cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Large-Scale Kernel-Based Feature Extraction via Low-Rank Subspace Tracking on a Budget

Kernel-based methods enjoy powerful generalization capabilities in learning a variety of pattern recognition tasks. When such methods are provided with sufficient training data, broadly applicable classes of nonlinear functions can be approximated with desired accuracy. Nevertheless, inherent to the nonparametric nature of kernel-based estimators are computational and memory requirements that become prohibitive with large-scale datasets. In response to this formidable challenge, this paper puts forward a low-rank, kernel-based, feature extraction approach that is particularly tailored for online operation. A novel generative model is introduced to approximate high-dimensional (possibly infinite) features via a low-rank nonlinear subspace, the learning of which lends itself to a kernel function approximation. Offline and online solvers are developed for the subspace learning task, along with affordable versions, in which the number of stored data vectors is confined to a predefined budget. Analytical results provide performance bounds on how well the kernel matrix as well as kernel-based classification and regression tasks can be approximated by leveraging budgeted online subspace learning and feature extraction schemes. Tests on synthetic and real datasets demonstrate and benchmark the efficiency of the proposed method for dynamic nonlinear subspace tracking as well as online classification and regressions tasks.
Teaching and Researching Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage represents more than a modern-day capital resource—it is our legacy from the past and our legacy for future generations. Cultural heritage leaves a natural imprint on our lives, our cities, and our nations. The World Heritage Committee (WHC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), tasked with the implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC), allocating the World Heritage Fund, soon will have identified 1,000 cultural and natural sites of outstanding universal value in 151 nations. The political, administrative, and financial expansion has created the need for greater interdisciplinary competence of experts in cultural heritage to deal with all the issues that arise. In a globalized world with an expanding global audience there is an urgent need of new educational programs and concepts for training these experts in an expanding range of fields in which archaeology has become more important. This chapter outlines how teaching in archaeological methods and theories as well as their implementation into a more research-driven curriculum of cultural heritage studies can contribute to the future of heritage in a globalized world.
Toluene Abuse and White Matter: A Model of Toxic Leukoencephalopathy

The brain is the primary target of toluene (methylbenzene), the major solvent in spray paint and a constituent of many other easily obtained commercial and industrial products. The effects of acute intoxication can be dramatic and the lasting adverse effects of inhalants may be highly injurious. Mental status alterations range from acute confusional state to coma. Toluene abuse effects on white matter are demonstrable neuroradiologically and neuropathologically, and have important neurobehavioral consequences.
Liquid-Vapor Coexistence in Two-Dimensional 3He-4He Mixtures

We present results from an ongoing study of the Liquid (L)-Vapor (V) coexistence boundary for single layer mixtures of3He and 4He adsorbed on two layers of H2plating graphite. We are studying mixtures with3He molar fractions, x, of approximately 0.05, 0.1, 0.35, and 0.5, which we compare with previously published data for the pure isotopes. For the concentrations under study, we have approximate determinations of the L- V critical temperatures and of the low temperature density of the condensed phase.
Differences between a Young and Older Computer Users’ Recognition Rate of Tactons

Effective tacton parameters of stimuli have been identified for a young population of computer users. However, studies have shown that the detection of vibrations degrades as a natural part of the aging process. This work used stimulus parameters similar to those which have been shown to be effective in a young population, and conducted a comparison study between 40 test subjects composed of a young population of computer users between 18 and 25 years old and an older population of computer users between 55 and 75 years old. The study compared both groups’ recognition rates of modulated sinusoidal waveforms and found that the older group had a significant decrease in recognition rates of modulated sinusoidal waveforms.
Self-Consistent Cluster-Lattice Simulation of Impurities in Ionic Crystals

When simulating defects in ionic crystals by a finite cluster model, one always has a problem of taking account of the influence of the lattice beyond the cluster. Some cluster models consider only the defect and the nearest-neighbor ions. Some calculations approximate the lattice potential by a certain number of point charges and effective core potentials. Several approximations to the lattice potential in the region of the cluster were compared to the exact Madelung potential in the recent work of Winter et al.1 That study emphasized the influence of the surrounding lattice ions on the energy level splitting and geometry of the nearest-neighbor cluster. It was found that the error in the calculated nearest-neighbor distance for the pure host is proportional to the error in the lattice potential. Unlike the finite cluster model, ICECAP (Ionic Crystal with Electronic Cluster; Automatic Program)2,3 incorporates the polarization and the distortion of the surrounding infinite lattice with the electronic structure of the cluster self-consistently. ICECAP has been used to study the impurity Cu+ and Ag+ ions in alkali halides. The ground state energy, excited state energies and crystal field splitting were calculated. The interatomic potentials for impurities Cu+ and Ag+ in alkali fluorides and alkali chlorides were determined and used to study the transport properties.4,5
Acute localized exanthematous pustulosis (ALEP) caused by lamotrigine.

