cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Large Deviations of Bias Point Selection

Suppose the inputs to the system are i.i.d. random variables {X i }, which have the scalar density function p(·). We are interested in \( \rho = P\left( {\sum\nolimits_{j = 1}^n {{X_i} > na} } \right)\). We simulate with i.i.d. {S i } whose individual density functions are q(·). In the light of Theorem 5.1.1, let us compute the variance rates for the input and output estimators, respectively.
"As Needed" nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants for infrequent atrial fibrillation episodes following atrial fibrillation ablation guided by diligent pulse monitoring: A feasibility study.

INTRODUCTION After atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, oral anticoagulation (OAC) is recommended if stroke risk as assessed by CHA2 DS 2 -VASc score is high. However, patients without AF are often reluctant to take daily OAC. We describe outcome using as needed nonvitamin K antagonist (NOACs) guided by pulse monitoring to detect AF following successful ablation. METHODS AND RESULTS We identified 99 patients (84% male, age 64 ± 8 years), CHA2 DS 2 -VASc score greater than or equal to 1 in men and greater than or equal to 2 in women (median 2, range 1-6), capable of pulse assessment twice daily and no AF on extended monitoring after AF ablation. All patients were instructed to start NOAC if AF >1 hour or recurrent shorter episodes. Duration of NOAC use after restart was typically 2 to 4 weeks. After 30 ± 14 months (total 244 patient-years), 22 patients (22%) transitioned to daily NOAC because of noncompliance with pulse assessment or patient preference (six patients) or because of suspected or documented AF episode(s) in 16 (16%) patients. Of the remaining 77 (78%), 14 (14%) used NOACs but did not transition back to daily use, most (10 patients) with single use (seven patients) or non-AF rhythm (three patients) documented. There was only one thromboembolic event (0.4%/yr of follow-up) in patient without AF and one mild bleeding event (epistaxis). CONCLUSION The use of as needed NOACs when AF is suspected with pulse monitoring is effective and safe to maintain low risk of stroke and bleeding after successful ablation. Transition back to daily NOAC use should be anticipated in about one quarter of patients.
Smoking is associated with increased surgical complications following total shoulder arthroplasty: an analysis of 14,465 patients

Hypothesis The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between smoking and postoperative complications following total shoulder arthroplasty. We hypothesized that active smokers would have significantly greater postoperative medical and surgical complications. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for patients who underwent total shoulder arthroplasties from 2005 through 2016. Patients were stratified based on tobacco use within the past year. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between smoking status and postoperative medical and surgical complications. Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust for demographic and comorbid factors. Results We identified 14,465 patients, of whom 10.5% were active smokers. Smokers were more likely to be younger, to be female patients, and to have a lower body mass index compared with nonsmokers (P .05) but was associated with an increased risk of overall surgical complications (odds ratio [OR], 3.259; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.861-5.709; P Discussion and conclusion This study demonstrates that smoking is associated with an increased risk of surgical complications following total shoulder arthroplasty. On the basis of our available data, medical complications are not significantly increased. This information can help risk stratify patients prior to their procedures.
Growth Response of Selected Container-grown Bedding Plants to Paclobutrazol, Uniconizole, and Daminozide

A study was conducted to compare the growth-retarding effects of paclobutrazol (Bonzi), uniconizole (XE-1019, Sumagic), and daminozide (B-Nine) on container-grown bedding plants. Seedlings of Begon...
Twitter A11y: A Browser Extension to Describe Images

Twitter is integral to many people's lives for news, entertainment, and communication. While people increasingly post images to Twitter, a large majority of images remain inaccessible to people with vision impairments due to a lack of image descriptions (i.e. alternative text). We present Twitter A11y (pronounced ally), a browser extension to make images accessible through a set of strategies tailored to the platform. For example, screenshots of text that exceed the Twitter character limit are common, so we detect textual images, and automatically add alternative text using optical character recognition. Tweet images apart from screenshots and link previews receive descriptions from crowd workers. Based on an evaluation of the timelines of 50 self-identified blind Twitter users, Twitter A11y increases automatic alt text coverage from 2.6% to 25.6%, before crowdsourcing the remaining images.
Impact of a Novel Antimicrobial Surface Coating on Health Care-Associated Infections and Environmental Bioburden at 2 Urban Hospitals.

