cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cryptanalysis of Some Multimedia Encryption Schemes

Encryption is one of the fundamental technologies that is used in digital rights management. Unlike ordinary computer applications, multimedia applications generate large amounts of data that has to be processed in real time. So, a number of encryption schemes for multimedia applications have been proposed in recent years. We analyze the following proposed methods for multimedia encryption: key-based multiple Huffman tables (MHT), arithmetic coding with key-based interval splitting (KSAC), and randomized arithmetic coding (RAC). Our analysis shows that MHT and KSAC are vulnerable to low complexity known- and/or chosen-plaintext attacks. Although we do not provide any attacks on RAC, we point out some disadvantages of RAC over the classical compress-then-encrypt approach.
Empirie Antibacterial Therapy in Granulocytopenia Induced by Cancer Chemotherapy

Excerpt For the past two decades the empiric initiation of broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy at the first sign of possible infection (unexplained fever, rigors, tachypnea, or acidosis) has been ...
The Effects of the ARC Organizational Intervention on Caseworker Turnover, Climate, and Culture in Children's Service Systems.

Abstract Objective This study examines the effects of the Availability, Responsiveness, and Continuity (ARC) organizational intervention strategy on caseworker turnover, climate, and culture in a child welfare and juvenile justice system. Method Using a pre-post, randomized blocks, true experimental design, 10 urban and 16 rural case management teams were randomly assigned to either the ARC organizational intervention condition or to a control condition. The culture and climate of each case management team were assessed at baseline and again after the one-year organizational intervention was completed. In addition, caseworker turnover was assessed by identifying caseworkers on the sampled teams who quit their jobs during the year. Results Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) analyses indicate that the ARC organizational intervention reduced the probability of caseworker turnover by two-thirds and improved organizational climate by reducing role conflict, role overload, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization in both urban and rural case management teams. Conclusions Organizational intervention strategies can be used to reduce staff turnover and improve organizational climates in urban and rural child welfare and juvenile justice systems. This is important because child welfare and juvenile justice systems in the U.S.A. are plagued by high turnover rates, and there is evidence that high staff turnover and poor organizational climates negatively affect service quality and outcomes in these systems.
Testicular adrenal rest tumors in a patient with congenital adrenal hyperplasia: sonographic and magnetic resonance imaging findings.

esticular adrenal rest tumors are benign corticotropin-dependent lesions that are often asymptomatic and occur frequently in male patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH).1 Careful microscopic examination suggests that adrenal rests are present in all male patients with CAH.2 The reported prevalence by sonography varies between 24% and 94%.1–3 The appearance of testicular adrenal rest tumors on both gray scale and color Doppler sonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been reported previously.1–5 In patients with CAH who have testicular masses detected sonographically, testicular adrenal tissue is the most likely diagnosis.5 We report a case with unusual sonographic findings corroborated by previously unreported MRI findings of bilateral testicular adrenal rest tumors in a 41-year-old man with CAH.
Rubrics and Their Use in Inclusive Science

General education teachers are increasingly finding themselves faced with the challenge of providing instruction for all students, including those with learning and behavior problems. Because of the emphasis on experiments and active learning, science classes seem to be one of the most accessible—and accessed—subjects for inclusive programming. However, science instructors are not always as skilled at assessing learning as they are at designing and delivering instruction. A method that can be used to objectively and individually assess the achievement of students with learning and behavior problems is rubrics. When implemented effectively, rubrics can be used to more accurately reflect student achievement and help the educator in determining if remediation is needed.
The threat of intelligent collisions

With the advent of intelligent transportation systems (ITS), safer and more efficient roadways are on the horizon. Future generations of in-vehicle ITS will network with nearby vehicles for greater safety and efficiency. Through wireless communication and advanced sensor technologies, intelligent vehicles will learn of nearby vehicles' intentions and dynamics, and of the presence of roadway hazards. These IT technologies will allow safe, tightly spaced vehicle clusters or platoons and coordinate safe lane merges and collision avoidance in intersections and under limited-visibility conditions. For efficiency and economy, the wireless communication will probably take place directly between vehicles. The resulting intervehicle communication (IVC) network will be of the general class of mobile, ad hoc networks without a fixed infrastructure. In contrast to railroad dispatch system or air traffic control systems, which make decisions in a central location and then transmit them to trains or planes, the network will rely on ordinary nodes for routing and network management, spreading the intelligence and infrastructure throughout the network in the vehicles themselves. This article explores the IVC network's potential vulnerabilities and emerging research aimed at mitigating them. Our project, a security architecture under development called SecCar, offers a promising approach to dealing with these risks.
The Role of Infections in BOS

