cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
User-Centered Design and Usability Testing of an Innovative Health-Related Quality of Life Module

Objectives: Various computerized health risk appraisals (HRAs) are available, but few of them assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a goal-directed framework. This study describes the user-centered development and usability testing of an innovative HRQoL module that extends a validated HRA tool in primary care settings. Methods: Systematic user-centered design, usability testing, and qualitative methods were used to develop the HRQoL module in primary care practices. Twenty two patients and 5 clinicians participated in two rounds of interactive technology think-out-loud sessions (TOLs) and semi-structured interviews (SSIs) to iteratively develop a four-step, computerized process that collects information on patient goals for meaningful life activities and current level of disability and presents a personalized and prioritized list of preventive recommendations linked to online resources. Results: Analysis of TOLs and SSIs generated 5 categories and 11 sub-categories related to facilitators and barriers to usability and human-technology interaction. The categories included: Understanding the Purpose, Usability, Perceived Value, Literacy, and Participant Motivation. Some categories were inter-connected. The technology was continually and iteratively improved between sessions until saturation of positive feedback was achieved in 4 categories (addressing motivation will require more research). Usability of all screen units of the module was improved substantially. Clinician feedback emphasized the importance of the module’s ability to translate the patient-centered HRQoL Report into actionable items for clinicians to facilitate shared decision-making. Complete integration of the HRQoL module into the existing HRA will require further development and testing. Conclusions: Systematic application of user-centered design and human factors principles in technology development and testing may significantly improve the usability and clinical value of health information systems. This more sophisticated approach helped us translate complex clinical concepts, goal-setting steps, and decision-support processes into an accepted and value-added technology.
Self-insurance by small scale cogenerators against the ratchet demand effect

This paper develops a simulation model useful for investigating the dollar pool requirements of 20 companies who want to protect themselves from a series of large expenditures that will eventually occur. The time is uncertain. The contribution to a pool by the 20 companies is similar to an insurance arrangement. It permits a regular contribution instead of a catastrophic amount occasionally. The simulation provides dollar requirements of the pool. This paper does not extend these requirements to a determination of the monthly contributions that each pool participant should make.
Elevated-temperature creep strength of LiFeO2, LiCoO2 and NiO-5(at.%)Li2O

Abstract The elevated-temperature creep strength of several alternative cathode materials (LiFeO 2 and LiCoO 2 , both pure and doped) for potential use in molten carbonate fuel cells was compared to the currently used Li (1–5 at%)-doped NiO. It was observed that at 1000 °C, LiFeO 2 , LiFeO 2 -12.5 at% NiO, LiFeO 2 -9 at% MgO and LiCoO 2 have a lower strength than NiO-5 at% Li 2 O.
Cortona Colloquium: Strikes, Social Conflict, and World War I

An international colloquium, "Strikes, Social Conflict and World War I: Ita ly, France, Germany, Russia, Great Britain," was held at Cortona, Italy, from June 9 through June 13, 1986. The primary sponsor of the colloquium was the Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli. Leopold Haimson of both the Harriman Institute of Columbia University and the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, and Giulio Sapelli of the Fondazione Feltrinelli, opened the scholarly delibera tions. Fifty people were in attendance, thirty of whom gave papers. Each par ticipant spoke in his or her native language; simultaneous translation was pro vided. Because the papers had been submitted beforehand, each participant presented a fifteen-minute summary at the appropriate session. The summa ries were followed by discussion. Originally, sessions on the following topics had been planned: Compara tive Studies; Strikes; Politics and Revolution; State Policy and Social Conflict; Territory and Industrial Sectors. However, once the colloquium was con vened, it seemed more appropriate to organize the sessions around the five countries involved. The papers, nevertheless, reflected a concern with various aspects of the original topics. Several major themes were examined by the colloquium. One issue about which the body could not agree was whether or not all strikes are political in character. Some maintained that all strikes are political, whereas others main tained that some are purely economic. It was concluded that strikes are one of an arsenal of weapons that the claimants have available to them. The conse quences of the claims can vary considerably from one circumstance to another. In many European countries, strikes have served as a warning, as a way of demonstrating that thousands support a particular cause. Addressing the question of how strike statistics are to be assessed in terms of measuring unrest and protest, it was concluded that they are a product of interaction: in the long run, they represent the residue of what has not been agreed to through the bargaining process between capitalists, workers, and the managers of the state. Most strikes that could have happened did not happen because demands were dealt with in other ways. It was agreed that it is not pos sible to isolate strikes from the rest of the continuum of the other activities of
Factors that Motivated Individuals who Successfully Made Dietary Changes

