cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward a value diffusion theory of depression

Unlike psychoanalytic theory, which claims that loss of a valued relationship, role, or goal trigers a trauma of infancy or childhood involving separation from the mother, value diffusion theory describes the relationship between loss and depression differently: First, loss precipitates a destabilization of values (specifically, “continuity” and “discontinuity” values) that form a part of the character of an individual; second, if the destabilization persists and is of sufficient severity, value diffusion, a state in which the individual actually experiences a loss of identity or self, occurs, which often produces a state of depression. The author draws attention to a direct relationship between concepts underlying a value diffusion theory and psychoanalytic theory of depression. Psychoanalytic theorists have noted the special significance of two kinds of loss producing depression: (1) a loss of relationships, and (2) a loss of achievements. In value diffusion theory, the first of these corresponds to one of a set of values to which the author has given the name “continuity” values in prior publications, and the second to one of a set of values given the name “discontinuity”. A case study is presented of an elderly depressed woman to illustrate certain aspects of value diffusion theory, and to contrast it with psychoanalytic and learned helplessness theory as causal explanations of depression.
CARBONATE FACIES CONTROL ON THE FIDELITY OF SURFACE-SUBSURFACE AGREEMENT IN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERAL ASSEMBLAGES: IMPLICATIONS FOR INDEX-BASED PALEOECOLOGY

Although the field of taphonomy has existed for >70 years, the majority of work has focused on siliciclastic settings at the expense of pure carbonates. The large variety of carbonate sediment types, together with the growing recognition that carbonate platforms are composed of facies mosaics that shift laterally in time and are frequently superimposed in the rock record, raises the question of whether quantitative paleoecological studies focused on the fossil record in carbonate environments are subject to significant biases with successive vertical facies changes. This study combines live-dead and surface-subsurface analyses on communities of benthic foraminifera from four localities around San Salvador Island, Bahamas, that represent a spectrum of energy settings, bioturbation intensity, and local anthropogenic impact, in order to test the fidelity with which community data are translated from life to death assemblage on the surface, and from death assemblage to the subsurface (i.e., subfossil record) in these different facies. Although the live-dead data are inconclusive, surface-subsurface analyses demonstrate that regardless of ambient water energy or local intensity of bioturbation, community indices of dominance, evenness, diversity, and equitability are translated with equivalent and minimal modification into subsurface sediments. In addition, surface-subsurface analyses at one site suggest that surface-subsurface agreement may be lower in sites affected by recent anthropogenic impact. Overall, the results of this study represent strong taphonomic vindication for quantitative paleoecological studies spanning facies changes in the carbonate fossil record.
Analyzing potential power reduction with adaptive voltage positioning optimized for multicore processors

Multicore processors used in high-performance computing platforms place ever-increasing demands on efficient voltage regulator design. However, high clock frequency and power consumption of the processors have increased load current and its slew rate rapidly, posing stringent challenges for the voltage regulator design. Since a sudden load-current change incurs voltage overshoots or droops due to the limited bandwidth of voltage regulators, a tolerance window within the defined minimum and maximum voltage levels must be allowed for performance and reliability of the processors. A cost-effective regulation technique like adaptive voltage positioning uses the window by positioning the voltage level at light load-current near the upper limit to sustain negative spikes during the worst-case transient without crossing the lower limit. However, this often results in more processor power consumption than necessary since most of the load-current transients are usually smaller than the worst case. As a result, the voltage level stays much above the lower limit. In this paper, first, we analyze potential total power reduction of a high-performance quadcore processor when we can dynamically reposition regulator output voltage depending on individual core's power-states that affect processor load-current significantly. Our analysis using a 32nm predictive technology model shows that repositioning the regulator output voltage can reduce the power consumption of the processor by up to 29%. Second, we extend our analysis to consider each core's temperature and within-die spatial process variations that can affect leakage (thus total load) current substantially, which provides up to 5% additional power reduction.
Greedy Maximal Matching: Performance Limits for Arbitrary Network Graphs Under the Node-Exclusive Interference Model

