cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elective Resection of Symptomatic Arteriovenous Fistulae and Grafts in Patients with Functioning Renal Allografts at A High Volume Transplant Hospital

Objective Patients with functioning renal allografts may need ligation of pre-existing hemodialysis conduits. Chronic immunosuppression for renal allografts may adversely affect wound healing and perioperative complications following these procedures. We sought to analyze outcomes following elective ligation and resection of symptomatic arteriovenous (AV) access in immunosuppressed patients with renal allografts no longer requiring dialysis at a high-volume renal transplant hospital. Methods We retrospectively reviewed procedure codes for hemodialysis access resection and revision from 2014–2020 at a single academic tertiary care hospital. Patients who underwent complete or subtotal dialysis access resection with a functioning renal allograft were included for analysis of preoperative, operative, and postoperative outcomes. We performed descriptive statistics, and student's t-test using Microsoft Excel. Results Thirty-four patients met inclusion criteria. The majority were male, 56%, and the most common causes of renal failure were hypertension and diabetes, respectively. Ligation and resection of proximal upper extremity access was performed in 68%. The mean operative time was 126 minutes with pain being the most common indication for intervention. Four patients required arterial reconstruction. Mean postoperative follow-up was 13 months. Arm pain and swelling resolved in 100% and 88% of patients following AV access resection, respectively. No impairment in mean postoperative glomerular filtration rates were noted. One patient required hemodialysis and died three months after fistula resection following complications from treatment of a newly diagnosed neuroendocrine tumor and subsequent fungemia, Conclusion Elective operative resection of symptomatic AV access may be performed safely in immunosuppressed patients with functioning renal transplants. The risk of allograft impairment and/or failure as a result of AV access resection in our series was low. Elective ligation and resection can be achieved with low mortality, excellent symptomatic relief, and few wound complications despite chronic immunosuppression.
Lateral habenula cannabinoid CB1 receptor involvement in drug-associated impulsive behavior.

Abstract Animal and human studies show that cannabis or its derivatives can increase relapse to cocaine seeking following withdrawal. Moreover, cannabis use in humans is associated with impulse control deficits and animal studies implicate endogenous cannabinoids (eCB) in several impulsivity constructs. However, the brain areas where cannabinoids might control impulsivity or cocaine seeking are largely unknown. Here, we assess Lateral Habenula (LHb) involvement on performance in the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT) in rats and investigate whether LHb cannabinoid CB1 receptors (CB1R) are involved in these effects. Systemic cocaine increased premature responding, a measure of impulsivity, at a dose (5 mg/kg) that did not alter other measures of task performance. Intra-LHb infusion of the CB1R antagonist AM251 blocked this effect. Systemic injection of the psychoactive constituent of cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC, 1 mg/kg), also increased 5CSRTT premature responding at a dose that did not otherwise disrupt task performance. This was blocked by intra-LHb infusion of AM251 in a subgroup of rats showing the largest increases in Δ9-THC-evoked premature responses. Systemic Δ9-THC also prompted impulsive cocaine seeking in a Go/NoGo cocaine self-administration task and this was blocked by intra-LHb AM251. These data show that LHb CB1Rs are involved in deficits in impulse control initiated by cocaine and Δ9-THC, as assessed by the 5CSRTT, and play a role in impulsive cocaine seeking during cocaine self-administration. This suggests that the LHb eCB system contributes to the control of impulsive behavior, and thus represents a potential target for therapeutic treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs) in humans.
CARE: Infusing Causal Aware Thinking to Root Cause Analysis in Cloud System

With millions of customers accessing online service all over the world, ensuring high service availability is very critical for cloud system. In recent years, empowered by advanced data mining and machine learning technology, there emerges extensive study on data-driven solution to detect anomalous system behavior and diagnose the root cause. However, without any surveilance of data generation process, the existing passive data-driven approach may lead to biased analysis result induced by observed and unobserved confounding factors in the dynamic and heterogeneous system, and thus affect service availability with misleading mitigation actions. In this paper, we propose to infuse causal thinking to the current data-driven solution for cloud system. We developed CARE, a causal aware root cause discovery engine, which utilizes Random Control Trial to proactively generate less ambiguous data for further analysis. A case study shows the application of CARE to Microsoft Office365.
MAQC and the era of genomic medicine.

The MicroArray Quality Control consortium—a 16-year international effort led by the FDA and involving hundreds of scientists from academia, industry and government—helped make genomic medicine a reality.
Protocol and statistical analysis plan for the Pragmatic Investigation of optimaL Oxygen Targets (PILOT) clinical trial.

