cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficiency of study designs in diagnostic randomized clinical trials

From the patients' management perspective, a good diagnostic test should contribute to both reflecting the true disease status and improving clinical outcomes. The diagnostic randomized clinical trial is designed to combine both diagnostic tests and therapeutic interventions. Evaluation of diagnostic tests is carried out with therapeutic outcomes as the primary endpoint rather than test accuracy. We lay out the probability framework for evaluating such trials. We compare two commonly referred designs-the two-arm design and the paired design-in a formal statistical hypothesis testing setup and identify the causal connection between the two tests. The paired design is shown to be more efficient than the two-arm design. The efficiency gains vary depending on the discordant rates of test results. We derive sample size formulas for both binary and continuous endpoints. We derive estimation of important quantities under the paired design and also conduct simulation studies to verify the theoretical results. We illustrate the method with an example of designing a randomized study on preoperative staging of bladder cancer.
Estimating the efficacy of an interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome medication in a randomized trial with both non-adherence and loss to follow-up

We are motivated by a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of amitriptyline for the treatment of interstitial cystitis and painful bladder syndrome in treatment-naive patients. In the trial, both the non-adherence rate and the rate of loss to follow-up are fairly high. To estimate the effect of the treatment received on the outcome, we use the generalized structural mean model (GSMM), originally proposed to deal with non-adherence, to adjust for both non-adherence and loss to follow-up. In the model, loss to follow-up is handled by weighting the estimation equations for GSMM with one over the probability of not being lost to follow-up, estimated using a logistic regression model. We re-analyzed the data from the trial and found a possible benefit of amitriptyline when administered at a high-dose level.
EM-based distributed estimation in cluttered environment

We consider a one-dimensional target estimation problem in a cluttered environment. A distributed estimator based on expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm and uncoded analog transmissions is developed. Through this experiment, one can gain some insights into methodology in the design of distributed estimator in sensor networks. As shown in our simulation, the proposed algorithm achieves significant estimation performance gain over existing distributed estimators under a communication constraint. Modified Cramer-Rao bound is also derived to provide a performance benchmark.
Polarography in Molten Sodium Disilicate

Polarographic techniques using a rotating micro-electrode are given. Experimental results cover concentrations and valence states of metal oxides in a sodium disilicate solution.
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT: ANALYSIS FRAMEWORKS

For both passenger and freight transport, this paper presents analysis frameworks illustrating the interaction of factors that influence indicators of transport sustainability; identifies opportunities for policy intervention; and illustrates the possibility of unintended consequences of such intervention and the tradeoffs among the indicators. The frameworks account for systematic relationships, feedbacks, and rebound effects of making changes to the system. For passenger transport, physical, psychological, and social needs present themselves as primary influencers of sustainable transportation indicators. For freight, market forces and government policy are primary influencers of variables that are predominantly of an economic nature. Questions for future research are presented.
Family travel: an overview

Summary Paediatric travel medicine involves the education of parents about the numerous health and safety issues related to traveling with infants and young children—whether overseas or a weekend at a local lake. It includes providing children with vaccines and medications, giving telephone advice to parents while they are traveling, and treating children should they come home ill. Practitioners must be knowledgeable about such varied topics like avoiding diarrhoea, infant safety seats for air travel, altitude sickness, sun exposure, waterfront safety, insect protection, dealing with hot and cold environments, and at what age it is safe to begin scuba diving, to name just a very few. Practitioners must also know when adult recommendations can—and cannot—be adapted for children; that vaccine doses, needle size, and injection site may vary with the size of the child; and the answers to hundreds of everyday questions such as how to administer an essential but bitter tasting medication to an uncooperative child—and what to do when the child refuses to take the medication or vomits it.
Entropy-constrained predictive trellis coded quantization: application to hyperspectral image compression

A training-sequence-based entropy-constrained predictive trellis coded quantization (ECPTCQ) scheme is presented for encoding autoregressive sources. For encoding a first-order Gauss-Markov source, the MSE performance of an 8-state ECPTCQ system exceeds that of entropy-constrained DPCM by up to 1.0 dB. In addition, a hyperspectral image compression system is developed which utilizes ECPTCQ. A hyperspectral image sequence compressed at 0.15 bits/pixel/band retains peak signal-to-noise ratios greater than 42 dB over most spectral bands. >
Impact of diabetes mellitus on outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction and systolic heart failure.

