cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A simplified extracorporeal circuit model for the study of thrombus formation/dissolution

Abstract Extracorporeal circuit models have been used for the study of thrombus formation since 1927. In order to study the formation of thrombi, especially ‘white’ (platelet-rich) thrombi, the clotting chamber must contain irregularities or be composed of a material with a thrombogenic surface, while connecting cannulae should be inert and non-thrombogenic. Most methodologies rely on complex Y-shaped chambers where the angles establish turbulent blood flow allowing the deposition of platelets. These chambers are engineered in two sections to allow removal of thrombi, therefore making the apparatus complex and cumbersome to use routinely. The aim of this study was to develop a simple, easily constructed, yet versatile, extracorporeal circuit for the study of thrombus formation and/or dissolution, which could produce several thrombi of sufficient, reproducible mass, amenable to alteration by various pharmacologic agents.
Estimation of surface energy and bonding between AlMgB14 and TiB2

Abstract Composites of AlMgB 14 with TiB 2 display a positive deviation from the rule-of-mixtures for hardness and wear resistance [1] (Ahmed et al., 2006). This suggests exceptionally strong bonding between the two boride phases. A contributing factor to the strong bonding may be a close matching of surface energy in the two phases. A calculation was performed to estimate the surface energy and its temperature dependence in AlMgB 14 , based on the critical crack energy release rate and assuming covalent bonding. Results predict that the surface energy of the two phases differs by about 0.4 J/m 2 . Similar results were found for other transition metal diborides, and the surface energy of AlMgB 14 was close to that of TiC and TiN, two materials commonly used as sintering aids for TiB 2 .
A Hierarchical Linear Modeling Assessment of Dual-Addiction Status and Change in Sexual Compulsivity over Time:

This study examined the association between dual-addiction status and sexual compulsivity over time in a sample of self-identified sexually compulsive males. Hierarchical linear modeling was utilized to address the study's research questions. Dually addicted sexually compulsive males exhibited lower rates of sexual compulsivity than their singularly addicted counterparts initially but displayed less precipitous declines in sexual compulsiveness over time. Implications for treatment providers are discussed.
Control of Swe1p degradation by the morphogenesis checkpoint

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a cell cycle checkpoint coordinates mitosis with bud formation. Perturbations that transiently depolarize the actin cytoskeleton cause delays in bud formation, and a 'morphogenesis checkpoint' detects the actin perturbation and imposes a G2 delay through inhibition of the cyclin-dependent kinase, Cdc28p. The tyrosine kinase Swe1p, homologous to wee1 in fission yeast, is required for the checkpoint-mediated G2 delay. In this report, we show that Swe1p stability is regulated both during the normal cell cycle and in response to the checkpoint. Swe1p is stable during G1 and accumulates to a peak at the end of S phase or in early G2, when it becomes unstable and is degraded rapidly. Destabilization of Swe1p in G2 and M phase depends on the activity of Cdc28p in complexes with B-type cyclins. Several different perturbations of actin organization all prevent Swe1p degradation, leading to the persistence or further accumulation of Swe1p, and cell cycle delay in G2.
Existence Theorems: Problems with No Convexity Assumptions

The existence theorems of this Chapter concern control systems as well as problems of the calculus of variations which are linear in the state variables, but not necessarily linear in the controls and no convexity assumptions are required. Theorems of this type were first noted by L. W. Neustadt, and they are based on set theoretical considerations due to A. A. Lyapunov. We first prove in Section 16.1 some theorems of the Lyapunov type, and we use them in Section 16.2 to prove Neustadt type existence theorems for the bounded case. In this situation we prove in Section 16.3 that there always are bang-bang solutions. In Sections 16.5–6 we handle the unbounded case, and in Section 16.7 problems of the calculus of variations.
Status of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) in North Inlet–Winyah Bay, South Carolina

Abstract Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) population dynamics in North Inlet–Winyah Bay, South Carolina, a relatively undeveloped salt marsh estuary, were determined from 6 yrs of mark–recapture data. Total terrapin abundance in 4 adjacent creeks was estimated annually at 260–360 terrapins (144–200 terrapins/km) and the mean annual survival probability for terrapins was 0.78. This study in a protected terrapin habitat will provide data for population models and comparisons with threatened populations.
Induction of Transgene-Specific Immunological Tolerance in Myeloablated Nonhuman Primates Using Lentivirally Transduced CD34+ Progenitor Cells

Modeling human hematopoietic progenitor cell gene therapy in nonhuman primates allows long-term evaluation of safety, maintenance of gene expression, and potential immune response against transgene products. We transplanted autologous G-CSF/SCF-mobilized CD34+ cells transduced with lentiviral vectors expressing EGFP into myeloablated rhesus macaques. To date, more than 4 years posttransplantation, 0.5–8% EGFP expression is maintained in multiple cell lineages. The animals remain healthy with no evidence of hematopoietic abnormalities or malignancies. To assess immune functions, we actively immunized two of our transplanted animals with purified rEGFP proteins and CpG adjuvant and demonstrated stable levels of EGFP+ cell populations maintained for over 29 months despite four active immunizations. We did not detect a persistent anti-EGFP antibody response or anti-EGFP T cell response in these immunized animals. Immune response to an irrelevant antigen was normal. Taken together, our data provide formal support that transplantation of lentivirally transduced CD34+ progenitor cells in myeloablated rhesus macaques induces specific immunological tolerance toward a foreign transgene.
Partial purification of porcine follicular fluid gonadostatin.

