cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Task dependence of human theta: The case for multiple cognitive functions

The recent "nding of task-related theta oscillations in humans (M.J. Kahana, Sekuler, Caplan, Kirschen, Madsen, Nature 399 (1999) 781}784) raises a number of questions. We recorded from 345 intracranial electrodes in "ve patients with medically intractable epilepsy while they learned to navigate virtual mazes. Previously, we showed signi"cant dependence of theta on two di!erent task parameters, maze di$culty and study versus test modes. First, we show that these results hold for an additional 174 electrodes and two subjects, removing a previous confound between the two comparisons. Here we ask whether or not these two task parameters re#ect some common, or correlated, task-correlates of theta. ( 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Cancer and the environment [Microwave Surfing]

Each year, the U.S. President's Cancer Panel identifies an area of concern related to the successful implementation of the National Cancer Program. The panel, authorized by the 1971 National Cancer Act, holds meetings around the country to which it invites relevant experts in the field to give testimony. The final report of the panel, issued in the fall, is based on all testimony received (at the meetings as well as through other channels) and peer-reviewed literature in the field. The panel Web site includes archived reports from 1996 ("Fighting the War on Cancer in an Evolving Health Care System") to 2008 ("Maximizing Our Nation's Investment in Cancer").
An assessment of urologists’ training and knowledge of energy‐based surgical devices

OBJECTIVE To assess surgeons’ training and current understanding of existing energy-based surgical instrumentation (ESI), we disseminated an online questionnaire to urology residents, fellows and attending urologists. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A two part 24-question survey was disseminated to 1000 urology residents, fellows and attending physicians. The first part of the questionnaire assessed the respondents’ demographics and education about ESI; the second part evaluated the respondent’s knowledge of surgical energy methods and ESI, and was stratified into nine basic- and six advanced-knowledge questions. RESULTS In all, 136 people (13.6%) viewed the survey and it was completed by 63 (6.3%). Respondents comprised 27 (43%) attending physicians, 14 (22%) minimally-invasive urology fellows and 22 (35%) urology residents. Among participants, 41 (64%) had received no formal didactic training on ESI, and a further 14% of respondents’ didactic experience was limited to one lecture. Of the respondents, 70% said that monopolar energy was the mode most often used in surgery. Overall, the participants correctly answered 41% of the questions. Of the nine questions classified as ‘basic’ knowledge, respondents correctly answered 49%. Of the six questions classified as ‘advanced’ knowledge, 29% were answered correctly. The highest percentage score was obtained by the attending urologists, with a mean (range) score of 41 (29–86)%, followed by the fellows, with a mean score of 39.5 (29–57)%, and then the residents, at 34 (14–64)%. CONCLUSION Despite widespread and growing use of ESI, there is currently minimal formal training on energy modes and current energy devices being provided to urological surgeons. Both practising and training urologists have a limited understanding of surgical energy modes and of existing ESI.
KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE INTERVENTION WITH CHALLENGING STUDENTS

This paper brings together a broad spectrum of ideas from the fields of psychology and reading to present an argument for effective change in dealing with at‐risk students. From a review of literature and exploration of affective models, it concludes that children can succeed in classrooms where teachers focus on metacognitive awareness, teach strategic behaviors, and recognize the importance of motivation.
Cross-gender behavior and psychopathology in boy psychiatric outpatients.

Abstract One hundred 5-to 12-year-old boys referred for outpatient psychiatric evaluation were assessed for cross-gender behavior using the Child Behavior and Attitude Questionnaire (CBAQ) and the Child Game Participation Questionnaire (CGPQ), and for possible associated psychopathology using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and clinical psychiatric (DSM-III) diagnoses. On the two feminine scales of the CBAQ and CGPQ, 30 to 50% scored within defined clinical ranges. High feminine scale scorers did not have higher Total CBCL scores than lower feminine scale scorers, and scores on the feminine scales correlated minimally with scores on the CBCL broad and narrow-band behavior problem scales, except for a significant positive correlation with the Delinquent subscale. No particular clinical psychiatric diagnoses were significantly associated with high feminine scorers: however, high feminine behavior scorers tended to have more conduct problems and mixed adjustment disorders and less anxious and depressive psychopathology. Clinicians were not alert to the degree of cross-gender behavior found, perhaps due to the concomitant externalizing psychopathology and masculine behavior in these same patients.
Managing technological dependence in the developing countries: Analysis at the firm level

This paper explores the strategies pursued by the firms in the Developing Countries to cope with technological dependence. It is proposed that the firms in the Developing Countries are showing trends toward developing an organizational infrastructure to facilitate technological innovations in order to reduce their technological dependence to the foreign suppliers of technology. This proposition is tested by utilizing the data collected from 61 Turkish firms. The implication of the emerging trends for the practicing managers are also offered.
Testing for co-directional interactions using union–intersection and intersection–union methods

