cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
"Doctor, will the treatment you are recommending cause chemobrain?".

For more than a decade, patients and their oncologists have been sharing conversations about cognitive complaints after chemotherapy treatment. 1 Early on, only occasional patients complained of trouble with concentration and memory during treatment, with a minority noting persistence beyond the end of treatment. The oncologist, who rarely heard this complaint, could be dismissive, saying that the drugs the patient received did not cross the blood-brain barrier, and therefore, it was unlikely that the difficulties were related to the cancer treatment. Post-treatment cognitive complaints became much more evident during the late 1990s and early 21st century as adjuvant treatment regimens intensified and autologous bone marrow transplantation became more common in adults. 2,3 Often, cognitive complaints were associated with persistent fatigue and depressive symptoms, making it challenging to sort out whether or not the complaints of poor memory, attention, and difficulties with multitasking were related to brain dysfunction or were merely a manifestation of an uncontrolled mood disorder. 4-6 Many who complained were younger patients with breast cancer who had become menopausal prematurely with chemotherapy, and their experiences of vasomotor symptoms, nighttime awakening, and poor sleep might have explained some of their cognitive complaints. 7
Analytical Expression for the Impedance Response of an Insertion Electrode Cell

An analytical expression for the impedance response of an insertion cathode/separator/foil anode cell sandwich is presented. The analytical expression includes the impedance contributions from interfacial kinetics, double-layer adsorption, and solution-phase and solid-phase diffusion processes. The validity of the analytical solution is ascertained by comparison with the numerical solution obtained for a LiCoO2/polypropylene/lithium metal cell. The flexibility of the analytical solution is utilized to analyze various limiting conditions. An expression to estimate solid-phase diffusion coefficient of insertion species in a porous electrode
Undergraduate Superstars: What Makes Them Stand Out?

Although previous research has examined the characteristics of exceptional graduate students (Bloom & Bell, 1979; Grover, Leftwich, Backhaus, Fairchild, & Weaver, 2006), very little research has studied such qualities as they apply to undergraduate students. The current study replicates and extends the methodology of Grover and colleagues but focuses on undergraduate students rather than graduate students. Findings revealed several important qualities including intelligence, conscientiousness, motivation, intellectual curiosity, strong work ethic, and others. Although several of these overlap with the qualities found in research with graduate students, some new qualities emerged. Additionally, as expected, outstanding students were very involved in a variety of curricular and extracurricular activities (e.g., honor societies/clubs, independent studies, research assistantships).
MIXTURE PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS MODEL FOR MULTIVARIATE PROCESSES MONITORING

A mixture probabilistic principal component analysis model is proposed as a process monitoring tool in this paper. High-dimensional measurement data could be aggregated into some clusters based on the mixture distribution model, where the number of these clusters are automatically determined from the maximum likelihood estimation procedures. It was illustrated that the mixture PCA models conform to the multivariate data well in the experiments involving Gaussian mixtures. The multivariate statistical process monitoring mechanism is then developed first with the learning of a finite mixture model with variant principal component within each cluster, followed by the construction of the statistical process confidence intervals for the identified regions or nodes from T2 charts. For the abnormal input measurement, they would fall out of the acceptance region set by the confidence control limits.
Global Supply Chain Management: Is Sustainability A Priority?

Agrigalore 1 is an international agribusiness headquartered in the U. S. Midwest. Increased competition in the soybean sector has spurred Agrigalore to consider producing in Brazil, yet concerns over destruction of the rainforest and sustainability need to be factored into management’s decision.
The PedsQL™ as a patient-reported outcome in children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: a population-based study

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common chronic mental health condition in children and adolescents. The application of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as a pediatric population health measure may facilitate risk assessment and resource allocation, the identification of health disparities, and the determination of health outcomes from interventions and policy decisions for children and adolescents with ADHD at the local community, state, and national health level. An analysis from an existing statewide database to determine the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the 23-item PedsQL™ 4.0 (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™) Generic Core Scales as a patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure of pediatric population health for children and adolescents with ADHD. The PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales (Physical, Emotional, Social, School Functioning) were completed by families through a statewide mail survey to evaluate the HRQOL of new enrollees in the State of California State's Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Seventy-two children ages 5–16 self-reported their HRQOL. The PedsQL™ 4.0 evidenced minimal missing responses, achieved excellent reliability for the Total Scale Score (α = 0.92 child self-report, 0.92 parent proxy-report), and distinguished between healthy children and children with ADHD. Children with ADHD self-reported severely impaired psychosocial functioning, comparable to children with newly-diagnosed cancer and children with cerebral palsy. The results suggest that population health monitoring may identify children with ADHD at risk for adverse HRQOL. The implications of measuring pediatric HRQOL for evaluating the population health outcomes of children with ADHD internationally are discussed.
Trimethylamine N-Oxide-induced Cooperative Folding of an Intrinsically Unfolded Transcription-activating Fragment of Human Glucocorticoid Receptor

