cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysing the effects of the 2002 McNally fire on air quality in the San Joaquin Valley and southern Sierra Nevada, California

Smoke from wildfires can expose individuals and populations to elevated levels of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3). Between 21 July and 26 August 2002, the McNally Fire burned over 150000 acres (61000 ha). The fire occurred in the Sequoia National Forest, in the southern Sierra Nevada of California. This study evaluated the effects of the McNally Fire on air quality, specifically particles <10 μm in diameter (PM10) and O3. Downwind of the fire on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, 24-h concentrations of PM10 more than doubled. The PM10 federal standard was exceeded four times during the fire. Violations of the California PM10 standard increased drastically during the fire. The California PM10 standard was violated six times before the fire and 164 times during the fire. Most of the PM10 exceedances occurred at the Kernville Work Center and sites east of the fire. Compared with the other sites, the highest 2-week average O3 concentrations occurred in the eastern part of the Sierra Nevada and north of the fire, where O3 increased by a factor of two at two locations.
Vascular surgery career resource

Vascular surgery has undergone a minimally invasive revolution in the past 15 years. The subspecialty emerged with many changes to its training paradigms that have made this field more attractive to both medical student and general surgery resident candidates. Commitment to diagnosis and treatment of arterial, venous, and lymphatic systems disorders remains the cornerstone of this profession, but an entirely new generation of endovascular treatments has been added to the staple of open surgical procedures used to treat these diseases. A wide variety of practice options are available, ranging from high-stress, technologically demanding complex arterial repairs to low-risk, outpatient, venous insufficiency treatment and all combinations in-between. Many online resources are available to allow an interested candidate to stay current with all the exciting changes in the field. This information is maintained by strong national organizations of vascular surgeons.
Psychopathology in subgroups of obese women with and without binge eating disorder

The examination of psychopathology in subgroups of obese patients is a new area of research in psychiatry. This project studied rates and types of psychopathology among obese subjects meeting the proposed DSM-IV criteria of binge eating disorder (BED) and obese subjects without BED. One hundred obese women with a mean age of 39.2 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 35.9 kg/m2 were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID-Modified Version) and a self-rating personality inventory, Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-Revised (PDQ-R), before entering a treatment study for weight reduction. Those subjects meeting proposed DSM-IV criteria for BED had significantly higher lifetime rates for an axis I diagnosis compared with those that did not meet criteria for BED. Subjects with BED showed higher rates of lifetime affective disorder and bulimia nervosa, but did not differ on any other axis I diagnoses. Axis II cluster B and cluster C diagnoses were found more frequently among BED subjects. The specific diagnoses of histrionic, borderline, and avoidant personality disorders were found significantly more often among BED subjects. The results support the idea that binge eating may identify a distinct subgroup among the obese population who have significantly higher rates of certain forms of psychopathology on both Axis I and Axis II. The findings of increased rates of depression are consistent with other studies and suggest that our treatment modalities need to address this problem.
Modeling Culex tarsalis Abundance on the Northern Colorado Front Range Using a Landscape-Level Approach

4 ABSTRACT. Remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) data can be used to identify larval mosquito habitats and predict species distribution and abundance across a landscape. An understanding of the landscape features that impact abundance and dispersal can then be applied operationally in mosquito control efforts to reduce the transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens. In an effort to better understand the effects of landscape heterogeneity on the abundance of the West Nile virus (WNV) vector Culex tarsalis, we determined associations between GIS-based environmental data at multiple spatial extents and monthly abundance of adult Cx. tarsalis in Larimer County and Weld County, CO. Mosquito data were collected from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention miniature light traps operated as part of local WNV surveillance efforts. Multiple regression models were developed for prediction of monthly Cx. tarsalis abundance for June, July, and August using 4 years of data collected over 2007- 10. The models explained monthly adult mosquito abundance with accuracies ranging from 51-61% in Fort Collins and 57-88% in Loveland-Johnstown. Models derived using landscape-level predictors indicated that adult Cx. tarsalis abundance is negatively correlated with elevation. In this case, low- elevation areas likely more abundantly include habitats for Cx. tarsalis. Model output indicated that the perimeter of larval sites is a significant predictor of Cx. tarsalis abundance at a spatial extent of 500 m in Loveland-Johnstown in all months examined. The contribution of irrigated crops at a spatial extent of 500 m improved model fit in August in both Fort Collins and Loveland-Johnstown. These results emphasize the significance of irrigation and the manual control of water across the landscape to provide viable larval habitats for Cx. tarsalis in the study area. Results from multiple regression models can be applied operationally to identify areas of larval Cx. tarsalis production (irrigated crops lands and standing water) and assign priority in larval treatments to areas with a high density of larval sites at relevant spatial extents around urban locations.
Nanoscale versus Microscale Gelation for Crosslinked Polyurethanes

