cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why It Is Getting Harder to Prosecute Executives for Corporate Misconduct

In September 2015, the Department of Justice announced a new policy to pursue individuals involved in corporate criminal violations by conditioning any benefit for cooperation on the company identifying culpable executives. The policy, known as the Yates Memo and named after the then-Deputy Attorney General, was heralded as a real change in how federal prosecutors would pursue organizational crime. Does the shift to emphasizing individual culpability mean there will be an upsurge of prosecutions of corporate executives who oversee companies that engage in misconduct? The short answer is no. This essay, delivered as part of a symposium at Vermont Law School, considers why the policy will likely have little real impact. One reason is that the new — or perhaps renewed — emphasis on pursuing individuals is not a real change in the Department of Justice’s policy. More importantly, as companies get larger, there is a shrinking chance someone from the C-suite will have had any actual involvement in day-to-day decisions that provide the fodder for an individual prosecution. It appears that mid-level managers will have to bear the brunt of the focus on individual liability for corporate misconduct. As a response to criticism about the lack of individual prosecutions related to the financial crisis, the Yates Memo may end up being more a public relations effort than something that will produce tangible results through increased prosecution of management.
Assessing Dependency in SPAR-H: Some Practical Considerations

Dependency, the relationship between a series of human errors, is an important factor to consider when conducting a human reliability analysis (HRA). The premise of this paper is that we should not expect dependency to be applied frequently. This paper presents guidance on the application of dependency in the SPAR-H HRA method. Overall guidance is provided to prevent overuse of dependency, and then eight specific insights are provided to ensure dependency is applied correctly. Without proper application of dependency, there is the risk that human error probabilities produced by HRA methods will be inaccurate. This paper seeks to ensure dependency does not lead to spurious quantification of errors.
Headache, TIA and subarachnoid haemorrhage: dissecting an unusual cause for stroke-like symptoms

We present a case of supraclinoid internal carotid artery dissection. Eleven months prior, the patient developed isolated periorbital pain and was diagnosed with giant-cell arteritis with iritis. The patient experienced recurrent spells concerning for transient ischaemic attacks and was transferred to our institution for endovascular intervention after head CT revealed an embolic infarct with a ‘dense middle cerebral artery sign.’ Digital subtraction angiography was negative for occlusion, instead demonstrating luminal stenosis and poststenotic dilatation. He subsequently experienced acute neurological decline secondary to massive subarachnoid haemorrhage. Non-invasive vascular imaging revealed an intimal flap and a pseudoaneurysm at the site of luminal stenosis, confirming our suspicion for intracranial carotid artery dissection. Given the moribund clinical state, the family opted to withdraw care, and he quickly expired.
Association between anxious symptoms and sleeping medication use among US older adults

Objective To investigate the relationship between anxiety symptoms and sleeping medication use among a nationally representative sample of US older adults. Design Cross-sectional design using data from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study to examine the relationship between anxiety symptoms as rated by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 and self-reported sleeping medication use. Survey weights were applied to account for complex survey design. Logistic regression was used to measure the association between anxiety symptoms and sleeping medication use after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, physical health, and other sleep-related issues. Results In 2011, 13.1% of respondents experienced high anxiety symptoms and 29.0% reported taking a sleeping medication at least once a week during the last 30 days. Results estimate that approximately 4 million US older adults have clinically significant anxiety symptoms and approximately 10 million US older adults used a sleeping medication in the last 30 days. Adjusted results revealed that high anxiety symptoms are significantly associated with sleeping medication use compared to low anxiety symptoms (AOR = 1.57; 95% CI, 1.29-1.91). Depression symptoms were also associated with sleeping medication (AOR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.08-1.55). Conclusions Results demonstrated that anxiety symptoms are significantly associated with sleeping medication use among US older adults. We also found that depressive symptoms, chronic conditions, and worse self-rated health are associated with sleeping medication use. As sleeping medications are associated with adverse health events, these results have clinical implications for treating anxiety symptoms among older patients.
Ultrasensitive Electroanalysis: Femtomolar Determination of Lead, Cobalt, and Nickel

We demonstrate the feasibility of attaining femtomolar limits of quantitation in electroanalysis. The method employed is based on electrocatalytic amplification, where small quantities of metal deposit performed on a carbon electrode causes a large increase in the observed current, for example, for the oxidation of water. We show calibration curves at the femtomolar level for cobalt, nickel, and lead ions on carbon ultramicroelectrodes (CUMEs), ca. 500 nm radii. The CUME was biased at a potential where the ion would deposit as the metal oxide, MOx, and a high concentration of species that is oxidized at the deposit is present in solution. Blips were observed in the amperometric i–t response, and their frequency scaled linearly with the concentration of ions at the femtomolar level. From these results, the limits of quantitation for cobalt, nickel, and lead ions were reported at 10 s of femtomolar level for the first time.
Operation Condor: Mexico's Antidrug Campaign Enters a New Era