Inhibin, a hormone first suggested by McCullagh (1932), has only come under intensive study in the last decade. The generalization of this testicular factor to that of a gonadal factor by de Jong and Sharpe (1976) extended its significance and increased the need to learn more about it. Inhibin (McCullagh, 1932) has been named inhibin-m or inhibin-f (Williams et al., 1978), folliculo-statin (Schwartz and Charming, 1977) and gonadostatin (Ying et al., 1981). We prefer and suggest the general adoption of the name gonadostatin (GnS) because it is independent of sex, it implies target (gonadotrophic cell) as well as origin (the gonads). The most pressing need in gonadostatin research is to isolate and characterize this molecule and develop assay procedures which will allow direct study of this putative hormone. At present much that we have learned of its physiology is indirect and derives from its one clearly defined effect, depression of plasma FSH. Initially bio-assays used whole animals such as immature castrate males (Nandini et al., 1976) and metestrous ovariectomized female rats (Marder et al., 1977).
Confronting Marketing Management Reality: A Design and Instructional Strategy for an Intermediate Course

A design and instructional strategy for an "intermediate" marketing management course are described in this article. Students adopt the role of product managers and experientially study marketing theory and practice in existing product markets. However, instructors do not manage relationships with the marketing organizations. The marketing audit is used to ground and guide students' work. Communication experiences abound. Marketing knowledge objectives and the development of students' personal capabilities are carefully balanced. The course culture and work are managed in terms of a four stage instructional model. The course design and instructional strategy can be generalized for other experiential marketing courses.
Priming of popout: III. A short-term implicit memory system beneficial for rapid target selection

The priming of popout (PoP) (Maljkovic & Nakayama, 1994, 1996) increases the speed of attentional deployment to subsequent targets having the same feature characteristic and relative position, it lasts for approximately 5-8 trials, and is cumulative. Here we establish PoP as an example of short-term implicit memory by showing that it is qualitatively different from explicit memory. Using a post-cued recall procedure embedded in the stream of search task trials, we show that explicit memory is not selective as is PoP and is of much shorter duration. As such we argue that explicit memory is unlikely to account for the properties of PoP. In examining the decay of PoP, we find that: PoP is not evident after a 90sec delay, it does not show passive decay over much shorter intervals (1-3sec), and it gets decremented by attentional deployments to visually dissimilar stimuli, the size of the decrement being related to task difficulty. The results, taken together, suggest that PoP reflects a functionally beneficial...
Evaluation of Left Ventricular Function in Mitral Regurgitation

An understanding of the mechanics of left ventricular function in mitral regurgitation necessitates consideration of an acute, as opposed to a chronic, onset of the volume overload. In fact, it is now recognized from both human and experimental animal observations that acute and chronic regurgitation produce congestive heart failure by significantly different pathogenetic mechanisms, Table 1.
A novel artificial-immune-based approach for system-level fault diagnosis

The problem of self-diagnosis of multiprocessor and multicomputer systems under the generalized comparison model (GCM) is considered. GCM assumes that a set of jobs is assigned to pairs of units and that the outcomes are compared by the units themselves (self-diagnosis). Based on the set of comparison outcomes (agreements and disagreements among the units), the set of up to t faulty nodes is identified (t-diagnosable systems). This paper proposes an artificial-immune-based algorithm to solve the fault identification problem. The immune diagnosis algorithm correctly identifies the set of faulty units, and it has been evaluated using randomly generated t-diagnosable systems. Simulation results indicate that the proposed approach is a viable alternative to solve the GCM-based diagnosis problem.
Ranaviruses (family Iridoviridae): emerging cold-blooded killers

Although possessing novel replicative and structural features, the family Iridoviridae has not been as extensively studied as other families of large, DNA-containing viruses (e.g., poxviridae and herpesviridae). This oversight most likely reflects the inability of iridoviruses to infect mammals and birds, and their heretofore low pathogenicity among cold-blooded animals and invertebrates. In fact, the original frog virus isolates (e.g., frog viruses 1-3) would likely have been considered orphan viruses since they were isolated from apparently healthy frogs. However, recent disease outbreaks among commercially and recreationally important fish, cultured and wild frogs, and endangered salamanders has challenged this benign view and have implicated several members of the genus Ranavirus as pathogens. This review explores three facets of ranavirus biology. In the first the salient features of ranavirus replication are summarized using frog virus 3 as a model. Secondly, criteria for characterizing new ranavirus isolates, based on biochemical (viral protein profiles, DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms, and nucleotide sequence analysis), ecological (host range, tissue tropism), and clinical considerations, are detailed. Lastly, the principal agents of ranavirus-mediated disease and immune responses to these viruses are discussed. In light of the above, it is clear that ranaviruses are no longer orphan viruses, and that they have a significant impact on diverse populations of ectothermic animals.
Consensus-based cooperative communications for clustered mobile wireless sensor-actuator networks

