cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
One‐ and two‐dimensional hybrid simulations of whistler mode waves in a dipole field

We simulate whistler mode waves using a hybrid code. There are four species in the simulations, hot electrons initialized with a bi-Maxwellian distribution with temperature in the direction perpendicular to background magnetic field greater than that in the parallel direction, warm isotropic electrons, cold inertialess fluid electrons, and protons as an immobile background. The density of the hot population is a small fraction of the total plasma density. Comparison between the dispersion relation of our model and other dispersion relations shows that our model is more accurate for lower frequency whistlers than for higher frequency whistlers. Simulations in 2-D Cartesian coordinates agree very well with those using a full dynamics code. In the 1-D simulations along the dipole magnetic field, the predicted frequency and wave number are observed. Rising tones are observed in the one-fourteenth scale simulations that have larger than realistic magnetic field spatial inhomogeneity. However, in the full-scale 1-D simulation in a dipole field, the waves are more broadband and do not exhibit rising tones. In the 2-D simulations in a meridional plane, the waves are generated with propagation approximately parallel to the background magnetic field. However, the wavefronts become oblique as they propagate to higher latitudes. Simulations with different plasma density profiles across L shell are performed to study the effect of the background density on whistler propagation.
Biofeedback training program: multiple channels, displays, and schedules of reinforcement.

Abstract A microcomputer-based biofeedback training program is presented that can be used (with minor modifications) under different hardware configurations. The program interacts friendly with the user, providing access and recording of up to eight different channels at the same time (although only four can be visualized). Within each channel, the user has control upon eight different variables (protocol), independently of each other. Different displays, sounds, sampling speeds, schedules of reinforcement, graphical presentation of the data and statistical analysis are provided to accomodate the feedback properties to various clinical and experimental applications.
Wheel Torque Controller Development Using a Simplified Tire Model for Vehicle Handling Enhancement

A tire model is an essential element in the vehicle controller development and various complexities of tire models have been developed and used. It is highly desirable for the control systems to use a tire model that is computationally efficient and easy to implement in control algorithms while providing desired performance. In this paper, a wheel torque controller was developed using a non-linear predictive control theory, 8 degree of freedom vehicle model, and a simplified nonlinear tire model in order to control the vehicle yaw rate and side slip angle. The performance of this controller was compared to that based on well known Magic Formula tire model. The effectiveness and limitations of the proposed controller were discussed through simulation.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Substation automation research frontiers

Substation automation has critical role in power systems. Substations are responsible for many protection, control and monitoring functions that allow robust routing of power from generators to loads through a complex network of transmission lines. With the latest technology development many intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) available in substations today are capable of performing enhanced functionalities beyond what their basic function is. This brings an opportunity for adding new functionalities that go well beyond what the traditional substation automation solutions have provided. This panel presentation summarizes university research undertaken through collaboration between industry, EPRI, DOE and NSF's Power Engineering Research Centre consortium. Projects focused on implementing a new concept for merging operational and non-operational data are introduced. They are aimed at expanding the substation automation role towards better serving many utility groups: operations, protection and asset management.
Early Predictors of Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder and School Difficulties in Low-Birthweight, Premature Children:

This study investigated whether specific behaviors observed in 30 month-old lowbirthweight children are predictive of diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and school difficulties at age 8. Videotapes of 571 participants were coded using the Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Observational Rating Scale (ADHD-ORS). Logistic and discriminant analyses were conducted using the three scale factors. High scores on one factor, Inattentiveness, predicted physician diagnosis and/or school difficulties 51 2 years later. The Inattentiveness factor also discriminated a linear sequence of diagnostic groups, two of which were statistically significant. These findings suggest that certain behaviors can be identified before the age of 3 by trained observers and that this identification that make a future ADHD diagnosis and/or school difficulties more likely.
Long-Term Care: The Family, Post-Modernity, and Conflicting Moral Life-Worlds

Long-term care is controversial because it involves foundational disputes. Some are moral-economic, bearing on whether the individual, the family, or the state is primarily responsible for long-term care, as well as on how one can establish a morally and financially sustainable long-term-care policy, given the moral hazard of people over-using entitlements once established, the political hazard of media democracies promising unfundable entitlements, the demographic hazard of relatively fewer workers to support those in need of long-term care, the moral hazard to responsibility of shifting accountability to third parties, and the bureaucratic hazard of moving from individual and family choice to bureaucratic oversight. These disputes are compounded by controversies regarding the nature of the family (Is it to be regarded primarily as a socio-biological category, a fundamental ontological category of social reality, or a construct resulting from the consent of the participants?), as well as its legal and moral autonomy and authority over its members. As the disputes show, there is no common understanding of respect and human dignity that will easily lead out of these disputes. The reflections on long-term care in this issue underscore the plurality of moralities defining bioethics.
Surgical techniques for spinopelvic reconstruction following total sacrectomy: a systematic review