Greedy maximal matching (GMM) is an important scheduling scheme for multi-hop wireless networks. It is computationally simple, and has often been numerically shown to achieve throughput that is close to optimal. However, to date the performance limits of GMM have not been well understood. In particular, although a lower bound on its performance has been well known, this bound has been empirically found to be quite loose. In this paper, we focus on the well-established node-exclusive interference model and provide new analytical results that characterize the performance of GMM through a topological notion called the local-pooling factor. We show that for a given network graph with single-hop traffic, the efficiency ratio of GMM (i.e., the worst-case ratio of the throughput of GMM to that of the optimal) is equal to its local-pooling factor. Further, we estimate the local-pooling factor for arbitrary network graphs under the node-exclusive interference model and show that the efficiency ratio of GMM is no smaller than d*/2d* - 1 in a network topology of maximum node-degree d*. Using these results, we identify specific network topologies for which the efficiency ratio of GMM is strictly less than 1. We also extend the results to the more general scenario with multi-hop traffic, and show that GMM can achieve similar efficiency ratios when a flow-regulator is used at each hop.
Leader-Enabled Deployment Onto Planar Curves: A PDE-Based Approach

We introduce an approach for stable deployment of agents onto families of planar curves, namely, 1-D formations in 2-D space. The agents' collective dynamics are modeled by the reaction-advection-diffusion class of partial differential equations (PDEs), which is a broader class than the standard heat equation and generates a rich geometric family of deployment curves. The PDE models, whose state is the position of the agents, incorporate the agents' feedback laws, which are designed based on a spatial internal model principle. Namely, the agents' feedback laws allow the agents to deploy to a family of geometric curves that correspond to the model's equilibrium curves, parameterized by the continuous agent identity α ∈ [0,1] . However, many of these curves are open-loop unstable. Stable deployment is ensured by leader feedback, designed in a manner similar to the boundary control of PDEs. By discretizing the PDE model with respect to α , we impose a fixed communication topology, specifically a chain graph, on the agents and obtain control laws that require communication with only an agent's nearest neighbors on the graph. A PDE-based approach is also used to design observers to estimate the positions of all the agents, which are needed in the leader's feedback, by measuring only the position of the leader's nearest neighbor. Hence, the leader uses only local information when employing output feedback.
Unanticipated repression function linked to erythroid Krüppel-like factor.

The erythroid cell-specific transcription factor erythroid Kruppel-like factor (EKLF) is an important activator of beta-globin gene expression. It achieves this by binding to the CACCC element at the beta-globin promoter via its zinc finger domain. The coactivators CBP and P300 interact with, acetylate, and enhance its activity, helping to explain its role as a transcription activator. Here we show that EKLF can also interact with the corepressors mSin3A and HDAC1 (histone deacetylase 1) through its zinc finger domain. When linked to a GAL4 DNA binding domain, full-length EKLF or its zinc finger domain alone can repress transcription in vivo. This repressive activity can be relieved by the HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A. Although recruitment of EKLF to a promoter is required to show repression, its zinc finger domain cannot bind directly to DNA and repress transcription simultaneously. In addition, the target promoter configuration is important for enabling EKLF to exhibit any repressive activity. These results suggest that EKLF may function in vivo as a transcription repressor and play a previously unsuspected additional role in regulating erythroid gene expression and differentiation.
Ethics, or Issues in Methodology?*

Abstract Intrusion upon people rendered relatively helpless, withholding of information and abuse of confidentiality, are examples of behaviour by psychologists which point to an element of presumption in their manner of operating. The rights of clients are not respected by this type of professional practice. In both research and professional work, psychologists have employed techniques involving coercion, deception, concealment and stress. Such practices have been perpetuated by psychologists' concern with status, by their allegiance to institutions as clients, in a word, by the professionalization of psychology. The remnants of the classical behaviourist paradigm, with its emphasis upon behaviour under exclusive external control, continues to produce serious limitations in contemporary psychological theorizing. As a result, problems arise concerning the “ethics” of psychologists' conduct. But because the behaviourist paradigm is arguably at the base of this problem it may be better to conceive the issue...
Progress in Modeling of Pre-ionization and Geometric Effects on a Field-Reversed Configuration Plasma Thruster

