cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acute hydramnios and homologous triplets

Abstract A case is reported of an homologous triplet pregnancy complicated by acute hydramnios which developed early in the gestation. No satisfactory explanation could be found for the rapid development of the excessive amount of fluid. Very careful scrutiny of the babes and placenta failed to reveal a pathologic condition. The mother was aormal aside from having a questionable Pott's disease. Her puerperium was excellent and she is now in very good health.
Hybridization between Three Species of Andrenid Bees

Andrew seurra (NW), capricornis (SW) and arabis (E) are shown by use of the hybrid index to be hybridizing over a large area in the W United States. Glaciations during the Quaternary may have split a single population into 3 populations which are now in secondary contact. Hybrids are found in natural intermediate habitats in the S Great Basin and the Rocky Mountain area. The great variability in the hybrids is accounted for by their adapting to many different local conditions. Introgression is so extensive that it is difficult to distinguish the range of scurra. The dark-legged form of scurra occurs along the more humid W coast of the United States.
Hyperboloid Discounting of Delayed Outcomes: Magnitude Effects and the Gain-Loss Asymmetry

For more than 20 years, a plethora of research has been conducted on the discounting of delayed rewards. In contrast, there has been relatively little research on the discounting of delayed aversive outcomes (e.g., monetary losses). The present study examined the discounting of delayed hypothetical gains and losses by 55 college undergraduates at 2 monetary amounts, $1, 000 and $25, 000. A simple hyperbola often provided very poor fits to the data. In contrast, a hyperboloid generally provided much better fits to the discounting of all outcomes, and its exponent was frequently less than unity. Although the rate of discounting was greater for the small gain than for the large gain (i.e., a magnitude effect), the rate of discounting for the small and large loss was not significantly different, which led to a gain-loss asymmetry for the small amount (i.e., small gains discounted more than small losses), but not for the large amount (i.e., large gains discounted similarly to large losses). Collectively, these findings suggest that similar but separate processes underlie the discounting of delayed gains and losses.
Study on Placing Individually Ventilated Cage in Medical Animal Barricade Environment

Objective To do some exploratory study on raising rodent animals in double secure by placing IVC in barricade system in order to get to the SPF degree for animal raising and experiment,decrease the cost of construction and maintenance(save energy).Method Rebuild a barricade environment animal lab,detect the air clean rank according to GB14925-2001,raise animals in SPF degree by placing IVC in the lab,do some experiment such as injection and taking medicine,on super clean table.Results Various data detected in rebuilt barricade environment animal lab reach the national standard.Conclusion The double secure mode of rodent animal raising and experiment by placing IVC in medical animal barricade environment make the journey process reach the SPF degree,it has advantages of simple operation and low cost of energy.
The Lessons of Empire

It is time now for us to take stock; and as we do so, we would do well to remember that for one thing to be any sort of guide to another, the two have to share some powerful similarities. We would also do well to remember that just because two things share the same label-in this case, the label of empire-that labeling does not by its mere application necessarily imply sufficient levels of similarity for meaningful comparison. So we have to be very careful here. Each empire is very much its own creature, existing in its own space and time. Differences between empires have to figure in the explanatory mix as much as similarities do. Moreover, and as we saw in Chapter 2, there is much analytical mileage to be gained by seeing the category of “empire” as occupying one end of a continuum on which global powers can properly be placed, a continuum with the category of “hegemon” at the other. Generalizations gleaned from an examination of empires, therefore, cannot automatically be applied to nation-states more properly catalogued as hegemonic. Nor is it safe to leap casually from one time period to another, without recognizing the degree to which, over time, economic developments associated with the rise of capitalism have qualitatively altered key relationships within and between nations, such that the direct control of territory (so vital to early empires) is unlikely to figure large in processes of domination and subordination in today’s global economy.
Cardiovascular Integration in the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract

Afferents from the cardiovascular system including baroreceptors send information via cranial nerves to the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) where it is processed for homeostatic reflexes. The basic organization of autonomic pathways for cardiovascular control diverges beyond NTS with the cardiac parasympathetic arc as short as two central neurons. Significant modulation and integration occurs at the very first synapse between afferent endings and the second order NTS neuron. New evidence suggests important differentiation at both the pre- and postsynaptic parts of this first synapse and that such differences may contribute to differentiation in performance of the entire reflex pathways.
Exercise and sleep: a systematic review of previous meta-analyses.

