cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adverse outcome pathways during zebrafish embryogenesis: a case study with paraoxon.

Abstract Using paraoxon as a reference acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, the objective of this study was to develop an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) that provided quantitative linkages across levels of biological organization during zebrafish embryogenesis. Within normal zebrafish embryos, we first demonstrated that ache transcripts and AChE activity increased in a stage-dependent manner following segmentation. We then showed that static exposure of embryos to paraoxon (31.2–500 nM) from 5 to 96 hpf resulted in significant stage- and concentration-dependent AChE inhibition, albeit these effects were fully reversible within 48 h following transfer to clean water. However, even in the presence of significant AChE inhibition, exposure to non-teratogenic paraoxon concentrations (≤250 nM) did not adversely impact secondary motoneuron development at 96 hpf. Therefore, we investigated the potential effects of paraoxon exposure on spontaneous tail contractions at 26 hpf – an early locomotor behavior that results from innervation of primary (not secondary) motoneuron axons to target axial muscles. Based on these studies, the frequency of spontaneous tail contractions at 26 hpf – a developmental stage with minimal AChE expression and activity – was significantly higher following exposure to paraoxon concentrations as low as 31.2 nM. Overall, our data suggest that (1) normal AChE activity is not required for secondary motoneuron development and (2) spontaneous tail contractions at 26 hpf are sensitive to paraoxon exposure, an effect that may be independent of AChE inhibition. Using a well-studied reference chemical, this study highlights the potential challenges in developing quantitative AOPs to support chemical screening and prioritization strategies.
Feedback regulation of hand grasp opening and contact force during stimulation of paralyzed muscle

A fixed-parameter, discrete-time, first-order, feedback control system is described for regulating grasp during electrical stimulation of paralyzed muscles of the hand. The stiffness of the grasp (the relationship between grasp force and grasp opening) is kept constant by linearly combining force and position feedback signals. Thus, a single continuous command signal can control the size of the grasp opening prior to object acquisition and both grasp and opening after contact. The controller achieves this change in controlled variables by scaling and summing the force and position feedback signals, rather than by a discrete switch in control strategy. Experimental tests of the control system in quadriplegic subjects show that control can be obtained over conditions ranging from unloaded position regulation is isometric force regulation as well as in the transition between these conditions. The robustness of the control system was evaluated during force regulation with isometric loads. Step response rise time and overshoot were much more dependent on system gain than on the location of the controller zero. Responses with a rise time of less than and 2 s an overshoot of less than 30% were obtained over a gain range up to 10, indicating good robustness to muscle gain reductions such as might be caused by fatigue. >
Adding directional context to gestures using doppler effect

Human beings often give non-verbal instructions through motions of the hand and arm, such as pointing or waving. These motions convey not just actions, but the direction or target of those actions. In this paper, we integrate direction into gesture definitions by detecting frequency shifts created by relative motion between a receiver and transmitter and combining this with inertial motion data captured by a smartphone. With the combined data we are able separate similar gestures with 71.7% accuracy in a typical home use environment.
Interrater and Test-Retest Reliability of Two Pediatric Balance Tests

The purpose of this study was to examine the interrater and test-retest reliability of a one-leg balance test and a tiltboard balance test. Twenty-four normally developing children aged 4 through 9 years participated in the study. Time and quality of balance on one leg and degrees of tilt on a tiltboard prior to postural adjustment were measured. Both tests were completed with eyes open and with eyes closed. Interrater reliability was examined using two raters. Test-retest reliability, with a one-week interval between test and retest, was examined for a subgroup consisting of 12 children. Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients were used as indexes of both interrater and test-retest reliability for time and degrees of tilt. To supplement the correlation coefficients, the magnitudes of difference between raters' scores and between test and retest scores were calculated. Spearman coefficients were moderate to high for one-leg balance when scores for both feet were combined for both eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. The magnitude of difference between scores was low, indicating good agreement between raters and across time. Interrater and test-retest reliabilities of quality of one-leg standing balance were examined by calculating percentages of agreement and Cohen's Kappa statistics. Results of these analyses revealed the need for further study. The Spearman coefficients for the interrater tiltboard test were high; however, the test-retest coefficients were low. The magnitudes of difference between scores were small for the two raters, but large for test and retest. These results are important to consider when using these tests for initial evaluation or for monitoring patient progress.
Effects of neutron irradiation on vanadium-base alloys

