cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Study of the Internet Privacy in Private Browsing Mode

Today the Internet has revolutionized it into a cyberspace, mainly due to its attributes of convenience, interoperability, fast search and confidence. It provides an affordable and secure way to spontaneously link people and computers across geographical boundaries. The massive economy of online services and digital information has dramatically changed our life today. Digital private information is sensitive personal information digitally stored in cyberspace, or being transmitted through the Internet. This may include gender, age, race, location, and records on health, finance, and even online activities. Although these types of data are usually privately stored, they can be intentionally or unintentionally revealed while surfing the Internet. To address the digital privacy concern, current Web Browsers developed the Private Browsing Mode (PBM) which promises to serve the user to surf the internet without leaving traces on the local machine. In this paper, we study the Internet privacy using Private Browsing Mode (PBM) with four test scenarios on several popular browsers. The test results indicate that, with current design of web sites and web browsers, even under PBM, privacy information could still be retrieved. We hope the finding can provide us an opportunity to improve future design of PBM in browsers.
The relation between price setting in markets and asymmetries of systems of measurement of goods

Abstract Markets, in an increasingly globalized world, have still dissimilar systems of measurement of goods due to different historical developmental paths of nations. A problem in economics is whether and how these asymmetries of systems of measurement of goods affect the prices in markets. The present study confronts this problem here by analyzing some prices of goods in U.S. and Italian economies that apply different systems of measurement of mass and liquid ( i.e. , United States Customary System vs. Metric System). The inductive study analyses the prices of milk, per gallon and liter, and the prices of a consumption bundle of fresh vegetables and fruit, per pound and kg, between the USA and Italy. The statistical evidence seems in general to support the hypothesis that differences of prices per same quantity and/or volume of good can be also explained by asymmetries in systems of measurement adopted in markets. In particular, results show that markets with basic units of measurement of mass and/or liquid having more quantity of good, e.g. kg rather than pound (0.4535kg) and/or gallon (3.78 Liter) rather than liter, induce lower levels of average price per same quantity, ceteris paribus . These findings may be due to relativity of cognitive processes of decision makers, which apply frugal way of reasoning in price setting, based on satisficing behaviour and bounded rationality, by associating a legal basic unit of measurement of mass and/or liquid to an official monetary unit. Hence, this study shows that basic units of measurement of goods with more quantity seem to generate lower average prices in markets and, as a consequence, higher benefits for consumers. The main aim of this article is therefore to clarify and to generalize whenever possible, the relation between dissimilar systems of measurement of goods and price setting in markets of different countries.
Malignant Melanoma in the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Population

Incidence of melanoma in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) population is rapidly increasing. AYA melanoma is genetically similar to that of adults with a similarly adverse prognosis in patients with advanced disease. Management of AYA patients requires attention to several unique features in this patient population including historically low rates of clinical trial participation and lack of suitable psychosocial support services - factors which affect may access to treatment and possibly impact upon survival. In this chapter, we review recent data regarding changing incidence trends and management of melanoma in the AYA population.
Abstract P133: Mitochondrial- Dependent Apoptosis in Arterial Remodeling: Link to Hypertension

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) has been observed to promote hypertension through endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling, but the mechanisms are unclear. Previously, we showed that elevated homocysteine levels disturbed mitochondrial dynamics facilitating excessive mitochondrial fission with consequent endothelial cell loss and collagen deposition in the mesenteric artery. In the present study, we hypothesize that HHcy-induced excessive mitochondrial fission promotes mitochondrial apoptosis through Bax activation that up- regulates downstream apoptotic proteases (Caspase-9, Caspase-3), causing endothelial cell loss and arterial remodeling that predispose to hypertension. To test this hypothesis, we used 12 week old C57BL/6J mice (WT) as a control; Cystathionine-β-synthase deficient mice (CBS+/-) with genetic HHcy; C3H/HeJ (C3H) mice, that are resistant to oxidative stress and CBS+/-/C3H mice. Blood pressure and vascular reactivity measurements, western blotting (Caspase-9 and Caspase-3), q-PCR (Bax, Bcl-2), immunohistochemistry (cleaved Caspase-3) and TUNEL assay were used in this study. Blood pressure values were up-regulated in CBS+/- mice (diastolic: 118.4 ± 9.8 mmHg; systolic: 153.9 ± 12.7 mmHg; mean: 130 ± 10 mmHg) compared to WT mice (diastolic: 101 ± 15 mmHg; systolic: 139 ± 10 mmHg; mean: 113 ± 14 mmHg). Interestingly, blood pressure values were decreased in C3H mice (diastolic: 74.8 ± 6.5 mmHg; systolic: 118.6 ± 9 mmHg; mean: 89 ± 7 mmHg) compared to control (diastolic: 96 ± 7 mmHg; systolic: 143.4 ± 2.4 mmHg; mean: 111.4 ± 5.5 mmHg). q-PCR showed 11 fold up-regulation of Bax mRNA expression in the mesenteric artery of CBS+/- mice compared to control. Western Blotting validated two- fold increase of Caspase-9 and Caspase-3 protein expressions in the mesenteric artery of CBS+/- mice compared to WT mice. TUNEL assay further indicated the presence of DNA fragments in the mesenteric artery of CBS+/- mice. In conclusion, our data suggested that HHcy-induced mitochondrial fission promotes Bax activation followed by mitochondrial apoptosis with activation of downstream proteases (Caspase-9, Caspase-3), leading to endothelial cell loss and arterial remodeling that contributes to hypertension.
A tragedy of modern cardiology: using ejection fraction to gauge left ventricular function in mitral regurgitation