Introduction Mechanical ventilation of intensive care unit (ICU) patients universally involves titration of the fraction of inspired oxygen to maintain arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2). However, the optimal SpO2 target remains unknown. Methods and analysis The Pragmatic Investigation of optimaL Oxygen Targets (PILOT) trial is a prospective, unblinded, pragmatic, cluster-crossover trial being conducted in the emergency department (ED) and medical ICU at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. PILOT compares use of a lower SpO2 target (target 90% and goal range: 88%–92%), an intermediate SpO2 target (target 94% and goal range: 92%–96%) and a higher SpO2 target (target 98% and goal range: 96%–100%). The study units are assigned to a single SpO2 target (cluster-level allocation) for each 2-month study block, and the assigned SpO2 target switches every 2 months in a randomly generated sequence (cluster-level crossover). The primary outcome is ventilator-free days (VFDs) to study day 28, defined as the number of days alive and free of invasive mechanical ventilation from the final receipt of invasive mechanical ventilation through 28 days after enrolment. Ethics and dissemination The trial was approved by the Vanderbilt Institutional Review Board. The results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at one or more scientific conferences. Trial registration number The trial protocol was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on 25 May 2018 prior to initiation of patient enrolment (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03537937).
Punt and Pass: Why Congress Should Punt on An Antitrust Exemption and Pass on Express Preemption, when Regulating Student-Athlete Name, Image, and Likeness

In late 2019 California enacted the Fair Pay to Play Act and took the first step towards allowing student-athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness (NIL)—subsequently many other states followed in line. This is great for advancing the rights of student-athletes; however, because not all states have similar bills, an unbalanced system is created, which is not conducive for a national league, like the NCAA. In response, the NCAA has begun working to institute a new set of national bylaws regulating student-athlete NIL payments and has engaged Congress to enact a federal NIL bill that provides for preemption over the states and provides an antitrust exemption to the NCAA. It is fairly accepted that to prevent state interference with the NCAA’s ability to institute national NIL bylaws Congress must provide express preemption. However, two questions remain: (1) how the express preemption clause must be worded to allow bylaws of an entity, not connected to the federal government, preempt state laws; and (2) whether the states can have such clause deemed unconstitutional. This Comment answers both of these questions and argues that the express preemption clause in Representative Gonzalez’s proposed federal NIL bill achieves both of these goals—through restricting the state’s ability to enforce NIL legislation and because the proposed clause regulates private actors. Further, the NCAA has requested an antitrust exemption to avoid litigation arising from their new NIL bylaws. This Comment argues that Congress should not provide an exemption to the NCAA because: (1) an exemption would take away the student-athletes main avenue for extending their rights, being antitrust litigation; (2) the NCAA is not conducive for an antitrust exemption because the student-athletes cannot unionize or collectively bargain; and (3) if a NIL restriction, that if enacted by the NCAA would violate US antitrust laws, is needed to protect the integrity of college sports, such restriction can be enacted by Congress. Additionally, this Comment examines how antitrust litigation involving NCAA bylaws will be argued after the recent May 2020 decision in Alston v. NCAA. Thus, to allow the new NCAA NIL bylaws to be successful in creating a national NIL regulatory system, Congress should move forward with Representative Gonzalez’s proposed express preemption clause but should restrain from extending an antitrust exemption to the NCAA. If Congress takes these steps, the NCAA’s bylaws will have the force needed to institute a uniform system, and the student-athletes will retain their ability to further their rights through antitrust litigation.
Auxiliary Potential Function for Seepage

A method is presented that uses an auxiliary potential function for the purpose of reducing the effort involved in the numerical solution of seepage problems using nonhomogeneous, or layered systems. If, for the particular boundary conditions under consideration, the solution for a homogeneous medium is available, a systematic approach can be used to determine the required corrections to the homogeneous case that will yield the solution to the layered case. The method is intended to supplement desk computation techniques. An illustrative example demonstrating the procedure is included.
Ileostomy and Colostomy

In any age group, creation of an intestinal stoma is a significant event with major physiologic, body image, lifestyle, and psychosocial implications. Management and indications for ostomies in infants and young children are often different than in adolescents and adults. This is a consequence of the differing diagnoses, physiology, size, growth and development issues, complications, and unique patient and parental adjustment concerns.
Predictors of Colorectal Cancer Screening: Does Rurality Play a Role?