BACKGROUND Approximately 1 in 25 people admitted to a hospital in the United States will suffer a health care-associated infection (HAI). Environmental contamination of hospital surfaces contributes to HAI transmission. We investigated the impact of an antimicrobial surface coating on HAIs and environmental bioburdens at 2 urban hospitals. METHODS A transparent antimicrobial surface coating was applied to patient rooms and common areas in 3 units at each hospital. Longitudinal regression models were used to compare changes in hospital-onset multidrug-resistant organism bloodstream infection (MDRO-BSI) and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) rates in the 12 months before and after application of the surface coating. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were compared for units receiving the surface coating application and for contemporaneous control units. Environmental samples were collected pre- and post-application to identify bacterial colony forming units (CFUs) and the percent of sites positive for select, clinically relevant pathogens. RESULTS Across both hospitals, there was a 36% decline in pooled HAIs (combined MDRO-BSIs and CDIs) in units receiving the surface coating application (IRR, 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], .44-.91), and no decline in the control units (IRR, 1.20; 95% CI, .92-1.55). Following the surface application, the total bacterial CFUs at Hospitals A and B declined by 79% and 75%, respectively; the percentages of environmental samples positive for clinically relevant pathogens also declined significantly for both hospitals. CONCLUSIONS Statistically significant reductions in HAIs and environmental bioburdens occurred in the units receiving the antimicrobial surface coating, suggesting the potential for improved patient outcomes and persistent reductions in environmental contamination. Future studies should assess optimal implementation methods and long-term impacts.
Structural variation in the sequencing era.

Identifying structural variation (SV) is essential for genome interpretation but has been historically difficult due to limitations inherent to available genome technologies. Detection methods that use ensemble algorithms and emerging sequencing technologies have enabled the discovery of thousands of SVs, uncovering information about their ubiquity, relationship to disease and possible effects on biological mechanisms. Given the variability in SV type and size, along with unique detection biases of emerging genomic platforms, multiplatform discovery is necessary to resolve the full spectrum of variation. Here, we review modern approaches for investigating SVs and proffer that, moving forwards, studies integrating biological information with detection will be necessary to comprehensively understand the impact of SV in the human genome. To map the full extent of structural variation in the human genome, detection methods are needed that improve on short-read approaches. This Review discusses how ensemble algorithms and emerging sequencing technologies are helping to resolve the full spectrum of structural variations.
An Interactive Play Environment on Mathematics and Cognitive Training with Behavioral Tracking for Children with Autism

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have atypical cognitive behaviors, including impairment of social interaction, communication, and intellectual deficit; effective intervention from behavioral and educational approaches have demonstrated effective and adopted at home and schools. s. A number of tablet applications are available to children with autism for practicing mathematical and cognitive skills, yet few of them provide behavioral data of users for health professionals to monitor their progress for personalized training accordingly which motivated our design. Specifically, we developed a tablet-based math game to strengthen the capabilities of mathematics and cognition for children with autism. It provides several basic math practices on counting, recognition, and measurements in the form of a game which increas-es children's acceptance and encourages their engagement. It lessens the bur-den of special education teachers from repeatedly teaching mathematical and cognitive knowledge, which we observed during our multiple field visits. The application can record all user interaction and stored as the behavioral data on which intelligent behavioral modeling can be performed for health professionals. In addition, application use is not restricted in schools which thus offers children continuous opportunities to practice these skills after class.
ANTIBIOTIC ALLERGY MEDIATED ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME: KOUNIS SYNDROME REVISITED

Kounis syndrome (KS) was originally described as acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in context of an allergic reaction. It is commonly associated with insect stings or food ingestion. KS has also been reported with commonly used antibiotics but there remains a lack of data to characterize and manage
Magnetics-Based Efficiency Optimization for Low Power Cascaded-Buck-Boost Converter

This paper presents various techniques to achieve high efficiency for the bidirectional Cascaded-Buck-Boost converter. This converter has the features of low voltage across the switches and positive output voltage. The objective of this paper is to optimize the magnetics design to reduce the total losses in a low power non-isolated DC-DC circuit. A rigorous loss model with component nonlinearities is developed to determine the power loss distribution. It is validated by simulations and experiments. Based on the results of the power loss analysis and due to the low inductor profile and high efficiency target, nanocrystalline material will be the best candidate. Therefore, a new small volume low profile planar-nanocrystalline inductor is designed. Various deep de sign aspects for core and copper are discussed. The Finite-Element-Analysis (FEA) method is used to examine and visualize the inductor design. By implementing the planar-nanocrystalline inductor, a California Energy Commission (CEC) weighted efficiency of 99.05% for the buck mode and 98.98% for the boost mode are achieved with a peak efficiency of 99.24% and 99.21%, respectively.
An implicit, sharp numerical treatment of viscous terms at arbitrarily shaped liquid-gas interfaces in evaporative flows

Abstract We present a novel methodology for accurate treatment of viscous terms in evaporation problems. The proposed scheme is an extension of the sharp viscous treatment of Kang et al. (2000) [7] to 3D phase change problems. To ensure accuracy and grid converging solutions, a new implicit approach to computing viscous fluxes across the phase interfaces is proposed, which was previously unavailable in fixed grid numerical schemes. Analytical relations were derived for the jump in velocity gradients across the 2D and 3D phase interfaces, an important constituent of the proposed scheme. The relations show a non-vanishing jump in the tangential gradients across the phase interface that are associated with evaporative flux and interfacial curvature. The proposed methodology demonstrated first order accuracy in canonical test cases. It is general and applicable to arbitrarily oriented interfaces, and can be readily implemented in existing evaporation flow solvers.
Physico-mechanical behaviour of alkali and alkaline earth metal-containing mica glass–ceramics: a comparative evaluation