Objective Conduct a systematic review of previous meta-analyses on exercise and sleep outcomes in adults and a meta-analysis of studies nested within these meta-analyses. Methods Meta-analyses of randomized controlled exercise interventions were included by searching 9 electronic databases and cross-referencing. Dual-selection and data abstraction were conducted. Methodological quality of meta-analyses was assessed using AMSTAR and quality of evidence using GRADE. Random-effects models were used to pool results from the individual studies included in each meta-analysis. Results Three meta-analyses representing 950 adults were included. Methodological quality ranged from 36%-64% while quality of evidence was very low to low. Statistically significant improvements (P≤0.05) were observed for the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), overall sleep quality, global score, subjective sleep, and sleep latency. The number-needed-to-treat(NNT) and percentile improvements ranged from 4–7 and 18.1-26.5, respectively. When overall sleep quality results from individual studies nested within different meta-analyses were pooled, statistically significant standardized mean difference (SMD) improvements were observed (-0.50, 95% CI, -0.72, -0.28). The NNT and percentile improvement was 7 and 19, respectively. Conclusions Exercise improves selected sleep outcomes in adults. To increase public health reach, a large, well-designed, and more inclusive meta-analysis is needed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Natural gas/diesel RCCI CFD simulations using multi-component fuel surrogates

Previous attempts to model natural gas/diesel reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) engines using single fuel component chemical kinetics have demonstrated difficulties with reproducing the gradual increase in combustion rate observed experimentally. This study investigates whether employing a multi-component vaporisation and chemical kinetics model for diesel fuel can yield closer agreement with experimental combustion rates. Multi-dimensional CFD simulations are compared against an injection timing sweep from a GM 1.9 L diesel engine modified with port injected natural gas. Using the multi-component model for both diesel vaporisation and diesel chemical kinetics resulted in a closer match with experimental heat release rate than using single component diesel chemical kinetics. However, the overly fast combustion rates at ignition could not be completely eliminated. In addition, a parameter study revealed that the simulation results are strongly sensitive to the ratio of components in the diesel fuel surrogate, the injected mass, and the injection velocity.
Screening and Assessment: An Evidence-Based Process for the Management and Care of Adult Drug-Involved Offenders

Valid and reliable assessment of risk and needs is a cornerstone of evidence-based practices with offenders who use and abuse drugs. They provide the needed clinical information upon which the case planning and services referral and delivery processes observed in criminal justice settings are based. However, recent surveys of nationally representative samples shows critical gaps remain, with many criminal justice programs either forgoing assessment of risks and needs or using instruments that have not be externally validated. To encourage more widespread use of risk and substance abuse instruments that have been shown to be reliable and valid, the current chapter reviews a number instruments within the context of the Risk-Need-Responsivity (R-N-R) model for assessment and services planning. Descriptions of these instruments as well as their reliability and validity when used with offender samples are presented. Discussion focuses on the need to adhere to evidence-based practices and processes when assessing and managing offenders with drug abuse problems.
A Novel Antegrade Approach for Simultaneous Carotid Endarterectomy and Angioplasty of Proximal Lesions in Patients with Tandem Stenosis of Supraaortic Arch Vessels

Background To date, all published studies analyzing simultaneous treatment of carotid and proximal atherosclerotic lesions are describing retrograde approach and several technical variations. In the presented study, for the first time, antegrade approach is described for simultaneous carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and associated brachiocephalic trunk (BCT) or common carotid artery (CCA) angioplasty in the hybrid operating room. Methods From January 2012 till January 2016, antegrade hybrid procedures were performed in 18 patients. All patients were admitted to our institute for elective supraaortic arch multidetector computed tomography angiography when significant simultaneous proximal and distal supraaortic arch lesions were revealed. After surgical exposure of carotid arteries, proximal lesions were crossed by antegrade approach. Prior to stent placement, internal carotid artery (ICA) is clamped at its origin with the guidewire placed in the external carotid artery (ECA). After primary stenting and control arteriography, CCA and ECA are clamped and the ICA clamp moved more distally. An arteriotomy is performed in the CCA, with flushing of possible debris and thrombus before performance of the eversion CEA, once again flushing before completion of the anastomosis. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 36 months with average follow-up of 22.15 ± 11.31 months. Results All procedures went uneventfully. Out of 18 patients, 11 were males and 7 females, mean age 66.6 ± 3.82 years. In 10 patients (55.5%), simultaneous CEA and CCA angioplasty was performed, in 7 patients (38.9%) CEA and BCT angioplasty, and in 1 patient (5.5%) tubular graft interposition between the CCA and the ICA and CCA angioplasty. In 6 patients (33.3%), CCA/BCT balloon angioplasty alone was performed simultaneously with CEA. None of the patient had postoperative transient ischemic attack, stroke, hematoma, dissection, myocardial infarction, or ischemia in the early postoperative period and during the follow-up. There were no lethal outcomes, neither in the early postoperative course nor during the follow-up. Conclusions Antegrade approach for simultaneous treatment of proximal CCA/BCT and distal carotid lesions with temporary ICA clamping is safe and feasible procedure that should be thought of in the future in addition to already described retrograde approach.
Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846–1946)