Purpose To identify all available reconstruction methods for a total sacrectomy. Secondarily, we aimed to evaluate outcomes based on different interventions.
Simulation of the full two rigid body problem using polyhedral mutual potential and potential derivatives approach

Herein we investigate the coupled orbital and rotational dynamics of two rigid bodies modelled as polyhedra, under the influence of their mutual gravitational potential. The bodies may possess any arbitrary shape and mass distribution. A method of calculating the mutual potential’s derivatives with respect to relative position and attitude is derived. Relative equations of motion for the two body system are presented and an implementation of the equations of motion with the potential gradients approach is described. Results obtained with this dynamic simulation software package are presented for multiple cases to validate the approach and illustrate its utility. This simulation capability is useful both for addressing questions in dynamical astronomy and for enabling spacecraft missions to binary asteroid systems.
UNDERSTANDING ISSUES IN CLOUD FORENSICS: TWO HYPOTHETICAL CASE STUDIES

The inevitable vulnerabilities and criminal targeting of cloud environments demand an understanding of how digital forensic investigations of the cloud can be accomplished. We present two hypothetical case studies of cloud crimes; child pornography being hosted in the cloud, and a compromised cloudbased website. Our cases highlight shortcomings of current forensic practices and laws. We describe significant challenges with cloud forensics, including forensic acquisition, evidence preservation and chain of custody, and open problems for continued research.
Theory of non-propagating surface-wave solitons

An incompressible inviscid fluid contained in a channel in a gravitational field admits soliton-like disturbances where the velocity potential depends upon all three coordinates as well as time, yet its centre of mass can be at rest. These solitons were recently discovered by Wu, Keolian & Rudnick. The calculations are carried out with the multiple-scales approach. Consequences of mass conservation and radiation are discussed.
Stochastic models for competing species with a shared pathogen.

The presence of a pathogen among multiple competing species has important ecological implications. For example, a pathogen may change the competitive outcome, resulting in replacement of a native species by a non-native species. Alternately, if a pathogen becomes established, there may be a drastic reduction in species numbers. Stochastic variability in the birth, death and pathogen transmission processes plays an important role in determining the success of species or pathogen invasion. We investigate these phenomena while studying the dynamics of deterministic and stochastic models for $n$ competing species with a shared pathogen. The deterministic model is a system of ordinary differential equations for $n$ competing species in which a single shared pathogen is transmitted among the $n$ species. There is no immunity from infection, individuals either die or recover and become immediately susceptible, an SIS disease model. Analytical results about pathogen persistence or extinction are summarized for the deterministic model for two and three species and new results about stability of the infection-free state and invasion by one species of a system of $n-1$ species are obtained. New stochastic models are derived in the form of continuous-time Markov chains and stochastic differential equations. Branching process theory is applied to the continuous-time Markov chain model to estimate probabilities for pathogen extinction or species invasion. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to explore the effect of disease on two-species competition, to illustrate some of the analytical results and to highlight some of the differences in the stochastic and deterministic models.
Agile middleware for scheduling: meeting competing performance requirements of diverse tasks

As the need for scaled-out systems increases, it is paramount to architect them as large distributed systems consisting of off-the-shelf basic computing components known as compute or data nodes. These nodes are expected to handle their work independently, and often utilize off-the-shelf management tools, like those offered by Linux, to differentiate priorities of tasks. While prioritization of background tasks in server nodes takes center stage in scaled-out systems, with many tasks associated with salient features such as eventual consistency, data analytics, and garbage collection, the standard Linux tools such as nice and ionice fail to adapt to the dynamic behavior of high priority tasks in order to achieve the best trade-off between protecting the performance of high priority workload and completing as much low priority work as possible. In this paper, we provide a solution by proposing a priority scheduling middleware that employs different policies to schedule background tasks based on the instantaneous resource requirements of the high priority applications running on the server node. The selection of policies is based on off-line and on-line learning of the high priority workload characteristics and the imposed performance impact due to low priority work. In effect, this middleware uses a {\em hybrid} approach to scheduling rather than a monolithic policy. We prototype and evaluate it via measurements on a test-bed and show that this scheduling middleware is robust as it effectively and autonomically changes the relative priorities between high and low priority tasks, consistently meeting their competing performance targets.
8 Genetics of insulin action