When interaction terms exist in a two-factor, factorial experiment, the consideration and analysis of main effects are often restricted to those situations where the interaction between factors is not significant. Hinkelman and Kempthorne [4] softened that stance somewhat and advocate testing main effects when the interaction is deemed co-directional but not anti-directional. A test for the main effects in that situation may be pragmatic to the practitioner and appealing to researchers in other disciplines. Intersection–union and union–intersection methods are examined for assessing the directional nature of significant interactions so that the main effects in a two-factor factorial may be evaluated. The tests suggested are conceptually straightforward and practical and maintain the nominal Type-I error rate. Examples are provided to illustrate the methods.
A Note on the Use of Marginal Likelihood and Conditional Likelihood in Analyzing Clustered Data

In the analysis of clustered data, when a generalized linear model with a random intercept term is fitted using maximum marginal likelihood and maximum conditional likelihood, respectively, a discrepancy between estimated regression coefficients from the two methods has been observed. This discrepancy happens when some cluster-level confounders are omitted from the model. Here we offer a straightforward explanation for the discrepancy in terms of different modeling assumptions underlying the use of the two likelihood functions. Specifically, the marginal likelihood approach requires a full distributional assumption on random effects, and this assumption is violated when some cluster level confounders are omitted from the model. We also propose to use residual plots to uncover the problem.
Older offenders, substance abuse, and treatment.

Objective The adoption of more stringent truth-in-sentencing laws and the aging of the United States population in general has led to an increase in the proportion of prison inmates age 55 years and older. Recent judicial rulings require prisoners to receive adequate medical and mental health care. Care for substance abuse is often included to reduce recidivism. However, little systematic research has been conducted on the mental health and substance abuse treatment needs of older prisoners. Methods The authors examined age differences in substance abuse history provided by 10,952 offenders as part of their orientation and evaluation on entry into prison. Trained substance abuse counselors interviewed each offender and recorded data in an institutional database. Results Seventy-one percent of older inmates reported a substance abuse problem. When compared with younger inmates, older offenders were more likely to abuse alcohol only. Those older inmates with abuse problems had used substances for over 40 years, yet more than one-third had never received treatment Conclusions Like younger inmates, most older offenders would benefit from substance abuse treatment. The treatment may need to be tailored to age and lack of previous treatment experience and should be sensitive to this high-risk group's additional medical needs.
Data processing and parameter extraction for cutting tool inspection

The increase in awareness of the need to improve quality control on part machining efficiency has led to a great deal of research aimed at cutting tool geometry analysis. This paper presents a framework of preprocessing point-based data and extracting parameters after feature detection and data segmentation for cutting tool inspection, assuming unorganized measurement data. The data processing method, including data decimating, smoothing, normal and curvature estimating, denoising, sorting, as well as re-sampling, are exploited to meet the demands for high quality, data simplification for geometric analysis. We will discuss the geometry analysis for parameter extraction, including key feature point detection and key area segmentation based on general reverse engineering solutions and specific cutting tool characteristics. Based on the presented simplification methods using virtual slicing and rotary axial projection data, some cutting tool dimensional parameters can be extracted directly. Alternately, based on 2D points on a given cross section, a plurality of curves can be generated, and optimized by minimizing deviations between the set of points and the plurality of curves. Section parameters can then be extracted from the optimized curves. Furthermore, the methods and processes of multi-section based spatial parameter extraction will be illustrated. This paper presents experimental results and field tests. The experimental results show that the preprocessing is very robust and the parameter extraction results agree with what is expected.
The disruptive influence of syphilis cures within specialist venereal systems: implications for HIV cure preparedness.

The twentieth century has witnessed the rise of medical breakthroughs that have substantially decreased morbidity and mortality. Breakthroughs in curing specific diseases may transform the health systems designed to administer new cures. As potential cures move from the bench to the bedside, what was often originally conceived as a biomedical, frictionless intervention will be tested in the thorny, friction-filled and resource-constrained world of health service delivery. The historical trend of new cures influencing the social context of diseases and the health service delivery continues today. Clinical advances in curing HIV infection confirm the possibility of a cure, but these exciting research findings are still well in advance of implementation. In contrast to earlier historical research that has focused on clinical consequences of new cures, this themed issue expands the analytical lens to consider the broader impact of sexually transmitted infection cures on health systems. For example, scholarship has examined several unanticipated clinical consequences of penicillin, including drug resistance, allergy and failure to treat viruses. But these clinical consequences may be less important than the dynamic health systems landscapes that shaped and were shaped by new cures. Prior to the development of Salvarsan, health systems intended to improve sexual health were fragmented.1 Paul Ehrlich's discovery of Salvarsan2 fundamentally reframed health systems to facilitate delivery of the new syphilis cure. …
Bandwidth measurement of multimode fibers through system level bit error rate testing