The fame of Sienkiewicz is now eclipsed and even aside from that it contains an element of sadness. From the very beginning the fortunes of Sienkiewicz were not of the common sort. In 1884, with a Byronic suddenness, he became recognized in the eyes of his own country and later in the eyes of the whole world as the greatest Polish writer, and there was a period between 1895 and 1910 when he won a world wide popularity unprecedented in the history of literature. He was translated into more than thirty languages. In Italy, in France, in America, and in England, not to mention Russia, this success was so intense that it was referred to as the “epidemia Sienkiewicziana.” In 1905 he received the Nobel prize for literature. The names of the heroes of Quo Vadis were given to race horses in Paris; pantomines, ballets, plays, and movies were based on his novels. Belgium smoked Quo Vadis? cigars, there are still restaurants in the United States called Quo Vadis?; and some Russian anti-Polish books were published in France under the title of “Quo Vadis Polonia?” For years in the European and American salons men had women talked in glowing terms of Sienkiewicz. French and Italian publishing companies made enormous sums from the works of Sienkiewicz which outsold those of all other authors. This financial success was rather ironic; the publishers could freely exploit that suddenly discovered vein of gold, as Sienkiewicz, being a Russian subject, was not protected by international copyright. There was an exception, however,—the excellent Bostonian Jeremiah Curtin acted decently, making a private agreement with the Polish author.
The history of Harborview Medical Center and the Washington State Trauma System

Harborview Medical Center serves as the sole adult and pediatric level I trauma center for Washington State, and its faculty have led efforts to develop comprehensive systems of trauma care across the country. The Washington State trauma system is an inclusive system that was developed based on data-driven decisions to distribute resources based on population need. This article seeks to explore the history of Harborview Medical Center and the development of the Washington State trauma system to identify the guiding principles and lessons learned, which can facilitate system development for a host of time-sensitive medical conditions.
Under 2 °C living laboratories

Abstract Fifty-two cities, sixty-three businesses, and several universities have become living laboratories for ambitious climate mitigation programs. By 2050, the total annual emissions for the fifty-two cities will reduce by 407 MMTCO 2 e (million metric tons), compared with their base period (ranging from 1990 to 2013) emissions, which is equivalent to making the entire state of California, the sixth largest world economy, nearly carbon neutral. Case studies reveal that between 2000 and 2014, California and Sweden grew their Gross Domestic Products (GDPs) by nearly 30% while their CO 2 e emissions declined by 5% and 24% respectively. Such reductions employ a multitude of action plans, which we place in the context of the Ten Solutions for Carbon Neutrality and Climate Stability published by the University of California . The technologies deployed by the living laboratories include: improving end-use efficiencies; conversion to renewably generated electricity; solving intermittency of solar and wind power with batteries, fuel cells, and hydrogen; developing micro-grids for distributed power generation; expanding use of electric vehicles; recycling reform; capturing agricultural/landfill emissions for conversion to gas; and food waste reduction. The living laboratories have demonstrated that scalable technologies are available now to drastically reduce world-wide carbon emissions. However, doing so requires fundamental behavioral changes.
Subsurface nutrient processing capacity in agricultural roadside ditches

Abstract Roadside ditches located throughout urban and rural landscapes are integral components of watershed-scale hydrologic processes but their capacity to reduce nutrients in the subsurface environment has not been investigated. In this study, vegetation, soil and groundwater conditions were characterized in six roadside ditches in the 66 km2 Lime Creek watershed in eastern Iowa. Shallow water table wells were installed at 17 locations in six transects and sampled monthly in 2017 to evaluate spatial and temporal patterns. Vegetation characteristics were surprisingly diverse but was not found to be a significant factor in water quality patterns. Groundwater NO3-N concentrations were
“We’re a Family and that Gives Me Joy”: Exploring Interpersonal Relationships in Older Women’s Softball Using Socio-Emotional Selectivity Theory

Research suggests that leisure provides a vehicle for women to develop friendships in later life, yet little research has explored older women’s experiences of social connection in a team sport set...
In Memoriam: Francis “Fran” Maurice Hueber (1929–2019)

Francis “Fran” Hueber, former curator of paleobotany at the Smithsonian Institution, passed away on 5 June 2019 at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.Fran was born in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, 27 F...
Memantine Effects on Electroencephalographic Measures of Putative Excitatory/Inhibitory Balance in Schizophrenia.