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between sociodemographic factors such as residence, health care access, and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among residents of Texas. Methods Using the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, we performed logistic regression analyses to determine predictors of CRC screening among Texas residents, including rural versus urban differences. Our outcomes of interest were previous (1) CRC screening using any CRC test, (2) fecal occult blood test (FOBT), or (3) endoscopy, as well as up-to-date screening using (4) any CRC test, (5) FOBT, or (6) endoscopy. The independent variable of interest was rural versus urban residence; we controlled for other sociodemographic and health care access variables such as lack of health insurance. Results Multivariate analysis showed that individuals who were residents of a rural/non-Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) location (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.51-0.97) or a suburban county (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.39-0.95) were less likely to report ever having any CRC screening compared to residents of a center city of an MSA. Residents of a rural/non-MSA location were less likely (OR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.28-0.87) than residents of a center city of an MSA to be up-to-date using FOBT. There was decreased likelihood of ever being screened for CRC among the uninsured (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.31-0.59). Conclusions Effective development and implementation of strategies to improve screening rates should aim at improving access to health care, taking into account demographic characteristics such as rural versus urban residence.
Was the Younger Dryas Global

Determining the geographical extent of a 1300-year cold event that occurred just before the current warm period requires accurate chronologies.
SELECTED TOPICS IN FELS

A tutorial introduction to wiggler tapering, electron beam dynamics in the wiggler — with particular emphasis on focusing — and optical guiding is presented.
Partial non-Fourier encoded MRI

MRI is by nature a Fourier encoded imaging modality. But MRI is enriched and made all the more powerful and flexible by the fact that it also includes elements of non-Fourier encoding, such as slice selection. Our goal is to develop a partial non-Fourier encoding methodology that is fully integrated with, and is complementary to, existing MR encoding approaches. The word 'partial' is used to emphasize that non-Fourier encoding is presented as complement to standard Fourier-encoded methods. Our focus is to determine where and how non-Fourier encoding can enhance existing MRI data acquisition protocols, particularly to increase the speed of dynamic applications. The specific advantages of non-Fourier encoding we have identified are; (1) that it offers the flexibility to employ encoding functions that are close to the theoretical optimum for a given application, (2) that it offers the ability to employ true multiple resolutions within the imaging volume, (3) that point-spread-functions free of ringing artifact can be made, (4) that robust reduced field-of-view imaging is enabled, and (5) that its flexibility can be exploited to enhance parallel imaging approaches. To realize the significant advantages of non-Fourier encoding, technical advances, in particular the development of practical 2D RF excitation approaches, are necessary. This is the focus of the current report.
Bulk contribution in surface second-harmonic generation.

We study the bulk contribution to surface second-harmonic generation. It is shown that the formalism in the earlier literature neglected an important term in the bulk contribution which makes the separation of surface and bulk contributions impossible in experiments that allow no modification of the sample. Isotropic and cubic systems media are discussed in some detail for illustration. We also present a model for the bulk nonlinearity of molecular systems.
Patient expectations and recovery following endoscopic sinus surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Studies examining the early postoperative period after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) are lacking. The objectives were to determine patient expectations of recovery following ESS and compare these expectations to actual outcomes.STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study. An 11-item survey regarding recovery from anesthesia and sinonasal outcomes was administered after ESS over postoperative days (POD) #1, #7, and #14. Preoperative surveys established baseline levels and explored patient expectations of POD #1 outcomes.RESULTS: Forty-six patients participated. Individual expectations generally did not correlate with POD #1 outcomes. Sinonasal symptoms, narcotic usage, and activity level (P < 0.05) demonstrated significant improvement over the postoperative period. Within one week, 75% of patients returned to work. By POD #14, nasal obstruction, discharge, fatigue, and overall health (P < 0.05) had improved over preoperative levels. Patients undergoing concomitant septoplasty had a more difficult postop...
Effect of a pure anti‐estrogen, ICI 182,780, on the in vitro radiosensitivity of MCF‐7 breast carcinoma cells

Use of the anti-estrogen tamoxifen (TAM) has been demonstrated to contribute a survival advantage in postmenopausal women with early stage or advanced breast cancer. Although conflicting results exist in the literature, some reports have suggested that TAM may exert potential deleterious effects on radiation sensitivity and response of breast cancers to radiotherapy (RT). A new non-steroidal anti-estrogen, ICI 182,780, which, unlike TAM, is without any estrogenic properties, has been used in European clinical trials in place of TAM. This study reports the effects of ICI 182,780 on radiation sensitivity and potentially lethal damage repair (PLDR) in estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells irradiated in vitro. At a concentration of 10−7 M, ICI 182,780 can inhibit the growth-stimulatory effect of 10−10M 17β-estradiol (E2). Growth-arrested MCF-7 cells were divided into four treatment groups: estradiol-deprived (−E2) and estradiol-stimulated (+E2) cultures incubated in the presence or absence of ICI 182,780 (10−7 M). Five days later each group was exposed to γ-irradiation and cell survival was measured by clonogenic assay in complete medium containing E2. In one series of experiments, the cells were harvested immediately after irradiation, while in a second series, the cells were held at 37°C for an additional 24 hr prior to harvesting. No statistically significant survival difference was detected between groups plated immediately after irradiation or 24 hr later, although a trend toward improved survival for the delayed plating groups was routinely observed. ICI 182,780 did not significantly alter radiation sensitivity of MCF-7 cells regardless of their hormonal status (+/−E2), nor did it change the sensitivity of cells harvested immediately or allowed 24 hr to express PLDR. These results suggest that ICI 182,780 may be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of breast cancer without altering the radiation sensitivity of breast cancer cells to concurrent RT. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Pamphlets, Great Britain, and the Bestandstwisten: The Use of British Sources in the Dutch Disputes of the 1610s