A new bandwidth measurement method for multimode fibers is developed through measuring bit error rate and power penalty associated with the testing system. Experimental calibration procedure and actual fiber measurement results are presented.
Dural venous sinus angioplasty and stenting for the treatment of idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Background Lumboperitoneal shunt (LPS), ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) and optic nerve sheath fenestration (ONSF) are accepted surgical therapies for medically refractory idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). In the subset of patients with IIH and venous sinus stenosis, dural venous sinus stenting has emerged as an alternative surgical approach. Methods All cases of dural stents for IIH at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. Eligibility criteria included medically refractory IIH with documented papilledema and dural venous sinus stenosis of the dominant venous outflow system (gradient ≥10 mm Hg). Results Fifteen cases (all women) of mean age 34 years were identified. All had failed medical therapy and six had failed surgical intervention. Technical success was achieved in all patients without major periprocedural complications. The mean preprocedural gradient across the venous stenosis was reduced from 24 mm Hg before the procedure to 4 mm Hg after the procedure. Headache resolved or improved in 10 patients. Papilledema resolved in all patients and visual acuity stabilized or improved in 14 patients. There were no instances of restenosis among the 14 patients with follow-up imaging. Conclusion In this small case series, dural sinus stenting for IIH was performed safely with a high degree of technical success and with excellent clinical outcomes. These results suggest that angioplasty and stenting for the treatment of medically refractory IIH in patients with dural sinus stenosis warrants further investigation as an alternative to LPS, VPS and ONSF.
Throughput analysis of buffer-constrained wireless systems in the finite blocklength regime

In this paper, a single point-to-point wireless link operating under queueing constraints in the form of limitations on the buffer violation probabilities is considered. The achievable throughput under such constraints is captured by the effective capacity formulation. It is assumed that finite blocklength codes are employed for transmission. Under this assumption, a recent result on the channel coding rate in the finite blocklength regime is incorporated into the analysis, and the throughput achieved with such codes in the presence of queueing constraints and decoding errors is identified. The performance of different transmission strategies (e.g., variable-rate, variable-power, and fixed-rate transmissions) is studied. Interactions and tradeoffs between the throughput, queueing constraints, coding blocklength, decoding error probabilities, and signal-to-noise ratio are investigated, and several conclusions with important practical implications are drawn.
The Effects of Race/Ethnicity and National Origin on Length of Sentence in the United States Virgin Islands

Although researchers have acknowledged the importance of environmental and contextual factors in the judicial decision-making process, there is a lack of attention to sentencing decisions and outcomes in territorial courts of the United States. Drawing on the focal concerns perspective, this study analyzes the sentences of 583 federal defendants sentenced in the District Court of the United States Virgin Islands between 1997 and 2004. The findings reveal that net of legally relevant factors, Hispanics receive harsher sentences than blacks, and legal aliens receive prison sentences that are significantly longer than those received by U.S. citizens. However, the influence of legal alien status is driven by the harsher sentences imposed on defendants who are citizens of the Dominican Republic. The meaning and implications of the influence of citizenship status and race/ethnicity in a context where race/ethnicity are not overriding statuses, as they are on the U.S. mainland, are discussed.
“You Need to Stop Talking about This!”: Verbal Rumination and the Costs of Social Support

This study examined whether the type of support individuals receive when they are verbally ruminating affects their cognitive rumination (brooding), anxiety, and relationship satisfaction; 233 young adults were randomly assigned to be the subject, 233 others the confederate. The confederate was trained to provide “good support” or “poor support” to the subject who talked about a topic he/she had been verbally ruminating about recently. When individuals verbally ruminated and received poor support, they became more anxious and dissatisfied with the friendship. When individuals received good support, they were more satisfied with their friendship, but their anxiety was not significantly reduced. In addition, verbal rumination was directly associated with more brooding after the conversation, regardless of the type of support provided.
Rhythmicity and response to a.m. and p.m. CRH challenge in elderly subjects

Abstract —Cortisol and ACTH exhibit circadian rhythmicity, peaking in the early morning. These peaks are associated with increased activity and alertness. We sought to determine whether self-reported daily rhythms predict outcome of a.m. and p.m. CRH challenge in elderly subjects. We surveyed 96 elderly subjects to determine daily rhythms in activity levels, mood, alertness, and performance. Seven healthy subjects were given a cumulative activity score reflecting propensity toward morningness or eveningness. Subjects underwent CRH challenge testing during the morning and evening hours of different days. Baseline plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations were higher in the morning than in the evening and lower values were associated with lower activity scores (i.e., greater morningness). No trends were apparent between activity score and net hormone response or percent change in hormone concentration.
The effect of raw soybean on the pancreas of adult dogs.