Abstract Background Abnormalities in cortical excitation and inhibition (E/I) balance are thought to underlie sensory and information processing deficits in schizophrenia. Deficits in early auditory information processing mediate both neurocognitive and functional impairment and appear to be normalized by acute pharmacologic challenge with the NMDA antagonist memantine (MEM). Methods Thirty-six subjects with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and 31 healthy control subjects underwent electroencephalographic recordings. Subjects ingested either placebo or MEM (10 or 20 mg) in a double-blind, within-subject, crossover, randomized design. The aperiodic, 1/f-like scaling property of the neural power spectra, which is thought to index relative E/I balance, was estimated using a robust linear regression algorithm. Results Patients with schizophrenia had greater aperiodic components compared with healthy control subjects (p Conclusions Findings confirmed E/I balance abnormalities in schizophrenia that were normalized with acute MEM administration and suggest that neurocognitive profiles may predict treatment response based on E/I sensitivity. These data provide proof-of-concept evidence for the utility of E/I balance indices as metrics of acute pharmacologic sensitivity for central nervous system therapeutics.
Nonspatial Features Reduce the Reliance on Sustained Spatial Auditory Attention.

OBJECTIVE Top-down spatial attention is effective at selecting a target sound from a mixture. However, nonspatial features often distinguish sources in addition to location. This study explores whether redundant nonspatial features are used to maintain selective auditory attention for a spatially defined target. DESIGN We recorded electroencephalography while subjects focused attention on one of three simultaneous melodies. In one experiment, subjects (n = 17) were given an auditory cue indicating both the location and pitch of the target melody. In a second experiment (n = 17 subjects), the cue only indicated target location, and we compared two conditions: one in which the pitch separation of competing melodies was large, and one in which this separation was small. RESULTS In both experiments, responses evoked by onsets of events in sound streams were modulated by attention, and we found no significant difference in this modulation between small and large pitch separation conditions. Therefore, the evoked response reflected that target stimuli were the focus of attention, and distractors were suppressed successfully for all experimental conditions. In all cases, parietal alpha was lateralized following the cue, but before melody onset, indicating that subjects initially focused attention in space. During the stimulus presentation, this lateralization disappeared when pitch cues were strong but remained significant when pitch cues were weak, suggesting that strong pitch cues reduced reliance on sustained spatial attention. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that once a well-defined target stream at a known location is selected, top-down spatial attention plays a weak role in filtering out a segregated competing stream.
Smart Materials Vis-à-vis Metamaterials

Smart materials are custom-designed materials that have certain properties that can undergo significant changes as guided through external influence, such as pressure, temperature, pH, electric or magnetic fields. One of the most amazing developments in the smart materials is that of metamaterials. The origin of Meta stems from Greek meaning "beyond". Metamaterials have rare properties not found in natural occurring materials such that their properties are based on their structure rather than material of their composition. These materials find applications in many fields like public safety, sensors, battlefield communication, ultrasonic devices, solar power equipments, and remote aerospace applications. A synthetic composite material with a structure such that it possesses properties being unusual in natural materials specially a negative refractive index-these materials scatter electromagnetic wave unlike any known material. Thus the shape of the wave emerging from the metamaterials is entirely different from a conventional wave. Besides having a myriad of applications, these materials have the remarkable ability to bend light which can make airplanes, tanks and submarines invisible resulting in the epitome of stealth capability. Metamaterials now find recognition as an enabling technology being the most exciting research area at the crossroads between photonics and nanoscience. Without any exaggeration, the present era is the century of metamaterials. This paper, inter alia, highlights the significance of metamaterials in general and its stealth capabilities for defence sector in particular.
Effect of Dermatologic Consultation on Survival in Patients with Checkpoint Inhibitor Associated Cutaneous Toxicity

BACKGROUND Cutaneous immune-related adverse events (cirAEs) are a common side-effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, prior work examining these toxicities in detail has considered only the fraction of events evaluated by dermatologists. Associations between dermatology referral, cirAE treatment and survival outcomes remain underexplored across care settings. OBJECTIVES To comprehensively categorize cirAE patterns among all patients treated with immunotherapy at our institution, and to evaluate: (i) the effect of dermatology referral on cirAE treatment and (ii) the impact of cirAE treatment on survival. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort analysis of patients with cancer who initiated ICI therapy between 1 January 2016 and 8 March 2019 and developed one or more cirAEs, as screened for using International Classification of Diseases 10th revision codes and confirmed via manual chart review (n = 358). All relevant information documented prior to 31 March 2020 was included. RESULTS CirAEs evaluated by dermatologists were significantly more likely to be treated than cirAEs that were not referred (odds ratio 6·08, P < 0·001). Patients who received any cirAE treatment had improved progression-free survival [hazard ratio (HR) 0·59, P = 0·001] and overall survival (HR 0·58, P = 0·007) compared with those who did not. CONCLUSIONS CirAEs evaluated by dermatologists were significantly more likely to be treated than cirAEs that were not referred, and patients who received any treatment for a cirAE had improved survival outcomes.
Septal Myectomy for Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in the Elderly.

