF3, CH3SiHCl2 as well as cocondensed mixtures. It is demonstrated by EPR spectroscopy that these conditions suffice to cleave M-C bonds. By following spectral changes during or following irradiation, as a function of time, it is demonstrated that both primary and secondary reactions occur. Some general features of the spectra are discussed and certain conclusions are projected to additional studies on low temperature reactions in 1:1 cocondensed mixtures of organometal halides. Some preliminary supporting evidence from mass spectrometric observations is discussed.
Friction Factor Behavior From Flat-Plate Tests of 12.15 mm Diameter Hole-Pattern Roughened Surfaces

A flat-plate tester is used to measure the friction-factor behavior for a hole-pattern-roughened surface facing a smooth surface with compressed air as the medium. Measurements of mass flow rate, static pressure drop and stagnation temperature are carried out and used to find a combined (stator + rotor) Fanning friction factor value. In addition, dynamic pressure measurements are made at four axial locations at the bottom of individual holes of the rough plate and at facing locations in the smooth plate. The description of the test rig and instrumentation, and the procedure of testing and calculation are explained in detail in Kheireddin in 2009 and Childs et al. in 2010. Three hole-pattern flat-plates with a hole-pattern diameter of 12.15 mm were tested having depths of 0.9, 1.9, and 2.9 mm. Tests were done with clearances at 0.254, 0.381, and 0.653 mm, and inlet pressures of 56, 70 and 84 bar for a range of pressure ratios, yielding a Reynolds-number range of 100,000 to 800,000. The effects of Reynolds number, clearance, inlet pressure, and hole depth on friction factor are studied. The data are compared to friction factor values of three hole-pattern flat-plates with 3.175 mm diameter holes with hole depths of 1.9, 2.6, and 3.302 mm tested in the same rig described by Kheireddin in 2009. The test program was initiated mainly to investigate a “friction-factor jump” phenomenon cited by Ha et al. in 1992 in test results from a flat-plate tester using facing hole-pattern plates where, at elevated values of Reynolds numbers, the friction factor began to increase steadily with increasing Reynolds numbers. Friction-factor jump was not observed in any of the current test cases.© 2011 ASME
Waveform Design Based on Water-Filling Algorithm

Waveform design is an important problem in radar system design. In this paper, water-filling algorithm is used to solve the problem of waveform design based on mutual information. Two cases that no clutter exists and clutter exists are considered. Then, the optimal water-filling waveform can be obtained, respectively. The simulation results show that the optimized transmitted waveform allocates as more energy into different modes of target response as possible and obtains more information of target from echo in both cases. Finally, the whole paper is summarized.
Postpubertal genitourinary function following posterior urethral disruptions in children.

AbstractA total of 24 boys sustaining a simultaneous pelvic fracture and posterior urethral disruption was observed from the time of injury through puberty. Average length of followup was 6 years. In contrast to the adult, in whom the urethra is invariably injured at the prostatomembranous junction, the posterior urethral disruptions in the prepubertal patient were at 3 distinct locations: 1) supraprostatic in 4 patients, 2) transprostatic in 4 and 3) prostatomembranous in 16. Prolonged followup through puberty in these children revealed that the frequency of complications was significantly higher for urethral injuries proximal to the prostatomembranous region compared to those at this latter site: impotence 75% versus 31%, intractable strictures following repairs 75% versus 12% and urinary incontinence 25% versus 0%. In summary, the prognosis of children who sustain a posterior urethral disruption should be based on the location of the injury and must remain guarded until the individual attains a postpub...
A Multicentre General Practice Study of Cinnarizine in the Treatment of Peripheral Vascular Disease

A multicentre, double-blind, crossover study monitoring walking distance and symptomatology was set up to compare the efficacy of cinnarizine with that of placebo in the treatment of patients with intermittent claudication. Walking distances were statistically significantly increased by cinnarizine treatment when it was given before placebo. This improvement was maintained without further significant deterioration when the patients were switched to placebo therapy. A smaller but statistically significant increase in walking distance was observed after the first 12 weeks of tarizine treatment an additional increase in mean walking distance, comparable to that seen during the first half of the study, was observed in these subjects. This improvement failed to reach a level of statistical significance because of the variation in response between individual patients.
What the Patient Wants: An Analysis of Radiology-Related Inquiries From a Web-Based Patient Portal