Background: Infectious agents, particularly cytomegalovirus (CMV), have long been considered to be potential triggers for BOS, although the exact magnitude of the role of infections and the mechanisms thereof remain an area of active research. Methods: This chapter will review previous literature and newer results concerning the possible roles of CMV, other herpesviruses, community-acquired respiratory viruses, bacteria (including Pseudomonas, other gram-negative, gram-positive, and atypical organisms), and fungi, including colonization as well as invasive infection. Results: The text reviews and evaluates the body of literature supporting a role for these infectious agents as risk factors for BOS and time to BOS. Changing patterns of infection over time are taken into account, and studies that have shown an association between BOS (or lack thereof) and CMV are reviewed. Strategies for prevention or early treatment of infections are discussed as potential means of preserving allograft function long term. Immunizations, stringent infection-control practices, and antimicrobial treatment including newer therapies will be discussed. Conclusion: In addition to the classic literature that has focused on CMV, an expanding spectrum of infectious organisms has been implicated as possible risk factors for BOS. Increasing knowledge of the impact of long-term antiviral suppression, prophylaxis, and outcomes of early therapy will help guide future recipient management.
Mental Health Screening Outcomes in a Pediatric Specialty Care Setting

Objective To evaluate whether a psychosocial screening program that included free and flexible access to mental health (MH) consultation resulted in increased rate of consultations. Study design This is a post hoc review of a clinical screening program in a pediatric food allergy clinic in New York City. Screening was limited to 2 days per week, providing an opportunity to compare screened and nonscreened cohorts. Previous results from more than 1000 other families were analyzed to create the 1-page screening questionnaire. Participants were children with allergies and their parents who sought care at the clinic between March and September 2013. Parents were screened for distress and quality of life burden related to their child's allergy, and children were screened for anxiety, bullying, and quality of life. The predefined primary outcome was the percentage of families who received the free MH consultation after screening vs no-screening days in the allergy clinic. Results The 3143 encounters during the study period included 1171 on screening days and 1972 on no-screening days. Most (86%) eligible families completed the screen. Almost one-half (44%) met the initial screening thresholds. A total of 71 families (6.1% of screening days encounters) were referred to a MH consultation after a secondary review, but only 11 (1% of screening days encounters) scheduled a MH appointment. Eighteen families from the no-screening days came to a MH evaluation (1% of no-screening days encounters). Conclusion Screening did not lead to enhanced MH follow-up. Resources may be better used on ensuring the availability of MH care rather than on screening in pediatric specialty clinics.
On the road to social epistemic interdependence

(1988). On the road to social epistemic interdependence. Social Epistemology: Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 297-307.
Hodgkin's sarcoma of the cervix. Report of a case.

Abstract A case of Hodgkin's sarcoma of the cervix has been presented without clinical or laboratory evidence of generalized manifestation of the disease. The differentiation between the various types of sarcoma is sometimes very difficult because by the time the patient is seen, the origin of the cell type is often obscure. Most often, surgical treatment for sarcoma of the uterus would be the first choice. In this case, however, radiation was used because Hodgkin's sarcoma is most often a generalized disease, rarely a localized one. For the present, it is felt that the treatment given has controlled the only site of the disease that was apparent at this time. The patient has left the hospital, and her progress will be followed closely.
A comparative study of the hematologic changes in pregnancy in the Macaca mulatta monkey and the human female

Abstract Hematologic changes were recorded in 20 Macaca mulatta monkeys during pregnancy. As pregnancy progressed there was a decrease in the total serum protein and a shift in the albumin to globulin ratio. The increase in the globulin fraction was primarily due to an increase in the gamma globulin. The serum cholesterol declined rapidly during the first 120 days of pregnancy. Thereafter, it increased gradually until delivery. There was also a decrease in hemoglobin. hematocrit, number of circulating red blood cells and sedimentation rate of the red blood cells. A slight leukocytosis with a shift to the left of the neutrophils was observed. The mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin increased slightly during pregnancy. However, the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration remained fairly constant throughout the gestation period. The various blood constitutents had returned to approximately prepregnant values within 40 days following delivery. These data were compared with those reported for pregnant human females.
Chemical Nature of Catalase

The chemical nature of catalase has been studied by a number of authors. The experiments of Zeile1 and of Stern2 indicate that the catalase molecule is probably a chromoprotein in which the hemin group is related to that of the natural blood pigments. Recently Agner3 reported that if horse liver catalase is dialyzed against N/10 or N/100 HCl the enzyme splits into 2 inactive components, one of a low molecular weight which dialyses through the cellophane membrane and which is possibly hemin and another component which remains within the bag and which is a protein. If the 2 neutralized components are mixed, an active preparation is again obtained, according to Agner.Having the intention of making certain studies on the basis of Agner's report, we first attempted to repeat his experiment. The technique is simple but we were not able to confirm his results. The only difference between his and our technique is in the species of animal from which the liver was derived. Horse liver, which Agner used, is practica...
Impact of Task Complexity on Hybrid Inspection System Performance