Abstract Individuals attempting to make dietary changes often succeed only after numerous failed attempts. Understanding why certain attempts are successful may increase the ability of nutrition educators to plan effective programs. The Patterns of Dietary Change Study, an exploratory investigation, was conducted with 145 individuals who had decreased their dietary fat by at least five percent of their total energy intake for five or more years. 64.8% of these participants had made at least one failed attempt prior to successfully altering their dietary patterns. When asked: "What made this time different?" responses indicated internal rationales (directed from within), external rationales (affected by something) and procedural differences (used a different approach). The most common responses were: weight gain (12.8%), group support (10.6%), change in family structure (9.6%), increased knowledge/awareness (8.5%) and age related realizations (8.5%). All 145 participants were asked "were there any specific events or people who motivated you to start changing when you did?" Weight (46.9%), increased education (31%) and the desire to feel better/be healthy (43%) were the common answers. Insights into factors that motivate dietary change provide nutrition educators with ideas and opportunities that may increase intervention success.
Glioblastoma stem cells and stem cell-targeting immunotherapies

Advancements in immunotherapeutics promise new possibilities for the creation of glioblastoma (GBM) treatment options. Ongoing work in cancer stem cell biology has progressively elucidated the role of this tumor sub-population in oncogenesis and has distinguished them as prime therapeutic targets. Current clinical trials take a multifaceted approach with the intention of harnessing the intrinsic cytotoxic capabilities of the immune system to directly target glioblastoma cancer stem cells (gCSC) or indirectly disrupt their stromal microenvironment. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), dendritic cell (DC) vaccines, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies have emerged as the most common approaches, with particular iterations incorporating cancer stem cell antigenic markers in their treatment designs. Ongoing work to determine the comprehensive antigenic profile of the gCSC in conjunction with efforts to counter the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment holds much promise in future immunotherapeutic strategies against GBM. Given recent advancements in these fields, we believe there is tremendous potential to improve outcomes of GBM patients in the continuing evolution of immunotherapies targeted to cancer stem cell populations in GBM.
Insulin-stimulated protein kinase activity in rat skeletal muscle that phosphorylates ribosomal protein S6.

Summary Treatment of rats with a single high dose of insulin leads to rapid stimulation of cytosolic protein kinase activity in skeletal muscle that phosphorylates ribosomal protein S6. This stimulation is maximal within 15 minutes after insulin treatment, and the activity remains elevated for at least 90 minutes. The insulin-stimulated protein kinase activity elutes as two peaks from DEAE-Sepharose. Peak I elutes at 0.04–0.06 M KCl and is stimulated by insulin approximately 1.4-fold above the control. Peak II elutes at 0.09–0.11 M KCl and is stimulated 2.8-fold above the control. The peak II activity, which is most strongly stimulated by insulin, is resolved from cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase on DEAE-Sepharose and appears to be distinct from protein kinase C. These results represent a novel finding of the stimulation of S6 kinase activity by insulin in skeletal muscle tissue in vivo .
On averaged Eshelby tensors and bounds of periodic composites with cuboidal inclusions

Abstract The paper presents bounds of overall moduli of periodic composites, where inclusions are shaped as parallelepipeds in three dimensions or as rectangles in the plane case. Results are given for simple orthorhombic, body-centred (b.c.) as well as face-centred (f.c.) orthorhombic arrangements of inclusions. The components of the averaged Eshelby tensors of periodic structures have to be evaluated from infinite sums. Here, these components are given in a form, which affords considerably less computational effort compared to a straightforward summation. Overall moduli are obtained by the method of eigenstrains, which are taken as constant within the inclusion. Comparison with more refined solutions shows that this kind of simple approximation leads to sufficient accuracy even for high volume fractions of inclusions. Examples show bounds for different volume fractions and for different ratios of shear moduli. In the results of b.c. or of f.c. distributions possible intersections of inclusions are also taken into account.
Use of RecA fusion proteins to induce genomic modifications in zebrafish

The bacterial recombinase RecA forms a nucleic acid-protein filament on single-stranded (ss) DNA during the repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) that efficiently undergoes a homology search and engages in pairing with the complementary DNA sequence. We utilized the pairing activity of RecA-DNA filaments to tether biochemical activities to specific chromosomal sites. Different filaments with chimeric RecA proteins were tested for the ability to induce loss of heterozygosity at the golden locus in zebrafish after injection at the one-cell stage. A fusion protein between RecA containing a nuclear localization signal (NLS) and the DNA-binding domain of Gal4 (NLS-RecA-Gal4) displayed the most activity. Our results demonstrate that complementary ssDNA filaments as short as 60 nucleotides coated with NLS-RecA-Gal4 protein are able to cause loss of heterozygosity in ~3% of the injected embryos. We demonstrate that lesions in ~9% of the F0 zebrafish are transmitted to subsequent generations as large chromosomal deletions. Co-injection of linear DNA with the NLS-RecA-Gal4 DNA filaments promotes the insertion of the DNA into targeted genomic locations. Our data support a model whereby NLS-RecA-Gal4 DNA filaments bind to complementary target sites on chromatin and stall DNA replication forks, resulting in a DNA DSB.
Incarnations and Practices of Feminine Rectitude: Nineteenth-Century Gymnastics for U.S. Women