In recent years Mexico has demonstrated the capacity to cultivate, process, ship, and transship vast quantities of illegal narcotic drugs. Such activity has traditionally been geared to the realities of domestic poverty, enormous profit, and American demand. Mexican marijuana dominated the U.S. market until quite recently. More importantly from the American viewpoint were the tons of Mexican heroin which saturated U.S. cities in the mid-1970s. Furthermore, Mexico is still the source of vast quantities of psychotropics and an increasingly popular conduit for South American cocaine. According to Craig (1978), U.S. officials long sought to convince their Mexican counterparts that the key to any effective antidrug program lay in eliminating the illicit product at the source. Until such time that herbicides were applied on a massive scale against marijuana and opium poppies, they argued, the annual Mexican campaign would prove an exercise in futility.
Modeling millimeter wave tropospheric attenuations for UAS and terrestrial aviation communications

The prevalence of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) brings strict demands on reliable communication links for control and non-payload communication (CNPC). Millimeter wave (mmWave) links for UAS, and also for various airport links, are seeing new interest for future applications, in part due to the extremely large available bandwidths at these frequencies. In these bands, attenuation must be accurately quantified to ensure appropriate link design for reliability. Tropospheric attenuation is modeled statistically, and the most widely used model comes from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The ITU model relies on climate data and averages, and although it can account for variabilities, little has been reported on extreme conditions and use of regional weather data. In this paper, we investigate tropospheric attenuation in three potential mmWave bands (30, 60, and 90 GHz) for short range aviation links. Results are based upon the ITU-R time series model from Recommendations P.530 and P.1853 for link distances from 20 m to 5 km at three representative climatic locations: Cleveland, OH, Columbia, SC, and Miami, FL. Worst month attenuation variability analysis results are provided to illustrate the severity of tropospheric attenuation in these mmWave bands.
Predicting posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms among adolescents in the extended postpartum period.

Abstract Background Adolescent childbirth continues as a public health concern, and investigation of postpartum posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depression is important to inform future research and practice. Longitudinal studies exploring PTSS alone or in combination with depression are non-existent for postpartum adolescent populations. This study aimed to identify stress/PTSS and depression symptoms at 72 hours and three, six, and nine months postpartum, and determine if symptoms at each time point predicted later symptoms. Methods A convenience sample of 303 adolescents 13–19 years of age were recruited from two postpartum units of one, large, public hospital. The Impact of Event Scale and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Inventory provided a screen of symptoms for stress/PTSS and depression at all time points. A lagged autoregressive model was developed to assess the predictive power of symptoms at each time point to the next across the extended postpartum period. Results About 30% of adolescents displayed early symptoms; 20% showed symptoms at the final time point. Early symptoms did not predict symptoms at 3 months; yet, symptoms at 3 months predicted symptoms at 6–9 months. Limitations Attrition at final time points necessitated pooled data. Adolescents were primarily older, Hispanics, and recruited from one public hospital decreasing demographic representation. Use of screening tools prevented diagnostic outcomes. Unknown stressors occurring before and after pregnancy or birth may have influenced final outcomes. Conclusions Early symptoms were common and 3 month symptoms predicted later symptoms. For at risk adolescents, a plan for follow-up beyond hospital discharge is recommended.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors in esophagogastric adenocarcinoma: do the results justify the hype?

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have transformed treatment paradigms in several cancers, many of which were previously associated with a poor prognosis, including melanoma and lung cancer. Given the poor outcomes from treatment with chemotherapy and targeted therapies in this disease, there has been strong interest in the evaluation of immunotherapy.
Efficacy of tunnel technique in the treatment of localized and multiple gingival recessions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background Tunnel technique (TUN) has recently gained popularity among clinicians for its promising clinical and esthetic results in treating gingival recession (GR) defects. However, evidence regarding the efficacy of the TUN is not yet conclusive. Therefore, the aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the predictability of TUN and its comparison to the coronally advanced flap (CAF) procedure. Methods A literature search on PubMed, Cochrane libraries, EMBASE, and hand-searched journals through November 2017 was conducted to identify clinical studies investigating TUN for root coverage procedures. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were considered for the meta-analysis comparing TUN to CAF. Results A total of 20 articles were included in the systematic review and six in the meta-analysis. The overall calculated mean root coverage (mRC) of TUN for localized and multiple GR defects was 82.75 ± 19.7% and 87.87 ± 16.45%, respectively. Superior results were found in maxillary and in Miller Class I and II GR defects. TUN outcomes may have been enhanced by split-thickness flap preparation and microsurgical approach. TUN and CAF had comparable mRC, complete root coverage (CRC), keratinized tissue gain, and root coverage esthetic score when varying combinations of graft material were evaluated. However, CAF demonstrated superior outcomes to TUN when the same graft (connective tissue or acellular dermal matrix) was used in both techniques. Conclusions TUN is an effective procedure in treating localized and multiple GR defects. Limited evidence is available comparing TUN to CAF; however, CAF seemed to be associated with higher percentage of CRC than was TUN when the same grafts (connective tissue or acellular dermal matrix) were used in both techniques.
Parathyroid hormone-related protein and calcium homeostasis in lactating mice

