cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Herd Immunity to GII.4 Noroviruses Is Supported by Outbreak Patient Sera

Noroviruses (NoVs) of genogroup II, cluster 4 (GII.4), are the most common cause of outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. During the past 13 years, GII.4 NoVs caused four seasons of widespread activity globally, each associated with the emergence of a new strain. In this report, we characterized the most recent epidemic strain, GII.4-2006 Minerva, by comparing virus-like particle (VLP) antigenic relationships and histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) binding profiles with strains isolated earlier. We also investigated the seroprevalence and specificity of GII.4 antibody in the years prior to, during, and following the GII.4 pandemic of 1995 and 1996 using a large collection of acute- and convalescent-phase serum pairs (n = 298) collected from 34 outbreaks. In a surrogate neutralization assay, we measured the blockade of HBGA binding using a panel of GII.4 VLPs representing strains isolated in 1987, 1997, 2002, and 2006 and a GII.3 VLP representing a strain isolated in the mid-1990s. Serum titers required for 50% HBGA blockade were compared between populations. In general, blockade of GII.4 VLP-HBGA binding was greater with convalescent-phase outbreak sera collected near the time of origin of the VLP strain. Heterotypic genotypes did not contribute to herd immunity against GII.4 NoVs based on their inability to block GII.4 VLP binding to HBGA. However, previous exposure to GII.4 NoV followed by infection by GII.3 NoV appeared to evoke an immune response to GII.4 NoV. These results support the hypothesis that herd immunity is a driving force for GII.4 evolution in the U.S. population. The data also suggest that complex patterns of cross-protection may exist across NoV genotypes in humans.
LOCAL POLE FIGURES IN THE TEM--- MEASUREMENT AND ODF DETERMINATION

Techniques for the measurement of local pole figures in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) are summarized and applications to deformed aluminum are given. Local pole figures are obtained by measuring the intensity distribution along ring patterns in Selected Area Diffraction (SAD) separately for various tilts of the specimen with respect to the incident electron beam. The computer control of the TEM allows a data acquisition in reasonable time. The measured intensities are corrected either experimentally or analytically for the increase of sampled volume and for the increased absorption with increasing tilt angle of the specimen. The application of orientation distribution functions (ODF) using the series expansion technique in conjunction with the positivity method allows a quantitative texture analysis of the pole figures.
Collaboration technologies for tactical command & control: Performance, workload, and situation awareness

Future tactical command and control (C2) will undoubtedly be affected by a shift toward network-centric warfare (NCW), a concept of operations that relies on sophisticated information and communication technologies for enabling real-time collaboration and heightened shared situational awareness among geographically-distributed individuals and teams. One of the necessary components of NCW is the availability of appropriate and effective collaboration tools and an understanding of how they affect individual and team performance efficiency, problem solving, decision making, situation awareness, workload, and communication. This is especially true given that these teams will be faced with making high-stake decisions under non-optimal conditions characterized by time stress, incomplete and/or inaccurate information, rapidly changing situations, and uncertainty. To date, the majority of research on collaboration technologies has been limited to face-to-face collaboration versus computer-mediated collaboration, with much of it showing an advantage for face-to-face collaboration in terms of speed and quality of the teampsilas decisions. Moreover, it has been noted that theoretical models of collaborative decision making, frameworks and models of collaboration technologies and processes, and empirical data describing the impacts of collaboration technology on team processes are lacking. Accordingly, the Air Force Research Laboratorypsilas Collaborative Tools for Tactical Command and Control Research Program assembled a multi-university research consortium to examine the impact of collaboration technologies on selection, workload, and team decision making in tactical command and control teams in simulated network-centric environments. This proposed panel comprises consortium members and represents a range of world-renown experts in mental workload assessment, cognitive neuroscience, human-system interaction, computer supported collaboration, humans and automation, and team decision making and team performance. The purpose of the panel will be to report and discuss the research that was conducted as part of the 18-month consortium project.
Multiple tristetraprolin sequence domains required to induce apoptosis and modulate responses to TNFα through distinct pathways

Expression of the immediate early protein tristetraprolin (TTP) is induced by numerous stimuli, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha). Evidence indicates that TTP limits production of TNFalpha and other cytokines by directly binding and destabilizing their mRNAs. This effect seems to require only the conserved TTP zinc finger region, and is characteristic of the related proteins TIS11b and TIS11d. TTP, TIS11b, and TIS11d each also induce apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway analogously to certain oncogenes, suggesting that they influence growth or survival signals. Among TTP/TIS11 proteins, TTP alone also promotes apoptosis synergistically with TNFalpha. Here we show that other regions of TTP along with the zinc fingers are required for TTP to induce apoptosis. We also demonstrate that TTP acts through an additional pathway to sensitize cells to the pro-apoptotic stimulus of TNFalpha. This modulation of TNFalpha responses specifically requires the TTP N-terminal region, which is not conserved in TIS11b or TIS11d. We conclude that the physiological functions of TTP depend upon multiple regions of the TTP protein, that TTP has diverged functionally from TIS11b and TIS11d, and that modulation of TNFalpha responses may be a unique and important aspect of TTP function.
Unemployment, profit-sharing and Japan's economic success