Aims To determine independent associations of diabetes mellitus with outcomes in a propensity-matched cohort of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and systolic heart failure (HF). Methods and results In the Eplerenone Post-Acute Myocardial Infarction Heart Failure Efficacy and Survival Study (EPHESUS) trial, hospitalized AMI patients complicated by left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40% and symptoms of HF receiving standard therapy were randomized 3–14 days post-AMI to receive eplerenone 25–50 mg/day (n = 3319) or placebo (n = 3313). Of the 6632 patients, 2142 (32%) had a history of diabetes, who were older and sicker. Using propensity scores for diabetes, we assembled a cohort of 1119 pairs of patients with and without diabetes who were balanced on 64 baseline characteristics. Incident fatal or nonfatal recurrent AMI occurred in 136 (12%) and 87 (8%) of matched patients with and without diabetes, respectively, during 2.5 years of follow-up [hazard ratio (HR) when diabetes was compared with no-diabetes, 1.61; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.23–2.10; P = 0.001]. Diabetes was associated with nonfatal AMI (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.23–2.31; P = 0.001) but not with fatal AMI (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.88–2.28; P = 0.146). Hazard ratios (95% CIs) for the association of diabetes with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, all-cause hospitalization, and cardiovascular hospitalization were 1.12 (0.93–1.37; P = 0.224), 1.11 (0.90–1.37; P = 0.318), 1.13 (1.00–1.27; P = 0.054), and 1.20 (1.01–1.44; P = 0.042), respectively. Conclusion In post-AMI patients with systolic HF, diabetes mellitus is a significant independent risk factor for recurrent short-term nonfatal AMI, but had no association with fatal AMI.
Aerosol distribution and efficacy in a commercial food warehouse

A series of field trials were conducted in a commercial food storage facility to evaluate exposure of stored-product insects to aerosol formulations of synergized pyrethrins and the insect growth regulator methoprene. When adults of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), the red flour beetle, and Tribolium confusum (Jacqueline DuVal), the confused flour beetle were exposed with and without a food source to synergized pyrethrin aerosol, there was no difference in adult mortality with respect to availability of food at either 7 or 14 days after exposure (P ≥ 0.05). However, mortality was lower in T. confusum (40.4% and 79.3% with flour at 7 and 14 days, 38.9% and 84.8% without flour at 7 and 14 days) compared to T. castaneum (96.5% and 99.8% with flour at 7 and 14 days, 91.0% and 98.7% without flour at 7 and 14 days). Few late-stage larvae and pupae of either species exposed to the pyrethrin aerosol emerged as adults. In tests with methoprene aerosol, adult emergence of exposed 3- and 4-week-old larvae of T. confusum was less than 2%. Only 0.3% of 4-week-old larvae of T. castaneum exposed in open and obstructed areas emerged as adults. Emergence of adults from eggs of Plodia interpunctella (Hubner), the Indianmeal moth, embedded in culture media and exposed to the methoprene aerosol was 13.2% ± 3.5%. Results show that the aerosols evaluated in our study could give effective control of some of the major stored- product insect pests in commercial food storage facilities, and may offer an alternative to fumigation.
DEVELOPMENTAL ROBOTICS: THEORY AND EXPERIMENTS

A hand-designed internal representation of the world cannot deal with unknown or uncontrolled environments. Motivated by human cognitive and behavioral development, this paper presents a theory, an architecture, and some experimental results for developmental robotics. By a developmental robot, we mean that the robot generates its “brain” (or “central nervous system,” including the information processor and controller) through online, real-time interactions with its environment (including humans). A new Self-Aware Self-Effecting (SASE) agent concept is proposed, based on our SAIL and Dav developmental robots. The manual and autonomous development paradigms are formulated along with a theory of representation suited for autonomous development. Unlike traditional robot learning, the tasks that a developmental robot ends up learning are unknown during the programming time so that the task-specific representation must be generated and updated through real-time “living” experiences. Experimental results with SAIL and Dav developmental robots are presented, including visual attention selection, autonomous navigation, developmental speech learning, range-based obstacle avoidance, and scaffolding through transfer and chaining.
Genetic and physiological analysis of biennialism in Hyoscyamus niger

A genetic and physiological study of biennialism in the diploid selfer Hyoscyamus niger (black henbane), an obligate long-day plant, is described. Three annual and two biennial accessions that were homozygous for their respective growth habits were selected. The early-flowering trait of two annual accessions was dominant over the late-flowering trait of the third annual accession. The late-flowering annual accession, but not the early-flowering ones, responded to vernalization. Two biennial accessions remained vegetative after more than 1 year in soil and thus had an obligate vernalization requirement. Crosses between annual and biennial accessions showed that biennialism was conferred through a single dominant gene. However, plants containing only one copy of this dominant gene were transformed from biennials into very late-flowering winter-annual plants that responded more rapidly to vernalization than biennials. Taken together, these results indicated that there were allelic differences in photoperiod-specific flowering time genes and that biennialism was a dose-dependent trait with incomplete dominance. Models for flowering time regulation in henbane involving photoperiod-, vernalization-, and most likely gibberellin-specific pathways are discussed.
Computer readability editing system

A computer readability system was developed to serve as an author's aid in improving the ease of comprehending technical manuals and training materials. The system has features to (1) flag uncommon and misspelled words and long sentences, (2) suggest simple replacements for difficult words and phrases, and (3) calculate the readability grade level. Each feature was tested to verify that it provides useful feedback to editors and authors. The program is written in Wang BASIC-2 and can be run on computer equipment costing about $25000.
Field evaluation of inorganic and chelated iron fertilizers as foliar sprays and soil application