Abstract Background Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is a genetic disorder treated with septal reduction therapy—either alcohol septal ablation or septal myectomy (SM). Historically, older patients have been presumed to be poor candidates for SM and thus referred directly for alcohol septal ablation in some centers. We reviewed our experience with SM in older patients. Methods We identified 100 patients at our institution who underwent SM for HOCM from 2015-2020. Demographic and clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients 65 years or older were compared to patients less than 65. Results There were 65 patients in the Conclusions Properly selected older patients can safely undergo SM with excellent outcomes similar to younger patients. Relief of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and correction of MR are reliably achieved in both groups. Advanced age should not be a strict criteria for selecting septal reduction therapy approach.
Heroin Relapse "Strikes a Nerve": A Rare Case of Drug-Induced Acute Myelopathy.

Opioid addiction is a major public health problem. Through a commitment to individualized treatment plans meant to help patients meet personal goals, behavioral therapy can encourage abstinence and help prevent relapses that can have debilitating consequences. This case describes a 31-year-old male with heroin relapse who presented with flaccid quadriparesis as well as loss of sensation below the T2-3 spinal level, loss of rectal tone, and urinary retention. A urine drug screen (UDS) was positive for opiates and amphetamines. Autoimmune serologies were negative. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis was negative for any acute ongoing infectious process. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) of the cervical and thoracic spine showed increased intramedullary signals with spinal cord expansion from C2-T2, indicating acute transverse myelitis. Upon completion of the aforementioned work-up, idiopathic transverse myelopathy (TM) was diagnosed, and the patient was started on intravenous (IV) methylprednisolone; he also received five sessions of plasmapheresis. By process of elimination, suspicion remained of a diagnosis of opioid-induced myelopathy. The patient showed mild improvement in his original sensory deficits and flaccid quadriplegia.
Impact of the 2016 Election on the Quality of Life of Sexual and Gender Minority Adults: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis

Purpose: The 2016 U.S. election significantly changed the political landscape for sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals. The current study assessed the consequences of the election and trans...
Dollars for Diagnosis: A Single-Institutional Analysis of Billing for Intraoperative Transesophageal Echocardiography Examinations

Objectives The authors sought to identify correctable reasons for the failed completion of required billing elements necessary for the reimbursement of services for intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Design This was a retrospective study. Setting This study was completed at a single institution and large academic center. Participants The patient population included all adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery at a single academic center over one year. Interventions This retrospective review of TEE documentation and billing data was performed for the all adults undergoing cardiac surgery over the course of one year. Methods and Main Results Documentation characteristics were compared between examinations that were reimbursed and those that were not. Out of 504 TEE examinations, 30% were not reimbursed. For these examinations, there was a lower compliance in the completion of minimum billing requirements, compared with those that were reimbursed; designation as “diagnostic” (29% v 93%, respectively, p Conclusions Understanding documentation requirements for TEE is an overlooked but important part of anesthesiology practice that may lead to substantial cost savings. Completion of a procedure note, procedure order, and documentation of an examination as “diagnostic” was associated with successful billing.
Potential-field estimation using scalar and vector slepian functions at satellite altitude

In the last few decades, a series of increasingly sophisticated satellite missions has brought us gravity and magnetometry data of ever improving quality. To make optimal use of this rich source of information on the structure of the Earth and other celestial bodies, our computational algorithms should be well matched to the specific properties of the data. In particular, inversion methods require specialized adaptation if the data are only locally available, if their quality varies spatially, or if we are interested in model recovery only for a specific spatial region. Here, we present two approaches to estimate potential fields on a spherical Earth, from gradient data collected at satellite altitude. Our context is that of the estimation of the gravitational or magnetic potential from vector-valued measurements. Both of our approaches utilize spherical Slepian functions to produce an approximation of local data at satellite altitude, which is subsequently transformed to the Earth’s spherical reference surface. The first approach is designed for radialcomponent data only and uses scalar Slepian functions. The second approach uses all three components of the gradient data and incorporates a new type of vectorial spherical Slepian functions that we introduce in this chapter.
Networks in Noninternational Armed Conflicts: Crossing Borders and Defining 'Organized Armed Group'