A number of biologically important proteins or protein domains identified recently are fully or partially unstructured (unfolded). Methods that allow studies of the propensity of such proteins to fold naturally are valuable. The traditional biophysical approaches using alcohols to drive α-helix formation raise serious questions of the relevance of alcohol-induced structure to the biologically important conformations. Recently we illustrated the extraordinary capability of the naturally occurring solute, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), to force two unfolded proteins to fold to native-like species with significant functional activity. In the present work we apply this technique to recombinant human glucocorticoid receptor fragments consisting of residues 1–500 and residues 77–262. CD and fluorescence spectroscopy showed that both were largely disordered in aqueous solution. TMAO induced a condensed structure in the large fragment, indicated by the substantial enhancement in intrinsic fluorescence and blue shift of fluorescent maxima. CD spectroscopy demonstrated that the TMAO-induced structure is different from the α-helix-rich conformation driven by trifluoroethanol (TFE). In contrast to TFE, the conformational transition of the 1–500 fragment induced by TMAO is cooperative, a condition characteristic of proteins with unique structures.
Recommendations to Mitigate Potential Sources of Error in Preparation of Biomass Sorghum Samples for Compositional Analyses Used in Industrial and Forage Applications

Sweet and forage varieties of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) can produce large quantities of soluble sugars, starch, and fiber in a single crop and so are highly suited for bioenergy production. To develop this potential, it is critical to reliably quantify the components of the biomass: primarily carbohydrates (monosaccharides, sucrose, starch, and holocellulose) as well as lignin and extractives. Techniques compiled by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are commonly used for these analyses; however, some characteristics of sorghum require some adaptation of those methods. Here, we present an analysis of some of these characteristics and a modified analytical procedure to account for them. In particular, greater accuracy can be obtained by separating the pith and rind portions of the stalk prior to analysis. Several important properties of the stalk differ between the pith and rind, and in many cases, the magnitude of that difference varies among cultivars. As we demonstrate, analyzing the stalk without separating the pith and rind can lead to systematic bias in the measurement of these properties and lignocellulosic composition; if separation is not possible, the bias can be mitigated by exercising care in ensuring a representative subsampling of ground material. Some modifications to initial Soxhlet extraction procedures also improve the accuracy and practicality of the biomass analysis.
Automated classification of congressional legislation

For social science researchers, content analysis and classification of United States Congressional legislative activities have been time consuming and costly. The Library of Congress THOMAS system provides detailed information about bills and laws, but its classification system, the Legislative Indexing Vocabulary (LIV), is geared toward information retrieval instead of the pattern or historical trend recognition that social scientists value. The same event (a bill) may be coded with many subjects at the same time, with little indication of its primary emphasis. In addition, because the LIV system has not been applied to other activities, it cannot be used to compare (for example) legislative issue attention to executive, media, or public issue attention.This paper presents the Congressional Bills Project's (www.congressionalbills.org) automated classification system. This system applies a topic spotting classification algorithm to the task of coding legislative activities into one of 226 subtopic areas. The algorithm uses a traditional bag-of-words document representation, an extensive set of human coded examples, and an exhaustive topic coding system developed for use by the Congressional Bills Project and the Policy Agendas Project (www.policyagendas.org). Experimental results demonstrate that the automated system is about as effective as human assessors, but with significant time and cost savings. The paper concludes by discussing challenges to moving the system into operational use.
Atypical temporomandibular joint pain: a case report

Atypical temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain can consist of an unusual intensity, location or set of pain descriptors that do not match what is traditionally observed for TMJ capsular pain, disc displacements or arthritic conditions. Presented in this case report is an atypical pain report regarding a unilateral TMJ pain as the chief complaint. An overview of typical vs atypical TMJ pain is also reviewed to highlight unusual signs and symptoms so that the clinician can identify these atypical presentations and pursue further diagnostic approaches.
FISHing for pancreatobiliary tract malignancy in endoscopic brushings enhances the sensitivity of routine cytology

Pancreatobiliary tract carcinoma is a lethal disease with low survival rates and limited treatment options. Diagnosis is complicated by benign conditions that can mimic malignancy on radiological studies (e.g. primary sclerosing cholangitis or PSC) and the suboptimal sensitivity of endoscopic biopsy/brushings obtained by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The detection of multiple chromosomal gains by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), referred to as polysomy, has demonstrated improved sensitivity over routine cytological evaluation. The evaluation of brushings by both routine cytology and FISH in our cytopathology laboratory has been in clinical practice since 2003. Strong morphological and screening skills enable cytotechnologists to become proficient in the assessment of FISH slides, which translates into cost and time savings. Multiple reports from various institutions have demonstrated the utility of FISH for patients with and without PSC. The incorporation of routine cytology and FISH results into the management algorithm for patients under suspicion for pancreatobiliary malignancy is a testament to the clinical success of these cytological assays.
Engineering neural networks in vitro: microstamping biomolecules to control cell position