The normal mitral valve provides unidirectional flow from left atrium (LA) to left ventricle (LV) in a smooth and efficient fashion. Mitral incompetence allows backward flow into the LA, requiring the LV to pump additional volume to compensate for that lost to regurgitation (MR). In its compensated state, even severe chronic MR is remarkably well tolerated at least for short periods of time. Patients are often totally asymptomatic, and many can achieve normal results during cardiopulmonary stress testing, objective proof that symptom absence is based upon true physiological compensation for the existing pathological state.1 How does the LV accomplish this feat? Logically, it must be able to generate adequate forward stroke volume at physiological filling pressure, lest the patient would develop dyspnoea on exertion. Stroke volume is dependent on innate LV volume (elephants have bigger stroke volumes than mice), contractility, preload and afterload. Three of the four of these properties, volume, preload and contractility, are fairly straightforward. LV remodelling in chronic MR is unique, leading to an enlarged thin-walled chamber.2 Both in man and in the experimental animal, this remodelling leads to increased LV compliance (an unusual occurrence in cardiology) and enhanced LV filling, the mechanism whereby the large diastolic volume of MR is accommodated at near-normal filling pressure.3 Obviously, this same remodelling increases total LV volume, so that normal ejection creates increased total stroke volume in turn maintaining forward stroke volume in the normal range. Volume expansion of …
Diquat-induced cellular pyridine nucleotide redox changes and alteration of metabolic enzyme activities in colonic carcinoma cells

Previously we have shown that the redox cycler menadione (MQ) induced cellular pyridine nucleotide redox imbalance that was linked to a decrease in aerobic glycolysis and perturbation of the mitochondrial respiratory activity due to the redox cycling of the compound; these processes were potentiated by low glucose. In this study, we investigated how colonic epithelial cells maintained pyridine nucleotide (NAD+/NADH and NADP+/NADPH) redox homeostasis upon acute metabolic variation and exposure to the redox cycling diquat (DQ). Our results show that DQ challenge disrupted cellular NADH/NAD+ redox status and enhanced cellular NADPH generation. Notably, DQ-induced NADH decrease was associated with enhanced lactate production, a process that was potentiated by glucose availability, but not by the mitochondrial substrates, succinate or malate/glutamate. In addition, DQ increased glucose 6-phoshate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity consistent with glucose diversion towards pentose phosphate pathway. As a consequence, steady-state NADPH levels were maintained during MQ challenge at normal glucose. In contrast and despite increased G6PDH and malic enzyme (ME) activities, DQ induced cellular NADPH-to-NADP+ shift at low glucose, a situation that was reversed by mitochondrial substrates. Collectively, these results are consistent with increased aerobic glycolysis by DQ and specific metabolic changes leading to enhanced NADPH generation upon oxidative challenge.
Comparison of sub-scaled to full-scaled aircrafts in simulation environment for air traffic management

Air Traffic Management (ATM) concepts are commonly tested in simulation to obtain preliminary results and validate the concepts before adoption. Recently, the researchers found that simulation is not enough because of complexity associated with ATM concepts. In other words, full-scale tests must eventually take place to provide compelling performance evidence before adopting full implementation. Testing using full-scale aircraft produces a high-cost approach that yields high-confidence results but simulation provides a low-risk/low-cost approach with reduced confidence on the results. One possible approach to increase the confidence of the results and simultaneously reduce the risk and the cost is using unmanned sub-scale aircraft in testing new concepts for ATM. This paper presents the simulation results of using unmanned sub-scale aircraft in implementing ATM concepts compared to the full scale aircraft. The results of simulation show that the performance of sub-scale is quite comparable to that of the full-scale which validates use of the sub-scale in testing new ATM concepts. Keywords: Unmanned
Free trade and consumer protection: Competing interests in the regulation of Internet gambling

Internet gambling services create tension between desired goals for free trade and particular national interests in the health and safety of citizens, including the enforcement of criminal laws. This essay provides a comparative analysis of the recent ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Communities in Case C-42/07, Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional v. Departamento de Jogos da Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa and the WTO Appellate Body decision in Antigua and Barbuda vs. United States, which both address the issue of legal sanctions affecting foreign firms seeking to offer Internet gambling services. It argues that the deferential approach toward particular national interests in Liga is particularly appropriate for services like gambling that reflect the potential for externalized social costs on local citizens and communities. Regardless of whether one embraces a model for restricting or regulating gambling, the Internet will present continuing challenges for law enforcement. Enforcement efforts focused on public flouting and commercial enterprises having jurisdictional nexus are likely to be the most that can be accomplished in light of technology constrains, particularly if the government authority chooses to respect free access to the Internet and privacy interests of its citizens.
Development and evaluation of a clinical note section header terminology.