Parathyroid hormone (PTH)-related protein has been shown to be a factor responsible for hypercalcemia of malignancy. Recent studies have shown the presence of mRNA for PTH-related protein in lactating breast tissue, suggesting a physiological role for this peptide during lactation. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of neutralization of PTH-related protein activity in lactating mice (by passive immunization) on various parameters of maternal and neonatal calcium homeostasis. PTH-related protein bioactivity, as tested in the adenylate cyclase assay, was present in mouse milk, and this activity was completely neutralized by the antisera used in the present study. In lactating mice, the effects of injection of PTH-related protein antisera on maternal serum calcium concentrations, milk calcium and phosphorus concentration, pup growth, dam femur calcium content, and pup calcium content were similar to those of the injection of normal rabbit serum. Therefore, maternal PTH-related protein does not appear to have a role in calcium homeostasis during lactation.
Matching logic: the foundation of the K framework (invited talk)

The K framework (kframework.org) is an effort in realizing the ideal language framework, where programming languages must have formal semantics and all language tools are automatically generated from the formal semantics. Until recently, K has been developed as an engineering endeavor driven by challenges such as formalizing the complete semantics of large languages (C, Java, JavaScript, Python, etc), but deriving its semantics from translations to various formalisms, such as rewriting logic, graph transformations, or Coq. This semantics borrowing approach came not only at a notational cost, where the original language meaning was ``lost in translation'', but also at a foundational cost: the target formalisms were more complicated than necessary, yet more restricted due to their prescribed ways to define language semantics. In this talk I will present matching logic as the new and direct foundation of K. I will also discuss some of its applications in defining constructors, transition systems, modal mu-logic and temporal logic variants, reachability logic and thus Hoare logics, and separation-logic-style recursive predicates and patterns. Matching logic can therefore be regarded as an expressive foundation for programming languages, and K as a best effort implementation. An appealing aspect of matching logic’s Hilbert-style proof system is that it admits a small proof checker, in the order of 200 LOC including parsing.
Postplacental intra-abdominal placement of levonorgestrel 52 mg intrauterine system: A case report.

Abstract This case of an intra-abdominal levonorgestrel 52 mg intrauterine system found three weeks after manual postplacental placement demonstrates the importance of proper insertion technique and ascertainment of fundal placement. Ultrasound guidance can be considered if fundal placement is uncertain. Short interval follow up should be recommended to confirm proper placement.
Role of the urologist in whether locoregional prostate cancer patients consult with a radiation oncologist.

e16029 Background: Multiple treatment options exist for prostate cancer patients, and therapeutic recommendations may differ depending on characteristics of the specialist consulted. The clinical j...
Self-preservation phenomenon in gas hydrates and its application for energy storage

Abstract Clathrate hydrates (also simply known as hydrates) are solid crystalline structures that trap small gas molecules (i.e., methane, ethane, carbon dioxide, and propane) inside hydrogen bonded water cages. This unique structure typically forms at high pressure and low temperature (typically higher than the ice point temperature). There are three common structures of gas hydrates: structure I (sI), structure II (sII), and structure H (sH). The main difference among these structures is the size of the water cages. Thus, the gas molecules trapped inside the water cages will determine the structure of the hydrate formed. In 1 cm3 of gas hydrate, up to 164 cm3 of gas is stored at standard temperature and pressure (STP) conditions (Sloan and Koh, 2008). As such, the energy density of gas hydrates is ~ 10 times compared to other conventional energy sources (Koh et al., 2011; Sloan, 2003). A unique property of gas hydrates is the self-preservation. Self-preservation of gas hydrates is a kinetic phenomenon in which the water cages of the hydrate structure remain stable (with gas molecules trapped inside it) outside the gas hydrate thermodynamically stable region (atmospheric pressure and between 253 and 263 K). These gas hydrates can be stable for long period of times (days, weeks, or even months) at mild pressure and temperature conditions. Even though this self-preservation effect has several potential advantages in engineering applications, there is still limited knowledge of this phenomenon that limits its commercialization for technological application. This article will discuss our current understanding of gas hydrate self-preservation effects. A review of the work performed to understand the mechanism of self-preservation of gas hydrates will be given. The article will also provide a discussion on the application of the self-preservation effect on engineering applications, such as gas storage and transportation.
Empirical Assessment of Mandatory Stay-at-Home and Business Closure Effects on the Spread of COVID-19 (preprint)

