cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Online parallel boosting

This paper presents a new boosting (arcing) algorithm called POCA, Parallel Online Continuous Arcing. Unlike traditional boosting algorithms (such as Arc-x4 and Adaboost), that construct ensembles by adding and training weak learners sequentially on a round-by-round basis, training in POCA is performed over an entire ensemble continuously and in parallel. Since members of the ensemble are not frozen after an initial learning period (as in traditional boosting) POCA is able to adapt rapidly to non-stationary environments, and because POCA does not require the explicit scoring of a fixed exemplar set, it can perform online learning of non-repeating data. We present results from experiments conducted using neural network experts that show POCA is typically faster and more adaptive than existing boosting algorithms. Results presented for the UCI letter dataset are, to our knowledge, the best published scores to date.
Rotational stability and measurement of normal stress functions in dilute polymer solutions

The onset of rotational flow instability was determined experimentally for dilute solutions of six polymers. In general, the onset of secondary motions occurred later than for a Newtonian liquid of equal apparent viscosity, although, depending upon geometric ratios, some instabilities occurred earlier than in the Newtonian liquid. The stability theory of Ginn and Denn was used to calculate viscometric normal stress functions for ten solutions, with excellent agreement obtained with rheogoniometric measurements of the primary normal stress measurements in all but three cases. Torque measurements of the laminar secondary motion following instability showed some frictional drags significantly less than those observed in Newtonian liquids, a phenomenon analogous to the turbulent drag reduction observed previously in dilute polymer solutions.
Prompt Diagnosis of an Unusual Cause of Obstructive Shock Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound.

Abstract Background The patient presenting in an undifferentiated shock state can produce a diagnostic challenge for even the most seasoned clinician. Case Report We present an unusual case of an elderly woman in obstructive shock from a large atrial mass that was promptly diagnosed with point-of-care ultrasound. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Ultrasound is a non-invasive tool that can help facilitate the early diagnosis of a patient in undifferentiated shock.
Optical flow with an intensity-weighted smoothing

Matching algorithms which use image structure such as edges and junctions cannot perform well on unstructured images. For such images, global gradient-based methods may be more appropriate. Some of the assumptions involved in applying discretized conservation equations such as the optical flow equation are discussed and an intensity-weighted method of estimating dense displacement fields is presented, which attempts to avoid some of the problems of the standard methods. The only derivative required is the intensity gradient, and the method includes procedures for automatic parameter evaluation. The algorithm is expected to perform better than conventional algorithms on images without strong texture, as is demonstrated on the test set of images. >
Transformative Learning: Suggestive Assumptions and Practices

This essay argues that most proposed forms for schooling learning are founded on assumptions associated with Normal Science. While most of these forms of school learning are inherently conservative, even the most well know approaches to transformative learning, such as critical pedagogy, are also beholden to the dictates of Normal Science. The limitations of Normal Science suggest a need for learning approaches that push against the limits of this paradigm. Such a push is suggested by looking at the assumptive framework and practices associated with a newly developed technology platformâ€”UnEarth. UnEarth moves between Normal Science and Experimental Art is an attempt to create communities of difference, share knowledge across those differences, store knowledge in personal and community libraries that show gaps and strengths in learning as well as interests that can be used for curriculum planning and future job recruitment and do so within an “open text” that creates possibilities as opposed to directing participants to do this or that. By doing so communication patterns, the nature of schoolwork and the stop-go-stop nature of education were transformed. These findings suggest that technology can stand side by side with transformative ambitions, a stance not possible with platforms like UnEarth.
Survival of Cornus sericea L. stem cortical cells following immersion in liquid helium

Abstract Cold-acclimated stems of red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea L.) were sampled in midwinter and early spring and subjected to the following low temperature treatments: (a)0 →−40 → 0°C; (b) 0 →−40 →− 196 → 0°C; (c) 0 →−40 →−196 →−269 →−196 → 0°C; (d) 0 →−40 →−269 →−196 → 0°C; (e) 0 →−196 → 0°C; (f) 0 →−269 →−196 →0°C. The cortical parenchyma cells of the outer stem layers survived exposure to −269°C when pre-frozen to −40°C and either transferred directly to −269°C or to −196°C and then to −269°C (treatments c and d). Acclimated stems transferred to a greenhouse (22°C) 2 weeks prior to the low temperature treatments deacclimated and were not able to survive freezing to −10°C. Cortical cells of stem samples taken in March, near the time when dogwood naturally deacclimates, survived −196°C (treatment b), but not −269°C (treatment cord). Thus, the freezing tolerance of dogwood varies seasonally from near −10°C to below −269°C.
Substitution between revenue futures and price futures contracts: A note

