cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Making Canada a Destination for Medical Tourists: Why Canadian Provinces Should Not Try to Become "Mayo Clinics of the North"

When Canadian researchers examine the subject of medical tourism, they typically focus on ethical, social, public health and health policy issues related to Canadians seeking health services in other countries. They emphasize study of Canada as a departure point for medical tourists rather than as a potential destination for international patients. Several influential voices have recently argued that provincial healthcare systems in Canada should market health services to international patients. Proponents of marketing Canada as a destination for medical tourists argue that attracting international patients will generate revenue for provincial healthcare systems. Responding to such proposals, I argue that there are at least seven reasons why provincial health systems in Canada should not dedicate institutional, financial and health human resources to promoting themselves as destinations for medical tourists.
Epidemiology and Social Networks:: Modeling Structured Diffusion

The spread of a disease through human populations can be significantly altered by patterned networks of social contact. Largely in response to AIDS, the way in which social networks channel disease has recently become the focus of a sustained modeling effort in epidemiology. The challenge has been to develop a general framework capable of representing both simple and arbitrarily complicated mixing structures, and of solving the matching problem in a non-equilibrium multi-group population. This work is reviewed here. A recent contribution from network analysis links log-linear models of contact structure to diffusion equations for transmission. This framework is described in detail, and some applications to the spread of AIDS are described. The results show that careful analysis of structured mixing can reveal significant features of an epidemic that would otherwise be missed.
From patent law to regulation: the ontological gerrymandering of biotechnology

Biotechnology is (ontologically speaking) many things. US patent law's understanding of ‘the natural’ has shrunk over the decades to allow the patenting of artefacts – such as organisms, cell lines, chemical compounds, and cDNA – that would previously have been unpatentable. However, when attempting to garner public support or minimise regulatory hurdles, proponents of biotechnology emphasise how these artefacts are no different from their un-engineered counterparts – that they are, in a word, natural. Some political implications of this ontological gerrymandering are discussed by focusing on instances of resistance, where previously hidden assemblages and networks (which proponents of biotechnology do not want the public to see) are being made visible.
Reacting to Impending Discrimination: Compensation for Prejudice and Attributions to Discrimination

This experiment tested the hypothesis that stigmatized people attempt to compensate for or overcome the effects of prejudice on social interactions. In an adaptation of Ruggiero and Taylor’s minimization of discrimination design, the authors informed 134 women either prior to or after completing a task that there was some chance that a prejudiced man would evaluate them. The women who were forewarned about prejudice compensated for this threat by distancing themselves from traditional feminine stereotypes relative to the women who learned about prejudice only after the experimental task was completed. However, the overall impression created by the women who were forewarned about prejudice suffered in this process. In addition, the authors did not replicate the minimization of discrimination finding. Regardless of when the women learned about prejudice, those who faced certain and possible prejudice were equally likely to attribute failing feedback to discrimination.
Diastolic potentials recorded by surface electrocardiographic signal averaging during sustained ventricular tachycardia: possible origin from the reentrant circuit.

ECG signal averaging can detect low amplitude diastolic potentials in sinus rhythm. We, therefore, recorded signal-averaged ECGs during eight episodes of inducible uniform sustained VT with coincident atrial pacing to look for continuous diastolic electrical activity. Simultaneous AV pacing in seven patients served as controls. The number of QRS complexes averaged (187 ± 47 vs 183 ± 63), the noise level (1.26 ± 0,88 vs 1.39 ± 0.47) and cycle length (385 ± 52 vs 404 ± 40) did not differ between VT and paced recordings. In each lead the difference in onset between the unfiltered surface recording and the filtered data (40 Hz bidirectional) was significantly greater in VT than the paced recordings (25 ± 16 vs 11 ± 8 msec, P = 0.0012), These late diastolic (pre-QRS) potentials were > 15 msec duration in 65% of the leads in VT versus 20% of paced recording (P = 0.021). The maximum value was > 20 msec in six VT (75%) versus one (14%) paced recording (P = 0.019), The earliest filtered onset in any lead preceeded the earliest surface activity by > 12 msec, in 6 VT versus one paced recording (P = 0.019). Early diastolic (post-QRS) potentials were also longer in VT than pacing (49 ± 40 versus 5 ± 20. P = 0.001) and exceeded 38 msec in seven of the VTs but none of the paced recordings (P - 0.001). While no VT recording showed continuous activity, total electrical activation was longer in VT than pacing (282 ± 49 versus 210 ± 39, P = 0.0079) and constituted 73%± 9% of the VT cycle versus 52%± 8% of the paced cycle (P = 0.0004). We conclude that both early and late diastolic potentials can be demonstrated in inducible sustained uniform VT by signal averaging. These potentials might arise from the reentrant pathway and constitute a marker for ventricular reentry.
Effects of food deprivation and metabolic fuel utilization on food hoarding by jirds (Meriones shawi).