A case of facial acute localized exanthematous pustulosis (ALEP) secondary to lamotrigine is presented. Upon rechallenge with the culprit medication, the patient had acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP). This case highlights lamotrigine as a novel causative agent for this type of drug rash, and the unique progression from ALEP to AGEP upon rechallenge.
Correction to: Work-Related Stressors Among Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Home Visitors: A Qualitative Study

The article “Work-Related Stressors Among Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Home Visitors: A Qualitative Study”, written by Paige J. Alitz, Shana Geary, Pamela C. Birriel, Takudzwa Sayi, Rema Ramakrishnan, Omotola Balogun, Alison Salloum and Jennifer T. Marshall, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 31 May 2018 without open access. With the author(s)’ decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed on 25 July 2018 to © The Author(s) 2018 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.
Cannabis for the Treatment of Epilepsy: an Update

For millennia, there has been interest in the use of cannabis for the treatment of epilepsy. However, it is only recently that appropriately powered controlled studies have been completed. In this review, we present an update on the research investigating the use of cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component of cannabis, in the treatment of epilepsy. While the anticonvulsant mechanism of action of CBD has not been entirely elucidated, we discuss the most recent data available including its low affinity for the endocannabinoid receptors and possible indirect modulation of these receptors via blocking the breakdown of anandamide. Additional targets include activation of the transient receptor potential of vanilloid type-1 (TRPV1), antagonist action at GPR55, targeting of abnormal sodium channels, blocking of T-type calcium channels, modulation of adenosine receptors, modulation of voltage-dependent anion selective channel protein (VDAC1), and modulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha release. We also discuss the most recent studies on various artisanal CBD products conducted in patients with epilepsy in the USA and internationally. While a high percentage of patients in these studies reported improvement in seizures, these studies were either retrospective or conducted via survey. Dosage/preparation of CBD was either unknown or not controlled in the majority of these studies. Finally, we present data from both open-label expanded access programs (EAPs) and randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) of a highly purified oral preparation of CBD, which was recently approved by the FDA in the treatment of epilepsy. In the EAPs, there was a significant improvement in seizure frequency seen in a large number of patients with various types of treatment-refractory epilepsy. The RCTs have shown significant seizure reduction compared to placebo in patients with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Finally, we describe the available data on adverse effects and drug-drug interactions with highly purified CBD. While this product is overall well tolerated, the most common side effects are diarrhea and sedation, with sedation being much more common in patients taking concomitant clobazam. There was also an increased incidence of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase elevations while taking CBD, with many of the patients with these abnormalities also taking concomitant valproate. CBD has a clear interaction with clobazam, significantly increasing the levels of its active metabolite N-desmethylclobazam in several studies; this is felt to be due to CBD’s inhibition of CYP2C19. EAP data demonstrate other possible interactions with rufinamide, zonisamide, topiramate, and eslicarbazepine. Additionally, there is one case report demonstrating need for warfarin dose adjustment with concomitant CBD. Understanding of CBD’s efficacy and safety in the treatment of TRE has expanded significantly in the last few years. Future controlled studies of various ratios of CBD and THC are needed as there could be further therapeutic potential of these compounds for patients with epilepsy.
“An Imagined Border of Safety, Humanitarian Relief, and Creativity”: J.M. Design Studio’s Other Border Wall Project

In April 2017, J.M. Design Studio—three Pittsburgh-based artists and designers—responded to the Customs and Border Protection's public request for proposals for a wall along the US-Mexico border. J.M. Design Studio then announced their own call for more border "wall" proposals from other artists. The following commentary details these prototype concepts and tracks the executive policies and rhetoric that established a foundation for the border wall. This commentary also shows how J.M. Design Studio’s prototype submission and the subsequent artistic platform they initiated both model how creative connection and the co-option of established public channels are themselves acts of political resistance in an era of disrupted democratic participation and ossified partisanship.
Immune-related adverse events are associated with improved outcomes in ICI-treated renal cell carcinoma patients.