Insulin action is highly likely to be primarily genetically determined (given a permissive or facilitative environment, for example sufficient calorie availability), as shown by variations in ethnic distribution, evidence for familial transmission and genotypic responses to experimentally induced metabolic stresses. Further, it is likely that the genetic predisposition to insulin resistance is closely linked to (or perhaps synonymous with) the predisposition to develop overt NIDDM. Alternatively, in the development of diabetes, the genetic basis for insulin resistance may be necessary, but not sufficient, requiring a second major gene for beta-cell vulnerability (e.g. exhaustion, deterioration of function, amyloid deposition). The future examination of the genetics of insulin action depends in large measure on the method of assessment of insulin action that is selected and its consistent application to individuals, families and populations. The phenomenological approaches currently being used to describe and define insulin resistance could be identifying many different disorders, all leading to an apparent decrease or impairment of insulin action compared with that in 'normals'. Selection of any method for determining the presence of insulin resistance, together with selection of the threshold for 'present versus absent' is, at best, difficult. It is further complicated by the frequent association of insulin resistance with a wide range of disturbances, including hypertension, dyslipidaemia and glucose intolerance--the insulin resistance 'syndrome'. A number of possible loci and candidate genes controlling insulin action have been studied, and most have been ruled out as the probable underlying cause of the majority of cases of defective insulin action. Among those genes that are unlikely to be determinants of insulin resistance (except in a few rare cases of mutations) are those for insulin, the insulin receptor, glucose transporters and the genes for many specific enzymes. While these are unlikely to be responsible for insulin resistance, such potential genetic defects cannot be fully excluded using present methods. Direct gene sequencing of polymerase-chain-reaction amplified DNA may be the ultimate approach to identifying the critical defects underlying insulin resistance. Other candidate genes regulating insulin action are likely soon to come forth, such as those controlling the generation and function of the intracellular mediators of insulin action.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
TRANSBILAYER MOVEMENT OF FLUORESCENT PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN BACILLUS MEGATERIUM MEMBRANE VESICLES

We investigated the transbilayer movement or flip-flop of phospholipids in vesicles derived from the cytoplasmic membrane of Bacillus megaterium. Since common assay techniques were found to be inapplicable to the Bacillus system, we exploited and elaborated a newly described method in which fluorescent phospholipids (1-myristoyl-2-C6-NBD phospholipids) are used as tracers to monitor flip-flop. These lipids were introduced into Bacillus vesicles from synthetic donor vesicles containing a fluorescence quencher. Transport was measured by monitoring the increase in fluorescence as the tracers departed the quenched environment of the donor vesicle and entered first the outer membrane leaflet and subsequently the inner leaflet of Bacillus vesicles. Independent experiments involving cobalt quenching of NBD fluorescence provided results consistent with the existence of pools of fluorescent phospholipid in the outer and inner leaflets of Bacillus vesicles at the completion of transport. Using the assay we show that phospholipid flip-flop in Bacillus vesicles occurs rapidly (half-time approximately 30 s at 37 degrees C) with no preference for a particular phospholipid headgroup and that it is sensitive to proteolysis. We also establish that flip-flop does not occur in synthetic phospholipid vesicles or vesicles made from Bacillus phospholipids. We conclude that Bacillus vesicles possess the ability to promote rapid transbilayer movement of phospholipids, and that the transport is probably protein (flippase)-mediated.
Sources of Method Bias in Social Science Research and Recommendations on How to Control It

Despite the concern that has been expressed about potential method biases, and the pervasiveness of research settings with the potential to produce them, there is disagreement about whether they really are a problem for researchers in the behavioral sciences. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to explore the current state of knowledge about method biases. First, we explore the meaning of the terms “method” and “method bias” and then we examine whether method biases influence all measures equally. Next, we review the evidence of the effects that method biases have on individual measures and on the covariation between different constructs. Following this, we evaluate the procedural and statistical remedies that have been used to control method biases and provide recommendations for minimizing method bias.
Preoperative Assessment of Patients Undergoing Pulmonary Resection

A careful preoperative assessment of patients with lung cancer is essential for identifying those at high risk for morbidity and mortality related to the surgical procedure. The clinician must assess the risk associated with such treatment, decide whether the risk is prohibitive, and institute therapy to reduce such risk. Testing modalities used in the preoperative evaluation include spirometry, full pulmonary function tests, measurement of arterial blood gases, radionuclide lung scanning, exercise testing, invasive measurement of pulmonary artery pressure, and a variety of studies involving lobar occlusion or lateral position testing. Studies evaluating the utility of these procedures are reviewed. Additionally, the impact of advanced age on postsurgical outcome is evaluated, as are the possibility of operating on high-risk patients and the use of preoperative interventions.
Are Housing Prices Pulled Down or Pushed Up by Fracked Oil and Gas Wells? A Hedonic Price Analysis of Housing Values in Weld County, Colorado