Background: The most restrictive non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) for controlling the spread of COVID-19 are mandatory stay-at-home and business closures. Given the potential health and social harms of these policies, it is important to assess their effects. Here we evaluate the effects on epidemic case growth of more restrictive NPIs (mrNPIs), above and beyond the effects of less restrictive NPIs (lrNPIs). Methods: We first estimate changes in the growth of new cases during the first wave of COVID-19 in relation to the location and timing of NPI implementation in subnational regions of 10 countries: England, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, and the United States. We isolate the effects of mrNPIs by netting out the combined effects of lrNPIs and the underlying epidemic dynamics from the effects of all NPIs. We use case growth patterns in Sweden and South Korea, two countries that did not implement mandatory stay-at-home and business closures to estimate the combined effects of lrNPIs and the underlying epidemic. We use first-difference reduced-form linear models with fixed effects, and isolate the effects of mrNPIs by subtracting the combined effects of lrNPIs in South Korea and Sweden, separately (8 mrNPI countries x 2 comparison countries = 16 comparisons). Findings: Implementing any kind of NPIs was associated with significant reductions in case growth in 9 out the 10 study countries, including the two countries that implemented only lrNPIs, South Korea and Sweden. Spain had a non-significant beneficial effect of NPIs. After netting out the combined epidemic and lrNPI effects, we find no clear, significant beneficial effect of mrNPIs on case growth in any country. In France, for example, we estimate that, after accounting for lrNPIs, the effects of mrNPIs was +7% (95CI -5%-19%) when compared with Sweden, and +13% (-12%-38%) when compared to South Korea (positive numbers indicate net pro-contagion effect). The 95% confidence intervals excluded 30% declines in all 16 comparisons and 15% declines in 11/16 comparisons. Conclusions: While small benefits cannot be excluded, mandatory stay-at-home and business closure orders do not seem to have had substantial benefits on case growth in 8 countries in the early stages of the pandemic. Similar reductions in case growth may be achievable with behavior changes from less restrictive interventions. Funding: The work was supported by the Stanford COVID-19 Seroprevalence Studies Fund. Conflict of Interest: No conflicts to declare. Ethical Approval: This study used only publicly available secondary data and was exempt from human subjects research review.
PTSD Perceptions in U.S. Military Members and Their Families: A Qualitative Study:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and debilitating disorder characterized by hypervigilance and recurrent, intrusive memories of the traumatic event. Estimates for lifetime prevale...
From Radical Science to STS

Many people who went on to become scholars and writers about technoscience in its social context, that is, to become contributors to the field now called Science and Technology Studies (STS), were ...
Inhibition-Dominated Rich-Club Shapes Dynamics in Cortical Microcircuits in Awake Behaving Mice

SUMMARY Functional networks of cortical neurons contain highly interconnected hubs, forming a rich-club structure. However, the cell type composition within this distinct subnetwork and how it influences large-scale network dynamics is unclear. Using spontaneous activity recorded from hundreds of cortical neurons in orbitofrontal cortex of awake behaving mice we show that the rich-club is disproportionately composed of inhibitory neurons, and that inhibitory neurons within the richclub are significantly more synchronous than other neurons. At the population level, Granger causality showed that neurons in the rich-club are the dominant drivers of overall population activity and do so in a frequency-specific manner. Moreover, early activity of inhibitory neurons, along with excitatory neurons within the rich-club, synergistically predicts the duration of neuronal cascades. Together, these results reveal an unexpected role of a highly connected core of inhibitory neurons in driving and sustaining activity in local cortical networks.
Variation in urine osmolality throughout pregnancy: a longitudinal, randomized-control trial among women with overweight and obesity

Water needs increase during pregnancy, and proper hydration is critical for maternal and fetal health. This study characterized weekly hydration status changes throughout pregnancy and examined change in response to a randomized, behavioral intervention. An exploratory analysis tested how underhydration during pregnancy was associated with birth outcomes. The Healthy Mom Zone Study is a longitudinal, randomized-control trial intervention aiming to regulate gestational weight gain (GWG) in pregnant women with overweight/obesity (n = 27). Fourteen women received standard of care; 13 women additionally received weekly guidance on nutrition, physical activity, water intake, and health-promoting behaviors. Hydration status was measured weekly via overnight urine osmolality (Uosm) from ~ 8–36 weeks gestation; underhydration was dichotomized (Uosm ≥ 500 mOsm/kg). Gestational age- and sex-standardized birth weight and length z scores and percentiles were calculated. We used mixed-effect and linear regression models to test covariate-adjusted relationships. No differences existed in Uosm or other characteristics between control and intervention women at baseline. Significant interactions (p = 0.01) between intervention and week of pregnancy on Uosm indicated intervention women maintained lower Uosm, whereas control women had a significant quadratic (inverse-U) relationship and greater Uosm in the second and early third trimesters. Results were consistent across robustness and sensitivity checks. Exploratory analyses suggest underhydration was associated with birth weight, but not length, in opposite ways in the second vs. third trimester. A multi-component behavioral intervention helped women with overweight/obesity maintain better hydration throughout pregnancy. Future studies should confirm birth outcome results as they have important implications for early life nutrition. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03945266; registered May 10, 2019 retrospectively.
Quantifying Viral Particle Aerosolization Risk During Tracheostomy Surgery and Tracheostomy Care.