Abstract Vanadium-base alloys of the V-Cr-Ti-Si system are attractive candidates for use as structural materials in fusion reactors. The vanadium-base alloys exhibit relatively low long-term activation, irradiation induced afterheat and neutron-induced helium transmutation rates. Because of favorable physical properties these alloys can accommodate higher surface heat fluxes than the steels. The current focus of the U. S. program is on V-(0–10%)Cr-(0–5%)Ti-(0–1%)Si alloys. In this paper we present experimental results on the swelling, microstructure, and mechanical properties of selected alloys after irradiation in fission reactors to displacement damages of up to 125 dpa. Titanium additions of 3–5 wt.% are highly effective in reducing swelling. The effects of Si and nonmetallic elements (O, N and C) on the swelling and microstructure are presented. Two types of irradiation induced precipitates have been identified in alloys containing Ti; Ti2O and Ti5Si3. Swelling is strongly influenced by the precipitat...
Debugger canvas: industrial experience with the code bubbles paradigm

At ICSE 2010, the Code Bubbles team from Brown University and the Code Canvas team from Microsoft Research presented similar ideas for new user experiences for an integrated development environment. Since then, the two teams formed a collaboration, along with the Microsoft Visual Studio team, to release Debugger Canvas, an industrial version of the Code Bubbles paradigm. With Debugger Canvas, a programmer debugs her code as a collection of code bubbles, annotated with call paths and variable values, on a two-dimensional pan-and-zoom surface. In this experience report, we describe new user interface ideas, describe the rationale behind our design choices, evaluate the performance overhead of the new design, and provide user feedback based on lab participants, post-release usage data, and a user survey and interviews. We conclude that the code bubbles paradigm does scale to existing customer code bases, is best implemented as a mode in the existing user experience rather than a replacement, and is most useful when the user has a long or complex call paths, a large or unfamiliar code base, or complex control patterns, like factories or dynamic linking.
Identification of optimal soil hydraulic functions and parameters for predicting soil moisture

Abstract The accuracy of six combined methods formed by three commonly-used soil hydraulic functions and two methods to determine soil hydraulic parameters based on a soil hydraulic parameter look-up table and soil pedotransfer functions was examined for simulating soil moisture. A novel data analysis and modelling approach was used that eliminated the effects of evapotranspiration so that specific sources of error among the six combined methods could be identified and quantified. By comparing simulated and observed soil moisture at six sites of the USDA Soil Climate Analysis Network, we identified the optimal soil hydraulic functions and parameters for predicting soil moisture. Through sensitivity tests, we also showed that adjusting only the soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks , is insufficient for representing important effects of macropores on soil hydraulic conductivity. Our analysis illustrates that, in general, soil hydraulic conductivity is less sensitive to Ks than to the soil pore-size dis...
Experimental evaluation of an adaptive feedforward controller for use in functional neuromuscular stimulation systems

An adaptive feedforward control system has been evaluated for use in functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) systems. The control system, which utilizes neural network techniques, was used to generate isometric muscle contractions to track a periodic torque trajectory signal. The evaluation of the control system was performed using percutaneous intramuscular electrodes to stimulate the quadriceps muscles of spinal cord injured adolescents. Results of the evaluation indicate that the control system automatically customized its parameters for controlling isometric muscle torque in a particular muscle and that the parameters were adapted on-line to account for changes in muscle properties due to fatigue. This study demonstrates that this control system may play an important role in the development of practical FNS systems that are capable of automatically adjusting stimulation parameters to fit the needs of a particular individual at a given time.
Theory of high-energy A+A at RHIC.

In this article I introduce aspects of current theory used to interpret the preliminary data on ultra-relativistic nuclear collisions at RHIC energies in terms of the physical properties of QCD matter at extreme densities. Topics covered include: What are the physics questions at SPS and RHIC? Geometrical vs. dynamical features of A+A. The interplay of computable hard perpurbative QCD vs. phenomenological soft dynamics. Baryon number transport and junctions. How can we compute and get experimental control over the initial conditions? How to reconcile apparent hydrodynamic behavior with partonic/hadronic transport theory? I use the preliminary RHIC data available up to June 1, 2001 to illustrate these topics. Most technical details are deferred to the literature. However, since the main new observable at RHIC relative to SPS is jet quenching, I elaborate more on this “tomographic” probe of ultra-dense matter. The possible discovery of jet quenching at RHIC by STAR and PHENIX is highlighted.
Culturally Competent Treatments for Asian Americans: The Relevance of Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Psychotherapies

The development of effective treatments for Asian Americans is important because treatment disparities continue to exist for this population. Because of their theoretical grounding in East Asian philosophies, mindfulness and acceptance-based psychotherapies appear to constitute promising ways to provide culturally responsive mental health care to Asian Americans. However, in practice these approaches often reflect conceptions of mental health that are more consistent with Western world views. We review points of intersection and divergence between Western-based mindfulness and acceptance psychotherapies and Asian American cultural values. We then propose a culturally syntonic approach that accentuates certain components of mindfulness and acceptance psychotherapies and adapts other components of these approaches to be more consistent with Asian American cultural values.
Evidence-based effect size estimation:An illustration using the case of acupuncture for cancer-related fatigue