This paper provides a novel framework for cooperative communications between mobile sensor-actuator nodes grouped in spatially isolated clusters with but not limited to scale-free topology, which is known as more robust and immune to random attacks. This cooperative scheme describes the intra-cluster and inter-cluster communications using consensus. The consensus concept is defined and customised for wireless sensor networks and the time to reach consensus is derived and discussed using algebraic graph properties of network topology. In this new scheme, clusters have linkage through edge nodes. We formulate the cooperation behaviour of clusters and the communications between multiple clusters of sensor-actuator nodes is discussed and simulated as well.
Quantum enhancement of optical beam position accuracy by self-focusing

The standard and Heisenberg quantum limits on the position accuracy of an optical beam are rigorously derived. A simple scheme of beating the standard quantum limit by self-focusing is proposed.
POLITICAL INVESTMENT AND CLASSIFICATION INFLUENCE OF THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR IN ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED (EVA)

While the financial ratios focus on a relative analysis of various figures in the financial statements, to then analyze them altogether (an individual analysis of ratios provides non-existent information), EVA is aimed to measure and/or evaluate the contributions of money invested by the shareholders in the company. This study determines the existing relationship between EVA of companies in Chile and the economic sector that they represent, as well as the influence that the investment policy has in the creation or destruction of value, all between 2010 and 2013. Companies whose main activity is to cover basic services for the population and companies that administer the resources that will be part of pensions present the best levels of value creation. On the other hand, those companies who are in the industrial, retail or transportation business present value destruction, mainly given by the high capital these types of companies require through an expansive investment policy.
Policy, Prejudice, and Reality Two Case Studies of Physician-Assisted Suicide

The petitions of two quadriplegic ventilator users for doctoral-assisted suicide and the responses to them illustrate the issues that frequently appear in such cases and, therefore, the dangers of legalizing that practice. The courts, the media, and other observers failed to recognize or ignored the discriminatory elements of public policy, health-care delivery, and social services that make the lives of some people with disabilities unendurable; in particular, by denying adequate funding for independent living, by failing to offer appropriate psychological evaluation and intervention, and by disregarding the perspectives of disability rights movement leaders in these cases and on these issues.
Bromocriptine administration lowers serum prolactin and disrupts parental responsiveness in common marmosets (Callithrix j. jacchus).

The influence of prolactin on parental responsiveness was investigated in eight unpaired, parentally inexperienced common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus; 6 female, 2 male). The marmosets were prescreened with infants (1-10 days of age) and required to exhibit short latency retrieval and infant carrying in at least three consecutive pretests as criterion for inclusion in this study. The marmosets were then administered the dopamine agonist bromocriptine (0.5 mg/0.5ml vehicle subcutaneously) and the vehicle alone (0.5 ml 10% ethanol solution) twice daily for 3 consecutive days in random order. Bromocriptine treatment reduced circulating prolactin to nondetectable levels. Bromocriptine treatment eliminated infant retrieval in four of the eight marmosets and was associated with significantly increased retrieval latencies and significantly reduced carrying durations in the four monkeys that continued to retrieve following bromocriptine treatment. When given the vehicle alone, the marmosets retrieved infants significantly faster than during pretests, suggesting a handling effect of the injection series. Bromocriptine treatments were associated with significantly increased movement during the tests. The results of this study indicate that prolactin and/or its regulatory neurotransmitters are involved in the control of the spontaneous display of parental responsiveness in common marmosets.
Genetic Strategies for the Analysis of Childhood Behavioral Traits

Genetic strategies appropriate for the analysis of childhood behavioral traits are reviewed. The problem of etiologic heterogeneity is discussed, and suggestions for minimizing its effect are offered. Two traits, stuttering and Tourette syndrome, are given as examples to illustrate methodologies useful for the genetic analysis of childhood disorders. In both examples, it is shown that the disorder clusters in families, that it is vertically transmitted, and that the transmission is sex-modified. Several genetic models can explain the pattern of transmission, although cultural hypotheses also should be considered. Hence, additional analyses need to be attempted to help clarify the modes of transmission and the factors involved.
Acculturation Factors Are Associated with Folate Intakes among Mexican American Women