The authors have developed a technique in which biomolecules may be stamped on glassy substrates in arbitrary patterns, with micrometer resolution, and in multiple layers. The silicone rubber microstamps are formed from micromachined (by reactive ion-etch) polyimide molds. Fluorescence patterns demonstrate efficacy in biomolecule transfer. Patterns of stamped and photoresist patterned polylysine are equally effective in controlling growth of neuroblastoma cells. The technique is promising for the creation of biological neural networks in culture.
BANC ONE CORPORATION: ASSET AND LIABILITY MANAGEMENT

Banc One's share price has been falling recently due to analyst and investor concern over the bank's heavy use of interest rate derivatives. Dick Lodge, chief investment officer in charge of the bank's investment and derivative portfolio, must recommend to the CEO a course of action to allay investors' fears and communicate to the market the reasons for Banc One's use of derivatives. The bank uses interest rate swaps to manage the sensitivity of its earnings to changes in interest rates and as attractive investment alternatives to conventional securities.
A randomized multi-arm repeated-measures prospective study of several modalities of portable oxygen delivery during assessment of functional exercise capacity.

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory oxygen is an important component of long-term oxygen therapy. Pulse-dose technology conserves oxygen and thus increases the operation time of a portable oxygen system. METHODS: We tested 4 ambulatory oxygen systems (Helios, HomeFill, FreeStyle, and the compressed-oxygen cylinder system we regularly provide for long-term oxygen therapy at our Veterans Affairs hospital) with 39 subjects with stage-IV chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Each subject performed one 6-min walk test with each oxygen system, and we measured blood oxygen saturation (via pulse oximetry [SpO2]), heart rate, and modified Borg dyspnea score, and surveyed the subjects9 preferences about the oxygen systems. We also studied whether the 2 systems that provide gas with a lower oxygen concentration (from a home concentrator or portable concentrator) showed any evidence of not providing adequate oxygenation. RESULTS: With all 4 systems the mean pre-walk SpO2 at the prescribed pulse-dose setting was 95–96%. The mean post-walk SpO2 was 88–90% after each of the 4 walk tests. Between the 4 systems there were no statistically significant differences between the pre-walk-versus-post-walk SpO2 (P = .42). With each system, the pre-walk-versus-post-walk SpO2 difference was between −8% and −6%. CONCLUSIONS: Between these 4 ambulatory oxygen systems there were no significant differences in SpO2, walk time, or walk distance, and there was no evidence of inadequate oxygenation with the 2 systems that provide a lower oxygen concentration.
Triangular Alignment TAME: A Tensor-Based Approach for Higher-Order Network Alignment

Network alignment has extensive applications in comparative interactomics. Traditional approaches aim to simultaneously maximize the number of conserved edges and the underlying similarity of aligned entities. We propose a novel formulation of the network alignment problem that extends topological similarity to higher-order structures and provides a new objective function that maximizes the number of aligned substructures. This objective function corresponds to an integer programming problem, which is NP-hard. Consequently, we identify a closely related surrogate function whose maximization results in a tensor eigenvector problem. Based on this formulation, we present an algorithm called Triangular AlignMEnt (TAME), which attempts to maximize the number of aligned triangles across networks. Using a case study on the NAPAbench dataset, we show that triangular alignment is capable of producing mappings with high node correctness. We further evaluate our method by aligning yeast and human interactomes. Our results indicate that TAME outperforms the state-of-art alignment methods in terms of conserved triangles. In addition, we show that the number of conserved triangles is more significantly correlated, compared to the conserved edge, with node correctness and co-expression of edges. Our formulation and resulting algorithms can be easily extended to arbitrary motifs.
Virtual flow meter for chilled and condenser water for chillers: Estimates versus measurements

This article presents a virtual flow meter that estimates the chilled and condenser water mass flow rates for chillers using trend data commonly found in a building automation system. The quasi-steady-state thermodynamic mathematical model uses six different scenarios of available sensors that could be available in a building automation system. Two case studies of chillers installed in an ice rink and an institutional campus are used to demonstrate the use of the virtual flow meter tool. The estimates of virtual flow meter compared well with measurements, as the coefficient of variance of the root mean squared error and the normal mean bias error, two goodness-of-fit statistics of virtual flow meter models, are between 3.3% and 9.8% and between –6.9% and 7.8%, respectively, depending on the number of sensors available. The article also presents a discussion on the uncertainty of estimates and measurements.
A Lemma on Partitions

(1972). A Lemma on Partitions. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 79, No. 10, pp. 1111-1112.
Contextual Change and Skill Acquisition in Visual Search: Does the Rate of Change Affect Performance?:

The present investigation examined the effects of training context on the development of a skill in a semantic category visual search task. Thirty-two subjects were trained in a visual search task which allowed the separate examination of feature learning and attention strengthening. Subjects were trained in a Consistently Mapped (CM) condition which allowed both feature learning and attention strengthening, “Attenuated Strength” search conditions which allowed only feature learning, and a Variably Mapped (VM) condition which allowed neither feature learning or attention strengthening. The present experiment also examined the temporal characteristics of feature learning by manipulating the training context which was defined as the number of trials in a row that a particular search condition appeared. There were four different training contexts used (1, 5, 10, and 50) and eight subjects were assigned to each. Each subject performed 11,000 training trials. Analysis of the reaction time (RT) data indicated t...
Brachytherapy boost and cancer-specific mortality in favorable high-risk versus other high-risk prostate cancer

Purpose: Recent retrospective data suggest that brachytherapy (BT) boost may confer a cancer-specific survival benefit in radiation-managed high-risk prostate cancer. We sought to determine whether this survival benefit would extend to the recently defined favorable high-risk subgroup of prostate cancer patients (T1c, Gleason 4 + 4 = 8, PSA 20 ng/ml). Material and methods: We identified 45,078 patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database with cT1c-T3aN0M0 intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer diagnosed 2004-2011 treated with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) only or EBRT plus BT. We used multivariable competing risks regression to determine differences in the rate of prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) after EBRT + BT or EBRT alone in patients with intermediate-risk, favorable high-risk, or other high-risk disease after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. Results: EBRT + BT was not associated with an improvement in 5-year PCSM compared to EBRT alone among patients with favorable high-risk disease (1.6% vs. 1.8%; adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]: 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.21-1.52, p = 0.258), and intermediate-risk disease (0.8% vs. 1.0%, AHR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.59-1.16, p = 0.270). Others with high-risk disease had significantly lower 5-year PCSM when treated with EBRT + BT compared with EBRT alone (3.9% vs. 5.3%; AHR: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.55-0.95; p = 0.022). Conclusions: Brachytherapy boost is associated with a decreased rate of PCSM in some men with high-risk prostate cancer but not among patients with favorable high-risk disease. Our results suggest that the recently-defined “favorable high-risk” category may be used to personalize therapy for men with high-risk disease. J Contemp Brachytherapy 2016; 8, 1: 1–6 DOI: 10.5114/jcb.2016.58080
Effects of Handling on the Adrenalectomized Rat.

SummaryExperiments indicate that the adrenal gland is necessary for the enhancing effects on weight gain, efficiency of food utilization, maze learning ability and resistance to thiourea toxicity p...
Combined preoperative femoral and sciatic nerve blockade improves analgesia after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract Study objective To compare preoperative femoral (FNB) with combined femoral and sciatic nerve block (CFSNB) in patients undergoing arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Design Prospective, randomized clinical trial. Setting Ambulatory surgery center affiliated with an academic medical center. Patients Sixty-eight American Society of Anesthesiology physical status I and II patients undergoing arthroscopic ACL reconstruction. Interventions Subjects randomized to the CFSNB group received combined femoral and sciatic nerve blocks preoperatively, whereas patients randomized to the FNB group only received femoral nerve block preoperatively. Both groups then received a standardized general anesthetic with a propofol induction followed by sevoflurane or desflurane maintenance. Intraoperative pain was treated with fentanyl. Pain in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) was treated with ketorolac and opiates. Patients with significant pain despite ketorolac and opiates could receive a rescue nerve block. Measurements Our primary outcome variable was highest Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain score in PACU. NRS pain scores, opioid consumption, opioid adverse effects, and patient satisfaction were assessed perioperatively until postoperative day 3. Main results The highest PACU NRS pain score was significantly higher in the FNB group compared with the CFSNB group (7 [3-10] vs 5 [0-10], P =.002). The FNB group required significantly larger doses of opioids perioperatively (31.8 vs 19.8mg intravenous morphine equivalents, P P =.006). There was no significant difference in opioid consumption, pain scores, or patient satisfaction on postoperative days 1-3 between groups. Conclusions Preoperative CFSNB for arthroscopic ACL reconstruction improves analgesia, decreases opioid consumption perioperatively, and decreases PACU length of stay when compared with FNB alone.
Endemic typhus surveillance results analysis during in Hebei province 2011-2012