In recent years, compact toroid (CT) plasma (e.g., field-reversed configurations, plasmoids, or spheromaks) has been considered for propulsion applications. A limited number of studies have been conducted thus far with each investigating different aspects of CT plasma. The current investigation into CT plasma documented here focuses on developing a thruster concept to assess the efficiencies of CT plasma formation and acceleration. The assessment consists of developing MHD simulations that model a typical CT test article. The pre-ionization geometry and device geometry parameters are varied in these simulations to determine the efficiencies.
Hybrid FDTD analysis for periodic on-chip terahertz (THz) structures

We present electromagnetic analysis and radiation efficiency calculations for on-chip terahertz (THz) structures based on a hybrid, finite-difference, time-domain (HFDTD) technique. The method employs the FDTD technique to calculate S-parameters for one cell of a periodic structure. The transmission ABCD matrix is then estimated and multiplied by itself n times to obtain the n-cell periodic structure ABCD parameters that are then converted back to S-parameters. Validation of the method is carried out by comparing the results of the hybrid technique with FDTD calculations of the entire periodic structure as well as with HFSS which all agree quite well. This procedure reduces the CPU-time and allows efficient design and optimization of periodic THz radiation sources. Future research will involve coupling of Maxwell's equations with a more detailed, physics-based transport model for higher-order effects.
Fixed Time, Tiered Memory, and Superlinear Speedup

In the problem size-ensemble size plane, fixed-sized and scaled-sized paradigms have been the subsets of primary interest to the parallel processing community. A problem with the newer scaled-sized model is that execution time increases for problems where operation complexity grows faster than storage complexity. The fixed time model is introduced, which, unlike the scaled model, implies the need to reduce problem size per processor. This reduction causes uniprocessor speed to vary. Historical ensemble models hold uniprocessor performance flat as problem size varies, even beyond physical memory size. However, tiered memory can make performance increase instead of decrease as problem size per processor shrinks, and workload can shift to routines with higher speed as the problem is scaled. Superlinear speedup results in such cases. Superlinear speedup, far from being an anomaly, becomes commonplace when the performance model makes realistic assumptions about memory speed and problem scaling.
Social networks analysis: a game experiment

This study examines how early business relationships in company networks may predict later performance and centrality. We define a way of classifying centrality trajectories in social networks, providing a method that can be used more generally to predict network change over time. Employing a game simulation, we show that there are strategies that correlate with eventual centrality and profit, and other strategies that correlate with poor performance.
Patient preference as a moderator of outcome for chronic forms of major depressive disorder treated with nefazodone, cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy, or their combination.

Background Little is known about moderators of response to psychotherapy, medication, and combined treatment for chronic forms of major depressive disorder (MDD). We hypothesized that patient preference at baseline would interact with treatment group to differentially affect treatment outcome. Method We report outcomes for 429 patients who participated in a randomized multicenter trial of nefazodone, Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP), or combination therapy for chronic forms of MDD (DSM-IV criteria) and who indicated their preference for type of treatment at study entry. The primary outcome measures were total scores on the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D-24) and categorical definitions of remission or partial response. The patients were recruited between June 1996 and December 1997. Results There was an interactive effect of preference and treatment group on outcome. The treatment effect varied as a function of preference, and was particularly apparent for patients who initially expressed preference for one of the monotherapies. Patients who preferred medication had a higher remission rate (45.5%) and lower mean HAM-D-24 score (11.6) at study exit if they received medication than if they received psychotherapy (remission rate, 22.2%; mean HAM-D-24 score, 21.0). Patients who preferred psychotherapy had a higher remission rate (50.0%) and lower mean HAM-D-24 score (12.1) if they received psychotherapy than if they received medication (remission rate 7.7%, mean HAM-D-24 score 18.3). Nevertheless, treatment preference was not associated with risk of dropout from the study. Conclusions These results suggest that patient preference is a potent moderator of treatment response for patients with chronic forms of MDD; however, relatively low proportions of the patient sample preferred one of the monotherapies, participants were not blinded to treatment assignment, and there was no placebo group.
Hierarchical data security in a query-by-example interface for a shared database