Clinical documentation is often expressed in natural language text, yet providers often use common organizations that segment these notes in sections, such as “history of present illness” or “physical examination.” We developed a hierarchical section header terminology, supporting mappings to LOINC and other vocabularies; it contained 1109 concepts and 4332 synonyms. Physicians evaluated it compared to LOINC and the Evaluation and Management billing schema using a randomly selected corpus of history and physical notes. Evaluated documents contained a median of 54 sections and 27 “major sections.” There were 16,196 total sections in the evaluation note corpus. The terminology contained 99.9% of the clinical sections; LOINC matched 77% of section header concepts and 20% of section header strings in those documents. The section terminology may enable better clinical note understanding and interoperability. Future development and integration into natural language processing systems is needed.
Physical Scaffolding Accelerates the Evolution of Robot Behavior.

In some evolutionary robotics experiments, evolved robots are transferred from simulation to reality, while sensor/motor data flows back from reality to improve the next transferral. We envision a ...
The cause of rapid lake expansion in the Tibetan Plateau: climate wetting or warming?

Endorheic lake dynamics in the Tibetan Plateau (TP), as reflected in changes in water level and/or surface area, are sensitive indicator of regional hydrology that is closely related to both climate change and cryosphere hydrology. Since the late 1990s, most closed lakes in the interior TP expanded and deepened dramatically, in sharp contrast with lake shrinkage in the southern TP. Although some evidence shows that glacier melting and permafrost thawing within some lakes may influence lake level changes, they cannot explain the overall lake expansion, especially for lakes without glacier supply. More and more evidence from lake water balance modeling indicated that the overall lake expansion across the interior TP may be mainly attributed to a significant increase in precipitation and associated runoff. The positive lake water budget is also consistent with regional climate changes (e.g., increase in water vapor content and air convection in the interior TP), with relevant changes in large-scale atmospheric circulation to be investigated. Further studies are needed to quantify the contribution of each component to lake water budgets and the associated climate change. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Identifying as an evidence-based social worker: the influence of attitudes, access, confidence, and education

AbstractThis study explored United States-based social workers’ (N = 152) attitudes toward, access to, and confidence in engaging in evidence-based practice (EBP), the extent to which social work education prepared them to engage in EBP, and the factors that contributed to their identification as an evidence-based practitioner. Findings indicated that although practitioners had a positive attitude toward engaging in EBP, they were only moderately confident in doing so, rarely accessed evidence, and were only moderately prepared through their education. Believing that EBP should be implemented, more educational preparation, and positive attitudes contributed to greater identification as an evidence-based practitioner, areas that social work and continuing education should further support to enhance social workers’ EBP skills.
Psychological Aspects of IBD in Children and Adolescents

Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encounter many challenges to psychological adjustment. This chapter reviews psychological aspects of pediatric IBD, psychosocial interventions, and recommendations for treatment. Overall, children with IBD are at increased risk for difficulties in psychological functioning in the areas of depression and anxiety, quality of life, and social functioning. Evidence is mixed and/or limited in the areas of family functioning, stress and coping, and educational functioning. Self-esteem appears to be similar to that of healthy children. Up to 35 % may have clinically significant difficulty in psychosocial functioning. The psychological difficulty experienced by children with IBD is generally similar to that experienced in other chronic health conditions.
Effect of N-acetylgalactosamine ligand valency on targeting dendrimers to hepatic cancer cells.

The display of N-acetylgalactosamine (NAcGal) ligands has shown great potential in improving the targeting of various therapeutic molecules to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a severe disease whose clinical treatment is severely hindered by limitations in delivery of therapeutic cargo. We previously used the display of NAcGal on generation 5 (G5) polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers connected through a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) brush (i.e. G5-cPEG-NAcGal; monoGal) to effectively target hepatic cancer cells and deliver a loaded therapeutic cargo. In this study, we were interested to see if tri-valent NAcGal ligands (i.e. NAcGal3) displayed on G5 dendrimers (i.e. G5-cPEG-NAcGal3; triGal) could improve their ability to target hepatic cancer cells compared to their monoGal counterparts. We therefore synthesized a library of triGal particles, with either 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, or 14 targeting branches (i.e. cPEG-NAcGal3) attached. Conventional flow cytometry studies showed that all particle formulations can label hepatic cancer cells in a concentration-dependent manner, reaching 90-100% of cells labeled at either 285 or 570 nM G5, but interestingly, monoGal labeled more cells at lower concentrations. To elucidate the difference in internalization of monoGal versus triGal conjugates, we turned to multi-spectral imaging flow cytometry and quantified the amount of internalized (I) versus surface-bound (I0) conjugates to determine the ratio of internalization (I/I0) in all treatment groups. Results show that regardless of NAcGal valency, or the density of targeting branches, all particles achieve full internalization and diffuse localization throughout the cell (I/I0 ∼ 3.0 for all particle compositions). This indicates that while tri-valent NAcGal is a promising technique for targeting nanoparticles to hepatic cancer cells, mono-valent NAcGal is more efficient, contrary to what is observed with small molecules.
The Essence of Effective Leadership with Adolescent Groups: Regression in the Service of the Ego