Abstract In this paper we examine the economic effects of profit-sharing in a duopoly model where one firm engages in sharing profits with its union while the other firm does not. The results show that profit-sharing (i) reduces wages demanded by the unions, (ii) tends to increase employment of the profit-sharing firm and to increase employment in the entire industry and (iii) tends to increase the joint welfare of the profit-sharing firm and the profit-sharing union. These results seem to suggest that the Japanese success may be partly attributable to their informal profit-sharing scheme.
Effects of Statins on Skeletal Muscle: A Perspective for Physical Therapists

Hyperlipidemia, also known as high blood cholesterol, is a cardiovascular health risk that affects more than one third of adults in the United States. Statins are commonly prescribed and successful lipid-lowering medications that reduce the risks associated with cardiovascular disease. The side effects most commonly associated with statin use involve muscle cramping, soreness, fatigue, weakness, and, in rare cases, rapid muscle breakdown that can lead to death. Often, these side effects can become apparent during or after strenuous bouts of exercise. Although the mechanisms by which statins affect muscle performance are not entirely understood, recent research has identified some common causative factors. As musculoskeletal and exercise specialists, physical therapists have a unique opportunity to identify adverse effects related to statin use. The purposes of this perspective article are: (1) to review the metabolism and mechanisms of actions of statins, (2) to discuss the effects of statins on skeletal muscle function, (3) to detail the clinical presentation of statin-induced myopathies, (4) to outline the testing used to diagnose statin-induced myopathies, and (5) to introduce a role for the physical therapist for the screening and detection of suspected statin-induced skeletal muscle myopathy.
Justifiable psychopharmacology or overzealous prescription? Examining parental reports of lifetime prescription histories of psychiatrically hospitalised children

University of Michigan, USABackground: This research investigated parent reports of pre-admission psychotropic medication histories ofpsychiatrically hospitalised children in the United States. The emphasis was on identifying factors related topotentially overzealous medication use. Method: Diagnosis, insurance type, and demographics for 170 con-secutive admissions were assessed via research case conference and chart review. An extreme group of chil-dren with lengthy medication histories (n ¼ 20) was also identiﬁed, and prescription and diagnostic patternsfor this group were compared to other medicated children in the sample (n ¼ 100). Cumulative medicationhistory, rather than speciﬁc polypharmacy, was examined. Results: Psychopharmacotherapy was common(71%). Privately insured children, children with previous psychiatric hospitalisations, and children with Op-positional Deﬁant Disorder (ODD), Attention Deﬁcit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and the speciﬁc comor-bidities of ODD/ADHD, and ODD/Parent Child Relational Problems had more past medication trials. Depressedchildren had fewer. Analyses of the extreme group suggest that young, privately insured, oppositional chil-dren with parent-child relationship problems were at highest risk for overmedication (including multiple trialsof stimulants, as well as mood stabilisers, central adrenergic agonists, and antipsychotics). Conclusions: Re-sults raise important questions about the role of health care pressures on clinical practice in the United States.Keywords: Psychiatric treatment; child inpatients; psychopharmacology; managed care
Type of Physical Activity, Variables Describing Participation in Physical Activity, and Self-Perceived Fitness

This study examined the association between self-perceived fitness and the type of physical activity and variables describing participation in physical activity by 91 university students. Type of p...
Service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer value: A holistic perspective

Abstract The author proposes and tests an integrative model of service quality, customer value, and customer satisfaction. Using a sample from the luxury segment of the hotel industry, this study provides preliminary results supporting a holistic approach to hospitality customers’ postpurchase decision-making process. The model appears to possess practical validity as well as explanatory ability. Implications are discussed and suggestions are developed for both marketers and researchers.
A role of Lys614 in the sulfotransferase activity of human heparan sulfate N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase

An active sulfotransferase (ST, residues 558–882) domain of the human heparan sulfate N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase (hHSNST) has been identified by aligning the amino acid sequence of hHSNST to that of mouse estrogen sulfotransferase (EST). The bacterially expressed ST domain transfers the 5′-sulfuryl group of 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS) to only deacetylated heparin with an efficiency similar to that previously reported for the purified rat HSNST. Moreover, the KmPAPS (2.1 μM) of the ST domain is also similar to that of the rat enzyme. Lys48 is a key residue in mEST catalysis. The residue corresponding to Lys48 is conserved in all known heparan sulfate sulfotransferases (Lys614 in the ST domain of hHSNST). Mutation of Lys614 to Ala abolishes N-sulfotransferase activity, indicating an important catalytic role of Lys614 in the ST domain. Crystals of the ST domain have been grown (orthorhombic space group P21212) with diffraction to 2.5 A resolution.
Hyperostosis at the mandibular notch: report of a case.