Folic acid can prevent neural tube defects (NTD). Hispanic women have a higher prevalence of NTD than non-Hispanic white (NHW) women and consume less folic acid. Among Hispanics, acculturation has been associated with lower intakes of natural folate. It is unknown if this same relationship is seen for fortified foods. This article describes the associations of acculturation factors with usual folate intakes from foods and supplements and compares the proportion that meets recommended intakes of folic acid of US Mexican American (MA) women with those of NHW women. For US NHW and MA women aged 15-44 y (n = 3167), usual folate intakes (i.e., natural food folate, folic acid from food, total folic acid [fortified foods plus supplements], and total folate) were estimated using measurement error models from NHANES 2001-2008. Compared with NHW women, MA women did not differ in their intake of natural food folate or folic acid from food. Similarly, compared with NHW women (332 ± 17.3 μg/d), the mean total usual folic acid intakes were lower among MA women who reported speaking Spanish (224 ± 24.9 μg/d) but not for MA women who reported speaking English (283 ± 36.2 μg/d). MA women were more likely than NHW women to consume a total folic acid intake <400 μg/d. MA women with lower acculturation factors were the most likely to have an intake <400 μg/d compared to NHW women. Public health efforts should focus on increasing total folic acid intake among MA women, emphasizing those with lower acculturation factors (e.g., MA women who report speaking Spanish).
Mixed Germ Cell-Sex Cord Stromal Tumor of Testis: Incidental Finding of Rare Testicular Neoplasm

Mixed germ cell-sex cord stromal tumor of the testis is rare with 2 reported and 15 known cases. We report a case treated at our institution. CASE REPORT A 31-year-old black man referred for renal donor evaluation was found to have a right teaticular mass. a-Fetoprotein. Bhuman chorionic gonadotropin and a chest x-ray were normal. Radical inguinal orchiectomy was performed. The encapsulated solid maas did not involve the tunica albustromal tumor. Two week after surgery abdominal and pelvic amputerized tomography demonstrated no adenopathy or metastases. Yearly physical examinations were recommended. gjnea (fig. 1). Mimpy revealed mixed germ cell-sex cord
Asymmetric Leadership and International Public Goods

The foreign assistance policies of major donor nations, the United NationsDevelopment Programme, and the World Bank have recently been redefined to explicitly address the provision of international public goods (IPGs). Examples of IPGs include peacekeeping, financial market stability, and biodiversity. Given the global heterogeneity across nations, it is therefore curious to find that most studies on which these redefinitions are based assume symmetric costs in the provision of IPGs. Within an evolutionary framework, the author analyzes the prospects for the voluntary provision of IPGs when the benefit/cost ratio varies across nations and characterizes the results for summation, weakest link, weaker link, best-shot, and better shot IPGs. The author demonstrates that a leading- by-example strategy by the country with the highest benefit/cost ratio can implement the cooperative outcome.
Factors Limiting Denitrification in Soils from Mature and Disturbed Southeastern Hardwood Forests

The relative importance of O2, NO3~, organic carbon, and acidity on denitrification was studied in a full 26 factorial experiment. Soils were collected from two forested watersheds (WS) (disturbed and reference) and at two slope positions (stream-bank and hillside). Combi- nations of four incubation treatments (with and without H2O flooding, NO3~ amendment, glucose amendment, and at ~pH 5 or ~pH 6) were applied in a full factorial design. An ANOVA of N2O production during 24-hr aerobic incubations under 10 kPa acetylene revealed that all main effects were significant. Flooding with H2O increased N2O production by three orders of magnitude in disturbed WS soils exhibiting high ambient NO3~. Both flooding and NO3~ amendment were necessary to increase N2O production in reference WS soils exhibiting low ambient NO3~. Glucose amendment increased N2O production in the mineral soil sampled at 6-15 cm depth more than in the 0-6 cm sample. Carbon limitation is probably unimportant for denitrification in surface horizons at Coweeta, but C-limitation occurs with increasing soil depth. Although acid treatment had a minor inhibitory effect on denitrification rates, acid forest soils apparently support denitrifier populations capable of appreciable NO3~ reduction. FOR. Sci. 33(1):135-144.
Cholecystokinin decreases sucrose intake in chronic decerebrate rats

The capacity of chronic decerebrate rats to reduce their intake of an orally infused sucrose solution in response to peripherally administered cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) was investigated. The sucrose intake of both 24-h food-deprived chronic decerebrate rats and pair-fed control rats was reduced by CCK-8 relative to the intake after desulfated CCK-8. The intake-reducing effect of CCK-8 in the chronic decerebrate rat provides compelling evidence that the caudal brain stem is of sufficient neural complexity to mediate this response. Although others have hypothesized that connections between the caudal brain stem and forebrain are required to mediate this effect(s) of CCK-8, our results demonstrate that these pathways are not necessary.
Psychopathy factors and degree of forcefulness in sex-offenders : implications for current risk-assessment practices.

