cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theoretical investigation of the estimation of relative regional neuroreceptor concentration from a single SPECT or PET image

The validity of estimating changes in regional neuroreceptor concentration based upon a single ECT (emission computed tomography) image is examined to determine whether an image can be acquired at a time when changes in the observed regional radioactivity are much more sensitive to changes in receptor concentration than to changes in radioligand delivery. These sensitivities are defined as the normalized partial derivatives of the regional radioactivity signal (S) with respect to the total receptor (R/sub t/) and with respect to radioligand delivery (k/sub 1/). Using computer simulations, it is found that ( delta s/ delta R/sub t/)/(S/R/sub t/) can be less than unity (receptor hyposensitivity), approximately equal to unity, or significantly greater than unity (receptor hypersensitivity). It is possible to find classes of parameter sets under which the receptor sensitivity is close to unity and the delivery sensitivity is of much lower magnitude. The results indicate that if the parameters for a given radioligand-neuroreceptor system can be established as belonging to one of these classes, then changes in regional neuroreceptor concentration can be estimated based upon a single ECT image. >
Un)anticipated Effects of Sentencing Reform on the Disparate Treatment of Defendants

Despite concerns over racial disparities in imprisonment across the United States, little empirical attention has been paid to how changing the structure of sentencing might affect levels of disparity. This article examines whether Ohio's shift to determinate sentencing corresponded with significant changes in legal and extralegal effects on case outcomes, both generally and differentially for African American and white defendants. Bilevel analyses of felony defendants from 24 jurisdictions reveal relatively few substantive changes in these effects over time. Some changes involved reductions in race-related disparities (e.g., in the severity of charges convicted on), with others reflecting increased disparity (e.g., higher imprisonment likelihoods for African Americans). Findings underscore a modest link between restructured sentencing and actual case outcomes overall, with some relatively mixed effects on levels of disparity.
FINDERS, KEEPERS?: AN ANALYSIS AND VALIDATION OF A FREE-FOUND-AD POLICY

A survey of Lost and Found classified sections in metropolitan and smaller newspapers revealed disparate rates between Lost ads and Found ads: Lost ads greatly outnumbered Found ads, probably because newspapers usually require the finders of lost personal property to pay for Found advertisements. The effect of a Free-Found-Ad policy on the rate of Found advertisements placed in the Lost and Found sections of three community newspapers was investigated using a multiple-baseline design. The results suggested that the Free-Found-Ad policy was effective in increasing the rates of Found ads in all three newspapers. To determine whether increases in Found ads resulted in increases in recovered property, a sample of individuals who placed Found ads were surveyed in both baseline and treatment conditions and asked if the found items had been claimed by their owners. The Free-Found-Ad policy appeared to be effective in increasing the amount of personal property returned. The study concluded that community newspapers can provide incentives to increase such help-giving or altruistic behaviors. The implications of this study for a general policy-research strategy are discussed.
RECOMMENDED EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION OF ABRUPT WING STALL CHARACTERISTICS

This paper presents a review of the experimental program under the Abrupt Wing Stall (AWS) Program. Candidate figures of merit from conventional static tunnel tests are summarized and correlated with data obtained in unique free-to-roll tests. Where possible, free-to-roll results are also correlated with flight data. Based on extensive studies of static experimental figures of merit in the Abrupt Wing Stall Program for four different aircraft configurations, no one specific figure of merit consistently flagged a warning of potential lateral activity when actual activity was seen to occur in the free-to-roll experiments. However, these studies pointed out the importance of measuring and recording the root mean square signals of the force balance.
Immunocytochemical Detection Of Cytokines In The Lymph Nodes And Brains Of Mice Resistant Or Susceptible To Toxoplasmic Encephalitis

BALB/c mice develop toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) but the pathology resolves; in contrast, CBA/Ca mice develop progressive TE. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed peak staining for interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in lymph nodes of both strains on day 7 of infection, with elevated levels of IFN-gamma and TNF persisting in CBA/Ca mice. TNF was present in the central nervous systems (CNS) of both strains of mice and correlated with severity of pathology. Interleukin (IL)-2 was detected in lymph nodes and CNS of CBA/Ca mice after day 52 of infection and only in the lymph nodes of BALB/c mice between days 14 and 21 after infection. Highest levels of IL-10 were observed in lymph nodes and CNS of infected CBA/Ca mice. Variations in cytokine levels in lymph nodes and CNS of these mouse strains may account for differences in their susceptibility to TE.
« Embauche et gestion des premiers employés d'une petite entreprise »