In analyzing morphology of modified surfaces it is important to distinguish between features attributable to the matrix and those for the modifier. This study focused on an examination of the surface morphology of closely related linear and network polyurethanes intended for use as bulk coating constituents. A process dependent morphology is found for the crosslinked polyurethane matrix. Microscale gelation was found when reagents were added simultaneously, while nanoscale gelation occurs when the cross-linker is added last. Furthermore, the coating formed by sequential addition had 50% less extractables. Future work on modified networks will focus on the matrix with nanoscale gelation as it presents a “cleaner” canvas for surface modification.
Poly(ɛ-caprolactone)/gelatin composite electrospun scaffolds with porous crater-like structures for tissue engineering.

Electrospinning has been widely used to fabricate scaffolds imitating the structure of natural extracellular matrix (ECM). However, conventional electrospinning produces tightly compacted nanofiber layers with only small superficial pores and a lack of bioactivity, which limit the usefulness of electrospinning in biomedical applications. Thus, a porous poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL)/gelatin composite electrospun scaffold with crater-like structures was developed. Porous crater-like structures were created on the scaffold by a gas foaming/salt leaching process; this unique fiber structure had more large pore areas and higher porosity than the conventional electrospun fiber network. Various ratios of PCL/gelatin (concentration ratios: 100/0, 75/25, and 50/50) composite electrospun scaffolds with and without crater-like structures were characterized by their microstructures, surface chemistry, degradation, mechanical properties, and ability to facilitate cell growth and infiltration. The combination of PCL and gelatin endowed the scaffold with both structural stability of PCL and bioactivity of gelatin. All ratios of scaffolds with crater-like structures showed fairly similar surface chemistry, degradation rates, and mechanical properties to equivalent scaffolds without crater-like structures; however, craterized scaffolds displayed higher human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) proliferation and infiltration throughout the scaffolds after 7-day culture. Therefore, these results demonstrated that PCL/gelatin composite electrospun scaffolds with crater-like structures can provide a structurally and biochemically improved three-dimensional ECM-mimicking microenvironment.
Housing Location for Low Income Residents: An Architectural Case Study of Simulating Conflicts of Interest and Generating Compromise Proposals

Design and science are compared, and the essential difference between the two is defined in terms of subjective values. In science, subjective values must be excluded from deliberations, while in design subjective values are the core of the decision process. However, some characteristics of scientific thought are useful in the design process, and design methodology is in part the application of science-like order and discipline to the process of design. Models of design in architecture, applications of design methodology in architecture, and overlay models for site selection and their application to selecting sites for low-income housing are described, using a modern digital computer version of the overlay method. The process of site selection is by its nature dependent on the subjective values of the decision maker. If there are multiple points of view in a multi-client problem situation, each point of view can be modeled by a separate iteration of the process, with value judgments differing as appropriate to the different points of view. Differences in output for multiple points of view are descriptive of conflicts of interest. Compromise proposals can be developed by proposing mutual changes in judgments to two or more parties with conflicting values. The method allows sensitivity analysis to insure that a proposed trade-off by two or more parties does in fact bring about a compromise agreement as to which sites are suitable, so that only effective compromise proposals are directed to the participants.
Immunochemical Methods for Aflatoxins

Drought in 1988 caused a high incidence of aflatoxin contamination in corn samples in nine states including TX, OK, IA, IN, IL, SD, MD, WI and MN (Wall Street Journal, 1988a). In Illinois, 27% of 52 corn samples contained more than 20 ng aflatoxins/g (Wall Street Journal, 1988b). On October 4, 1988, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established enforcement levels for aflatoxins in corn used in feed (Rothschild, 1988). The levels were 100, 200 and 300 ng/g depending on the animal consuming the feed containing the aflatoxin-contaminated corn. FDA enforcement action could also be supported when corn containing in excess of 20 ng total aflatoxins/g was destined for food used by humans, for feed used by immature animals and by dairy animals, or if its destination was not known.
Evaluation of routine profile chemistry screening of all patients admitted to a community hospital.

A follow-up study of 1,046 patients in a community hospital was conducted to evaluate the significance of new data uncovered in a routine profile chemistry screening consisting of 18 different tests. Of the patients screened, 4% had alternative or new diagnoses established related to the finding of “abnormal” profile values. Overall, 43.2% of the total profiles were found to be “abnormal,” but more than 70% of the total “abnormal” profiles were accounted for by past or presently-diagnosed conditions. The greater proportion of the “abnormal” profiles and new findings secondary to these occurred in patients on the medical service. The most frequently encountered “abnormal” chemistry values were those for uric acid, glutamic oxalacetic transaminase, glucose, and lactic dehydrogenase. The information gathered from this study suggests that the utilization of routine profile chemistry screening in the community hospital merits further consideration.
Leukocyte integrin αLβ2 headpiece structures: The αI domain, the pocket for the internal ligand, and concerted movements of its loops