Estimating a realistic effect size is an important issue in the planning of clinical studies of complementary and alternative medicine therapies. When a minimally important difference is not available, researchers may estimate effect size using the published literature. This evidence-based effect size estimation may be used to produce a range of empirically-informed effect size and consequent sample size estimates. We provide an illustration of deriving plausible effect size ranges for a study of acupuncture in the relief of post-chemotherapy fatigue in breast cancer patients. A PubMed search identified three uncontrolled studies reporting the effect of acupuncture in relieving fatigue. A separate search identified five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a wait-list control of breast cancer patients receiving standard care that reported data on fatigue. We use these published data to produce best, average, and worst-case effect size estimates and related sample size estimates for a trial of acupuncture in the relief of cancer-related fatigue relative to a wait-list control receiving standard care. Use of evidence-based effect size estimation to calculate sample size requirements for a study of acupuncture in relieving fatigue in breast cancer survivors relative to a wait-list control receiving standard care suggests that an adequately-powered phase III randomized controlled trial comprised of two arms would require at least 101 subjects (52 per arm) if a strong effect is assumed for acupuncture and 235 (118 per arm) if a moderate effect is assumed. Evidence-based effect size estimation helps justify assumptions in light of empirical evidence and can lead to more realistic sample size calculations, an outcome that would be of great benefit for the field of complementary and alternative medicine.
Evaluation and distance education: Five steps

Evaluation procedures are becoming of critical interest to trainers and teachers who are adopting e-learning or distance education (Peak & Berge, 2006). As new distance education systems are being planned and implemented, there is considerable concern that the time and effort required to move to distance delivery of instruction produces a valuable educational experience; thus, evaluation is regularly a part of plans to move from traditional face-to-face instruction to distance education. Kirkpatrick’s (1998) evaluation approach with its four levels of evaluation, supplemented by Phillips’ (1996) fifth evaluation level—return on investment (ROI)—seems to be the preferred approach of many trainers, and some educators. Kirkpatrick’s evaluation approach has been traditionally used to evaluate classroom training and teaching, especially in the private, government, and military sectors. It is a straightforward approach that produces usable information for the trainer. The four levels of the approach are designed to obtain answers to commonly asked questions about training: Did they like it? Did they learn it? Will they use it? Will it matter? LEVEL 1: REACTIONS (DID THEY LIKE IT)
Noise robust pitch tracking by subband autocorrelation classification

Speech pitch tracking is one of the elementary tasks of the Computational Auditory Scene Analysis (CASA). While a human can easily listen to the voiced pitch in highly noisy recordings, the performance of automatic speech pitch tracking degrades in unknown noisy audio conditions. Traditional pitch trackers use either autocorrelation or the Fourier transform to calculate periodicity, which works well for clean recordings. For noisy recordings, however, the accuracy of these pitch trackers degrades in general. For example, the information in parts of the frequency spectrum may be lost due to analog radio band transmission and/or contain additive noise of various kinds. Instead of explicitly using the most obvious features of autocorrelation, we propose a trained classier-based approach, which we call Subband Autocorrelation Classification (SAcC). A multi-layer perceptron (MLP) classier is trained on the principal components of the autocorrelations of subbands from an auditory filterbank. The output of the MLP classifier is temporally smoothed to produce the pitch track by finding the Viterbi path of a Hidden Markov Model (HMM). Training on various types of noisy speech recordings leads to a great increase in performance over state-of-the-art algorithms, according to both the traditional Gross Pitch Error (GPE) measure, and a proposed novel Pitch Tracking Error (PTE) which more fully reflects the accuracy of both pitch estimation/extraction and voicing detection in a single measure. To verify the generalization and specificity of SAcC, we test SAcC on a real world problem that has a large-scale noisy speech corpus. The data is from the DARPA Robust Automatic Transcription of Speech (RATS) program. The experiments on the performance evaluation of SAcC pitch tracking confirm the generalization power of SAcC across various unknown noise conditions and distinct speech corpora. We also report the use of SAcC output adds a significant improvement to a Speaker Identification (SID) system for RATS as well, suggesting the potential contribution of SAcC pitch tracking in the higher-level tasks.
Application of a Computerized Language Lateralization Index from fMRI by a Group of Clinical Neuroradiologists