Between 1830--1870, a number of influential texts promoting gymnastics deemed appropriate for U.S. women claimed that those exercise regimes would cultivate feminine rectitude along postural, moral, and procedural lines. In doing so, while promising at once to straighten women's spines, to increase their chest size as well as their lung capacities, and to foster beauty and grace, those discourses promoted a female figure that stood in direct opposition to contemporary representations of incapable housekeepers and useless invalids. Many gymnastics regimens thus functioned as disciplinary mechanisms that sought to forge docile bodies, to infuse those bodies with (disciplinary) temporality, to encourage habits of precision, system, and order, and to cultivate postures and sensibilities of feminine rectitude that would reconcile (true) women with conceptions of domesticity that required them to conceal the strains of their duties. Those gymnastics systems, then, encouraged U.S. women and girls to refigure their physiques and their identities as social subjects: to materially constitute themselves in clearly identifiable ways as healthy, pious, and thus authentically true women who had inherited crucial traits of Republican Motherhood.
Fluorescence and the structure of proteins. I. Effects of substituents on the fluorescence of indole and phenol compounds.

Abstract The quantum efficiency of fluorescence was measured for simple derivatives of indole and phenol and for tryptophyl and tyrosyl residues in peptides and proteins. Fluorescence of these compounds decreased as the electronegativity of substituents increased. In proteins, one strongly electronegative structure is the peptide bond. It is proposed that the observed, low fluorescence of tryptophyl and tyrosyl residues in proteins is attributable in large measure to the presence of this bond.
The Extraordinary “Superthin” Spiral Galaxy UGC 7321. I. Disk Color Gradients and Global Properties from Multiwavelength Observations

We present B- and R-band optical imaging and photometry, Hα narrowband imaging, near-infrared H-band imaging, and H I 21 cm spectroscopy of the nearby (Vh = 407 km s-1), Sd spiral galaxy UGC 7321. UGC 7321 exhibits a remarkably thin stellar disk with no discernible bulge component. The galaxy has a very diffuse, low surface brightness disk, which appears to suffer relatively little internal extinction in spite of its nearly edge-on geometry (i ≈ 88°). If seen face-on, UGC 7321 would have an observed central B-band surface brightness of only ~23.4 mag arcsec-2. The UGC 7321 disk shows significant B-R color gradients in both the radial and vertical directions: Δ(B-R) ≥ 0.80 mag along the galaxy major axis, and Δ(B-R) as large as 0.45 mag is observed parallel to the galaxy minor axis. These color gradients cannot be explained solely by dust and are indicative of changes in the mix of stellar ages and/or metallicity as a function of both radius and height above the galaxy plane. The outer regions of the UGC 7321 disk are too blue to be explained by low metallicity alone (B-R ≤ 0.6) and must be relatively young. However, the galaxy also contains stellar populations with B-R > 1.1, indicating it is not a young or recently formed galaxy. The disk of UGC 7321 is not a simple exponential but exhibits a light excess at small radii, as well as distinct surface brightness zones. Despite its organized disk structure, many of the global properties of UGC 7321 (MB = -17.0; = 1.1 × 109; /LB = 1.1 M⊙/L⊙; W20 = 233 km s-1; hr = 2.1 kpc) are reminiscent of a dwarf galaxy. Together the properties of UGC 7321 imply that it is an underevolved galaxy in both a dynamical and in a star formation sense.
Steady‐state analysis of emulsion polymerisation in a seeded, continuous stirred‐ tank reactor

A steady-state model is presented for emulsion polymerisation in a continuous stirredtank reactor (CSTR) which is fed with a narrow particle-size seed latex. The rather general kinetic model of Ugelstad et al1,5 for monodisperse particles is applied to the polymerisation among latexes of broad particle size distribution in a CSTR. The model accounts for free radical absorption and desorption from the latex particles, for termination in the particles and the water phase, and for polymerisation within the particles. Results presented include the latex particle size distributions in the CSTR effluent stream and the number of free radicals per particle, averaged over these size distributions.
Hands Free Telephone Conversations are Simplified Using New Integrated Circuits

Speakerphones wer e desi gned by Bell Labs, in the 1950's for use with their telephones in order to provide hands free operation of a telephone. The original usage ended up primarily as business applications since it was found that the concept of hands free telephones appealed to executives, and anyone who considered himself to be an executive.
Atomic size effects in Ni–Al based solid solutions

We have determined the atomic volumes of Ni, Al and Ni vacancies in NiAl by analyzing the variations of lattice parameter with composition. We have also attempted to determine the atomic size factors for the solid-solution strengthening elements: Ti, Hf, and Zr, through lattice parameter measurements of solid-solution alloys. The atomic size factor for Ti is found to be +0.34, indicating a sufficiently large size mismatch to account for significant solid-solution strengthening in this system. We calculated a similar atomic size factor of +0.27 for Ti using lattice parameters that had been computed from first-principles. Lattice contractions and negative atomic size factors were observed for Hf and Zr-containing alloys, suggesting the presence of trapped vacancies. Annealing and slow-cooling experiments minimized these lattice contractions and supported the trapped vacancy hypothesis. Using the approximation that the NiAl(Hf, Zr) lattice parameters vary linearly with composition out to the Heusler phase boundary, we determined size factors of Hf and Zr to be +0.57 and +0.65, respectively.
Transformation of Enterobacter gergoviae Isolated from Pink Bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Gut with Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin

Production of molecules with toxic activity by genetically transformed symbiotic bacteria of pest insects may serve as a powerful approach to biological control. The symbiont, Enterobacter gergoviae, isolated from the gut of the pink bollworm (PBW), has been transformed to express Cyt1A, a cytolytic protein toxin lethal to mosquito and black fly larvae, as a model system. These transgenic bacteria might be used to spread genes encoding insecticidal proteins to populations of agricultural insects or as replacement for chemical insecticides such as malathion used in bait formulation to control specific insect pests, because of extreme public pressure against organophosphate pesticide spraying.
Five-Factor Model facets differentially predict in-the-moment affect and cognitions

Abstract The facets of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality are presumed to represent distinct, biologically-based tendencies to act, think, and behave; yet they have received little behaviorally-based empirical validation. In this study, FFM facets were used to examine individual differences in affective and cognitive responses to stressors as they are experienced in daily life. Participants ( N = 79) completed the NEO-PI-R followed by a week-long experience sampling procedure. As expected, hierarchical linear modeling showed that FFM facets captured affective and cognitive tendencies that were missed at the domain level. They additionally demonstrated convergent and divergent validity in predicting momentary affect. These results provide evidence that facets are distinct, non-interchangeable predictors of daily thoughts and emotions.
Wisdom and Suprasensible Knowledge in Bovelles' De Sapiente

Like Charles de Bovelles, wisdom has languished in obscurity throughout the reign of modern science. At present, both are gathering adherents; for example, since the first empirical study of wisdom...
Mechanisms of Resistance to Structurally Diverse Antiestrogens Differ under Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Conditions: Evidence from in Vitro Breast Cancer Cell Models

This study questioned whether the mechanisms of resistance to antiestrogens differ when acquired under premenopausal (Pre-M) vs. postmenopausal (PM) conditions and whether structurally diverse antiestrogens induce adaptation of differing signaling pathways. To address this issue, we conducted systematic studies under Pre-M vs. PM culture conditions with long-term exposure to different antiestrogens and examined the resultant “specific biologic signatures” of the various resistant cells. Estradiol stimulated growth and inhibited apoptosis of “pre-menopausal” antiestrogen-resistant cells but exerted opposite effects on their “post-menopausal” counterparts. Under Pre-M conditions, tamoxifen (TAM)-resistant cells exhibited a marked translocation of estrogen receptor α from the nucleus into the cytoplasm, whereas this occurred to a lesser extent under PM conditions. MCF-7 cells exposed to PM but not Pre-M conditions exhibited up-regulation of basal epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) levels, an effec...
Observation of superstructure formation on Rh?001? by laser-pulse assisted field evaporation

Abstract Pulsed-laser assisted field evaporation of the Rh{001} plane produces ap(2 × 2) structure. This structure can be destroyed by pulsed-laser heating the surface in the absence of an applied field, and can be restored to near perfection if the pulsed-laser heating is done in an applied field of 3 to 4 V/A. The degree of order increases with the applied electric field. The observed p(2 × 2) surface is therefore a field stabilized structure.
Three-dimensional infinite elements utilizing basis functions with compact support

Abstract In this paper improvements are made in the numerical conditioning of three-dimensional infinite element stiffness matrices by replacing the characteristic eigenfunction basis functions which have global support with basis functions which have local support and appropriate preconditioning. The conditioning and convergence properties of these new infinite elements are presented in solving three-dimensional exterior problems for the Helmholtz equation.
A direct combinatorial proof of the Jacobi identity

An alternate form of the Jacobi identity is equivalent to the assertion that the number of partitions of a Gaussian integer r + si into an odd number of distinct non-zero Gaussian integers p + qi such that ip - qi @? 1,p>=0,q>=0, is equal to the number of partitions into an even number of such integers, except when r and s are consecutive triangular numbers. A proof of this assertion is given, based on a dot diagram analogous to that used in Franklin's proof of Euler's theorem relating to the number of partitions of a natural integer into an odd and an even number of distinct parts.
Modeling in Situ Bioremediation of TCE at Savannah River: Effects of Product Toxicity and Microbial Interactions on TCE Degradation