Food hoarding plays an important role in the energetic repertoire of a variety of mammalian species. Both food hoarding and food intake have been examined in rodents using several energetic challenges including food deprivation, treatment with metabolic fuel blockers, and enhancement of fuel storage. In the present experiment, we examined food hoarding by female jirds (Meriones shawi), a desert rodent species occupying the arid steppes and desert regions of Egypt. Jirds are prodigious hoarders in the field; however, virtually nothing is known about their hoarding within controlled laboratory settings. In the present study, the effects of food deprivation as well as alterations in metabolic fuel utilization (i.e., 2-deoxy-D-glucose and isophane insulin) on food hoarding and food intake were tested in female jirds using a simulated burrow system. Jirds decreased body mass and increased food consumption following either 32 or 56-h food deprivation. Food hoarding, however, was virtually abolished after food deprivation and treatment with 2-DG. In contrast, isophane insulin treatment had no effect on food consumption or hoarding in this species. Taken together, the present results suggest that total body mass (fat), rather than short-term metabolic fuel utilization, regulates both food consumption and hoarding in female jirds. In addition, these results provide a novel set of appetitive responses to these energetic challenges in small mammals.
The Novel Structural Motif Gln795–Gln802 in the Integrin β1C Cytoplasmic Domain Regulates Cell Proliferation

Alternative splicing of the integrin β1 subunit mRNA generates a variant form, β1C, with a unique cytoplasmic domain that differs from β1 for a 48-amino acid COOH-terminal sequence. The potential role of this unique sequence in modulating cellular functions was investigated using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)1 cells transiently transfected with cDNAs coding for human integrin β1C or β1 subunits or mutants containing truncated forms of the β1C cytoplasmic domain. A differential effect of β1C and β1 on cell proliferation was observed. Expression of wild type β1 was associated with a 6-10-fold increase in cell proliferation in response to serum, as measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation. In contrast, only a 2-fold increase in cell proliferation was observed in transfectants expressing comparable levels of β1C. Cells expressing the β1C mutant truncated at Leu794 and lacking the last 31 amino acids of the cytoplasmic domain showed a 12-fold proliferation increase in response to serum. However, three β1C deletion mutants, lacking the COOH-terminal 23, 13, and 8 amino acids, which all contained residues Gln795-Gln802 of the variant cytoplasmic domain responded to serum stimulation with a 2-fold increase in [3H]thymidine uptake. The effect of β1C expression on cell proliferation was not associated with changes in exposure of integrin functional epitopes, as judged by the finding that CHO transfectants expressing β1C, full-length or deletion mutants, or β1 equally adhered to a functionally inhibitory monoclonal antibody against human β1 integrin. Expression of β1C inversely correlated with the mitogenic potential of vascular cells. Absent on growing cultured endothelial cells, surface expression of β1C was induced in growth-arrested, tumor necrosis factor-stimulated endothelial cells. These findings suggest that integrin alternative splicing may provide an accessory mechanism to modulate cell type-specific growth regulatory pathways during vascular cell injury in vivo.
The Impact of Nitric Oxide in Cardiovascular Medicine: Untapped Potential Utility

The structural integrity and functional activity of the endothelium play an important role in atherogenesis and related adverse outcomes. Cardiovascular disease risk conditions contribute to oxidative stress, which causes a disruption in the balance between nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species, with a resulting relative decrease in bioavailable NO and/or the NO-soluble guanylate cyclase cascade in blood vessels. This leads to endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell dysfunction, resulting in increased tone and alterations in cell growth and gene expression that create a prothrombotic, proinflammatory environment. This leads to formation, progression, and destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques which may result in myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death. NO clearly has a critical role in the maintenance and repair of the vasculature, and a decrease in bioavailable NO is linked to adverse outcomes. This background provides the rationale for exploring the potential therapeutic role for NO-donating agents in the prevention of adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
SMOCK: A Scalable Method of Cryptographic Key Management for Mission-Critical Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks

Mission-critical networks show great potential in emergency response and/or recovery, health care, critical infrastructure monitoring, etc. Such mission-critical applications demand that security service be ldquoanywhere,rdquo ldquoanytime,rdquo and ldquoanyhow.rdquo However, it is challenging to design a key management scheme in current mission-critical networks to fulfill the required attributes of secure communications, such as data integrity, authentication, confidentiality, nonrepudiation, and service availability. In this paper, we present a self-contained public key-management scheme, a scalable method of cryptographic key management (SMOCK), which achieves almost zero communication overhead for authentication, and offers high service availability. In our scheme, a small number of cryptographic keys are stored offline at individual nodes before they are deployed in the network. To provide good scalability in terms of the number of nodes and storage space, we utilize a combinatorial design of public-private key pairs, which means nodes combine more than one key pair to encrypt and decrypt messages. We also show that SMOCK provides controllable resilience when malicious nodes compromise a limited number of nodes before key revocation and renewal.
Noise reduction in supersonic jets by nozzle fluidic inserts