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Deriving accurate language lateralization from fMRI studies in the clinical context can be difficult, with 10%–20% incorrect conclusions. Most interpretations are qualitative, performed by neuroimaging experts. Quantitative lateralization has been widely described but with little implementation in the clinical setting and is disadvantaged by the use of arbitrary threshold techniques. We investigated the application and utility of a nonthreshold CLI, in a clinical setting, as applied by a group of practicing neuroradiologists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients with known language lateralization (11 left and 11 nonleft dominant) had their images reviewed by 8 neuroradiologists in 2 settings, all randomized, once by using a CLI and once without using a CLI. For each review, neuroradiologists recorded their impressions of lateralization for each language sequence, the overall lateralization conclusion, their impression of scan quality and noise, and the subjective confidence in their conclusion. RESULTS: The inter-rater κ; for lateralization was 0.64, which increased to 0.70 with the use of CLI. The group accuracy of overall lateralization was 78%, which increased to 81% with the use of a CLI. Using a CLI removed 2 instances of significant errors, with a neuroradiologist9s impression of left lateralization in a patient with known right lateralization. Using a CLI had no effect on examinations with conclusions formed with either high confidence or no confidence. CONCLUSIONS: Although the overall clinical benefit of a CLI is modest, the most significant impact is to reduce the most harmful misclassification errors, particularly in fMRI examinations that are suboptimal.
The effects of childlessness on the care and psychological well-being of older adults with disabilities

Objectives: Adult children are a primary focus of family and caregiver research. In contrast, relatively little is known about childless elders with a disability, including their care needs and the state of their overall well-being compared to elderly parents. We addressed this gap by examining the relationship between childlessness and the care and well-being of adults aged 75 and older with a disability. Methods: Parents and childless persons aged 75 and older were compared using data from the 1998 to 2004 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). We used logistic regression to examine the relationship between childlessness and care provision (personal care and assistive devise use) and ordinal regression to examine the relationships of parental status, personal care, and use of assistive devices with well-being. The analysis was based on 2048 observations from 1456 community-dwelling respondents who had difficulty walking across a room or getting into or out of bed. Results: Compared to parents, ...
Coupled magnetoelastic theory of magnetic and magnetostrictive hysteresis

It is demonstrated that hysteresis in the magnetostriction k is coupled to hysteresis in the magnetization M because of the dependence of the magnetostriction on the magnetization. At the same time, when stress is present, the magnetization is in turn coupled to the behavior of the part of the magnetostriction associated with domain moment rotation. An expression for the magnetostriction is formulated, and numerical modeling results for magnetostriction hysteresis are compared to experimental results. Although some features of the magnetostriction in iron and steel still need additional explanation, the main features of the magnetostriction are accounted for. These include liftoff (failure of the magnetostriction to return to its value in the demagnetized state as the hysteresis loop is cycled) and a magnetostriction increase after flux density B reaches its maximum and starts to decrease. A macromagnetic, multidomain formulation that yields zero magnetostriction in the demagnetized specimen is used. >
A Retrospective Study of Gender Differences in Depressive Symptoms and Risk of Relapse in Patients with Alcohol Dependence

Background and Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate potential gender differences in situations associated with heavy alcohol drinking. Methods Data from 395 alcohol dependent patients participating in the Mayo Clinic Intensive Addiction Program were evaluated. Each participant completed the inventory of drug taking situations (IDTS), Penn alcohol craving scale (PACS), patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), and/or Beck depression inventory (BDI). Gender differences in IDTS scores representing three domains (negative, positive, and temptation) of situations associated with heavy alcohol use were examined. Results Women with alcohol dependence report a higher frequency of heavy drinking in unpleasant emotional (IDTS negative scores mean ± SD women vs. men: 52.3 ± 22.1 vs. 43.8 ± 21.8; p = .0006), and as a result of temptation (IDTS temptation scores mean ± SD women vs. men: 40.4 ± 23.0 vs. 35.3 ± 20.8; p = .035). Upon admission, women also scored significantly higher on depressive symptoms as measured by the BDI (23.4 ± 11.4 vs. 18.2 ± 9.8, p < .001). After controlling for depressive symptom severity as a covariate, the IDTS gender differences were no longer significant. Conclusion and Scientific Significance Our results suggest that unpleasant or temptation based emotional situations are a vulnerability risk factor for heavy drinking particularly in females. This risk appears to be at least partially driven by depressive symptom burden. Future research is needed to further investigate this finding. (Am J Addict 2013;22:437–442)
End stopping in V1 is sensitive to contrast

Common situations that result in different perceptions of grouping and border ownership, such as shadows and occlusion, have distinct sign-of-contrast relationships at their edge-crossing junctions. Here we report a property of end stopping in V1 that distinguishes among different sign-of-contrast situations, thereby obviating the need for explicit junction detectors. We show that the inhibitory effect of the end zones in end-stopped cells is highly selective for the relative sign of contrast between the central activating stimulus and stimuli presented at the end zones. Conversely, the facilitatory effect of end zones in length-summing cells is not selective for the relative sign of contrast between the central activating stimulus and stimuli presented at the end zones. This finding indicates that end stopping belongs in the category of cortical computations that are selective for sign of contrast, such as direction selectivity and disparity selectivity, but length summation does not.
Finite Dimensional Robust Controller Designsvia the Gap Metric