As fracking moved into neighborhoods it has created concerns by homeowners about environmental effects and reduced property values. However, the increase in drilling activity results in gains in employment and increased the demand for housing. We apply the hedonic price method to a heavily fracked county in Colorado to test for the net effects of these two factors on house prices. Results across 12 different models shows that in seven of these the count of wells being fracked within a half-mile of a house has a small (−1% per well being drilled) but significant effect on house prices in the in Weld County and Greeley but not in rural areas. In models without year fixed effects, employment in the oil and gas sector has a relatively small but significant positive effect on house prices in the whole county and urban area model specifications, but not in the rural model specifications.
2H(d, γ)4He reaction from 6 to 19 MeV

Abstract The 2H(d, γ) cross section has been measured at 135° from 6 to 19 MeV deuteron energy. At 10 MeV, the c.m. gamma-ray angular distribution was shown to be consistent with sin2θ cos2θ as expected for E2 radiation. Assuming that this distribution obtains over the entire energy range investigated, the total cross section for the inverse reaction is computed for purposes of comparison with other results. This cross-section peaks near 31 MeV excitation energy in 4He with a magnitude of 3.0 ± 0.8 μb. The shape of the cross section is not consistent with a simple 2+ resonance in 4He but indicates a predominantly direct reaction mechanism. The cross-section moments ∫ σE γ −n d E γ are compared with quadropole sum rule estimates for n = +2 to −1.
Uncovering biologically significant lipid isomers with liquid chromatography, ion mobility spectrometry and mass spectrometry

Understanding how biological molecules are generated, metabolized and eliminated in living systems is important for interpreting processes such as immune response and disease pathology. While genomic and proteomic studies have provided vast amounts of information over the last several decades, interest in lipidomics has also grown due to improved analytical technologies revealing altered lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetes, cancer, and lipid storage disease. Mass spectrometry (MS) measurements are currently the dominant approach for characterizing the lipidome by providing detailed information on the spatial and temporal composition of lipids. However, interpreting lipids' biological roles is challenging due to the existence of numerous structural and stereoisomers (i.e. distinct acyl chain and double-bond positions), which are often unresolvable using present approaches. Here we show that combining liquid chromatography (LC) and structurally-based ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) measurement with MS analyses distinguishes lipid isomers and allows insight into biological and disease processes.
Gaze Pattern Variations among Men When Assessing Female Attractiveness

Pilot data from eye-tracking research suggest that each male participant has his own gaze pattern, usefully regarded as an individual difference, when viewing female targets whom they are rating for attractiveness. Gaze patterns appear to be consistent within a given male participant across a variety of target models, and these individual differences may override characteristics of the model in determining fixation points, body region focus, and other eye-tracker variables. The goal of the present study was to elucidate these variations of gaze pattern by assessing the extent to which systematic "types" of gaze patterns exist among a group of male participants. Latent class analysis was used to place 60 men into groups based on their gaze pattern. A two-cluster solution produced the most interpretable analysis, and groups formed by this clustering were significantly different from each other on variables of interest. Cross validation of this solution across three additional female models resulted in some support for generalization, though exceptions were noted.
More on the Performance of Higher Order Moment Estimators in Investment Equations

Almeida, Campello, and Galvao (2010) [ACG] use Monte Carlo simulations and real data to assess the performance of estimators that deal with measurement errors in investment models. ACG are the first to provide an independent assessment of alternative methods, showing when they work properly and discussing the assumptions embedded in them. Erickson and Whited (2010) review ACG's study focusing exclusively on tests involving the Erickson and Whited (2000, 2002) [EW] estimator. While casting doubt on the usefulness of the ACG analysis, Erickson and Whited (2010) develop a number of ex-post fixes for the problems uncovered by ACG. The authors argue that the ACG tests would place the EW estimator in a more positive light had they used those fixes. This paper evaluates the new fixes proposed by Erickson and Whited and clarifies their implications for the debate about measurement error. The analysis provides further support for ACG's main conclusion: the presence of measurement error does not justify the use of the EW estimator in lieu of more robust, simpler alternatives.
Quantitative adaptation analytics for assessing dynamic systems of systems: LDRD Final Report

Our society is increasingly reliant on systems and interoperating collections of systems, known as systems of systems (SoS). These SoS are often subject to changing missions (e.g., nation- building, arms-control treaties), threats (e.g., asymmetric warfare, terrorism), natural environments (e.g., climate, weather, natural disasters) and budgets. How well can SoS adapt to these types of dynamic conditions? This report details the results of a three year Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project aimed at developing metrics and methodologies for quantifying the adaptability of systems and SoS. Work products include: derivation of a set of adaptability metrics, a method for combining the metrics into a system of systems adaptability index (SoSAI) used to compare adaptability of SoS designs, development of a prototype dynamic SoS (proto-dSoS) simulation environment which provides the ability to investigate the validity of the adaptability metric set, and two test cases that evaluate the usefulness of a subset of the adaptability metrics and SoSAI for distinguishing good from poor adaptability in a SoS. Intellectual property results include three patents pending: A Method For Quantifying Relative System Adaptability, Method for Evaluating System Performance, and A Method for Determining Systems Re-Tasking.
Enhanced effect of cyclophosphamide on Burkitt lymphoma cell lines in vivo.