Abstract Purpose With the development of patient portals, the opportunity exists to identify gaps in practice by analyzing priorities patients place on the receipt and comprehension of radiology reports. Our purpose was to describe the nature of radiology-specific patient information requests by analysis of patient-initiated messages submitted through a web-based electronic patient portal. Methods Institutional review board approval was obtained and informed consent waived for this HIPAA-compliant retrospective cross-sectional study. All patient-initiated messages submitted to the web-based patient portal at a large academic medical center between October 1, 2014 and December 11, 2014 were analyzed. Messages containing radiology-specific key terms including "x-ray," "xray," "xr," "ct," "cat," "mri," "scan," "ultrasound," "image," and "radiology" were identified and messages categorized by content. The demographics of message writers were also analyzed. Diagnostic imaging studies performed during this period were tabulated by modality. Proportions were compared with χ 2 tests. Results During the time period studied, there were 1,597 messages from 1,489 patients inquiring about 1,609 examinations. Messages containing ≥1 radiology-specific keyword were significantly more likely to originate from women than from men (64% [946/1,489] versus 36% [543/1,489], P P P Conclusion Patients submitting radiology-specific messages through an electronic patient portal are most concerned about imaging results, particularly those pertaining to advanced (CT and MRI) imaging studies.
An information theoretic ART for robust unsupervised learning

In this paper, an information-theoretic-based adaptive resonance theory (IT-ART) neural network architecture is presented. Each IT-ART category is defined by the first and second order statistics (mean and covariance matrix) of the cluster or class it represents. This information is used to estimate probability density functions (multivariate Gaussians) and compute the activation functions. The match function of the vigilance check is based on Renyi's quadratic cross-entropy: it is the cross information potential. Experiments involving several real world and synthetic data sets were carried out to assess the performance of IT-ART, which was measured in terms of external validity indices. IT-ART expanded the range of successful vigilance parameter values in these tests.
Labeling actors in multi-view social networks by integrating information from within and across multiple views

Real world social networks typically consist of actors (individuals) that are linked to other actors or different types of objects via links of multiple types. Different types of relationships induce different views of the underlying social network. We consider the problem of labeling actors in such multi-view networks based on the connections among them. Given a social network in which only a subset of the actors are labeled, our goal is to predict the labels of the rest of the actors. We introduce a new random walk kernel, namely the Inter-Graph Random Walk Kernel (IRWK), for labeling actors in multi-view social networks. IRWK combines information from within each of the views as well as the links across different views. The results of our experiments on two real-world multi-view social networks show that: (i) IRWK classifiers outperform or are competitive with several state-of-the-art methods for labeling actors in a social network; (ii) IRWKs are robust with respect to different choices of user-specified parameters; and (iii) IRWK kernel computation converges very fast within a few iterations.
FERC pipeline decommissioning cost in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, 1995–2015

Abstract At the end of its useful life or because of a catastrophic event such as a hurricane, offshore pipelines are decommissioned, which normally involves cleaning the line by pigging or flushing, cutting the pipeline endpoints, and then plugging and burying each endpoint below the seabed or covering with a concrete mattress. The vast majority of decommissioned pipeline in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico is abandoned-in-place if the pipeline does not constitute a hazard to navigation, commercial fishing, or unduly interferes with other uses of the seabed. Using a unique data source from the Federal Energy Regulation Commission, decommissioning cost estimates for 28 gas export pipelines in the shallow water U.S. Gulf of Mexico between 1995 and 2015 are evaluated. The average inflation-adjusted pipeline decommissioning cost was $301,000 per mile ($187,000/km) and $47 per cubic foot ($1660 per cubic meter). Hurricane damaged and leaking pipelines are about three to four times more expensive on a unit cost basis than undamaged and non-leaking lines. No time trends or scale economies were observed. Primary cost drivers are identified and discussed.
SCARF: A container-based approach to cloud-scale digital forensic processing

Abstract The rapid growth of raw data volume requiring forensic processing has become one of the top concerns of forensic analysts. At present, there are no readily available solutions that provide: a) open and flexible integration of existing forensic tools into a processing pipeline; and b) scale-out architecture that is compatible with common cloud technologies. Containers, lightweight OS-level virtualized environments, are quickly becoming the preferred architectural unit for building large-scale data processing systems. We present a container-based software framework, SCARF , which applies this approach to forensic computations. Our prototype demonstrates its practicality by providing low-cost integration of both custom code and a variety of third-party tools via simple data interfaces. The resulting system fits well with the data parallel nature of most forensic tasks, which tend to have few dependencies that limit parallel execution. Our experimental evaluation shows that for several types of processing tasks–such as hashing, indexing and bulk processing–performance scales almost linearly with the addition of hardware resources. We show that the software engineering effort to integrate new tools is quite modest, and all the critical task scheduling and resource allocation are automatically managed by the container orchestration runtime– Docker Swarm , or similar.
Severe maternal morbidity: A population-based study of an expanded measure and associated factors.