One of the main weapons to gain public support during the Dutch religious and political disputes of the 1610s was the cheap, typically short, pamphlet. These pamphlets set forth authors’ positions on topics such as proper church-state relations and predestination, using language that could be easily understood by the average person. In producing these works, Dutch pamphleteers repeatedly chose to use British sources, and a large number of these pamphlets were direct translations of British works, ranging from letters written by King James and his advisors to governmental decrees to religious works. Even those pamphlets that were not direct translations frequently utilized British authors and examples when setting forth their arguments. While these Dutch translations provided accurate renderings of the original text, pamphleteers frequently used a new ‘Foreword’ or even a pamphlet’s title to highlight a beneﬁcial argument or shade a reader’s interpretation of it. Dutch pamphlets referring to British ﬁgures...
Products and Mechanism of Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Reactions of Linear Alkenes with NO3 Radicals

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from reactions of linear alkenes with NO3 radicals was investigated in an environmental chamber using a thermal desorption particle beam mass spectrometer for particle analysis. A general chemical mechanism was developed to explain the formation of the observed SOA products. The major first-generation SOA products were hydroxynitrates, carbonylnitrates, nitrooxy peroxynitrates, dihydroxynitrates, and dihydroxy peroxynitrates. The major second-generation SOA products were hydroxy and oxo dinitrooxytetrahydrofurans, which have not been observed previously. The latter compounds were formed by a series of reactions in which δ-hydroxycarbonyls isomerize to cyclic hemiacetals, which then dehydrate to form substituted dihydrofurans (unsaturated compounds) that rapidly react with NO3 radicals to form very low volatility products. For the ∼1 ppmv alkene concentrations used here, aerosol formed only for alkenes C7 or larger. SOA formed from C7−C9 alkenes consisted only of s...
Typing a multi-language intermediate code

The Microsoft .NET Framework is a new computing architecture designed to support a variety of distributed applications and web-based services. .NET software components are typically distributed in an object-oriented intermediate language, Microsoft IL, executed by the Microsoft Common Language Runtime. To allow convenient multi-language working, IL supports a wide variety of high-level language constructs, including class-based objects, inheritance, garbage collection, and a security mechanism based on type safe execution.This paper precisely describes the type system for a substantial fragment of IL that includes several novel features: certain objects may be allocated either on the heap or on the stack; those on the stack may be boxed onto the heap, and those on the heap may be unboxed onto the stack; methods may receive arguments and return results via typed pointers, which can reference both the stack and the heap, including the interiors of objects on the heap. We present a formal semantics for the fragment. Our typing rules determine well-typed IL instruction sequences that can be assembled and executed. Of particular interest are rules to ensure no pointer into the stack outlives its target. Our main theorem asserts type safety, that well-typed programs in our IL fragment do not lead to untrapped execution errors.Our main theorem does not directly apply to the product. Still, the formal system of this paper is an abstraction of informal and executable specifications we wrote for the full product during its development. Our informal specification became the basis of the product team's working specification of type-checking. The process of writing this specification, deploying the executable specification as a test oracle, and applying theorem proving techniques, helped us identify several security critical bugs during development.
Bivariate analysis of trace elements in bone

A major difficulty in understanding the significance of trace element levels in human skeletal remains has been the inability to compare populations from different sites directly. Local variations in environmental levels of elements produces differing elemental levels in the bone of inhabitants of different regions. This variation renders comparisons of bone trace element levels problematic. Bivariate analysis, simultaneously examining zinc and strontium, offers a possible resolution of this problem, in addition to presenting a means for distinguishing different patterns of resource utilization. This report examines the application of this technique to three prehistoric American Indian populations.
Hyperglycemic Crises in Diabetes Mellitus: Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State

Although preventable in many cases, DKA and HHS remain among the most morbid of the acute sequelae of diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents. Recent innovations reduce cost and resource utilization during stabilization, transport, and definitive care of pediatric patients with DKA. The two-bag approach for initial resuscitation and stabilization of DKA has become the standard of care for pediatric DKA.
CT2--the clinical trials control tower: overcoming barriers to opening oncology clinical trials.