There are two schemes provided via the gap metric for designing finite dimensional robust controllers for distributed parameter LTI systems. The finite dimensional controllers designed according to these two schemes are guaranteed to stabilize the distributed parameter LTI systems and their neighborhoods, and the real closed-loop responses can be estimated via the designed ones. Several related problems are also addressed such as the continuity of the largest robust stability radius, the finite dimensional approximations in the gap metric, and the relationship between the largest robust stability radius of a system and that of its optimally robust controllers.
Analytical Solutions to the Drying of Textile Materials with Microwave Heating

An analytical model of internal transport characteristics of a textile material during drying using microwave heating is developed. The model is simplified for each period of drying (initial adjustment, liquid movement, constant rate, and falling rate) using existing experimental data and certain known characteristics of microwave heating. Solutions to these reduced modeling equations are obtained for the initial adjustment period and the constant rate period, which are the drying periods comprising the majority of the drying processes of most textile materials of interest. The analytical results are compared to the available experimental data, and a correlation is obtained in the prediction of drying rates, internal temperature profiles, and internal pressure distribution.
Evaluation of Incident Management Impacts Using Stochastic Dynamic Traffic Assignment

In this paper, a dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) formulation with probabilistic capacity constraints is suggested in order to incorporate accident-induced random capacity reductions into evaluation of incident management strategies. For this purpose, a cell transmission model (CTM) based system optimal dynamic traffic assignment (SODTA) formulation is used as the underlying network model. Hypothetical scenarios are devised in which the potential incident management (IM) strategies are assumed to reduce either the average or the variation of the incident duration. For each case, a small scale Monte Carlo simulation is also performed and compared with the analytic results of the stochastic DTA model. It was shown that the stochastic DTA model not only provides the changes in total system travel time within the reliability measure, but it also provides the analytical results which requires significantly less computational burden. The model also incorporates the impacts of rerouting which is not possible with a queuing theory based analysis on a single link. The results also show that rather than reducing the average duration, comparable delay reductions can be achieved by reducing the variance while keeping the average accident duration unchanged. Hence, IM strategies, solely targeting average duration may be deemed not to be successful, yet, they may be an effective policy to reduce delay. Overall, the proposed model provides a computationally efficient network-wide analysis of incident induced delay without ignoring the highly stochastic nature of roadway incidents.
Religiosity, Denominational Affiliation, and Sexual Behaviors Among People With HIV in the United States

This study sought to describe religiosity and denominational affiliation among the U.S. population living with HIV and to test whether either is associated with HIV-related sexual risk behaviors. A nationally representative sample of 1,421 people in care for HIV, 932 of whom reported recent sexual activity, was utilized. Religiosity was associated with fewer sexual partners and a lower likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex and in high-risk sex. Catholics were less likely to report unprotected sex than were other Christians, adherents of non-Christian religions, and those reporting no religious affiliation. Catholics were also less likely than other Christians to report high-risk sex and reported fewer sexual partners compared to those of non-Christian religions. We did not observe a difference between Catholics and Evangelicals in the three sexual behaviors investigated. Results suggest that religiosity and some religious teachings may promote safer sex among people with HIV.
Coupled Motion of Wind-Loaded Multi-Story Building

An analytical procedure is developed to compute the statistical properties of structural response of a slender tall building under the excitation of a random wind flow field which is statistically stationary in time and nonhomogeneous in space. The mass, elastic, and aerodynamic axes of the building are assumed to be different. Therefore, the translational and the torsional motions of the building are coupled. The problem is formulated in terms of transfer matrices, which relate the response at one floor to the next floor. A numerical example of a 40-story building is given to illustrate the applications.
'Remnants of Past Troubles': Defining Self-Government Among Territories

The United Nations has declared 2001-2010 the Second Decade for the Elimination of Colonialism. In order to achieve this goal, the 16 remaining non-self-governing territories identified under Article 73 of the UN Charter must achieve self-government. But how is the UN to determine when that goal has been achieved? It is the argument of this article that the current definitions promulgated by the UN fail to provide any clear guidance, and conducts an empirical analysis, utilizing Qualitative Comparative Analysis, to compare non-self-governing territories and self-governing territories. It finds that the UN's lists of factors of self-government fail to provide an adequate explanation for why some territories are universally recognized to be self-governing, while others are still viewed as colonies of larger powers. It concludes with a new list of factors that can be used to make a principled determination of when a territory becomes self-governing.
Democracy's Stake in the Arab Spring