Abstract A series of inorganic and chelated ferric and ferrous fertilizers were tested for their ability to alleviate Fe chlorosis as foliar and soil application on peach and grape under field conditions. Limited re‐greening was obtained with foliar application of ferric citrate/ammonium nitrate, ferrous sulfate and DTPA on peaches, and with foliar application of ferric citrate/ammonium nitrate and ferrous sulfate and soil application of ferric citrate/ammonium sulfate and ferric citrate/urea/ammonium nitrate on grapes. The only treatments that resulted in complete elimination of iron deficiency, as indicated by complete re‐greening and plant rating, was soil application of EDDHA on both peach and grape. Soil application of methyl‐EDDHA was almost as effective as EDDHA, resulting in slightly less intense re‐greening and chlorophyll content.
Inhibition of tumor growth and metastases in mice bearing a malignant fibrosarcoma by T cell-mediated immune response to oncofetal antigens.

: The presence of fetal antigens on a wide variety of tumors has been well-documented it has been attributed, for the most part, to de-repression of genes normally operative in the early stages of embryonic development. Controversy still exists, however, about the role of fetal antigens in antitumor immunity. It is not clear whether the tumor inhibition shown in some systems is due to an immune response. In the present study, conducted in a weakly immunogenic Lewis T241 fibrosarcoma, syngeneic for C57B1/ 6J mice, immunization of normal mice with syneneic fetal cells resulted in striking inhibition of growth and metastases of tumors. On the other hand, immunization with syngeneic normal, adult spleen cells or with allogeneic A/J fetal cells did not inhibit tumor growth or metastases. Mice that had gone through single pregnancy also showed inhibition in tumor growth and metastases. Immunization of female mice with syngeneic tumor cells or fetal cells, prior to pregnancy, resulted in a high incidence of fetal death in these mice. Further studies showed that tumor inhibitory response evoked by fetal cell immunization was due to fetal antigens the male-specific HY antigen was not responsible for antitumor response. When tumor cells were mixed with spleen cells from fetal antigen-immunized mice and then injected into normal mice (Winn neutralization assay), significant inhibition of tumor growth and metastases was observed. In this assay, mixing tumor cells with syngeneic fetal cells, normal adult spleen cells, or spleen cells from C57 mice immunized with allogeneic fetal cells did not inhibit the tumor growth or metastases. These results show that inhibition in tumor growth and metastases, following fetal cell immunization, was due to a specific immune response to the oncofetal antigens involved. Analysis of effector cells showed them to be T cells of Lyt-1+ and Lyt-2− phenotype.
An etched two-mode fiber modal coupling element

When a fiber with topological structures built directly on the cladding is compressed longitudinally, lateral bends are induced. The lateral bends lead to mode coupling. We have built several etched two-mode fiber modal coupling elements to take advantage of this effect of bending. The resulting modal coupling elements are compact. More importantly, the percentage of power converting from one mode to another is variable by varying the axial compression. In this paper, we present a theoretical model describing the mode conversion in the etched fiber elements. Also discussed are the fabrication and testing of the modal coupling elements and the experimental confirmation of the theoretical model.
Attributions of Control and Vulnerability at the Beginning and End of a Karate Course

41 students completed surveys at the beginning and end of karate courses. After the classes, students felt they were in better physical condition, were less depressed, and felt they had greater control over avoiding being attacked and over preventing serious injury if they were attacked than beforehand. They felt less vulnerable to having bad things happen and to being attacked and less likely to be injured in an attack. Women's and men's perceptions differed on some variables. This study confirms that semester-long karate courses can alter students' perceptions but suggests that instructors should be aware of gender differences regarding the effects of such training.
Membrane/microtubule Tip Attachment Complexes (TACs) Allow the Assembly Dynamics of Plus Ends to Push and Pull Membranes Into Tubulovesicular Networks in Interphase Xenopus Egg Extracts

We discovered by using high resolution video microscopy, that membranes become attached selectively to the growing plus ends of microtubules by membrane/microtubule tip attachment complexes (TACs) in interphase-arrested, undiluted, Xenopus egg extracts. Persistent plus end growth of stationary microtubules pushed the membranes into thin tubules and dragged them through the cytoplasm at the approximately 20 microns/min velocity typical of free plus ends. Membrane tubules also remained attached to plus ends when they switched to the shortening phase of dynamic instability at velocities typical of free ends, 50-60 microns/min. Over time, the membrane tubules contacted and fused with one another along their lengths, forming a polygonal network much like the distribution of ER in cells. Several components of the membrane networks formed by TACs were identified as ER by immunofluorescent staining using antibodies to ER-resident proteins. TAC motility was not inhibited by known inhibitors of microtubule motor activity, including 5 mM AMP-PNP, 250 microM orthovanadate, and ATP depletion. These results show that membrane/microtubule TACs enable polymerizing ends to push and depolymerizing ends to pull membranes into thin tubular extensions and networks at fast velocities.
Consumer-directed health care.