Whenever a shared database resource, containing critical patient data, is created, protecting the contents of the database is a high priority goal. This goal can be achieved by developing a Query-By-Example (QBE) interface, designed to access a shared database, and embedding within the QBE a hierarchical security module that limits access to the data. The security module ensures that researchers working in one clinic do not get access to data from another clinic. The security can be based on a flexible taxonomy structure that allows ordinary users to access data from individual clinics and super users to access data from all clinics [1]. All researchers submit queries through the same interface and the security module processes the taxonomy and user identifiers to limit access. Using this system, two different users with different access rights can submit the same query and get different results thus reducing the need to create different interfaces for different clinics and access rights.
News Engagement Versus News Consumption Does Online News Use Promote Civic Engagement

Does internet use promote participation in online civic action beyond what would be expected based on certain user attributes? To tackle the question, this study analyzed data from an online news s...
Distal embolization of thrombus in acute myocardial infarction.

Coronary angiography was performed in a patient with n acute inferior ST-elevation myocardial infarction. uring the injection of contrast into the right coronary rtery, thrombus (visible as a filling defect in the midortion of the right coronary artery, Figure 1) was liberted from the culprit lesion and embolized distally (Figre 2). Before the injection of contrast in the following mage, contrast dye remained trapped in the distal vasulature (Figure 3). This dye was retained from the prior njection and reflects impaired dye transit through the oronary arterioles and microvasculature. Although this is an example of gross macroscopic em-
Neurobiology of Itch (Pruritus)

Itch is often defined as an ‘unpleasant sensation that provokes the desire to scratch’. Recent studies have provided novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying itch-selective signalling pathways from the periphery to the central nervous system. Chronic itch is often associated with inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis or contact dermatitis, as well as systemic diseases such as renal, cholestatic, hematologic or endocrine pruritus or pruritus related to malignancy, and reduces quality of life. Chronic itch is thought to involve the sensitisation of itch-signalling pathways, the molecular and cellular processes of which we are just starting to uncover. This review article describes recent findings regarding the basic mechanisms of itch transmission from the skin to the brain. We further describe the neuronal changes that occur both peripherally and centrally under conditions of chronic itch. Key Concepts There are a variety of endogenous pruritogens and external itch stimuli. Itch transducing channels include TRPV1, TRPA1 and Nav1.7. Spinal excitatory and inhibitory interneurons process itch information. Descending noradrenergic and serotonergic systems modulate spinal itch transmission. Sensitisation occurs in both peripheral and central nervous system under conditions of chronic itch. NK1-expressing spinal neurons play a major role in itch sensitisation. Keywords: itch; pruritus; sodium channels; TRP channels; sensitisation; brain; spinal cord; pruriceptors; descending modulation
Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor of the Pineal Region: Diagnosis

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a highly malignant embryonal tumor most commonly occurring in young children, with the highest incidence in the first 2 years of life. The ratio of supratentorial to infratentorial localization of this tumor is reported to be 1.4:1. Supratentorial AT/RTs are located mostly in the cerebral hemispheres and affect more predominantly older children and adults, in contrast to AT/RTs occurring in the posterior fossa. AT/RTs of the pineal region are much rarer, and there have been several single case reports of both children and adults in the litera­ture. There are no known symptoms or signs at presentation, or radiological features that are specific to AT/RTs of the pineal region, but a rapid progression of symptoms reflecting their aggressive biological behavior is common. The prognosis is dismal.
Water Resource Development on Small Carbonate Islands: Solutions Offered by the Hydrologic Landscape Concept

One of the greatest challenges facing small island states is the sustainable development of natural resources (Nurse et al. 1998). The small area of the small island states limits the resource base available to residents. Too high of a population can create pressure on a resource base, forcing the small island states to search "off island" to supplement limited resources and support an undue large population. Freshwater resources can be especially problematic given their importance to all facets of society: health, industry, tourism, and agriculture. Without sustainable development of water resources, the economic and social development of small island states can be delayed or diminished, lowering the overall quality of life on an island.
Temperature Profiles in a Finite Solid with Moving Boundary