Cette etude traite de la facon dont 52 entrepreneurs, a la tete d’entreprises d'âge et de secteurs d’industrie differents, ont choisi leurs premiers employes. Elle s’interesse particulierement aux cinq premiers employes et gestionnaires entres en fonction et demontre que les entrepreneurs ont tendance a confier aux premiers arrives un plus grand eventail de responsabilites qu'aux employes engages ulterieurement. A l’embauche des directeurs, la priorite est donnee a la gestion des operations, aux ventes et a l’administration; tandis que le poste de directeur du personnel et des ressources humaines est relegue au second plan et le dernier comble. Il semble que le secteur de l'industrie, l’âge de l’entreprise et les antecedantsde l’entrepreneur influencent la gestion des ressources humaines de depart. L'etude traite egalement d'aspects tels le developpement de l'«esprit d'entreprise», la delegation des responsabilites et la remuneration, ainsi que des changements de la structure organisationnelle entraines par l'expansion de l’entreprise.
Enterprise Information Systems Change, Adaptation and Adoption: A Qualitative Study and Conceptualization Framework

This article introduces and discusses the process and system conceptualization framework for adoption and ongoing evaluation of enterprise information systems, based on the series of recursive high and baselevel conceptualizations of organization's existing as-is and desired to-be processes and systems. The motivation for the framework is provided by a qualitative study that reveals two distinct approaches to the organizations' systems adoption and change. The approaches are labeled as systems view and process view, centered on organizations' processes and systems respectively; where process oriented approach is more likely to result in better fit between the adopted systems and corporate needs. Consistent with this finding, the purpose of the introduced framework is to guide organizations toward embracing the process-centric approach to the adoption of enterprise information systems, by placing particular emphasis on processes' and supporting systems' fit with organization's strategic goals.
US Religious Congregations’ Programming to Support Veterans: A Mixed Methods Study

Religious congregations may be well equipped to address veterans’ reintegration needs, but little is known about the prevalence and nature of such support. We conducted a mixed methods study using nationally representative congregational survey data and in-depth interviews with congregational leaders. Overall, 28 % of congregations nationally reported having programming to support veterans and positive, independent predictors included: community context (county veteran presence, high-poverty census tract, rural compared to urban location); congregational resources (more adult attendees, having a paid employee that spent time on service programs); and external engagement (assessing community needs, collaboration, and social service participation). Qualitative interviews revealed a range of activities, including attending to spiritual issues, supporting mental, physical and social well-being, and addressing vocational, legal, financial, and material needs.
Cooking the Books: Formalizing JMM Implementation Recipes

The Java Memory Model (JMM) is intended to characterize the meaning of concurrent Java programs. Because of the model’s complexity, however, its definition cannot be easily transplanted within an optimizing Java compiler, even though an important rationale for its design was to ensure Java compiler optimizations are not unduly hampered because of the language’s concurrency features. In response, the JSR-133 Cookbook for Compiler Writers [16], an informal guide to realizing the principles underlying the JMM on dierent (relaxed-memory) platforms was developed. The goal of the cookbook is to give compiler writers a relatively simple, yet reasonably ecient, set of reordering-based recipes that satisfy JMM constraints. In this paper, we present the first formalization of the cookbook, providing a semantic basis upon which the relationship between the recipes defined by the cookbook and the guarantees enforced by the JMM can be rigorously established. Notably, one artifact of our investigation is that the rules defined by the cookbook for compiling Java onto Power are inconsistent with the requirements of the JMM, a surprising result, and one which justifies our belief in the need for formally provable definitions to reason about sophisticated (and racy) concurrency patterns in Java, and their implementation on modern-day relaxed-memory hardware. Our formalization enables simulation arguments between an architecture-independent intermediate representation of the kind suggested by [16] with machine abstractions for Power and x86. Moreover, we provide fixes for cookbook recipes that are inconsistent with the behaviors admitted by the target platform, and prove the correctness of these repairs.
Work, happiness, and unhappiness

Work, happiness, and unhappiness, by Peter Warr, Mahwah, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2007, 548 pp., US$55 (paperback), ISBN 0805857117. A cursory examination of any work setting indicates that som...
Romeo’s Loquacious Friend

HE critic takes a deliberate and well-guarded position to make his assault on major characters and major problems; he comes with his theories and his standards of value, his moral and aesthetic standards, flying in the breeze. A minor character who lies in the way is likely to be pounced on and disposed of < v\ ~ without much ado. But if we watch closely we may learn more about the critic than we can from his more self-conscious attacks on a Hamlet or a Lear. His guard is momentarily down; assumptions, including unconscious ones, are more easily detected. Mercutio, who disappears by death in the third act of Romeo and Juliet after several displays of dazzling linguistic fireworks, has invited this kind of bold and impromptu evaluation. A minor character but a rowdy and spectacular one, he can be useful as a testing-ground for Shakespearian critics. We begin with Dryden, writing in i672 about "refinement of Wit", by which he meant what we might call sophisticated speech:
Centrioles in the Spermatids of Insects1