A diverse group of business leaders and public officials intends to radically transform the physician's role. To motivate patients to take charge of their own care, they're aiming for a wholesale shift of medical costs to consumers. Dr. M. Gregg Bloche discusses the implications of this shift.
Statistical evaluation of data allocation optimization techniques with application to computer integrated manufacturing

A statistical approach is used to analyze the performance of data allocation optimization techniques in distributed computer systems. This approach is applied to a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) system with hierarchical control constraints. The performance of some existing general purpose optimization techniques are compared with heuristics specifically developed for allocating data in a CIM system. Data allocation optimization techniques were actually implemented and performance was evaluated for a 250 node apparel CIM factory. The specific issues addressed include: (1) solution quality in terms of the minimum system wide input/output (I/O) task operating cost, (2) the probability of finding a better solution, (3) the performance of optimization heuristics in terms of their figure-of-merit, and (4) the impact of I/O task activation scenarios on the choice of an optimization technique for solving the CIM data allocation problem. >
Computed chest tomography in the evaluation of hemoptysis. Impact on diagnosis and treatment.

The results of computed chest tomograms (CT) and chest roentgenograms (CR) were compared in 32 patients who presented with hemoptysis. The CT demonstrated roentgenographic abnormalities more often than CR (p
The Tropical Precipitation Response to Andes Topography and Ocean Heat Fluxes in an Aquaplanet Model

This aquaplanet modeling study using the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Atmospheric Model, version 2.1 (GFDL AM2.1), examines how ocean energy transport and topography influence the location of tropical precipitation. Addingrealistic Andes topographyregionally displaces tropical rainfallfromthe equator into the Northern Hemisphere, even when the wind‐evaporation feedback is disabled. The relative importance of the Andes compared to the asymmetric hemispheric heating of the atmosphere by ocean transport is examined by including idealized and realistic zonally averaged surface heat fluxes (also known as q fluxes) in the slab ocean. A hemispherically asymmetric q flux displaces the tropical rainfall toward the hemisphere receiving the greatest heating by the ocean. The zonal-mean displacement of rainfall is greater in simulations with a realistic q flux than with a realistic Andes topography. Simulations that add both a q flux and topography displace rainfallfarthertothenorthintheregion1208tothewestoftheAndesthaninsimulationsthatonlyhaveaqflux. Cloud and clear-sky radiative feedbacks in the tropics and subtropics of this model both act to amplify the energy flux and the precipitation response to a given hemispheric asymmetry in oceanic forcing.
Mechanics of Earth Fissures Using the Mohr-Coulomb Failure Criterion

Earth fissures are approximately vertical cracks in the ground. They are caused by natural events such as earthquakes or by human activities such as groundwater level decline due to pumping. The latter has become a major worldwide issue in areas where groundwater is pumped for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use. Various theories, mostly conceptual, have been proposed to describe the formation of earth fissures due to groundwater level decline. Here a new theory is proposed for earth fissure formation in an unconfined aquifer based on fundamental soil mechanics principles, continuum mechanics, and fluid flow in porous media. This theory shows that the most efficient mechanism for earth fissure formation is a combination of bending and shearing. An earth fissure can form at the surface and propagate downwards or it can form beneath the surface and propagate upwards. The cause of earth fissure formation in the sediments within the aquifer differs from that of sediments above the aquifer. Earth fissures are initiated in aquifer sediments from bending and shear failure on vertical planes. Earth fissures are initiated in the sediments above the aquifer when the shear strains cause the soil to fail along vertical planes. Geological discontinuities are the preferred location for the formation of earth fissures. The findings from this model are in contrast to current conceptual models, which are based on tensile strains observed in existing earth fissures.
Veto Rhetoric and Legislative Riders

Riders to appropriations bills have long been a favorite congressional instrument for forcing presidents to accept unwanted policies. To resist unwanted riders, presidents have increasingly resorted to veto threats. Are such threats credible, and do they influence legislation? To answer these questions, we analyze the legislative histories of hundreds of threatened and unthreatened riders from 1985 through 2008. We find that threats are effective in bringing the final legislation closer to the president's preferences. Threats achieve their success, in large part, by interrupting the textbook legislative process in the Senate-spawning filibusters, prompting leaders to punt bills to conference, and encouraging the use of other 'unorthodox' procedures. Unlike conventional models that regard veto threats as minimally effective, the findings presented here depict veto rhetoric as integral to identifying critical riders separating the legislative parties that must be resolved in order to avoid gridlock and pass annual appropriations legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Social Accounts in Conflict Situations: Using Explanations to Manage Conflict