High-resolution crystal structures of the headpiece of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (integrin αLβ2) reveal how the αI domain interacts with its platform formed by the α-subunit β-propeller and β-subunit βI domains. The αLβ2 structures compared with αXβ2 structures show that the αI domain, tethered through its N-linker and a disulfide to a stable β-ribbon pillar near the center of the platform, can undergo remarkable pivoting and tilting motions that appear buffered by N-glycan decorations that differ between αL and αX subunits. Rerefined β2 integrin structures reveal details including pyroglutamic acid at the β2 N terminus and bending within the EGF1 domain. Allostery is relayed to the αI domain by an internal ligand that binds to a pocket at the interface between the β-propeller and βI domains. Marked differences between the αL and αX subunit β-propeller domains concentrate near the binding pocket and αI domain interfaces. Remarkably, movement in allostery in the βI domain of specificity determining loop 1 (SDL1) causes concerted movement of SDL2 and thereby tightens the binding pocket for the internal ligand.
Inmate Responses to Correctional Officer Deviance: A Model of Its Dynamic Nature

ABSTRACTThe relationship between correctional officers (COs) and prisoners is dynamic and bounded by a unique context. COs engage in numerous sanctioned and unsanctioned behaviors within their correctional institution. The latter actions are typically referred to as deviant behavior. COs’ deviance can have a debilitating effect not only on other officers, correctional workers, the administration, but also inmates and the institution as a whole. This article specifies a model of the interaction between COs’ deviance and inmate reactions to these kinds of behaviors. In general, the study argues that convicts can respond in four different, but interrelated ways: obedience or deference to authority, apathy, adaptation, and resistance. Acts of prisoners resisting can further lead to COs’ deviant behaviors to continue within the correctional institution.
Management of peritoneal dialysis-induced hydrothorax in children

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is a safe and effective treatment for children with end-stage renal failure. Approximately three per cent of patients develop a large hydrothorax as a result of a dialysate leak from the peritoneal cavity through an occult diaphragmatic eventration or attenuation of the pleuroperitoneal membrane. Previously, such patients often discontinued CAPD and were placed on hemodialysis even though the complications, expense, and limitation of activity with hemodialysis are undesirable in children. During the past 15 years, 6 of the 193 children (3%) undergoing CAPD at UCLA Medical Center developed a hydrothorax. Three patients were male and three were female. Four patients were treated surgically with diaphragmatic plication, one was treated by reducing the dialysate volume, and one was switched to hemodialysis in preparation for a renal transplant. Each of the four surgically-treated children was able to return to full-volume peritoneal dialysis and has not experienced recurrence of the hydrothorax. Therefore, diaphragmatic plication permits children to quickly resume full-volume CAPD and avoid hemodialysis.
Met 104 is the CO-replaceable ligand at Fe(II) heme in the CO-sensing transcription factor Bx RcoM-1

Both Met(104) and Met(105) are involved, either directly or indirectly, in the redox mediated ligand switch of the heme-dependent transcription factor, RcoM-1. Recent studies of Burkholderia xenovorans RcoM identified Cys(94) as the thiolate ligand in the Fe(III) state of the heme cofactor. Upon reduction, a neutral donor replaces Cys(94) trans to His(74). Homology modelling implicated either Met(104) or Met(105) as the possible ligand in the Fe(II) state. We spectroscopically compared wild type (WT) RcoM-1 to three Met-to-Leu variants (M104L, M105L, and M104L/M105L) to identify which Met residue acts as the ligand. All proteins were isolated as admixtures of Fe(III) and Fe(II)-CO heme; oxidation by ferricyanide enables study of homogeneous oxidation and coordination states. Met(104) is the CO-replaceable Fe(II) heme ligand. The magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectrum of Fe(II) M105L resembled WT. M104L and M104L/M105L, however, showed spectra arising from the formation of a high-spin, five-coordinate species indicating the loss of the ligand. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of WT Fe(III) RcoM-1, oxidized Fe(III) M104L, and as-isolated M105L exhibited narrow, rhombic low-spin signals typical of thiolate-bound hemes. In contrast, oxidized Fe(III) M105L and oxidized Fe(III) M104L/M105L revealed a broad, rhombic low-spin, six-coordinate signal indicative of replacement of the thiolate by a neutral ligand. Thus, we conclude that Met(105) is important to the stability of the Fe(III) heme pocket during oxidation.
IPO Volatility in Indian Markets

Raising money by offering Initial Public Offering (IPO) has proven to be an effective mechanism for firms. A firm with the help of underwriters fix the issue price usually, 'leaving enough on the table'. This IPO underpricing has been well documented by various researchers across the globe, including the authors, in the Indian context. This phenomenon and the absence of any trading history make it difficult to determine the fair price of the stock. In case of markets being fully efficient, the listing price should reflect the fair value, and the price should be fairly stable after that. The authors challenge the notion of existence of strong form of efficiency in the Indian markets by providing empirical evidences on volatility and volume trading. To reduce this volatility, the authors have proposed several mechanisms such as use of anchor investors, price band on listing day, strengthening derivatives market and alternative method to book building in determining issue price.
Long-term nitrogen dioxide exposure: effects on lung lipids and mechanical properties.