Al Qaeda’s dispersal and the rise of regional terrorist groups such as al Shabab in Somalia have raised the stakes for defining an “organized armed group” (OAG). The law of armed conflict applies to violence between OAGs. If an entity fails the OAG test, a state may use only traditional law enforcement methods in responding to the entity’s violence. A narrow definition of OAG would thus undermine the United States’ reliance on targeted killings in states like Somalia that are remote from “hot” battlefields. That result might please human rights advocates, who critique targeted killing as posing an unacceptable risk of civilian casualties. However, constraining the United States and other nations could also give carte blanche to terrorist groups. This paper argues that both case law and social science literature support a broadly pragmatic reading of the OAG definition. While the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has cited factors such as existence of a headquarters and imposition of discipline, ICTY decisions have found organization when evidence was at best equivocal. Moreover, terrorist organizations reveal surprisingly robust indicia of organization. To deal with the agency costs generated by personnel with disparate agendas and backgrounds, terrorist groups monitor, assess, and document performance, even when this bureaucratic turn endangers the groups’ security. A transnational network like al Qaeda operates in a synergistic fashion with regional groups. While al Qaeda does not micromanage most individual operations, it exercises strategic influence, e.g., through a focus on targeting Western interests. When such strategic influence can be shown, the definition of OAG is sufficiently flexible to permit targeting across borders.
An alternative ranking problem for search engines

This paper examines in detail an alternative ranking problem for search engines, movie recommendation, and other similar ranking systems motivated by the requirement to not just accurately predict pairwise ordering but also preserve the magnitude of the preferences or the difference between ratings. We describe and analyze several cost functions for this learning problem and give stability bounds for their generalization error, extending previously known stability results to nonbipartite ranking and magnitude of preference-preserving algorithms. We present algorithms optimizing these cost functions, and, in one instance, detail both a batch and an on-line version. For this algorithm, we also show how the leave-one-out error can be computed and approximated efficiently, which can be used to determine the optimal values of the trade-off parameter in the cost function. We report the results of experiments comparing these algorithms on several datasets and contrast them with those obtained using an AUC-maximization algorithm. We also compare training times and performance results for the on-line and batch versions, demonstrating that our on-line algorithm scales to relatively large datasets with no significant loss in accuracy.
Immunologic studies of antihemophilic factor (AHF, VIII:C). VI. Characterization of antigenic determinants using human antibodies.

Abstract The antigenic determinants of the human factor VIII procoagulant protein (VIII:CAg) have been characterized using 20 human antibodies to factor VIII. These include 7 plasmas from multitransfused hemophilic patients and 13 autoantibodies. These plasmas were tested for their ability to inhibit the binding of two 125 I-labeled antibodies (one autoantibody, one hemophilic) in an immunoradiometric assay (IRMA). Three inhibition patterns were observed. Twelve plasmas (five previously characterized by kinetic properties as type I and seven as type II) did not inhibit the binding of either iodinated Fab′ to partially purified VIII:C. These antibodies react with VIII:C antigenic sites that are different from those recognized by the iodinated Fab′. Four type I antibodies completely inhibited the IRMA indicating that they bind the same determinants as the index antibodies. As expected, the index plasmas from which the labeled Fab′ had been prepared completely inhibited labeled Fab′ binding. Each had only a partial effect with the other iodinated Fab′. These two anti-VIII:C recognize antigenic sites that are closely related but not identical. Thus, a series of VIII:C epitopes have been defined by these human antibodies. The characterization can now be used to analyze the relation of structure to function for this coagulation protein.
Localization of two epitopes of apolipoprotein A-I that are exposed on human high density lipoproteins using monoclonal antibodies and synthetic peptides

To understand the structure of apolipoprotein A-I, we have used an immunochemical approach and identified specific regions of apoA-I that may be exposed on the apoprotein as it exists on high density lipoprotein (HDL). Twelve mouse monoclonal antibodies specific for human apoA-I were generated from six fusions. Thirteen synthetic peptides of between 5 and 16 amino acid residues in length, which span the amino-terminal two-thirds of apoA-I, were tested for their ability to react with each of the 12 antibodies. In a competitive solid-phase radioimmunoassay, a synthetic peptide, which represented residues 1-15 of mature apoA-I, inhibited the binding of antibody AI-16 to immobilized HDL. Similarly, a synthetic peptide, which represented residues 90-105 of apoA-I, inhibited the binding of antibody AI-18 to immobilized HDL. Using systematic changes in the size and sequence of the oligopeptides, the limits and essential amino acid residues of these epitopes were defined. Comparisons of the slopes of the competition curves obtained with immunoreactive peptides, isolated apoA-I, and HDL verified that these two regions of apoA-I are exposed on the surface of apoA-I as it exists on native HDL.
Renal perfusion imaging with two-dimensional navigator gated arterial spin labeling