Importance During respiratory disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, aerosol-generating procedures, including tracheostomy, are associated with the risk of viral transmission to health care workers. Objective To quantify particle aerosolization during tracheostomy surgery and tracheostomy care and to evaluate interventions that minimize the risk of viral particle exposure. Design, setting, and participants This comparative effectiveness study was conducted from August 2020 to January 2021 at a tertiary care academic institution. Aerosol generation was measured in real time with an optical particle counter during simulated (manikin) tracheostomy surgical and clinical conditions, including cough, airway nebulization, open suctioning, and electrocautery. Aerosol sampling was also performed during in vivo swine tracheostomy procedures (n = 4), with or without electrocautery. Fluorescent dye was used to visualize cough spread onto the surgical field during swine tracheostomy. Finally, 6 tracheostomy coverings were compared with no tracheostomy covering to quantify reduction in particle aerosolization. Main outcomes and measures Respirable aerosolized particle concentration. Results Cough, airway humidification, open suctioning, and electrocautery produced aerosol particles substantially above baseline. Compared with uncovered tracheostomy, decreased aerosolization was found with the use of tracheostomy coverings, including a cotton mask (73.8% [(95% CI, 63.0%-84.5%]; d = 3.8), polyester gaiter 79.5% [95% CI, 68.7%-90.3%]; d = 7.2), humidification mask (82.8% [95% CI, 72.0%-93.7%]; d = 8.6), heat moisture exchanger (HME) (91.0% [95% CI, 80.2%-101.7%]; d = 19.0), and surgical mask (89.9% [95% CI, 79.3%-100.6%]; d = 12.8). Simultaneous use of a surgical mask and HME decreased the particle concentration compared with either the HME (95% CI, 1.6%-12.3%; Cohen d = 1.2) or surgical mask (95% CI, 2.7%-13.2%; d = 1.9) used independently. Procedures performed with electrocautery increased total aerosolized particles by 1500 particles/m3 per 5-second interval (95% CI, 1380-1610 particles/m3 per 5-second interval; d = 1.8). Conclusions and relevance The findings of this laboratory and animal comparative effectiveness study indicate that tracheostomy surgery and tracheostomy care are associated with significant aerosol generation, putting health care workers at risk for viral transmission of airborne diseases. Combined HME and surgical mask coverage of the tracheostomy was associated with decreased aerosolization, thereby reducing the risk of viral transmission to health care workers.
Houston T. 2018. A Guide to Native Bees of Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Clayton South, Victoria, Australia.

Pp 667 Houston T. 2018. A Guide to Native Bees of Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Clayton South, Victoria, Australia. 280 pp. ISBN 978-1-4863-0406-6, AU$49.99, US$39.99 (paperback; electronic version also available). Chase Billingsley Kimmel Entomology & Nematology Department University of Florida Gainesville, Florida 32611 E-mail: cbkimmel@ufl.edu View this article in BioOne
Lymphoma — Controversies in Imaging the Chest

In the United States each year, approximately three cases of pediatric Hodgkin’s disease and four cases of pediatric non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma occur per 100,000 members of the population (Leventhal and Donaldson 1993). In such cases, diagnostic imaging is an integral part of staging and monitoring disease progression. However, staging and assessing disease activity in the chest is particularly difficult in pediatric patients because of the presence of the thymus, the lack of mediastinal fat, and the small size of anatomic structures. Thymic rebound or regrowth further complicates disease assessment. This chapter addresses staging complications caused by thymic tissue, the distinction between lymphoma-related pulmonary nodules and those related to other processes, and methods of differentiating between recurrent active disease and residual quiescent disease. The strengths and weaknesses of available imaging techniques are incorporated into each section.
Analysis of cloud storage providers for enterprise readiness based on usage patterns and local resources

Internet based storage providers “Cloud Storage” are growing in popularity at an incredible rate. Online file sharing and backup has become so ubiquitous in the consumer marketplace that many systems administrators are beginning to consider it a viable option for corporate and enterprise level file sharing and archival needs. Many file sharing companies claim they can meet the needs requested by modern business however, after an in depth review of available literature we have found that the only third party analysis of performance of these technologies comes in the form of synthetic benchmarks, statistical analysis, or theoretical performance based on a given systems architecture. We propose that a better understanding of performance can be realized via real world metrics obtained by simulating workloads a system may encounter when placed into production. Here we provide the results obtained from actual workloads placed on the services from a variety of settings ranging from high bandwidth - high availability enterprise grade connections from server systems rivaling the power of the storage architecture, to more pedestrian scenarios involving residential grade access and hardware. Based upon analysis of the results we determine the enterprise readiness of each cloud storage solution, and provide unbiased recommendation as to which systems are viable storage solutions for businesses based on their likely usage scenarios and their available resources.
Association of time to kidney transplantation with graft failure among U.S. patients with end-stage renal disease due to lupus nephritis.