The University of Texas at Austin There have been many statements published regarding the number of centrioles in the spermatids of insects. Some earlier workers reported the occurrence of 2 centrioles in several groups of insects, although only one was seen in the spermatids of some species (summarized in Wilson 1928). More recent workers have reported similar results, although in some publications the investigators were apparently not specifically interested in the number of centrioles present. For example, Bertaud and Gatenby (1960) state that in a cricket, Pachyrhamma fasciferum (Walker), 2 apparently true centrioles are present. Mathur (1960) reported 2 centrioles in 1 grasshopper, Stenobothrus viridula (=Omocestus viridulus (L.), but he found no evidence for 2 in the normal spermatids of another species, Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal). Only 1 centriole is discussed in a recent paper by Phillips (1966), which considers spermiogenesis in the fungus gnat, Sciara coprophila Lintner.
The Mediterranean Migrant Crisis: Key Considerations for the UN Security Council

The tragedies involving migrants in the Mediterranean Sea have led to urgent calls for United Nations action. In 2015, the UN Security Council approved Resolution 2240. UNSC Resolution 2240 joins a series of resolutions adopted over the past few years which provide innovative legal tools and a broader basis under international law to confront maritime humanitarian and security challenges. The Security Council has waded into the law of the sea at least 25 times to address humanitarian challenges, and among other threats, Somali piracy, the transport of biological, chemical or nuclear weapons, and proscribed arms transfers involving Iran, Libya, and North Korea. Distilling the key lessons from Security Council resolutions provides insight for potential next steps to migration tragedies and the Gulf of Guinea piracy/armed robbery threats.
Hispanic Preservice Teachers’ Peer Evaluations of Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development: A Self-Referenced Comparison Between Monolingual Generalists and Bilingual Generalists

This study investigated preservice teachers from two teacher education programs, elementary generalists and bilingual generalists (who will teach all subjects in both English and Spanish), about their instructional design abilities via examination of their ability to integrate interdisciplinary-themed activities into mathematics lessons. The findings illustrate the value provided by differentiating teacher preparation for preservice bilingual teachers—especially for challenging STEM-related (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects such as mathematics—based on their distinctive pedagogical, cognitive, and linguistic requirements.
Cervantes and Quijote protect heterochromatin from aberrant recombination and lead the way to the nuclear periphery.

ABSTRACTRepairing double-strand breaks (DSBs) is particularly challenging in heterochromatin, where the abundance of repeated sequences exacerbates the risk of ectopic recombination and chromosome rearrangements. In Drosophila cells, faithful homologous recombination (HR) repair of heterochromatic DSBs relies on a specialized pathway that relocalizes repair sites to the nuclear periphery before Rad51 recruitment. Here we show that HR progression is initially blocked inside the heterochromatin domain by SUMOylation and the coordinated activity of two distinct Nse2 SUMO E3 ligases: Quijote (Qjt) and Cervantes (Cerv). In addition, the SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase (STUbL) Dgrn, but not its partner dRad60, is recruited to heterochromatic DSBs at early stages of repair and mediates relocalization. However, Dgrn is not required to prevent Rad51 recruitment inside the heterochromatin domain, suggesting that the block to HR progression inside the domain and relocalization to the nuclear periphery are genetically...
Dynamic evolution of a two-dimensional electron gas in a magnetic field after optical photoexcitation

We used optical-pump, terahertz-probe spectroscopy to track carrier dynamics in a two-dimensional electron gas under a magnetic field, revealing photoinduced changes to the cyclotron frequency and scattering time, along with an unexpected higher frequency mode.
Clinical trials examining treatments for inborn errors of amino acid metabolism

ABSTRACTIntroduction: More than half a century ago, phenylketonuria (PKU) became the first treatable inborn error of metabolism identified through newborn screening, ushering in a new era of metabolic medicine. Since that time, the underlying cause of numerous other inborn errors have been elucidated and added to newborn screening panels. Therapy for most amino acidopathies was initially dietary, including PKU, which remains the prototype for this group of disorders and a model for other inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs). However, in addition to dietary management, pharmacological intervention and organ transplantation have emerged as mainstays of treatment for several others of the inborn errors of metabolism.Areas covered: This article reviews the clinical trials and evolving therapies for inborn errors of metabolism, including the aminoaciopathies: phenylketonuria, tyrosinemia, maple syrup urine disease, non-ketotic hyperglycinemia, classical homocystinuria; the organic acidurias: propionic academia, ...
Bistable physical geometries for terahertz plasmonics using shape memory alloys

We demonstrate the applicability of shape memory alloys for creating THz plasmonic structures that can be reversibly reconfigured. This is accomplished by training nickel titanium alloy free-standing foils to have two bistable temperatures between which the physical structure can be switched thermally. Specifically, we show that the metal foil can be switched between a flat foil and one that has either a one-dimensional or two-dimensional corrugation. By perforating the metal foil with a periodic array of subwavelength apertures, we show the transmission spectrum can be thermally switched easily.
Improvements to the Hybrid-Maize model for simulating maize yields in harsh rainfed environments.