Recently, 100% inspection using automated systems has seen more frequent application than traditional sampling inspection using human inspectors. Nevertheless, humans still outperform machines for most attribute inspection tasks. Since neither humans nor automation can achieve superior inspection system performance, hybrid inspection systems where humans work cooperatively with machines merit study. In response to this situation, this research was conducted to evaluate the impact of task complexity on inspection performance in a hybrid environment. Results from the study showed that task complexity has a significant effect on inspection performance. Furthermore, the study looked at the impact of human intervention in such a hybrid inspection system and indicated that human inspector will continue to play a vital role in future hybrid systems.
Consumption of Alfalfa by Larvae and Adults of the Egyptian Alfalfa Weevil, Hypera brunneipennis

Dry wt. foliage consumption for the larval stage averaged 9.33 mg at 20°C; ca. 80% was eaten by 3rd and 4th instars together. Average instar consumption was 0.78 mg (1st), 1.21 mg (2nd), 3.44 mg (3rd), 3.90 mg (4th). Differences in alfalfa consumption by females in the dark at 3 constant temperatures were significant (P<0.001) ; avg consumptions per adult were 2.36, 7.68 and 6.34 mg at 10, 20 and 30°C, respectively. Adults of both sexes consumed more foliage in the dark than in light (P<0.001) ; avg male consumption was 2.61 mg in light and 4.82 mg in darkness. The differences in consumption per weevil between sexes were not significant.
Role of zidovudine antiretroviral therapy in the pathogenesis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related lymphoma

The role of zidovudine and other antiretroviral agents in the pathogenesis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related lymphomas has been somewhat controversial. In an attempt to elucidate the precise role of antiretroviral agents in the subsequent development of AIDS-related lymphoma, we performed a population-based, case-control study of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive patients with intermediate- or high-grade lymphoma in Los Angeles County, California, in which information regarding use of antiretroviral medications was ascertained. Diagnostic biopsy material was reviewed to confirm intermediate-or high-grade lymphoma. A structured interview, conducted with all cases and controls, included information about use of zidovudine and other antiretroviral agents. A total of 112 HIV-infected homosexual/bisexual men with lymphoma were matched to 112 homosexual/bisexual men with asymptomatic HIV infection; 49 of the lymphoma cases were also matched to 49 additional controls with AIDS, as defined by conditions other than lymphoma. Positive histories of zidovudine use were reported by 44 (39%) lymphoma cases, 24 (21%) asymptomatic HIV controls, and 21 (42%) AIDS controls. The average duration of zidovudine use up to 12 months before lymphoma diagnosis was 19.0 +/- 13.0 months (mean +/- SD) for the lymphoma cases, 12.6 +/- 10.5 months for the asymptomatic controls, and 11.0 +/- 7.1 months for the AIDS controls. When comparing the 49 HIV-positive lymphoma cases with their 49 matched AIDS controls, all of whom were diagnosed with AIDS during the same time period, the matched relative odds of lymphoma associated with prior use of zidovudine was 0.43 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17 to 1.12). In comparing all 112 lymphoma cases with 49 AIDS controls, the unmatched relative odds of lymphoma associated with zidovudine use was 0.93 (95% confidence interval = 0.47 to 1.83). One lymphoma case and no AIDS control cases had a history of didanosine use; no lymphoma case or AIDS control cases had taken zalcitabine. We conclude that zidovudine is not associated with an increased risk of development of lymphoma among HIV-infected homosexual or bisexual men.
The Search for Landmark Works in English Literary Studies: A Citation Analysis

Abstract The authors of the current study set out to test for the presence of landmark works in a certain area of English literary scholarship with collection development in mind. By conducting a citation study on a specific niche within English literary studies, the authors hoped to identify core groups of scholarly works that could be used as a tool for collection development and provide a picture of literary scholarship on a more granular level. The data, though representative of a smaller sample size, indicated diversity in the use of sources with no clear core distinguishable, mirroring macroscopic trends in English literary scholarship.
The role of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in predicting hospital mortality for percutaneous coronary interventions in the Clinical Outcomes Assessment Program.