A case of hyperostosis at the mandibular notch, on the right side, is recorded in a male cadaver, about 65 years of age. The shape of this exostosis and its relationship to the surrounding bones were studied in fixed and in various positions of movement of the mandible, as well as the degree of opening and closing of the mouth. The angle of the mandible, the coronoid and condylar processes, and the ramus were measured on both sides. Particular attention was given to the measurement of the exostosis. The morphological and clinical significance of the anomaly are discussed. A review of the literature indicates that this is an extremely rare type of exostosis of the mandible.
Children’s Drawings: A mirror to their minds

Children’s drawings are thought to be a mirror of a child’s representational development. Research suggests that with age children develop more complex and symbolic representational strategies and reference points become more differentiated by gender. We collected two drawings from 109 5–13‐year‐old children (three age groups). Each child drew their family and their school and participated in an independent recall task. The results indicated significant gender and age differences in the number of details depicted in the family drawings. There were also significant differences between boys’ and girls’ stereotyped drawings, usage of proportionality, and clothing. With age, children tended to draw more aerial views of their school. The results are discussed in terms of the contribution children’s drawings can make to the study of cognitive development and vice versa, as well as their importance for education.
Two-dimensional MAT to boundary conversion

The medial axis transform (MAT) has potential as a powerful representation for a conceptual design tool for objects with inherent symmetry or near-symmetry. The medial axis of two-dimensional objects or medial surface of three-dimensional objects provides a conceptual design base, with transition to a detailed design occuring when the radius function is added to the medial axis or surface, since this additional information completely specifies a particular object. To make such a design tool practicable, however, it is essential to be able to convert from an MAT format to a boundary representation of an object. Such a conversion is possible because the MAT is an informationally complete solid representation. In this paper, we provide the details for the conversion of the MAT of a set of twodimensional objects to a boundary representation. We demonstrate certain smoothness properties of the MAT and show the relationship between the tangent to the MAT at a point and the boundary points related to that MAT point. For each of the three general types of MAT points (end points, normal points, and branch points) we detail the method for obtaining the boundary points related to it and for determining whether finite contact occurs at that point. We discuss requirements for an MAT to be valid in the sense that the given curves could actually be the MAT of an allowable twodimensional object. We also provide a theoretical error bound on the computation. Finally, we discuss an implementation of our algorithm and show some results we have obtained.
Use of Amiodarone to Prevent Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery

Laura Brantman is an acute care nurse practitioner at the University of California, San Francisco. Jill Howie is an associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco and a nurse practitioner at Kaiser Permanente. including digoxin, β-adrenergic blockers, calcium channel blockers, and class I and class III antiarrhythmic agents, to prevent postoperative atrial fibrillation. The results of clinical trials have indicated that digoxin and verapamil are no more effective than placebo; however, β-blockers and antiarrhythmic agents are effective in reducing the likelihood of postoperative atrial fibrillation. Most recently, researchers have investigated amiodarone, a class III antiarrhythmic agent that can block αand β-adrenergic receptors and sodium, calcium, and potassium channels. Treatment with amiodarone can reduce the occurrence of postoperative atrial fibrillation by 50%. This discovery has promising implications for patients who undergo cardiac surgery and provides a unique opportunity to develop standard prophylactic therapy to prevent postoperative atrial fibrillation. The purpose of this article is to review studies on the use of amiodarone to prevent atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery and discuss the various regimens for administration of amiodarone.
Prediction of physiological subsystem failure and its impact in the prediction of patient mortality

In this paper, we present a method to dynamically predict the failure of physiological subsystems from patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) using heterogeneous data. We model the probability of failure in each subsystem as a latent state that evolves over time. We propose a method using Generalized Linear Dynamic models to model this latent state which is updated each time new patient data is observed. Then, we estimate the probability of patient mortality as a combination of the estimated probability of failure for different physiological subsystems. We use noun phrase extraction and statistical Topic Models to extract discriminative features which capture the patient health context that can not be obtained when only numerical features are used. We proposed a method of imputing missing values using the non-ignorable nature of the patient data. We test our proposed approach using 15,000 Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) obtained from the MIMIC II public dataset. Experimental results show that the proposed model allows us to predict subsystem failure and mortality probability with high sensitivity and specificity and detect an increase in the probability of mortality.
Abstract W P257: Progesterone Improves Long-term Neurobehavioral Outcome in Models of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH)