Severe maternal morbidity conditions such as sepsis, embolism and cardiac arrest during the delivery hospitalization period can lead to extended length of hospital stays, life-long maternal health problems, and high medical costs. Most importantly, these conditions also contribute to the risk of maternal death. This population-based observational study proposed and evaluated the impact of expanding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) measure of severe maternal morbidity by including additional comorbidities and intensive care admissions during delivery hospitalizations and examined associated factors. A New York State linked hospitalization and birth record database was used. Study participants included all New York State female residents, ages 10 to 55 years, who delivered a live infant in a New York acute care hospital between 2008 and 2013, inclusive. Incidence trends for both severe maternal morbidity measures were evaluated longitudinally. Associations between covariates and the two severe maternal morbidity measures were examined with logistic regression models, solved using generalized estimating equations and stratified by method of delivery. The New York expanded severe maternal morbidity measure identified 34,478 cases among 1,352,600 hospital deliveries (estimated incidence 2.55%) representing a 3% increase in the number of cases compared to the CDC measure. Both estimates increased over the study period (p 1.5 included most measured comorbidities (e.g., pregnancy-induced hypertension, placentation disorder), multiple births, preterm birth, no prenatal care, hospitalization prior to delivery, higher levels of perinatal care birthing facilities and race/ethnicity. Expanding the measure for severe maternal morbidity during delivery to capture intensive care admissions provides a more sensitive estimate of disease burden. Perinatal regionalization in New York appears effective in routing high risk pregnancies to higher levels of perinatal care birthing facilities.
Underutilization of antiplatelet and statin therapy after postoperative myocardial infarction following vascular surgery

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to investigate adherence to practice guidelines for antiplatelet and statin use after postoperative myocardial infarction (POMI) and its effect on late mortality following vascular surgery in a multicenter registry. Methods Antiplatelet and statin use was examined in 1749 vascular surgery procedures with POMI within the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) from 2005 to 2015. Our primary aim was to assess cardiac medication (CM) use at discharge, defined as (1) single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT; aspirin or P2Y 12 inhibitor) or dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT; aspirin and P2Y 12 inhibitor) and (2) statin therapy. Long-term mortality in patients with POMI was analyzed on the basis of discharge CM. A proportional hazards model was developed to control for factors associated with mortality. Regional differences in CM use at discharge after POMI were compared. Results Overall discharge CM use after POMI included aspirin (81%), P2Y 12 inhibitor (38%), statin therapy (76%), and combined antiplatelet and statin (74%). At discharge, 26% of patients were not receiving combined antiplatelet and statin therapy. SAPT (50%) was more common than DAPT (35%; P P P = .001). After adjustment for covariates including preoperative medications, treatment with SAPT or DAPT plus statin at discharge was associated with lower late mortality compared with noncombination or no therapy (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.56-0.93; P = .01). Regional variation in CM at discharge following POMI was also observed with a range of 33% to 100% ( P = .05). Conclusions Within the VQI, regional and procedure-specific variation exists in CM regimen after POMI following vascular surgery. Absence of combined antiplatelet and statin therapy at discharge after POMI was associated with higher late mortality and represents an area for quality improvement in the care of these patients.
Mitotic rate is associated with positive lymph nodes in patients with thin melanomas.

Background The American Joint Commission on Cancer will remove mitotic rate from its staging guidelines in 2018. Objective Using a large nationally representative cohort, we examined the association between mitotic rate and lymph node positivity among thin melanomas. Methods A total of 149,273 thin melanomas in the National Cancer Database were examined for their association of high-risk features of mitotic rate, ulceration, and Breslow depth with lymph node status. Results Among 17,204 patients with thin melanomas with data on Breslow depth, ulceration, and mitotic rate who underwent a lymph node biopsy, there was a strong linear relationship between odds of having a positive lymph node and mitotic rate ( R 2 = 0.96, P 2 compared with 3.30 plus or minus 3.54 mitoses/mm 2 for those with positive nodes ( P Limitations The data collected do not allow for survival analyses. Conclusions Mitotic rate was strongly associated with the odds of having a positive lymph node and should continue to be reported on pathology reports.
Internalized stigma in adults with early phase versus prolonged psychosis.