Mica glass–ceramics are known for their superior mechanical strength, fracture toughness and machinability. Crystallization, microstructure and mechanical behaviour of alkali and alkaline earth metal-containing mica glasses based on K2O/SrO/BaO·4MgO·Al2O3·6SiO2·2MgF2 composition were investigated by differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and microhardness indenter. A distinct crystallization exotherm was observed in the differential thermal analysis curve.The crystallization peak corresponded to the formation of K-fluorphlogopite for K-glass, Sr-fluorphlogopite for Sr-glass, and Ba-fluorphlogopite for Ba-glass. XRD results revealed that the above-mentioned formations were the major phases, while alpha hexacelsian, enstatite, and mullite were the minor phases in K-, Sr-, and Ba-glass–ceramics. SEM results indicated that the “house of cards” microstructure appeared in Sr-glass–ceramics at lower crystallization temperature than in the K- and Ba-glass–ceramics. The physico-mechanical properties of Ba- and Sr-glass–ceramics were compared with K-glass ceramics, and it was found that Ba-glass–ceramics possessed superior crystallization, microstructure and mechanical strength than the other two glass ceramics.
Urinary Tract Infections

A previously healthy 6-year-old girl is seen in the pediatrician’s office with complaints of pain with urination, urinary frequency, urgency, and blood in her urine. She is afebrile in the office. Her physical examination is benign with the exception of tenderness to palpation of her suprapubic region. A midstream clean catch urine sample is sent to the laboratory for diagnostic studies. In the office, a urine dipstick reveals the presence of leukocyte esterase, nitrites, hemoglobin, and protein. Since she is well-appearing and maintaining oral intake, empiric treatment for a lower urinary tract infection is initiated with oral cephalexin. The unspun urine Gram stain reveals 3+ white blood cells and 3+ Gram-negative rods. The urine culture grows E. coli, susceptible to cephalexin. The pediatrician calls the mother to discuss the culture results on day 2 of antibiotic treatment. The mother states the child is feeling much better. The pediatrician explains that the child does not need any imaging studies of her kidneys or bladder since this is an uncomplicated UTI and she has not had prior urinary tract infections. Oral cephalexin is continued for a total of 10 days. Follow-up urine cultures are only necessary if she fails to improve or develops symptoms again after her treatment is complete.
Index Admission Characteristics and All-Cause Readmissions Analysis in Younger and Older Adults with Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

INTRODUCTION Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) comprises 15-20% of all strokes with debilitating consequences. Data regarding characteristics and outcomes of primary ICH in the young are lacking, given its rarity, making comparisons between younger and older cohorts difficult to perform. Nationally representative administrative databases enable analysis of such rare events. OBJECTIVE To determine the baseline characteristics, all-cause readmission rates, and reasons for primary ICH in younger and older adults using a nationally representative database. METHODS A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using the Nationwide Readmissions Database 2013. Validated ICD-9-CM codes identified index ICH admissions, comorbidities, demographics, behavioral risk factors, procedures, and Elixhauser and Charlson Comorbidity indices. We compared "younger" (age ≤ 45 years) and "older" (age > 45) index ICH admissions by weighted 30-day all-cause readmission rates, primary diagnosis code for 30-day readmissions, most common comorbidities during the index hospitalization, and Kaplan-Meier cumulative risk of readmission up to 1 year. RESULTS Older admissions had higher comorbidity scores and mortality, but both groups had similar total comorbidities. Younger admissions exhibited longer length of stay with more procedures performed. Vascular anomalies (aneurysm 7.2 vs. 4.6% and arteriovenous malformation 5.9 vs. 0.8%) and behavioral risk factors (smoking 26.5 vs. 23.0%, alcohol abuse 6.7 vs. 4.6%, and substance use 13.5 vs. 2.9%) were more prevalent in younger admissions, while older patients had more cardiovascular comorbidities. All-cause 30-day readmission rates (13.1 vs. 13.0%) and 1-year cumulative risk of readmission (log-rank p value 0.7209) were similar. Readmissions in the younger cohort were primarily for neurological conditions, and those in the older cohort were for systemic conditions. CONCLUSIONS Adults <45 years with ICH had similar total comorbidities as older adults but more procedures, longer hospital stay, and more behavioral risk factors. Readmission rates were similar though reasons differed; younger patients were more for neurological reasons than for other systemic causes.
Computational Thinking and the Role-Playing Classroom: A Case for Game-Based Learning in an Interdisciplinary Context