Based primarily on theory, it is suspected that violent and non-violent sex-offenders can be differentiated by their psychopathic profile, as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991). There is some concern that current risk-assessment instruments are not designed according to the characterological composition of violent and non-violent sex-offenders, which is believed to be essential to the instruments' predictive ability. Specifically, it is believed that such instruments are not sufficiently sensitive to the psychopathic characteristics associated with non-violent sex-offenders, as well as not sufficiently specific to the psychopathic characteristics associated with violent sex-offenders. A sample of convicted sex-offenders (N = 1739) from the Kentucky State Reformatory (KSR) was analyzed in order to examine the nature of the relationship between their PCL-R Factor and facet scores, and the degree of forcefulness used during their offense(s) (i.e. violent or non-violent). The degree to which the same elements of psychopathy correlate with the total scores on three commonly used risk-assessment instruments (VRAG, Static-99, and MnSOST-R) was then measured. As expected, results revealed that violent and non-violent sex-offenders were significantly differentiated by their PCL-R profiles; however the pattern of their respective PCL-R profiles was not as expected. In addition, it was revealed that all three risk-assessment instruments were primarily sensitive to the psychopathic characteristics contained in Factor 2 and facet 4 in particular, even though both violent and non-violent sex-offenders were primarily characterized by other dimensions of psychopathy, facets 2 and 3 in particular. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
The Indirect Immunoenzyme Test for the Detection of Antibodies Against North American Borreliae: II. Experiments with Human Sera

The technic described in Part I of this communication was applied to human sera, using conjugated anti-human instead of the anti-vervet γ -globulin. Four of the 70 sera from healthy individuals, 3 of the 30 FTA-abs positive sera, and 3 of the 10 sera from patients with leptospirosis gave positive reactions in 1:4 or higher dilution with one or more of B. turicatae , B. parkerii , and B. hermsii . Fourteen paired sera from individuals with relapsing fever, proven by microscopic examination of the blood and mouse inoculation, yielded positive results within 3 to 4 weeks after the onset of the disease. Cross-reactions were the rule. The sera of individuals infected with B. recurrentis , B. persica , or B. duttonii often reacted with the three Borrelia strains used in the test. The immobilizine method gave similar results. The procedure does not permit identification of the causative strain by examination of the serum, but seems to be useful in the detection of Borrelia infections caused by North American strains. It appears helpful for the presumptive diagnosis of North American borreliosis, retrospective diagnosis of relapsing fever, and surveillance operations.
GBI = Gimme Better (Financial) Instruments: An Innovation to Greatly Simplify Complex Investment Approaches

Goals-based investing (GBI) increasingly is replacing traditional portfolio approaches as investors realize the failing of modern portfolio theory (MPT). But the techniques being suggested for GBI still are rooted in complex, risky, error-prone mathematical models based on MPT, well beyond the scope of the average investor/advisor. Further, they use assets not suited for GBI. This article argues that maybe we need to innovate and create new financial instruments suited for each goal. After all, it is highly unlikely that the optimal investment strategy for retirement is also the best strategy (with marginal tweaks) for a child’s college fund or a health-savings account. This article highlights some simple innovations and shows how these new instruments could be introduced easily into the market. In doing so, the goal of this article is to suggest that there may be a simple, cheap, safe way to overcome investment challenges and engage in GBI through financial innovations.
Alignment Patterns and Crisis Bargaining: A Model of Entrapment and Abandonment

Why are some interstate alignments closer than others? Under what conditions does the Defender support or abandon the Protege? This article examines the variation of alignment patterns and how the Defender chooses to support or abandon the Protege in different patterns. I develop a tripartite crisis-bargaining model which starts from the challenge of the Protege against the Adversary with which the Defender has the mixed relationship. Bilateral relations (the Defender vs. the Protege; the Defender vs. the Adversary) and their concerns of international reputation shape the three patterns of alignment, which affect how states behave in the crisis bargaining. The Defender constantly abandons the Protege’s challenge of the status quo in Pattern One while always supporting the Protege in Pattern Three. The second pattern highlights the Defender’s semi-separating strategy. In particular, the Defender abandons the Protege when the latter stands firm without a sufficiently high expected utility from war, as the Defender does not have enough incentives to be involved in a war against the Adversary. The abandonment of the Defender, however, delivers the Adversary a credible signal about the Protege’s strong resolution and makes the Adversary more likely to concede. Using the cross-Taiwan Strait crisis and the North Korea nuclear crisis, I illustrate how the interactions among states are consistent with the predictions of my model.
Challenges of 2-D (3-D) device doping process and doping profiling metrology

The appearance of 3-D devices and structures has changed the doping technologies and doping profiling metrology. This change also implies that novel concepts for 3-D dopant and carrier profiling measurements are necessary. 1.5-D SIMS can be used to study dopant incorporation in 3-D structures. SSRM and electron holography methods have been developed and well-established on 2-D cross-sectional doping profiling measurements. Although SSRM and electron holography approaches are inherently 2-D, extensions towards 3-D structures are capable either by the dedicated design of test structures or by the approaches of mechanical slicing and polishing. Thanks to the new 2-D (3-D) doping profiling measurements, PLAD process has been demonstrated beneficial on 3-D device manufacturing.
Ontology-Based mediation system