In recent years, commercial interest has been expressed in agricultural revenue insurance instruments. Participating parties may look to futures markets to offset assumed positions. In this note, conditions are identified such that revenue futures contracts are perfect substitutes for price futures contracts. If these conditions approximate reality, then it would seem questionable whether sufficient interest would exist to sustain markets in both futures contracts. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 22:387–391, 2002
Managing Participation through Modal Affordances on Twitter

On Twitter, retweets function as a method of reporting speech and spreading the talk of other users. We propose that changes to the interface and mechanisms of Twitter have led to the coexistence of two complementary forms of retweeting. The Preserving Retweet, enabled by the Twitter interface, directly reports speech and retains attribution to the original author, but it does not allow for any modification or indication of stance. The Adapting Retweet, a user-created norm studied by boyd et al. (2010), allows users the option to add comments to pre-existing tweets but resulting in confusion in attribution. Using an updated form of Goffman’s participation framework, we analyze the use of these two types of retweets and their impact on attribution.
Care of Girls and Women with Turner Syndrome: A Guideline of the Turner Syndrome Study Group

Objectives: The objective of this work is to provide updated guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of girls and women with Turner syndrome (TS). Participants: The Turner Syndrome Consensus Study Group is a multidisciplinary panel of experts with relevant clinical and research experience with TS that met in Bethesda, Maryland, April 2006. The meeting was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and unrestricted educational grants from pharmaceutical companies. Evidence: The study group used peer-reviewed published information to form its principal recommendations. Expert opinion was used where good evidence was lacking. Consensus: The study group met for 3 d to discuss key issues. Breakout groups focused on genetic, cardiological, auxological, psychological, gynecological, and general medical concerns and drafted recommendations for presentation to the whole group. Draft reports were available for additional comment on the meeting web site. Synthesis of the section reports and final revisi...
Suboptimal alignments improve the detection of weak homologs in sequence database searches

PSI-BLAST remains one of the popular tools for searching remote homologs in sequence databases. We recently demonstrated that hybrid alignment can function as the alignment core for PSI-BLAST without loss of sensitivity. Here, we start to exploit the benefits of hybrid alignment. We show that incorporating information about the suboptimal alignments, otherwise ignored in PSI-BLAST, already improves the sensitivity of our enhanced version of PSI-BLAST. More interestingly, we find a set of sequences on which our tool disagrees with the classification given by SCOP. Careful examination points to a possible misclassification in SCOP. Cross-referencing with two other methods of protein structure classification, CATH and DALI, supports this view, indicating that the enriched information from suboptimal alignments is valuable for detecting more weakly homologous sequences.
Modification of the gating of the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-release channel by H2O2 and dithiothreitol

The effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the sheep cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-release channel has been investigated under voltage-clamp conditions after incorporation of native membrane vesicles into planar phospholipid bilayers. In the presence of micromolar activating calcium concentrations on the cytosolic side of the membrane, H2O2 (3-5 mM) increased open probability of the channels. H2O2 did not affect the conductance of the channel or the response to activating compounds, such as ATP and caffeine. H2O2 did not alter the inhibitory response to magnesium or the modification of channels by ryanodine. At subactivating calcium concentrations (approximately 45 pM) on the cytosolic side of the membrane, 5 mM H2O2 was still able to open the channel. Analysis of single-channel open and closed lifetimes suggested that H2O2 had a direct effect on the gating mechanism of the channel. Open probability of the SR Ca(2+)-release channel is reduced by millimolar concentrations of dithiothreitol, a sulfhydryl-protecting compound, in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, it is probable that H2O2 activates the SR Ca(2+)-release channel via an oxidation of cysteine thiol groups in the channel protein.
Growth Factors as Possible Therapeutic Agents for Retinal Degenerations

In 1990, Faktorovich and co-workers1 demonstrated that intraocularly injected basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) dramatically delayed photoreceptor degeneration in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats with inherited retinal dystrophy. This showed that at least one growth factor, bFGF, could act as a survival-promoting agent in one form of hereditary retinal degeneration, and was consistent with its action as a survival-promoting neurotrophic agent in some other regions of the central and peripheral nervous system.2–7
Cecision making under uncertainty: social choice and manipulation