Considerable attention has been given to different behavioral strategies of conflict management (e.g., avoidance, compromise, collaboration). However, conflict theory and research has overlooked a simple, but effective strategy for managing conflict: the use of social accounts or explanations. In this paper, we review the literature on the use of social accounts in conflict situations and find it supports the argument that social accounts can be an effective conflict- management strategy. Based on this analysis, we propose several promising directions for future theory development and research concerning the role of social accounts in conflict situations. In addition, we identify tradeoffs and dilemmas created when social accounts are used to manage conflict.
Anistreplase: A Novel Thrombolytic Agent for Acute Myocardial Infarction

Anistreplase, a modified congener of streptokinase, is a recently approved thrombolytic agent used in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Clinical studies have demonstrated anistreplase to be equally efficacious as intracoronary streptokinase when given within four hours of the onset of chest pain. Thirty units, given as a single bolus intravenous injection, result in reperfusion rates of approximately 60-70 percent. The adverse-effect profile of anistreplase compares favorably with that of streptokinase, with hemorrhagic complications being the most serious. Anistreplase has two distinct advantages over both streptokinase and alteplase: (1) it can be administered as a single bolus intravenous injection and (2) it has a longer half-life which may result in decreased reocclusion rates. Anistreplase therapy is associated with reductions in both short- and long-term mortality and has been shown to preserve left ventricular function. A large, long-term, comparative clinical trial (Third International Study of Infarct Survival or ISIS-III) investigating morbidity and mortality rates with streptokinase, alteplase, and anistreplase is ongoing, as is a direct comparative study against alteplase alone (TEAM-3, Multicenter Thrombolytic Trials of Eminase in Acute Myocardial Infarction).
The Constraining Power of International Treaties

We acknowledge the contribution of von Stein (2005) in calling attention to the very real problem of selection bias in estimating treaty effects. Nonetheless, we dispute both von Stein’s theoretical and empirical conclusions. Theoretically, we contend that treaties can both screen and constrain simultaneously, meaning that findings of screening do nothing to undermine the claim that treaties constrain state behavior as well. Empirically, we question von Stein’s estimator on several grounds, including its strong distributional assumptions and its statistical inconsistency. We then illustrate that selection bias does not account for much of the difference between Simmons’ (2000) and von Stein’s (2005) estimated treaty effects, and instead reframe the problem as one of model dependency. Using a preprocessing matching step to reduce that dependency, we then illustrate treaty effects that are both substantively and statistically significant - and that are quite close in magnitude to those reported by Simmons (2000).
Synthesis and Regeneration of Sustainable CaO Sorbents from Chicken Eggshells for Enhanced Carbon Dioxide Capture

Eggshell waste, which contains 95% calcium carbonate (CaCO3), presents itself as an inexpensive calcium-based sorbent for removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) in combustion streams used to generate electricity. The utilization of eggshell waste in CO2 capture via cyclic carbonation-calcination reactions (CCR) was investigated in this work. Using thermogravimetric analysis, the CO2 capture capacity for multiple acetic acid pretreated eggshell samples was studied. This pretreatement generates a mesoporous structure, allowing the eggshell-derived sorbent to reach higher conversions over more CCR cycles while also removing the eggshell’s protein-rich membrane. Six acetic acid treatments were also explored for regeneration of spent sorbents after multiple cycles. The regeneration of spent sorbents with acetic acid provided a 38% improvement in CaO conversion over untreated shells after ten cycles. The eggshell membrane contained highly valuable Type X collagen, which can be recovered through the course of shell pre...
Association of Serum Phosphate Levels and Anemia in Critically Ill Surgical Patients

Background: Deranged serum phosphate (Phos) levels are associated with anemia in hospitalized patients, but their relevance to critical illness is unclear. Therefore, our goal was to investigate whether abnormal Phos on admission to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with anemia. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of data from an ongoing study of nutrition in critical illness. Serum Phos and hemoglobin levels were obtained at ICU admission. Normal Phos was defined as 2.5–4.0 mg/dL. To investigate the association between Phos and anemia, we performed logistic regression analyses, while controlling for age, sex, race, body mass index, Nutrition Risk Screening score, Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index, creatinine, mean corpuscular volume, and serum albumin. Results: In total, 510 patients comprised the analytic cohort; 62% were anemic, 30% had Phos >4.0 mg/dL, and 14% had levels <2.5 mg/dL. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated each unit increment in Phos was asso...
Antimicrobial Activity of Silver Ions Released from Zeolites Immobilized on Cellulose Nanofiber Mats