SummaryCells from three Burkitt lym-phoma lines and three normal-derived human lymphoid lines were cultured in diffusion chambers implanted into mice. Cytoge-netic analysis was made on all these cell lines following treatment of the animals with cyclophosphamide. The Burkitt lymphoma cell lines were uniformly more sensitive to cyclophosphamide than the normal-derived cell lines, having a chromosome aberration incidence of 58-82% compared to 14-23% for the latter cell lines. Studies in tissue culture failed to reveal either the cytostatic effect of cyclophosphamide or an effect on chromosomes.
Summarization of the research on solid precipitation and gas-liquid-solid phase equilibrium

This paper expatiates on the problem of organic solid precipitation and thermodynamic model in the process of oilfield development from four aspects, which are the influence of organic solid precipitation on oil and gas development; thermodynamic theory of gas-liquid-solid phase equilibrium; mechanism and mathematical model of paraffin and asphalt precipitation and the study trend of the organic solid precipitation. This paper summarizes the domestic and foreign status of organic solid precipitation, and puts forward the goal of study in the future.
Influence of DC System Insulation Detection to Protection Action

Through analyzing the correlated grid accident,the paper researches the principle of insulation detection and the influence to fluctuation and excursion for DC voltage.It also analyzes the choosing principle of balance bridge resistance and switch bridge resistance.Through calculating relay voltage and testing capacitance and safety of DC system,it finds out when the DC voltage excurse to 10%,a point-grounding can lead relay mis-action and breaker-tripping.The reasonable measures such as reducing the excursion of DC voltage and enhancing the ability of con-disturb are put forward to avoid protection missing-action in the end.
ArrayTrack: An FDA and Public Genomic Tool

A robust bioinformatics capability is widely acknowledged as central to realizing the promises of toxicogenomics. Successful application of toxicogenomic approaches, such as DNA microarrays, inextricably relies on appropriate data management, the ability to extract knowledge from massive amounts of data, and the availability of functional information for data interpretation. At the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), we are developing a public microarray data management and analysis software, called ArrayTrack, that is also used in the routine review of genomic data submitted to the FDA. ArrayTrack stores a full range of information related to DNA microarrays and clinical and non-clinical studies as well as the digested data derived from proteomics and metabonomics experiments. In addition, ArrayTrack provides a rich collection of functional information about genes, proteins, and pathways drawn from various public biological databases for facilitating data interpretation. Many data analysis and visualization tools are available with ArrayTrack for individual platform data analysis, multiple omics data integration, and integrated analysis of omics data with study data. Importantly, gene expression data, functional information, and analysis methods are fully integrated so that the data analysis and interpretation process is simplified and enhanced. Using ArrayTrack, users can select an analysis method from the ArrayTrack tool box, apply the method to selected microarray data, and the analysis of results can be directly linked to individual gene, pathway, and Gene Ontology analysis. ArrayTrack is publicly available online ( http://www.fda.gov/nctr/science/centers/toxicoinformatics/ArrayTrack/index.htm ) and the prospective user can also request a local installation version by contacting the authors.
The Gender Paradoxes of Race-Based Affirmative Action

ABSTRACT Whereas white males are traditionally seen as the most strident critics of affirmative action, white women have become central to the battles in ways that would seem to complicate and undercut the arguments on both sides. This paper analyzes three case involving affirmative action that reveal the political importance of white women in the eyes of political and legal strategists and the incentives to relegate white men from lead actors to supporting-cast or behind-the-scenes roles in debates over racial inclusion policies. By combining intersectionality theory with Deborah Stone‘s framework on ―causal stories and problem formation,‖ this paper argues that political entrepreneurs on both sides strategically construct stories about either the presence or elimination of race-based affirmative action as a policy problem. Both sides open themselves up to accusations of hypocrisy in their choices of featuring (white) women in their descriptive and causal stories about race-based affirmative action.
Right heart catheterization: is it effective?