Kidney transplantation has long been considered a viable option for most patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and associated lupus nephritis (LN) (1). However, many U.S. providers suggest waiting to transplant patients until SLE is quiescent, as indicated by clinical signs such as low steroid requirement and normal complement levels, and rheumatologists and nephrologists often suggest waiting 3 months (2, 3) to 1 year (4, 5), respectively, after the start of ESRD, to allow for this quiescence. These recommendations—which appear to be based upon weak and contradictory evidence of patterns of immune activity in LN-ESRD patients (5)—are not standard and conflict with evidence from the overall ESRD population, in whom longer duration of ESRD prior to transplant is associated with worse transplantation outcomes (6). If these recommendations to wait are not associated with improved graft outcomes, transplantation in LN-ESRD patients may often be delayed unnecessarily, potentially leading to fewer transplantations or worse outcomes. Further, such consequences may be worse for certain subgroups, such as poor (7–9) and black (9) patients, who generally have worse graft outcomes than their wealthier and white counterparts. A recent single-center study of Taiwanese LN-ESRD patients challenges recommendations for delaying transplantation, with findings suggesting that patients with longer dialysis time prior to transplant had worse graft outcomes (10). To our knowledge, there is no similar evidence addressing whether longer time to transplant is associated with worse kidney transplant outcomes among U.S. LN-ESRD patients. Further, the degree to which these associations may be modified by sociodemographic characteristics is not known. We address these questions using national surveillance data on ESRD patients to estimate the association of time from start of ESRD to kidney transplant with subsequent graft failure in U.S. LN-ESRD patients and to examine whether sociodemographic factors modify these associations.
The yin and yang of claudin-14 function in human diseases.

Claudins are tight junction integral membrane proteins that are key regulators of the paracellular pathway. The paracellular pathways in the inner ear and in the kidney are predominant routes for transepithelial cation transport. Mutations in claudin-14 cause nonsyndromic recessive deafness DFNB29. A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) has identified claudin-14 as a major risk gene of hypercalciuric nephrolithiasis. In vitro analyses show claudin-14 functions as a cation barrier in epithelial cells. The barrier function of claudin-14 is crucial for generating the K+ gradient between perilymph and endolymph in the inner ear. However, neither homozygous individuals with DFNB29 mutations nor claudin-14 knockout mice show any renal dysfunction. In this review, I have discussed several possible mechanisms to integrate the physiological function of claudin-14 in the inner ear and the kidney.
Approaches to characterizing Entamoeba histolytica transcriptional regulation

Entamoeba histolytica causes an estimated 100,000 deaths per year and is one of the leading causes of death among parasitic infections. Studies using E. histolytica-specific polymerase chain reaction identified that 13.8% of adults in a rural Mexican community and 11.2% of adults in central Vietnam are asymptomatically colonized. Such high incidents of asymptomatic infection suggest that only a minority of infections proceed to invasive disease. Understanding the mechanisms that underpin variable disease outcome will be critical in developing therapeutic strategies. In recent years there have been a plethora of gene expression profiling data documenting the transcriptome differences between virulent and non-virulent strains of E. histolytica as well as changes induced by external environmental changes or stimuli. While these studies have successfully identified co-regulated genes and potential virulence factors, there is still little known about the transcriptional mechanisms that induce the changes observed in this non-model organism. In this review, we have looked at how molecular technological advances have shaped our understanding of transcriptional regulation in amoeba and what we may expect from the application of powerful new techniques.
From sugars to biodiesel using microalgae and yeast

The economic production of algal biofuels requires novel strategies, such as microbial consortia and synthetic ecologies, to boost the productivity of open pond systems. These strategies have not been fully explored partly due to the lack of reliable and predictive process models. This study uses genome-based metabolic networks to build a process model of a raceway pond. This process model is used as a discovery tool for novel process strategies. First, an algal monoculture with flue gas sparging is modeled. Then, an oleaginous yeast monoculture is modeled. The yeast monoculture is O2 limited and the presence of algae in the culture would result in better resource utilization. Next, an algal/fungal raceway pond with a feed of cellulosic glucose is explored. Finally, an oleaginous yeast that can consume a glucose/xylose mix, resulting from the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic waste, is modeled. This model predicts biomass and lipids productivities comparable to those reported in the literature. Assuming 50% yield loss due to contamination and invasion, a simple economic analysis shows that an algae/yeast coculture can produce biodiesel at competitive prices, $2.01 per liter for pure glucose and $1.44 per liter for the sugar mix, whereas the algae monoculture can do so only at very short distances from a flue gas source. This modeling framework will enable the use of optimization algorithms in the design of open pond systems in the near future and will allow the exploration of novel strategies in bioprocesses employing microbial communities.
Assessing the integrity and remaining service life of vintage high voltage ceramic insulators