Data integration by mediation is more practical then centralized data warehouse when data is not static. The use of ontologies in the mediation allows semantic and structural integration. In this paper, we propose a new mediation system based on a hybrid architecture of ontologies modeled according to GLAV (Generalized Local As View) model. Thus, we propose an ascending method for building local and global ontologies, which facilitates the semantic reconciliation between data sources. Moreover, we use OWL (Ontology Web Language) for defining mappings between data sources, and ontologies. We also propose a language to formulate user queries. The query language handles global ontology concepts and local ontologies properties because we assume that the user is expert in its domain. Finally, we propose a query rewriting strategy: queries are decomposed to obtain a set of equivalent subqueries that are sent to the corresponding data sources for execution, and after that recomposed to obtain the final result.
Factors Influencing the Recurrence Rate of Bladder Cancer

AbstractA prospective analysis was done on 318 patients with bladder cancer observed during a 4-year period. We examined the predictive value for tumor recurrence of the initial grade, stage, number and size of bladder tumors. None of the observed parameters alone or in combination could predict tumor recurrence. Cystoscopy and cytology, as well as random bladder and tumor biopsies, were part of the diagnostic studies.
The unit of analysis in corpus-based studies

One of the very first decisions required when carrying out a corpus-based analysis is to determine what your unit of analysis is. This is a crucial decision because it determines the object of your research; if you do not identify the unit of analysis properly, you may not be able to address the research questions that you have posed. As you see in this book, corpus-based studies usually have one of two primary research goals: describing a linguistic structure and its variants (as in Part I of the book), or describing some group of texts (as in Part II of the book). Thus, the unit of analysis in corpus-based studies is typically one of two kinds: either occurrences of a linguistic feature or a text. These units of analysis are called the “observations” for the study. Thus, in a study that characterizes a linguistic structure, each observation is an occurrence of the structure in question. In a study that seeks to describe a group of texts, each observation is a text. Suppose that we plan a study to analyze variants of that -complement clauses and to determine which contextual factors are most strongly associated with each variant. The study should be designed so that each occurrence of a that -complement clause is a separate observation.
Polymer Bioprocessing to Fabricate 3D Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Abstract Traditional methods for polymer processing involve the use of hazardous organic solvents which may compromise the biological function of scaffolds in tissue engineering. Indeed, the toxic effect of them on biological microenvironment has a tremendous impact on cell fate so altering the main activities involved in in vitro tissue formation. To date, extensive researches focus on seeking newer methods for bio-safely processing polymeric biomaterials to be implanted in the human body. Here, we aim at over viewing two approaches based on solvent free or green solvent based processes in order to identify alternative solutions to fabricate bio-inspired scaffolds to be successfully used in regenerative and degenerative medicine.
Arteriographic Patterns of Atherosclerosis and the Association between Diabetes Mellitus and Ethnicity in Chronic Critical Limb Ischemia.

Background Disparate outcomes in critical limb ischemia (CLI) persist between ethnicities. The contribution of modifiable factors versus intrinsic biologic differences remains unclear. Hence, we aimed to quantify the associations between ethnicity and anatomic patterns of arterial occlusive disease in CLI, adjusting for known atherosclerotic risk factors. Methods We performed a retrospective, single-center review of consecutive patients presenting to the vascular surgery service with CLI. Arterial lesions were defined by location (aortoiliac = aorta and iliac arteries; femoral = common, profunda, and superficial femoral arteries; and popliteal-tibial = infrapopliteal and tibial arteries). Stenoses ≥50% were deemed hemodynamically significant. Associations between the patients' baseline arteriographic patterns, demographics, and medical comorbidities were defined using Kruskal–Wallis, χ2, and Mantel-Haenszel χ2 tests. Results Between August 2010 and January 2014, 286 CLI patients (n = 172 male, n = 176 tissue loss) were evaluated by the Vascular Surgery service. Two hundred seventy subjects had baseline arteriograms for analysis (black n = 134, 50%; Hispanic n = 78, 29%; Caucasian n = 58, 21%.) All ethnicities presented most frequently with simultaneous disease in all infrainguinal segments (n = 124, 46%). Of Hispanics, 30% (n = 23) presented with isolated infrapopliteal disease, which was higher than any other ethnic group (P = 0.02, χ2). Caucasians (n = 8, 14%) presented more frequently with isolated aortoiliac occlusive disease than either Hispanics (n = 0, 0%) or blacks (n = 2, 1%; P = 0.06). Diabetes mellitus was most prevalent among Hispanics (n = 72, 85%) relative to blacks (n = 77, 55%) and Caucasians (n = 32, 52%; P Conclusions Hispanic patients present more frequently with isolated infrapopliteal arterial disease relative to other ethnicities, which may contribute to disparate CLI outcomes. Isolated infrapopliteal disease appears to be driven mostly be poorer glycemic control rather than inherent biologic differences between ethnicities. Future studies aimed at understanding disparate outcomes due to race after lower extremity revascularization may benefit from stratification by the severity of diabetes mellitus. Understanding the distribution of atherosclerotic disease may improve the ability to predict outcomes in limb-threatening ischemia.
Cortical Fenestration for Megaprosthesis Stem Revision.