Male Long Evans hooded rats were chronically exposed to an average 2.9 ppm (±0.71 SD) of nitrogen dioxide 24 hours each day, five days a week for nine months. The major effects of NO2 were a significant 12.7% increase in lung wet weight, a 13.0% decrease in lung compliance, and a significant reduction in surface-active properties of the lung wash. The NO2-exposed lungs also revealed a significant 8.7% decrease in lung lipid content and a marked decrease in percentage of total saturated phospholipid fatty acids. This reduction in saturation was due almost entirely to a decrease in the percentage of palmitic acid. The suggestion is made that alterations in lung lipid metabolism may be the underlying mechanism which leads to some of the pulmonary effects following long-term exposure to subacute levels of NO2.
Health departments in the U.S. 1920-1988: statements of mission with special reference to the role of C.-E.A. Winslow.

The mission of local health departments in the U.S. is traced from the 1920s to the present through examination of official promulgations of the American Public Health Association and other organizations. As the communicable diseases came under general control, this mission was conceived more broadly. Nevertheless, in effect their public health role was diminished due to the rapid ascendancy of private and not-for-profit medical care, which consistently sought to keep public health out of potential areas of competition. Thinking both within the public health field (as represented by C.-E.A. Winslow) and outside the public health field (as represented by the American Medical Association), had created boundaries limiting public health's role to preventive medical services. This restriction, in turn, largely excluded the public health field from participation in the tremendous expansion of medical care since World War II. The public health role was further limited in 1970 by the removal of much of environmental pollution from its purview. The sum of these and other forces has left the public health field weakened and in considerable confusion about its role at a time when the resurgence of infectious disease (e.g., AIDS and Lyme disease), environmental hazards, and medical care institutions requires a strong public health presence.
The Evolution of Design – Models and Modes:

Objective: To address the evolution of design from the perspective of human factors/ergonomics (HF/E), with a focus on the phenomenon of performance-design interaction that supports such evolution. Method: Six different models of design evolution are reviewed, four of which have evident parallels with patterns of natural evolution. Result: All of these models implicitly or explicitly emphasize performance-design interaction as a central HF/E feature of design evolution. Yet the different models also display a distinct lack of consistency insofar as underlying assumptions about exactly how design evolution proceeds. Conclusion: A context specificity interpretation for the latter observation is offered, namely that new designs evoke new patterns of behavior, leading in turn to newer designs, suggesting that design evolution may display more than one trajectory and therefore may conform to more than one model. Application: The critical role of human work in guiding and facilitating the evolution of design is...
798 Fire safety practices in assisted living and home care in Finland

Background People in vulnerable positions, e.g. elderly or disabled people, substance abuser or mental health patients have an increased risk of becoming fire victims. To avoid this risk fire safety knowledge and good practices are needed for professionals working in the field. The social and health policy in Finland prioritise assisted living and home care. At the same time the rescue service act stresses that the responsibility of fire safety is on building owners and service providers. Therefore, care professionals are in a novel situation as they are working at clients home and required to take into consideration diverse environment and self-determination of an individual. The aim of this study was to investigate the fire risk and good practices in assisted living and home care. Methods The data is from six group interviews done during 2014–2015. Each group included the whole care service chain: the client and one of his/her relatives, care-giver, service provider and planner representatives and fire safety officer. Each group interviewed represented different type of clients and assisted living facilities and service. Interviews took place in various regions in Finland. Results Each agent at the service chain had ambition to improve fire safety. However, the knowledge among professionals what requires to be done and what others belonging to the same service chain are doing was inadequate. Some safety tools were used but oftentimes the user did not understand enough about their function. Overall, most were interested in safety information and to improve the safety, but the will to invest on safety was low. Conclusions The care service chain has overall good motivation to improve the safety and fire safety of vulnerable people. However requirements of rescue service act did not materialise in assisted living as well as possible. There is apparent need of knowledge and vocational education material.
Prognosis of small bowel adenocarcinoma in Crohn's disease compares favourably with de novo small bowel adenocarcinoma