Abstract This paper reports revisions in formulation and new features of the Hybrid-Maize model (released as HM2016), to better simulate yields in harsh rainfed environments. Revisions include updated subroutines for root growth and distribution within the soil profile, greater sensitivity of canopy expansion and senescence to water deficits, an expanded kernel setting period, and soil evaporation as influenced by surface cover with crop residues. The updated model also includes routines for simulating surface runoff and estimating soil water content at sowing based on simulation of soil water balance during the preceding fallow period. Revisions of model functions were based on recent advances in understanding and quantification of maize response to environmental factors and management practices, as well as characteristics of new maize hybrids. More robust simulation of maize yield was obtained with the updated model under rainfed conditions, especially in years and locations with severe drought or on soils with limited water holding capacity. Capability to quantify soil water content at sowing and to perform batch simulations makes HM2016 more useful for pre-season yield projections in years with below-normal soil water recharge and for in-season yield forecasting across a wide range of environments. Revisions to routines governing root distribution and kernel setting make HM2016 a more powerful tool for evaluating hybrid-specific traits and crop management practices for ability to mitigate yield loss from water deficits and for identifying management options for individual production fields.
Seeing in the Dark: Embodied Cognition in Amateur Astronomy Practice

We add to research on embodied cognition by investigating the observational practices of amateur astronomers. Specifically, we take an interactionist perspective and examine how the body is recruit...
Knowledge sharing while managing uncertainty in R&D alliances: An eclectic perspective

Firms do not simply choose an alliance governance mode, but rather they design alliance governance structures to adapt the continuously changing task/external environments and coordinate complex ta...
Case 40-2017. A 32-Year-Old Woman with Headache, Abdominal Pain, Anemia, and Thrombocytopenia.

A 32-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of headache and loss of peripheral vision. One week earlier, she had presented with abdominal pain, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and splenic-vein thrombosis. A diagnostic test was performed, and management decisions were made.
Natural-Gas-Derived Hydrogen in the Presence of Carbon Fuel Taxes and Concentrated Solar Power

This work focuses on the incorporation of renewable energy resources into the natural-gas-based production of hydrogen, via steam methane reforming (SMR). The novel concept of “energetically enhanced steam methane reforming” (EESMR) is introduced, which changes the endothermicity level of the SMR process through incorporation of carbon monoxide and steam into the SMR feed. Novel EESMR flow sheets are presented in which the aforementioned resources are internally generated and recycled, so as to create a natural-gas-based hydrogen production system with methane as raw material and a hybrid (methane/solar) energy supply. The current worldwide carbon tax legislative environment is briefly reviewed, and its potential impact on SMR-versus-EESMR economic viability is quantified. A novel method for solution of linear parametric programming problems is proposed based on the concept of dimensionality reduction—this allows the analytic quantification of the optimum objective function value and associated optimum va...
Heteroatom-Directed Acylation of Secondary Alcohols To Assign Absolute Configuration.

Birman’s HBTM catalyst is effective for the enantioselective acylation and kinetic resolution of benzylic secondary alcohols. The enantioselective acylation has now been extended to secondary alcohols bearing electron-withdrawing groups such as halides and other heteroatoms. The level of selectivity is modest to good and is sufficient for determining configuration using the competing enantioselective conversion method. A mathematical analysis identifies conditions for achieving maximum differences in conversion and, consequently, assigning configuration with greater confidence. The new method is effective for halohydrins and secondary–tertiary 1,2-diols and was used to confirm the configuration of two inoterpene natural products.
Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer - Lynch syndromes I and II

SUMMARY HNPCC is an autosomal dominantly inherited disorder with proclivity to early onset colorectal cancer in the absence of multiple polyps of the colon. There is a predilection for proximal colonic location (70 per cent) and an excess of synchronous and metachronous colorectal cancers. HNPCC is subdivided into Lynch syndrome I, which is restricted to site-specific colon cancer susceptibility, and Lynch syndrome II, which shows all of the features of Lynch syndrome I, but in addition, patients are at inordinately increased risk for carcinoma of the endometrium, ovary, and other anatomic sites. The frequency of HNPCC is conservatively estimated to be 4 to 6 per cent of the total colorectal cancer burden. Because of the fact that the family history is underreported almost uniformly in medical practice, we believe that the true frequency of this disease may be much greater. Heterogeneity may be extant with respect to tumor association, in that in certain Lynch syndrome II kindreds, carcinoma of the pancreas, kidney, breast, and other anatomic sites may predominate. Knowledge of the natural history of HNPCC predicates surveillance and management strategies. Thus, because of the early onset of and proximal predilection for colorectal cancer, we recommend initiation of colonoscopy at age 25 and annually thereafter. We also recommend guaiac testing of the stool at least twice a year. In the case of Lynch syndrome II, in addition to colonoscopy, we recommend intensive surveillance for the endometrium, including aspiration biopsies. Other targeted organs, depending on the tumor spectrum in the family, should be given priority attention. Because of an excess of synchronous and metachronous colorectal cancer in HNPCC, subtotal colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis is the treatment of choice for initial colorectal cancer. In women presenting with initial colorectal cancer who have completed their families, consideration should be given to prophylactic hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy at the time of surgery for colorectal cancer. Needed are biomarkers of acceptable sensitivity and specificity for the genotype, because HNPCC lacks premonitory physical signs. We believe that increased knowledge about colorectal cancer etiology and carcinogenesis can be attained through the study of families prone to the Lynch syndromes.
Extending the Habitat Concept to the Airspace