My research seeks insight into the complexity of computational reasoning under uncertain information. I focus on preference aggregation and social choice. Insights in these areas have broader impacts in the areas of complexity theory, autonomous agents, and uncertainty in artificial intelligence. Motivation: Planning and reasoning in nondeterministic settings is something that people take for granted every day. We do not know for certain that each small action we choose will succeed or fail, if the actions we choose will lead us to catastrophic consequences or land us safely on the other side of the street. The ability to reason in a domain where actions are not guaranteed to succeed is something that humans do fairly well and machines do not. The field of social choice allows us a rich set of domains and problems within which we can work. A central question of social choice is: how do we aggregate a (possibly) contradictory set of individual preferences and/or observations into an appropriate global decision? We focus on the question of manipulation of social choice functions when the individual agents’ preferences are represented as probability distributions rather than a set of deterministic preferences. This notion of uncertainty has been introduced hesitantly, if at all, in the existing literature. We wish to fill this gap. Background: The field of preference aggregation manipulation stems from that of social choice. Building on the work of Arrow [1], the Gibbard–Satterthwaite Theorem shows that any aggregation system, meeting a set of simple fairness conditions, can be manipulated by non-truthful voting [7, 12]. This was extended again by the Duggan–Schwartz Theorem to an even larger set of aggregation methods [4]. These results tell us that we cannot devise a “good” preference aggregation scheme that is immune to manipulation. This implies that groups can never come to provably fair, non-manipulated agreements. However, in the early 1990s, Bartholdi et al. proposed the idea of protecting the aggregation schemes through computational complexity [2]. The idea, much like cryptography, is: if it is difficult to compute a manipulation scheme then it is unlikely that there will be manipulation. The ComSoc community seeks to classify aggregation systems in terms of their susceptibility to manipulation. There is a rich literature on the computational complexity of elections [6], and on the worst-case complexity of manip-
Integrated Heterostructure Devices (IHDS): A New Approach for the Fabrication of High-Efficiency Blue/Green Light Emitters Based on II-VI Materials

Integrated heterostructure devices (IHDs) comprised of II-VI materials in multi-layered structures for light emitting diode (LED) and laser diode (LD) applications are described. These IHDs combine a light emission multilayer structure (wide band gap II-VI layers) with an abrupt or graded heterostructure (comprised of narrow band gap II-VI layers) for improved ohmic contact to the upper p-type layer of the light emitting structure.
Agroecosystem Diversity and Pest Control: Data, Tentative Conclusions, and New Research Directions

Recent criticism of the theory that increased diversity leads to increased stability has led to widespread skepticism about the value of using ecological theory to suggest strategies of agricultural diversification to better control insect pests. A total of 150 published studies which examine the effect of diversifying an agroecosystem on insect pest abundance are summarized; 198 total herbivore species were examined in these studies: 53% of these species were found to be less abundant in the more diversified system, 18% were more abundant in the diversified system, 9% showed no difference, and 20% showed a variable response. Two major problems with the studies were: (1) proper experiments were not conducted to show that differences in pest abundance between more and less diverse systems resulted in yield differences; (2) the ecological mechanisms accounting for the differences in pest abundance were carefully examined in only a few of the studies. A fundamental understanding of these ecological mechanisms is critical to the development of a predictive theory of how agricultural diversification affects insect pests. Empirical data and several theoretical arguments are presented which suggest that differences in pest abundance between diverse and simple systems can frequently be accounted for by the response of herbivore host-finding behavior to the patterns of resource availability, rather than the activities of natural enemies. The development of ecologically sound agroecosystems may well utilize within-field plant diversity, both in developing and in developed regions.
Do the GDS and the GDS-15 adequately capture the range of depressive symptoms among older residents in congregate housing?

Background: In light of inconsistencies in cut points for identifying non-major depression, this study examined the classification efficiency of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS and GDS-15) total scores and individual items, and four additional depressive symptoms for identification of subthreshold, minor, or criterion depression among 166 vulnerable residents of congregate housing. Methods: Depression (combined categories of major depressive episode, minor, or subthreshold depression) was determined by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) diagnostic interview depression module administered by telephone to 166 older residents of congregate housing facilities who also completed the 30-item GDS and four other yes/no potential indicators of geriatric depression. Classification agreement and ROC curve analysis for the full and 15-item GDS scale scores were calculated. Individual item hit rates for MINI criterion were calculated for GDS items and four new items. Results: GDS and GDS-15 at standard cut points had 70-75% agreement with MINI. Best sensitivity and specificity were obtained at lower than standard cut points. Some GDS Withdrawal, Apathy, lack of Vigor (WAV) and cognitive items obtained very low hit rates. New items "I just don't feel like myself and "I feel I am a burden to others" better discriminated MINI depression than most GDS items and had good item-to-total correlations with the GDS. Conclusions: Diagnostic criteria and GDS screen had partial agreement. Some GDS items did not adequately represent depression among functionally impaired or oldest old older adults. Feeling one is a burden and the sense of feeling "different" from usual may be useful indicators of depression among vulnerable older adults.
Aristotle and the Rediscovery of Citizenship: Citizen Virtue and the Longing for the Noble