An in situ bioremediation field demonstration was performed at the U.S. DOE's Savannah River site in 1992−1993 to remediate subsurface TCE contamination. This demonstration involved stimulating indigenous methanotrophic bacteria with injection of methane, air, and air-phase nutrients below the water table and vacuum extraction in the vadose zone. We model this field demonstration using TRAMPP, a numerical code that differs from those used in previous studies in that it includes both vadose and groundwater zones, unsteady air and water flow, limited nutrients, and airborne nutrients, in addition to toxicity, cometabolic kinetics, kinetic sorption, and predator grazing. We conclude that the total amount of TCE extracted or biodegraded in the Savannah River demonstration was about 25% higher than would have occurred by air sparging and vacuum extraction alone and that lower residual levels of TCE were achieved. Sensitivity analysis indicates that toxicity of the methanotrophs to TCE epoxides is an important ...
Structure and Orientation of T4 Lysozyme Bound to the Small Heat Shock Protein α-Crystallin

Abstract We have determined the structural changes that accompany the formation of a stable complex between a destabilized mutant of T4 lysozyme (T4L) and the small heat shock protein α-crystallin. Using pairs of fluorescence or spin label probes to fingerprint the T4L tertiary fold, we demonstrate that binding disrupts tertiary packing in the two domains as well as across the active-site cleft. Furthermore, increased distances between i and i + 4 residues of helices support a model in which the bound structure is not native-like but significantly unfolded. In the confines of the oligomer, T4L has a preferential orientation with residues in the more hydrophobic C-terminal domain sequestered in a buried environment, while residues in the N-terminal domain are exposed to the aqueous solvent. Furthermore, electron paramagnetic resonance spectral line shapes of sites in the N-terminal domain are narrower than in the folded, unbound T4L reflecting an unstructured backbone and an asymmetric pattern of contacts between T4L and α-crystallin. The net orientation is not affected by the location of the destabilizing mutation consistent with the notion that binding is not triggered by recognition of localized unfolding. Together, the structural and thermodynamic data indicate that the stably bound conformation of T4L is unfolded and support a model in which the two modes of substrate binding originate from two discrete binding sites on the chaperone.
Liver X Receptor Agonists Inhibit Cytokine-Induced Osteopontin Expression in Macrophages Through Interference With Activator Protein-1 Signaling Pathways

Osteopontin (OPN) is a proinflammatory cytokine and adhesion molecule implicated in the chemoattraction of monocytes and in cell-mediated immunity. We have recently reported that genetic OPN-deficiency attenuates the development of atherosclerosis in apoE−/− mice identifying OPN as potential target for pharmacological intervention in atherosclerosis. Synthetic agonists for the Liver X Receptor (LXR), members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, prevent the development of atherosclerosis by regulating cholesterol homeostasis and suppressing inflammatory gene expression in macrophages. We demonstrate here that LXR ligands inhibit cytokine-induced OPN expression in macrophages. Two synthetic LXR ligands, T0901317 and GW3965, inhibited TNF-α, IL-1β, INF-γ and lipopolysaccharide induced OPN mRNA and protein expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Transient transfection experiments revealed that LXR ligands suppress cytokine-induced OPN promoter activity. Deletion analysis, heterologous promoter assays, an...
Fruit Production in Mature and Recently Regenerated Forests of the Appalachians

Abstract Fleshy fruit is a key food resource for both game and nongame wildlife, and it may be especially important for migratory birds during fall and for resident birds and mammals during winter. Land managers need to know how land uses affect the quantities and species of fruit produced in different forest types and how fruit production varies seasonally and as young stands mature. During June 1999–April 2004, we quantified fleshy fruit abundance monthly in 31 0.1-ha plots in 2 silvicultural treatments: 1) young 2-age stands with low basal area retention, created by shelterwood-with-reserves regeneration cuts (R; harvested 1998–1999); and 2) uncut mature closed-canopy stands (M) in 2 common southern Appalachian, USA, forest types (upland hardwood and cove hardwood [CH] forests). Over the 5-year study period, total dry pulp biomass production was low and relatively constant in both M forest types (&#x1d465; = 0.5–2.0 kg/ha). In contrast, fruit production increased each year in R, and it was 5.0 to 19.6 times g...
The Nut-Crackers - A New Theory of the Adaptations of the Ramapithecinae

Molar enamel is thicker among frugivorous extant Old World monkeys and apes than among their folivorous close relatives. Furthermore, species that have the thickest molar enamel reportedly eat fruits, seeds, and nuts that are so hard that they cannot be broken by their sympatric thinner-enameled relatives. Species with relatively thick enamel show no tendency toward a terrestrial feeding pattern. Members of the Ramapithecinae, the stock which probably gave rise to Pliocene-Recent hominids, had very thick molar enamel. This suggests that they ate hard seeds, nuts, and fruits previously available only to arboreal rodents and forest-floor pigs. There is no reason to believe that these anatomical features had to evolve in non-rain-forest environments, as others have argued.
Variation in Vowel Duration Among Southern African American English Speakers