Introduction: Progesterone is known to improve recovery in traumatic and ischemic brain injury models. For potential translation, the present study sought to define efficacy of exogenous progesterone administration in murine models of ICH. Methods: Young and aged C57/Bl6 male, female, and ovariectomized (OVX) mice underwent left intrastriatal collagenase (0.075U) or autologous whole blood (35ul) injection. Mice were randomized to receive progesterone at pre-specified doses (4-16 mg/kg), administered SQ at 2 and 5 hours after injury and then daily for 3 days. Rotorod (RR) and water maze (WM) latencies were measured by blinded observers on Days 1-7 and Days 28-31 after injury, respectively. Hematoma volume, brain water content, stereology of complementary immunohistochemistry, and multiplex cytokine arrays were measured at pre-specified time points after injury. Results: Progesterone (4mg/kg) administration after injury increased RR and decrease WM latencies (See Figure), decreased cerebral edema (p=0.03), and decreased microglial proliferation and activation in young and aged male and OVX, but not female mice, while maintaining stable hematoma volumes. Progesterone (4mg/kg) administration also increased RR latencies and decreased cerebral edema in male mice after autologous blood injection. In male mice only, progesterone (4mg/kg) reduced brain IL6, TNF-α and KC/GRO production in multiplex cytokine measurement after injury. Conclusions: Progesterone improves neurobehavioral recovery in male and OVX, but not gonad-intact female, mice by modulating neuroinflammation after ICH. Future study should address timing and length of administration prior to translation to clinical trial. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Order-Disorder Phase Transitions in Solids

Basic research in phase transitions has the momentum of a decade or more of significant accomplishment in problems ranging from fundamental theory and experiment to the application of many new exciting areas such as order-disorder in alloy design, martensitic transformations and critical phenomena. Infrared (IR), Raman (R) and inelastic neutron (N) spectroscopy have been shown to be powerful tools and much work has been carried out, especially in verification of the “soft mode” idea and to detail studies of “soft mode” behavior at displacive structural phase transitions. Excellent reviews on this topic have been given by Scott (1), Blinc and Zeks (2) and by Dorner and Comes (3).
Malignant transformation of primary chicken spleen cells by human transcription factor c-Rel.

Rel/NF-κB transcription factors control a variety of cellular processes, such as cell growth and apoptosis, that are relevant to oncogenesis, and mutations in genes encoding Rel/NF-κB transcription factors have been found in several human lymphoid cell cancers. In this study, we have used a sensitive cell outgrowth assay to demonstrate that wild-type human c-Rel can malignantly transform primary chicken spleen cells, and that transformation by c-Rel is accelerated by co-expression of Bc1-2. Full-length mouse c-Rel can also transform chicken spleen cells. These results are the first demonstration of a lymphoid cell malignant transforming ability for mammalian Rel/NF-κB transcription factors, and implicate c-Rel as a molecular target for cancer therapeutics.
Src kinases play a novel dual role in acute pancreatitis affecting severity but no role in stimulated enzyme secretion

In pancreatic acinar cells, the Src family of kinases (SFK) is involved in the activation of several signaling cascades that are implicated in mediating cellular processes (growth, cytoskeletal changes, apoptosis). However, the role of SFKs in various physiological responses such as enzyme secretion or in pathophysiological processes such as acute pancreatitis is either controversial, unknown, or incompletely understood. To address this, in this study, we investigated the role/mechanisms of SFKs in acute pancreatitis and enzyme release. Enzyme secretion was studied in rat dispersed pancreatic acini, in vitro acute-pancreatitis-like changes induced by supramaximal COOH-terminal octapeptide of cholecystokinin (CCK). SFK involvement assessed using the chemical SFK inhibitor (PP2) with its inactive control, 4-amino-7-phenylpyrazol[3,4-d]pyrimidine (PP3), under experimental conditions, markedly inhibiting SFK activation. In CCK-stimulated pancreatic acinar cells, activation occurred of trypsinogen, various MAP kinases (p42/44, JNK), transcription factors (signal transducer and activator of transcription-3, nuclear factor-κB, activator protein-1), caspases (3, 8, and 9) inducing apoptosis, LDH release reflective of necrosis, and various chemokines secreted (monocyte chemotactic protein-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted). All were inhibited by PP2, not by PP3, except caspase activation leading to apoptosis, which was increased, and trypsin activation, which was unaffected, as was CCK-induced amylase release. These results demonstrate SFK activation is playing a dual role in acute pancreatitis, inhibiting apoptosis and promoting necrosis as well as chemokine/cytokine release inducing inflammation, leading to more severe disease, as well as not affecting secretion. Thus, our studies indicate that SFK is a key mediator of inflammation and pancreatic acinar cell death in acute pancreatitis, suggesting it could be a potential therapeutic target in acute pancreatitis.
Effect of strain rate on the mechanical properties of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms.