interest, and applaud the authors’ meticulous efforts and candor in illuminating the barriers that exist to opening oncology clinical trials in an academic health center setting. As a matrix cancer center reliant on interaction with other departments to execute the opening of clinical trials, the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University (Atlanta, GA) realizes similar challenges to those reported at Vanderbilt. Several of these steps are difficult to circumvent in an academic health care center, and we believe that these processes make it more challenging for academic centers to attract pharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical trials. We fully agree with the authors that overcoming the barriers to opening oncology clinical trials “is of critical importance for maintenance of core oncology research capabilities in the United States.” 1 At the Winship Cancer Institute, we have begun to develop and implement a method to improve the efficiency with which we open clinical trials. We have termed this process the CT2, the clinical trials control tower, since the management of clinical trials is somewhat akin to that of airport traffic, a process that has been described as managing controlled chaos. We have employed a program coordinator to electronically track the progress of each protocol from inception to closure, much like the tracking of moving aircraft on a radar screen. This control tower monitors and manages the functions of the key parties involved in the initiation of each protocol (the study investigator, the clinical trials office, other institutional departments and committees, and the study sponsor), and provides the communication within and between these parties necessary to streamline the progress of each protocol through the clinical trial initiation process. Clinical research can only succeed in increasing efficiency if we identify stop-gaps in the current process, and learn how to improve these procedures by critically evaluating their current quality and efficiency. Our tracking efforts show that we experience similar obstacles to those seen by the Vanderbilt Cancer Center (Nashville, TN) and its affiliates. In conclusion, we fully concur with the findings of this enlightening study regarding the barriers that exist in academia to opening oncology clinical trials. We believe academic institutions offer outstanding resources for the pharmaceutical industry to conduct clinical trials, but that we must strive to function more efficiently to attract the business of pharmaceutical sponsors. We hope that our CT2 model will facilitate a leaner process that will expedite the opening of both industry-sponsored and investigator-initiated clinical trials, ultimately providing more treatment options for cancer patients.
Miofloral succession and interpretation of the base of the permian system in the Eastern Shelf of North Central Texas, U.S.A.

The study includes palynological investigation of the Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous) and lowermost Permian (Wolfcampian) strata of Texas, with special emphasis on the Pennsylvanian and Permian systemic boundary in the Eastern Shelf of north central Texas. The following palynozones have been recognized: (1) Grumososporites-Simozonotriletes Zone (Atokan); (2) Torispora-Thymospora Zone (Demoinesian); (3) Cristatisporites—Cadiospora arcuata Zone (Missourian); (4) Crucisaccites americanus Zone (Early Virgilian); (5) Guptaesporites honakerensis Zone (Late Virgilian); and (6) Nuskoisporites crenulatus-Hamiapollenites saccatus Zone (Early Wolfcampian). The base of the Permian Wolfcampian Stage has been placed at the base of Nuskoisporites crenulatus-Hamiapollenites saccatus Zone, which approximately coincides with the base of the Coleman Junction Limestone Member of the Putnam Formation of the Wichita Group. This conclusion may appear to be contradictory to fusulinid evidence because it places the base of the Permian System 182.88 m above the so-called fusulinid boundary. It also disagrees with the paleobotanical boundary. The discussion concludes that fusulinid and paleobotanical evidence is inconclusive.
Saturation in two-photon microscopy

Excitation saturation and other photophysical dynamics can have a dramatic influence on the effective imaging point spread function (psf) in fluorescence microscopy. Specifically, saturation leads to increased fluorescence observation volumes and altered spatial profiles for the psf. These changes have important implications for both fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and imaging applications. A detailed characterization of these changes is required for accurate interpretation of FCS measurements. We here introduce a method to calculate molecular excitation profiles that represent the true fluorescence observation volume under the influence of excitation saturation in two-photon microscopy. An analytical model that accounts for pulsed excitation is developed to calculate the influence of saturation at any location within the excitation laser profile, and the overall saturation influenced molecular excitation profiles are evaluated numerically. Fluorescence signals measured with a solution of Rhodamine 6G are presented, showing good agreement with these calculations.
Role of T lymphocytes and cytokines in coccidiosis

Development of a vaccine for avian coccidiosis has been hampered by lack of understanding of the various components of the host immune system leading to protective immunity. Clear understanding of the cellular dichotomy in cytokine production in mice and the availability of immunological reagents, as well as gene knock-out mice, now makes in-depth immunological study in this species feasible. From studies of various parasitic infection models in mice, it is becoming clear that complex regulation by cytokines is involved in host immunity. Furthermore, the studies in mice clearly indicated an important role of various effector mechanisms involving T lymphocytes, macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells and cytokines in resistance to coccidiosis. In comparative studies of coccidiosis in chickens, in-vivo and in-vitro studies revealed that interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor and transforming growth factor-beta are induced following Eimeria infection. Depletion studies revealed the importance of CD8+TCR-alpha-beta+ T lymphocytes in host protective immunity to avian coccidiosis. Taken together, studies in mice and chickens are providing a better understanding of the role of effector cells and soluble factors which control immune responses to Eimeria parasites.
An obstruction to the existence of certain dynamics in surface diffeomorphisms