Electric utilities are currently using millions of ceramic cap and pin type insulators that are either approaching or are beyond their intended service life. While the performance of these insulators has traditionally been very good, the number of observed problems has risen as the number of insulators in service for more than 30 to 50 years has increased significantly. Therefore, utilities are interested in identifying suitable 'stand-off' inspection methods and tools to assess the electrical and mechanical integrity and performance of ceramic insulators in an attempt to maintain the reliability of their power lines. Inspection, testing, and assessment methods are presented to allow utilities to assess the integrity of ceramic insulators on transmission lines in their delivery system. Methods were developed based on test data of 'aged' ceramic insulators, 'new' insulators not previously used in service, and experiences from a number of field inspections on actual transmission lines. Results indicate that the use of visual, infrared, and corona imaging of ceramic insulators in field conditions is likely to consistently identify 'problem' cap and pin type ceramic insulators making these technologies viable tools for the stand off inspection of these components.
Comparison of DC fault current limiting capability of various modular structured multilevel converters within a multi-terminal DC grid

With the development of Modular structured Voltage Source Converters (VSC), Multi-Terminal DC (MTDC) transmission systems have now become a feasible solution to transmit power at high voltage which greatly improves the electric power transmission system. The MTDC grid has lower capital costs and lower losses than an equivalent AC transmission system. Thus for long distance power transmission MTDC grid becomes a very attractive solution. Since the MTDC network is now built based on VSCs, it automatically offers better quality of transmitted power along with more flexibility in power transmission over the conventional current source converters. However, VSC based MTDC transmission systems are vulnerable to DC side fault and expensive DC circuit breakers are required to protect them against DC fault. This paper compares the DC short circuit fault response of different modular multi-level converters (MMC) inside a MTDC system. For the comparison purpose two different kind of MMC topologies have been considered namely, Modular Multi-level Converter (MMC) with High Frequency DC/DC Isolation Stage and MMC with full bridge sub modules. The paper analyzes the fault current limiting capabilities of each of the converters. PSCAD simulation is also done to prove the relevance of the analysis.
Developing CAD/CAM Techniques for Machining Unexpanded Honeycomb Core

Composites parts manufacture is an increasingly important part of aerospace production. A wide range of techniques are in practice for fabricating composite structures. Structural fillers are commonly used, one of these being honeycomb core. In addition to providing the structural strength and stiffness, they also contribute to reducing weight and can impart other desirable properties such noise and vibration damping, and the ability to absorb impacts from equipment failure. When the shape of the core needs to be accurately controlled, it is fixtured in its expanded form and machined using 5-axis routers with specialized cutters. For large parts such as wing edges or helicopter rotor blades, this requires machines with larger tables to accommodate the size of the work piece. There are definite capital equipment savings, operation and maintenance savings, floor space reductions and possibly machining time reductions to be achieved by machining core in its unexpanded form, when it occupies a fraction of the expanded length. This is difficult to do for all but the simplest surfaces because of challenges predicting and controlling excess material and gouging of the part. The paper motivates the development of CAD/CAM techniques for this domain by introducing approaches for modeling the collapsed core of a part from its expanded form. It further investigates the machining errors that can occur from tool paths generated by common CAM systems using NC verification technology.© 2014 ASME
Computers in personality assessment: A brief past, an ebullient present, and an expanding future

Abstract For the past 25 years computers have been playing an ever-expanding role in personality assessment. Computers are now involved in both the collection and interpretation of personality test data. With computer technologies becoming more and more accessible it is likely that they will have an even greater effect on future developments in personality appraisal. This review outlines the brief past of computerized personality assessment, presents and discusses empirical findings and theoretical arguments concerning its active present, and attempts to foresee future developments in this field.
LP decoding achieves capacity

We give a linear programming (LP) decoder that achieves the capacity (optimal rate) of a wide range of probabilistic binary communication channels. This is the first such result for LP decoding. More generally, as far as the authors are aware this is the first known polynomial-time capacity-achieving decoder with the maximum-likelihood (ML) certificate property---where output codewords come with a proof of optimality. Additionally, this result extends the capacity-achieving property of expander codes beyond the binary symmetric channel to a larger family of communication channels.Perhaps most importantly, since LP decoding performs well in practice on turbo codes and low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes (comparable to the popular "belief propagation" algorithm), this result exhibits the power of a new, widely applicable "dual witness" technique (Feldman, Malkin, Servedio, Stein and Wainwright, ISIT '04) for bounding decoder performance.For expander codes over an adversarial channel, we prove that LP decoding corrects a constant fraction of errors. To show this, we provide a new combinatorial characterization of error events that is of independent interest, and which we expect will lead to further improvements.
Reconstructive airway operation after irradiation