Aim Limited data exist on Crohn's disease (CD)-associated small bowel adenocarcinoma [SBA]. A large-scale retrospective cohort study was conducted comparing the clinical features and outcome of Crohn's-associated SBA and de novo SBA. Method Data for patients with small bowel adenocarcinoma was gathered from the 1992 to 2010 United States Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results cancer registry (SEER)-Medicare linked database. 2,123 patients were identified, of whom 179 had CD-associated and 1,944 de novo SBA. Main outcome measures were overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Results Crohn's disease-associated SBA was most commonly located in the ileum [62% vs 31%, p < 0.0001]. Crohn's patients were diagnosed at an earlier stage [I/II], compared with de novo SBA [55% vs 32%, p < 0.0001], and more likely to undergo surgery [81% vs 72%, p = 0.0016]. Chemotherapy use was similar [25% vs 21%, p = 0.1886]. Patients with Crohn's disease-associated SBA had better five-year OS [43% vs 34%, p = 0.0121], but a similar CSS [65% vs 64%, p = 0.77]. There was no difference in the OS between the cohorts when stratified by stage. On multivariate analysis, CD was not significantly related to OS [Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.97, 0.79 – 1.20, p = 0.7889]. Surgery and the extent of lymphadenectomy improved OS for all SBA patients [HR 0.73, 0.60 – 0.88, p = 0.001], whereas chemotherapy did not [HR 1.13, 0.99 – 1.28, p = 0.0665]. Conclusion Crohn's disease associated –SBA patients present at earlier stages than de novo SBA patients, receive more surgery but similar rates of chemotherapy, and have similar OS and CSS. The presence of CD does not worsen survival after treatment of SBA This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Robust understanding of EEG patterns in silent speech

This paper describes the secondary research on feature extraction and selection for decoding the brain electroencephalograph (EEG) signals in designing a prosthetic arm, a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) system. It considers EEG pattern recognition using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for Feature Extraction. The data used for this research is the EEG signal that is recorded during the imagination of vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/ by 20 subjects. Since brain signals are very noisy in nature, a robust PCA is also used to extract the best solution to find principal patterns of the data. The final goal of our research is to train the system based on the information in the sample EEG data and make it ready to classify the pattern correctly.
Ceramic Coatings in Load-Bearing Articulating Joint Implants

Abstract The number of knee replacement surgeries is expected to reach 3.48 million annually by 2030 and revision surgeries due to aseptic loosening, release of potentially toxic metallic ions, inflammatory wear debris, and surgical site infection continue to be a cause of significant clinical concern. With increasing numbers of articulating-joint devices being implanted in both orthopedic medicine and dentistry, more and more emphasis is being placed on developing ceramic coating technology that can reduce the friction and wear in mating joint components, in hopes of significantly increasing device life-span and improving the quality of life of patients. In this review, we consider ultrasmooth nanodiamond (NSD)-based hard ceramic coatings as alternative bearing surfaces for metallic components. Such coatings have great potential for use in articulating joints due to their extreme hardness, wear resistance, low friction, and biocompatibility characteristics. These ultrahard ceramic coatings can be deposited by several different techniques resulting in a wide variety of structures and properties. The NSD coatings deposited using chemical vapor deposition are considered to be comprised of nano-size diamond grains embedded in an amorphous carbon matrix. This chapter focuses on recent studies on diamond ceramic surfaces, particularly, for the articulating joints based on an industry standard knee simulator results and macrophage cell response to the nanodiamond wear-debris that could potentially be generated. The chapter concludes with a summary and future perspective on the combination of additive manufacturing method, known as direct metal laser sintering and NSD coating for enhanced wear resistance of articulating surface combined with osteo-integration/infection-resistant coating on nonload-bearing surfaces to produce the next-generation bio-durable joint implants for orthopedic and dental medicine.
An Exploration of Citations to the Editors of Management Journals

Dialogue surrounding research ethics continues to grow, fueled in part by the tension between classical scientific norms and the widespread use of citations to measure scientific impact in an incre...
A relational representation of modification

The KING KONG parser being developed at The MITRE Corporation combines an argument-structure shorthand with recent work on the relationship between spatial and non-spatial sets of relations and a relational model of abstract relations to produce a robust approach to modifier constructions.
Regression of Left Ventricular Mass After Bariatric Surgery

Notwithstanding the presence of hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, or both, obesity is associated with increased left ventricular (LV) mass. The effects of bariatric surgery on LV mass have been sparsely investigated by M-mode and two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography. Overall, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding, and sleeve gastrectomy reduce LV mass. However, the reduction in LV mass is extremely variable. Besides duration and severity of obesity, presence of hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea or both, and type of surgical procedures, the inaccuracy of M-mode and 2D echocardiography for assessment of LV mass contributes to the variable effects of bariatric surgery on LV mass. Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography may obviate the limitations of M-mode 2D echocardiography for assessment of LV mass and allow an accurate appraisal of the effects of bariatric surgery on LV mass.
Ventriculoscopic Surgery for Cystic Retrochiasmatic Craniopharyngiomas: Indications, Surgical Technique, and Short-Term Patient Outcomes