Understanding the complexity of moral virtue and the perspective that informs it requires attention to the substance and order of Aristotle's discussion of the particular virtues in the Nicomachean Ethics . It is necessary, before turning to this discussion, to address a couple of objections to this claim, objections represented by the strong statement of Sir David Ross and largely responsible for a general neglect of the virtues: This part of the Ethics presents a lively and often amusing account of the qualities admired or disliked by cultivated Greeks of Aristotle's time … no attempt is made at an exhaustive logical division of either feelings or actions. The order is haphazard; two of the cardinal virtues are treated first and in considerable detail (the other two being reserved for treatment in Books V and VI); the other virtues are taken up just as they occur to Aristotle's mind, one no doubt suggesting another as he proceeds. Such a view would supply a good reason for the neglect of the particular virtues, and while students of Aristotle rarely subscribe to the whole of Ross's view, many assume the validity of some part of it. The full case against this position requires the substantive examination of the virtues (cf. NE 1107b14–16, 20–1, 1108a1–2), yet it is possible to address the main propositions in a prefatory way by speaking first to the question of the organization and order of the list and then to the connection of the virtues to Greek convention.
Prevalence of Substance Use in Patients With Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy.

BACKGROUND Individuals with cancer and risky alcohol and illicit substance use (AISU) are more likely to suffer diminished quality of life and subpar treatment outcomes. The prevalence of AISU in patients with cancer is poorly understood. OBJECTIVES This article reports on the results of a needs assessment to quantify AISU in individuals with cancer seeking care in the radiation oncology department of a large, academic medical center. METHODS Medical records were reviewed for all patients seen in the radiation oncology department in a one-week (five-day) period in the fall of 2014 (N = 397). Demographic and prevalence data were analyzed. FINDINGS The prevalence rates of AISU in this sample were slightly lower than estimates for the general population and inconsistency was noted in the documentation of relevant information. Despite the limitations, data analyses suggested that a significant percentage of patients receiving radiation therapy for cancer diagnoses exhibited substance use patterns that placed them at increased risk for negative short- and long-term outcomes. The findings support the need for systematic substance use screening, assessment, and risk-based interventions as an essential component of comprehensive cancer care.
Proprietary Hospitals in the United States

It has been traditionally argued that short-term private hospitals in the United States are predominantly non-profit voluntary institutions because they owe their origins to the charitable hospital of the nineteenth century, because they enjoy tax and other advantages over profit-making hospitals, and because Americans abhor the idea of profiting at the expense of the sick.
Describing functions: Atomic decompositions versus frames

The theory of frames and non-orthogonal series expansions with respect to coherent states is extended to a general class of spaces, the so-called coorbit spaces. Special cases include wavelet expansions for the Besov-Triebel-Lizorkin spaces, Gabortype expansions for modulation spaces, and sampling theorems for wavelet and Gabor transforms.
Design of a cruise control system prototype for the GT500's airplane

The GT500 aircraft is an experimental light sport aircraft designed to provide general aviation pilots an inexpensive way to fly. Even though these aircrafts can fly up-to four hours, they are mostly used for short recreational flights around the home airport. However, there are some pilots that fly these aircrafts long periods of time which can lead to an increase of workload on themselves. The autopilot system provides a solution to this problem by reducing the amount of work that pilots must performed during these flights. Unfortunately, the cost of these systems poses a big financial constraint to the owners of these aircrafts. Before implementing the system on the GT-500 aircraft, a team of engineers at George Mason University is integrating a software and hardware into a prototype system that can work equal or better than some of the current systems out in the market. This prototype it's been designed to simulate an autopilot system and to keep the cost significantly less expensive than the cheapest autopilot systems that are sold currently such as the TruTrack. By reducing the cost of this system, it can directly help the owners and pilots of these aircrafts to consider the purchase and installation of this system. A team of engineers at George Mason University have designed an Arduino based prototype system with low cost GPS that was required to pass bench testing before it is finally installed on the aircraft.
Combination vismodegib and photodynamic therapy for multiple basal cell carcinomas.

Abstract Background Oral vismodegib therapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are non-invasive treatments for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) with overlapping utility in widespread BCCs and patients who are poor surgical candidates. There is no published study to date investigating the combination use of PDT with vismodegib to optimize individual response rates. Objective To evaluate the combination of red light PDT and vismodegib therapy in patients with multiple nodular BCCs. The primary objective was to determine the safety of this combination therapy. Secondary outcomes included evaluation of the overall response rate, treatment-related pain, and cosmesis. Methods An open label pilot study of immunocompetent patients with multiple BCCs treated with 3 months of continuous vismodegib therapy (150 mg daily) and 3 consecutive ALA PDT sessions. Outcomes were assessed following each PDT session and 30 days post-treatment. Results Four patients with multiple nodular BCC (median = 5) were enrolled in the trial between January and August of 2016. Three patients completed the full intervention phase trial and a total of 19 lesions were treated. One patient completed 2 months of vismodegib and 2 PDT sessions. One PDT session was sufficient for small lesions, whereas larger lesions required all 3 sessions. The fifteen evaluable lesions at the end of the 3 PDT sessions showed complete responses. At 30-day follow-up, one of the treated lesions was noted to have clinical evidence of disease. Overall response rate showed 90% complete response and 10% partial response for the study. Combination therapy was well tolerated and yielded a similar or superior side effect profile to that of individual therapies with excellent cosmesis. Conclusion Combination PDT-vismodegib is a potential safe & effective therapy for the treatment of multiple BCCs that may enhance efficacy of individual therapies.
Wood in the cactus subfamily opuntioideae has extremely diverse structure