Arch Puddington joined Freedom House in 1994 and is responsible for the preparation for the publication of Freedom in the World and other research publications, and for the development of new advocacy programs. He writes frequently on international affairs, race relations, organized labor, and the Cold War. Mr. Puddungton’s work has appeared in Commentary, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He is also the author of several books, including Failed Utopias: Methods of Coercion in Communist Societies and Broadcasting Freedom: The Cold War Triumph of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty.
Investigation of Modified Graphene for Energy Storage Applications

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) have been receiving extensive attention because of the high specific energy density for wide applications such as electronic vehicles, commercial mobile electronics, and military applications. In LIB, graphite is the most commonly used anode material; however, lithium-ion intercalation in graphite is limited, hindering the battery charge rate and capacity. To overcome this obstacle, nanostructured anode assembly has been extensively studied to increase the lithium-ion diffusion rate. Among these approaches, high specific surface area metal oxide nanowires connecting nanostructured carbon materials accumulation have shown propitious results for enhanced lithium intercalation. Recently, nanowire/graphene hybrids were developed for the enhancement of LIB performance; however, almost all previous efforts employed nanowires on graphene in a random fashion, which limited lithium-ion diffusion rate. Therefore, we demonstrate a new approach by hydrothermally growing uniform nanowires o...
Enzymatically Degradable Synthetic Polymers

Complex coacervation is an appealing method of microencapsulating delicate proteins for controlled drug delivery. Natural polyelectrolytes, such as collagen, gelatin, hyaluronic acid, and chondroitin sulfate, are popular choices for formulating the microspheres. For advantage of versatility, synthetic systems are attractive. Typical synthetic polyelectrolytes are composed of a carbon-carbon backbone that is nonbiodegradable. To design synthetic polyelectrolytes that are biodegradable, we synthesized diamines containing dipeptide or tripeptide sequences that are enzymatically degradable. The enzymatically degradable linkages comprised gly-phe, gly-phe-phe, or gly-gly-phe, and lysine and 2,3-diaminopropionic acid co-monomers served as the charged component. Using an interfacial polymerization technique, these monomers were condensed with diacyl chlorides, including succinyl, adipoyl, or terephthaloyl chloride to form polyamides. Results of gel permeation chromatography and ninhydrin assays showed that the polymers degraded in PBS containing α-chymotrypsin.
The creep behavior of Si3N4/SiC nanocomposites

In an investigation of the creep properties of silicon nitride/silicon carbide nanocomposites, the micro-nano type composites with nano-SiC at intragranular and inter-granular regions show behavior not much different from that of silicon-nitride monolith. The improvement of creep resistance is modest, up to about one order of magnitude decrease in steady-state creep rate. The creep rate parameters such as activation energy and stress exponent measured for this type of nanocomposite are within the range of those of silicon nitride. This evidence suggests that a special strengthening mechanism may not be necessary for this type of material. Nano-nanocomposites show remarkably lower creep rates, possibly pointing to a new creep mechanism such as solid-state diffusion.
The Struggle for Middle Eastern Nations to Join the World Trade Organization

The article explains the significant positive impact the World Trade Organization (WTO) could have on the Middle East and international trade globally, but the struggle Middle Eastern countries are having in their accessions to the WTO. There is a comparison within the article, between Middle Eastern Countries that have acceded to the WTO and Middle Eastern Countries that have been the accession process for many years with very little progress in gaining membership. The article makes suggestions on how the Middle Eastern Countries stuck in the accession process can advance by following in their neighbors’ steps, as well as, why current WTO members should support Middle Eastern Countries’ accession, due to the vast benefits membership would reap bringing about peace, security, and solidarity.
Harbingers for Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.

Purpose Recent research has recognized surrogate markers for Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Among the most consistently identified markers are the leukocyte count, platelet count, and albumin level. Previous investigators failed to exclude patients with hematologic disorders that may have confounded their results. Therefore, the exclusion of this subset from our study lends it a unique perspective. Methods We undertook a retrospective review of inpatients at our institution that were diagnosed with nosocomial diarrhea and subsequently had a stool sample sent for C. difficile toxins A and B. Patients with major hematologic disorders were excluded. Results A total of 77 C. difficile-positive patients and 91 C. difficile-negative patients were studied. Patients with CDAD had a significantly higher leukocyte and platelet count but a lower albumin level compared with patients without CDAD. Conclusion Our results support the conclusion of preceding studies that leukocytosis, thrombocytosis, and hypoalbuminemia are reliable clinical predictors for CDAD even after careful exclusion of confounding factors.
Attention deficit disorder in childhood.