Summary A numerical solution is presented to the transient heat con­ duction equation for a cylinder of finite thickness with one moving boundary. The implicit method of solution is developed with conductivity as an arbitrary function of temperature. Application is made to a sample case of re-entry heating encoun­ tered by aerodynamic bodies, with erosion by sublimation and combustion occurring at the body surface.
Observation of Lasing without Inversion in a Doppler-Broaden Atomic Medium

Lasing without population inversion has been experimentally observed in a system with three-level rubidium atoms inside an optical ring cavity. The gain and lasing peaks can be controlled by the pumping power and atomic density.
Sphingolipids and Susceptibility to Asthma

The most highly replicated asthma susceptibility locus, chromosome 17q21, houses three genes, one of which encodes ORMDL3, a protein that can inhibit the production of sphingolipids. Decreased sphingolipid synthesis disrupts magnesium homeostasis and increases airway hyperreactivity — a major diagnostic criterion for asthma.
Will they participate? Predicting patients' response to clinical trial invitations in a pediatric emergency department

Objective (1) To develop an automated algorithm to predict a patient’s response (ie, if the patient agrees or declines) before he/she is approached for a clinical trial invitation; (2) to assess the algorithm performance and the predictors on real-world patient recruitment data for a diverse set of clinical trials in a pediatric emergency department; and (3) to identify directions for future studies in predicting patients’ participation response. Materials and Methods We collected 3345 patients’ response to trial invitations on 18 clinical trials at one center that were actively enrolling patients between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2012. In parallel, we retrospectively extracted demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical predictors from multiple sources to represent the patients’ profiles. Leveraging machine learning methodology, the automated algorithms predicted participation response for individual patients and identified influential features associated with their decision-making. The performance was validated on the collection of actual patient response, where precision, recall, F -measure, and area under the ROC curve were assessed. Results Compared to the random response predictor that simulated the current practice, the machine learning algorithms achieved significantly better performance (Precision/Recall/ F -measure/area under the ROC curve: 70.82%/92.02%/80.04%/72.78% on 10-fold cross validation and 71.52%/92.68%/80.74%/75.74% on the test set). By analyzing the significant features output by the algorithms, the study confirmed several literature findings and identified challenges that could be mitigated to optimize recruitment. Conclusion By exploiting predictive variables from multiple sources, we demonstrated that machine learning algorithms have great potential in improving the effectiveness of the recruitment process by automatically predicting patients’ participation response to trial invitations.
An Idea for Chinese Lawyer Employment to Deal with Internationalization Contest

It has become a historical tendency for Chinese lawyer employment to externally exchange and to mix together with international lawyer employment progressively. This gives a good chance to Chinese lawyer employment. But in comparison with international contest rule, there are many problems restricting lawyers' action in Chinese lawyer system. Chinese lawyer employment must face the international contest squarely to select the preponderant lawyer office and put into reforming and unity, still, by strictly oneself education and oneself-restraint, to promote his own character and quality in overall.
The Research and Implementation of Intelligent Spider in Blog

This paper analyzed the architecture of blog site,presented a Link-Rank model and also the "Catalog Link-Article Link" crawling strategy based on ant colony algorithm,then an intelligent web spider system face web blog was designed and implemented.In practice,this solution performed remarkably better on crawling efficiency.
Acute poisoning in children: analysis of 38 cases

Objective To comprehend the circumstances of acute poisoning in children. Methods The clinical data of 69 children with acute poisoning or unexpected injuries were analyzed retrospectively and etiologic classification was made. Results These illness included medicines poisoning (26),poisonous substances poisoning (8),foods poisoning(4). Conclusions The circumstances of acute poisoning or unexpected injuries in children have arisen easily,for the Corresponding knowledge is lacked. Much healthy education should be propagated actively and many good habits should be raised,then any dangerous factor was passed away as soon as possible.
Ethnic and Gender Diversity in Radiology Fellowships