Members of the cactus subfamily Opuntioideae have adapted to numerous types of xeric habitat. Wood evolution was extensive and affected most wood characters. There was a reduction or elimination of xylary fibres, accompanied by a large increase in water storage cells within the wood itself in many of the most xericadapted clades. In all species at least some water storage tissue consists of living parenchyma cells but in most there is also a significant amount of non-living wide-band tracheids (WBTs). Depending on the species, both parenchyma and WBTs occur in the axial tissues alongside vessels or in rays or in both locations. In almost all species, primary xylem is surrounded by a mass of WBTs in the pith and innermost regions of medullary rays. Xylary water storage tissues are especially important to opuntioids because they lack many extraxylary adaptations present in other cacti, so water must be stored in the wood itself. Also, because most opuntioids have only rudimentary leaves and lack cortical bundles, water must be unloaded directly from wood vessels rather than from an extensive network of primary vascular bundles; this adds importance to having parenchyma cells adjacent to wood vessels.
Utterance Duration as It Relates to Communicative Variables in Infant Vocal Development

Purpose We aimed to provide novel information on utterance duration as it relates to vocal type, facial affect, gaze direction, and age in the prelinguistic/early linguistic infant. Method Infant u...
Hamilton: a cost-effective, low power networked sensor for indoor environment monitoring

Operating buildings can be challenging, especially with poor instrumentation of the indoor environment. There are several wireless sensor platforms on the market but most are too difficult to deploy en-masse, requiring the end-user to program devices, or manage infrastructure. Many rely on smart-phones and do not work when unattended. The Hamilton wireless sensor node is a full-stack solution providing a low-cost and low-power high-resolution sensor that operates for more than five years on a battery, along with all the cloud infrastructure required to interact with the data. It is pre-programmed and ready to use, but the firmware can be easily modified by using the standard C language.
Cytochrome P450 and Arachidonic Acid Metabolism in the Corneal Epithelium

Injury to the cornea provokes an inflammatory response with the degree of inflammation correlating to the severity of the injury. Thein situappearance of the inflamed cornea usually consists of conjunctival vasodilation, edema and neovascularization. While edema and vasodilation are reversible, neovascularization may or may not be depending upon the degree of vascular invasion into this normally avascular tissue. Therefore, a vascularized cornea presents a serious clinical problem since visual acuity is impaired by the physical presence of the vessels. If the vessels do not regress fully, permanent loss of visual acuity follows. Despite the uniform manifestations of inflammation, the mediators may be tissue and injury specific.
Application to Wireless Networking: Tracking Sources in Real Time

In this chapter, we begin to make the connection between the radiolocation proper, that we have discussed so far, and the data communication within which the radiolocation is meant to function. In other words, we want to start using our radiolocator in real wireless networking.
Opioid Prescription Patterns for Adults With Longstanding Disability and Inflammatory Conditions Compared to Other Users, Using a Nationally Representative Sample.

Abstract Objectives To investigate the opioid prescription patterns for adults with longstanding physical disability and inflammatory conditions, compared to a mixed group of other opioid users, after excluding cancer patients. Design Nationally representative cross-sectional study, 2010-2014. Setting Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Participants The participants (N=7134) were adults who participated in MEPS and had at least 1 opioid prescription, did not have cancer, and were between 18 years and 64 years of age. The participants were grouped as longstanding physical disability (group 1), inflammatory conditions (group 2), and a mixed group with at least 1 opioid prescription during the 2-year study period (comparison group). Participants with both groups of conditions were excluded. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure Morphine milligram equivalent (MME) doses for each participant were cumulated over a 2-year panel period. Results By using quantile regression, cumulative MME in groups 1 and 2 was higher than the comparison group across all the percentiles, and differences between condition groups and comparison group became larger in higher percentiles. Participants in group 1 had the highest cumulative MME in 75th and 90th percentiles after controlling for other covariates. Conclusions This study documented the opioid prescription patterns for patients with longstanding physical disability or inflammatory conditions. All indexed groups (groups 1 and 2) had higher MME use compared to the comparison group.
Laser Folded Antenna