Purpose To develop a navigator technique enabling free-breathing acquisition to afford sufficient signal averaging for quantitative renal perfusion measurement using arterial spin labeling MRI. Methods A novel two-dimensional (2D) navigator technique was implemented in concert with flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) preparation and true fast imaging with steady precession (True-FISP) readout. The navigator images were obtained with a low-resolution fast low angle shot readout at end of each arterial spin labeling acquisition. A retrospective algorithm was developed to automatically detect respiratory motion for selective signal averaging. The 2D navigator-gated FAIR True-FISP sequence was performed in ten healthy volunteers and five patients with chronic kidney disease. Results Excellent image quality and comparable cortical perfusion rates (healthy: 276 ± 28 mL/100 g/min, patients: 155 ± 25 mL/100 g/min) to literature values were obtained. An average of 3-fold signal-to-noise ratio improvement was obtained in the 2D navigator-gated approach compared with the breath-hold acquisition in healthy volunteers. Good image quality was achieved in patients while the results from breath-hold acquisition were unusable. The quantitative perfusion rates were significantly lower in chronic kidney disease patients compared with the healthy volunteers. Conclusion 2D navigator-gated free breathing arterial spin labeling is feasible and is a noninvasive method to evaluate renal perfusion both in healthy subjects and those with chronic kidney disease. Magn Reson Med 71:570–579, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
SU-E-J-26: A Novel Technique for Markerless Self-Sorted 4D-CBCT Using Patient Motion Modeling: A Feasibility Study

Purpose: To develop an automatic markerless 4D-CBCT projection sorting technique by using a patient respiratory motion model extracted from the planning 4D-CT images. Methods: Each phase of onboard 4D-CBCT is considered as a deformation of one phase of the prior planning 4D-CT. The deformation field map (DFM) is represented as a linear combination of three major deformation patterns extracted from the planning 4D-CT using principle component analysis (PCA). The coefficients of the PCA deformation patterns are solved by matching the digitally reconstructed radiograph (DRR) of the deformed volume to the onboard projection acquired. The PCA coefficients are solved for each single projection, and are used for phase sorting. Projections at the peaks of the Z direction coefficient are sorted as phase 1 and other projections are assigned into 10 phase bins by dividing phases equally between peaks. The 4D digital extended-cardiac-torso (XCAT) phantom was used to evaluate the proposed technique. Three scenarios were simulated, with different tumor motion amplitude (3cm to 2cm), tumor spatial shift (8mm SI), and tumor body motion phase shift (2 phases) from prior to on-board images. Projections were simulated over 180 degree scan-angle for the 4D-XCAT. The percentage of accurately binned projections across entire dataset was calculated to represent the phase sorting accuracy. Results: With a changed tumor motion amplitude from 3cm to 2cm, markerless phase sorting accuracy was 100%. With a tumor phase shift of 2 phases w.r.t. body motion, the phase sorting accuracy was 100%. With a tumor spatial shift of 8mm in SI direction, phase sorting accuracy was 86.1%. Conclusion: The XCAT phantom simulation results demonstrated that it is feasible to use prior knowledge and motion modeling technique to achieve markerless 4D-CBCT phase sorting. National Institutes of Health Grant No. R01-CA184173 Varian Medical System
Ovarian function and cigarette smoking

Cigarette smoking has been implicated in reproductive outcomes including delayed conception, but mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear. One potential mechanism is the effect of cigarette smoking on reproductive hormones; however, studies evaluating associations between smoking and hormone levels are complicated by variability of hormones and timing of specimen collection. We evaluated smoking among women participating in the BioCycle Study, a longitudinal study of menstrual cycle function in healthy, premenopausal, regularly menstruating women (n = 259). Fertility monitors were used to help guide timing of specimen collection. Serum levels of oestradiol, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH) and total sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) across phases of the menstrual cycle were compared between smokers and non-smokers. We observed statistically significant phase-specific differences in hormone levels between smokers and non-smokers. Compared with non-smokers, smokers had higher levels of FSH in the early follicular phase and higher LH at menses after adjusting for potential confounding factors of age, race, body mass index, parity, vigorous exercise, and alcohol and caffeine intake through inverse probability of treatment weights. No statistically significant differences were observed for oestradiol, progesterone or SHBG. These phase-specific differences in levels of LH and FSH in healthy, regularly menstruating women who are current smokers compared with non-smokers reflect one mechanism by which smoking may influence fertility and reproductive health.
Parallel algorithms for direct solution of large systems of equations

A number of direct solution algorithms are parallelized for use in conjunction with finite-element analysis of large engineering problems. Parallel solution algorithms based on the Gauss-Jordan and Gauss elimination are implemented and compared. These parallel solvers are applied to large, dense or banded systems of equations arising from the finite-element analysis of two and three-dimensional electromagnetic field problems. Both real and complex matrices are considered with emphasis on very large systems. The speedup obtained by parallelization on the massively parallel processor (MPP) compared to sequential computers is almost three orders of magnitude. Although the MPP is used for implementation, most aspects of parallelization are general. >
Calcium-mediated signaling and calmodulin-dependent kinase regulate hepatocyte-inducible nitric oxide synthase expression.