645Background: With the approval of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) as first and second line agents for treating metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), immune-related adverse events (irAE) are a...
Mortality Outcomes With Intensive Blood Pressure Targets in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

Hypertension is highly prevalent and morbid in the chronic kidney disease population, and blood pressure (BP) targets for this population are unclear. We aimed to compare all-cause mortality outcom...
LGBTQ youth in foster care: litigated reform of New Jersey’s child welfare system

Institutional heteronormativity is endemic across the U.S. state foster care system. The study purpose was to explore New Jersey’s child welfare agency in the context of policy changes during litig...
A Baseband Feedback Approach to Linearization of a UHF Power Amplifier

This work presents a power amplifier (PA) linearization approach based on baseband feedback. The modulated signal envelope is fed back from the transistor’s drain to its gate with an applied amplitude and phase shift selected to reduce the intermodulation distortion (IMD3) product at the output. The design targets IMD3 improvement near the PA’s 1-dB compression point (P1dB), enabling linear operation at a higher output power level and therefore improved device periphery utilization and efficiency. This approach offers a potential linearization alternative to digital pre-distortion, which cannot be applied in some systems, without affecting the RF performance. The 850-MHz proof-of-concept prototype based on a 15-W GaN device is characterized with a two-tone measurement with 5-MHz spacing, and demonstrates 9-dB improvement of the lower IMD3 tone near the P1dB point.
Impact of survival on health care charges during melanoma treatment.

e20043 Background: Treatment charges increase during the last year of life in patients with melanoma, but it remains unknown if charges differ between patients who die during treatment and survivor...
Paradigm lost: from two-state solution to one-state reality: by Ian Lustick, Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019, x+194pp., $27.50, ISBN 9780812251951

The word ‘paradigm’ emerged from obscurity to become a central organizing device in social analysis about the same time as the Six Day War of 1967. (Via the extremely influential book of Thomas S. ...
Things that go bump in the night: From J/ψϕ to other mass spectrum

This article summarizes a brief development of exotic mesons with vector–vector (VV) final states starting from the J/ψϕ mass spectrum, as well as extensions to other final states for strong-interaction physics and physics beyond standard model. These VV final states are very suitable to be studied at the CEPC through associate production and two-photon production, as well as a visionary low energy photon collider.
Compensating Victims of Police Violence

Victims of police violence suffer physical trauma and their families suffer mental trauma “born from the violation of a certain social trust.” Their losses are also financial, including medical expenses and mental health treatment, as well as lost income. While scholars and citizens have advocated for accountability and justice, this is the first essay to advocate for the simple act of victims’ compensation for victims of police violence. To be considered for compensation, victims must first prove that they cooperated with law enforcement and were “innocent” of wrongdoing. Yet, victims of police violence are inordinately and openly blamed for their own injuries in police reports. In incidents of police violence, officers may be incentivized to evade accountability by reporting that the victim was contributorily at fault. If neither police nor prosecutors identify the people harmed as victims, then these injured people will not qualify for Victim Compensation Funds to pay for mental health treatment or medical care. This Essay explains Victim Compensation Funds, which are available in every state and U.S. territory, and why police violence victims rarely qualify for compensation. The Essay calls upon state legislators and district attorneys to make these victims eligible for consideration of funds, namely by eliminating the requirement of cooperation with law enforcement for victims of police violence, and re-examining the “innocence” requirement.
The Initial Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on ICU Family Engagement: Lessons Learned From a Collaborative of 27 ICUs

Objectives To describe the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on family engagement among ICUs participating in a multicenter collaborative promoting implementation of family-centered care projects and to report sites' experiences with the collaborative itself prior to its cancelation due to the pandemic in March 2020. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Twenty-seven academic and community ICUs in the United States and South Korea. Subjects Site leaders. Interventions Prior to March 2020, all sites had participated in 6 months of webinars, monthly calls, and listserv communication to facilitate projects and to collect preimplementation family satisfaction and clinician perception data. Measurements and main results Planned projects included ICU orientation initiatives (12, 44.4%), structured family care conferences (6, 22.2%), and ICU diaries (5, 18.5%). After cancelation of the collaborative, 22 site leaders (81.5%) were surveyed by phone from June 2020 to July 2020. Twenty (90.1%) reported having stopped their site project; projects that continued were 1) a standardized palliative extubation protocol and 2) daily written clinical summaries for families. Sites described significant variability in visitor restriction policies and uncertainty regarding future policy changes. Four sites (18.2%) reported that their hospital did not provide personal protective equipment to visitors. Regarding video conferencing with families, 11 sites (52.4%) reported clinicians' using their own personal devices. Two-hundred twelve family surveys and 346 clinician surveys collected prior to cancelation highlighted a broad need for family support. When leaders were asked on a scale from 0 to 10 how helpful collaborative activities had been prior to cancelation, mean response was 8.0 (sd 2.5). Conclusions While the collaborative model can help promote ICU family engagement initiatives, coronavirus disease 2019 has impeded implementation of these initiatives even among motivated units. ICUs need adequate personal protective equipment for visitors and video conferencing capabilities on hospital devices while strict visitor restrictions continue to evolve.
Learning Feature Interactions With and Without Specifications.