Objective To analyze the epidemiological status of endemic typhus in Hebei province from 2011 to2012,develop laboratory diagnosis,and provide evidence for developing typhus prevention and control strategies. Methods The micro-indirect immunofluoresce assay was used for determination of Rickettsia mooseri Ig G and Ig M antibody. DNA was extracted from the blood samples of the acute patients and tested by duplex and nested PCR methods. Descriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze characteristics of Endemic typhus case. Results There were a total of 111 reported cases in Xinji,Dingzhou,and Qianan 3 survey sites reported,serological positive cases was 78,the total positive rate was 70. 27%,the serological positive rates in the 3 cities were 76. 56%( 49 /64),57. 89%( 11 /19),and 64. 29%( 18 /28) respectively. By analysis,there was no statistical difference among the 3 cities( χ2= 3. 09,P 0. 05). Of 111 samples,12 samples were positive for TGR and the positive rate was 10. 81%,among which was 15. 62%( 10 /64) in Xinji city,10. 53%( 2 /19) in Dingzhou city,and 0. 00%( 0 /28) in Qianan city respectively,there was no difference between the 3 cities( χ2= 4. 93,P 0. 05). In reported cases,the incidence of females was higher than that of males,the peak epidemic period was from February to March,most cases were in low age group,vocational high risk population were farmers and students. Conclusions The cases of Endemic typhus in Hebei province were mainly sporadic,the diagnostic rate of laboratory is low,it is necessary to improve laboratory diagnosis and strengthen monitoring.
Overview on General Dam-break Models

Because of the capability for dam-break process simulation and flood hydrograph prediction,a dam-break model is significant to the damage assessment,disaster control and reduction,and people protection.Some general dam-break models are summarized and classified;their characteristics are analyzed.Meanwhile,a mechanism recently appeared for dam-breaking is also introduced and analyzed.
Predicted protein interactions of IFITMs which inhibit Zika virus infection

After the first reported case of Zika virus in Brazil, in 2015, a significant increase in the reported cases of microcephaly was observed. Microcephaly is a neurological condition in which the infant’s head is significantly smaller with complications in brain development. Recently, two small membrane-associated interferon-inducible transmembrane proteins (IFITM1 and IFITM3) have been shown to repress members of the flaviviridae family which includes the Zika virus. However, the exact mechanisms leading to the inhibition of the virus are yet unknown. Here, we assembled an interactome of IFITM1 and IFITM3 with known protein-protein interactions (PPIs) collected from publicly available databases and novel PPIs predicted using High-confidence Protein-Protein Interaction Prediction (HiPPIP) model. We analyzed the functional and pathway associations of the interacting proteins, and found that there are several immunity pathways (interferon signaling, cd28 signaling in T-helper cells crosstalk between dendritic cells and natural killer cells), neuronal pathways (axonal guidance signaling, neural tube closure and actin cytoskeleton signaling) and developmental pathways that are associated with these interactors. These results could help direct future research in elucidating the mechanisms underlying the viral immunity to Zika virus and other flaviviruses.
Software takes command: Extending the language of new media by Lev Manovich

In Software Takes Command, Lev Manovich summarises his reflections on new media and contemporary media culture, which he has developed over the last 10 years. Although the book was published as the...
SUSTAINABLE TALL BUILDINGS: CASES FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH

This paper examines recent sustainable tall buildings in the Global South, mainly in the Middle East and China. These buildings are redefining how architects, engineers, and planners view skyscrapers, creating a new building typology in regards to function, ecology, technology, and user comfort, in the process. These “futuristic” buildings are setting new social, spatial, and environmental standards, setting a milestone in ecologically friendly architecture. Most of the reviewed projects in this paper have achieved national and international recognition from architectural and planning organizations. They represent the most recent work in the field and have exerted a profound impact on the architectural profession. This paper also summarizes the key lessons that sustainable tall buildings have brought to the field, highlighting the role of breakthrough technologies in enhancing the efficient performance and sustainability of future tall buildings.
Thrombolysis in Real Time: Demonstration of Revascularization with Intravenous Thrombolysis Therapy in the CT Scanner.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Administration of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in the computed tomography (CT) scanner has been recently implemented at our institution, as a means to decrease door-to-needle time. This change in protocol provided us a unique opportunity to visualize imaging signs of early recanalization. METHODS We evaluated patients who presented with acute ischemic stroke both before and after a change in protocol for intravenous tPA administration. We identified 10 patients who received tPA on the CT scanner and 22 patients who received tPA after CT imaging was complete. Early recanalization was defined as distal migration of thrombus or disappearance of thrombus between initial phases of imaging, large territory of diminished mean transit time on initial perfusion CT, large territory of increased cerebral blood flow on initial perfusion CT, and/or large territory of increased cerebral blood volume on initial perfusion CT. Late recanalization was defined as distal migration of thrombus or disappearance of thrombus between initial and follow-up imaging, decreased attenuation of thrombus between initial and follow-up imaging, or infarcted territory on follow-up imaging smaller than the cerebral blood volume defect on initial perfusion CT. RESULTS In the patients who received tPA on the CT scanner, 20% demonstrated imaging evidence of early recanalization and 30% demonstrated imaging evidence of late recanalization. In the patients who received tPA after CT imaging, 57% demonstrated imaging evidence of late recanalization. CONCLUSION Early recanalization of large-vessel occlusion after intravenous thrombolysis results in unique imaging findings.
Nested marsupial robotic system for search and sampling in increasingly constrained environments