The quantification of biofilm mechanical properties can serve as a basis for understanding biofilm resilience and for developing biofilm control strategies. One aspect of tensile testing that is likely to be important for a viscoelastic material such as bacterial biofilm, but unfortunately is often overlooked (i.e., not controlled or reported), is the strain rate used during testing. Thus, we performed tensile testing on intact S. epidermidis biofilms using the microcantilever method at 12 strain rate values ranging over approximately 3 orders of magnitude (0.013–9.07 s–1). Ultimate or cohesive strength, elastic modulus, and toughness increased with increasing strain rate and approached a plateau at approximately 1.3 s–1. Failure strain, on the other hand, did not exhibit any trend with strain rate. Given that the mean values of some parameters increased by as much as 1 order of magnitude over the strain rate range used in this work, we suggest that the strain rate during tensile testing should be careful...
Metabolic Complications of the use of Stomach for Urinary Reconstruction

AbstractA total of 34 children with normal renal function underwent either gastrocystoplasty or continent urinary reservoirs with stomach at our institutions. Severe hypochloremic hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis developed in 2 patients, manifested by intractable seizure disorder in 1 and altered mental status with respiratory depression in 1. Symptoms developed at 4 and 6 months, respectively. Despite severe alkalosis, urinary pH was less than 5.0 and fractional excretion of chloride remained high in both patients. Resuscitation with sodium chloride, arginine hydrochloride and potassium chloride restored electrolyte balance in less than 48 hours in both patients. Serum gastrin was slightly elevated in 1 patient (137pg./ml., normal 0 to 125) who responded to long-term histamine-blocker therapy. The other patient had significant hypergastrinemia (624pg./ml.) with secondary hyperaldosteronism. Maximum doses of histamine blockers, oral replacement of sodium chloride and potassium chloride, and the proton pump...
Ganymede and Callisto

Abstract Ganymede and Callisto are planet-sized moons of Jupiter, with surfaces composed of a mixture of dark dust and bright ice. Similar in size, they both have interiors of half ice and half rock/metal, but Ganymede's interior appears to be segregated by density, while Callisto's interior is mostly mixed. Both moons appear to have subsurface liquid water oceans sandwiched between low-pressure surface ice and high-pressure ice phases deep in their interiors. Ganymede has an intrinsic magnetic field, probably generated by dynamo action in a molten iron core. The surface of Callisto and part of the surface of Ganymede appear to be ancient, dominated by impact cratering and the slow decay of ice sublimating into the surrounding vacuum, leaving behind dark dust. Two-thirds of Ganymede's surface was rejuvenated during a dramatic event at some point in the middle of solar system history, by intense extensional tectonism and possibly cryovolcanism.
Utilization of different anti-viral mechanisms by mammalian embryonic stem cells and differentiated cells

Utilization of different anti-viral mechanisms by mammalian embryonic stem cells and differentiated cells
RURAL FARMERS’ PERCEPTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL ZONE OF DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Farmer perception of their environment is a factor of climate change. Adaptation to climate change requires farmers to realize that the climate has changed and they must identify useful adaptations and implement them. This study analyzed the per-ception of climate change among rural farmers in central agri-cultural zone of Delta State, Nigeria. Climate change studies often assume certain adaptations and minimal examination of how, when, why, and conditions under which adaptations usually take place in any economic and social systems. The study was conducted by survey method on 131 respondents using struc-tured interview schedule and questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and linear regression model to test that education, gender, and farming experience influenced farmers’ perception of climate change. The results showed that the farmers were aware of climate change. The identified causes of climate change were ranging from intensified agriculture, population explosion, increased use of fossil fuel, loss of in-digenous know practice to gas flaring. The effects of climate change on crops and livestocks were also identified by the rural farmers. Many of the farmers adapted to climate change by planting trees, carrying out soil conservation practice, changing planting dates, using different crop varieties, installing fans in livestock pens, and applying irrigation. Almost half of them did not adapt to climate change. The linear regression analysis revealed that education, gender, and farming experience influ-enced farmers’ perception of climate change. The major barriers to adaptation to climate change included lack of information, lack of money, and inadequate land.
The Efficacy of Consulting Practicum in Enhancing Students' Readiness for Professional Career in Management Information Systems: An Empirical Analysis.