Objectives To discuss the advantages of different methods of determining the effectiveness of healthcare interventions, to evaluate the basis for the assumption that right heart catheterization is effective, and to consider how right heart catheterization may fail to improve outcomes in some circumstances. Data source Published English language literature on right heart catheterization and patient outcomes. Discussion We recently reported an association between the use of right heart catheterization in the initial care of critically ill patients and increased risk of death. This finding is troubling and warrants future study. In this article I address the role of randomized controlled trials and observational studies in the evaluation of the effectiveness of healthcare interventions. I discuss the basis in the published literature for assuming that right heart catheterization improves outcomes. Finally I present a variety of problems with right heart catheterization which might allow this procedure, which logically should help patients, to fail to achieve a beneficial effect for some patients. Conclusion We must do appropriate prospective studies to determine who benefits from right heart catheterization and who does not. We owe our patients nothing less.
A Three Level Atom with Quantized Field Modes and Coherent Trapping

A coherent trapping phenomenon for the level population of a three-level atom, which takes place on two-photon resonance, has been noted and well studied by a semi-classical approach where the classical electro-magnetic fields are regarded as given [1]. In this article we deal with a closed system of one or two quantized field modes and a three-level (∧-type) atom interacting to each other via the non-vanishing atomic dipole matrix elements d12 and d23 (see Fig. 1). We show that the condition for the coherent trapping determines not only the atomic state but also the field state for the two mode case. In the two mode case (see Fig. 1A), mode l (left) couples with the atom by d12 and mode r (right) by d23. The one mode case with its frequency can be regarded as a special case of the two modes with ωl = ωr = ω (see Fig. 1 B).
IPV: A system for identifying privacy vulnerabilities in datasets

The automated discovery of privacy vulnerabilities in large datasets containing person-specific information is an important first step in the privacy-preserving data publishing process and an area of increased interest for commercial data masking offerings. In this paper, we describe Identification of Privacy Vulnerabilities (IPV), a scalable system for automatically analyzing datasets to expose privacy vulnerabilities. IPV provides data owners with a wealth of methods for analyzing their data by offering state-of-the-art algorithms for 1) computing the direct identifiers and the quasi-identifiers of a dataset, as the single attributes and the minimal combinations of attributes, respectively, that lead to few records; 2) calculating the vulnerability index associated with a dataset, by reporting the cardinality of the smallest group of records that share the same values for each combination of attributes; and 3) reporting the specific records in a dataset that contain a combination of unique or rare values. All of these algorithms operate in a parallel, massively multi-threaded fashion and support various hardware configurations, spanning from commodity machines to multi-CPU multi-core nodes in cluster environments. After describing the system, we discuss the algorithms that are currently supported by IPV and provide some examples of their workings. We conclude this paper with a discussion on promising directions for future research in this area that will lead to the improvement of IPV.
Clinical relevance of EMT and stem-like gene expression in circulating tumor cells of metastatic colorectal cancer patients

Using approved methods, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are only isolated from blood in 30%–50% of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. We previously validated a technique to isolate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in a cohort of mCRC patients by combining immunomagnetic enrichment of EpCAM+/CD45− cells with qRT-PCR amplification of CK20 and survivin expression. Here, we examined the prognostic utility of CTC epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem cell gene expression. An 8 ml blood sample was collected from 78 consecutive mCRC patients before treatment with investigational and standard chemotherapeutics. The mRNA expression of EMT (PI3Kα, Akt-2, Twist1) and stem cell (ALDH1) markers was measured. Associations between CTC gene expression and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were determined using Cox regression models. Among patients without CK20 or survivin-expressing CTCs (n=17), 55% had expression of ALDH1, PI3Kα and/or Akt-2. Patients with positive CTC Akt-2 expression had a significantly shorter median PFS (3.0 versus 4.0 months) compared with those without CTC Akt-2 expression in univariable (hazard ratio (HR)=1.61; log-rank P=0.034) and multivariable analyses (HR=1.70; adjusted P=0.041). In univariable analysis, CTC ALDH1 expression was associated with shorter OS (10.0 versus 38.6 months; HR=2.04, P=0.021). Patients with CTCs expressing ALDH1, PI3Kα and/or Akt-2 had a significantly inferior PFS (3.0 versus 7.7 months; HR=1.88, P=0.015) and OS (10.0 versus 26.8+ months; HR=2.25, P=0.050) in univariable, but not multivariable, analysis. Conclusions: CTC Akt-2 expression may serve as a clinically useful prognostic marker in mCRC patients and warrants further evaluation in prospective trials.
The Rise of Person-Centered Healthcare and the Influence of Health Informatics and Social Network Applications on Mental Health Care

Online social networks have the potential to enhance many aspects of patient care. In mental healthcare may allow for more accurate symptom tracking and assessment tools and provide more convenient platforms for implementing therapeutic techniques. Online social networks could provide a “one-stop” portal for: contact between patient and provider, assessment and intervention and community mental health support. The potential uses for social in healthcare are vast, but it is important to understand how they can be utilized securely before they are adapted for widespread use. As the popularity of social media abounds amongst patients and providers alike, clinicians may be faced with new ethical dilemmas for navigating these public forums, interacting with clients over social media and with how they present themselves online. Clinical and ethical issues associated with patient contact via social networks are are discussed and recommendations are presented.
Exceptionally short-period circadian clock in Cyclosa turbinata: regulation of locomotor and web-building behavior in an orb-weaving spider