Abstract Professor Philip Doak spent a very productive time as a consultant to the Lockheed-Georgia Company in the early 1970s. The focus of the overall research project was the prediction and reduction of noise from supersonic jets. Now, 40 years on, the present paper describes an innovative methodology and device for the reduction of supersonic jet noise. The goal is the development of a practical active noise reduction technique for low bypass ratio turbofan engines. This method introduces fluidic inserts installed in the divergent wall of a CD nozzle to replace hard-wall corrugation seals, which have been demonstrated to be effective by Seiner (2005) [1] . By altering the configuration and operating conditions of the fluidic inserts, active noise reduction for both mixing and shock noise has been obtained. Substantial noise reductions have been achieved for mixing noise in the maximum noise emission direction and in the forward arc for broadband shock-associated noise. To achieve these reductions (on the order of greater than 4 and 2 dB for the two main components respectively), practically achievable levels of injection mass flow rates have been used. The total injected mass flow rates are less than 4% of the core mass flow rate and the effective operating injection pressure ratio has been maintained at or below the same level as the nozzle pressure ratio of the core flow.
Performance and reliability improvement by using asynchronous algorithms in disk buffer cache memory

This paper proposes performance and reliability improvement by using new algorithms for asynchronous operations in disk buffer cache memory. These algorithms allow for writing the files into the buffer cache by the processes and consider the number of active processes in the system and the length of the queue to the disk buffer cache. Writing the contents of the buffer cache to the disk depends on the system load and the write activity. Performance and reliability measures including the elapsed time of writing a file into the buffer cache, the waiting time to start writing a file, and the mean number of blocks written to the disk between system failures are used to show performance and reliability improvement by using the algorithms. Sensitivity analysis is used to influence the algorithms' design. Examples of real systems are used to show the numerical results of performance and reliability improvement in different systems with various disk cache parameters and file sizes.
Public health impacts of secondary particulate formation from aromatic hydrocarbons in gasoline

Aromatic hydrocarbons emitted from gasoline-powered vehicles contribute to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), which increases the atmospheric mass concentration of fine particles (PM2.5). Here we estimate the public health burden associated with exposures to the subset of PM2.5 that originates from vehicle emissions of aromatics under business as usual conditions. The PM2.5 contribution from gasoline aromatics is estimated using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system and the results are compared to ambient measurements from the literature. Marginal PM2.5 annualized concentration changes are used to calculate premature mortalities using concentration-response functions, with a value of mortality reduction approach used to monetize the social cost of mortality impacts. Morbidity impacts are qualitatively discussed. Modeled aromatic SOA concentrations from CMAQ fall short of ambient measurements by approximately a factor of two nationwide, with strong regional differences. After accounting for this model bias, the estimated public health impacts from exposure to PM2.5 originating from aromatic hydrocarbons in gasoline lead to a central estimate of approximately 3800 predicted premature mortalities nationwide, with estimates ranging from 1800 to over 4700 depending on the specific concentration-response function used. These impacts are associated with total social costs of $28.2B, and range from $13.6B to $34.9B in 2006$. These preliminary quantitative estimates indicate particulates from vehicular emissions of aromatic hydrocarbons demonstrate a nontrivial public health burden. The results provide a baseline from which to evaluate potential public health impacts of changes in gasoline composition.
Thomas H. Weller, 1915–2008: A Remembrance

Thomas Huckle Weller, Nobel Laureate (1954), member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and Bristol Awardee (1980), died on 23 August 2008 at the age of 93. In writing this note for Clinical Infectious Diseases, we wanted him to be remembered by members of the infectious diseases community, from our perspective as former fellows, not only for his extraordinary scientific achievements, but also for his influence on his many students and colleagues.
Measurement Error in Research on Human Resources and Firm Performance: Additional Data and Suggestions for Future Research

Gerhart and colleagues (2000) and Huselid and Becker (2000) recently debated the presence and implications of measurement error in measures of human resource practices. This paper presents data from 3 more studies, 1 of large organizations from different industries at the corporate level, 1 from commercial banks, and the other of autonomous business units at the level of the job. Results of all 3 studies provide additional evidence that single respondent measures of HR practices contain large amounts of measurement error. Implications for future research into the HR firm performance relationship are discussed.
Implementation of a Serial Replica Exchange Method in a Physics-Based United-Residue (UNRES) Force Field.