Features in product lines and highly configurable systems can interact in ways that are contrary to developers' intent. Current methods to identify such unanticipated feature interactions are costly and inadequate. To address this problem we propose a new approach to learn feature interactions, both in those product lines where constraints on feature combinations are specified and in feature-rich configurable systems where such specifications often are not available. The contribution of the paper is to use program analysis to extract feature-relevant learning models from the source code in order to detect unwanted feature interactions. Where specifications of feature constraints are unavailable, our approach infers the constraints using feature-related data-flow dependency information. Evaluation in experiments on three software product line benchmarks and a highly configurable system shows that this approach is fast and effective. The contribution is to support developers by automatically detecting feature combinations in a new product or version that can interact in unwanted or unrecognized ways. This enables better understanding of latent interactions and identifies software components that should be tested together because their features interact in some configurations.
Deep Diffusion Models for Robust Channel Estimation.

Channel estimation is a critical task in digital communications that greatly impacts end-to-end system performance. In this work, we introduce a novel approach for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel estimation using deep diffusion models. Our method uses a deep neural network that is trained to estimate the gradient of the log-likelihood of wireless channels at any point in high-dimensional space, and leverages this model to solve channel estimation via posterior sampling. We train a deep diffusion model on channel realizations from the CDL-D model for two antenna spacings and show that the approach leads to competitive in- and out-of-distribution performance when compared to generative adversarial network (GAN) and compressed sensing (CS) methods. When tested on CDL-C channels which are never seen during training or fine-tuned on, our approach leads to end-to-end coded performance gains of up to $3$ dB compared to CS methods and losses of only $0.5$ dB compared to ideal channel knowledge. To encourage open and reproducible research, our source code is available at this https URL .
Molecular Aspects of the Interaction between Estrogen and the Membrane Excitability of Hypothalamic Nerve Cells

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the action of estrogen at the level of the nerve cell, utilizing the electrophysiological approach. Estrogen affects the electrical excitability of nerve cells that varies considerably in time of onset, ranging from a few milliseconds to several hours. Presumably, these time differences reflect the various ways in which estrogen can influence cell physiology, for example, from a direct action on the surface of the cell membrane resulting in an immediate change in the spontaneous firing rate to an alteration of the expression of the genome. The genomic action of estrogen on the nerve cell can be characterized by a slow onset of the estrogenic effect, which may take minutes, hours, or days following the penetration of the steroid into the cell; a duration of action, which may last for many hours; and sometimes even persistence of estrogenic action long after estrogen has disappeared. The nerve cell membrane poses no barrier to lipid-soluble estrogen. Thus, estrogen can initiate a membrane-mediated process that is associated with changes in ion permeability and subsequently interact with a specific cytoplasmic receptor for translocation into the cell nucleus. The latter is a critical step in hormone action while the physiological significance of the former remains to be defined.
Neuromodulation and Hypertension

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the neuromodulation of hypertension. Hypertension is a disease state where the systolic blood pressure is consistently above 140 mmHg and/or the diastolic blood pressure is consistently above 90 mmHg. Autonomic control of blood pressure is mediated by both parasympathetic and sympathetic efferent fibers. End organ effects for both systems may vary depending on the caliber and location of blood vessel and nerve fiber, and therefore it is best to define these fibers by the neurotransmitters present at their nerve termini. The sympathetic control of blood pressure is mediated by changes in resistance and compliance to the peripheral vascular bed. Axons from the vasomotor center descend via the intermediolateral column as the bulbospinal tract to the preganglionic sympathetic cell bodies, which then carry the sympathetic outflow to the peripheral vessels. Neuromodulation of blood pressure in humans is thought to be due to the baroreflex, which adjusts systemic pressure based upon feedback from the stretch receptors in the aortic arch and carotid sinus. Development of a device-based treatment for hypertension has focused mostly on electrostimulators implanted adjacent to the carotid sinus. A device called the Rheos system, now commercially available in Europe, has been developed, which consists of bilateral carotid electrodes that are affixed to the adventitial layer of the carotid bifurcation surgically, and then connected to a battery-powered impulse generator which is tunneled to a pocket in the chest wall. The first attempt at implantation of this device for hypertensive treatment was the BRASS trial that involved 11 patients in Sweden.
Morphological and physiological correlates of evolutionary reduction of metabolic rate among amblyopsid cave fishes