Let M be a two-dimensional, compact manifold and g:Μ→ΜM be a diffeomorphism with a hyperbolic chain recurrent set. We find restrictions on the reduced zeta function p(t) of anyzero-dimensional basic set of g. If deg (p(t)) is odd, then p(1) = 0 (in ). Since there are infinitely many subshifts of finite type whose reduced zeta functions do not satisfy these restrictions, there are infinitely many subshifts which cannot be basic sets for any diffeomorphism of any surface.
Rao-Blackwellised particle filter with adaptive system noise and its evaluation for tracking in surveillance

In the visual tracking domain, Particle Filtering (PF) can become quite inefficient when being applied into high dimensional state space. Rao-Blackwellisation [1] has been shown to be an effective method to reduce the size of the state space by marginalizing out some of the variables analytically [2] . In this paper based on our previous work [3] we proposed RBPF tracking algorithm with adaptive system noise model. Experiments using both simulation data and real data show that the proposed RBPF algorithm with adaptive noise variance improves its performance significantly over conventional Particle Filter tracking algorithm. The improvements manifest in three aspects: increased estimation accuracy, reduced variance for estimates and reduced particle numbers are needed to achieve the same level of accuracy.
Significance of Mild Transient Release of Creatine Kinase–MB Fraction After Percutaneous Coronary Interventions

Background The clinical significance of minor elevations in creatine kinase–myocardial band isoenzyme (CK-MB) after coronary interventions has not been systematically evaluated. Methods and Results We examined 4484 patients who underwent successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or directional coronary atherectomy and whose peak CK levels did not exceed twice the upper limit of laboratory normal. Group 1 (3776 patients) had no CK or MB elevation after the procedure (ie, CK ≤180 IU/L, with MB fraction ≤4%). Group 2 (450 patients) had a peak CK level between 100 and 180 IU/L, with MB fraction >4%, and group 3 (258 patients) had a peak CK level between 181 and 360 IU/L, with MB fraction >4%. The strongest correlate of postprocedure CK-MB elevation was the performance of directional coronary atherectomy (odds ratio, 4.1; P<.0001), followed by the development of ≥1 in-lab minor procedural complication (odds ratio, 2.6; P<.0001). Clinical follow-up was available in 4461 patients (99.5%), with a ...
Use of Withdrawal of Reinforcement within the Escape-Avoidance Paradigm

With rats as Ss, an analog of shock escape-avoidance was developed in which withdrawal of positive reinforcement served in lieu of noxious stimulation. Efficient escape behavior developed with latencies varying as a function of the rate of reinforcement reinstated by the conditioned response, but avoidance behavior was infrequent. The results were considered from the standpoint of whether the escape response was positively reinforced through onset of the period of reinforcement or negatively reinforced through termination of the period of non-reinforcement.
ROLE OF COROLLA ABSCISSION IN DELAYED SELF-POLLINATION OF MIMULUS GUTTATUS (SCROPHULARIACEAE)

Corollas of Mimulus guttatus are shed 1-9 days post-anthesis, and autofertility is often high. The possibility that corolla shedding causes self-pollination in the absence of pollinators was examined. In one experimental population 82% of seed produced under conditions of pollinator exclusion were due to corolla abscission. Corolla abscission, in the absence of pollinators, is a mechanism of delayed self-fertilization in this taxon.
A 5-item calculator predicted risk for postoperative respiratory failure

Source Citation Gupta H, Gupta PK, Fang X, et al. Development and validation of a risk calculator predicting postoperative respiratory failure. Chest. 2011;140:1207-15. 21757571
Block Talk: Spatial Language During Block Play

Spatial skills are a central component of intel- lect and show marked individual differences. There is evidence that variations in the spatial language young children hear, which directs their attention to important aspects of the spatial environment, may be one of the mechanisms that con- tributes to these differences. To investigate how play affects variations in language, parents and children were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: free play with blocks, guided play, or play with preassembled structures (Study 1). Parents in the guided play condition produced significantly higher proportions of spatial talk than parents in the other two conditions, and children in the guided play condition produced significantly more spatial talk than those in the free play condition. Study 2 established baselines of spatial language during activities not involving spatial materials. Proportions of spatial words were lower than those in any of the conditions of Experiment 1. In sum, interaction with blocks naturally elicits elevated levels of spatial language, especially in the context of guided play, suggesting simple-to-execute educational interventions.
Comment on relativistic ideal soliton-gas approximations