The kinetic-trapping problem in simulating protein folding can be overcome by using a Replica Exchange Method (REM). However, in implementing REM in molecular dynamics simulations, synchronization between processors on parallel computers is required, and communication between processors limits its ability to sample conformational space in a complex system efficiently. To minimize communication between processors during the simulation, a Serial Replica Exchange Method (SREM) has been proposed recently by Hagan et al. (J. Phys. Chem. B 2007, 111, 1416−1423). Here, we report the implementation of this new SREM algorithm with our physics-based united-residue (UNRES) force field. The method has been tested on the protein 1E0L with a temperature-independent UNRES force field and on terminally blocked deca-alanine (Ala10) and 1GAB with the recently introduced temperature-dependent UNRES force field. With the temperature-independent force field, SREM reproduces the results of REM but is more efficient in terms of...
Adults' beliefs regarding nonverbal cues predictive of violence

A dearth of scientific knowledge currently exists regarding human nonverbal predictors of violence. Using a sample of 178 adults, this study sought to identify a series of nonverbal behaviors the research participants perceived to be associated with the communication of imminent violence. Assuming a boxer’s stance, invading personal space, clenched hands, and threatening remarks were almost uniformly associated with impending violence. Several other gestures and behaviors were also perceived to be associated with violence to a lesser degree. Behaviors least perceived to be associated with violence were crying, rapid eye blinking, placing hands on hips, and avoiding eye contact. Analyses by sex and race found only minor, and substantively insignificant, differences, suggesting these perceptions may be innate rather than cultural.
“The Expressive Organ within Us”Ether, Ethereality, and Early Romantic Ideas about Music and the Nerves

Abstract A variety of harmoniums populate Honore de Balzac9s novels, including the physharmonica, the orgue expressif , the panharmonicon, and the accordion. The sounds of these instruments typically illustrate unusual mental states. Balzac9s musical fantasies drew on contemporaneous medical practice, which between 1820 and 1850 used the harmonium regularly to help treat nervous disorders. The linking of the harmonium with nervous effects resembles earlier associations of the glass harmonica with pathology. However, the medical implementation of the harmonium differs from this tradition both in the instrument9s generally positive connotations and in the later trajectory of its use. Studying the discourse of ethereal mediums helps explain why certain types of sounds were thought to have privileged access to the nerves. The unusual timbres and swelling dynamics of newly popular musical instruments, including the glass harmonica, the Aeolian harp, and the Jew9s harp, were conflated with ideas about a vibratory nervous system and an ethereal world spirit. Both ideas were essential to the formation of the culturally determined ideal of ethereality in the eighteenth century. Closely linked to contemporaneous ideas about physiology and nervous transmission, the sounds and their presumed access to the nervous system continued to influence the design and reception of instruments, most notably the harmonium, during much of the nineteenth century.
A Brief Taxonomy of Prototypes for the Digital Humanities

In principle and in practice, the use of prototypes in the companion “interdisciplines” of design and the digital humanities is perhaps surprisingly similar, given the many other differences that exist between the two fields. However, in both cases there are important distinctions to be made between various categories of prototypes. In general, there are three categories of prototype, which are intended for experiment, development, and provocation respectively. Although it might be argued that the overlap between these three groups renders them useless, if they are construed correctly, it becomes clear that the distinctions are not only meaningful, but can also be suggestive of new methods of working.
A devil's bargain: Rural environmental injustices and hydraulic fracturing on Pennsylvania's farms

Rural Pennsylvania, the epicenter of the Marcellus Shale region, hosts the most prolific unconventional natural gas extraction and production activity in the US. Farmers of small and midsized operations in Marcellus counties depend increasingly on incomes from booming natural gas operations, while the industry needs their land to access energy resources. These farmers thus bridge two economic sectors—unconventional natural gas production and agriculture. Related dynamics rapidly transform the social, economic, and environmental landscapes for Pennsylvania's rural communities. We ask: What, if any, are the environmental justice implications of the unconventional natural gas industry's presence in rural agricultural spaces, particularly for farmers with small and midsized operations? Presenting findings from 42 in-depth interviews, participant observation, and archival analysis, we show how farmers benefit from natural gas leases to support their agricultural livelihoods. However, they face a devil's bargain. Farmers risk entrenchment in a long-term web of natural resource dependence, increasingly unable to determine their livelihoods or land use on their own terms. Our study demonstrates how farmers' intersectoral dependence conditions procedural inequities and greater environmental risk. We show how farmers of small and midsized operations experience rural environmental injustices as they endure corporate bullying; face procedural inequities negotiating and enforcing lease terms; and increasingly contend with environmental risks associated with unconventional natural gas production.
An Empirical Study of the Relationship of Organizational Improvisation to Market Orientation

In today's turbulent economy, managers frequently are forced, under pressures of time and competition, to make rapid decisions. Furthermore, they often lack information to execute appropriate strategies. At the same time, managers are expected to develop and improve market orientation, which, research shows, improves long-term business performance.This study examines a theoretical connection between the construct of organizational improvisation and market orientation and provides the first quantitative measurement of a proposed relationship between these two constructs. Using two established instruments (MKTOR and a scale to measure organizational improvisation), survey data were obtained from 234 top managers, and the extent of the relationship between organizational improvisation and market orientation was analyzed qualitatively. Results indicate a positive relationship between organizational improvisation and market orientation, both in proactive and reactive forms of improvisation. No moderating effect in this relationship was found in evaluating six demographic variables, including company revenue, manager’s experience, and job title. The positive relationship between organizational improvisation and market orientation persisted regardless of company size, manager’s experience, and job title within the firm.Implications of this study are that organizational improvisation may be a positive antecedent to market orientation and managers who wish to enhance market orientation may do well by implementing and encouraging organizational improvisation.
Polio Eradication Initiative (PEl) Emergency Plan: a panacea for polio eradication in Nigeria.