Consulting practicum (CP) is a form of experiential learning technique to prepare students for professional careers. While CP has become a popular way to help students acquire the essential practical skills and experience to enhance career readiness and ensure a smooth transition from college to employment, there is a lack of empirical studies that establish any link between CP and the career readiness of students. This study seeks to fill this gap. Undergraduate students enrolled in practicum classes undertook consulting projects for several organizations in the areas of management and information systems (MIS) with the purpose of implementing projects and solving real-life business problems while gaining valuable professional experience and career specific skills. Each team had a mentor who was also the contact person representing the client organization. At the end of the projects, the teams’ supervisors evaluated the performance of the consulting teams based on 10 criteria, classified into behavioral and technical skills. The results show that students developed essential career-related competencies and behavioral skills as an indication of career readiness, thus affirming CP as an innovative pedagogical strategy that can enhance students’ readiness for professional careers in MIS.
Performance of asymmetric antenna configurations in polarized channels

Small receivers can use dual polarization antennas to maximize received energy from single polarization transmitters. This paper analyzes the performance of these asymmetric MIMO antenna configurations in polarized, uncorrelated Rayleigh fading channels. Because the receiver can have knowledge of the channel's cross polar ratio, a polarization reciprocity scheme is developed. This is shown to maximize signal energy at the uplink receiver for all polarized channels. Simulations then show the symbol error probability and relationships to the channel cross-polar ratio and the number of transmitting antennas. Also, the use of Alamouti coding in a dual polarization uplink and in combination with the polarization reciprocity scheme is analyzed.
Predicting tree species richness in urban forests

There has been an increasing interest in urban forests and the levels of biodiversity they contain. Currently there are no spatially explicit maps of tree species richness in urban areas. This research tests and identifies GIS and remote sensing metrics (climate, area, productivity, three-dimensional structure) hypothesized to be associated with species richness in native forests and identifies methods that can be applied to predict and map tree species richness in cities. We quantified tree species richness, floristic composition, and structure in 28 1-ha plots in the city of Los Angeles. Climate and remote sensing metrics from high-resolution aerial imagery (10 cm), QuickBird (60 cm), Landsat (30 m), MODIS (250 m), and airborne lidar (2 m) were collected for each plot. There were 1208 individual stems and 108 trees identified to species. Species richness ranged from 2 to 31 species per ha and averaged 17 species per ha. Tree canopy cover from QuickBird explained the highest portion of variance (54%) in tree species richness followed by NDVI from Landsat (42%). Tree species richness can be higher in residential urban forests than native forests in the United States. Spatially explicit species richness maps at 1 ha can be created and tested for cities in order to identify both hotspots and coldspots of tree species richness and changes in species richness over time.
Fenethylline-Induced Psychosis, Fenethylline-Themed Paranoid Delusions, or Both?

Introduction Fenethylline (Captagon) is an amphetamine-like compound commonly used in the Middle East. Here we report the case of a patient with a history of fenethylline use presenting with psychosis. In addition, we performed a PubMed literature search on fenethylline. Case We present the case of a 37-year-old Saudi Arabian man with a history of past fenethylline use and 3 prior inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations for psychosis who self-presented requesting a medical evaluation in the context of believing that he was being poisoned with fenethylline. He ultimately required 2 inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations in close succession. Discussion To our knowledge, this is the first report in the United States of a patient with a history of fenethylline use presenting with psychosis. When evaluating psychosis in patients—particularly those who are of Middle Eastern descent—use of fenethylline should be considered as a possible etiology. Conclusion Screening and toxicology testing for stimulants such as fenethylline should be performed to aid in the diagnostic process.
Proportional control applied to dynamic network resource allocation

Many proposed network resource allocation algorithms in existing literature, especially those in practical networking, are designed based on heuristics and then validated by (limited) prototyping and experimentation or numerical simulations. These algorithms usually perform poorly in either responsiveness or convergence, and lack a principled way to trade off between the convergence and the optimality of resource allocation. This paper shows that for a very general resource allocation problem, algorithms based on the proportional control achieve both fast response and convergence. We establish the convergence of the proportional control algorithms with inter-task and spatial couplings, and quantify their performance under estimation error. We further establish the convergence of the algorithms when operating asynchronously with bounded delays. Numerical experiments are provided to complement the theoretical analysis.
Daily Stock Returns Characteristics and Forecastability

Abstract While stock prices and economic activity are interrelated in a nation, they “are not coincident” with each other. Stock prices are a leading economic indicator of the United States of America’s (U.S.A.’s) economy. An economic variable that influences stock market prices is interest rates through an inverse relationship. The changes in stock prices (or stock returns) are generally caused by the demand for stocks. This paper reports on a study that investigates the underlying spectral and time-frequency characteristics of daily Standard and Poor’s (S&P) 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) composite stock returns, and changes in interest rate (namely, inverted 3-month Treasury bill). The study thereafter compared these findings with those obtained in a previous study by Joseph et al, which focused on monthly stock returns and interest rate data. Subsequent to studying stock returns and changes in interest rate that showed relatively similar spectral and frequency-time characteristics, this study investigated the forecastability of stock returns (in S&P 500, DJIA, and NASDAQ composite) by inverted interest rate (in 3-month Treasury bills) over prediction horizons of five and 30 days with the forecasting period covering the last 13 years. The measures of forecast accuracy used were root mean square error and correlation. The forecasts were favorable in all cases even with simpler neural network models.
A Web-Based System for Bayesian Benchmark Dose Estimation