Group psychotherapy with adolescents is an activity frequently led by the sturdy, creative therapist and avoided by less flexible clinicians. Adolescents are in the process of creating their identities and as a result can appear to be chaotic in both thought process and behavior. Regression in the service of the ego, a phrase attributed to Ernst Kris, is useful in describing the quality as well as the activities the successful adolescent group psychotherapist provides. Within this framework, the effective therapist is able to temporarily and partially regress when creating exercises or using props that connect with adolescent reality. Employing concepts from earlier eras of psychological thinking facilitates a parallel partial regression that is useful in working with today's adolescents.
A system of hyperbolic conservation laws with frictional damping

The aim of this paper is to construct admissible weak solutions, in the space BV of functions of bounded variation, for the Cauchy problem $$ \left\{ {_{{{\partial_t}v - {\partial_x}\sigma (u) + 2v = 0}}^{{{\partial_t}u - {\partial_x}v = 0}}} \right. $$ (1.1) $$ u\left( {x,0} \right) = {u_0}(x),\quad v\left( {x,0} \right) = {v_0}(x),\quad - \infty < x < \infty, $$ (1.2) where σ is a given, smooth, increasing function: σ′(u) > 0.
Response rate to a single dose of vinblastine administered to dogs with treatment-naive multicentric lymphoma.

Vincristine is included in vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy protocols, which are the gold-standard treatment for high-grade canine lymphoma. Vincristine can result in relatively high rates of gastrointestinal toxicity, whereas vinblastine is generally well tolerated and thus may represent an under-utilized and minimally toxic alternative to vincristine. Our objective was to determine the response rate and toxicity associated with a single dose of vinblastine administered to dogs with treatment-naive, intermediate to large-cell, multicentric lymphoma. Twenty client-owned dogs were enrolled with signed owner consent. A Simon's minimax, phase II, two-stage trial was performed to test the efficacy of vinblastine administered at 2 mg/m2 IV followed by a pilot trial of vinblastine at 2.5 mg/m2 . No dogs were administered concurrent steroids or other chemotherapy. One out of 14 dogs receiving vinblastine at 2 mg/m2 demonstrated a partial response. Three out of five dogs demonstrated a partial response to vinblastine at 2.5 mg/m2 . Gastrointestinal toxicity was infrequent and low grade for both groups. The majority of dogs (80%) in the 2.5 mg/m2 dosing group developed neutropenia 1-week post administration. Vinblastine was well tolerated but minimally efficacious at a dose of 2 mg/m2 IV in dogs with treatment-naive, multicentric lymphoma. Because of poor response rates, treatment at this dose is not recommended. A small subset of dogs administered 2.5 mg/m2 had significantly improved response rates (P = 0.04), suggesting that higher doses may have improved efficacy, although further research is indicated to confirm these preliminary findings.
Influence of age on outcomes in pancreas adenocarcinoma (PAC): A single institution experience.

e15744Background: The mean age at diagnosis of PAC is 71. However, many apply age rather than performance status and organ function to decide therapy. Additionally, the elderly are underrepresented...
The Sternocleidomastoid Myocutaneous Flap: A Laryngeal Preservation Option for Total Hypopharyngoesophageal Stenosis:

Complete hypopharyngoesophageal (HPE) stenosis is rare and a challenging condition to treat. When endoscopic therapy fails, total laryngectomy with or without pharyngeal reconstruction is usually performed. We present a retrospective case series involving 3 patients with complete HPE stenosis who failed endoscopic repair and were gastrostomy dependent. All were managed successfully with the sternocleidomastoid myocutaneous (SCM) flap. A temporary fistula occurred in 1 patient. Hospitalization ranged from 5 to 15 days, patients resumed oral intake from 21 to 82 days postoperatively, and their gastrostomy tubes were removed from 28 to 165 days postoperatively. We suggest that the SCM flap is a laryngeal preservation option for reconstruction of complete HPE stenosis when endoscopic techniques fail. This flap allows HPE repair and reconstruction within the same surgical field, imposes no significant donor site morbidity, and affords good functional and cosmetic outcomes.
Lymphopenia predicts response to stereotactic radiosurgery in lung cancer patients with brain metastases