Aim Although internalized stigma is associated with negative outcomes among those with prolonged psychosis, surprisingly little work has focused on when in the course of one's illness stigma is internalized and the impact of internalization on symptoms or social functioning over the course of the illness. Therefore, this study investigated whether (1) internalized stigma is greater among those later in the course of psychosis and (2) whether internalized stigma has a stronger negative relationship with social functioning or symptoms among those with prolonged compared to early phase psychosis. Methods Individuals with early phase (n = 40) and prolonged psychosis (n = 71) who were receiving outpatient services at an early-intervention clinic and a VA medical center, respectively, completed self-report measures of internalized stigma and interview-rated measures of symptoms and social functioning. Results Controlling for education, race and sex differences, internalized stigma was significantly greater among those with prolonged psychosis compared to early phase. Internalized stigma was negatively related to social functioning and positively related to symptoms in both groups. Furthermore, the magnitude of the relationship between cognitive symptoms and internalized stigma was significantly greater among those with early phase. Stereotype endorsement, discrimination experiences and social withdrawal also differentially related to symptoms and social functioning across the 2 samples. Conclusions Findings suggest that internalized stigma is an important variable to incorporate into models of early psychosis. Furthermore, internalized stigma may be a possible treatment target among those with early phase psychosis.
Separating electronic and ionic conductivity in mix-conducting layered lithium transition-metal oxides

Abstract Electronic and ionic conductivities of active materials are the fundamental properties in determining the dynamical behavior and rate performance of batteries, yet, they are typically hard to be distinguished due to the convolution of the two conduction processes, the complexity of the dynamic responses in composite electrodes, and other extrinsic factors such as porosity and interfacial effects. Herein, we report a simple and reliable method that combines the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with direct-current polarization to accurately resolve the electronic and ionic conductivities of conventional layered cathode materials for Li-ion batteries, including LiCoO2 and LiNi1-x-yMnxCoyO2. A significant increase in the electronic conductivity was observed with the increasing Ni content, accompanied by a large decrease in the activation energy. Meanwhile, a similar variation trend in Li+ conductivity was observed, together with a large decrease in the Li+ hopping barrier. These can be attributed to the variations in electronic structure and defect chemistry, the apparent lattice expansion with incorporating Ni, especially along the c-axis, as well as a weakened Li+-transition metal interaction via decreasing the Mn4+ content.
Safety Practices in Testing Areas

It is important to provide for the safety of the patient and for oneself as well. There are practices that involve the use of supplies and equipment and other work practice controls for personal protection including washing the hands to avoid contamination of oneself. Often patients are victims of infections and healthcare workers are contaminated directly from handling the patient and during use of equipment while conducting a medical procedure. Thorough training and adherence to established procedures and practices are mandatory.
Geology: Igneous and Metamorphic Occurrences

The characteristics of the phosphorites have already been considered briefly with respect to their crystal chemistry, geochemistry, petrography, and utilization. There is justification for their separate treatment from the viewpoints of geologists (particularly sedimentologists), physical chemists and chemical engineers. In the Phosphorites chapter little is indicated with respect to their geological age, geographical occurrences, or their modes of formation because these topics could, and probably should, be reserved for another author using some such title as “Rock Phosphates of the World”.
A New Women’s Work: Digital Interactions, Gender, and Social Network Sites

This research explores social network site interaction through digital and gendered labor. Due to enhanced interaction possibilities as well as mining and analytic techniques, all digital interaction is labor, at both the social and institutional level. Responses to a survey ( N = 455) suggest that digital labor varies depending on the most-used social network site. In addition, women test higher in agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism, and contribute statistically more emotional labor online through liking and commenting. Women describe intricate processes of deciding whether they can or should socially interact, often fearing interpersonal conflict or being told they are stupid. Men, on the other hand, view social network sites as places for entertainment and base their emotional labor on some judged entertainment value. As such, this study illuminates how social network sites function as extensions of the home. Instead of being invited to contribute new cultural products, women are frequently led to support only those that already exist, arguably creating data that contain less use value and even more exchange and surplus value than other forms of digital labor.