Background igeria has persistently fallen short of the goal to halt and eradicate the transmission of the poliomyelitis virus. The most recent failure of yet again another major polio eradication program under the Global Polio Emergency Initiative 2010-2012 calls for a review of the Nigerian Polio Eradication Initiative Emergency Plan developed under this scheme and time period. This is to determine whether the deployed strategies were optimum to tackle and surmount the intractable problem of suboptimal vaccine coverage which has remained a critical bottleneck in the successful eradication of the polio virus in Nigeria. It becomes pertinent therefore, to appraise this latest effort to avoid a recurrence of failure in subsequent polio eradication programs. Methods A review of related and available literature was conducted on the subject matter using the Google search engine, Google Scholar, and PubMed using the key words polio; eradication; Nigeria; and Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Result Much progress has been made towards achieving the required coverage threshold to completely eradicate polio but the inherent weaknesses and gaps in the Polio Eradication Initiative Emergency Plan plugs eradication efforts back into the vicious cycle of recurrent failure. Conclusion Successful polio eradication efforts through the Polio Eradication Initiative Emergency Plan need to target realistic goals. Current efforts and strategies need to be scaled up and sustained to permanently address the persistent issue of sub optimal coverage of polio immunization. Keywords Polio, Eradication, Global Polio Emergency Initiative, Emergency Plan
Clinical and epidemiologic variations of esophageal cancer in Tanzania.

CONCLUSION: Further research should focus on investigating possible etiologic factors for EC in regions with high incidence in Tanzania.
Low-cost interfacing of fibers to nanophotonic waveguides: Design for fabrication and assembly tolerances

The high cost and low scalability of interfacing standard optical fibers to nanophotonic waveguides hinder the deployment of silicon photonics. We propose a mechanically compliant low-cost interface with integrated polymer waveguides. Our concept promises better mechanical reliability than a direct fiber-to-chip coupling and a dramatically larger bandwidth than diffractive couplers. Our computations show a 0.1-dB penalty over a 200-nm bandwidth, whereas typical two-polarization vertical couplers show a ~1-dB penalty over a 30-nm bandwidth. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of the design space using optimization routines to achieve a fabrication- and assembly-tolerant design. We demonstrate the concept feasibility through extensive tolerance analysis with parameter control assumptions derived from low-cost manufacturing.
Glucose as Adjunct to 3,3-Dimethyl-1-Phenvltriazene in its Action upon Sarcoma 180

SummaryThe effects of intraperitoneal injections of 3,3-dimethyl-1-phenyltriazene dissolved in peanut oil and of subcutaneous injections of glucose, separately and in combination, upon growth rate of Sarcoma 180 in mice were measured. The triazene markedly depressed tumor growth. This effect was only slightly altered by injections of glucose. Glucose itself had a slight effect upon tumor growth. The triazene disappeared rapidly from the abdominal cavity. By acidification and coupling with N-(1-naphthyl)-ethylene-diamine, it could be demonstrated in tissue. Triazene injections were without effect on blood sugar.
House Calls: Physicians in the US Congress, 2005-2015.

Objectives Physicians occupy a prominent position in the US healthcare system, and physicians who serve in Congress may bring a particular perspective, expertise, and influence to health-related legislation. The purpose of this study was to describe physician membership in the US Congress between 2005 and 2015. Methods Congressional biographical records were searched to identify physicians who served in the US Congress from 2005 to 2015. Political and demographic characteristics of physician-members were compared with those of nonphysician-members of Congress and of all US physicians. The numbers of physicians in recent Congresses also were compared with those in each Congress since 1945. Results A total of 27 physicians representing 17 states have served in Congress since 2005. There has been a significant increase in physician representation since 1987, reaching a high of 20 members (3.7%) in the Congresses immediately following passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Physician-members were mostly men (93%) and more likely than their Congressional colleagues to be Republican (78% vs 53% of all members, P = 0.007) and from the South (63% vs 35% of all members, P = 0.003). Compared with physicians in general, physicians in Congress were more likely to be men (93% vs 70%, P = 0.009) and surgeons (26% vs 11%, P = 0.01). Conclusions Physician representation in Congress has increased substantially since 2000, potentially reflecting the greater political prominence of healthcare issues, as well as increased interest by and recruitment of physician-candidates. Physicians in Congress differ from their colleagues and from physicians in general in various demographic and political characteristics.
Phylogenetic simulations over constraint-based grammar formalisms