BACKGROUND Attempted gross-total resection for the management of cystic retrochiasmatic craniopharyngiomas can cause severe hypothalamic dysfunction and decrease overall survival. Ventriculoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive alternative; however, potential indications and technique have not been well defined. OBJECTIVE To present our indications and technique for the ventriculoscopic treatment of cystic retrochiasmatic craniopharyngiomas. METHODS We evaluated all patients with retrochiasmatic craniopharyngiomas for ventriculoscopic surgery. Indications and operative technique were developed to minimize operative morbidity, relieve mass effect, and optimize functional outcome. Cyst size and functional outcomes were statistically evaluated to determine radiographic and short-term clinical outcome. RESULTS Indications for ventriculoscopic surgery included (1) radiographic evidence of hypothalamic involvement and (2) major cystic component. Ten patients met indications, and mean follow-up was 2.5 ± 1.6 yr. The surgical technique included wide cyst fenestration at the foramen of Monro, and fenestration of inferior cyst wall/third ventriculostomy ("through-and-through" technique). Preoperative Karnofsky performance status was 70 ± 15 and was inversely correlated with preoperative cyst size (13 ± 13 cm3). A statistically significant reduction in cyst size was found on early postoperative imaging (2.1 ± 4.3 cm3). Seven patients received postoperative radiotherapy. Postoperative performance scores (81 ± 8.3) had improved; no patient suffered functional decline. Pre- and postoperative body mass indices were similar. No patient had short-term hypothalamic obesity. CONCLUSION Ventriculoscopic surgery, with or without adjuvant treatments, can reduce early postoperative tumor volume and improve short-term functional status in cystic retrochiasmatic craniopharyngiomas with hypothalamic involvement; it should be considered a minimally invasive option in the multimodal treatment of craniopharyngiomas. Further studies are needed to determine long-term efficacy.
AN ANALYSIS OF HEAVE ADDED MASS AND DAMPING OF A SURFACE EFFECT SHIP

The analysis presents a practical method for evaluating the added-mass and damping coefficients of a heaving surface-effect ship in uniform translation. The theoretical added-mass and damping coefficients and the heave response show fair agreement with the corresponding experimental values. Comparisons of the coupled aero-hydrodynamic and uncoupled analytical results with the experimental data prove that the uncoupled theory, dominant for a long time, that neglects the free-surface effects is an oversimplified procedure. The analysis also provides means of estimating the wave elevation of the free surface, the escape area at the stern and the volume which are induced by a heaving surface-effect ship in uniform translation in otherwise calm water. Computational procedures have been programmed in the FORTRAN IV language and adapted to the PDP-10 high-speed digital computer.
Ethics, values, and personal agents: poster

We address the problem of designing privacy-preserving ethical personal agents that understand and act according to their users' preferred values and ethical principles, and provide a satisfying social experience to all their stakeholders.
Clinical outcomes after magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) versus computed tomographic angiography (CTA) for pulmonary embolism evaluation.

To compare patient outcomes following magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) versus computed tomographic angiography (CTA) ordered for suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). In this IRB-approved, single-center, retrospective, case-control study, we reviewed the medical records of all patients evaluated for PE with MRA during a 5-year period along with age- and sex-matched controls evaluated with CTA. Only the first instance of PE evaluation during the study period was included. After application of our exclusion criteria to both study arms, the analysis included 1173 subjects. The primary endpoint was major adverse PE-related event (MAPE), which we defined as major bleeding, venous thromboembolism, or death during the 6 months following the index imaging test (MRA or CTA), obtained through medical record review. Logistic regression, chi-square test for independence, and Fisher’s exact test were used with a p < 0.05 threshold. The overall 6-month MAPE rate following MRA (5.4%) was lower than following CTA (13.6%, p < 0.01). Amongst outpatients, the MAPE rate was lower for MRA (3.7%) than for CTA (8.0%, p = 0.01). Accounting for age, sex, referral source, BMI, and Wells’ score, patients were less likely to suffer MAPE than those who underwent CTA, with an odds ratio of 0.44 [0.24, 0.80]. Technical success rate did not differ significantly between MRA (92.6%) and CTA (90.5%) groups (p = 0.41). Within the inherent limitations of a retrospective case-controlled analysis, we observed that the rate of MAPE was lower (more favorable) for patients following pulmonary MRA for the primary evaluation of suspected PE than following CTA.
The Place of the Sharing Economy