This paper presents a nested marsupial robotic system and its execution of a notional disaster response task. Human supervised autonomy is facilitated by tightly-coupled, high-level user feedback enabling command and control of a bimanual mobile manipulator carrying a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle that carries a miniature ground robot. Each robot performs a portion of a mock hazardous chemical spill investigation and sampling task within a shipping container. This work offers an example application for a heterogeneous team of robots that could directly support first responder activities using complementary capabilities of autonomous dexterous manipulation and mobility, autonomous planning and control, and teleoperation. The task was successfully executed during multiple live trials at the DARPA Robotics Challenge Technology Expo in June 2015. A key contribution of the work is the application of a unified algorithmic approach to autonomous planning, control, and estimation supporting vision-based manipulation and non-GPS-based ground and aerial mobility, thus reducing algorithmic complexity across this capability set. The unified algorithmic approach is described along with the robot capabilities, hardware implementations, and human interface, followed by discussion of live demonstration execution and results.
Entropy-Based Measures for Person Fit in Item Response Theory.

This article introduces three new variants of entropy to detect person misfit (Ei, EMi, and EMRi), and provides preliminary evidence that these measures are worthy of further investigation. Previou...
Cancer metastasis: enactment of the script for human reproductive drama.

Based on compelling evidence from many biological disciplines, we put forth a hypothesis for cancer metastasis. In the hypothesis, the metastatic cascade is depicted as human reproduction in miniature. Illustrated in a reproductive light, the staggering resemblance of cancer metastasis to human reproduction becomes evident despite some ostensible dis-similarities. In parallel to the appearance of primordial germ cells during early embryogenesis, the cancer reproductive saga starts with the separation of metastasis initiating cells (MICs) from cancer initiating cells when the primary cancer is still in its infancy. Prime MICs embark on a journey to the host bone marrow where they undergo further development and regulation. Migrating MICs are guided by the same CXCR4/CYCL12 axis as used in the migration of primordial germ cells to the genital ridge. Like the ovary, the host bone marrow features immune privileges, coolness, hypoxia and acidity which are essential for stemness maintenance and regulation. Opportune activation of the MICs via fusion with bone marrow stem cells triggers a frenzy of cellular proliferation and sets them on the move again. This scenario is akin to oocyte fertilization in the Fallopian tube and its subsequent journey towards the decidum. Just as the human reproductive process is plagued with undesirable outcomes so is the cancer metastasis highly inefficient. The climax of the cancer metastatic drama (colonization) is reached when proliferating MIC clusters attempt to settle down on decidum-like premetastatic sites. Successfully colonized clusters blossom into overt macrometastases only after the execution of sophisticated immunomodulation, angiogenesis and vascular remodeling. Similarly, the implanted blastomere needs to orchestrate these feats before flourishing into a new life. What is more, the cancer reproductive drama seems to be directed by a primordial hypothalamus–pituitary–gonad axis. Pursuing this reproductive trail could lead to new frontiers and breakthroughs in cancer research and therapeutics.
Drought analysis in New Zealand using the standardized precipitation index

The present article investigates drought events in New Zealand through the application of the SPI at various timescales (3, 6, 12 and 24 months). First, a temporal analysis has been performed, and the most severe dry episodes have been detected. Then, the spatial distribution of the percentage of data falling within the different level of drought has been evaluated. In addition, a trend analysis has been conducted at seasonal scale, considering the wet and the dry seasons, and at annual scale. Finally, the relationship between drought and ENSO has been investigated. Results show that, in every area currently subject to drought, an increase in this phenomenon can be expected. Specifically, the results of this paper highlight that agricultural regions on the Eastern side, such as the Canterbury Plains, are the most consistently vulnerable areas, as well as other regions in the North Island, including primary industry regions like Waikato. Moreover, a clear link between drought and the two phases of the ENSO has been detected.
Omecamtiv Mecarbil Abolishes Length-Mediated Increase in Guinea Pig Cardiac Myofiber Ca2+ Sensitivity.