Published mortality models for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), including the Clinical Outcomes Assessment Program (COAP) model, have not considered the effect of out-ofhospital cardiac arrest. The primary objective of this study was to determine if the inclusion of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest altered the COAP mortality model for PCI. The COAP PCI database contains extensive demographic, clinical, procedural and outcome information, including out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, which was added to the data collection form in 2006. This study included 15,586 consecutive PCIs performed in 31 Washington State hospitals in 2006. Using development and test sets, the existing COAP PCI logistic regression mortality model was examined to assess the effect of out-of-hospital arrest on in-hospital mortality. Overall, 2% of individuals undergoing PCI had cardiac arrest prior to hospital arrival. Among 8 hospitals with PCI volumes 120 cases per year did. In-hospital mortality was 19% in the arrest group and was 1.0% in remaining procedures (p < 0.0001). In the new multivariate model, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was highly associated with mortality (odds ratio = 5.50; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.28-9.25). When evaluated in the test set, the new model had excellent discrimination (c-statistic = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.85-0.93). Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is an important determinant of risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality for PCI, particularly for hospitals with low volumes and relatively high volumes of cardiac arrest cases.
Remembering the past and imagining the future: Identifying and enhancing the contribution of episodic memory:

Recent studies have shown that imagining or simulating future events relies on many of the same cognitive and neural processes as remembering past events. According to the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis (Schacter and Addis, 2007), such overlap indicates that both remembered past and imagined future events rely heavily on episodic memory: future simulations are built on retrieved details of specific past experiences that are recombined into novel events. An alternative possibility is that commonalities between remembering and imagining reflect the influence of more general, non-episodic factors such as narrative style or communicative goals that shape the expression of both memory and imagination. We consider recent studies that distinguish the contributions of episodic and non-episodic processes in remembering the past and imagining the future by using an episodic specificity induction - brief training in recollecting the details of a past experience - and also extend this approach to the domains of problem solving and creative thinking. We conclude by suggesting that the specificity induction may target a process of scene construction that contributes to episodic memory as well as to imagination, problem solving, and creative thinking.
Pattern Recognition Receptors and the Innate Immune Network

The distinction originally made between innate and adaptive immunity has blurred. Innate immunity is an ensemble of cells and molecules that have evolved over time to perform a critical first responder’s function during the early stages of infection. Innate immunity holds the line, gathers information for ‘communication’ with more systemic elements of the adaptive immune system. Assessing the type of infection, first responders can call in effectors able to deal with the incursion. A major advance in understanding how changes in tissue status was recognized was the discovery of pattern recognition receptors (PRR) such as Toll-like receptors (TLR) that bind features of pathogens, as well as components of host cells that have died under duress. Barrier cells (keratinocytes, gut epithelia), along with WBC that are positioned beneath the barriers use a diverse set of PRR to recognize and differentiate different types of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. PRR occupy different cellular compartments to ensure that they can monitor all possible locations that pathogens can replicate or exist in. The recognition is based on binding an integral part of the pathogen, a pattern: a consistently recognizable molecular signature of that type of pathogen. With the PRR strategy, if the pattern is there, then the pathogen is there and the battle is engaged.
On the Meaning of Shang In The Shang Dynasty

For nearly a century scholars have debated the meaning of the oracle ¬bone graph shang 商 used by the Bronze Age theocracy in reference to itself and one of its settlements. Since the Zhou, the word shang has borne a political significance as the term for a ruling power group, yet there is no agreement as to the graph's meaning or why it stood as the eponym of China's first historic civilization. Following from Wang Guo-wei's 1923 contention that shang was first a place name — a claim attested to in inscriptions in the common phrase dayi shang (great settlement Shang), the present essay finds that this place was the hallowed site of the ancestral sacrifices of the Zi clan, and offers philological and artifactual evidence that the graph shang first depicted a rite performed before an ancestral image. Over the course of several centuries, the original, literal meaning of shang as the graphic depiction of the telling ritual, gao 吿, was generalized and extended to refer to the ancestral temple, the city where the temple was located, and finally to the Shang dynasty itself.
Cross-Bedding and Ripple Marks up to 1963

Cross-bedding and ripple mark have received more attention from geologists than all other directional structures combined.
4He very nearT λ heated from above

We discuss the feasibility and likely results of measurements of the thermal conductivity λ(Q,t) of4He very nearTλ ≡Tλ(Q = 0) as a function of the heat currentQ and the reduced temperature t ≡[T —Tλ]/Tλ by heating a sample from above and cooling it from below. Although the expansion coefficient is negative, the experiment should be possible without inducing convection in the HeI layer provided the sample length does not significantly exceed one cm. Fort ≲ 10−7(Q ≳ 0.2 erg/s cm2), a state of self-organized criticality can be attained. For these conditions, the thermal gradient cancels the gradient inTλ induced by gravity, thus permitting measurements extremely close to the transition even in an Earthbound laboratory. However, the data will be only for a unique path in the Q—t plane. For 0.2 ≲Q ≲ 0.5 erg/s cm2 (10−7≳t≳ 10−8) they will be in the range of linear response and give λ(0,t); for Q between about 0.5 and 10 erg/s cm2 and over a temperature range of about 20 nK, the experimental path samples the regime where the conductivity is expected to be influenced by nonlinear finite-current effects. The small currents and narrow temperature range of the experiment imply that ultra-high resolution thermometry as well as very careful control of stray heat currents will be required. ForQ ≳ 10 erg/s cm2 and up to very largeQ, the method can be used to determine the onset temperatureTc(Q) of thermal resistance.
Trends in Laboratory Utilization