Habitat is one of the most familiar and fundamental concepts in the fields of ecology, animal behavior, and wildlife conservation and management. Humans interact with habitats through their senses and experiences and education to such a degree that their perceptions of habitat have become second nature. For this reason, it may be difficult at first to accept the airspace as habitat, an area that is invisible, untouchable, highly dynamic, and its occupants difficult to see. Nonetheless, the habitat concept, by definition and in practice, applies readily to the airspace. Some ecological and behavioral processes including habitat selection, foraging, and reproduction are operational in the airspace, while others, particularly those mediated by resource limitation such as territoriality, are likely uncommon if present at all. The behaviors of flying animals increasingly expose them to anthropogenic hazards as development of the airspace accelerates. This exacerbates the need to identify approaches for managing these human–wildlife conflicts in aerial habitats, especially where human safety or at-risk populations are concerned. The habitat concept has proven useful in shaping environmental law and policy to help mitigate these conflicts. It remains to be seen whether current law can bend to include a more expansive concept of habitat that includes the airspace.
Degradation and dispersion limit environmental DNA detection of rare amphibians in wetlands: Increasing efficacy of sampling designs

Abstract The detection of rare macroorganisms using environmental DNA (eDNA) is a powerful new method for conservation and management; the efficacy of this method is affected by physiological, ecological, and hydrological processes. Understanding the processes limiting eDNA detection and accounting for those factors with optimized sampling designs is critical for realizing the potential of this tool. Amphibians are a focus of conservation programs globally and are often difficult to detect, presenting a challenge for effective action. To increase the ability of eDNA techniques to inform conservation and management programs, we investigated the eDNA detection of amphibians compared with field surveys for six species across a gradient of environmental factors expected to affect eDNA detection in three different systems: perennial wetlands, intermittent wetlands, and acidic intermittent wetlands. We applied a baseline sampling design in each wetland and used an occupancy modeling approach to evaluate evidence for processes limiting detection for each species given the presence of the target species. Evidence weights indicated that limiting processes varied across systems and included those associated with increased degradation (pH 25 °C) and limited dispersion (wetland area > 1200 m2, sample volume
Causes and Predictors of Early Hospital Readmission in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective We investigated characteristics of adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, in an attempt to identify the causes of early readmission. Methods We performed a retrospective case-control study examining all inpatient electronic health records of patients with SLE at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center over a 2.5-year period (2012–2014). Patients were included if they had an International Classification of Diseases, 9th ed diagnosis of SLE and were readmitted within 30 days of their initial hospitalization. Patients with SLE not readmitted during this time period were used as a control group. Demographic and clinical variables for each patient were collected, and we used the Charlson Comorbidity Index to characterize comorbidities. The Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index (SDI) was used to assess the chronic damage of SLE. Stepwise multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to predict factors associated with readmission. Results In total, 570 hospitalizations representing 455 unique patients met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of these, 154 patients (34%) underwent readmission within 30 days of their initial hospitalization. Patients in the early readmission group were more likely to have government-sponsored Medicaid insurance and were significantly associated with an increased SDI (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.1–1.48), lower serum hemoglobin (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.72–0.93), and lower serum albumin (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.47–0.91). Conclusion One-third of hospitalized patients with SLE were readmitted within 30 days at our institution. We identified characteristics of this at-risk population at time of discharge with high specificity, in hopes of reducing this costly outcome.
Tissue Engineering of Organs: Eye/Retina

The loss of retinal neurons due to degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration affects millions of people and remains a daunting and untreatable medical problem.
Introduction into Prognostic Clinical Research

An expert clinician’s prognostic knowledge can derive from his/her personal experience for relatively short-term prognoses only; and in these, as well as in long-term prognoses, modern medicine involves consideration of the effects of interventions as well as the intervention-conditional course of the illness at issue. Prognostic research is already very extensive, but it now generally is a matter of intervention trials with very simplistic conception of the essential result. But the data from these trials could be used to derive results of the appropriate form for the advancement of the knowledge-base of prognosis.
RE) Turning to the Originary Question