Computational phylogenetics has been shown to be effective over grammatical characteristics. Recent work suggests that constraintbased formalisms are compatible with such an approach (Eden, 2013). In this paper, we report on simulations to determine how useful constraint-based formalisms are in phylogenetic research and under what conditions.
Receiver Measurements and EMI Techniques

Electromagnetic interference protection must be considered at the beginning of the design project. The guidelines presented here are the applications of the principles of radiators and receivers at the circuit or system level. The old adage 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' is applicable to EMI and its prevention. A commonly encountered 'economy' is to use a cheap packaging approach that then has to be 'bullied' into correct performance, invariably at the very great expense of engineering labor.
Influence of Privacy Attitude and Privacy Cue Framing on Android App Choices

Transmission of personally identifiable information from smartphone apps has become ubiquitous as smartphones themselves. Privacy controls provided in the form of permissions warnings falls insu cient especially for communicating risk during app installation. Presenting easy to understand privacy risk icons/cues would help people make low risk app choices. However, the human factor requirements for designing such privacy risk icons are largely unknown. Towards this, we conducted a user experiment with 480 participants who made a series of app choices with/without privacy priming and with/without privacy risk communicating icons. Overall, presenting risk communicating icons along with app benefit icons had a significant e ect on user app choices in terms of riskbenefit trade-o . We found that one type of privacy icon framing led to mediocre app choices under particular conditions. We found that priming for privacy led to increased concern while choosing apps but did not have an augmenting e ect on final app choices when combined with certain type of privacy framing. We conclude by proposing human factor based recommendations for designing privacy risk communicating icons.
Integrated Strategy Improves the Prediction Accuracy of miRNA in Large Dataset.

MiRNAs are short non-coding RNAs of about 22 nucleotides, which play critical roles in gene expression regulation. The biogenesis of miRNAs is largely determined by the sequence and structural features of their parental RNA molecules. Based on these features, multiple computational tools have been developed to predict if RNA transcripts contain miRNAs or not. Although being very successful, these predictors started to face multiple challenges in recent years. Many predictors were optimized using datasets of hundreds of miRNA samples. The sizes of these datasets are much smaller than the number of known miRNAs. Consequently, the prediction accuracy of these predictors in large dataset becomes unknown and needs to be re-tested. In addition, many predictors were optimized for either high sensitivity or high specificity. These optimization strategies may bring in serious limitations in applications. Moreover, to meet continuously raised expectations on these computational tools, improving the prediction accuracy becomes extremely important. In this study, a meta-predictor mirMeta was developed by integrating a set of non-linear transformations with meta-strategy. More specifically, the outputs of five individual predictors were first preprocessed using non-linear transformations, and then fed into an artificial neural network to make the meta-prediction. The prediction accuracy of meta-predictor was validated using both multi-fold cross-validation and independent dataset. The final accuracy of meta-predictor in newly-designed large dataset is improved by 7% to 93%. The meta-predictor is also proved to be less dependent on datasets, as well as has refined balance between sensitivity and specificity. This study has two folds of importance: First, it shows that the combination of non-linear transformations and artificial neural networks improves the prediction accuracy of individual predictors. Second, a new miRNA predictor with significantly improved prediction accuracy is developed for the community for identifying novel miRNAs and the complete set of miRNAs. Source code is available at: https://github.com/xueLab/mirMeta
Inhibiting thyrotropin/insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor crosstalk to treat Graves' ophthalmopathy: studies in orbital fibroblasts in vitro

Background and Purpose Crosstalk between thyrotropin (TSH) receptors and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) receptors initiated by activation of TSH receptors could be important in the development of Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). Specifically, TSH receptor activation alone is sufficient to stimulate hyaluronic acid (HA) secretion, a major component of GO, through both IGF-1 receptor-dependent and -independent pathways. Although an anti-IGF-1 receptor antibody is in clinical trials, its effectiveness depends on the relative importance of IGF-1 versus TSH receptor signalling in GO pathogenesis. Experimental Approach TSH and IGF-1 receptor antagonists were used to probe TSH/IGF-1 receptor crosstalk in primary cultures of Graves' orbital fibroblasts (GOFs) following activation with monoclonal TSH receptor antibody, M22. Inhibition of HA secretion following TSH receptor stimulation was measured by modified HA elisa. Key Results TSH receptor antagonist, ANTAG3 (NCGC00242364), inhibited both IGF-1 receptor -dependent and -independent pathways at all doses of M22; whereas IGF-1 receptor antagonists linsitinib and 1H7 (inhibitory antibody) lost efficacy at high M22 doses. Combining TSH and IGF-1 receptor antagonists exhibited Loewe additivity within the IGF-1 receptor-dependent component of the M22 concentration-response. Similar effects were observed in GOFs activated by autoantibodies from GO patients' sera. Conclusions and Implications Our data support TSH and IGF-1 receptors as therapeutic targets for GO, but reveal putative conditions for anti-IGF-1 receptor resistance. Combination treatments antagonizing both receptors yield additive effects by inhibiting crosstalk triggered by TSH receptor stimulatory antibodies. Combination therapy may be an effective strategy for dose reduction and/or compensate for any loss of anti-IGF-1 receptor efficacy.
Improving climate projections by understanding how cloud phase affects radiation