Abstract Laboratory utilization is definitely a hot topic in clinical laboratory medicine, but what's all the buzz about? Laboratory utilization encompasses a number of efforts aimed at managing laboratory resources and improving patient care. Many laboratory utilization programs have proven to dramatically decrease clinical laboratory spending. Likewise, many have proven to benefit patient care by decreasing blood loss due to phlebotomy, reducing the risk of spurious results, and helping to get the right test for the right patient at the right time. This article reviews examples of laboratory utilization trends, including laboratory utilization committees, laboratory test formularies, electronic tools, and test approval systems.
SSAGA: SMs Synthesized for Asymmetric GPGPU Applications

The emergence of GPGPU applications, bolstered by flexible GPU programming platforms, has created a tremendous challenge in maintaining high energy efficiency in modern GPUs. In this article, we demonstrate that customizing a Streaming Multiprocessor (SM) of a GPU at a lower frequency is significantly more energy efficient compared to employing DVFS on an SM designed for a high-frequency operation. Using a system-level CAD technique, we propose SSAGA—Streaming Multiprocessors Synthesized for Asymmetric GPGPU Applications—an energy-efficient GPU design paradigm. SSAGA creates architecturally identical SM cores, customized for different voltage-frequency domains. Our rigorous cross-layer methodology demonstrates an average of 20% improvement in energy efficiency over a spatially multitasking GPU across a range of GPGPU applications.
Etiology of Human Genetic Disease on the Fly

The model organism Drosophila melanogaster has been at the forefront of genetic studies since before the discovery of DNA. Although human disease modeling in flies may still be rather novel, recent advances in genetic tool design and genome sequencing now confer huge advantages in the fly system when modeling human disease. In this review, we focus on new genomic tools for human gene variant analysis; new uses for the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) in detection of background alleles that influence a phenotype; and several examples of how multigenic conditions, both complex disorders and duplication and/or deletion syndromes, can be effectively studied in the fly model system. Fruit flies are a far cry from the quaint genetic model of the past, but rather, continue to evolve as a powerful system for the study of human genetic disease.
Multiplexed Transcriptional Activation or Repression in Plants Using CRISPR-dCas9-Based Systems

Novel tools and methods for regulating in vivo plant gene expression are quickly gaining popularity and utility due to recent advances in CRISPR-dCas9 chimeric effector regulators, otherwise known as CRISPR artificial transcription factors (CRISPR-ATFs). These tools are especially useful for studying gene function and interaction within various regulatory networks. First generation CRISPR-ATFs are nuclease-deactivated (dCas9) CRISPR systems where dCas9 proteins are fused to known transcriptional activator domains (VP64) or repressor domains (SRDX). When multiple chimeric dCas9-effector fusions are guided to gene regulatory regions via CRISPR gRNAs, they can modulate expression of transcript levels in planta. The protocol presented here provides a detailed procedure for activating AtPAP1 and repressing AtCSTF64 in Arabidopsis thaliana. This protocol makes use of our plant CRISPR toolbox to streamline the assembly and cloning of multiplex CRISPR-Cas9 transcriptional regulatory constructs.
Vehicle speed prediction using a cooperative method of fuzzy Markov model and auto-regressive model

Vehicle speed prediction can benefit a wide range of vehicle control designs, especially for fuel economy applications. This paper shows a computationally light vehicle short term speed predictor designed for on-board implementation, using minimal information of speed measurement only. The predictor generalizes historical speed data's underlying pattern and predicts from probability aspect. One novelty of the method is the usage of fuzzy modeling to eliminate the resolution limitation in vehicle acceleration state definition, classification, and prediction. The method uses Auto-regressive (AR) model to capture vehicle speed data's short term dynamics, and classifies the data into multiple acceleration states by fuzzy membership. In the prediction process, acceleration measurements are mapped to the Markov states by fuzzy encoding, and future acceleration states are predicted by Markov transition. Deterministic speed prediction is calculated from the trained AR models, which are selected by fuzzy state membership similarity. The developed predictor is tested with a vehicle's real urban driving data, and the effectiveness of the incorporated techniques is verified by a comparison study.
New Options for Understanding and Dealing with Index Bias

In this chapter I introduce a new approach for addressing the problem of index bias at the point of measurement. Specifically, I introduce new formulations of popular indices of uneven distribution that are free of bias and take expected values of zero when individuals and households are randomly assigned to residential locations. I accomplish this task by drawing on the difference of means formulations of segregation indices introduced in earlier chapters to first identify and then eliminate the root source of bias in standard versions of popular indices of uneven distribution. The crucial insight from the difference of means formulation is that the values for all popular indices of uneven distribution can be seen as resting on person-specific scores for pairwise group contact (p). Close consideration reveals that the source of index bias is found in these group contact scores. Happily, a surprisingly simple refinement in the calculation of these scores eliminates index bias.
Subgroup Analyses and Information from Clinical Trials on Breast Cancer