In this study, we exploit the high silver ion exchange capability of Linde Type A (LTA) zeolites and present, for the first time, electrospun nanofiber mats decorated with in-house synthesized silver (Ag+) ion exchanged zeolites that function as molecular delivery vehicles. LTA-Large zeolites with a particle size of 6.0 μm were grown on the surface of the cellulose nanofiber mats, whereas LTA-Small zeolites (0.2 μm) and three-dimensionally ordered mesoporous-imprinted (LTA-Meso) zeolites (0.5 μm) were attached to the surface of the cellulose nanofiber mats postsynthesis. After the three zeolite/nanofiber mat assemblies were ion-exchanged with Ag+ ions, their ion release profiles and ability to inactivate Escherichia coli (E. coli) K12 were evaluated as a function of time. LTA-Large zeolites immobilized on the nanofiber mats displayed more than an 11 times greater E. coli K12 inactivation than the Ag-LTA-Large zeolites that were not immobilized on the nanofiber mats. This study demonstrates that by decorat...
Synthesizing union tables from the web

Several recent works have focused on harvesting HTML tables from the Web and recovering their semantics [Cafarella et al., 2008a; Elmeleegy et al., 2009; Limaye et al., 2010; Venetis et al., 2011]. As a result, hundreds of millions of high quality structured data tables can now be explored by the users. In this paper, we argue that those efforts only scratch the surface of the true value of structured data on the Web, and study the challenging problem of synthesizing tables from the Web, i.e., producing never-before-seen tables from raw tables on the Web. Table synthesis offers an important semantic advantage: when a set of related tables are combined into a single union table, powerful mechanisms, such as temporal or geographical comparison and visualization, can be employed to understand and mine the underlying data holistically. We focus on one fundamental task of table synthesis, namely, table stitching. Within a given site, many tables with identical schemas can be scattered across many pages. The task of table stitching involves combining such tables into a single meaningful union table and identifying extra attributes and values for its rows so that rows from different original tables can be distinguished. Specifically, we first define the notion of stitchable tables and identify collections of tables that can be stitched. Second, we design an effective algorithm for extracting hidden attributes that are essential for the stitching process and for aligning values of those attributes across tables to synthesize new columns. We also assign meaningful names to these synthesized columns. Experiments on real world tables demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
The ethics of genetic counseling.

Amniocentesis was developed as a therapeutically-oriented procedure, and still is when performed in the third trimester of pregnancy. But mid-trimester amniocentesis (14th to 18th week) is at present applied only for eugenic reasons: (1) to determine the sex of the baby, (2) to diagnose the presence and nature of a chromosomal disorder, (3) to diagnose an inborn error of metabolism by an appropriate enzyme assay on cells cultured from amniocentesis-obtained fluid. Since most of the diseases that can be diagnosed in this way are not treatable as yet, antenatal diagnosis is used only to inform the parents and/or facilitate selective abortion of defective babies or carriers. It is obvious that ethical principles must be applied to human acts such as these. These principles applied depend on the philosophical and religious views one brings to bear on such problems. It is suggested that standards derived from a secular humanist philosophy, such as the ‘good’ of society, familial or parental ‘good’, a ‘natural’ standard such as ‘quality of life’, are all inadequate and indeed dangerous. The argument is presented that these grave issues can safely be resolved only in an ethical system that is based on optimal value judgements; they will be optimal if they are informed by a sound metaphysics of being, and suffused by the light of a vision of man derived from Divinely-revealed truth as transmitted chiefly by the teaching authority of the Church founded by God.
Bi-Modal Logics and Their Arithmetic Interpretations

If we have a metamathematical predicate other than provability, yet strong enough (if “strong” is the right word) to satisfy the axioms of PRL, then some of our preceding modal analysis carries over from Pr(·) to the predicate in question. It could happen that the analogue to Solovay’s First Completeness Theorem holds, i.e. that PRL is the logic of the given predicate, or it could happen that additional axioms are required and one must find these and prove completeness. This last is important if we wish to obtain applications like those we made of Solovay’s Second Completeness Theorem in Chapter 3, section 2, above. Even without this, however, we have some applications— particularly, the explicit definability and uniqueness of the fixed points.
Performance of the multi-carrier LMDS system at the 28 GHz radio frequency band

The millimeter wavelength local multipoint distribution system (LMDS) has been proposed as a wireless access solution for high speed data service distribution to homes and small businesses. In this paper, a low cost multi-carrier LMDS system operating at the 28 GHz radio frequency band is investigated. The system uses adaptive code modulation of OFDM at PHY layer and contention based collision avoidance at MAC layer. An efficient cross layer link adaptation control scheme is proposed to increase the system's efficiency, and to mitigate the effects of fading environment. The LMDS system performance is evaluated by mathematical analysis and numeric simulations. The purpose of this study is to create a framework for designing a robust, high data rate, low cost, and reliable millimeter wavelength wireless access system.
Epqxy Mica Mat ™ Class F stator ground wall insulation by Canadian general electric — Manufacture and quality assurance

Successful manufacture of modern thermosetting Class F epoxy Mica Mat high voltage stator winding ground insulation for hydrogenerators requires rigorous attention to material input, manufacturing process detail and quality assurance. The CGE manufacturing process is described while the quality assurance program is highlighted.
The Inequity of Bariatric Surgery: Publicly Insured Patients Undergo Lower Rates of Bariatric Surgery with Worse Outcomes.