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) can enhance immune activation and improve disease control through stimulation of anti-tumor immunity. However, patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy are often immunosuppressed, which may impact the efficacy of SRS. Here we investigate the relationship between systemic lymphopenia and response to SRS in patients with brain-metastatic lung cancer. We reviewed 125 patients with lung cancer brain metastases treated with SRS between January 2014 and May 2017. Complete blood counts from the time of SRS were reviewed, and lymphopenia was defined as absolute lymphocyte count < 1×109 cells/L. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and cox proportional-hazards models were used to evaluate risks of progression and death. The median age was 65 years (range 43–86), with 54% female patients. Lymphopenia was present in 60 patients. In univariate analysis, lymphopenic patients had significantly shorter PFS (HR = 2.995, p < 0.0001) and OS (HR = 3.928, p < 0.0001). When accounting for age, gender, smoking history, ECOG score, surgery, and tumor histology in a multivariate model, lymphopenia remained significantly predictive of worse PFS (HR = 1.912, p = 0.002) and OS (HR = 2.257, p < 0.001). Patients who received immunotherapy within 3 months of SRS demonstrated significantly shorter PFS (HR = 3.578, p = 0.006) and OS (HR = 6.409, p = 0.001) if lymphopenic. Brain-metastatic lung cancer patients with lymphopenia treated with SRS had significantly worse PFS and OS. The effect of lymphopenia was even more pronounced in patients receiving immunotherapy. These data demonstrate the significant impact of deficient immunity on disease control and survival. Lymphopenic patients may benefit from interventions to improve immune function prior to SRS for brain metastases.
First things first: If software engineering is the solution, then what is the problem?

Software engineering (SE) undergoes an ontological crisis and it lacks of a theory. Why? Among other reasons, because always it succumbed to the pragmatism demanded by the commercial and political interests and abandoned any intention to become a science instead of a professional discipline. For beginning a discussion for define a theory of software, first, is required to know what software is.
Characterizing the North American Monsoon in the Community Atmosphere Model: Sensitivity to Resolution and Topography

AbstractThis work examines the effect of horizontal resolution and topography on the North American monsoon (NAM) in experiments with an atmospheric general circulation model. Observations are used...
Motor impairments in transient ischemic attack increase the odds of a positive diffusion-weighted imaging: A meta-analysis

Background Unilateral motor impairment is a key symptom used in the diagnosis of transient ischemic attack (TIA). Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a promising diagnostic tool for detecting ischemic lesions. While both motor impairments and DWI abnormalities are linked to the diagnosis of TIA, the association between these prognostic factors is not well understood. Objective To examine the association between unilateral motor impairments and the odds of a positive DWI in TIA. Further, to determine whether the time between symptom onset and neuroimaging (delay to scan) influences the odds of a positive DWI. Methods We used PRISMA guidelines to conduct a systematic search from 1989 to 2018. We included studies that reported number of individuals with/without unilateral motor symptoms and a positive/negative DWI. Results Twenty-four studies from North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe were submitted to a meta-analysis. A pooled odds ratio of 1.80 (95% CI, 1.45-2.24, p = 0.00; I2 = 57.38) suggested that the odds of a positive DWI are greater in TIA individuals who experience motor symptoms as compared with those who experience no motor symptoms. Further, increasing the time delay to scan from the symptom onset (>2 days) did not influence the odds of a positive DWI as compared with an earlier scan (≤2 days). Conclusions The current meta-analysis provides cumulative evidence from 6710 individuals with TIA that the presence of motor symptoms increases the odds of a positive DWI by two-folds. These findings transform the clinical perception into evidence-based knowledge that motor impairments elevate the risk for brain tissue damage. Unilateral motor impairments in a cerebrovascular event should increase a physician's suspicion of detecting brain infarctions. These findings may influence the clinical management of TIA by generating faster response to motor impairments in TIA and accelerating referral to specialized stroke clinic.
Summary of Consequences

In the preceding sections of this book, we have presented a wide array of individual effects that could result from a large-scale nuclear war. We have included direct, immediate consequences, particularly from blast, thermal radiation, and initial ionizing radiation. Immediate indirect effects, such as from secondary fires, were discussed, as were longer term effects, especially from temperature reductions, light reductions, fallout, societal disruptions, and a suite of other environmentally mediated mechanisms. The purpose of the present chapter is to provide a brief picture of all of these factors in order to convey a comprehensive image of the world after nuclear war.
Combating the ills of involuntary intake: a critical rhetorical analysis of Colorado’s state psychiatric policies for suicidal patients

In the state of Colorado, people deemed a danger to themselves can be committed to a psychiatric hospital regardless of whether or not they consent to such treatment. Despite the life-saving potent...
Evaluating visualization approaches to detect abnormal activities in network traffic data