Information about treatment effect heterogeneity among patient subgroups is critical to the success of personalized medicine. But subgroup analysis is challenging. In the past, overinterpreted results from subgroup analyses have misguided research and caused potential harm to patients. However, avoiding subgroup analysis due to past mistakes is also not acceptable. In this chapter, we discuss the methodological issues with subgroup analysis explaining why it is inherently difficult to perform and illustrating some of the pitfalls. We also discuss several practical issues of how to define subgroups properly, how to explore the data, and how to generate hypotheses to identify useful subgroups using breast cancer clinical trials as examples. We present some recently developed statistical methods for performing subgroup analysis, including the Subpopulation Treatment Effect Pattern Plot (STEPP) methodology. Although they do not resolve all the issues, these methods together with their software enable exploration of treatment effect heterogeneity and identification of useful prognostic and predictive factors to identify subgroups to improve patient care.
Dynamic Anchoring in Soft Regolith: Testing and Prediction

AbstractIn recent decades, the exploration of celestial bodies has moved to surface-based landers and rovers designed to perform experiments on the ground. The presented research focuses on legged ...
Measurements of long-range enhanced collisional velocity drag through plasma wave damping

We present damping measurements of axial plasma waves in magnetized, multispecies ion plasmas. At high temperatures T≳10−2 eV, collisionless Landau damping dominates, whereas, at lower temperatures T≲10−2 eV, the damping arises from interspecies collisional drag, which is dependent on the plasma composition and scales roughly as T−3/2. This drag damping is proportional to the rate of parallel collisional slowing, and is found to exceed classical predictions of collisional drag damping by as much as an order of magnitude, but agrees with a new collision theory that includes long-range collisions. Centrifugal mass separation and collisional locking of the species occur at ultra-low temperatures T≲10−3 eV, which reduce the drag damping from the T−3/2 collisional scaling. These mechanisms are investigated by measuring the damping of higher frequency axial modes, and by measuring the damping in plasmas with a non-equilibrium species profile.
Kinetics of Sub-critical Crack Growth in High Strength Materials

The major experimental evidence bearing upon sub-critical crack growth in high strength materials is briefly reviewed. The possibility of crack growth rate control by either reaction rate or diffusion is suggested.
Attachment to Possessions

While place attachment has received some recent attention in social science literature, such attention reveals the narrow partitions that have been employed in seeking to understand our bonds to the material environment. For bonds to place share much of the same phenomenology as bonds to our children, a favorite sweater, our cars, a pet, the family photograph album, and our own bodies. What such attachments have in common is their importance, for better or worse, in defining the self in a contemporary consumer culture. This linkage was clearly articulated by William James (1890): Our fame, our children, the works of our hands, may be as dear to us as our bodies are, and arouse the same feelings and the same acts of reprisal if attacked. ... a man’s Self is the sum total of all that he CAN call his, not only his body and his psychic powers, but his clothes, and his house, his wife and children, his ancestors and friends, his reputation and works, his lands, and yacht and bank-account. All these things give him the same emotions. If they wax and prosper, he feels triumphant; if they dwindle and die away, he feels cast down. (p. 291).
Use of a surgical template for minimally invasive second-stage surgery: A dental technique

The introduction of new techniques and new technology has been directly related to successful outcomes in implant dentistry. Merging information from high-quality cone beam computed tomography images and detailed prosthetically driven digital planning translates into computer-guided surgery. A surgical template is a guide used to assist in the proper surgical placement and angulation of dental implants. However, a surgical guide not only facilitates implant placement but can also be used for other purposes, including diagnosis, treatment planning, and even second-stage surgery. In situations where multiple implants have been placed through computer-guided implant surgery, the preexisting surgical template can be used to perform the second-stage surgery with a flapless approach if the patient's soft tissue condition permits.
Fluid Foundations: Ocean Transparency, Submarine Opacity, and Strategic Nuclear Stability

The primary value of submarines as a nuclear platform is their ability to hide undetected beneath the sea. The persistence of a ‘secure’ second strike, and therefore nuclear strategic stability, rests on fluid foundations: ocean transparency is a continuous and dynamic variable. Technological advancement in marine sensing – increasingly driven by non-military imperatives like climate change – currently risks the achievement of an unprecedented degree of transparency. After tracing the Cold War competition between hiding and seeking, this paper evaluates progress in ocean sensing, to identify where and how incremental improvements and radical innovations may make SSBNs more detectable and targetable than ever before. Emerging ocean transparency has implications for nuclear policy, force structure, and strategy.
The Orbiting Astronomical Observatories