Whether a cloud is predominantly water or ice strongly influences interactions between clouds and radiation coming down from the Sun or up from the Earth. Being able to simulate cloud phase transitions accurately in climate models based on observational data sets is critical in order to improve confidence in climate projections, because this uncertainty contributes greatly to the overall uncertainty associated with cloud-climate feedbacks. Ultimately, it translates into uncertainties in Earth's sensitivity to higher CO2 levels. While a lot of effort has recently been made toward constraining cloud phase in climate models, more remains to be done to document the radiative properties of clouds according to their phase. Here we discuss the added value of a new satellite data set that advances the field by providing estimates of the cloud radiative effect as a function of cloud phase and the implications for climate projections.
Genetics and Antipsychotic Response in Schizophrenia: an Update

In this article, we will review the recent progress in pharmacogenetics of antipsychotic drugs in regard to treatment response in schizophrenia. Research yielded new frontiers in schizophrenia over the past decade: progress in characterizing the first episode, understanding treatment-resistant illness, deciphering the role of inflammation, and developing tools for treatment of neurocognitive deficits. Notwithstanding the new insights into pathogenesis and treatment targets, our ability to individualize the treatment of schizophrenia in clinical practice has not followed suit. Herein, we review the advances that have been made in understanding the genetic variation in traditional drug targets like dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate receptors, as well as genetic markers associated with response in treatment-resistant schizophrenia and neurocognition. Practitioners are still longing for a test that would inform the choice of antipsychotic treatment and guide medication dosing, such that patients avoid spending time on failed treatment trials. Treatment-resistant schizophrenia may be one of the first areas to benefit of prediction of patients’ response to antipsychotic medication.
Clinical analysis of the patients with single fair cleavage-stage embryo on day 3.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore an appropriate selection for the patients with single fair cleavage-stage embryo on day 3. METHODS This study included 469 fresh transfers and 220 frozen-thawed transfers from January 2014 to June 2016. Furthermore, in 72 patients who have only 4-6 fair embryos (4-5 blastomeres) on day 3, the blastocysts were cultured to day 5 for transfer. RESULTS In the fresh transfers, the clinical pregnancy rate of 4-5 blastomeres group was significantly lower than 6-7 and 8-10 blastomeres group (5.88 vs. 30.13%, p<.001and 5.88 vs. 26.09%, p < .001). In the frozen-thawed transfers, the clinical pregnancy rate of 4-5 blastomeres group was also significantly lower than 6-7 and 8-10 blastomeres group (10.00 vs. 28.57%, p = .040 and 10.00 vs. 33.33%, p = .005). For the blastocyst transfers derived from fair embryos with 4-5 blastomeres, the clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher than single and double fair embryo transfers of similar quality (44.44 vs. 7.04%, p < .001 and 44.44 vs. 28.09%, p = .013). CONCLUSIONS For the patients with single fair embryo (6-7 blastomeres or 8-10 blastomeres), transfer at the cleavage stage is feasible. For the patients with single fair embryo (4-5 blastomeres), transfer of single fair embryo at the blastocyst stage or accumulating two fair embryos might be worthy of consideration.
Macronutrients and Cancer

Of all dietary factors associated epidemiologically with cancer of various sites, fat has been studied the most thoroughly and has produced the greatest number of direct associations. Dietary fat is highly correlated with consumption of other nutrients present in the same foods, especially protein, in Western diets. Therefore, it is not always possible to attribute these associations to intake per se with absolute certainty.
Progressive impairment of directional and spatially precise trajectories by TgF344-AD Rats in the Morris Water Task

Spatial navigation is impaired in early stages of Alzheimers disease (AD), and may be a defining behavioral marker of preclinical AD. Nevertheless, limitations of diagnostic criteria for AD and within animal models of AD make characterization of preclinical AD difficult. A new rat model (TgF344-AD) of AD overcomes many of these limitations, though spatial navigation has not been comprehensively assessed. Using the hidden and cued platform variants of the Morris water task, a longitudinal assessment of spatial navigation was conducted on TgF344-AD (n=16) and Fischer 344 (n=12) male and female rats at three age ranges: 4 to 5 months, 7 to 8, and 10 to 11 months of age. TgF344-AD rats exhibited largely intact navigation at 4-5 and 7-8 months of age, with deficits in the hidden platform task emerging at 10-11 months of age. In general, TgF344-AD rats displayed less accurate swim trajectories to the platform and a wider search area around the platform region compared to wildtype rats. Impaired navigation occurred in the absence of deficits in acquiring the procedural task demands or navigation to the cued platform location. Together, the results indicate that TgF344-AD rats exhibit comparable deficits to those found in individuals in the early stages of AD.
Inflation and Unemployment: The Stagflation Problem