We have come full circle in this inquiry, having returned to the initial point of departure, namely, Plato’s description of the philosopher as “the real lover of learning.”(Rep., 485) We recall here that we were put underway by this depiction, which we read alongside a comment he makes further along, in book seven, where he links this lover of learning with the art of education.
Association of HIV infection with age and symptomatic carotid atherosclerotic disease at the time of carotid intervention in the United States

The primary objectives of this work were: (1) to describe trends in HIV prevalence among those undergoing carotid intervention (carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery stenting) in the United Stat...
Financial literacy and classroom practices among early childhood and elementary teachers in India and the US

This study compared the financial literacy and teaching practices of 82 early and elementary teachers in India and US using a 43-item survey. Analysis showed that financial literacy of Indian teach...
Appendix B: Introduction to Macaulay2

The computer algebra system Macaulay2 is a powerful tool for understanding rings and ideals, among other things. This appendix introduces the basic syntax for this system, roughly following the topics of the previous appendix.
Benzoladderene Mechanophores: Synthesis, Polymerization, and Mechanochemical Transformation

We have previously reported a polymechanophore system, polyladderene, which underwent dramatic bond rearrangement in response to mechanical force to yield semiconducting polyacetylene. Herein, we report the scalable synthesis of benzoladderenes as new mechanophore monomers. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization of benzoladderenes yielded homopolymers and block copolymers with controlled molecular weights and low dispersity. The resulting nonconjugated poly(benzoladderene) was mechanochemically transformed into conjugated poly(o-phenylene-hexatrienylene) by sonication, with degrees of transformation up to 40–45%. These benzoladderenes and their resulting polymers are easier to synthesize than the polyladderene system and allow mechanochemical generation of conjugated polymers beyond polyacetylene.
Real-Time 3D Reconstruction of Colonoscopic Surfaces for Determining Missing Regions

Colonoscopy is the most widely used medical technique to screen the human large intestine (colon) for cancer precursors. However, frequently parts of the surface are not visualized, and it is hard for the endoscopist to realize that from the video. Non-visualization derives from lack of orientations of the endoscope to the full circumference of parts of the colon, occlusion from colon structures, and intervening materials inside the colon. Our solution is real-time dense 3D reconstruction of colon chunks with display of the missing regions. We accomplish this by a novel deep-learning-driven dense SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) system that can produce a camera trajectory and a dense reconstructed surface for colon chunks (small lengths of colon). Traditional SLAM systems work poorly for the low-textured colonoscopy frames and are subject to severe scale/camera drift. In our method a recurrent neural network (RNN) is used to predict scale-consistent depth maps and camera poses of successive frames. These outputs are incorporated into a standard SLAM pipeline with local windowed optimization. The depth maps are finally fused into a global surface using the optimized camera poses. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to reconstruct dense colon surface from video in real time and to display missing surface.
Machine Learning Algorithms to Differentiate Among Pulmonary Complications After Hematopoietic Cell Transplant

Background Pulmonary complications, including infections, are highly prevalent in patients after hematopoietic cell transplantation with chronic graft-vs-host disease. These comorbid diseases can make the diagnosis of early lung graft-vs-host disease (bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome) challenging. A quantitative method to differentiate among these pulmonary diseases can address diagnostic challenges and facilitate earlier and more targeted therapy. Study Design and Methods We conducted a single-center study of 66 patients with CT chest scans analyzed with a quantitative imaging tool known as parametric response mapping. Parametric response mapping results were correlated with pulmonary function tests and clinical characteristics. Five parametric response mapping metrics were applied to K-means clustering and support vector machine models to distinguish among posttransplantation lung complications solely from quantitative output. Results Compared with parametric response mapping, spirometry showed a moderate correlation with radiographic air trapping, and total lung capacity and residual volume showed a strong correlation with radiographic lung volumes. K-means clustering analysis distinguished four unique clusters. Clusters 2 and 3 represented obstructive physiology (encompassing 81% of patients with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome) in increasing severity (percentage air trapping 15.6% and 43.0%, respectively). Cluster 1 was dominated by normal lung, and cluster 4 was characterized by patients with parenchymal opacities. A support vector machine algorithm differentiated bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome with a specificity of 88%, sensitivity of 83%, accuracy of 86%, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.85. Interpretation Our machine learning models offer a quantitative approach for the identification of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome vs other lung diseases, including late pulmonary complications after hematopoietic cell transplantation.
Nonmonotonicity and Compatibility Relations in Belief Structures

The Dempster–Shafer belief structure provides a representation of a variable in which our knowledge of its probability distribution is imprecise. Here compatibility relations, which encode relationships between variables, enable inference about a consequent variable using knowledge about the input variable. Here we extend the capability of these compatibility relations to enable the representation of nonmonotonic relations, such as default rules. This allows situations in which an increase in information about the input variable can result in a decrease in information about the secondary variable. We show what are the conditions required of a compatibility relation to lead to monotonic and nonmonotonic inferences. We provide some examples of nonmonotonic relations.
Urinary metabolomic analysis for the identification of renal injury in patients with acute heart failure.