A review is presented of the Orbiting Astronomical Observatories Program together with a detailed of the OAO spacecraft and the four astronomical instruments currently being developed for the first three observations.
Why information security law has been ineffective in addressing security vulnerabilities: Evidence from California data breach notifications and relevant court and government records

Abstract Why has the information security law been unsuccessful in having firms in possession of personal data take precautions against data breaches? Why are data breaches becoming more devastating notwithstanding law enforcement? This article seeks an answer from the legal system’s failure to draw a line between agency problems and externalities inherent in the information security market. Although a firm’s misaligned incentive to invest in security measures is basically an agency problem to be addressed by data breach litigation, the U.S. courts’ reluctance to grant Article III standing has reduced potential plaintiffs’ chance of winning and propensity to litigate, impairing the functionality of the private enforcement. As an exception, security vulnerabilities can have the nature of negative externalities to be addressed by the public enforcement, to the extent that those in “key holders” such as payment card processors enable intruders to easily circumvent the security measures taken by other firms in the same security chain, and that those in massive data aggregators undermine public trust in the whole data infrastructure. Government regulations, which need to be targeted at such sources of negative externalities, have actually been misaimed at a few cases arising from conventional agency problems. To test these hypotheses, this article presents an empirical study of security breach notifications filed in California during 2012–2016 and relevant court and government agency records produced until 2018.
LINK QUALITY ESTIMATOR FOR A MOBILE ROBOT

Abstract : Maintaining link connectivity between a mobile robot and its control station in a non-line-of-sight environment is challenging. One solution is to use intermediate relay radios that the robot can carry and deploy when and where needed to maintain the link. However, the precise placement locations for the relays are not known ahead of time. Therefore, the deployment decision must be formulated online and the relays deployed before the link with the control station breaks. A link-quality estimator is developed based on video throughput and received signal strength indicator data. The estimator takes into account human perception of video quality that is obtained via subjective testing by an operator. The data is used to train the link-quality estimator, which issues an alert that can be used as a trigger for an automatic relay deployment mechanism or to advise the operator to manually deploy relays before the link between the robot and control station fails.
Obstetric fistula and safe spaces: discussions of stigmatised healthcare topics at a fistula centre.

Obstetric fistula can have major psychosocial repercussions for women and their families, which are often hidden as a result of stigmatisation. We investigated how the sexual function of women with...
Meta-analysis of Technology-Enabled Mindfulness-Based Programs for Negative Affect and Mindful Awareness

Existing meta-analyses of mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) suggest inconsistent effects, and few focus on technology-enabled MBPs. Technology-enabled MBPs are programs delivered via the Internet in web apps, which are accessed through Internet browsers, or native apps, which are applications installed directly on smart mobile devices. This meta-analysis provides an updated synthesis of technology-enabled MBPs’ effects on negative affect and mindfulness and discusses the role of moderators in these effects. A search was conducted through August 2019 of databases PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and the website MINDFULNET.org for original randomized clinical trials focused on technology-enabled MBPs. Additional inclusion criteria included English language publications and outcome measures of negative affect and/or measures of mindful awareness. A medium effect was observed of technology-enabled MBPs on stress (Hedges g = − 0.47, 95% CI − 1.02 to 0.21, p < 0.01). Small effects were observed on symptoms of anxiety (Hedges g = − 0.21, 95% CI − 0.39 to − 0.03, p = 0.02) and depression (Hedges g = − 0.25, 95% CI − 0.37 to − 0.12, p < 0.01) as well as mindful awareness (g = 0.4, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.07, p < 0.01). Multivariate regressions and general linear models revealed that intervention duration, percentage of women participants, human-supported interventions, and type of control condition contributed significantly to effect size variability. Technology-enabled MBPs included in this analysis demonstrated small to medium effects on outcomes of negative affect and mindfulness. Variability in study outcomes appears to be related to experimental and intervention characteristics.
Predictors of foster youths’ participation in their transitional independent living plan (TILP) development: Calling for collaborative case plan decision-making processes

Abstract Foster youth participation in their transitional independent living plan (TILP) development is a legally mandated process. Youths’ active involvement in these decision-making processes is recognized as a potential protective factor during their transition from care to independent adulthood. Despite this, little empirical research has examined predictors of youth participation. This study uses a representative sample of California foster youth (n = 727) to investigate youth-level and county-level predictors of youths’ roles in their TILP development and satisfaction with the care decision meetings. Nearly a third of the youths were either not aware of or not involved in their TILP at age 17. The majority of youths who participated in care decision meetings were satisfied with the meetings. Regression analysis results find that the odds of youth participating in the TILP development were positively associated with their age, conscientiousness and agreeableness personality traits, their rating of helpfulness of their caseworker, and physical disabilities documented by caseworkers. The odds of youth being satisfied with the team meetings were positively associated with their rating of helpfulness of their caseworker and being a parent.
Efforts toward the total synthesis of (±)-toxicodenane A utilizing an oxidopyrylium-based [5+2] cycloaddition of a silicon-tethered BOC-pyranone

Abstract Synthetic efforts toward the tricyclic core of (±)-toxicodenane A are reported. This strategy takes advantage of the Feist-Benary furan annulation, Achmatowicz oxidative rearrangement, and oxidopyrylium-based [5+2] cycloaddition to access a key tetracyclic intermediate. This work provides a foundation that can be utilized toward the total synthesis of the natural product.
Educational needs of patients and caregivers living with sickle cell disease results in development of web-based patient decision aid.