Abstract We comment on the validity of using relativistic, ideal, Boltzmann-kink-gas phenomenology involving “bare” kinks for interpretation of experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. An improved velocity distribution is obtained for sine-Gordon and ∅-four kink gases which incorporates the kink renormalization found to be essential in obtaining the correct total kink density. We argue, however, that even with this improvement, current ideal gas phenomenologies can only be trusted at low temperatures compared to the kink rest energy, where the majority of kinks have low velocity in any case.
Adaptive learning defuzzification techniques and applications

Abstract In this paper, adaptive learning defuzzification techniques are studied under the consideration of system performance indices. By treating defuzzification processes as continuous mappings from space [0,1] n to the real line, the concept of the optimal defuzzification mapping can be developed. Since all the continuous defuzzification mappings considered in this paper form a Banach space, approximation to the optimal mapping with some known functions can be expressed as the parametric optimization problem. To find the optimal parameters, adaptive learning of the optimal defuzzification mapping is investigated. Learning laws for the parameters in the defuzzification mapping are derived in one case. Numerical results indicate that the adaptive learning defuzzification method can give superior defuzzification results to some popular defuzzification methods.
Monitoring quality of life among prostate cancer survivors: the feasibility of automated telephone assessment.

Objective To examine the feasibility of using automated interactive voice response calls to assess prostate cancer survivor quality of life (QOL). In light of an increasing focus on patient-centered outcomes, innovative and efficient approaches to monitor QOL among prostate cancer survivors are increasingly valuable. Methods Forty prostate cancer survivors less than 1 year post-treatment were enrolled at a university-based cancer center clinic from July through August 2011. We adapted the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) survey, a prostate cancer-specific QOL instrument, for use via personal telephone with interactive voice response. We compared written vs interactive voice response EPIC scores across urinary, sexual, bowel, and vitality domains. Results The median age of respondents was 63 years (range, 41-76 years) and the majority had undergone surgery (97.5%). The entire interactive voice response call was completed by 35 participants (87.5%). Over half of all interactive voice response calls were answered after 2 attempts with a median length of 11.3 minutes. On average, interactive voice response EPIC scores were slightly lower than written scores (−2.1 bowel, P = .05; −4.6 urinary incontinence, P r = .97) and sexual function domains ( r = .96). Although mean scores were similar for other domains, their distributions had significant ceiling effects limiting our reliability measure interpretation. Conclusion Automated interactive voice response calls are a feasible strategy for assessing prostate cancer survivor QOL. Interactive voice response could provide a low cost, sustainable, and systematic approach to measuring patient-centered outcomes, conducting comparative effectiveness research, and monitoring the quality of prostate cancer care.
Baboons below the tropic of capricorn

Chacma baboons living at high altitudes in southern Africa are subject to extreme seasonality of temperatures and food availability. The most extreme of the described chacma populations, at the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve in the Transvaal, is compared with less extreme chacma baboon populations and with means for the other Papio species on several morphological, ecological and social varibles. Suikerbosrand's population is more similar to the high-altitude, coldclimate Himalayan langurs on most of these variables than either Suikerbosrand baboons or Himalayan langurs are to populations of the same species of baboon or langur living in warmer, less seasonal climates. This suggests that similar adaptations occurred when human populations first colonized temperate climates.
The interrelationship of hypoxia, erythropoietin, and the renal juxtaglomerular cell.

SummaryThe relationship of renal erythropoietin to the juxtaglomerular cell was studied. Several investigators have noted the frequent association of increased juxtaglomerular granularity and increased levels of plasma erythropoietin after the combined stimuli of underdistention of the renal arterial bed and hypoxia of the renal parenchyma. To separate these two stimuli, rats were subjected to hypoxia without hypovolemia by being kept at one-half atmospheric pressure for 12 hours. At the end of the hypoxic period, there was no change in the granularity of the juxtaglomerular cells and, therefore, probably no change in their rate of secretion. Two hypotheses concerning the cellular source of renal erythropoietin are presented.
Thermal Aspects of a Novel Viscous Pump