The sharing economy is grounded — situated in place — in ways that many other recent technological transformations have not been. And, as we have argued in prior work, the sharing economy is a particularly urban phenomenon. Appreciating the place of the sharing economy sheds light not only on the nature of this phenomenon, but also on the regulatory landscape it has engendered. This chapter, which will appear in the forthcoming Cambridge Handbook on the Law of the Sharing Economy, examines how the political economy of regulation and innovation in this sector has grown more complex as some sharing firms have circumvented local authorities and bargained for more favorable and uniform regulation at the state level. The result has been tensions not just between regulators and the regulated, but in some cases among regulators themselves as states and cities pursue different agendas. The tension between allowing space for local innovation — economic and regulatory — and establishing uniformity and oversight up the geographic scale is not unique to the sharing economy but is increasingly central to understanding the regulatory landscape. The chapter surveys these tensions and argues for a (cautious) presumption in favor of retaining a strong role for local regulation. While legitimate concerns about local parochialism and capture bear consideration, the advantages of experimentation and the reflection of local preferences auger against overly aggressive state preemption.
Integrating Acupuncture with Western Medicine in Cancer Treatment

Cancer and its many conventional treatments (e.g. chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and hormonal therapies) can result in substantial symptom burden and diminished quality of life among cancer patients as well as threaten the long term physical and psychological wellbeing of growing numbers of cancer survivors. Acupuncture, an ancient therapy of traditional Chinese medicine, is increasingly being integrated into conventional cancer treatment and survivorship care. We first described the need for the integration of acupuncture into cancer care by reviewing the burden that cancer places on both society and on individuals. Secondly, we review the use of complementary and alternative medicine by individuals with cancer, highlighting the value for potential integration of acupuncture into conventional care. Thirdly, we summarize the current evidence of acupuncture’s effectiveness for specific conditions experienced by cancer patients. Fourthly, we discuss the decision making process employed by patients regarding integration of acupuncture into cancer care. Finally, we provide some insight about how research can inform evidence development and generation. In summary, while research is limited, because of the large unmet needs experienced by cancer patients and limitations of conventional cancer care, acupuncture demonstrates potential as a therapy that can be safely integrated into conventional cancer care to improve symptom management and quality of life for cancer patients.
Non-Uniform Cylinder-to-Cylinder Combustion for Ammonia Generation in a New Passive SCR System

Lean burn gasoline engine is a promising technology for reducing the fuel consumption by passenger cars. However, cost-effective NOx emissions control for lean burn gasoline engines remains a great challenge for the commercialization of lean burn gasoline engines in the U. S. market. To address this issue, passive selective catalytic reduction (SCR), which utilizes a close-coupled three-way catalyst (TWC) as an on-board device for ammonia (NH3) production during rich engine operation, has attracted much attention in the past several years. The main purpose of this study is to reduce the cost of ammonia generation for a passive SCR system by proposing a new passive SCR system architecture and an innovative non-uniform cylinder-to-cylinder combustion (NUCCC) strategy. The new passive SCR system that consists of a two-stage TWC and a TWC bypass, together with the optimization of NUCCC strategy, can potentially enable more efficient engine combustion and more cost-effective ammonia production. Optimization results based on the experimental data from a physical engine platform, demonstrate that the proposed new passive SCR system coupled with the NUCCC strategy, can reduce the ammonia specific fuel consumption (ASFC) by up to 29.8%. Such a novel engine combustion strategy and innovative aftertreatment system can be very instrumental in significantly reducing the fuel penalty associated with NOx emission control for lean-burn engines in the future.
Design loads for a large wind turbine supported by a semi-submersible floating platform

Abstract The dynamic response and reliability analysis of a 13.2 MW offshore wind turbine supported by a moored semi-submersible platform is the subject of this study. Loads data for the extreme response analysis involve time-domain simulations for a range of sea states representative of expected site-specific metocean conditions. To gain deeper insight into the dynamic behavior of this system and to obtain long-term loads efficiently and accurately, two studies are carried out sequentially. First, the short-term response of the integrated system is studied based on 1-h simulations for sea states identified using the Environmental Contour method for a 50-year return period. Response extremes for the integrated wind turbine system as well as system sensitivity to metocean conditions are studied. Next, the long-term response associated with the 50-year return period is estimated using statistical extrapolation based on loads derived from the 1-h simulations. Inverse First-Order Reliability Method procedures are employed to seek appropriate response quantile levels, e.g., the median response for 2D Inverse FORM. A more comprehensive 3D approach, which accounts for system response uncertainties, improves long-term response estimates. A proposed adaptive procedure in the 3D approach helps determine the number of simulations needed to guarantee accuracy in the long-term response estimation.
Revealing the synaptic hodology of mammalian neural circuits with multiscale neurocartography