Bariatric surgery has been shown to be the most effective method of achieving weight loss and alleviating obesity-related comorbidities. Yet, it is not being used equitably. This study seeks to identify if there is a disparity in payer status of patients undergoing bariatric surgery and what factors are associated with this disparity. We performed a case-control analysis of National Inpatient Sample. We identified adults with body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25 kg/m2 who underwent bariatric surgery and matched them with overweight inpatient adult controls not undergoing surgery. The sample was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. We identified 132,342 cases, in which the majority had private insurance (72.8%). Bariatric patients were significantly more likely to be privately insured than any other payer status; Medicare- and Medicaid-covered patients accounted for a low percentage of cases (Medicare 5.1%, OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.29–0.37, p < 0.001; Medicaid 8.7%, OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.18–0.25, p < 0.001). Medicare (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.33–1.78, p < 0.001) and Medicaid (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.08–1.60, p = 0.007) patients undergoing bariatric surgery had an increased risk of complications compared to privately insured patients. Publicly insured patients are significantly less likely to undergo bariatric surgery. As a group, these patients experience higher rates of obesity and related complications and thus are most in need of bariatric surgery.
Empowering a gait feature-rich timed-up-and-go system for complex ecological environments

Identifying fall risk can prevent injuries in the elderly as well as reduce the related financial burden. A balance assessment, Timed Up and Go (TUG), has been widely applied to estimate fall risk. However, the standardized TUG usually excludes complex factors (e.g. slopes and obstacles) falling short of representing challenges in environments that many older adults navigate. Having information on the motor performance in more complex settings can better inform clinicians about an individual's risk of falling. To this end, we present Smart Insole TUG (SITUG), a cost-efficient, real-time and self-assessment system suitable for the complex environmental TUG. Based on the human stride mechanism, our SITUG educes four refined aspects in the gait feature and segments the TUG process by six detailed phases, providing accurate and advanced information for the fall risk estimation. We evaluate the system with four complex environmental TUG. The results show that the SITUG achieves mean accuracy 94.1% in extracting subcomponents within a stride and 93.13% in deriving the stride length based on the verification of estimated walking distance. Moreover, this system can distinguish six TUG phases with the correctness around 90%.
The Heisenberg Group

One of the big contributions of E. M. Stein is the development of harmonic analysis on the Heisenberg group. In a fundamental joint paper with G. B. Folland, Stein laid all the groundwork for this study. In this chapter we reproduce and develop some of that groundwork. We contrast classical analysis on Euclidean space with the new analysis on the Heisenberg group.
The effect of images of Michelle Obama's face on trick-or-treaters' dietary choices: A randomized control trial.

Objective To evaluate the microfoundations of a personality-inspired public health campaign’s influence on minors. Design Multi-year randomized control trial. Setting Economics professor’s front porch in New Haven, CT. Participants 1223 trick-or-treaters in New Haven over three years; on average, 8.5 years old and 53% male (among children whose gender was identifiable). Eligibility Trick-or-treaters over the age of three that approached the house. Intervention Random assignment to the Michelle Obama side of the porch or the Comparison side of the porch. Main outcome measure Selection of fruit over candy. Methods Difference-in-means estimates. Results We estimate that viewing a photograph of Michelle Obama’s face relative to control conditions caused children to be 19% more likely to choose fruit over candy. Conclusions Michelle Obama’s initiative to reduce childhood obesity has influenced children’s dietary preferences. Whether this influence extends beyond Halloween trick-or-treating in New Haven, CT on the porch of an economics professor requires further research.
“You Had to Have Been There”: The Importance of Place in Teaching Jewish History and Literature

Place matters, and this essay explores how living and studying at Yarnton Manor, Oxford, has impacted my teaching. The (obscured) history of Oxford Jews becomes real when one lives in the history of the Jews. For instance, medieval Jews are both present and absent in modern Oxford: the Oxford Jewish cemetery was established in the twelfth century, but its memory is marked only by a plaque on the Botanic Garden’s gates. The story of this site mirrors others in England and throughout Europe. The importance of place and on-the-ground experiences are important to identity and collective memory both in the Middle Ages and in the now. Identity and collective memory are important themes not only in medieval courses but also in courses addressing modern topics.
Exclusive diffractive results from ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, TOTEM at the LHC

In this report, we describe the most recent on exclusive diffraction from the ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, TOTEM experiments at the LHC
Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a localized disease for the majority of patients. However, local or distant relapse presents a major health burden for a number of men each year. Androgen deprivation therapy is the cornerstone of therapy, and new-generation hormonal treatment has been introduced in the past years. Recent large-scale genomic studies have been performed utilizing metastatic biopsies from heavily treated patients and elucidated upon alterations in this patient cohort. Much less is known about molecular alterations in untreated metastatic prostate cancer. This chapter aims to explore mechanism of metastatic spread to lymph node and bone and to highlight the molecular characteristics of hormone-naive metastatic prostate cancer.
Shakespeare, Music And Performance