Background The most common modes of failure for megaprostheses are aseptic loosening followed by periprosthetic infection and stem fracture. Surgical technique for bone and implant exposure is controversial and may influence the success of revision and the need for additional future revisions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cortical fenestration for megaprosthesis revision, particularly for stem fracture. Methods From 1985-2014, 196 adult and pediatric patients underwent limb salvage with a distal femoral or proximal tibial megaprosthesis (109 cemented, 87 pressfit). A retrospective chart review was performed to assess the rate of revision based on cemented or pressfit fixation and the use of a cortical window to extract the failed stem. Results: 27% (29 of 109) of cemented and 18% (16 of 87) of pressfit implants were revised for stem failure. The reasons for revision in the cemented group were loosening (62%), infection (24%), and stem fracture (13%). In the pressfit group, the reasons were loosening (43%), infection (31%), stem fracture (6%), limb-length discrepancy (6%), malrotation (6%), and local recurrence (6%). A cortical window was used in 10 of 45 initial revisions (7 cemented, 3 pressfit) including all of the stem fractures, and in 2 of 15 subsequent re-revisions. Conclusion Cortical fenestration is an effective, bone-preserving method of implant extraction, particularly for broken or cemented stems. It is associated with low rates of loosening and no increase in periprosthetic fractures.
Effects of a common insecticide on wetland communities with varying quality of leaf litter inputs.

Abstract Chemical contamination of aquatic systems often co-occurs with dramatic changes in surrounding terrestrial vegetation. Plant leaf litter serves as a crucial resource input to many freshwater systems, and changes in litter species composition can alter the attributes of freshwater communities. However, little is known how variation in litter inputs interacts with chemical contaminants. We investigated the ecological effects resulting from changes in tree leaf litter inputs to freshwater communities, and how those changes might interact with the timing of insecticide contamination. Using the common insecticide malathion, we hypothesized that inputs of nutrient-rich and labile leaf litter (e.g., elm [ Ulmus spp.] or maple [ Acer spp.]) would reduce the negative effects of insecticides on wetland communities relative to inputs of recalcitrant litter (e.g., oak [ Quercus spp.]). We exposed artificial wetland communities to a factorial combination of three litter species treatments (elm, maple, and oak) and four insecticide treatments (no insecticide, small weekly doses of 10 μg L −1 , and either early or late large doses of 50 μg L −1 ). Communities consisted of microbes, algae, snails, amphipods, zooplankton, and two species of tadpoles. After two months, we found that maple and elm litter generally induced greater primary and secondary production. Insecticides induced a reduction in the abundance of amphipods and some zooplankton species, and increased phytoplankton. In addition, we found interactive effects of litter species and insecticide treatments on amphibian responses, although specific effects depended on application regime. Specifically, with the addition of insecticide, elm and maple litter induced a reduction in gray tree frog survival, oak and elm litter delayed tree frog metamorphosis, and oak and maple litter reduced green frog tadpole mass. Our results suggest that attention to local forest composition, as well as the timing of pesticide application might help ameliorate the harmful effects of pesticides observed in freshwater systems.
A cloud-enabled automatic disaster analysis system of multi-sourced data streams: An example synthesizing social media, remote sensing and Wikipedia data

Abstract Social media streams and remote sensing data have emerged as new sources for tracking disaster events, and assessing their damages. Previous studies focus on a case-by-case approach, where a specific event was first chosen and filtering criteria (e.g., keywords, spatiotemporal information) are manually designed and used to retrieve relevant data for disaster analysis. This paper presents a framework that synthesizes multi-sourced data (e.g., social media, remote sensing, Wikipedia, and Web), spatial data mining and text mining technologies to build an architecturally resilient and elastic solution to support disaster analysis of historical and future events. Within the proposed framework, Wikipedia is used as a primary source of different historical disaster events, which are extracted to build an event database. Such a database characterizes the salient spatiotemporal patterns and characteristics of each type of disaster. Additionally, it can provide basic semantics, such as event name (e.g., Hurricane Sandy) and type (e.g., flooding) and spatiotemporal scopes, which are then tuned by the proposed procedures to extract additional information (e.g., hashtags for searching tweets), to query and retrieve relevant social media and remote sensing data for a specific disaster. Besides historical event analysis and pattern mining, the cloud-based framework can also support real-time event tracking and monitoring by providing on-demand and elastic computing power and storage capabilities. A prototype is implemented and tested with data relative to the 2011 Hurricane Sandy and the 2013 Colorado flooding.
When generalized eating detection machine learning models fail in the field

Problematic eating behaviors are a major cause of obesity. To improve our understanding of these eating behaviors, we need to be able to first reliably detect them. In this paper we use a wrist-worn sensor to test a generalized machine learning models' reliability in detecting eating episodes through data processing. We process data from a 6-axis inertial sensor. Since most eating episodes do not occur while moving, we filter out periods of physical activity, and then use an advanced motif-based time-point fusion technique to detect feeding gestures. We also cluster each of the false alarms into four categories in an effort to identify the main behaviors that confound feeding gesture detection. We tested our system on eight participants performing various activities in the wild while wearing a sensing suite: a neck- and a wrist-worn sensor, along with a wearable video camera continuously recording to capture ground truth. Trained annotators further validated the algorithms by identifying feeding gestures, and categorized the false alarms. All eating episodes were detected; however, many false alarms were also detected, yielding a 61% average F-measure in detecting feeding gestures. This result shows clear challenges in characterizing eating episodes by using a single inertial-based wrist-worn sensor.
Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Compared With Neoadjuvant Radiation Alone in the Management of High-Grade Soft Tissue Extremity Sarcomas.