Background: Benchmark dose (BMD) modeling is an important step in human health risk assessment and is used as the default approach to identify the point of departure for risk assessment. A probabil...
International Workshop on Cybersafety Chairs' Welcome & Organization

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the WWW 2018 Workshop on Computational Methods in Cybersafety, Online Harassment, and Misinformation. The theme of cybersafety is an important emerging research topic on the Internet that manifests itself daily as users navigate the Web and networked applications. After two successful workshops on cybersafety, the main goal of this third edition of this workshop on cybersafety is to build and grow the cybersafety research community by bringing together the leading researchers and practitioners from academia, industry, government, and research labs working in the general area of cybersafety to discuss the unique challenges in addressing various cybersafety issues and to share experiences, solutions, tools, and techniques. The focus is on the detection, prevention, and mitigation of various cybersafety issues, as well as education and promoting safe practices. The focus of this workshop is on computational methods in cybersafety, including new algorithms, tools, data mining techniques, analysis, systems, and applications for the detection, prevention and mitigation of various cybersafety issues, as well as education and promoting safe practices. Our program features two invited keynote speakers. We will have Dr. April Edwards, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty at Elmhurst College, speak about Racial and Gender Differences in Cyberbullying Behavior. And we will have Dr. Neil Shah, Research Scientist at Snap Inc., speak about Anomaly Detection on Large Social Graphs. We will also feature four contributed presentations and publications selected from papers submitted to our workshop.
A rigorous evaluation of an institutionally-based communication skills program for post-graduate oncology trainees.

Abstract Objective Integrating education about physician-patient communication into oncology specialists’ education is important to improve quality of care. Our aim was to rigorously evaluate a 4-year institutionally-based patient communication skills program for oncology post-graduate trainees. Methods Trainees from 10 specialties in the U.S. participated in patient communication skills modules tailored to sub-specialties. The program was evaluated by comparing pre-post scores on hierarchical outcomes: course evaluation, self-confidence, skills uptake in standardized and real patient encounters, and patient evaluations of satisfaction with communication. We examined breadth of skill usage as key outcome. Generalized estimating equations were used in data analysis. Results Two hundred and sixty-two trainees’ data were analyzed, resulting in 984 standardized and 753 real patient encounters. Participants reported high satisfaction and demonstrated significant skill growth with standardized patients, but transfer of these skills into real patient encounters was incomplete. Participants with lower baseline scores had larger improvements with both standardized and real patients. Conclusion The program was well received and increased participant skills in the simulated setting without effective transfer to real patient encounters. Practice Implications Future work should allocate proportionally greater resources to trainees with lower baseline scores and measure breadth of participant skill usage as an outcome.
Damage to forests from air pollution

In recent years oxidant damage, attributed largely to ozone in Los Angeles smog, is considered partly responsible for destroying ponderosa pine in the mountains east of that city. Oxidant has also been determined as the cause of a long-known needle blight of eastern white pine now called emergence tipburn, and evidence is accumulating that the eastern white pine disease long known as chlorotic dwarf may be due to an abiotic air-borne agent. Mortality and growth loss of this species has also been occurring within a 20-mile radius of certain power plants consuming large quantities of soft coal. When potted ramets (vegetative reproductions) of selected sensitive white pine clones were exposed in an area embracing an industrial complex in east Tennessee, exposure for seven months resulted in uniformly severe damage. Ramets from resistant trees, similarly exposed, suffered no damage. Sensitive ramets kept out of the affected area remained healthy. New and important types of crop damage, including damage to trees, appears to be resulting from air pollution associated with our enormous urban development, with stack gases from new industrial processes, and with greatly increased emissions of stack gases from industrial plants using fossil fuels at rates far beyond consumption only 15more » years ago. 41 references.« less
Pulse Crops: Pest Management of Wireworms and Cutworms in the Northern Great Plains of United States and Canada

Wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) and cutworms (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are significant soil insect pests of pulse crops including chickpea (garbanzo bean) (Cicer arietinum L.), field pea (Pisum sativum L.), and lentils (Lens culinaris Medikus). Integrated pest management strategies established for pest monitoring and nominal thresholds can be used for making management decisions. However, producers continue to rely on chemical control as their main strategy to reduce economic populations. Cultural strategies, such as crop rotation and tillage, and biological control agents, such as predators, parasitoids, nematodes, and entomopathogens, help mitigate wireworm and cutworm populations, but are usually not adequate for management of economic populations. Future research needs for wireworms and cutworms in pulse crops should concentrate more on developing improved economic thresholds, and integrating multiple management strategies, especially biological control and host plant resistance, to reduce the reliance on chemicals.
Increased effective moisture in northern Vietnam during the Little Ice Age