SummaryIn summary, 15 or 30% dietary soybean did not significantly alter the cellular structure or weight of the pancreas (g/kg) of the adult dog. The synthesis of trypsinogen, chymotrypsinogen, and lipase was temporarily impaired, but their synthesis was returned to normal. The effects of raw soybean on the dogs in this study were different from those reported in rats and chicks.
Probabilistic Design with Gerber Fatigue Model

This paper presents a probabilistic design approach for the Gerber bending fatigue failure rule using sensitivity-based analysis. The design model parameters are considered as random variables that are characterized by mean values and coefficients of variation (covs). The coefficient of variation of a design parameter is obtained by using first order Taylor series expansion for strength and stress in a stress-based fatigue design. A reliability factor is determined based on the coefficients of variation and a failure probability. The reliability factor is then used for design sizing and analysis. Probabilistic design allows a quantification of risk that is not possible with deterministic design approaches. This risk quantification can help to avoid over- or under-design problems while ensuring that safety and quality levels are economically achieved. Over design requires more resources than necessary and leads to costly products. Avoiding over-design helps to conserve product materials and reduce manufacturing resources, machining accuracy, quality control, and processing. Under-designed products are prone to failures, making the products unsafe and unreliable. This increases the risks of product liability lawsuits, customer dissatisfaction, and even accidents. This study shows a 51% reduction in component size without compromising desired reliability and hence a possible 51% reduction in component mass and cost. Therefore, significant savings in product cost can be obtained through probabilistic design. Probabilistic design seems to be the most practical approach in product design due to the inherent variability associated with service loads, material properties, geometrical attributes, and mathematical design models. It is becoming the preferred design method because over- or under-design can be avoided while still ensuring the safety of a product.
Illegality at Work: Deportability and the Productive New Era of Immigration Enforcement

Our goal in this paper is to identify how recent escalations in immigration enforcement and changes in migration practices affect the ability of the state to continue to serve two of its key "productive" functions: protecting capital accumulation within industry and ensuring the state's own political legitimacy in the eyes of the public. We draw on our ethnographic research on Latino migrant dairy farm workers in Wisconsin to examine the ways in which a group of migrant workers experiences the process of being enforced as "illegal" bodies. We find that migrant dairy workers' palpable sense of "deportability" articulates with the specific structure of dairy work in ways that make the economically and politically "ideal" migrant: compliant at work and invisible otherwise.
Complications of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Complications occur after 5% to 10% of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), including diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and may range from minimal to severe and life threatening. Risk factors for post-ERCP pancreatitis include patient- as well as procedure-related variables, placing a premium on patient selection as well as details of technique. Placement of prophylactic pancreatic stents is effective in reducing risk of pancreatitis after ERCP and is the primary strategy for prevention of this complication once ERCP is undertaken. Newer data suggest that rectal nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are also effective at reducing risk of post-ERCP pancreatitis. Bleeding after sphincterotomy is primarily related to coagulation defects, but can almost always be treated by endoscopic hemostatic techniques. Perforation can involve bowel wall, sphincterotomy, or be caused by a guidewire; early recognition and management are key to satisfactory outcomes. There is an increasing role for endoscopic closure of perforations using stents, clips, and closure devices. Endoscopist experience is reflected in complication rates. With careful attention to patient selection and details of technique, complications of ERCP can be minimized.
Mode uncoupling in oblique scattering from radially inhomogeneous cylinders

A class of radially inhomogeneous cylindrical scatterers is given, for which the TM and TEfields produced by an obliquely incident plane wave are uncoupled.
A Model for The Recovery of Titanium From Mixtures of Ilmenite and Hematite by Hydrochloric Acid Leaching

Abstract A partial equilibrium model has been developed to describe the leaching of FeTiO3-Fe9O mixtures by aqueous HC1. The model couples the rates of leaching of the minerals to changes in the solution species concentrations; 23 species concentrations were calculated as a function of leaching time. Solution reactions included in the model include (1) the redox reaction converting Ti(IV) and Fe(II) to Ti(III) and Fe(III); (2) formation of chloro complexes; (3) hydrolysis; and (4) dissociation of H2O. Ilmenite is more rapidly depleted than hematite, and available data indicate that the time dependence of the leaching reactions is different. Modeling results show that the Ti/Fe concentration ratio drops steeply initially but then gradually rises as the leaching rates change. Of the two oxides, FeTiO3 is consumed first, and thereafter the Ti/Fe ratio again declines. The Fe(II)/Fe(III) concentration ratio behaves similarly. The Ti/Fe and Fe(II)/Fe(III) ratios have simultaneous extrema and plots of these rati...
DBC1 is a negative regulator of SIRT1