Abstract Omecamtiv mecarbil (OM) is a pharmacological agent that augments cardiac contractile function by enhancing myofilament Ca 2+ sensitivity. Given that interventions that increase myofilament Ca 2+ sensitivity have the potential to alter length-dependent activation (LDA) of cardiac myofilaments, we tested the influence of OM on this fundamental property of the heart. This is significant not only because LDA is prominent in cardiac muscle but also because it contributes to the Frank-Starling law, a mechanism by which the heart increases stroke volume in response to an increase in venous return. We measured steady-state and dynamic contractile indices in detergent-skinned guinea pig ( Cavia porcellus ) cardiac muscle fibers in the absence and presence of 0.3 and 3.0 μ M OM at two different sarcomere lengths (SLs), short SL (1.9 μ m) and long SL (2.3 μ m). Myofilament Ca 2+ sensitivity, as measured by pCa 50 (−log of [Ca 2+ ] free concentration required for half-maximal activation), increased significantly at both short and long SLs in OM-treated fibers when compared to untreated fibers; however, the magnitude of increase in pCa 50 was twofold greater at short SL than at long SL. A consequence of this greater increase in pCa 50 at short SL was that pCa 50 did not increase any further at long SL, suggesting that OM abolished the SL dependency of pCa 50 . Furthermore, the SL dependency of rate constants of cross-bridge distortion dynamics ( c ) and force redevelopment ( k tr ) was abolished in 0.3- μ M-OM-treated fibers. The negative impact of OM on the SL dependency of pCa 50 , c , and k tr was also observed in 3.0- μ M-OM-treated fibers, indicating that cooperative mechanisms linked to LDA were altered by the OM-mediated effects on cardiac myofilaments.
Alcohol Consumption, History of Sexual Assault in Adolescence, and Revictimization in a Sample of University Students in the Western United States.

This study evaluated alcohol consumption as a moderator of the association between adolescent sexual assault and risk of sexual assault in college. It was hypothesized that sexual assault in adoles...
Chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx: Does completion of systemic therapy affect outcomes?

Abstract Introduction Current standard of care for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (LA-OPC) consists of concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Due to toxicities associated with this treatment, a significant portion of patients are unable to complete the systemic therapy portion of their treatment course. The impact of incomplete systemic therapy on patient outcomes remains unclear. Methods Demographic, treatment, and outcome data were retrospectively collected for patients with LA-OPC treated definitively with concurrent chemoradiotherapy between 2007 and 2014. Overall and disease-free survivals were estimated via the Kaplan Meier method. Log rank test was used to compare distributions of survival amongst groups. Cox regression was utilized for all multivariate analyses. P values of Results In total, 73 patients with LA-OPC were identified with a median follow-up of 3.4 years. Concurrent systemic therapy regimens consisted of bolus cisplatin every 3 weeks (76.7%), weekly cetuximab (20.5%) and weekly cisplatin (2.7%). Forty-three patients (58.9%) were able to complete the prescribed concurrent systemic regimens. Upon multivariate analyses, patients who did not complete systemic therapy were noted to have a non-significant trend towards increased distant failure (20.0% vs 7.0%, p = 0.12). Additionally, patients who did not complete systemic therapy were noted to have a near significant trend towards increased risk of death (36.7% vs 17.9%, p = 0.053). Conclusions These results suggest that completing systemic therapy may affect survival in patients undergoing definitive radiotherapy with concurrent systemic therapy for LA-OPC. Further, this data demonstrates that though local recurrences are not affected when planned systemic therapy cycles are omitted, the risk of distant failure may increase. These associations require further study to clarify the effect Incomplete systemic therapy has on outcomes for LA-OPC.
Hardware implementation of the Baillie-PSW primality test

The need for large primes in major cryptographic algorithms has stirred interest in methods for prime generation. Recently, to improve confidence and security, prime number generation in hardware is being considered as an alternative to software. Due to time complexity and hardware implementation issues, probabilistic primality tests are generally preferred. The Baillie-PSW primality test is a strong probabilistic test; no known Baillie-PSW pseudoprime exists. In this paper, we discuss different types of cryptographic algorithms and primality tests, and review hardware implementations of the Miller-Rabin and Lucas tests. We also present the implementation of a Verilog-based design of the Baillie-PSW test on an Altera Cyclone IV GX FPGA. To our knowledge, this is the first hardware implementation of this test. The implementation takes an odd random number as input and returns the next immediate probable prime number as output. We analyze the results from our implementation and suggest methods to further improve our results in future.
Simple eye-movement feedback during visual search is not helpful

Searching for targets in the visual world, or visual search, is something we all do every day. We frequently make ‘false-negative’ errors, wherein we erroneously conclude a target was absent when one was, in fact, present. These sorts of errors can have tremendous costs, as when signs of cancers are missed in diagnostic radiology. Prior research has characterized the cause of many of these errors as being due to failure to completely search the area where targets may be present; indeed, roughly one-third of chest nodules missed in lung cancer screening are never fixated (Drew, Vo, Olwal, Jacobson, Seltzer and Wolfe, Journal of Vision 13:3, 2013). This suggests that observers do not have a good representation of what areas have and have not been searched prior to declaring an area target free. Therefore, in six experiments, we sought to examine the utility of reducing the uncertainty with respect to what areas had been examined via online eye-tracking feedback. We hypothesized that providing information about what areas had or had not been examined would lead to lower rates of false negatives or more efficient search, namely faster response times with no cost on target detection accuracy. Neither of these predictions held true. Over six experiments, online eye-tracking feedback did not yield any reliable performance benefits.
The Impact of Hedge Fund Activism on Firm Strategic Resource Allocation and Performance