SUMMARY Attention deficit disorder refers to a syndrome of pervasive inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity that is found in between 3 and 6 per cent of the population. It is commonly associated with conduct disorders and learning disabilities. The etiology of ADD is unknown, but family and adoption studies demonstrate an important role for genetic transmission. Pre- or postnatal central nervous system damage is suggested in only a few cases. Animal models as well as pharmacologic and clinical studies point to abnormalities in the catecholamine system, particularly dopamine function. Although certain psychometric tests are suggestive, no single laboratory marker is specific to ADD, and information from several sources is usually necessary before reaching the diagnosis. These sources may include parents, teachers, and pediatric psychology consultation, as well as clinical interview and physical examination. Children with ADD often suffer ridicule or rejection from family members, teachers, and peers. Treatment may interrupt the cycle of negative reinforcement that can have devastating effects on the self and public image of the child. Educational and behavioral management are the first line of intervention. Pharmacotherapy is also often helpful with stimulants considered the drugs of choice. Methylphenidate may be administered at a dose of 0.3 to 0.6 mg/kg in the morning. This dose may be repeated at noon. D-amphetamine at approximately half this dose is usually equally effective. Other medications such as the antidepressants and clonidine have proven to be effective in the treatment of ADD and may play a role in the management of some children.
MO-DE-201-03: Empathy.

Medical physicists possess technical knowledge and problem solving skills required to deliver high quality diagnosis and treatment in the clinic, to provide excellence in research, or to transfer expertise in industrial or regulatory environments. As the healthcare industry rapidly evolves, medical physicists must make a case for ensuring recognition of their value. One of many ways the AAPM is working to ensure stewardship of the profession is through development of the Medical Physics Leadership Academy (MPLA). This session will provide an introduction to the MPLA and one of its focus areas of emotional intelligence. The session will make the case for emotional competencies in addition to technical competencies. MPLA work group representatives will share consolidated results from conducting 360 feedback assessments used to measure emotional competencies of medical physicists. Some emotional competencies contribute more to professional success than others, and the session will explain how to overcome shortcomings. Two specific emotional competencies will be covered: selfawareness and empathy. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the importance of medical physics leadership in the future of health care 2. Understand emotional intelligence and emotional competencies and ways they can be measured 3. Utilize self-awareness and empathy to improve management of our own emotions and others
General electric's third generation VPI resin

A new, third generation, impregnating resin has been developed which uses “controllable reactivity” chemistry resulting in polyether linkages. This resin impregnant is capable of producing better chemical resistance, improved electrical properties, and superior thermal properties, and a long shelf life with low viscosity for thorough impregnation when compared with other commercially available epoxy or polyester resin impregnants.
Ubiquitous real-time geo-spatial localization

Rapidly growing technologies like autonomous navigation require accurate geo-localization in both outdoor and indoor environments. GNSS based outdoor localization has limitation of accuracy, which deteriorates in urban canyons, forested region and is unavailable indoors. Technologies like RFID, UWB, WiFi are used for indoor localization. These suffer limitations of high infrastructure costs, and signal transmission issues like multi-path, and frequent replacement of transciever batteries. We propose an alternative to localize an individual or a vehcile that is moving inside or outside a building. Instead of mobile RF transceivers, we utilize a sensor suite that includes a video camera and an inertial measurement unit. We estimate a motion trajectory of this sensor suite using Visual Odometery. Instead of preinstalled transceivers, we use GIS map for outdoors, or a BIM model for indoors. The transport layer in GIS map or navigable paths in BIM are abstracted as a graph structure. The geo-location of the mobile platform is inferred by first localizing its trajectory. We introduce an adaptive probabilistic inference approach to search for this trajectory in the entire map with no initialization information. Using an effective graph traversal spawn-and-prune strategy, we can localize the mobile platform in real-time. In comparison to other technologies, our approach requires economical sensors and the required map data is typically available in the public domain. Additionally, unlike other technologies which function exclusively indoors or outdoors, our approach functions in both environments. We demonstrate our approach on real world examples of both indoor and outdoor locations.
Health Services Research in Improving the Delivery of Care for Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases: Moving From Observation to Innovation to Action.

Health services research (HSR) is a multidisciplinary field of scientific inquiry that examines how people access health care, how that care is delivered, how much it costs and, ultimately, what happens to patients as a result of this care. Put simply, it asks what works, in whom, at what cost, and under what circumstances.1 Accordingly, HSR can provide important insights into the current delivery of health care, identify areas where current care falls short, and guide interventions for improvement in care delivery. HSR has a particularly valuable role in cardiovascular care. The prevalence, associated morbidity and mortality, and large financial costs incurred by cardiovascular disease make its impact on health and medical costs significant. As a result, HSR insights into improvement opportunities for cardiovascular care delivery can lead to large gains in healthcare value. For example, HSR insights into acute stroke care deficiencies led to the American Heart Association Get With the Guidelines Stroke quality improvement program. Over a 5-year period, the program significantly increased adherence to best acute stroke care practices.2 Another successful application of HSR methodologies in cardiovascular disease has been to ST-elevation myocardial infarction door-to-balloon times.3 HSR investigators identified significant barriers …
Endoscopic optical coherence tomography angiography microvascular features associated with dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus (with video).