The NAD-dependent protein deacetylase Sir2 (silent information regulator 2) regulates lifespan in several organisms. SIRT1, the mammalian orthologue of yeast Sir2, participates in various cellular functions and possibly tumorigenesis. Whereas the cellular functions of SIRT1 have been extensively investigated, less is known about the regulation of SIRT1 activity. Here we show that Deleted in Breast Cancer-1 (DBC1), initially cloned from a region (8p21) homozygously deleted in breast cancers, forms a stable complex with SIRT1. DBC1 directly interacts with SIRT1 and inhibits SIRT1 activity in vitro and in vivo. Downregulation of DBC1 expression potentiates SIRT1-dependent inhibition of apoptosis induced by genotoxic stress. Our results shed new light on the regulation of SIRT1 and have important implications in understanding the molecular mechanism of ageing and cancer.
Animating autonomous pedestrians

State-of-the-art computer graphics modeling and rendering techniques can be used to create photorealistic imagery of static objects, but they do not yet enable the automated animation of human beings with anywhere near as much fidelity. This thesis addresses the challenge. Our focus is the emulation of real pedestrians in urban environments. To this end, we develop an entirely autonomous pedestrian model that requires no centralized, global control whatsoever and is capable of performing a variety of activities in synthetic urban spaces, such as a virtual train station. The comprehensive artificial life modeling approach we adopt integrates motor, perceptual, behavioral, and cognitive components, making each of our virtual pedestrians a highly capable individual. To support a variety of natural interactions between pedestrians and their environment, we represent the latter using hierarchical data structures that efficiently execute the perceptual queries of pedestrians to sustain their behavioral responses and enable them to plan their actions on global and local scales. The animation system implemented using the above models enables us to run long-term simulations of pedestrians in fairly large urban environments without manual intervention. Real-time simulation can be achieved for over a thousand autonomous pedestrians. With each pedestrian under his/her own autonomous control, the characters imbue the virtual world with liveliness, social (dis)order, and a realistically complex dynamic. In addition to the automated animation of human activity in a virtual train station, we demonstrate our autonomous pedestrian simulator in the context of virtual archaeology for visualizing urban social life in reconstructed archaeological sites. Our pedestrian simulator has also served as the basis of a testbed for designing and experimenting with visual sensor networks in the field of computer vision.
Magnetic Content Addressable Memory

In this paper, we propose a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ)-based content addressable memory (CAM) design to simplify CAM bit from ten MOSFETs to one MTJ device. The MTJ CAM cell consists of a thin top electrode and vertical ring-shaped bottom electrode. The spin orientations in top and bottom electrodes can be programmed individually. The tunneling junction resistance represents the matching status between the data stored in top and bottom magnets. The top magnet is intentionally made thin so that it can be programmed with a low magnetic field without disturbing the thick bottom magnet. The bottom vertical ring-shaped magnet has programming-current enclosed inside the ring. The programming magnetic field is confined within the ring-shaped magnet. Our simulation based on Ansoft Maxwell (Pittsburgh, PA) software shows magnetic field confinement provides an order of magnitude difference between magnetic fields in the top and the bottom magnets separated by 2 nm. Landau-Liftshitz-Gilbert (LLG) micromagnetic simulations confirm that either magnet can be programmed without disturbing the other one
Q-Learning with Hidden-Unit Restarting

Platt's resource-allocation network (RAN) (Platt, 1991a, 1991b) is modified for a reinforcement-learning paradigm and to "restart" existing hidden units rather than adding new units. After restarting, units continue to learn via back-propagation. The resulting restart algorithm is tested in a Q-learning network that learns to solve an inverted pendulum problem. Solutions are found faster on average with the restart algorithm than without it.
Multistatic target classification with adaptive waveforms

Traditional radar systems rely on a predefined suite of waveforms and post-measurement signal processing to achieve such goals as target detection, classification, and tracking. Cognitive radar (CR) is a newly proposed framework in which the radar actively interrogates the propagation channel and adapts its operating parameters in order to maximize performance. We apply CR to a target classification problem by calculating custom waveforms that maximize the information received from the target echoes. A new MIMO waveform is proposed which maximizes the mutual information between a Gaussian random target and the received data under AWGN. The results indicate that the new frequency-domain formulation offers superior performance compared to both a non-adaptive approach and an ad hoc application of spectral waterfilling to the MIMO setting.
Stochastic homogenization of Hamilton‐Jacobi‐Bellman equations