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2012; 19:18–23 © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives: Worsening renal function in patients admitted with heart failure is associated with increased morbidity. These changes are not usually apparent initially and often take up to 48 hours to be detected. Using the novel technique of metabolomic analysis, this study aims to determine if markers of renal injury are identifiable at presentation that are associated with the development of worsening renal function in high-risk patients with heart failure. Methods: A prospective exploratory study enrolled a convenience sample of patients with suspected heart failure. Eligible patients had to be older than 18 years, have a B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level over 100 pg/mL, have a history of diabetes or hypertension, meet Boston criteria for heart failure (>8), and require hospital admission as judged by the treating physician. Patients receiving no more than one dose of diuretic prior to enrollment were excluded. Urine was collected during the emergency department (ED) stay. Initial creatinine and the peak value between 24 to 48 hours were used to determine worsening renal function as defined by a change of >0.3 mg/dL or absolute 25% increase. Urine samples underwent gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) profiling. Peak metabolite values were measured and data were log-transformed. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to identify metabolites associated with worsening renal function. Specific urinary metabolites were ranked based on their regression coefficients. Results: The 24 enrolled subjects had a median age of 58 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 49.5 to 67.5 years) with 58% being male. Worsening renal function occurred in 10 subjects (41.7%). A total of 156 metabolites were identified. The optimal number of metabolites for class discrimination as determined by PLS-DA was three, with a classification accuracy of 78%. These metabolites were taurine, sulfuric acid, and talose. Conclusions: Urinary metabolites found at the time of presentation may be markers of early renal injury. It is therefore possible that the process of renal injury is initiated prior to ED arrival in patients with suspected heart failure, and these may be used to identify a high-risk patient population.
Four Ways to Make Valid Fourth Amendment Intrusions into Houses: Search Warrant, Arrest Warrant, Exigency, & Consent

This 68-page CLE (continuing legal education) brochure is titled “Four Ways to Make Valid Fourth Amendment Intrusions into Houses: Search Warrant, Arrest Warrant, Exigency, & Consent.” It was presented to the Baltimore County Police Department in 2009. Topics include (1) standing and reasonable expectation of privacy in houses, (2) the Reasonableness Clause versus the Warrant Clause, (3) required documents and steps in the warrant issuance process, (4) a neutral and detached magistrate, (5) probable cause, (6) the particularity requirement, (7) anticipatory search warrants, (8) where and by whom may a warrant be executed, (9) time limitations on search warrant execution, (10) permissible scope of warrant execution, (11) presence or absence of persons when a search warrant is executed, (12) documents made and/or delivered during or subsequent to a search, (13) challenging warrants by challenging warrant affidavits through a Franks hearing, (14) arrest, (15) arrest in public, (16) arrest of the Defendant in the Defendant’s home, (17) arrest of the Defendant in a third party’s home, (18) the manner of entry into a home to execute an arrest warrant, (19) search incident to lawful arrest, (20) prompt presentment requirement and the remedy for non-compliance, (21) the remedy for illegal arrest, (22) hot pursuit, (23) other exigent circumstances, (24) the plain view doctrine, (25) consent searches, and (26) the exclusionary rule and its purpose.
Anticonvulsant-induced aplastic anemia: increased susceptibility to toxic drug metabolites in vitro

A 53-yr-old man sequentially developed aplastic anemia from phenytoin and carbamazepine. Both compounds undergo metabolism to potentially toxic arene oxide intermediates. We tested the hypothesis that the patient's adverse reactions were due to a defect in detoxification of such metabolites by challenging his peripheral lymphocytes with drug metabolites generated by a murine hepatic microsomal system in vitro. The patient's cell viability was normal in the absence of drugs. However, his cells showed greater toxicity from both phenytoin and carbamazepine metabolites than did controls. Toxicity was dependent on microsomes and NADPH. Intermediate toxicity was noted in cells from the patient's mother. The results provide the first evidence for a role of arene oxide drug metabolites in aplastic anemia in humans and suggest that enhanced susceptibility to toxicity may be based on an inherited abnormality in metabolite detoxification.
1,4‐Diphenyl‐1,3‐Butadiene

1,4-Diphenyl-1,3-Butadiene intermediate: 60.0 g. (0.145 mole) of triphenylcinnamylphosphonium chloride product: 1-(p-tolyl)-4-phenylbutadiene product: 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-phenylbutadiene product: 1-(4-acetamidophenyl)-4-phenylbutadiene product: 1,4-Diphenylbutadiene Keywords: condensation, carbonyl-ylide condensation
Whither the Museum