Although game-based learning is becoming prevalent in higher education to promote student motivation and active learning, educators have not reached the potential of this pedagogical strategy. Due to games being so accessible, teachers can use digital and non-digital games not only to teach single disciplines but also in interdisciplinary settings. This chapter describes our use of game-based learning, specifically design-based games, in interdisciplinary contexts in several courses. We argue that this high-impact educational practice is an effective way to help students develop computational thinking and problem-solving skills. We also show how teachers can use design-based games to help students develop their writing skills by helping them to formulate a thesis, identify supporting evidence, and present and argue their points.
What is a particle-conserving Topological Superfluid? The fate of Majorana modes beyond mean-field theory

Abstract We investigate Majorana modes of number-conserving fermionic superfluids from both basic physics principles, and concrete models perspectives. After reviewing a criterion for establishing topological superfluidity in interacting systems, based on many-body fermionic parity switches, we reveal the emergence of zero-energy modes anticommuting with fermionic parity. Those many-body Majorana modes are constructed as coherent superpositions of states with different number of fermions. While realization of Majorana modes beyond mean field is plausible, we show that the challenge to quantum-control them is compounded by particle-conservation, and more realistic protocols will have to balance engineering needs with astringent constraints coming from superselection rules. Majorana modes in number-conserving systems are the result of a peculiar interplay between quantum statistics, fermionic parity, and an unusual form of spontaneous symmetry breaking. We test these ideas on the Richardson–Gaudin–Kitaev chain, a number-conserving model solvable by way of the algebraic Bethe ansatz, and equivalent in mean field to a long-range Kitaev chain.
Modeling of Plasmonic Organic Solar Cells using Core-Shell Metallic Nanoparticles

This work investigates the contribution of different shell coating materials for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) plasmonic on the overall performance of organic solar cells (OSC). Additionally, this work evaluates the optimum shell thickness for power conversion efficiency (PCE). The results show that the use of bare AgNPs increases the PCE of PTB7:PC70BM active layer from 7.6% to 7.79%. The PCE has a significant increase with the use of shell coating materials, and it reaches 8.1% and 8.03% for Silicon oxide (SiO2) and Titanium dioxide (TiO2), respectively. Also, this work suggests the use of Lithium Fluoride (LiF) and Magnesium Fluoride (MgF2) as coating material for AgNPs. The PCE reaches 8.15% and 8.13% for these two materials, respectively. Moreover, the results show that the optimum coating thickness is around 4 nm for most of the coating materials.
A Seat at the Table: Information Literacy Assessment and Professional Legitimacy

This qualitative study explores academic librarians’ perceptions of and experiences with information literacy assessment, focusing primarily on issues of professional identity, agency, and power. Findings from in-depth interviews reveal that instruction librarians view teaching as integral to their professional identity and use assessment to legitimize that identity, both personally and at the institutional level. While this suggests that assessment has the potential to elevate the status of librarians on campus, the interviews also highlight ongoing professional and organizational tensions that hinder assessment efforts and inhibit librarian agency. The authors recommend more transparent communication, among other strategies, to address these challenges.
Mavacamten decreases maximal force and Ca2+ sensitivity in the N47K-myosin regulatory light chain mouse model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Mavacamten is a pharmaceutical that binds to myosin, and it is under investigation as a therapy for some forms of heart disease. We show that mavacamten reduces isometric tension and Ca2+ sensitivi...
Histories of Dirt: Media and Urban Life in Colonial and Postcolonial Lagos: by Stephanie Newell. Durham: Duke University Press (2020). 249 pages. ISBN 9781478006435: Paperback.

This fascinating and inventive book is a nuanced study of how various constituencies in Lagos have felt, conceptualized, and operationalized notions of dirt and the dirty. The plural “Histories” in...
Anaerobic gut fungi are an untapped reservoir of natural products.

Anaerobic fungi (class Neocallimastigomycetes) thrive as low-abundance members of the herbivore digestive tract. The genomes of anaerobic gut fungi are poorly characterized and have not been extensively mined for the biosynthetic enzymes of natural products such as antibiotics. Here, we investigate the potential of anaerobic gut fungi to synthesize natural products that could regulate membership within the gut microbiome. Complementary 'omics' approaches were combined to catalog the natural products of anaerobic gut fungi from four different representative species: Anaeromyces robustus (A robustus), Caecomyces churrovis (C churrovis), Neocallimastix californiae (N californiae), and Piromyces finnis (P finnis). In total, 146 genes were identified that encode biosynthetic enzymes for diverse types of natural products, including nonribosomal peptide synthetases and polyketide synthases. In addition, N. californiae and C. churrovis genomes encoded seven putative bacteriocins, a class of antimicrobial peptides typically produced by bacteria. During standard laboratory growth on plant biomass or soluble substrates, 26% of total core biosynthetic genes in all four strains were transcribed. Across all four fungal strains, 30% of total biosynthetic gene products were detected via proteomics when grown on cellobiose. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) characterization of fungal supernatants detected 72 likely natural products from A. robustus alone. A compound produced by all four strains of anaerobic fungi was putatively identified as the polyketide-related styrylpyrone baumin. Molecular networking quantified similarities between tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) spectra among these fungi, enabling three groups of natural products to be identified that are unique to anaerobic fungi. Overall, these results support the finding that anaerobic gut fungi synthesize natural products, which could be harnessed as a source of antimicrobials, therapeutics, and other bioactive compounds.
Groundwater Flow and Transport