Abstract Background Induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is induced in hepatocytes by shock and inflammatory stimuli. Excessive NO from iNOS mediates shock-induced hepatic injury and death, so understanding the regulation of iNOS will help elucidate the pathophysiology of septic shock. In vitro , cytokines induce iNOS expression through activation of signaling pathways including mitogen-activated protein kinases and nuclear factor κB. Cytokines also induce calcium (Ca 2+ ) mobilization and activate calcium-mediated intracellular signaling pathways, typically through activation of calmodulin-dependent kinases (CaMK). Calcium regulates NO production in macrophages but the role of calcium and calcium-mediated signaling in hepatocyte iNOS expression has not been defined. Materials and methods Primary rat hepatocytes were isolated, cultured, and induced to produce NO with proinflammatory cytokines. Calcium mobilization and Ca 2+ -mediated signaling were altered with ionophore, Ca 2+ channel blockers, and inhibitors of CaMK. Results The Ca 2+ ionophore A23187 suppressed cytokine-stimulated NO production, whereas Ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid and nifedipine increased NO production, iNOS messenger RNA, and iNOS protein expression. Inhibition of CaMK with KN93 and CBD increased NO production but the calcineurin inhibitor FK 506 decreased iNOS expression. Conclusions These data demonstrate that calcium-mediated signaling regulates hepatocyte iNOS expression and does so through a mechanism independent of calcineurin. Changes in intracellular calcium levels may regulate iNOS expression during hepatic inflammation induced by proinflammatory cytokines.
Strength-related attitude dimensions

Definition de la force des attitudes sociales et etude de ses relations avec les differentes qualites de ces attitudes (valeur affective, cristallisation, degre de certitude, experience directe, etc.)
Trends in computing with DNA

As an emerging new research area, DNA computation, or more generally biomolecular computation, extends into other fields such as nanotechnology and material design, and is developing into a new sub-discipline of science and engineering. This paper provides a brief survey of some concepts and developments in this area. In particular several approaches are described for biomolecular solutions of the satisfiability problem (using bit strands, DNA tiles and graph self-assembly). Theoretical models such as the primer splicing systems as well as the recent model of forbidding and enforcing are also described. We review some experimental results of self-assembly of DNA nanostructures and nanomechanical devices as well as the design of an autonomous finite state machine.
A fully differential current copier for performance improvement

This paper presents a new current copier which uses a differential-pair as its storage cell. The differential-pair storage unit (DPSU) significantly reduces clock-feedthrough errors and achieves high linearity, large dynamic range, and less cross-talk noise. Therefore, the proposed high-performance DPSU can be used to improve the speed performance of analog-to-digital converters which implement the proposed fully differential switched-current technique.
Capsule commentary on Grant, et al., Exercise as a vital sign: a quasi-experimental analysis of a health system intervention to collect patient-reported exercise levels.

Five decades ago, President Eisenhower launched, and President Kennedy greatly expanded and popularized, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness,1 jumpstarting what later became “the fitness craze” of the 1980s.2 Despite our apparent obsession with fitness, only one in five Americans achieves recommended levels of aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity,3 leading to obesity, diabetes and other comorbidities. To counter this inertia, Grant et al. at Kaiser Northern California report the results of Exercise as a Vital Sign (EVS),4 a primary care-based intervention aligned with the Chronic Care Model, designed to ascertain patients’ physical fitness levels and facilitate counseling and referral to tailored programs when appropriate. In an excellent example of not allowing perfect to be the enemy of the good, the authors employed a quasi-experimental design to capitalize on a health system’s rollout of EVS. This intervention empowered medical assistants to query primary care patients about their current activity level and to enter the data into a structured field in the electronic health record, adjacent to weight and blood pressure, easily visible to the clinician. In less than 2 years, this low-cost system-level intervention led to small but statistically significant—and clinically significant, at least at a population level—improvements in clinical documentation of exercise, patients’ report of physician counseling on activity, weight loss and HbA1c changes in patients with diabetes. Whether the improved outcomes resulted from the physician counseling or from the medical assistants asking about exercise, juxtaposed with measurements of weight and blood pressure, needs further study. The authors conclude that EVS may serve as a catalyst for primary care counseling to lead to referral for behavioral health intervention, presumably some form of health-care supervised or endorsed physical activity program. While this approach deserves consideration, other strategies would include, for example, enhancing the clinicians’ own ability to deliver effective exercise counseling through education and training in motivational interviewing. Moreover, additional approaches that target and engage patients directly, such as mobile health (e.g., via texting or smartphone applications) and other automated technologies,5 could be linked to EVS to enhance the capacity of primary care to motivate physical activity.