The purpose of the study is to assess ethnic and gender diversity in US radiology fellowship programs from 2006 to 2013. Data for this study was obtained from Journal of the American Medical Association supplements publications from 2005 to 2006 to 2012–2013 (Gonzalez-Moreno, Innov Manag Policy Pract. 15(2):149, 2013; Nivet, Acad Med. 86(12):1487–9, 2011; Reede, Health Aff. 22(4):91–3, 2003; Chapman et al., Radiology 270(1):232–40, 2014; Getto, 2005; Rivo and Satcher, JAMA 270(9):1074–8, 1993; Schwartz et al., Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 149(1):71–6, 2013; Simon, Clin Orthop Relat Res. 360:253–9, 1999) and the US census 2010. For each year, Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the percentage of women and under-represented minorities in each Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-certified radiology fellowship to the percentage of women and under-represented minorities in (1) all ACGME-certified radiology fellowships combined, (2) radiology residents, (3) ACGME-certified fellows in all of medicine combined, (4) ACGME-certified residents in all of medicine combined, and (5) graduating medical students. Chi-Squared test was used to compare the percentage of women and under-represented minorities and the 2010 US census. p < 0.05 was used as indicator of significance. Interventional radiology and neuroradiology demonstrated the highest levels of disparities, compared to every level of medical education. Abdominal and musculoskeletal radiology fellowships demonstrated disparity patterns consistent with lack of female and URM medical graduates entering into radiology residency. All radiology fellowships demonstrated variable levels of gender and ethnic disparities. Outreach efforts, pipeline programs, and mentoring may be helpful in addressing this issue.
I am Happy that the R Stands for Rostoker

In 1950, I completed the requirements for the D.Sc. degree at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. Walter Kohn arrived in the summer as a new Assistant Professor. We both were undergraduates at University of Toronto. I did not know him there but I worked in the Department of Applied Mathematics for a master’s degree where he had finished several years previously. He had a giant reputation for a student.
Study on diarrhea disease and Escherichia coli strains harboring HPI pathogenicity island of Yersinia enterolitica in Shandong province

OBJECTIVE It was found that some E. coli strains previously identified as entero SLTs-producing and invasive E. coli (ESIEC), harboring HPI pathogenicity island of Yersinia enterolitica. This research was designed to reveal prevalence, susceptible group and clinical features it caused. METHODS All of the diarrhea patients were from the out-patient units of four hospitals in Shandong province from June to November of 1997. Stool specimen were collected before administration of antibiotics for isolation of enteric bacterial pathogen. Clinical symptoms were recorded at the same time. RESULTS A total number of 449 enteric pathogenic bacteria strains were detected among stool samples from 671 patients, with isolation rates of Shigella species and diarrheagenic E. coli 25.48% and 15.05% respectively. When irp-2 and ipaB gene fragments were used as DNA probes, 42 of 176 un-identifiable strains were found irp-2(+) and ipaB(-), which were identified as HPI-harboring E. coli. Typical symptoms of the diarrhea caused by HPI-harboring E. coli were described as mild, including abdominal pain, shiver and vapidity. Temperature of the patients was usually normal. Over 6 times of bowel movements per day was frequently observed, of which most were unformed stools with mucous. CONCLUSION HIP-harboring E. coli was an important diarrheagenic pathogen identified from 671 patients with diarrhea. Shigella was found to be the majority strain.
Colossal grain boundary strengthening in ultrafine nanocrystalline oxides

Abstract One of the most classic size-effects in materials is the increase in the strength and hardness as the grain size decreases. However, a practical low size limit for this so-called grain boundary strengthening has been extensively reported for both metals and ceramics. Here, it is demonstrated that this limit is not observed in fully dense nanocrystalline magnesium aluminate, where hardness increases from 17.2 to 28.4 GPa (surpassing sapphire hardness) when grain sizes are refined from 188 nm to 7.1 nm, respectively. The increasing trend is proportional to the square root of the grain size, following the Hall-Petch relationship, reassuring that common weakening mechanisms described in nanocrystalline metals might not be present in ceramics. To achieve such small grain sizes in fully dense ceramics, a new processing technique is introduced, Deformable Punch Spark Plasma Sintering, DP-SPS, in which nanoparticles are sheared under high pressures (~2 GPa) during densification at moderate temperatures (720–870 °C). This inhibits grain growth due to the low processing temperatures and destabilizes/eliminate isolated residual pores, known to detrimentally affect mechanical behavior of ceramics. Noticeably, the sintered material showed high transparency in the visible spectrum, being reported as one of the hardest transparent oxide material to date.
Delineation of Internal Mammary Nodal Target Volumes in Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy

Purpose The optimal clinical target volume for internal mammary (IM) node irradiation is uncertain in an era of increasingly conformal volume-based treatment planning for breast cancer. We mapped the location of gross internal mammary lymph node (IMN) metastases to identify areas at highest risk of harboring occult disease. Methods and Materials Patients with axial imaging of IMN disease were identified from a breast cancer registry. The IMN location was transferred onto the corresponding anatomic position on representative axial computed tomography images of a patient in the treatment position and compared with consensus group guidelines of IMN target delineation. Results The IMN location in 67 patients with 130 IMN metastases was mapped. The location was in the first 3 intercostal spaces in 102 of 130 nodal metastases (78%), whereas 18 of 130 IMNs (14%) were located caudal to the third intercostal space and 10 of 130 IMNs (8%) were located cranial to the first intercostal space. Of the 102 nodal metastases within the first 3 intercostal spaces, 54 (53%) were located within the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group consensus volume. Relative to the IM vessels, 19 nodal metastases (19%) were located medially with a mean distance of 2.2 mm (SD, 2.9 mm) whereas 29 (28%) were located laterally with a mean distance of 3.6 mm (SD, 2.5 mm). Ninety percent of lymph nodes within the first 3 intercostal spaces would have been encompassed within a 4-mm medial and lateral expansion on the IM vessels. Conclusions In women with indications for elective IMN irradiation, a 4-mm medial and lateral expansion on the IM vessels may be appropriate. In women with known IMN involvement, cranial extension to the confluence of the IM vein with the brachiocephalic vein with or without caudal extension to the fourth or fifth interspace may be considered provided that normal tissue constraints are met.
Detecting Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Covariates from High-Dimensional Data

With the rapid evolution of technologies capable of generating high-dimensional data sets such as those from the ‘omic’ platforms commonly encountered during pharmacogenetic/genomic clinical trials, there is need for computationally efficient methodologies capable of integrating that information into the drug development pipeline; however, the computational cost of identifying covariates and interactions through traditional parametric statistical approaches has impeded their utilization for these large data sets. Within the context of population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling, the potential for detecting interactions on such data sets is of great interest: Specifically, the applications of interactions in this context would be the creation of more comprehensive and biologically sound covariate models, leading to better prediction of individual values for PK/PD parameters of interest, and moving one step closer to the goal of personalized medicine. However, there are currently no commercially available software packages, or computational approaches, that can handle covariate interaction detection or model synthesis at a genome scale. Thus, the most immediate and tractable benefit from such interaction analyses at this scale would be the identification of the most informative subset of predictors that could be used for ‘formal’ covariate model synthesis. This chapter will provide a discussion on the following topics of interest in this area: A general discussion on covariates and interactions; specific challenges and opportunities that arise when large datasets are considered; search metrics that are applicable on high-dimensional data sets; and a justification for the need to distinguish between covariate detection and formal covariate model synthesis in this context.
Diltiazem versus metoprolol for rate control in atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response in the emergency department.

Purpose The impact of patient-specific factors on the choice of β-blocker versus calcium channel blocker therapy for rate control in emergency department (ED) patients treated for atrial fibrillation (AF) was investigated. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the influence of demographics, prior medication use, hemodynamic and clinical characteristics, and other variables on selection of first-line therapy for AF among patients admitted to the ED of an academic medical center over a 22-month period (October 2012–July 2014) who received i.v. treatment with either the β-blocker metoprolol (n = 45) or the calcium channel blocker diltiazem ( n = 55) for rate control. Results Significant predictors of the selection of metoprolol versus diltiazem included a past history of AF (odds ratio [OR], 8.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.396–72.713; p = 0.032) or diabetes mellitus (OR, 7.2; 95% CI, 1.208–58.490; p = 0.042) and being prescribed a β-blocker prior to presentation (OR, 27.8; 95% CI, 4.704–272.894; p = 0.001); a history of calcium channel blocker use prior to ED presentation was a negative predictor of β-blocker use for initial rate control (OR, 0.1; 95% CI, 0.005–0.265; p = 0.002). No differences in the effectiveness or safety of diltiazem and metoprolol were identified. Indicators of hemodynamic and clinical response to ED management were not predictive of discharge medication selection. Conclusion The drug class used for rate control prior to ED admission was the most significant predictor of medication selection for rate control in the ED setting.
Digging Deeper into Online Communities of Inquiry at Purdue: Research-Informed Insights into Theory and Practice