A new hands-free approach to antenna fabrication is presented here, with laser folding used to fabricate a prototype 94.5 GHz end-fed longitudinal shunt slot array (EFLSSA) antenna. Laser cutting and folding was demonstrated for creation of 3D metal antennas as a low cost, rapidly iterated alternative to machining techniques such as electro-discharge machining (EDM) and die forming. The technique used is based on a low cost and power 1064nm marking laser. All cutting and folding is done completely remotely using the laser itself from a blank sheet of metal foil. The demonstrated waveguide slots are cut to sub-micron precision, and modelling of the resulting structure is also presented.
Accounting Information Systems Doctoral Dissertations: 2000

The Fall 2001 issue of the Journal of Information Systems continues the annual publication of accounting information systems (AIS) dissertation summaries to provide an index to the AIS dissertation literature. This issue primarily contains summaries of AIS dissertations completed in the year 2000 and early 2001. Also included are AIS dissertations completed prior to 2000 and not listed in prior issues of the journal. For presentation purposes, summaries are grouped by completion date then listed in alphabetical order based on authors’ surnames. Full text dissertations are available from Bell and Howell Information and Learning through its web site at http://www.umi.com. In Spring 2001, an email letter was sent to all members of the Information Systems section of the American Accounting Association (AAA) requesting them to identify former doctoral students who had completed recent AIS dissertations at their school, or, newly hired faculty members who had completed an AIS dissertation, or their own recently completed AIS dissertation. Other AIS-related dissertations were identified from references obtained at AAA workshops. Recent graduates were asked to provide a short abstract of their dissertation, which was edited to meet length constraints. In future years, the search for AIS dissertations will continue to rely on emailing members of the Information Systems section and asking for their continued support. Individuals whose dissertations were completed since 1996 and have not been included in this listing may submit the relevant information (author’s name, dissertation title, doctoral granting institution, dissertation acceptance date, an abstract of less than 200 words, and current email address) for inclusion in next year’s listing. In particular, graduates of doctoral programs outside of the U.S. are strongly encouraged to submit, as well as individuals who have completed dissertations since January 1, 2000. All submissions should be sent to Ralph E. Viator, Area of Accounting, College of Business Administration, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409-2101; Fax: (806) 742-3182; Email: rviator@ba.ttu.edu.
Introduction: Bringing the slavs back in

This introduction briefly surveys the vast literature on the history of witchcraft in Europe and the far more limited historiography of Russian and East European witchcraft. It highlights a number of common themes emerging from the essays, including the interactions of religion and witchcraft beliefs, modes of persecution, the role of literacy and of gender, the mutability or stability of witchcraft belief over time, and the significance of ethnicity in beliefs about magic. The introduction identifies points of agreement and divergence among the authors and comments on the value of collecting detailed case studies.
Lyapunov Functionals and Stability in Finite Delays Difference Equations

In this research we prove general theorems regarding the stability of the zero solution of a functional difference equation with finite delay. In the analysis we assume the existence of a Lyapunov functional that satisfies certain conditions. Results on finite delay difference equations using Lyapunov functions or functionals are scarce. We apply our results to finite delay difference equations and to Volterra difference equations with finite delays.
Minimally invasive single-vessel left internal mammary to left anterior descending artery bypass grafting improves outcomes over conventional sternotomy: A single-institution retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) can be performed through a variety of approaches. Minimally-invasive CABG (MICABG) may reduce perioperative morbidity. Previous results demonstrate improved perioperative outcomes; however, adoption has been limited. METHODS The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) database and electronic medical record at a single institution were reviewed for isolated left internal mammary to left anterior descending artery (LIMA-LAD) bypass procedures performed between 2011 and 2018. Patients were grouped on the basis of operative approach, comparing sternotomy to non-sternotomy (minimally-invasive). Patient characteristics, perioperative variables, and short- and long-term outcomes were compared. Primary outcomes included mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Secondary outcomes were morbidity. RESULTS A total of 42 MICABG and 54 conventional LIMA-LAD procedures were performed with 95.2% of MICABG procedures performed by two surgeons. MICABG were more often elective (83.3 vs 38.9%, P < .001). STS risk scores predicted equitable mortality and morbidity for MICABG dependent on operative indication. MICABG was associated with fewer pulmonary complications (0.0 vs 11.1%, P = .033), in-hospital events (11.9 vs 37.0%, P = .005), and shorter intensive care unit (34.1 vs 66.0 hours, P = .022) and total length of stay (3.7 vs 6.5 days, P = .002). There were no observed strokes, myocardial infarctions, or reoperations. MICABG patients demonstrated reduced thirty-day mortality (0.0 vs 10.9%, P = .036) and improved Kaplan-Meier 5-year (95.2 vs 77.9%, P = .016) and MACE-free survival (89.2 vs 63.9%, P = .010). CONCLUSIONS Minimally-invasive LIMA-LAD CABG demonstrates improved early postoperative morbidity and a long-term mortality benefit. In select patients, minimally-invasive approaches to single-vessel grafting may be beneficial when performed by experienced surgeons in the elective setting.
Secondhand marijuana smoke (SHMS): exposure occurrence, biological analysis and potential health effects