I report on multiple correlates of reduction in metabolic rate during evolutionary adaptation to caves in the fish family Amblyopsidae. The family includes six species with one surface-dweller, Chologaster cornuta, a facultative cave dweller, Chologaster agassizi, and four obligate cave-dwellers that, on the basis of eye degeneration, have been isolated in caves for increasing times: Typhlichthys subterraneus brain metabolic rate > gill surface area. Relative amplitude declined and the estimated ventilation minute-volume decreased 5.9 fold from a value of 1.12 to 0.19 ml. Log brain rate of oxygen consumption was directly related to log body mass, b = +0.75, and decreased from 1.5 to 0.06 μl per mg dry mass per hour among species. No single gill trait accounted for the reduction in total lamellar surface area from 228 to 103 mm2 g-1. There was no reduction in muscle metabolic rate or histological indices of thyroid activity. Log muscle rate of oxygen consumption was inversely related to log body mass, b = -0.60, but did not differ among species. The mean total thyroid follicle volume among species, from 0.010 to 0.020 mm3 g-1 of adult fishes, showed no relation to interspecific differences in whole fish metabolic rate. In the general discussion I show that no trait that could contribute to a lowered metabolic rate is in the same rank order as metabolic rate, though collectively the reductions were in the same order as metabolic rates. I explain that this is as expected with convergent evolution of complex traits. Finally I discuss the literature about central nervous system control of metabolic rate.
Skewness preference and measurement of abnormal returns: A comparative evaluation of current vs. proposed event study paradigm

This study investigates the implications of recognizing skewness preference in the computation of abnormal returns. Replicating the Fama, Fisher, Jensen and Roll study on stock split on a recent data set with a few distinct event study techniques, this study finds that recognition of skewness preference as defined by Kraus and Litzenberger (1976) in the computation of the abnormal returns significantly changes the results in comparison to the results that have been obtained without recognizing skewness.
Saltwater intrusion in coastal regions of North America

Saltwater has intruded into many of the coastal aquifers of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, but the extent of saltwater intrusion varies widely among localities and hydrogeologic settings. In many instances, the area contaminated by saltwater is limited to small parts of an aquifer and to specific wells and has had little or no effect on overall groundwater supplies; in other instances, saltwater contamination is of regional extent and has resulted in the closure of many groundwater supply wells. The variability of hydrogeologic settings, three-dimensional distribution of saline water, and history of groundwater withdrawals and freshwater drainage has resulted in a variety of modes of saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers. These include lateral intrusion from the ocean; upward intrusion from deeper, more saline zones of a groundwater system; and downward intrusion from coastal waters. Saltwater contamination also has occurred along open boreholes and within abandoned, improperly constructed, or corroded wells that provide pathways for vertical migration across interconnected aquifers. Communities within the coastal regions of North America are taking actions to manage and prevent saltwater intrusion to ensure a sustainable source of groundwater for the future. These actions can be grouped broadly into scientific monitoring and assessment, engineering techniques, and regulatory approaches.
Maternal glucocorticoid deficit affects hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function and behavior of rat offspring

Detrimental consequences of prenatal stress include increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function, anxiety and depression-like behavior in adult offspring. To identify the role of maternal corticosterone milieu in the fetal programming of adult function, we measured these same behavioral and hormonal endpoints after maternal adrenalectomy (ADX) and replacement with normal or moderately high levels of corticosterone (CORT). Adult male and female offspring exhibited differing HPA responses to maternal ADX. In female offspring of ADX mothers, exaggerated plasma ACTH stress responses were reversed by the higher, but not the lower, dose of maternal CORT. In contrast, male offspring of both ADX and ADX dams with higher CORT replacement showed exaggerated ACTH stress responses. Hypothalamic glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression was decreased in these latter groups, while hippocampal GR increased only in the ADX offspring. Activity of young offspring of ADX dams replaced with the higher dose of CORT decreased in the open field test of exploration/anxiety, while immobility behavior of adult offspring in the forced swim test of depression increased following maternal ADX or higher levels of CORT replacement. Interestingly, for some measures, none or moderately high CORT replacement resulted in similar deficits in this study. These findings are in accord with consequences of prenatal stress or prenatal dexamethasone exposure, suggesting that a common mechanism may underlie the effects of too low or too high maternal glucocorticoids on adult HPA function and behavior.
Follow-up of valves in saphenous vein bypass grafts with duplex ultrasonography