The functional features of neural circuits are determined by a combination of properties that range in scale from projections systems across the whole brain to molecular interactions at the synapse. The burgeoning field of neurocartography seeks to map these relevant features of brain structure-spanning a volume ∼20 orders of magnitude-to determine how neural circuits perform computations supporting cognitive function and complex behavior. Recent technological breakthroughs in tissue sample preparation, high-throughput electron microscopy imaging, and automated image analyses have produced the first visualizations of all synaptic connections between neurons of invertebrate model systems. However, the sheer size of the central nervous system in mammals implies that reconstruction of the first full brain maps at synaptic scale may not be feasible for decades. In this review, we outline existing and emerging technologies for neurocartography that complement electron microscopy-based strategies and are beginning to derive some basic organizing principles of circuit hodology at the mesoscale, microscale, and nanoscale. Specifically, we discuss how a host of light microscopy techniques including array tomography have been utilized to determine both long-range and subcellular organizing principles of synaptic connectivity. In addition, we discuss how new techniques, such as two-photon serial tomography of the entire mouse brain, have become attractive approaches to dissect the potential connectivity of defined cell types. Ultimately, principles derived from these techniques promise to facilitate a conceptual understanding of how connectomes, and neurocartography in general, can be effectively utilized toward reaching a mechanistic understanding of circuit function.
Estado actual de la formación inicial en competencias básicas del profesorado no universitario de Colombia

espanolLa sociedad actual vive un periodo acelerado de cambios, producto del desarrollo que se ha dado a todos los niveles. La educacion del siglo XXI no es ajena a esta realidad por estar fuertemente influenciada por dicho desarrollo. Por ello, hoy se viene apreciando con mayor nitidez toda la problematica que encierra, no solo el viejo sistema de educacion y sus efectos en la sociedad, sino fundamentalmente la necesidad de formacion de nuevos agentes educativos que en su denominacion generica suelen ser llamados, sin diferencia alguna, docentes, profesores o maestros. En la formacion docente de los ultimos anos ha jugado un papel importante el termino de Competencia y en el caso que nos ocupa constituye un desafio para la formacion de futuros profesores, estando a cargo de escuelas normales y universidades esta responsabilidad en cuanto a formacion del profesorado. A partir de la revision bibliografica de diferentes fuentes se pudo determinar que la gran mayoria de publicaciones encontradas senalan la formacion en competencias para el profesorado universitario en ejercicio. Siendo la formacion en competencias para futuros profesores de educacion basica incipiente.Por lo que esta revision nos muestra una realidad del estado actual del tema abordado y nos abre al desafio de proponer planes de formacion actualizados para la formacion inicial del profesorado no universitario. EnglishToday´s society is experiencing an accelerated period of changes, a product of the development that has taken place at all levels. Education in the XXI century is not alien to this reality because it´s strongly influenced by this development. Therefore, today we are seeing more clearly all the problems involved, not only the old education system and its effects on society, but fundamentally the need for training new educational agents that in their generic name are usually called, without difference, teachers, teachers or teachers. In the teacher training of recent years has played an important role the term of competence and in the case at hand is a challenge for the training of future teachers, being in charge of normal schools and universities is responsible for teacher training. From the bibliographic review of different sources it was possible to determine that the vast majority of publications found indicate the training in competencies for university teacher in practice. Being training in competencies for future teachers of incipient basic education. So this review shows us a reality of the current state of the challenge of proposing updated training plans for the initial training of non- university teaching straff.
Machine learning reduced gene/non-coding RNA features that classify Schizophrenia patients accurately and highlight insightful gene clusters

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a chronic and severely disabling neurodevelopmental disorder that affects people worldwide. RNA-seq has been a powerful method to detect the differentially expressed genes/non-coding RNAs in patients; however, due to overfitting problems differentially expressed targets (DETs) cannot be used properly as biomarkers. In this study, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlpfc) RNA-seq data from 254 individuals was obtained from the CommonMind consortium and analyzed with machine learning methods, including random forest, forward feature selection (ffs), and factor analysis, to reduce the numbers of gene/non-coding RNA feature vectors to overcome overfitting problem and explore involved functional clusters. In 2-fold shuffle testing, the average predictive accuracy for SCZ patients was 67% based on coding genes, and the 96% based on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Coding genes were further clustered into 14 factors and lncRNAs were clustered into 45 factors to represent the underlying features. The largest contribution factor for coding genes contains number of genes critical in neurodevelopment and previously reported in relation with various brain disorders. Genomic loci of lncRNAs were more insightful, enriched for genes critical in synapse function (p=7.3E-3), cell junction (p=0.017), neuron differentiation (p=8.3E-3), phosphorylation (8.2E-4), and involving the Wnt signaling pathway (p=0.029). Taken together, machine learning is a powerful algorithm to reduce functional biomarkers in SCZ patients. The lncRNAs capture the characteristics of SCZ tissue more accurately than mRNA as the formers regulate every level of gene expression, not limited to mRNA levels.