Background and Aims Angiogenesis is associated with neoplastic progression of Barrett's esophagus (BE). Volumetric optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) visualizes subsurface microvasculature without exogenous contrast agents. We investigated the association of OCTA microvascular features with low-grade dysplasia (LGD) and high-grade dysplasia (HGD). Methods Fifty-two patients undergoing BE surveillance or endoscopic eradication therapies for dysplasia were imaged using volumetric OCTA and corresponding histologic diagnoses wre obtained to yield 97 data sets (nondysplastic BE [NDBE], 74; LGD, 10; HGD, 13). After evaluating OCTA image quality, 54 datasets (NDBE, 35; LGD, 8; HGD, 11) from 32 patients were used to develop a training and reading protocol. The association of abnormal vessel branching and heterogeneous vessel size with LGD/HGD and a regular honeycomb vessel pattern with NDBE were investigated. Results Blinded OCTA reading of 41 OCTA datasets (NDBE, 27; LGD, 7; HGD, 7) was performed by readers with various levels of OCT/OCTA experience including 3 OCT trainees, 1 gastroenterologist, and 2 gastroenterology fellows. Among the 6 readers, OCTA features of abnormal vessel branching and heterogeneous vessel size had an overall 94% sensitivity (95% CI, 89-99) and 69% specificity (95% CI, 62-76) for differentiating LGD/HGD versus NDBE with a mean reading time of 45 seconds per data set and moderate (kappa = .58) interobserver agreement. Conclusions Volumetric en face OCTA imaging enables rapid examination of depth resolved microvascular features with near-microscopic resolution. OCTA can visualize microvascular features associated with LGD/HGD with high accuracy, which motivates new technologic advances and future studies investigating the diagnostic performance of OCTA.
State divestment and tuition at public institutions

Abstract This study examines the pass-through rate of changes in public funding to tuition and fees paid by students. Using an instrumental variable-fixed effects identification strategy, I estimate that a $1000 per student decrease in funding leads to the typical student paying $257 more each year in costs, with. However, both the pass-through rate and the proportion of tuition increases which can be explained by state divestment have increased over time. The pass-through rate increased from 10.3% prior to the year 2000 to 31.8% post-2000. I outline several avenues of future research which should be pursued in order to more fully understand which students shoulder the burden of reductions in public support.
Life Cycle Assessment of Cellulosic Ethanol and Biomethane Production from Forest Residues

There is a strong need to manage low-value forest residues generated from the management practices associated with wildfire, pest, and disease control strategies to improve both the environmental and economic sustainability of forestlands. The conversion of this woody biomass into value-added products provides a great opportunity to benefit both the environment and economy. This study aimed to assess the environmental impacts of converting forest residues into two renewable fuels, cellulosic ethanol and biomethane, by different biochemical conversion pathways. The energy balances and environmental impacts, including acidification, eutrophication, global warming, and photochemical ozone formation, of the two biorefinery approaches were addressed. This work illustrated the advantages of converting forest residues into biomethane from energy and environmental perspectives. The tradeoff between the economic benefits and potential environmental issues need to be carefully considered.
Informational Salience and the Adoption of Microfinance

How does the introduction of information in the social structures of different markets affect individual behavior and collective outcomes? This study exploits the random seeding of information abou...
Social TV: How Social Media Activity Interacts With TV Advertising

Social TV is the simultaneous consumption of television alongside social media chatter about the programming. This topic is highly relevant for marketers. Usually it is considered as a bad thing for TV advertisers. While there can be distraction from the ads, marketers can also benefit from positive effects. Consumers’ multiscreen activities can be used to attract more viewers, to leverage TV campaigns and to increase sales. This chatter creates free exposure for the brand online, extends the reach of television ad campaigns to the online space, and offers real-time feedback to advertisers on how their ads are being received. To take advantage of social TV, marketers need to develop a social media and ad design strategy for TV shows. Not every “social show” is good for them. Many programs receive a high volume of program-related chatter at the expense of advertiser-related word-of-mouth, but some programs generate high levels of online conversations that can also benefit their advertisers. Marketers are well served to identify those programs that are conducive to advertiser-related chatter. Also, specific ad designs can further encourage buzz.