Abstract A major advantage of having behavior controlled by a circadian clock is that the organism may be able to anticipate, rather than respond to, important daily events in its environment. Here, we describe the behavioral rhythms of locomotor activity and web building in the orb-weaving spider Cyclosa turbinata (Walckenaer, 1841). Web building occurs late in the scotophase, in absolute darkness, and is initiated and completed before lights-on under light:dark cycles in the laboratory. This scheduling presumably enables web-building to occur under the cover of darkness, thereby avoiding visual predators. Locomotor activity occurs predominantly in the dark with a sharp peak within one hour after lights-off and a broader peak occurring before lights-on. The locomotor activity rhythm free runs under constant dark and constant temperature conditions, thus indicating endogenous circadian control. Evidence from the free running rhythm suggests that the first peak under light:dark cycles is a result of maskin...
Rapidly Fatal Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Developing Within Six Days Following Deceased-Donor Renal Transplantation: Case Report

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is an often fatal hyperinflammatory syndrome that may complicate malignancy, infection, rheumatic disease, or immunosuppression. HLH after kidney transplantation is most often triggered by infection, usually Herpes viruses such as cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It usually occurs early after transplantation. We present a case of HLH triggered by reactivation of EBV that pursued a rapidly fatal course within 6 days of receiving a deceased-donor kidney transplant. This case serves to remind transplant clinicians to consider HLH when cytopenias and hyperinflammation are atypical for the usual post-transplantation course. We discuss pitfalls in diagnosis and suggestions for treatment in this setting.
Experimental evidence for diagramming benefits in science writing

Arguing for the need for a scientific research study (i.e. writing an introduction to a research paper) poses significant challenges for students. When faced with these challenges, students often generate overly safe replications (i.e. fail to find and include opposition to their hypothesis) or in contrast include no strong support for their hypothesis (i.e. relevant, valid evidence). How can we support novice scientists in generating and defending high quality hypotheses? A long history of research supports the affordances provided by structured representations of complex information. More recently, argument diagramming has gained traction in instruction for philosophy, social studies, and law. However, its effectiveness for supporting students in science is relatively untested. The purpose of the current study was to test the effectiveness of a simple argument diagram optimized for supporting students’ research writing in psychology. Two groups of undergraduate students in research methods lab courses were randomly assigned to diagramming support or no support. In the research papers, those given diagramming support were more likely to argue for an appropriately ‘risky’ hypothesis and wrote more about the relevance and validity of cited studies. Some of these gains show signs of transfer to a second paper written later in the course that did not require use of the diagramming tool.
miR-143 and miR-145 disrupt the cervical epithelial barrier through dysregulation of cell adhesion, apoptosis and proliferation

Molecular mechanisms regulating preterm birth (PTB)-associated cervical remodeling remain unclear. Prior work demonstrated an altered miRNA profile, with significant increases in miR-143 and miR-145, in cervical cells of women destined to have a PTB. The study objective was to determine the effect of miR-143 and miR-145 on the cervical epithelial barrier and to elucidate the mechanisms by which these miRNAs modify cervical epithelial cell function. Ectocervical and endocervical cells transfected with miR-negative control, miR-143 or miR-145 were used in cell permeability and flow cytometry assays for apoptosis and proliferation. miR-143 and miR-145 target genes associated with cell adhesion, apoptosis and proliferation were measured. Epithelial cell permeability was increased in miR-143 and miR-145 transfected cervical epithelial cells. Cell adhesion genes, JAM-A and FSCN1, were downregulated with overexpression of miR-143 and miR-145. miR-143 and miR-145 transfection decreased cervical cell number by increasing apoptosis and decreasing cell proliferation through initiation of cell cycle arrest. Apoptosis genes, BCL2 and BIRC5, and proliferation genes, CDK1 and CCND2, were repressed by miR-143 and miR-145. These findings suggest that miR-143 and miR-145 play a significant role in cervical epithelial barrier breakdown through diverse mechanisms and could contribute to premature cervical remodeling associated with PTB.
Longitudinal Changes in Electrically Evoked Auditory Event-Related Potentials in Children With Auditory Brainstem Implants: Preliminary Results Recorded Over 3 Years.