After a patient died of anastomotic necrosis following a tracheal resection for the management of recurrent thyroid cancer invading the trachea, which had been treated 6 years previously by thyroid lobectomy and 4,800 cGy of radiation to control known residual disease, we explored methods to promote the healing of tissues damaged by irradiation. Between 1979 and 1992, 22 patients underwent major airway resection and reconstruction after receiving large doses of radiation. The average dose was 4,979 +/- 1,113 cGy (range, 3,150 to 6,840 cGy); the number of fractions, 20 to 38; and the average dose per fraction, 180 cGy (range, 150 to 200 cGy). The interval between irradiation and surgical treatment was 42 +/- 105 months (range, 1 to 480 months). Seven cervical, eight midtracheal, and five carinal resections were performed, as well as two mainstem sleeve resections. Omentum was used to protect the anastomosis in 15 patients (68%), a pericardial fat pad was used in 2, and pleura was used in 2. In 3 patients, sternohyoid muscle was placed between the anastomosis and a major vascular structure, but without a tissue wrap. Two patients (9.0%) died postoperatively. Anastomotic dehiscence was the cause of death in a patient treated for lymphoma, and adult respiratory distress syndrome was the cause in the other patient; this patient had undergone carinal pneumonectomy. Complications developed in 8 patients (36%). Two cervical dehiscences were treated by T-tube placement, 2 patients suffered wound infection, and 1 patient each suffered a myocardial infarction, dysphagia, hemoptysis, and bronchitis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Discussion of “Estimating Fundamental Frequencies of Tall Buildings” by Clive L. Dym and Harry E. Williams

This technical note examines the discrepancy between the empirical estimates of the fundamental frequency of tall buildings that vary inversely with their height with those predicted by various perfectly “clamped” cantilever beam models. Two beam models are used by the authors in their study: 1 a coupled two-beam CTB model that couples the bending of a classical cantilever to that of a shear beam by imposing a displacement constraint; and 2 a Timoshenko beam TB in which the Euler-Bernoulli beam EBB model is extended by adding a shear-displacement term to the classical bending deflection. Finally, the authors conclude: “The CTB model seems the better—if not the ‘best’—model for estimating the frequencies of shear-wall-frame buildings because it provides predictions that are consistent with the observed data. Further, the kinematic behavior assumed in the model also seems to fit the physics—for example, compare tube-and-core construction with the parallel nature of the two beam model in which transverse displacements due to bending and to shear are identical. The TB model, on the other hand, cannot exhibit the correct behavior, and the classical elementary EBB results also do not display the correct dependence of frequency on beam-buildingheight.” The authors are congratulated for their effort in studying the fundamental frequency of tall buildings. However, it is unfortunate that the authors do not emphasize the limitations of twodimensional 2D beam models on the prediction of natural frequencies of real buildings. In addition, they use very simplistic 2D beam models that neglect the effects of: 1 the foundation compliances i.e., translational and rotational deformations at the base of the building assuming that the base of the building is perfectly fixed and clamped; 2 the rotatory inertia along the height of the building assuming that its distributed mass is concentrated along its centroidal axis ; 3 the gravity load or any axial load i.e., second-order effects ; and 4 the inertias translational and rotational of the foundation on the dynamic behavior. The main objective of this discussion is to show that the cantilever Timoshenko shear beam-column that includes the four effects listed above is the “best” model showing that its natural frequencies vary inversely with its height. This argument can be easily proved using the solution of the Timoshenko shear beamcolumn Fig. 1 developed by the discusser Aristizabal-Ochoa 2007a in Eqs. 1 and 2 and reproduced below for easy reference:
Intelligence by design for the Entropic Grid

The Smart Grid vision has been sparked by the need for a more reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy network. However, new technologies and new policies intended to realize this vision may increase significantly the complexity of the power network. In particular, with greater consumer and supplier choice, and with the introduction of renewable energy resources that are often unpredictable, the range of possible system behaviors — that is, its entropy — may increase dramatically. With proper design, this entropy can be reduced, and the term ‘Smart Grid’ will be justified. A theoretical scaffolding able to deal with uncertainty and dynamics must complement the successful power and energy systems methodologies that are used today. It is necessary to have tools to understand and control complex dynamic systems subject to uncertainty, variability, and shared constraints. These tools are needed to create and evaluate new policies. We must also revisit our ways of measuring success — what do we mean by reliability in a system with increased user participation, and increased load shedding? Methodology from decision & control, and simulation & learning are promising sources of techniques and results to handle uncertainty and dynamics in complex systems, taking into account the cost and reliability constraints faced in energy networks. Several techniques from these fields are surveyed in the paper.