Purpose Atypical duration of speech segments can signal a speech disorder. In this study, we examined variation in vowel duration in African American English (AAE) relative to White American English (WAE) speakers living in the same dialect region in the South to characterize the nature of systematic variation between the 2 groups. The goal was to establish whether segmental durations in minority populations differ from the well-established patterns in mainstream populations. Method Participants were 32 AAE and 32 WAE speakers differing in age who, in their childhood, attended either segregated (older speakers) or integrated (younger speakers) public schools. Speech materials consisted of 14 vowels produced in hVd-frame. Results AAE vowels were significantly longer than WAE vowels. Vowel duration did not differ as a function of age. The temporal tense–lax contrast was minimized for AAE relative to WAE. Vowels produced by females were significantly longer than vowels produced by males for both AAE and WAE....
Screening for Prostate Cancer: A Guidance Statement From the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians

The Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians (ACP) searched for and evaluated U.S.-based guidelines on prostate cancer screening registered in the National Guidelines Cle...
ADAM: another database of abbreviations in MEDLINE

Motivation: Abbreviations are an important type of terminology in the biomedical domain. Although several groups have already created databases of biomedical abbreviations, these are either not public, or are not comprehensive, or focus exclusively on acronym-type abbreviations. We have created another abbreviation database, ADAM, which covers commonly used abbreviations and their definitions (or long-forms) within MEDLINE titles and abstracts, including both acronym and non-acronym abbreviations. Results: A model of recognizing abbreviations and their long-forms from titles and abstracts of MEDLINE (2006 baseline) was employed. After grouping morphological variants, 59 405 abbreviation/long-form pairs were identified. ADAM shows high precision (97.4%) and includes most of the frequently used abbreviations contained in the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Lexicon and the Stanford Abbreviation Database. Conversely, one-third of abbreviations in ADAM are novel insofar as they are not included in either database. About 19% of the novel abbreviations are non-acronym-type and these cover at least seven different types of short-form/long-form pairs. Availability: A free, public query interface to ADAM is available at http://arrowsmith.psych.uic.edu, and the entire database can be downloaded as a text file. Contact: neils@uic.edu
On Attitude Estimation Schemes for Fine-Pointing Control

This paper studies single-axis equations of motion that are applicable to a spacecraft or to a space experiment pointing assembly whose motion has been perfectly isolated from the carrier vehicle. It considers four state estimators for implementation in the control loop for a stellar observation experiment. The first three estimators are very general and do not make use of input torque in their prediction models, while the proposed fourth estimator utilizes this information, It is shown via closed-loop covariance analysis that the best achievable pointing performance with the best of the first three estimators is limited to about 0.125 are-sec (rms) with the given rate-gyro and star-tracker inaccuracies. It is also shown that the fourth estimator has the capability of achieving a pointing performance far superior to the performance achievable using the first three estimators. The fourth estimator relies on the ability to accurately generate the desired control torque (i.e., low input noise).
Adaptive friction compensation using extended Kalman-Bucy filter friction estimation: a comparative study

This paper presents an adaptive friction compensation method that does not require a structured nonlinear friction model. An extended Kalman-Bucy filter (EKBF) relies on an accurate model of system rigid-body dynamics and measured motion to estimate an external friction torque. The friction estimate is used in a traditional friction compensator to cancel friction effects. The paper motivates and describes estimation method and reports results of friction compensation experiments. In addition, the EKBF compensator is compared with other friction compensation strategies, both model-based and non-model based. Experimental results for each compensator are presented for position tracking with velocity reversals. When motion is dominated by static and Stribeck friction, the EKBF-based compensator consistently provides more than fifty percent RMS tracking error reduction over a well-tuned PID compensator, and equal or superior tracking performance over other compensation methods.
Sapphire analyzers for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy

We present a sapphire ðAl2O3Þ analyzer for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with 31-meV energy resolution. The analyzer is designed for resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements at the CuKa absorption edge near 8990 eV. The performance of the analyzer is demonstrated by measuring phonon excitations in beryllium because of its known dynamical structure and high counting rates.
Imaging interferometric microscopy- resolution to the linear systems limits

Imaging interferometric microscopy resolution to λ/2(n sub +1) (n sub = substrate refractive index) is demonstrated using evanescent-wave illumination. Resolution to 150 nm (λ/4.2) is achieved using a 633 nm source and a 0.4 NA lens.
Performance study of an input queueing packet switch with two priority classes

An N*N nonblocking packet switch with input queues and two priority classes that can be used to support traffic with different requirements is described. The switch operation is slotted and, at each time slot, fixed-size packets arrive at the inputs with distinct Bernoulli distributions for both the high- and low-priority classes. Two policies are discussed. In the first policy, packets of both priority classes are queued when waiting for service. In the second policy, only low-priority packets are queued, and high-priority packets not delivered at the first attempt are dropped from the system. Under both policies, high-priority packets prevail over low-priority packets at the inputs as well as the outputs. An approximate analysis that is based on independence assumptions and uses an equivalent queueing system to estimate the service capability seen be each input is presented. Using this approach, an expression for the input queue length distribution is obtained. The maximum system throughput is derived and shown to exceed that of a single priority switch. Numerical results are compared to simulations and are found to agree. >
Emergence of Memory-like Behavior in Reactive Agents Using External Markers