Designing innovative approaches to detect intrusive network activities is considered as one of the most significant research topics in network security. Various computational methods are proposed to discover unknown attacks, but validating suspicious activities and understanding their unique characteristics are still difficult. To address this limitation, several visualization systems have been designed, which aim to enhance the ability of understanding data visually. However, the effectiveness of visualization techniques for network traffic data analysis has not been fully examined. In this paper, we performed in-depth literature review on visualization techniques for network traffic data analysis. From the review, we identified four key approaches that should be utilized in designing an effective network traffic visualization system: data filtration and transformation, pixel-based visualization, graph representation, and coordinated multi-views. To determine the effectiveness of the four visualization approaches, we developed several prototype visualizations and examined the complexity of implementation, requirement of data preprocessing, understandability of network patterns, and identifiability of abnormal network events.
Political and personal reactions to COVID-19 during initial weeks of social distancing in the United States

Objective To examine perceptions, behaviors, and impacts surrounding COVID-19 early in the pandemic response. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey of 1,030 U.S. adults was administered on March 31st, 2020. This survey examined attitudes toward media, government, and community responses to COVID-19 by political ideology and sociodemographic factors. Knowledge, anxieties, and impacts of COVID-19 were also assessed. Results Conservatives were more likely to report that COVID-19 was receiving too much media coverage and people were generally overreacting; liberals were more likely to report the government had not done enough in response to the pandemic. Females and those with lower income experienced more COVID-19 related economic anxieties. Those working and with children at home reported higher social, home, and work disruption. Social distancing behaviors were more common among liberals and were associated with increases in depressive symptoms. General knowledge about COVID-19 was widely exhibited across the sample, however, Black and Hispanic respondents were less likely to correctly answer questions about the availability of a vaccine and modes of transmission. Conclusions Public health experts should consider the political climate in crafting messaging that appeals to the values of those across the political spectrum. Research on the COVID-19 pandemic should continue to monitor the effects of social distancing on mental health and among vulnerable populations.
Chemical features of blood-borne TRG CDR3s associated with an increased overall survival in breast cancer

Immunogenomics and earlier, pioneering studies, particularly by Whiteside and colleagues, have indicated a positive role for B-cells in breast cancer, as well as a positive role for gamma-delta T-cells. However, these studies have been completely limited to assessing breast cancer tumor tissue. Our analyses here has shown that blood-borne T-cell receptor gamma (TRG) chain sequences were associated with greater overall survival, of particular note due to the comparative longevity of primary breast cancer patients, whereby assessments of disease-free, but rarely overall survival parameters are possible. Additional immunogenomics approaches narrowed the overall survival correlations to specific, TRG complementarity determining region-3, amino acid (AA) sequence chemical features, independently of many common, confounding variables in the breast cancer setting, such as estrogen or progesterone receptor status. These results are discussed in the context of patient age and with regard to potential antigenic targets, based on the chemistry of the TRG CDR3 AA sequences associated with the higher survival rates.
Application of Method for Non-Linear Scaling of Multi-Criteria Decision Making Attribute Values

When analyzing Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problems, many methods only consider linear attribute values and scale them accordingly. Often there are attributes that do not follow a linear translation and therefore should be treated differently. Non-linear scaling is difficult to implement and even harder to interpret, but necessary in order to represent the data in a realistic way. This study compares the proposed non-linear and the standard linear scaling methods using TOPSIS as the MCDM technique of choice. A baseline TOPSIS is performed using linear scaling and then using the non-linear method proposed here. The results show a change in the outcome of the analysis which aligns with the expected results given the group solicited scaling values collected.
Knowledge Compilation to Speed Up Numerical Optimisation

Many important application problems can be formalized as constrained non-linear optimization tasks. However, numerical methods for solving such problems are brittle and do not scale well. This paper describes a method to speed up and increase the reliability of numerical optimization by (a) optimizing the computation of the objective function, and (b) splitting the objective function into special cases that possess differentiable closed forms. This allows us to replace a single inefficient non-gradient-based optimization by a set of efficient numerical gradient-directed optimizations that can be performed in parallel. In the domain of 2-dimensional structural design, this procedure yields a 95% speedup over traditional optimization methods and decreases the dependence of the numerical methods on having a good starting point.
Individual/Society: History of the Concept

Philosophical dimensions of the distinction between individuals and collectives include the problem of universals (how are similarities among members of collectives to be explained?), of emergent properties (do collectives have properties that are different from those of their members?), and of internal and external relations (are the properties of individuals brought into being by membership of collectives?). In political philosophy the problem of the authority of the state as a collective led to accounts by Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau in terms of a (mythical) moment of a social contract between members to create a sovereign. By contrast Vico saw the state as a development of the existing social structures of families. Utilitarians assumed, problematically, that properties of groups of people were merely aggregates of attributes of individuals. Mill defended a radical distinction between individual and collective as the ground of political freedom. Hegel and Marx made collectives fundamental. Individuals acquired different attributes by virtues of membership of social aggregates which changed as the history of humanity unfolded. Durkheim too assumed that there were social facts not reducible to attributes of individuals. Sociology, as the study of collectives, can focus on attributes of individual members (idiography) or attributes of groups (nomothetic research). The debates around ontological and methodological individualism continue still.
Mining influential bloggers: From general to domain specific, from explicit to implicit