Aims We performed an assessment to understand perceived decisional needs among those living with sickle cell disease. Additionally, we desired understanding of their preferred methods and quality of learning and sought guidance in development of a web-based patient decision aid. Design The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine ways patients and caregivers receive education about sickle cell disease and available therapies. We sought to understand preferences for education, quality of current knowledge and information they would like to obtain. Methods Recruitment for the initial needs assessment occurred between October 2013 -April 2014. Further recruitment for clarification of internet-based searches occurred between January 2015 -September 2016. We conducted a total of 201 semi-structured qualitative interviews with patients and caregivers. Results Six themes emerged: healthcare provider education is good but does not meet all the learning needs of the patient/caregiver; patients/caregivers feel a strong desire to seek information about treatment options on their own; adult patients and parents diverged in their core objectives in seeking information: quality of life (QOL) was the major outcome of interest in considering potential treatment options; experience of peers is preferred source for learning about treatment options; and educational needs may be supplemented with a web-based interactive educational tool. Conclusion Patients with sickle cell disease and their caregivers are motivated by a desire to improve QOL in seeking treatment options and use many methods to seek education to supplement what they learn from their healthcare providers and may benefit from the use of a web-based decision aid. Impact Educational needs of patients/caregivers with sickle cell disease were identified and provide the basis to inform the design of educational strategies for them. Nurses and others can assist with learning needs by sharing the website and answering questions that arise.
Direct current electric field regulates endothelial permeability under physiologically relevant fluid forces in a microfluidic vessel bifurcation model

Previous in vitro studies have reported on the use of direct current electric fields (DC-EFs) to regulate vascular endothelial permeability, which is important for tissue regeneration and wound healing. However, these studies have primarily used static 2D culture models that lack the fluid mechanical forces associated with blood flow experienced by endothelial cells (ECs) in vivo. Hence, the effect of DC-EF on ECs under physiologically relevant fluid forces is yet to be systematically evaluated. Using a 3D microfluidic model of a bifurcating vessel, we report the role of DC-EF on regulating endothelial permeability when co-applied with physiologically relevant fluid forces that arise at the vessel bifurcation. The application of a 70 V m-1 DC-EF simultaneously with 1 μL min-1 low perfusion rate (generating 3.8 dyn cm-2 stagnation pressure at the bifurcation point and 0.3 dyn cm-2 laminar shear stress in the branched vessel) increased the endothelial permeability 7-fold compared to the static control condition (i.e., without flow and DC-EF). When the perfusion rate was increased to 10 μL min-1 (generating 38 dyn cm-2 stagnation pressure at the bifurcation point and 3 dyn cm-2 laminar shear stress in the branched vessel) while maintaining the same electrical stimulation, a 4-fold increase in endothelial permeability compared to the static control was observed. The lower increase in endothelial permeability for the higher fluid forces but the same DC-EF suggests a competing role between fluid forces and the applied DC-EF. Moreover, the observed increase in endothelial permeability due to combined DC-EF and flow was transient and dependent on the Akt signalling pathway. Collectively, these findings provide significant new insights into how the endothelium serves as an electro-mechanical interface for regulating vessel permeability.
Machine Learning Exercises on 1-D Electromagnetic Inversion

This work aims to enhance our fundamental understanding of how the measurement setup that is used to generate training and testing data sets affects the accuracy of the machine learning algorithms that attempt to solve electromagnetic inversion problems solely from data. A systematic study is carried out on a 1-D semi-inverse electromagnetic problem, which is estimating the electrical permittivity values of a planarly layered medium with fixed layer thicknesses assuming different receiver–transmitter antenna combinations in terms of location and numbers. The accuracy of the solutions obtained with four machine learning methods, including neural networks, is compared with a physics-based solver deploying the Nelder–Mead simplex method to achieve the inversion iteratively. Numerical results show that: 1) deep-learning outperforms the other machine learning techniques implemented in this study; 2) increasing the number of antennas and placing them as close as possible to the domain of interest increase inversion accuracy; 3) for neural networks, training data sets created on random grids lead to more efficient learning than the training data sets created on uniform grids; and 4) multifrequency training and testing with a few antennas can achieve more accurate inversion than single-frequency setups deploying several antennas.