We summarize the basic principles of, and governing equations for, groundwater flow and transport. Topics covered include the concepts of pressure and hydraulic head, Darcy’s law, permeability, and storage. We compare saturated and unsaturated flow. We provide an introduction to heat and solute transport.
The anti-Rac1-GTP antibody and the detection of active Rac1: a tool with a fundamental flaw

Rac1 is a member of the Rho GTPase family and is involved in many cellular processes, particularly the formation of actin-rich membrane protrusions, such as lamellipodia and ruffles. With such a widely studied protein, it is essential that the research community has reliable tools for detecting Rac1 activation both in cellular models and tissues. Using a series of cancer cellular models, we recently demonstrated that a widely used antibody for visualizing active Rac1 (Rac1-GTP) does not recognize Rac1 but instead recognizes vimentin filaments (Baker MJ, J. Biol. Chem. 295:13698-13710, 2020). We believe that this tool has misled the field and impose on the GTPase research community the need to validate published results using this antibody as well as to continue the development of new resources to visualize endogenous active Rac1.
Conversation Analysis and the Study of Sociohistorical Change

We reflect on the affordances and challenges of interactional data in the analysis of long-term institutional change. To this end we draw on our studies of direct encounters between journalists and...
Investigating heterogeneous genetic effects contributing to smoking behaviors

The genetic architecture of numerous smoking behaviors is highly polygenic, but these genetic effects are heterogeneous and depend on moderating factors. Here, we used common SNPs from the UK Biobank to investigate heterogeneous genetic effects for smoking heaviness using cigarettes per day (CPD) records, smoking initiation (SI), and smoking cessation (SC). We assessed heterogeneous effects across levels of sex, age of smoking initiation, major depressive disorder (MDD) DSM-V-like diagnosis, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) DSM-V-like diagnosis, and whether an individual has seen a psychiatrist for nerves, anxiety, tension, or depression. We observed suggestive evidence of heterogeneous genetic effects for CPD and SC, moderated by MDD and GAD, respectively [[Formula] (SE = 0.15) between MDD cases and controls, and [Formula] (SE = 0.28) between GAD cases and controls, p 5x10-8), we observed evidence of novel genome-wide significant SI-SNP associations using sex-stratified GWAS; six loci were discovered in either men or women separately that were not identified in a previous smoking meta-analysis that had a 6-fold larger, sex-combined sample. Furthermore, using several independent testing samples, there was suggestive evidence that the prediction ability of a polygenic risk score (PRS) for smoking initiation improved through the utilization of sex-specific SNP effects. This work suggests that a more nuanced approach to GWAS analyses is warranted, as potential heterogeneous effects can complicate variant discovery and polygenic risk score accuracy. Author SummarySmoking imposes a heavy health burden and is highly polygenic in architecture. Consistent with most complex traits, many causal loci have yet to be identified, even when using the largest available samples. One possible reason for the difficulty in inferring genetic variants associated with such complex traits is that common genetic variants possess context-dependent (or heterogeneous) effects. Utilizing the UK Biobank, we find evidence for heterogeneous SNP effects on smoking initiation, heaviness, and cessation among psychiatric disorder cases and controls and between sexes. Failure to model such heterogeneity (when accounting for sample size) resulted in lower independent sample predictive ability. This work encourages a more nuanced approach to GWAS and polygenic risk prediction. The assumption that all genetic effects are homogeneous limits our understanding of complex traits when heterogeneous effects are present.
CellSpatialGraph: Integrate hierarchical phenotyping and graph modeling to characterize spatial architecture in tumor microenvironment on digital pathology

Abstract We present CellSpatialGraph, an integrated clustering and graph-based framework, to investigate the cellular spatial structure. Due to the lack of a clear understanding of the cell subtypes in the tumor microenvironment, unsupervised learning is applied to uncover cell phenotypes. Then, we build local cell graphs, referred to as supercells, to model the cell-to-cell relationships at a local scale. After that, we apply clustering again to identify the subtypes of supercells. In the end, we build a global graph to summarize supercell-to-supercell interactions, from which we extract features to classify different disease subtypes.
Mediators of the associations between family income during adolescence and adult long-term memory and working memory