Abstract We present a 650-yr record of hydroclimate, inferred from δ18O values of lacustrine carbonate from Ao Tien (Fairy Pond), in northern Vietnam. Ao Tien occupies a collapsed karst basin that formed during the worst drought of the last millennium (i.e., the Angkor I drought), which marks a dry transitional period between the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age. A multi-centennial trend of increasing effective moisture spans the Little Ice Age, ending with aridity in the late 18th century that accompanied great societal turmoil across Southeast Asia. After ~1850 CE, the Ao Tien record exhibits a drying trend that continues to the present. Over the last 650 years, the δ18O-inferred hydroclimate is significantly correlated with the reconstructed Southern Oscillation Index of precipitation (SOIpr) suggesting that a prolonged La Nina-like state existed during the Little Ice Age generating overall wetter conditions in Vietnam. Decadal-scale droughts and pluvials from the Ao Tien record agree with a robust tree-ring hydroclimate reconstruction from southern Vietnam that identified the Angkor I and II droughts of the late 13th/early 14th centuries, and significant droughts during the early and late 17th century and latter half of the 18th century. The decrease in effective moisture during the last 30 years is also evident in the tree-rings and is consistent with a documented weakening of the Pacific Walker circulation. Major pluvials are indicated for the period between the two Angkor Droughts, and the wettest period of the record is during the early 18th century. Comparison of the Ao Tien data with records from Indonesia to China indicates regionally coherent climate during the Little Ice Age; however, the overall wet conditions in easterly sites are difficult to ascribe to shifts in the ITCZ. Rather, the pattern suggests that Pacific Walker circulation may have been the overriding control on precipitation.
Gait Mechanics and T1ρ MRI of Tibiofemoral Cartilage 6 Months after ACL Reconstruction.

Purpose Aberrant walking biomechanics after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are hypothesized to be associated with deleterious changes in knee cartilage. T1ρ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is sensitive to decreased proteoglycan density of cartilage. Our purpose was to determine associations between T1ρ MRI interlimb ratios (ILR) and walking biomechanics 6 months after ACLR. Methods Walking biomechanics (peak vertical ground reaction force (vGRF), vGRF loading rate, knee extension moment, knee abduction moment) were extracted from the first 50% of stance phase in 29 individuals with unilateral ACLR. T1ρ MRI ILR (ACLR limb/uninjured limb) was calculated for regions of interest in both medial and lateral femoral (LFC) and medial and lateral tibial condyles. Separate, stepwise linear regressions were used to determine associations between biomechanical outcomes and T1ρ MRI ILR after accounting for walking speed and meniscal/chondral injury (P ≤ 0.05). Results Lesser peak vGRF in the ACLR limb was associated with greater T1ρ MRI ILR for the LFC (posterior ΔR = 0.14, P = 0.05; central ΔR = 0.15, P = 0.05) and medial femoral condyle (central ΔR = 0.24, P = 0.01). Lesser peak vGRF loading rate in the ACLR limb (ΔR = 0.21, P = 0.02) and the uninjured limb (ΔR = 0.27, P = 0.01) was associated with greater T1ρ MRI ILR for the anterior LFC. Lesser knee abduction moment for the injured limb was associated with greater T1ρ MRI ILR for the anterior LFC (ΔR = 0.16, P = 0.04) as well as the posterior medial tibial condyle (ΔR = 0.13, P = 0.04). Conclusion Associations between outcomes related to lesser mechanical loading during walking and greater T1ρ MRI ILR were found 6 months after ACLR. Although preliminary, our results suggest that underloading of the ACLR limb at 6 months after ACLR may be associated with lesser proteoglycan density in the ACLR limb compared with the uninjured limb.
Swimmer’s Shoulder

“Swimmer’s shoulder” is a blanket term describing shoulder pain in competitive swimmers which commonly arise from microtraumas due to overuse, fatigue, and/or poor stroke mechanics. The differential diagnosis of shoulder pain in swimmers includes subacromial impingement, rotator cuff tendinopathy, labral pathology, suprascapular nerve entrapment, or any combination thereof. Additionally, injury may be accompanied or exacerbated by structural abnormalities including scapular dyskinesis, glenohumeral hyperlaxity, excess subluxation, glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD), or muscle strength imbalances. Given this multifactorial etiology, it is imperative that coaches and clinicians be well-versed in the prevention, diagnosis, and appropriate operative and non-operative management of the various shoulder pathologies possible in competitive swimmers.
Public Policy Supporting Healthy Aging

One can make a strong case for the role of public policy in promoting and supporting healthy aging. Public finances pay for many age-related life events, including, in most countries, healthcare costs, senior housing, long-term care services, and pensions. Nations, states, municipalities, and towns spend large segments of their budgets on the support of programs which meet the needs of their older residents. They have a vested interest in policies and program which support healthy aging. Developing and implementing public policies which support healthy aging is both the right thing to do and the prescient thing to do.