Early primitive animals with simple feed-forward neuronal circuits were limited to reactive behavior. Through evolution, they were gradually equipped with memory and became able to utilize information from the past. Such memory is usually implemented with recurrent connections and certain behavioral changes are thought to precede the reconstitution of the neuronal circuit’s topology. If so, what could have been the behavior to drive such a rewiring? Our hypothesis is that the secretion and detection of chemical markers in the environment could be a precursor of internal memory. We will show how memory-like behavior can be expressed in memoryless reactive agents by taking advantage of the external chemical markers. Our results show that given chemical marker use, reactive agents are able to develop intelligent strategies in solving a biologicaly plausible food foraging task requiring spatial memory. We also found interesting analogy between the evaporation of the chemical markers and the recency effect in memory and how it affects the foraging strategy. These results are expected to help us better understand the possible evolutionary route from reactive to cognitive agents.
Cellular force measurements using single-spaced polymeric microstructures: isolating cells from base substrate

Mechanical force is one of the most important parameters in cellular physiological behavior. To quantify the cellular force locally and more precisely, soft material probes, such as bulk polymeric surfaces or raised individual polymeric structures, have been developed which are deformable by the cell. The extent of deformation and the elastic properties of the probes allow for calculation of the mechanical forces exerted by the cell. Bulk polymeric surfaces have the disadvantage of requiring computational intensive calculations due to the continuous distortion of a large area, and investigators have attempted to address this problem by using raised polymeric structures to simplify the derivation of cellular mechanical force. These studies, however, have ignored the possibility of formation of local adhesions of the cell to the underlying base substrate, which could result in inaccurate cellular force measurements. Clearly, there is a need to develop polymeric structures that can efficiently isolate the cells from the underlying base substrate, in order to eliminate the continuous distortion problem. In this paper, we demonstrate the measurement of cellular force in isolated cardiac myocytes using single-spaced polymeric microstructures. Each structure is 2 ?m in diameter and single-spaced packed. This geometry of the structures successfully isolates the cells from the underlying substrate. Displacement of the structures was measured in areas underneath the attached cell and at areas in close proximity to the cell. The results show that the individual structures underneath the cell were significantly displaced whereas no substantial strain in the underlying base substrate was detected. The mechanical force of the cell was derived from the displacements of individual structures upon multiplication with the locally determined spring constant. The force distribution reveals a parallel alignment as well as a periodic motion of the contractile units of the myocyte. The flexible fabrication methodology of the polymeric substrate and straightforward determination of minute forces provide a useful way to study cellular mechanical force.
Remote Attitude Sensing with Polarization-Modulated Light

A system concept for remote measurement of vehicle orientation with only passive devices mounted on a vehicle is presented. Three channels of polarization-modulated light are used to determine all three degrees of freedom of vehicle orientation. Two important system components are described, a polarization rotator and a retroreflector which leaves the polarization state invariant. Also, the method of data reduction is outlined and the system accuracy is discussed.
Controversies in the Management of Advanced Melanoma “Gray” Areas Amid the “Black and Blue”

Objective: To examine the current controversies and discuss consensus recommendations regarding treatment sequencing and the role of BRAF inhibitor at disease progression. Data Source: An English-language literature search of MEDLINE/PubMed (1966-May 2014), using the keywords advanced melanoma, ipilimumab, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4, dabrafenib, vemurafenib, BRAF inhibitor, trametinib, MEK inhibitor, and treatment sequencing was conducted. Data were also obtained from package inserts, meeting abstracts, and clinical registries. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All relevant published articles and abstracts on ipilimumab, vemurafenib, dabrafenib, and trametinib were reviewed. Clinical trial registries and meeting abstracts were used for ongoing studies. Data Synthesis: The availability of new agents has made therapy selection more complex. Immunotherapy supporters reason that immunotherapy offers the best chance for long-term benefit and does not compromise the antitumor activity of subsequent BRA...
Interobserver agreement on the endosonographic features of lymph nodes in aerodigestive malignancies.

Background Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is used to locally stage aerodigestive malignancies. Endosonographic features are used to predict malignant lymph nodes (MLN). Interobserver agreement on the endosonographic features of MLN has not been described.
A method comparison study of timeline followback and ecological momentary assessment of daily cigarette consumption.