This volume represents work presented at, or inspired by, a 2013 weekend conference of the same name, conducted at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Co-editor Bill Barclay is the Director of Music for t...
Coplanar waveguide-based lowpass filters with non-uniform signal trace and ground planes

In this paper, we propose a new and systematic methodology for the design of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) low pass filter (LPF). The widths of the signal trace and adjacent ground planes are continuously varied based on an optimization process to obtain predefined electrical characteristics taking into account physical constraints. A non-uniform CPW LPF with a 3.5 GHz cutoff frequency is designed, analytically verified, and simulated. Simulation results show input port matching, S11, better than −10 dB and transmission parameter, S21, in the order of −0.2 dB in the passband.
An Account of Coherence, Semantic Relations, Metonymy, and Lexical Ambiguity Resolution

Publisher Summary This chapter defines the relationship between the resolution of lexical ambiguity, semantic relations, and metonymy within an account of coherence. Coherence is the synergism of knowledge, where synergism is the interaction of two or more discrete agencies to achieve an effect of which none is individually capable. Semantic relations and metonymy are instances of coherence and coherence is also used in resolving lexical ambiguity. This account of coherence, semantic relations, metonymy and lexical ambiguity resolution is embodied in Collative Semantics (CS). The four components of CS are sense-frames, collation, semantic vectors, and screening. Sense-frames are the knowledge representation scheme and represent individual word-senses. Collation matches the sense-frames of two word-senses, finds any metonymies between the sense-frames of the word-senses, and also discriminates the semantic relations between the word-senses as a complex system of mappings between their sense-frames. Semantic vectors represent systems of mappings produced by collation and therefore the semantic relations are encoded in those mappings.
Long-Range Electron and Energy Transfer in Molecular Assemblies

Long-range photoinduced electron and energy transfer are being explored in molecular assemblies of soluble polymers and peptides.
Mathematica simulation of circular synthetic aperture acoustic imaging

A Mathematica simulation will simulate circular synthetic aperture radar (CSAR) and its acoustic counterpart (CSAA). Two-dimensional and three-dimensional point targets will be imaged from echoes collected by a co-located transmitter/receiver moving along a circular track above the target plane. Previous work involved a Mathematica® (ver. 11) simulation of Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS). This simulation demonstrated how two-dimensional and three-dimensional point targets on a ground plane can be imaged from a collection of acoustic echoes using stripped-map geometry or a straight line track with a co-located transmitter/receiver element. The backprojection algorithm is used in both imaging geometries to construct a reflectance image of positioned point targets. The upcoming simulation will provide a comparison between circular track geometry and stripped-map straight line geometry.A Mathematica simulation will simulate circular synthetic aperture radar (CSAR) and its acoustic counterpart (CSAA). Two-dimensional and three-dimensional point targets will be imaged from echoes collected by a co-located transmitter/receiver moving along a circular track above the target plane. Previous work involved a Mathematica® (ver. 11) simulation of Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS). This simulation demonstrated how two-dimensional and three-dimensional point targets on a ground plane can be imaged from a collection of acoustic echoes using stripped-map geometry or a straight line track with a co-located transmitter/receiver element. The backprojection algorithm is used in both imaging geometries to construct a reflectance image of positioned point targets. The upcoming simulation will provide a comparison between circular track geometry and stripped-map straight line geometry.
Teaching Performance Practice: Using Experiential Observation to Access and Develop a Practice of Performance.

My research on the choreographic combination of jazz dance movement vocabularies with minimalist choreographic constructs has led to many pedagogical advances in my undergraduate-level jazz dance c...
Factors impacting physician use of information charted by others.

Objectives To identify factors impacting physician use of information charted by others. Materials and methods A 4-round Delphi process was conducted with physicians and non-physicians publishing in the healthcare data quality literature to identify and characterize factors impacting physician use of information charted by others (other people or devices), either within or external to their organization. Factors with high average importance and reliability were categorized according to similarity of topic. Results Thirty-nine factors were ultimately identified as impacting physician use of information charted by others. Five categories of factors included aspects of: the information source, the information itself, the information user, the information system, and aspects of healthcare as an institution. In addition, 4 themes were identified: (1) value of narrative text in providing context, (2) importance of mental models and personal heuristics in deciding whether, and how to use information, (3) loss of confidence in, and decreased use of information due to errors encountered, and (4) existence of a trust hierarchy potentially influencing information use. Discussion Five similarly focused studies have recently probed clinician willingness to use information in decision-making. Our results mostly confirmed factors identified by prior studies, and uniquely identified aspects of the information user as important. Conclusion According to the participants in this study, information quality is prominent among factors impacting physician use of information charted by others. Based on this and similar studies, it appears that despite concerns about information quality, physicians use information charted by others.