Abstract Marijuana remains one of the most commonly used psychoactive substances across the globe, yet conclusive evidence about the toxic effects resulting from its exposure is still insufficient. The dearth of high-quality information specific to the toxic effects and thus, potential health implications of marijuana use and related exposures, constitute a critical research need given the emerging liberalization and increasing rates of marijuana use (Glantz et al., 2018 [1] ; Hall and Degenhardt, 2009). Marijuana is most commonly smoked, is widely viewed as being less harmful compared to tobacco (Padilla et al., 2014 [3] ), and now ranks as the world's second most-popular combustible product following tobacco cigarettes (UNODC, 2018; Murray et al., 2007 [5] ; Wei et al., 2016, 2018). Within this context, it is anticipated that the general population's exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke (SHMS) is likely to increase (Wang et al., 2016 [8] ). In this chapter, we present an overview of the existing evidence regarding occurrences, biological analyses, and potential adverse health effects of SHMS exposure. We focus our discussion on the recent progress in biomonitoring approaches utilized for assessing SHMS exposure, including selection of biological matrices and exposure biomarkers, and development of the bio-analytical assays. We highlight the challenges that require consideration when interpreting SHMS biomonitoring data in exposure assessments, and provide some suggested directions for future research.
A Decomposition Method to Assess the Contributions of Geographic and Nongeographic Factors to White-Black Disparities in Health Care.

Background Black-white gaps in high-quality hospital use are documented, but the relative contributions of various factors are unclear. The objective of this study was to quantify the contributions of differences in geographic and nongeographic factors to the gap, using decomposition methods and data for coronary heart disease. Research design We identified white and black fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 or older who were hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery during 2009-2011. We categorized hospitals with AMI mortality rates in the lowest quintile as high-quality hospitals. We first decomposed the white-black gap in high-quality hospital use into a component due to racial differences in region of residence and a within-region component. We then decomposed the within-region differences into contributions due to racial differences in geographic proximity to high-quality hospitals and due to nongeographic factors. Results The white-black gap in high-quality hospital use was smaller for AMI than for CABG (1.7 percentage points vs. 7.5 percentage points). For AMI, region of residence contributed more to the gap than within-region differences (1.0 percentage point vs. 0.6 percentage points), while for CABG, within-region differences prevailed (2.0 percentage points vs. 5.4 percentage points). For both conditions, the within-region white-black difference in high-quality hospital use was mainly driven by nongeographic factors. Conclusions Decomposition methods are a useful tool in quantifying the contributions of various factors to the white-black gap in high-quality hospital use and could inform local policy aimed at reducing disparities in hospital quality.
U.S. Army Combat Medic eFAST Performance with a Novel Versus Conventional Transducers: A Randomized, Crossover Trial.

BACKGROUND Point-of-injury extended focused assessment with sonography in trauma (eFAST) may identify life-threatening torso hemorrhage and expedite casualty evacuation. The purpose of this study was to compare combat medic eFAST performance between the novel and conventional ultrasound (US) transducers. METHODS We conducted a randomized crossover trial. Medic participants, previously naive to US, were randomized to the type of transducer first utilized. The primary outcome was eFAST completion time in seconds. Secondary outcomes included diagnostic accuracy, technical adequacy, and transducer ease-of-use rating. RESULTS Forty medics performed 160 eFASTs. We found a statistically significant difference in eFAST completion times in favor of conventional transducers (304 vs. 358 s; P = 0.03). There was no statistically significant difference between the conventional and novel transducers in terms of diagnostic accuracy (97.7% vs. 96.0%; P = 0.25) and technical adequacy (65% vs. 72.5%; P = 0.11). Median transducer ease-of-use rating (Likert 1-5 scale) was statistically significant in favor of the conventional transducers (5 vs. 4; P = < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Extended focused assessment with sonography in trauma exam times was faster with the conventional transducers. Combat medics performed diagnostically accurate eFASTs with both transducer types in a simulated aid station setting after a brief training intervention. Conventional transducers were rated higher for ease-of-use.
Comparison of gemological and spectroscopic features in type IIa and Ia natural pink diamonds