Abstract Low family income during childhood is associated with multiple enduring negative outcomes, including poorer cognitive functioning in adulthood. However, mechanisms linking low family income during adolescence to adulthood cognitive outcomes are relatively unclear, as mediators of income-cognition links have mostly been examined separately. To address this, we conducted a longitudinal multiple mediation analysis of associations between adolescent family income and adulthood working memory and long-term memory using a large, national dataset (N = 6337). The data were sociodemographically representative of the United States (48.1% male, Madult age=29.01). Potential mediators were education attainment, family education attitudes, stressful life experiences, inflammation, and perceived parental warmth. We found that education attainment mediated the associations between adolescent income and adulthood working memory and long-term memory. Additionally, stressful life events mediated the association between adolescent income and adulthood long-term memory, whereas inflammation and family education attitudes mediated the association between adolescent income and adulthood working memory. These findings suggest that limited education, less positive attitudes toward education, more stress, and heightened inflammation in low-income families predict poorer cognition in adulthood, and that intervening on each of these factors may mitigate detrimental cognitive sequelae of low family income during adolescence.
A Dynamic Model for Traffic Flow on Automated Highway Systems

Abstract This paper presents a dynamic model for automated traffic flow. The model is based on the abstraction of vehicle activities derived from a vehicle’s automatic control laws by the space and time taken up by the vehicle engaged in the activity. The paper develops the laws of conservation of vehicles and velocity dynamics, and defines static, manuever, and interaction capacity obtainable with the model.
Elevated Irisin Expression in NASH Livers

Background: Data mining with our microarray database suggested that irisin is one of the most highly elevated genes in livers of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is the severe form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and is characterized by hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis. Irisin, an adipomyokine implicated in the initiation of a browning effect of adipose that may profoundly affect the metabolic status of NASH patients. Our microarray analysis suggested elevated liver irisin and chemokine ligand 14 (CXCL14). CXCL14 is a chemokine that participates in glucose metabolism and inflammation. We therefore tested the hypothesis that inflammation is a trigger for hepatic irisin expression. Methods: Biopsy-proven adolescent NASH patients were compared to controls from healthy livers from donors of similar age and gender. Irisin gene expression was evaluated by microarray and quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Hepatic irisin gene expression was increased in NASH compared to contro...
Educator Perceptions of the Evidence-Based Teaching Model in Undergraduate Athletic Training Education

Context: While research recommends that health professions expand the instruction and use of evidence-based practice (EBP) due to the individualized approach to patient health care, few examples of...
Proxy reliability: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures for people with disability

Objectives: Research and surveillance activities sometimes require that proxy respondents provide key exposure or outcome information, especially for studies of people with disability (PWD). In this study, we compared the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) responses of index PWD to proxies. Methods: Subjects were selected from nursing home, other assisted living residences, and from several clinic samples of PWD. Each index identified one or more proxy respondents. Computer-assisted interviews used a random order of measures. Proxy reliability was measured by intraclass correlation (ICC) and κ statistics. HRQoL measures tested included the surveillance questions of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADLs and IADLs), medical outcomes study short-form 36 and 12 (SF-36 and SF-12). Results: A total of 131 index-proxy sets were completed. In general, agreement and reliability of proxy responses to the PWD tended to be best for relatives, with friends lower, and health care proxies lowest. For example, the ICC for the physical functioning scale of the SF-36 was 0.68 for relatives, 0.51 for friends, and 0.40 for healthcare proxies. There was a tendency for proxies to overestimate impairment and underestimate HRQoL. This pattern was reversed for measures of pain, which proxies consistently underestimated. The pattern among instruments, proxy types, and HRQoL domains was complex, and individual measures vary from these general results. Conclusions: We suggest caution when using proxy respondents for HRQoL, especially those measuring more subjective domains.
A low frequency (100 MHz) cross-field amplifier device for measurements of RF wave-electron interactions

A new device has been constructed in order to investigate wave-particle interactions in a cross-field amplifier (CFA). This device will be used to make measurements of the electron plasma, RF fields, and noise sources in an operating CFA using standard plasma diagnostics. Investigations of ponderomotive force effects on phenomena such as soliton formation and convective cells are also planned. The slow wave circuit is 40 cm long and 25 cm wide. An amplifier can provide up to 250 W of power at a frequency of 100 MHz. The slow wave wavelength is predicted to be 4 cm. The characteristic impedance of the circuit is predicted to be 55 Omega so matching problems should not be significant. The static magnetic field is provided by two coil sets configured as Helmholtz coils with fields up to 80 G. The cathode is made of Al-2024 and can be biased to -2.5 kV. In addition, there are tungsten filaments for the first 10 cm of the cathode in order to provide a good starting electron density as well as to allow for control of that density. Directional couplers are used to provide power measurements. >
Black/white packet service: encrypted IP video over GBS