Over the past decade, hedge fund activists have increasingly grabbed headlines and media attention with campaigns targeting publicly traded companies. These activist campaigns have led to actions s...
Quality of Prescribing by Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants in the United States

Objective Nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) have increasingly broad prescribing authority in the United States, yet little is known regarding how the quality of their prescribing practices compares with that of physicians. The objective of this study was to compare the quality of prescribing practices of physicians and nonphysician providers. Methods A serial cross-sectional analysis of the 2006-2012 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey was performed. Ambulatory care services in physician offices, hospital emergency departments, and outpatient departments were evaluated using a nationally representative sample of patient visits to physicians, NPs, and PAs. Main outcome measures were 13 validated outpatient quality indicators focused on pharmacologic management of chronic diseases and appropriate medication use. Results A total of 701,499 sampled patient visits were included during the study period, representing ~8.33 billion visits nationwide. Physicians were the primary provider for 96.8% of all outpatient visits examined; NPs and PAs each accounted for 1.6% of these visits. The proportion of eligible visits where quality standards were met ranged from 34.1% (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use for congestive heart failure) to 89.5% (avoidance of inappropriate medications among elderly). The median overall performance across all indicators was 58.7%. On unadjusted analyses, differences in quality of care between nonphysicians and physicians for each indicator did not consistently favor one practitioner type over others. After adjustment for potentially confounding patient and provider characteristics, the quality of prescribing by NPs and PAs was similar to the care delivered by physicians for 10 of the 13 indicators evaluated, and no consistent directional association was found between provider type and indicator fulfillment for the remaining measures. Conclusions Although significant shortfalls exist in the quality of ambulatory prescribing across all practitioner types, the quality of care delivered by nonphysicians and physicians was generally comparable.
Hepatic manifestations of telomere biology disorders

Clinical vignette A 51-year-old Caucasian male was referred for evaluation of variceal bleeding. Laboratory tests were remarkable for mild thrombocytopenia and moderate alkaline phosphatase elevation. Synthetic liver function was well preserved. Abdominal computed tomography scan revealed moderate splenomegaly, gastric varices, and normal hepatic contour. A transjugular liver biopsy was performed revealing findings of nodular regenerative hyperplasia with no significant fibrosis or necroinflammatory activity. Hepatic venous pressure gradient was elevated at 31 mmHg, consistent with clinically significant portal hypertension. The clinical course was complicated by refractory gastric variceal bleeding requiring a surgical portosystemic shunt. Approximately seven years after the initial presentation, the patient developed progressive dyspnoea and a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was made. Contrast-enhanced echocardiogram was not suggestive of hepatopulmonary syndrome or portopulmonary hypertension. Given this new diagnosis a telomere biology disorder was suspected. A flow-fluorescence in situ hybridisation analysis for telomere length assessment revealed telomere lengths below the first percentile in both lymphocytes and granulocytes. Next generation sequencing analysis identified a heterozygous mutation involving the hTERT gene (Histidine983Threonine). The lung disease unfortunately progressed in the subsequent two years, leading to the patient's death nine years after his initial presentation with portal hypertension. During those nine years two brothers also developed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The questions that arise from this case include: I.What are telomere biology disorders? II.What are the hepatic manifestations of telomere biology disorders? III.How are telomere biology disorders diagnosed? IV.Are there any potential therapeutic options for telomere biology disorders?
8.01 – Overview

This is an account of the dynamics at the heart of the Earth, a comprehensive survey of the physical and chemical processes that have shaped our planet’s partly liquid, partly solid, metallic core. In emphasizing the dynamics of the core, this volume is unique in geophysics. In contrast to the investigations of the structure and composition of the core that have been active for over a century, the dynamics of the core has received widespread scientific attention only in the past few decades. Fueled by advances in related disciplines, including seismic and magnetic imaging of the core and high-pressure experiments on core materials, the past decade in particular has witnessed an explosion of core dynamics research. Progress includes self-consistent numerical dynamo models, innovative fluid dynamics experiments, new concepts about the core composition, its evolution, and the manner in which the core interacts with other parts of the Earth. The improved observational constraints, in conjunction with the more powerful modeling tools, have shed new light on how the core has evolved, what drives the geodynamo, and other long-standing Earth science problems. These advances, and the new questions they have raised, are the subjects of this volume. Fifteen experts review what is known about the energetics and structure of the core, and circulation at the top of the outer core, the dynamics of the inner-core, convection, turbulence and rotational instabilities in the outer core, geodynamo theory, numerical geodynamo models, geomagnetic polarity reversals, laboratory experiments on the core, and the interaction between the core and the mantle.