Abstract Purpose: The objectives of this study were to describe the venous valves and determine their fate over time in reversed saphenous vein (RSV) and in situ saphenous vein (ISV) bypass grafts with duplex ultrasonography. Methods: Sixty-four patients contributed 50 RSV and 19 ISV infrainguinal vein grafts. Forty-two of the RSVs and 17 of the ISVs had valves or valve remnants. The grafts and valves were studied serially with duplex ultrasonography to document the location, characteristics, and changes with time. The valve leaflets visualized by means of ultrasonic duplex scanning were described as moving, frozen, remnant of a cusp, or "functioning." In addition, the presence of a valve sinus and thickening of the wall at the site were documented. Grafts were studied at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months and then annually. Results: In 42 RSV grafts (84%) and 17 ISV grafts (89.5%), 200 valves were identified. Only five of the 200 valves (2.5%) required intervention because of a velocity ratio (VR) of 3.5 or greater. Eight (42.1%) of the 19 ISV grafts needed 15 revisions, and 18 (36%) of the 50 RSV grafts required 30 revisions. The five revisions for a stenotic valve occurred only in RSV grafts. From the 30 revisions in the RSV grafts, only 16.7% (5 of 30) were for a valve-related stenosis. The average follow-up period for a valve from the time of detection was 16.1 ± 9.6 months. Ten of the 17 (58.8%) valve-associated stenoses (VR > 2.5) showed a regression to a VR less than 2.0 within a mean time of 3.1 months (range, 1.5-4.5 months). A progression of the valve-associated lesion from a VR less than 2.0 to a VR higher than 3.5 occurred in only one case within a period of 3.5 months. Conclusion: The described features of valves in saphenous vein grafts are common and can be identified by means of duplex sonography. Only 16.7% of the revisions in RSV grafts were performed because of a valve-related stenosis, and none of the revisions in ISV grafts were performed because of a valve lesion. Lesions associated with a valve may regress in time. No specific valve features could be identified as "high" risk for graft failure. (J Vasc Surg 2001;33:369-74.)
Proxy identification: a time-dependent analysis.

Objectives: To describe the availability of next-of-kin (NOK) for proxy consent over the 24-hour time period following presentation of major trauma patients to a Level I trauma center. Methods: The study was conducted by using a prospective, observational study design. Consecutive patients meeting predefined major trauma criteria during a three-month study period were enrolled and followed until NOK were contacted, or up to 24 hours. Survival analysis was used to determine the probability of NOK contact during the 24-hour follow-up period. Results: Three hundred fifty (92%) of 382 subjects had NOK contacted during the follow-up period. The probabilities (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of NOK contact at the time of arrival (t= 0) and 2, 4, 6, and 24 hours postpresentation were 0.25 (95% CI = 0.21 to 0.30), 0.68 (95% CI = 0.63 to 0.72), 0.77 (95% CI = 0.73 to 0.82), 0.80 (95% CI = 0.76 to 0.84), and 0.87 (95% CI = 0.84 to 0.90), respectively. The median time to contact was 40 minutes (95% CI = 27 to 54 min). Conclusions: One third of the trauma patients in this study did not have NOK available two hours following arrival in the emergency department. For time-critical research protocols, the time to NOK contact can significantly impact the ability to ensure prompt enrollment and treatment in clinical trials. Further studies are needed to assess the generalizability and consistency of these data.
The Impact of Advertising on Media Bias

Abstract In this study, the authors investigate the role of advertising in affecting the extent of bias in the media. When making advertising choices, advertisers evaluate both the size and the composition of the readership of the different outlets. The profile of the readers matters because advertisers want to target readers who are likely to be receptive to their advertising messages. The authors demonstrate that when advertising supplements subscription fees, it may serve as a polarizing or moderating force, contingent on the extent of heterogeneity among advertisers in appealing to readers having different political preferences. When heterogeneity is large, each advertiser chooses a single outlet for placing advertisements (single-homing), and greater polarization arises in comparison to when the media outlet relies on subscription fees only for revenues. In contrast, when heterogeneity is small, each advertiser chooses to place advertisements in multiple outlets (multihoming) and reduces polarization...
Photonic Metamaterials: From Linear to Nonlinear Optics

Recent progress in optical negative-index materials is reviewed. Matched impedance and compensated losses due to optimized design and gain material can lead to 100% transmission. The extraordinary nonlinear optical properties of NIMs are also discussed.
Ion channels in the immune system as targets for immunosuppression

The discovery of a diverse and unique subset of ion channels in T lymphocytes has led to a rapidly growing body of knowledge about their functional roles in the immune system. Potent and specific blockers have provided molecular tools to probe channel structure-function relations and to elucidate the involvement of K+, Ca2+, and Cl- channels in T-cell activation and cell volume regulation. Recent advances in analyzing Kv1.3 channel structure-function relationships have defined binding sites for channel blockers, which have now been shown to be effective in suppressing T-cell function in vivo. Ion channels may provide excellent pharmaceutical targets for modulating immune system function.
Location management support for mobile commerce applications

Mobile commerce applications may include mobile financial services, user and location specific mobile advertising, mobile inventory management, wireless business re-engineering, and mobile interactive games. Mobile commerce applications may present many interesting wireless infrastructure requirements. One such requirement is location management. In this paper, we discuss the location management requirements of different m-commerce applications, present a new methodology to model m-commerce requirements using a generic m-commerce application, and introduce a technique to evaluate the location management overhead of various m-commerce applications.
Imaging Fall Chinook Salmon Redds in the Columbia River with a Dual-Frequency Identification Sonar