We study the homogenization of some Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations with a vanishing second-order term in a stationary ergodic random medium under the hyperbolic scaling of time and space. Imposing certain convexity, growth, and regularity assumptions on the Hamiltonian, we show the locally uniform convergence of solutions of such equations to the solution of a deterministic “effective” first-order Hamilton-Jacobi equation. The effective Hamiltonian is obtained from the original stochastic Hamiltonian by a minimax formula. Our homogenization results have a large-deviations interpretation for a diffusion in a random environment. c � 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Writing Performance of Elementary Students Receiving Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction

Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) has led to improved writing and language outcomes among deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) middle grades students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of SIWI on the written expression of DHH elementary students across recount/personal narrative, information report, and persuasive genres. Five multiple-probe case studies demonstrate a relationship between implementation of SIWI and improvements in genre-related writing performance. The effect of instruction was most immediately demonstrated with information reports and persuasive writing, whereas several sessions of recount instruction were needed for students to satisfy performance criteria. Additionally, pre- and post-data from a larger group of students (N = 31) were compared. Wilcoxon signed-rank test statistics were statistically significant for each genre with medium to high effect sizes. Data suggest SIWI as a promising practice with elementary students, and comments regarding further development and research are provided.
A Peroral Hydraulic Biopsy Tube for Multiple Sampling at any Level of the Gastrointestinal Tract

Summary A hydraulically operated suction biopsy tube is described which is capable of taking any number of biopsies from any level of the gastrointestinal tract and delivering them externally within seconds of excision while the instrument itself remains in place. These mucosal specimens compare favorably with those obtained by other instruments. Despite a temporary postbiopsy syndrome in onethird of our patients, no major complications have been observed to date.
A Climatology of Intense (or Major) Atlantic Hurricanes

Abstract The variability of intense (or major) hurricanes in the Atlantic basin is investigated on both intraseasonal and interannual time scales. Differences are highlighted in characteristics between intense hurricanes and the weaker minor hurricanes and tropical storms. Intense hurricanes show a much more peaked annual cycle than do weaker tropical cyclones. Ninety-five percent of all intense hurricane activity occurs during August to October. In addition, over 80% of all intense hurricanes originate from African easterly waves, a much higher proportion than is observed for weaker cyclones. Of all classes of Atlantic basin tropical cyclones, the intense hurricanes display the greatest year-to-year variability. The incidence of intense hurricanes also has decreased during the last two decades. A small portion of this decreased activity appears to be due to an overestimation of hurricane intensity during the period spanning the 1940s through the 1960s. After adjusting for this bias, however, a substantia...
Strong and weak convergence order of finite element methods for stochastic PDEs with spatial white noise

We investigate the strong and weak convergence order of piecewise linear finite element methods for a class of semilinear elliptic equations with additive spatial white noise using a spectral truncation of white noise. Taking the number of modes for spectral approximation of the white noise at the order of $$1/h^d$$1/hd, we show that the strong convergence order of the finite element approximation is $$h^{2-d/2}$$h2-d/2, where h is the element size and $$d\le 3$$d≤3 is the dimension. Moreover, we show that the weak convergence order is $$h^{\min (4-d,2)}$$hmin(4-d,2). We then consider a fourth-order equation and an advection-reaction equation and show that a spectral approximation of the white noise can lead to higher convergence order, in both strong and weak sense, when the solutions are smooth. Numerical results confirm our prediction for one- and two-dimensional elliptic problems.
The Behavioral Neuroscience of Motivation: An Overview of Concepts, Measures, and Translational Applications

Motivation, defined as the energizing of behavior in pursuit of a goal, is a fundamental element of our interaction with the world and with each other. All animals share motivation to obtain their basic needs, including food, water, sex and social interaction. Meeting these needs is a requirement for survival, but in all cases the goals must be met in appropriate quantities and at appropriate times. Therefore motivational drive must be modulated as a function of both internal states as well as external environmental conditions. The regulation of motivated behaviors is achieved by the coordinated action of molecules (peptides, hormones, neurotransmitters etc), acting within specific circuits that integrate multiple signals in order for complex decisions to be made. In the past few decades, there has been a great deal of research on the biology and psychology of motivation. This work includes the investigation of specific aspects of motived behavior using multiple levels of analyses, which allows for the identification of the underpinning neurobiological mechanisms that support relevant psychological processes. In this chapter we provide an overview to the volume “The Behavioural Neuroscience of Motivation”. The volume includes succinct summaries of; The neurobiology of components of healthy motivational drive, neural measures and correlates of motivation in humans and other animals as well as information on disorders in which abnormal motivation plays a major role. Deficits in motivation occur in a number of psychiatric disorders, affecting a large population, and severe disturbance of motivation can be devastating. Therefore, we also include a section on the development of treatments for disorders of motivation. It is hoped that the collection of reviews in the volume will expose scientists to a breadth of ideas from several different subdisciplines, thereby inspiring new directions of research that may increase our understanding of motivational regulation and bring us closer to effective treatments for disorders of motivation.
The Musculature of Coleoid Cephalopod Arms and Tentacles.