INTRODUCTION Uncertainty exists about how best to measure daily cigarette consumption. Two common measures are timeline followback (TLFB), which involves structured, prompted recall, and ecological momentary assessment (EMA), which involves recording consumption, as it occurs, on a handheld electronic device. METHODS We evaluated the agreement between TLFB and EMA measures collected for 14 days prior to the target quit date from 236 smokers in a smoking cessation program. We performed a Bland-Altman analysis to assess agreement of TLFB and EMA using a regression-based model that allows for a nonuniform difference between methods and limits of agreement that can vary with the number of cigarettes smoked. RESULTS For pairs of measurements taken on the same smoker, TLFB counts were on average 3.2 cigarettes higher than EMA counts; this difference increased for larger numbers of cigarettes. Using a model that allows for variable limits of agreement, the width of the 95% interval ranged from 8.7 to 61.8 cigarettes, with an average of 26.4 cigarettes. Variation between the methods increased substantially for larger cigarette counts, leading to wider limits and poorer agreement for heavy smokers. DISCUSSION Throughout the measurement range, the estimated limits of agreement were far wider than the limits of clinical significance, defined a priori to be 20% of the number of cigarettes smoked. We conclude that TLFB and EMA cannot be considered equivalent for the assessment of daily cigarette consumption, especially for heavy smokers.
Bacterial Cell Division

▪ Abstract Formation of the bacterial division septum is catalyzed by a number of essential proteins that assemble into a ring structure at the future division site. Assembly of proteins into the c...
Beta-Negative Binomial Process and Exchangeable ï¿¼Random Partitions for Mixed-Membership Modeling

The beta-negative binomial process (BNBP), an integer-valued stochastic process, is employed to partition a count vector into a latent random count matrix. As the marginal probability distribution of the BNBP that governs the exchangeable random partitions of grouped data has not yet been developed, current inference for the BNBP has to truncate the number of atoms of the beta process. This paper introduces an exchangeable partition probability function to explicitly describe how the BNBP clusters the data points of each group into a random number of exchangeable partitions, which are shared across all the groups. A fully collapsed Gibbs sampler is developed for the BNBP, leading to a novel nonparametric Bayesian topic model that is distinct from existing ones, with simple implementation, fast convergence, good mixing, and state-of-the-art predictive performance.
A toolkit-based approach to policy-managed storage

The goal of policy-based storage management is to allow storage resources in an IT complex to be managed by setting comparatively high-level policies, rather than by doing low-level manual configuration. We describe the policy management and rule execution architecture in a prototype autonomic storage manager being developed in IBM Research. The prototype uses generic communication, a policy repository, and policy translation and execution services provided by an autonomic manager toolkit. The prototype supports a set of policy templates developed from a policy-based storage management framework.
Origin and stability of drilling induced remanence

Summary To provide reliable palaeomagnetic data, rock specimens must be cleaned of less stable, usually secondary magnetizations. Yet the very process of preparing standard cylindrical specimens with diamond drills and saws can impart to the specimens of some coarse magnetite-bearing rocks a strong magnetization whose stability to alternating field demagnetization may exceed the cleaning field selected using minimum dispersion, stability indices or other criteria. This added magnetization, here referred to as drilling induced remanence (DIR), was studied using both natural (NRM) and artificial thermal (ATRM) remanent magnetization of two granitic plutonic rocks. Although the DIR is less stable than the NRM or ATRM, its coercivity spectrum extends at least to 925 Oe. It originates as a stress-aided viscous magnetization acquired in the direction of the ambient field during cutting of the larger magnetite grains. Because the grains are exposed, they, and the DIR, can be removed by etching with concentrated HCl. This solution, however, may have serious drawbacks if fine-grained magnetite carrying the stable remanence can also be attacked. The best approach is to demonstrate that the particular rocks being studied are immune to DIR acquisition or, if not, to avoid imparting a DIR by preparing specimens in low magnetic fields.
In situ ETEM study of composition redistribution in Pt-Ni octahedral catalysts for electrochemical reduction of oxygen

Dynamics of thermally induced composition redistribution of sandwich-like Pt-Ni octahedral electrocatalysts was studied in situ using a variable-temperature environmental transmission electron microscope (ETEM). Dislocations were observed and on heating treatment moved toward the surface over time, resulting in an alloy nanoparticle with significant increase Ni content on the surface, which was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The thermally treated Pt-Ni octahedral catalysts showed significant improvement in catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction over the as-made nanoparticles, reaching values of 1.4 A/mgPt in mass activity and 4.8 mA/ cmPt2 in area specific activity. Our study shows the important effect of postsynthesis treatment on the optimization of Pt and Ni atomic distribution, thus the catalytic activity and stability; and the power of in situ ETEM in understanding the structural origin of enhanced catalytic performance with atomic level of details. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 399–407, 2016
Training goal recognition online from low-level inputs in an action-adventure game

A method is presented for training an Input-Output Hidden Markov Model (IOHMM) to identify a player's current goal in an action-adventure game. The goals were Explore, Fight, or Return to Town, which served as the hidden states of the IOHMM. The observation model was trained by directing the player to achieve particular goals and counting actions. When trained on first-time players, training to the specific players did not appear to provide any benefits over a model trained to the experimenter. However, models trained on these players' subsequent trials were significantly better than the models trained to the specific players the first time, and also outperformed the model trained to the experimenter. This suggests that game goal recognition systems are best trained after the players have some time to develop a style of play. Systems for probabilistic reasoning over time could help game designers make games more responsive to players' individual styles and approaches.