The global broadcast service (GBS) provides a worldwide, high-capacity, one-way transmission of classified and unclassified video, imagery, and other information as required to support joint military forces in garrison, in transit, and in theater. GBS enables real-time information product delivery to the Warfighter by providing satellite resources that are shared based on combatant commanders' priorities, operational locations, and platform capabilities of the deployed users. Over the last several years, dissemination of near-real time unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) video has emerged as a major delivery capability of the global broadcast service architecture. This paper presents the technologies and techniques used for encrypting the broadcast of unclassified and classified video over GBS using commercially available IP-based video content processing and encryption products. Several prototype architectures have been designed to provide type-I encryption (Black Packet) and type-II encryption (White Packet) for classified and unclassified IP video products sent over the GBS broadcast. Evolutionary approaches for integrating the video encryption prototype architectures into the current ATM-based and future IP-based GBS system architecture are also outlined.
Psychiatric disorders are associated with hospital care utilization in persons with hypertension : Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on alcohol and related conditions

Psychiatric disorders and hypertension both independently increase risk for heart disease, cardiac events, and healthcare utilization. However, the contribution of specific psychiatric disorders to healthcare utilization in persons with hypertension is unknown. To evaluate associations between psychiatric disorders and receipt of hospital care in people with hypertension. Cross-sectional epidemiologic survey. A total of 8,812 hypertensive individuals drawn from a randomly selected sample of 43,093 US adults. Participants were assessed in-person for a range of mental disorders (using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV), hypertension status (self-report), and past-year occurrence of emergency room treatment and overnight hospital stay (self-report). After controlling for demographics and clinical variables, persons having any lifetime mood, anxiety, or personality disorders had increased likelihood of emergency room treatment [odds ratios (ORs) = 1.26, 1.18, and 1.47, respectively]. Persons having any mood or personality disorder had increased likelihood of overnight hospital stay (ORs = 1.24 and 1.31, respectively). The specific disorders significantly associated with emergency room treatment were lifetime major depression, lifetime manic disorder, past-year major depression, past-year manic disorder, past-year panic disorder without agoraphobia, and paranoid, histrionic, antisocial, obsessive–compulsive personality disorders, with ORs ranging from 1.25 to 2.41. The specific disorders significantly associated with overnight hospital stay were lifetime dysthymia, lifetime manic disorder, past-year major depression, past-year manic disorder, and histrionic, antisocial, and paranoid personality disorders, with ORs ranging from 1.40 to 1.87. Results suggest that addressing mental health problems in persons with hypertension may decrease healthcare utilization.
Dose to the fetus from 222Rn in maternal drinking water

Publisher Summary Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas and is present in all environments. Radon is a decay product in the natural uranium decay series and is the direct descendant of radium-226. All gases are slightly soluble in water and radon is relatively soluble in groundwater. Concentrations from a few tens to hundreds of bequerels per liter of water can be found in most countries. After maternal ingestion of 222 Rn in raw water, it is transported by the blood and diffuses throughout the body including into the placenta. The short-lived alpha-particle emitting decay products from radon can thus reach an embryo/fetus. In the case of the embryo/fetus, it is of special interest to estimate the radiation dose because there is an early interval of pregnancy when the fetus is at the most risk for severe effects from radiation. In the very tiny early embryos, there are two important factors to consider. The very small size of the embryo should yield a commensurately small target for alpha-particle hits, but conversely, alpha-particle damage to nuclear DNA may have major consequences.
Large Fluctuations in Stochastically Perturbed Nonlinear Systems: Applications in Computing

This is the transcript of a talk given at the 1992 Complex Systems Summer School. The theory of large fluctuations of stochastically perturbed continuous-time dynamical systems is reviewed, and the large fluctuations of two stochastic models arising in computer science are analysed. One is a stochastic model of a communications network, resembling an Ethernet, which experiences traffic fluctuations. The other is a simple model of two dynamic data structures in the same memory space. In both models `large fluctuations' are unlikely, undesirable events. The mean time between occurrences of such events is estimated.
The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein.

Publisher Summary The studies of retinoblastoma (RB) have been driven by three hypotheses: (1) RB is the suppressor of retinoblastoma and possibly the other types of cancer, (2) RB inhibits proliferation by preventing the transcription of genes critical for cell cycle progression, and (3) the inhibitory function of RB can be neutralized by phosphorylation or by the viral oncoproteins. This chapter summarizes and evaluates the evidence for these three hypotheses with a focus on the molecular and cellular function of RB. Because the studies of RB have been reviewed frequently, the chapter emphasizes the recent papers and cites the reviewed articles for earlier results. A modified view of the molecular function of RB, based on several recent findings, is discussed. The complexity of RB function is illustrated by the large number of proteins interacting with RB through different mechanisms, by the multiple phosphorylation sites in RB, and by the tissue- and cell type-specific response to the loss or gain of RB. The hypothesis that RB is a matchmaker, containing several pockets that are differentially regulated by specific phosphorylation events is but one way of accommodating the complexity that has emerged from the recent findings. This modified view of the molecular function of RB will provoke new directions of investigation that may eventually reduce this currently complex picture to a cogent description of the biological function of RB.
Proposed Addendum to Previously Published Fetal Dose Estimate Tables for 18F-FDG