Abstract Purpose Patients with large, high-grade soft tissue sarcomas are commonly treated with aggressive limb preservation regimens. This study aimed to assess cancer control outcomes of patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) compared with radiation therapy (RT) alone. Methods We reviewed records of patients with high-grade extremity or trunk soft tissue sarcomas ≥5 cm who were treated with neoadjuvant radiation with or without chemotherapy. Patient and disease characteristics were compared using t test and χ2 tests. Standardized mortality ratio weighted method was used to compare overall survival (OS), local control, and disease-free (DFS) survival. Acute radiation and surgical toxicity were reported. Results In the study, 64 patients (34 CRT and 30 RT) treated between 1997 and 2015 were analyzed. In the RT group compared with the CRT group, the patient population was older, with a median age of 65 versus 50 years (P .05). Acute dermatitis occurred in 18% versus 3% and surgical complications occurred in 32% versus 17% of CRT and RT patients, respectively. Conclusions In this study, patients receiving RT alone were more likely to be older and have comorbid cardiovascular disease. When controlling for baseline differences, neoadjuvant CRT and RT provided similar rates of LC, DFS, and OS.
Romantic Relationship Satisfaction and Ambulatory Blood Pressure During Social Interactions: Specificity or Spillover Effects?

Background People in high-quality romantic relationships tend to have lower blood pressure (BP). People may experience lower BP specifically when interacting with romantic partners. Purpose This study parsed the effects of different types of social interactions on ambulatory BP (ABP) and tested whether romantic relationship satisfaction moderated these effects during interactions with partners in particular (specificity) or with others (spillover; e.g., friends, co-workers). Methods Partnered participants (N = 594) were drawn from a larger study on BP and cardiovascular health (age = 46.5 ± 9.3; 57.4% female). Participants reported on romantic relationship satisfaction and completed 24-hr ABP monitoring. At each reading, participants reported whether they had a social interaction and with whom. Multilevel models accounted for nesting of data over time. Results Romantic relationship satisfaction significantly modified the effects of some social interactions on systolic and diastolic BP (SBP, DBP). Participants with high (+1 SD) relationship satisfaction had significantly lower SBP (-0.77 mmHg, p = .02) during partner interactions compared with no social interaction; low-satisfaction (-1 SD) participants had a nonsignificant 0.59 mmHg increase (p = .14). A similar pattern emerged for DBP. Relationship satisfaction also modified SBP response during friend interactions (elevated SBP for low-satisfaction participants) and DBP response during "other" interactions (elevated DBP for high-satisfaction participants). Conclusion Participants with high levels of romantic relationship satisfaction experienced significantly lower BP during social interactions with their partner compared with situations without social interaction. Although there was some evidence for spillover to other types of relationships, effects were largely restricted to partner interactions.
Modus Vivendi as a Global Political Morality

In recent years a number of political theorists, dissatisfied with what they see as a dominant but wrongheaded approach to political philosophy exemplified in what they call “liberal moralism,” have endorsed a modus vivendi approach as a framework for evaluating political institutions around the globe. In this paper I discuss this approach in the face of a serious challenge that can be raised against it. The challenge is to show that as an approach to global political morality modus vivendi is both (1) essentially different from the liberal moralism it rejects and (2) normatively and conceptually compelling as a way of answering fundamental questions of political morality. To satisfy the first, global modus vivendi must avoid appealing to the parochial notions of universal norms, human nature, and human interests that are often said to mar liberal moralism. To satisfy the second, it must posit some universal moral standards of minimally decent treatment (most often, and most usefully, cashed out in the idea of human rights). In this chapter I pursue these challenges to determine whether modus vivendi is best seen as a genuine alternative to liberal moralism or instead simply as a more chastened and sensible version of that approach.
Kühne, Wilhelm (Willy) Friedrich

German physiologist Wilhelm (Willy) Friedrich Kuhne (1837–1900) made fundamental contributions to three main areas: (1) enzymes and digestion, (2) neuromuscular physiology, and (3) the photochemical transduction of rhodopsin in retinal rod cells. During his protracted training, Kuhne worked in the laboratories of some of the best European scientists of the day where he gained considerable and varied experience with different experimental methods. Kuhne's research was subsequently interrupted by a cholera epidemic and the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, but in 1871, his career was rejuvenated when he was invited to succeed Hermann von Helmholtz as professor of physiology in Heidelberg. The incredible range and depth of his studies are reflected by some of the terms and concepts he introduced and greatly elaborated on: enzyme, trypsin, neuromuscular junction, muscle spindle, rhodopsin, optogram, and optochemical hypothesis (i.e., photochemical transduction).