Abstract We tested the efficacy of a dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) for imaging and enumeration of fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha redds in a spawning area below Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. The DIDSON uses sound to form near-video-quality images and has the advantages of imaging in zero-visibility water and possessing a greater detection range and field of view than underwater video cameras. We suspected that the large size and distinct morphology of a fall Chinook salmon redd would facilitate acoustic imaging if the DIDSON was towed near the river bottom so as to cast an acoustic shadow from the tailspill over the redd pocket. We tested this idea by observing 22 different redds with an underwater video camera, spatially referencing their locations, and then navigating to them while imaging them with the DIDSON. All 22 redds were successfully imaged with the DIDSON. We subsequently conducted redd searches along transects to compare the number of redds imaged by the DID...
Patient and Surgeon Characteristics Associated with Increased Use of Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy in Patients with Breast Cancer

Patients with unilateral breast cancer have an increased risk of developing contralateral breast cancer. A recent population-based study demonstrated that the proportion of patients with unilateral breast cancer in the United States who underwent contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) has increased by 150% in recent years. The current study evaluated patients who underwent breast cancer surgery in a metropolitan-based hospital system to determine factors associated with CPM. We reviewed the records of all patients who underwent surgical treatment for breast cancer in 2006 and 2007 in a single health care system, which included six different hospitals. Exclusion criteria included preoperative diagnosis of bilateral disease, stage IV disease, and a history of previous breast cancer. We recorded patient, treatment, tumor, and surgeon characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to predict CPM use. Of 571 eligible patients, 276 (48.3%) underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS), 130 (22.8%) underwent unilateral mastectomy, and 165 (28.9%) underwent mastectomy and a CPM. Among mastectomy patients, 55.9% underwent CPM. Young age ( 55 years), large tumor size (>5 vs. <2 cm), positive family history, lobular histology, multicentric disease, and surgeon gender (female) were independent predictors of increased CPM rates. Body mass index, tumor grade, estrogen receptor status, and preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging were not associated with increased CPM rates. Our study is the first to evaluate specific surgeon characteristics associated with CPM use. Prospective studies are needed to examine factors affecting patient decision-making to develop resources that may assist patients in this process.
Response of striped bass larvae fed brine shrimp from different sources containing different fatty acid compositions

Abstract Nauplii from five sources of brine shrimp (Artemia sp.) were evaluated for total lipid and fatty acid compositions and subsequently fed to larvae of striped bass, Morone saxatilis. Chinese (CH) and a San Francisco Bay (SFBa) sources were relatively high in 20:5 (n−3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), containing 10.4 and 9.3% (of the lipid), and relatively low in 18:3 (n−3), linolenic acid, containing 3.6 and 3.8%, respectively. Sources from Great Salt Lake (GSL), Colombia (COL), and a second San Francisco Bay source (SFBb) were lower in EPA, containing 1.2, 3.0, and 1.2% and higher in linolenic acid, containing 28.2, 24.2, and 25.2%, than the CH and SFBa sources. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 22:6 (n−3), was not found in any of the brine shrimp. Percentages of total lipids, triacylglycerols, and free fatty acids, were not significantly different among the source.s The larvae were fed nauplii from the five sources of brine shrimp as the first and only food for 12 days (experiment 1) or 17 days (experiment 2). Growth and survival were significantly higher for the larvae fed brine shrimp containing the higher levels of EPA. The slower growth and lower survival of larvae fed brine shrimp high in linolenic acid and low in EPA suggested that striped bass are not capable of elongating and desaturating linolenic acid to longer chain n−3 highly unsaturated fatty acids. These results indicate that striped bass larvae have a dietary requirement for EPA which is in excess of 3% of the dietary lipid or 0.5% of the dry diet, and that variation in EPA content is a major reason for the variation in nutritional quality among brine shrimp sources.
The utility of zinc protoporphyrin for predicting the need for intravenous iron therapy in hemodialysis patients.