With the rapid development of web 2.0 technology and e-business, influential bloggers can bring great business values to modern enterprise by increasing market profits and enlarging business impacts. Despite that several systems are available for mining influential bloggers, they are oblivious to domain specific features and potential influence, which are critical for real application requirements. In this paper, we propose an effective model to mine top-k influential bloggers that considers not only post-reply relationships, external links and network proximity, but interest domains, as well as both explicit influence and implicit influence. We develop an influential blogger mining system based on the proposed model, and discuss business applications that can be benefited from these techniques. The experiment results show that our system can effectively mine influential bloggers.
Music in the Hispanic Caribbean: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Robin Moore Year: 2009 Pages: 256 Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 9780195375053 (hard cover). Prices: $24.95 USD(hard cover).
Upgrading the ICPCM institutional website and interactions with related ones (IJPCM and GLADP websites)

The First Geneva Conference on Person-centered Medicine, held in May 2008, was intended to present and discuss what had been learnt up to that time about person-centered principles and the work which was being progressed on the conceptual basis of person-centered medicine. The aim was to engage major international medical and health organizations in order to identify promising organizational steps for the further development of person-centered medicine and healthcare. The challenge to be faced was to develop specific concepts, competencies, procedures and resources to facilitate the application of a truly person-centered approach in everyday clinical practice [1]. The conference demonstrated the importance of collaboration in this venture among different medical specialists and across health professions, so that science and humanism could be articulated together in order to work respectfully with our patients towards every person's greater health and life project's fulfilment.
Semantics of paragraphs

We present a computational theory of the paragraph. Within it we formally define coherence, give semantics to the adversative conjunction "but" and to the Gricean maxim of quantity, and present some new methods for anaphora resolution.The theory precisely characterizes the relationship between the content of the paragraph and background knowledge needed for its understanding. This is achieved by introducing a new type of logical theory consisting of an object level, corresponding to the content of the paragraph, a referential level, which is a new logical level encoding background knowledge, and a metalevel containing constraints on models of discourse (e.g. a formal version of Gricean maxims). We propose also specific mechanisms of interaction between these levels, resembling both classical provability and abduction. Paragraphs are then represented by a class of structures called p-models.
Boron—nitrogen compounds : LXXVII. The reaction of (dimethylamino)diethylborane with 3,3′-diaminodipropylamine☆

Abstract The compounds (C2H5)2BN[(CH2)3NHB(C2H5)2]2 (I) and HN[(CH2)3NHB-(C2H5)2]2 (II) have been isolated from the reaction of (dimethylamino)diethylborane with 3,3′-diaminodipropylamine. The suggested structures are confirmed by spectroscopic data.
Colonization of the Americas: Disease Ecology and the Paleoindian Lifestyle

The disease barrier hypothesis is one long-standing explanation of the temporal discrepancies between the initial colonization of North and South America. The model postulates an epidemiological barrier that prohibited or slowed the initial migration into South America during the Late Pleistocene. Using data from ethnographically documented hunter–gatherers, the theoretical foundations of the hypothesis are explored. In addition, likely demographic effects to colonizing populations are postulated and compared to disease-response mechanisms in foraging societies. Based on identified disease conditions deemed necessary to maintain a prohibitive barrier, it is suggested that disease transmission rates in the initial colonizing populations of the New World were likely extremely limited and insufficient to support the disease barrier concept.
Shembe and the Early Zionists: A reappraisal.

The IBandla lamaNazaretha (Nazarites) are one of the largest and best-studied African-initiated churches in southern Africa. Despite considerable scholarly efforts, the biography of Isaiah Shembe, who founded the church in 1913, has remained difficult to unravel. Shembe and his successors have maintained that he was a prophet sent directly by God to the Zulu nation, and a large corpus of church scriptures emphasizing this have obscured our understanding of his background. This article argues though, that Isaiah Shembe was neither a prophet (as his believers maintain) nor someone who developed his religious ideas autochthonously (as most academics maintain). Instead, the decisive factor in the emergence of Isaiah Shembe as a religious leader was his involvement with the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in the Orange River Colony and its leader, John G Lake from 1910-1911. As a member of the AFM who travelled with its leadership, Shembe had the opportunity to examine and study its American-derived tent revival style, which made extensive use of “faith healing” and other orchestrated “signs and wonders” to win over the masses. Shembe also absorbed the rhetorical style of the AFM, which emphasized prophecies and direct revelations. Three aspects of Shembe’s ministry appear to derive directly from Lake and the AFM: his sense of divine calling, his wide repertoire of faith healing techniques, and his conscious reshaping of his autobiography. Shembe’s dramatic healing campaigns in Natal, after he struck out on his own in 1911, utilized all three of these key elements from the very start. Shembe’s ideology and evangelical techniques, then, derived from the early “Zionist” missionaries, although he was careful to obscure his relationship with them.
The Effect of Parathyroid Hormone and Thyrocalcitonin on the Accumulation of Cyclic Adenosine 3' : 5'-Monophosphate in Freshly Isolated Bone Cells