Objectives This preliminary study aimed (1) to assess longitudinal changes in electrically evoked auditory event-related potentials (eERPs) in children with auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) and (2) to explore whether these changes could be accounted for by maturation in the central auditory system of these patients. Design Study participants included 5 children (S1 to S5) with an ABI in the affected ear. The stimulus was a train of electrical pulses delivered to individual ABI electrodes via a research interface. For each subject, the eERP was repeatedly measured in multiple test sessions scheduled over up to 41 months after initial device activation. Longitudinal changes in eERPs recorded for each ABI electrode were evaluated using intraclass correlation tests for each subject. Results eERPs recorded in S1 showed notable morphological changes for five ABI electrodes over 41 months. In parallel, signs or symptoms of nonauditory stimulation elicited by these electrodes were observed or reported at 41 months. eERPs could not be observed in S2 after 9 months of ABI use but were recorded at 12 months after initial stimulation. Repeatable eERPs were recorded in S3 in the first 9 months. However, these responses were either absent or showed remarkable morphological changes at 30 months. Longitudinal changes in eERP waveform morphology recorded in S4 and S5 were also observed. Conclusions eERP responses in children with ABIs could change over a long period of time. Maturation of the central auditory system could not fully account for these observed changes. Children with ABIs need to be closely monitored for potential changes in auditory perception and unfavorable nonauditory sensations. Neuroimaging correlates are needed to better understand the emergence of nonauditory stimulation over time in these children.
Overview of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Nonmalignant Diseases

As overall outcomes from hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) continue to improve, the repertoire of nonmalignant indications for transplant also continues to expand. Nonmalignant conditions accounted for approximately 30% of all transplants performed in the USA from 2009–2013 with this number expected to continue rising. In addition, HSCT is now being performed for many disorders for which it was previously reserved for severe clinical phenotypes only. This chapter provides an overview of the transplant process for nonmalignant disorders (NMD). It highlights the unique experiences of NMD HSCT based on disease category: primary immunodeficiency syndromes, hemoglobinopathies and disorders of red cells, inherited disorders of metabolism, and aplastic anemia and bone marrow failure syndromes. Furthermore, it touches on recent developments in reduced intensity conditioning regimens, GVHD prophylaxis, and the management of post-transplant infection risks.
The Religious Characteristics of States: Classic Themes and New Evidence for International Relations and Comparative Politics

For rigorous empirical study of religion to move forward, improved data on religious demographics of states’ populations, with more extensive and consistent coverage, become essential. The Religiou...
Brief Final Thoughts

In our endeavour to seek an understanding of dis/abled childhoods, we have produced a discursive text that challenges the norm. It crosses disciplinary boundaries and troubles ideas that have been taken for granted. This was our intention. We set out to widen our understanding of disabled children’s childhoods, not close them down. Indeed, we railed against compartmentalising debates by deliberately opening them up for discussion and debate. In doing so, we have challenged the orthodoxies fixed within the fields of disability and childhood studies. Through emphasising inter-connectedness both within and across disciplines, and refusing to prioritise one set of ideas over another, we hope that we have unsettled the more traditional conception of childhood. Drawing on Goodley and Runswick-Cole’s (2016:2) theoretical ideas of being human, we have extended and expanded what childhood means by ‘dissing’ (or disrespecting) the ‘normative, rational, independent, autonomous subject’.
How Dictatorships Work: Power, Personalization, and Collapse

This accessible volume shines a light on how autocracy really works by providing basic facts about how post-World War II dictatorships achieve, retain, and lose power. The authors present an evidence-based portrait of key features of the authoritarian landscape with newly collected data about 200 dictatorial regimes. They examine the central political processes that shape the policy choices of dictatorships and how they compel reaction from policy makers in the rest of the world. Importantly, this book explains how some dictators concentrate great power in their own hands at the expense of other members of the dictatorial elite. Dictators who can monopolize decision making in their countries cause much of the erratic, warlike behavior that disturbs the rest of the world. By providing a picture of the central processes common to dictatorships, this book puts the experience of specific countries in perspective, leading to an informed understanding of events and the likely outcome of foreign responses to autocracies.
Obligations from Artifacts

A persistent question in modern legal philosophy is whether or how (human-created) legal rules and legal systems can produce moral obligations for citizens. Contemporary theorists have sought answers to this problem in the ideas of conventions, coordination problems, and plans. Some theorists argue that the law - that all legal rules - create general and at-least-presumptive moral obligations; others argue that the law, at best, occasionally triggers pre-existing moral obligations - some legal rules creating moral obligations for some people. This chapter explores the issue of how and when law creates moral obligations, and also considers a more recent approach to the nature of law which has raised doubts regarding whether the law is in fact artifactual in the way most theorists (and most citizens) believe.
Reading, Watching, and Tweeting About Sports: An Analysis of Sport-News Retention

Much research has been conducted relating to uses-and-gratification theory and how audiences select their news medium and message. Research has examined how newspapers, television stations, and soc...