Abstract The optimal method for diagnosing iron deficiency in end-stage renal disease is an area of controversy. This study compared the use of zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) with the use of conventional tests for determination of iron deficiency when evaluating the need for intravenous iron therapy in hemodialysis patients maintained on erythropoietin (EPO). A baseline survey was performed in all hemodialysis patients at the Baumritter Kidney Center (Bronx, NY), measuring ZPP, ferritin, transferrin saturation (TSAT), mean corpuscular volume, and hematocrit. Patients with ZPP ≥ 90 μmol/mol heme or ferritin less than 100 ng/mL were considered likely to be iron deficient and were treated with 1,000 mg of intravenous iron dextran over 10 hemodialysis treatments. The positive predictive values of ferritin and ZPP for predicting a response to intravenous iron dextran were similar (73% v 83%, respectively; two-tailed, P = 0.48). To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the tests, patients were divided into two groups at the end of the study period: those in whom iron therapy was required (n = 23) (patients treated with intravenous iron dextran who had a 5% increase in hematocrit or a decrease in erythropoietin dose of ≥2,000 U/treatment) and those in whom iron therapy was not required (n = 24) (patients either treated with intravenous iron dextran without a response [n = 9] or patients whose initial ZPP and ferritin levels were not suggestive of iron deficiency and who maintained a stable hematocrit and erythropoietin dose during the study period [n = 15]). Zinc protoporphyrin of ≥90 μmol/mol heme had the best combination of sensitivity and specificity (87% and 83%, respectively) of the tests evaluated, and therefore offered the greatest utility of the tests evaluated for predicting hemodialysis patients who require intravenous iron dextran therapy for iron deficiency.
Transient tracers and birth and death on flows: Parametric estimation of rates of drift, injection, and decay

Transient tracers refer to particulate matter in transport on fluid flows. We consider a stochastic description of such tracers in a model of birth and death on Brownian flows. Particles are born in a point process and move on the flow subject to position-dependent killing. They die eventually and leave the flow. The particle process is a measure-valued, Markov process tracking these motions. The mean of this system satisfies an advection-dispersion equation that describes the spatial evolution of tracer concentrations. It depends on the rate of drift on the flow, injection of new particles, and removal or decay. We derive likelihood, score, and information processes for parametric estimation of these rates from chronicles of tracer concentrations.
Psychologists' Attitude Survey: Courtroom Experience and Perceived Competence.

As is true in other professions, the manner in which psychologists view themselves as professionals effects their performance. In particular, the self-perception that psychologists bring into the courtroom when asked to act in their roles as professionals may strongly effect the court's reliance on them as experts. While many psychologists believe that their expertise is valuable and that they have important information to share with the court system, many feel incompetent when required to testify or to provide documentation as part of a courtroom procedure. This study gathered information on various attitudes of licensed psychologists with regard to their perceived competence as professionals in the court system. The data were analyzed with regard to various demographic variables, including number of years licensed, degree, and amount of courtroom experience.
Estimating genetic change from selection

Abstract Estimating genetic change for selection programs designed to improve performance of fish populations requires the application of statistical and biological approaches specific to the conditions used to maintain the populations. The unique set of limitations is determined by such factors as number of individuals reared, availability of control populations, variability of environmental conditions, rearing strategy, and completeness of data collection. All approaches available to the fish breeder are designed to remove to the extent possible, both fixed and random environmental effects from estimates of change. Some methods also attempt to account for genetic trends due to previous selection. Generally, influences attributable to genetic drift and inbreeding are confounded with effects of selection. Four approaches to estimating genetic change have been developed for use in animal breeding. The most common is the use of control populations to estimate environmental change and possibly account for some inbreeding effects related to population size. The second is to use divergent selection as a means of internally correcting for environmental changes and adjusting for asymmetry of response to selection. Contemporary comparisons is a common method with species for which gametes can be stored. The method is based on producing progeny from parents of early and late generation progeny in a single season to provide a direct comparison of performance of individuals from two or more generations. The most recently developed approach involves the use of animal models, based on best linear unbiased prediction procedures, to estimate directly the average breeding values for sequential generations. Information for all individuals in a pedigreed population is utilized to provide simultaneous adjustments for environmental effects and genetic trends.
Resveratrol prevents protein nitration and release of endonucleases from mitochondria during acetaminophen hepatotoxicity.

Overdose of acetaminophen (APAP) is a common cause of acute liver injury and liver failure. The mechanism involves formation of a reactive metabolite, protein binding, oxidative stress and activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), mitochondrial dysfunction, and nuclear DNA fragmentation caused by endonucleases released from damaged mitochondria. Previous work has shown that the natural product resveratrol (RSV) can protect against APAP hepatotoxicity in mice through prevention of lipid peroxidation and anti-inflammatory effects. However, these earlier studies did not take into consideration several fundamental aspects of the pathophysiology. To address this, we treated C57Bl/6 mice with 300 mg/kg APAP followed by 50 mg/kg RSV 1.5 h later. Our results confirmed that RSV reduced liver injury after APAP overdose in mice. Importantly, RSV did not inhibit reactive metabolite formation and protein bindings, nor did it reduce activation of JNK. However, RSV decreased protein nitration after APAP treatment, possibly through direct scavenging of peroxynitrite. Interestingly, RSV also inhibited release of apoptosis-inducing factor and endonuclease G from mitochondria independent of Bax pore formation and prevented the downstream nuclear DNA fragmentation. Our data show that RSV protects against APAP hepatotoxicity both through antioxidant effects and by preventing mitochondrial release of endonucleases and nuclear DNA damage.