We have previously introduced a novel method for pumping fluids via a viscous mechanism. The device essentially consists of a cylindrical rotor eccentrically placed in a channel, and it is suited for hauling highly viscous polymers in macroducts, or more common fluids in microducts. Under certain operating conditions, viscous dissipation can be important, and a significant attendant temperature rise can have adverse effects on the pump operation. For this reason, we have conducted a numerical experiment to characterize the associated phenomena. The coupled system of the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations, with temperature-dependent viscosity, and the energy equation, with viscous dissipation terms retained, are solved using a finite-volume method. Different types of thermal boundary conditions at the rotor-fluid interface are explored in the numerical scheme. An approximate theoretical model is also developed to analyze flow in the region between the rotor and the nearest plate (for small gaps). The results indicate that although the bulk temperature rise is minimal for typical microscale situations, significantly steep temperature gradients are observed in the region between the rotor and the nearest channel wall where the most intense shear stress occurs. For certain combinations of Re, Ec, and Pr, temperature rises along the channel wall of the order of 30 K were calculated. Moreover, for very small values of this gap, large errors in the computed flowrates and pumping power estimates can arise for large Brinkman numbers, if the effects of viscous dissipation are ignored. Furthermore, the existence of an optimum value of rotor position, such that the bulk velocity is a maximum, is demonstrated. These findings are significant, as they are indicative of trends associated with the flow of highly viscous polymeric liquids, where much larger temperature rises and their attendant degradation in performance are likely, to occur.
Association of Mechanical Properties and Collagen Content With Valve Morphology in Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysmal Tissue

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart malformation occurring in 1–2% of the population with a high rate of morbidity [1]. There is a significantly higher rate of dilation of the aortic root in adults with a BAV when compared to the normal population and this condition is often associated with ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA). ATAA is characterized as an enlargement of the aorta to twice its normal diameter. If left untreated, ATAA can lead to aortic dissection or rupture. Therefore, ATAA is recommended for prophylactic surgery when its diameter reaches about 5.5 cm. However, in certain high-risk cases, such as patients with BAV, ATAA may rupture when its diameter is less than 5.5 cm. Since ATAA dissection and rupture are biomechanical phenomena, better mechanical models are needed to more accurately predict these events over the predictive capability of diameter alone.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Rotating Stratified Flow over Finite Isolated Topography

Inviscid, steady, stratified rotating flow over a finite, isolated topographic feature is critically analyzed. The formulation is based on approximating the horizontal momentum by the geostrophic momentum. A boundary value problem governs the perturbation pressure field. The solution is an anticyclonic, topographically-bound vortex whose characteristics are independent of the upstream velocity but do depend on stratification, rotation, and the nature of the topography. The vortex is baroclinic in the vicinity of the mountain but barotropic in the far field. The velocity field is a combination of the bound vortex and an upstream velocity interacting with the perturbation pressure field. The effects of stratification, upstream velocity and the nature of the topography are investigated, and fluid trajectories are plotted.
Information System Planning and Decision Making Framework: A Case Study

Although numerous academic and industry studies have identified a variety of connections among strategies, processes, and systems, the phenomenon of information system adoption and post-implementation failure is still common. One factor in system adoption that has not yet been thoroughly considered is the conceptualization of processes and systems at multiple levels of complexity. This paper uses a case study to illustrate a framework that outlines the flow of conceptualization efforts during system adoption and implementation.
Ancient Analogues Concerning Stability and Durability of Cementitious Wasteform

The history of cementitious materials goes back to ancient times. The Greeks and Romans used calcined limestone and later developedpozzolanic cement by grinding together lime and volcanic ash called “pozzolan” which was first found near Port Pozzuoli, Italy. The ancient Chinese used lime-pozzolanic mixes to build the Great Wall. The ancient Egyptians used calcined impure gypsum to build the Great Pyramid of Cheops. The extraordinary stability and durability of these materials has impressed us, when so much dramatically damaged infrastructure restored by using modernportland cement now requires rebuilding. Stability and durability of cementitious materials have attracted intensive research interest and contractors’ concerns, as does immobilization of radioactive and hazardous industrial waste in cementitious materials. Nuclear wastepollution of the environment and an acceptable solution for waste management and disposal constitute among the most importantpublic concerns. The analogy of ancient cementitious materials to modem Portland cement could give us some clues to study their stability and durability. Thispresent study examines selected results of studies of ancient building materials from France, Italy, China, and Egypt, combined with knowledge obtained from the behavior of modemportland cement to evaluate thepotential for stability and durability of such materials in nuclear waste forms.
Planet Eaters or Star Makers? One View of Futures Studies in Higher Education

For the author, the avocation of futures studies has been a personal journey, which he describes in this article. He then posits a conundrum: the possibility of humanity's role in its own destruction, on one hand, or human transcendence, on the other hand (planet eaters or star makers). The roles of driving forces and theories of social change are emphasized, especially the role of technology innovation in social change. Other “tsunamis of change” are discussed, including economic and environmental change and the status of women. The author's focus on alternative futures methodologies is covered in some detail, in particular, popular societal images of the future. His preference for either a “sane, humane, and ecological” future or a high-tech future is described. The author concludes with a discussion of the changing nature of higher education students and the challenges facing both education and the human species.