Placental transfer and fetal dose estimates have been published for women in early pregnancy and at the end of each trimester for a large number of radiopharmaceuticals. For the case of 18F-FDG, a dose was given with no information about placental transfer of the radiopharmaceutical. Recent publications have reported quantitative values for maternal and fetal uptake of 18F-FDG in primates and new values for 18F-FDG kinetics. In this article, these data are applied to give radiation dose estimates for the fetus at all stages of pregnancy for 18F-FDG. The recommended values are 2.2 × 10−2 mGy/MBq in early pregnancy, 2.2 × 10−2 mGy/MBq at 3-mo gestation, 1.7 × 10−2 mGy/MBq at 6-mo gestation, and 1.7 × 10−2 mGy/MBq at 9-mo gestation.
The Relationship of Untreated Borderline Infiltrates by the Banff Criteria to Acute Rejection in Renal Allograft Biopsies

Abstract . The relationship of borderline infiltrates to acute rejection by Banff criteria in renal allografts of patients receiving only maintenance immunosuppression is not clear. Renal allograft biopsies with borderline lesions that were not treated with additional anti-rejection therapy were retrospectively studied. Sixty-five such biopsies were identified from 50 patients, and their outcome was determined by serum creatinine and/or histologic findings in subsequent biopsies, up to 40 d after the initial biopsy. In addition to the borderline infiltrates, there was evidence of acute cyclosporine or tacrolimus toxicity (58%), acute tubular necrosis (12%), and urinary obstruction (12%). Forty-day follow-up after 30 (46%) biopsies revealed serum creatinine versus 3 of 47, P = 0.003) and Banff acute score indices (i+t+v+g) >2 (16 of 18 versus 29 of 47, P = 0.03). A majority (72%) of borderline infiltrates not given additional anti-rejection therapy did not progress to acute rejection over 40 d of follow-up, suggesting that conservative management of these lesions, at least in the short term, may be more appropriate than routine treatment as acute rejection.
Fever and metabolic rate in the toad Bufo marinus

Abstract 1. 1. Toads injected with the pyrogen LPS had a higher metabolic rate than control toads injected with saline if the toads were held at the febrile temperature of 32°C, but not if they were held at the normothermic temperature of 25°C. 2. 2. We suggest that the elevated metabolic rate of febrile toads reflects the cost of the stimulation of the immune system. 3. 3. We discuss the evolutionary implications of these data, and suggest that the febrile response of vertebrate ectotherms and endotherms is homologous.
Observation of the superfluid shapiro effect in a 3He weak link.

We have studied the mass currents through a superfluid ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ Josephson weak link in the presence of an externally applied ac pressure modulation. Characteristic changes in the dc mass currents are observed whenever the superfluid Josephson frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{J}$ is an integer multiple of the ac modulation frequency $\ensuremath{\omega}$. The measured dependencies of these current changes on ac pressure amplitude are in excellent agreement with theory describing quantum phase dynamics of superfluid ${}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ weak links. These results establish the superfluid analog of the superconducting Shapiro effect.
Novel artificial neural networks for remote-sensing data classification

This paper discusses two novel artificial neural network architectures applied to multi-class classification problems of remote-sensing data. These approaches are 1) a spiking-neural-network model for the partitioning of data into clusters, and 2) a neuron model based on complex-valued weights (CVN). In the former model, the learning process is based on the Spike Timing-Dependent Plasticity rule under the Hebbian Learning framework. With temporally encoded inputs, the synaptic efficiencies of the delays between the pre- and post-synaptic spikes can store the information of different data clusters. With the encoding method using Gaussian receptive fields, the model was applied to the remote-sensing data. The result showed that it could provide more useful information than using traditional clustering method such as K-means. The CVN model has proved to be more powerful than traditional neuron models in solving the XOR problem and image processing problems. This paper discusses an implementation of the complex-valued neuron in NRBF neural networks to improve the NRBF structure. The complex-valued weights are used in the supervised learning part of an NRBF neural network. This classifier was tested with satellite multi-spectral image data and results show that this neural network model is more accurate and powerful than the conventional NRBF model.
Simulation of the mechanics of water-skier motion

Abstract This paper focuses on the modelling and simulation of a planar serial five-link system resembling a headless water-skier. The water-skier is taught to water-ski by an informal gradient method. The informal gradient method determines the parameters associated with control moments applied at the joints. As an illustrative simulation, the water-skier is shown to traverse waves of varying magnitude and frequency, stand up, and compensate for varying tension in the tow line.