Abstract Bone cells were isolated from embryonic rat calvaria by a modified method designed to give larger yields and undamaged membranes. Essentially it consists of perfusing bone chips with fresh collagenase, collecting the cells continuously in the effluent, and washing off the collagenase. Cyclic adenosine 3' : 5'-monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation in the freshly isolated cells was measured by equilibrating the cells with the specific antibody. The amount of cAMP detected by this method was similar to that determined in the trichloroacetic acid extract from homogenized cells. Parathyroid hormone, thyrocalcitonin, and epinephrine enhanced cAMP accumulation in this preparation. The hormone response to parathyroid hormone was directly proportional to the logarithm of the concentration between 2 x 10-2 and 2 µg per ml and between 2 x 10-3 and 20 pg per ml, respectively. The lowest consistently effective concentration was 1 x 10-7 µg per ml (1 x 10-14 m). The response to thyrocalcitonin was directly proportional to the logarithm of the concentration between 0.2 to 2 µg per ml, and the lowest active thyrocalcitonin concentration was 2 pg per ml (about 10-12 m). The effect of the two hormones administered together at maximum stimulatory concentration was additive, indicating that the hormones act on separate, independent sites. These findings show that physiological concentrations of both target-specific hormones, parathyroid hormone and thyrocalcitonin, enhance cAMP accumulation in the isolated bone cells and that the two hormones act on separate sites.
Understanding the impact of dam‐triggered land use/land cover change on the modification of extreme precipitation

[1] Two specific questions are addressed in this study regarding dams (artificial reservoirs). (1) Can a dam (artificial reservoir) and the land use/land cover (LULC) changes triggered by it physically alter extreme precipitation? The term extreme precipitation (EP) is used as a way of representing the model-derived upper bound of precipitation that pertains to the engineering definition of the standard probable maximum precipitation (PMP) used in design of dams. (2) Among the commonly experienced LULC changes due to dams, which type of change leads to the most detectable alteration of extreme precipitation? The American River Basin (ARW) and the Folsom dam were selected as a study region. Four scenarios of LULC change (comprising also various reservoir surface areas) were analyzed in a step by step fashion to elucidate the scenario leading to most significant impact on EP. The Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS, version 6.0) was used to analyze the impact of these LULC scenarios in two modes. In the first mode (called normal), the probable precipitation pattern due to each LULC scenario was identified. The second mode (called moisture-maximized), the PMP pattern represented from a 100% relative humidity profile was generated as an indicator of extreme precipitation (EP). For the particular case of ARW and Folsom dam, irrigation was found as having the most detectable impact on EP (a 5% increase in 72 h total for the normal mode and a 3% increase for the moisture-maximized mode) in and around the ARW watershed. Doubling the reservoir size, on the other hand, brought only a small change in EP. Our RAMS-simulated results demonstrate that LULC changes driven by surrounding landscape alteration resulting from the dams can, in fact, alter the local to regional hydrometeorology as well as extreme precipitation. There is a strong possibility of a positive feedback mechanism initiated by irrigated landscapes located upwind of orographic rain producing watersheds that are impounded by large dams.
ras Mutations in 2-Acetylaminofluorene-induced Lung and Liver Tumors from C3H/HeJ and (C3H×A/J)F1 Mice

Previous studies have demonstrated mutagenic specificity of 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) in several strains of bacteria and mammalian cells. Examination of AAF-induced B6C3F1 mouse liver tumor DNAs indicates a G→T (or C→A) transversion in the H- ras gene. In the present study, 6 mouse lung tumors [2 were from C3H/HeJ mice and 4 were from (C3H×A/J)F1 mice] and 20 C3H/HeJ mouse liver tumors induced by AAF were analyzed for the presence of activating mutations in the ras gene by utilizing polymerase chain reaction, single-strand conformation polymorphism, and direct DNA sequencing analysis. All of the lung tumors contained an activated K- ras protooncogene with an A→T transversion at the second base of codon 61. The activating mutations in the H- ras gene were detected in 14 of 20 AAF-induced mouse liver tumors with 13 of 14 having a C→A transversion at the first base of codon 61 and 1 of 14 having an A→T transversion at the second base of codon 61. The selectivity of mutations in the ras oncogene observed in AAF-induced mouse lung and liver tumors, as compared to those in spontaneously occurring mouse lung and liver tumors, suggests that AAF may directly induce point mutations in the ras gene. The difference in the ras mutation spectra between lung and liver tumors induced by AAF indicates that AAF mutagenesis could be tissue-specific.