The regeneration of coleoid cephalopod arms and tentacles is a common occurrence, recognized since Aristotle. The complexity of the arrangement of the muscle and connective tissues of these appendages make them of great interest for research on regeneration. They lack rigid skeletal elements and consist of a three-dimensional array of muscle fibers, relying on a type of skeletal support system called a muscular hydrostat. Support and movement in the arms and tentacles depends on the fact that muscle tissue resists volume change. The basic principle of function is straightforward; because the volume of the appendage is essentially constant, a decrease in one dimension must result in an increase in another dimension. Since the muscle fibers are arranged in three mutually perpendicular directions, all three dimensions can be actively controlled and thus a remarkable diversity of movements and deformations can be produced. In the arms and tentacles of coleoids, three main muscle orientations are observed: 1) transverse muscle fibers arranged in planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; 2) longitudinal muscle fibers typically arranged in bundles parallel to the longitudinal axis; and 3) helical or obliquely arranged layers of muscle fibers, arranged in both right- and left-handed helixes. By selective activation of these muscle groups, elongation, shortening, bending, torsion and stiffening of the appendage can be produced. The predominant muscle fiber type is obliquely striated. Cross-striated fibers are found only in the transverse muscle mass of the prey capture tentacles of squid and cuttlefish. These fibers have unusually short myofilaments and sarcomeres, generating the high shortening velocity required for rapid elongation of the tentacles. It is likely that coleoid cephalopods use ultrastructural modifications rather than tissue-specific myosin isoforms to tune contraction velocities.
Effect of persuasive messages on organ donation decisions: An experimental test

Abstract The supply of deceased donor organs is a limiting factor for transplantation based therapies. This paper utilizes a laboratory experiment to evaluate the effect of supplementing the organ donor registration request with a persuasive message on donation decisions. The informational message provided in the experiment contains information about the additional dollar amount a potential recipient could earn after receiving an organ in the experiment. Results of the experiment indicate that an informational message had a positive impact at the beginning of the experiment, but this treatment effect slowly wore off over time. The results also suggest subjects’ donation decisions in the experiment were highly associated with their donor registration status in real life. Subjects who are registered donors in real life were more likely to register in the experiment than those who are not donors, while this gap was perfectly closed when the informational message was introduced. Subjects who are not donors in real life were 17% more likely to register as a donor in the experiment when they were provided with the message.
Mediation and moderation in social work research

Aruna Gogineni , ACSW, is a PhD candidate, Ruth Alsup , MSW, is a PhD candidate, and David F. Gillespie , PhD, is professor, George Warren Brown School of Social Work , Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education , March 1993, New York. Social ciplines. cial drawn by methodological work's work from Much is research sociology a multidisciplinary of the developments methodology and theory psychology, in field social in incorporates influenced other work and dissois by methodological developments in other disciplines. Much of the theory in social work is drawn from sociology and psychology, and socia work' researc e hodol gy corp r te and adapts techniques from each discipline. However, statistical applications have developed differendy in psychology and sociology, creating disjunctives and inconsistencies in applications to social work research. Different definitions for the same terms and different terms used to convey the same concepts create confusion in the interpretation of empirical results and the comparison of results across studies. Useful relationships between variables in the social sciences rarely involve only two variables. A third variable, the "test variable," is introduced to elaborate the meaning of the original two-variable relationship. The process of elaboration developed by Kendall and Lazarsfeld (1950) and Lazarsfeld (1955) and discussed in detail by Rosenberg (1968) is the classical source of key terms in sociology for describing multivariate relationships. Psychologists developed different terms for these processes, in part because of the greater use of experimental design and focus on microtheory (MacCorquodale & Meehl, 1948; Royce, 1963; Rozeboom, 1956). Although methodological approaches have been converging across the social sciences since the mid-1960s, there still exists considerable confusion regarding the interpretation of multivariate results. One author may define a variable as "intervening," another may call it "mediating," and still another may call it "moderating." As a consequence of this confusion, although the terms "mediation" and "moderation" refer to distinct processes, many examples of their inappropriate use are found in the literature. Baron and Kenny (1986) described studies where a moderator interpretation is given to variables that mediate the relation between locus of control and academic achievement. Sometimes the terms are used interchangeably. For example, Harkins first observed that identifiability "moderates social loafing," then proposed "that identifiability is
Total hip replacement. Viewpoint of a rheumatologist.