Treasures on Earth . Museums, Collections and Pardoxes. Keith S. Thomson. Faber and Faber, London, 2002. 128 pp. Paper, £12.99. ISBN 0-571-21295-6. The Poetic Museum . Reviving Historic Collections. Julian Spaulding. Prestel, London, 2002. 184 pp. £24.95. ISBN 3-7913-2678-3. Making Museums Matter . Reviving Historic Collections. Stephen E. Weil. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 2002. 287 pp. $40. ISBN 1-58834-025-2. Paper, $18.95. ISBN 1-58834-000-7. These three books discuss the current state of museums, the challenges such institutions face, and changes that may improve their futures.
Low Medication Adherence and the Incidence of Stroke Symptoms Among Individuals With Hypertension: The REGARDS Study

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2011;13:479–486.©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The authors analyzed data on 9950 participants taking antihypertensive medications in the nationwide Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study to determine the association between medication adherence and incident stroke symptoms. Medication adherence was assessed using a validated 4-item self-report scale and participants were categorized into 4 groups (scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3 or 4, with higher scores indicating worse adherence). The incidence of 6 stroke symptoms (sudden weakness on one side of the body, numbness, painless loss of vision in one or both eyes, loss of half vision, losing the ability to understand people, and losing the ability to express oneself verbally or in writing) was assessed via telephone interviews every 6 months. During a median of 4 years, the incidence of any stroke symptom was 14.6%, 17.9%, 20.2%, and 24.9% among participants with adherence scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3 or 4, respectively (P<.001). The multivariable adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for any stroke symptom associated with adherence scores of 1, 2, and 3 or 4, vs 0, was 1.20 (1.04–1.39), 1.23 (0.94–1.60), and 1.59 (1.08–2.33), respectively (P<.001). Worse adherence was also associated with higher multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for each of the 6 stroke symptoms.
FINE STRUCTURE MAPPING, COMPLEMENTATION, AND PHYSIOLOGY OF ESCHERICHIA COLI hfl MUTANTS

Six of seven hfl mutations of Escherichia coli K12, characterized by high frequencies of lysogenization by phage lambda and λcIII mutants, are shown to be tightly linked to, but not within, the purA locus. All six hfl mutations are recessive to wild type in hfl+/hfl merodiploids and all lie in a single complementation group, located just counterclockwise from the purA locus. All six mutations confer a slightly increased resistance to penicillin and rifamycin and a slightly increased sensitivity to sodium dodecyl sulfate. Some cases of intragenic complementation and intragenic recombination were observed. It is argued that the hfl+ gene determines the synthesis of a protein which antagonizes lysogenization by phage lambda. It is further argued that the function of the λcIII gene product is to negate the antagonistic effect of this hfl+ protein.
Optically activated high temperature superconductor opening switches

Thin films of the new high temperature ceramic superconductors have the potential of being very fast opening switches. In the normal state, these films can have a surface resistivity of 40 /spl Omega//[]. Thus the change from the superconducting to the normal state represents an enormous change in device impedance. Thin films of YBCO have been illuminated with 100 ps, 1/spl mu/m optical pulses and driven normal with energy densities as small as 2 mj/cm/sup 2/. We have seen response times of under 2 ns. Such a fast transition indicates that the transition is not bolometric. The transition has been characterized as a function of bias current, temperature, and incident intensity.
Measuring improved patient choice

Patient decision support (PDS) tools or decision aids have been developed as adjuncts to the clinical encounter. Their aim is to support evidence-based patient choice. Clinical trials of PDS tools have used an array of outcome measures to determine efficacy, including knowledge, satisfaction, health status and consistency between patient choice and values. This paper proposes that the correlation between ‘subjective expected utility’ (SEU) and decision may be the best primary endpoint for trials. SEU is a measure usually used in behavioural decision theory. The paper first describes how decision support tools may use decision analysis to structure the presentation of evidence and guide patient decision-making. Uses of expected utility (EU) are suggested for evaluating PDS tools when improving population health status is the objective. SEU is the theoretically better measure when internal consistency of patient choices is the objective.
Periodic solutions of semilinear higher dimensional wave equations

Abstract We study the periodic-Dirichlet problem for semilinear wave equations in n-dimensions and give sufficient conditions for existence and uniqueness of solutions.
Size dependent brittle to ductile transition in bubble rafts

Abstract We report on experimental studies of the failure modes of aqueous foam under tension as a function of loading speed and system size. Foam is an example of a viscoelastic material that acts either as a solid or a fluid, depending on the details of the applied deformation. This raises the interesting question of whether foam's failure modes correspond to plastic deformation, viscous flow, or brittle fracture. Using a model foam system, a bubble raft, we observe two distinct failure modes. For high enough deformation rates and large enough ratios of the initial system width to length, brittle fracture is observed. For small deformation rates and ratios of the initial system width to length, plastic pinch-off is observed. For sufficiently small systems, there is a well-defined transition zone in which a competition between pinch-off and fracture is observed.