Abstract The majority of natural pink diamonds have a color origin due to absorption from a broad 550 nm band that has been associated with plastic deformation. One consistent feature in the photoluminescence spectra of these pink diamonds is a wide emission band extending from ~600 to 750 nm, with a series of smaller oscillations overlaid on the larger emission band. This “pink emission band” is seen in diamonds colored by the 550 nm absorption band; the absorption band often, but not always, shows similar oscillations at ~600 nm (called the 609 nm system by previous researchers). This emission band served as a proxy for the 550 nm absorption band as we performed spatial mapping to chronicle the differences between the uniform coloration in type IIa pink diamonds and the pronounced banding in type Ia pink diamonds. We also used Raman spectroscopy to identify the internal crystal inclusions present in type IIa pink diamonds and determined that the majority have a sub-lithospheric origin.
Abiotic treatment contributes to an alteration of the seed microbiome of common bean

We performed a pilot study in a controlled growth chamber to investigate how the seed microbiome of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. (var. Redhawk)) was altered under abiotic treatments relevant for crop management with changing climate. Bean plants were subjected to one of three treatments: 66% water withholding to simulate mild drought, 50 % Hoagland nutrient solution to simulate fertilization, or control with sufficient water and baseline nutrition. We performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and ITS amplicon sequencing of the endophytic metagenomic DNA to assess seed bacterial/archaeal and fungal community structure, respectively. We found that variability in the seed microbiome structure was high while alpha diversity was low, with tens of taxa present. Water withholding and nutrient addition altered the seed microbiome structure for bacterial/archaeal communities as compared to the untreated control, and each treatment resulted in a distinct microbiome structure. There were no statistically supported differences in the fungal microbiome across treatments. While we discuss several limitations of this study, the promising results suggest that further and more comprehensive investigation is needed to better understand abiotic stress-induced changes in the seed microbiome, the mechanisms that drive those changes, and the implications of seed microbiome changes for the health and stress responses of the next plant generation.
Abstract IA01: Modeling and understanding tumor biologic mechanisms

This presentation will highlight our use of mouse models to dissect molecular and cellular interactions in the tumor microenvironment, including (i) the illumination of the role of myeloid cells in driving immune suppression in prostate cancer, and the impact of combined MDSC-targeted and immune checkpoint blockade therapies in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer; (ii) the generation and analysis of oncogenic Kras in an inducible colorectal cancer mouse model, revealing the role of IRF2 in the recruitment of myeloid cells into the tumor microenvironment and informing patient selection for more effective ICB therapy in CRC; (iii) the concept of “synthetic essentiality” (a means by which to target specific tumor-suppressor gene deficiencies in cancer), exemplified by the identification of the role of CHD1 in modulation of the tumor microenvironment in Pten-deficient prostate cancer; (iv) the discovery of a symbiotic interaction between glioma cell (LOX) and macrophage (SPP1) in PTEN-null glioma, as well as macrophage reprogramming in immune suppression in glioblastoma; and (v) the role of KRAS in cancer metabolism, in particular how the tumor microenvironment may support KRAS-directed cancer cell metabolism and provide a nonautonomous mechanism enabling escape from Kras-dependent tumor growth. These illustrative examples provide translational opportunities to improve cancer patient treatment and survival. Citation Format: Adam Boutin, Peiwen Chen, Prasenjit Dey, Pingping Hou, Wen-Ting Liao, Xin Lu, Haoqiang Ying, Di Zhao, Ronald A. DePinho. Modeling and understanding tumor biologic mechanisms [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Evolving Landscape of Cancer Modeling; 2020 Mar 2-5; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(11 Suppl):Abstract nr IA01.
Fluorescence intensity and lifetime redox ratios detect metabolic perturbations in T cells.

The auto-fluorescent coenzymes reduced nicotinamide dinucleotide (NADH) and oxidized flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) allow label-free detection of cellular metabolism. The optical redox ratio, which is traditionally computed as the ratio of NADH and FAD intensities, allows quantification of cell redox state. In addition to multiple formulations of the optical redox ratio from NADH and FAD intensity measurements, a fluorescence lifetime redox ratio (FLIRR) based on the fractions of protein-bound NADH and FAD was developed to overcome the limitations of experimental factors that influence fluorescence intensity measurements. In this paper, we compare fluorescence-intensity computations of the optical redox ratio with the fluorescence lifetime redox ratio for quiescent and activated T cells. Fluorescence lifetime images of NAD(P)H and FAD of T cells were acquired with a two-photon fluorescence lifetime microscope. Metabolic perturbation experiments, including inhibition of glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, glutaminolysis, and fatty acid synthesis revealed differences between the intensity and lifetime redox ratios. Statistical analysis reveals that the FLIRR has a lower standard deviation and skewness (two-tail T-test, P value = 0.05) than the intensity redox ratio. Correlation analysis revealed a weak relationship between FLIRR and intensity redox ratio for individual cells, with a stronger correlation identified for activated T cells (Linear regression, R-value = 0.450) than quiescent T cells (R-value = 0.172). Altogether, the results demonstrate that while both the fluorescence lifetime and intensity redox ratios resolve metabolic perturbations in T cells, the endpoints are influenced by different metabolic processes.