Total replacement of both articulating surfaces of the arthritic hip has met with great success in England. Polyethylene or metal prostheses replace the femoral head and acetabulum and are rigidly secured with acrylic cement or by mechanical means. Postoperative recovery is rapid. Patients experience astonishingly complete relief from pain and stiffness and many walk without discomfort within a few weeks.
Recruiting a New Marketing Graduate: What Criteria are Important for Today’s Industrial Marketing Manager?

As marketing educators we can lose sight of the skills that our marketing graduates must have when they seek career opportunities with industrial firms. This study investigates those skills that industrial marketing managers and vice‐presidents regard as important factors in the recruitment of marketing majors.
Singlet Photoreactivity of 3-Methyl-2-phenyl-2H-azirine

Irradiation of 3-methyl-2-phenyl-2H-azirine (1) at 254 nm in argon matrices results in ylide 6. Similarly, laser flash photolysis (λ = 266 nm) of azirine 1 in acetonitrile yields ylide 6, which has a transient absorption with λmax at ~340 nm and a lifetime of 14 μs. Density functional theory calculations were preformed to support the characterisation of ylide 6 in solution and argon matrices. Irradiation of azirine 1 above 300 nm has previously been reported (J. Org. Chem. 2014, 79, 653) to yield triplet vinylnitrene in solution and ketenimine in cryogenic argon matrices. Thus, the photochemistry of azirine 1 is dependent on the irradiation wavelength.
Phase 2 trial of everolimus and letrozole in relapsed estrogen receptor-positive high-grade ovarian cancers

Abstract Objectives We report the results of a phase 2 clinical trial of the combination of everolimus and letrozole in patients with relapsed estrogen receptor-positive high-grade ovarian cancer. The trial's primary endpoint was the proportion of patients alive and progression-free after 12weeks of therapy with the combination of everolimus and letrozole. A 12-week PFS of 45% or greater was considered a positive result. The feasibility of generating patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models from biopsy specimens was also evaluated. Methods Eligibility criteria included relapsed estrogen receptor-positive ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal carcinomas with measurable disease, not previously treated with everolimus or AIs. Both platinum-resistant and sensitive tumors were included. Xenografts were created from image-guided tumor biopsies at baseline. Patients received oral everolimus 10mg daily and letrozole 2.5mg daily. Results Twenty patients were enrolled, 19 were evaluable. Nine out of 19 were alive, progression-free, and still on treatment at the 12week evaluation time-point (12-week PFS of 47%) with a median PFS of 3.9months (95% CI: 2.8–11.0). The median overall survival was 13.0months. Twelve patients (63%) experienced at least one grade 3 or worse adverse events. PDX tumor engraftment was feasible in the majority of patients (9 out of 17, 52.9%). Conclusions The combination of everolimus and letrozole is associated with a promising 47% 12-week PFS rate in patients with ER-positive relapsed high-grade ovarian cancer with acceptable toxicity. PDX tumor models can be generated from biopsies of ovarian tumors.
Exploiting Robotic Swarm Characteristics for Adversarial Subversion in Coverage Tasks

Multi-robot systems, such as swarms, with large number of members that are homogeneous and anonymous are robust to deletion and addition of members. However, these same properties that make the system robust, create vulnerabilities under certain circumstances. In this paper, we study such a case, namely the insertion by adversarial agents, called moles, that subvert the performance of the system. The adversary monitors the swarm's movements during surveillance operations for the presence of holes, i.e. areas that were left uncovered by the swarm. The adversary then adds moles that get positioned in the swarm, in such a way as to deceive the swarms regarding the existence of holes and thus preventing the swarm from discovering and repairing the holes. This problem has significant military applications. Our contributions are as follows: First, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that studies this problem. Second, we provide a formalization of the problem. Third, we provide several algorithms, and characterize them formally and also experimentally.
Creating a learner-centered teaching environment using student choice in assignments

AbstractLearner-centered teaching (LCT) has been found to be a more effective pedagogy for online students, as traditional teaching methods do not work well in online courses. Professors in an upper-level technology management class revised their online introductory course to incorporate cafeteria-style grading. This LCT approach allowed students to select assignments they wanted to complete. More assignments were offered than needed to achieve an A grade. They included traditional projects such as research papers as well as more engaged activities such as demonstrating or mastering skills. To determine whether these changes promoted active learning, course data were obtained and analyzed. Students completed a range of assignments, showed mastery on a number of skills, and were overwhelmingly positive about having flexible options. Tellingly, 36% of students completed more assignments than were needed to earn the top grade.