This chapter discusses the stagflation problem, caused as a result of inflation and unemployment. Cyclical variations of unemployment around the natural unemployment rate are said to develop from unanticipated aggregate demand shocks. These shocks fool both workers and employers into believing that the prices, wages, and output changes they are witnessing are special to their industries. As a result, unemployment falls or rises along given Phillips curves. But once expectations catch up with realities, the Phillips curves begin to move. Therefore, inflationary shocks shift the curves up and to the right, while deflationary shocks move them down and to the left. The key to resolving disputes over the connection between inflation and unemployment lies in discovering how inflationary expectations are formed. Earlier theories relied upon simple adaptive expectations schemes that assume that people irrationally extrapolate past inflation into the future. Such behavior conflicts with rational economic behavior; it implies that people persistently hold to views that generate costly errors—errors that could be overcome by investing time and money in collecting information to correct them. Such considerations have led to the rational expectations theory. The extreme form of this theory holds that people invest in information to the point that their subjective views of the probability distribution of economic events, including the actions of policymakers, are close to the actual probability distributions. This enables them to predict systematic policy actions and the consequences of the actions.
Bow Hunter Syndrome with Associated Pseudoaneurysm

Background Bow hunter syndrome describes a mechanical compression of the vertebral artery on head rotation leading to reversible symptomatic vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Patients are commonly presenting with syncope, vertigo, dizziness, and visual disturbances. These symptoms usually resolve when the head is turned back into neutral position. Treatment options involve surgical decompression with or without fusion, bypass surgery, or endovascular intervention. Case Description We report about a 49-year-old female who presented with vague neck pain and severe vertigo, nausea, and near syncope when her head turned up and right. Computed tomography angiography revealed a pseudoaneurysm at the dominant left V3 and near total occlusion of the left vertebral artery as it exited the C2 foramen when the head was turned to the previously mentioned position. The patient could be successfully treated by computed tomography−navigated posterior instrumentation using bilateral C1 lateral mass screws and C2 translaminar screws. To promote segmental fusion, bilateral intrafacet cages were implanted. Postoperatively, the patient remained without neurologic deficits and experienced no further episodes of the preoperatively reported transient vertebrobasilar insufficiency symptoms. Conclusions The reported case is unique as the bow hunter syndrome was further complicated by a pseudoaneurysm of the V3 segment. Surgical intervention proved to be an efficient treatment by stabilizing the affected segment in this patient.
Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

A seismic shift occurred in the management of cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy with the introduction of an anterior approach to the cervical spine by Smith and Robinson and by Cloward. Since its inception, the anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) has been perhaps the most dependable, reproducible, and effective operation in the spine surgeon’s armamentarium. Refinements to the procedure with cervical plating and interbody graft options have added to that reliability and efficacy. The ACDF has now evolved into a consistently high-quality and low-cost outpatient procedure. The goal of this chapter is to review the indications, contraindications, surgical techniques, and complication avoidance in patients with cervical radiculopathy and/or myelopathy being managed with an anterior approach to the cervical spine. Case presentations at the end of the chapter illustrate and reinforce various key points.
Flavivirus NS1 Triggers Tissue-Specific Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction Reflecting Disease Tropism

Flaviviruses cause systemic or neurotropic-encephalitic pathology in humans. The flavivirus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is a secreted glycoprotein involved in viral replication, immune evasion, and vascular leakage during dengue virus infection. However, the contribution of secreted NS1 from related flaviviruses to viral pathogenesis remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that NS1 from dengue, Zika, West Nile, Japanese encephalitis, and yellow fever viruses selectively binds to and alters permeability of human endothelial cells from lung, dermis, umbilical vein, brain, and liver in vitro and causes tissue-specific vascular leakage in mice, reflecting the pathophysiology of each flavivirus. Mechanistically, each flavivirus NS1 leads to differential disruption of endothelial glycocalyx components, resulting in endothelial hyperpermeability. Our findings reveal the capacity of a secreted viral protein to modulate endothelial barrier function in a tissue-specific manner both in vitro and in vivo, potentially influencing virus dissemination and pathogenesis and providing targets for antiviral therapies and vaccine development.
An Analysis of Psychoactive Medications Initiated in the ICU but Continued Beyond Discharge: A Pilot Study of Stewardship.

Background:Psychoactive medications (PM) are frequently administered in the intensive care unit (ICU) to provide comfort. Interventions focused on preventing their continuation after the acute phas...