This chapter presents the theoretical and practical implications of research conducted on online learning communities at Purdue University using the Community of Inquiry lens. Specifically, highlights of eight studies conducted from 2013 to 2015 are presented. The context of the majority of the studies is the online Learning, Design and Technology Master’s (MS) program. The research studies have provided theoretical and practical insights as well as directions for future research. Overall, this research points to the importance of empirically testing theoretical assumptions, which can provide unique insights into how to enhance both theory and practice in online education.
From Sea to Plate: The Role of Fish in a Sustainable Diet

Author(s): Seto, Katherine; Fiorella, Kathryn J | Abstract: In the most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines, the USDA Advisory Committee recommended for the first time the inclusion of sustainability considerations (DGA Committee, 2015). Since the U.S. Dietary Guidelines provide standards for nutrition and targets for federal and state food programs, explicitly incorporating sustainability would advance considerably discussions of food system sustainability (Merrigan et al., 2015). However, despite broad public support, sustainability 80 concerns were ultimately jettisoned from the 2015–2020 Guidelines (Secretary Vilsack and Burwell, 2015; US Department of Health and Human Services and US Department of Agriculture, 2015; Wood-Wright, 2016). Though much of the concern around incorporating sustainability has focused on animal agriculture, the sectors most heavily impacted by sustainability policies are arguably fisheries and aquaculture. Fish have been promoted as a sustainability strategy, providing nutritious alternatives to resource intensive livestock and poultry, and a concern, given the decline of many global fish stocks (Worm et al., 2006; Health Council of the Netherlands, 2011; FAO, 2014). Yet, we regularly overlook the origins and implications of this decline due to fragmented notions of our food resources. Resources that originate in our oceans, rivers, and lakes are almost entirely omitted in our conceptions of a sustainable food system.To understand the trade-offs from food production and consumption to sustainability, we must extend our understanding of food resources to conceive of fishery, agricultural, and livestock systems as integrally linked. Our failure to do so thus far has led to a disjointed understanding of our food system, contributed to inequalities in food access, and exacerbated overexploitation and environmental degradation. We argue here that fishery resources are of particular concern for sustainability yet often omitted in conceptions of our food system, and that such disjointed notions of food resources limit our ability to foster sustainable diets (Farmery et al., 2017).
Learning from seasoned evaluators: Implications of systems approaches for evaluation practice:

In the last 20 years, approaches (i.e. concepts, theories, methods) from the systems fields have increased in popularity among evaluators and evaluation commissioners. Their popularity stems in par...
Sales Forecasting with Conjoint Analysis by Addressing Its Key Assumptions with Sequential Game Theory and Macro-Flow Modeling

Conjoint analysis is a research tool for assessing market potential, predicting market share and forecasting sales of new or improved products and services. In general, conjoint analysis follows a two-step process, i.e., (1) estimating utilities for varying levels of product features and (2) simulating marketplace preferences for established, improved, and/or new products. Conjoint analysis was introduced in the 1970s (Green and Rao 1971) and by 1980 had logged more than 1000 commercial applications (Cattin and Wittink 1982). During the 1980s usage increased tenfold (Wittink and Cattin 1989). Today it may be the most widely used quantitative product development tool in the U.S. and Europe (Wittink, Vriens, and Burhenne 1994).
Forward-backward multiplicity fluctuation and longitudinal harmonics in high-energy nuclear collisions

Abstract Forward-backward (FB) multiplicity fluctuation in high-energy nuclear collisions can be quantified by two-particle pseudo-rapidity correlation function and its expansion into Legendre polynomials. The corresponding coefficients represent different fluctuation modes in longitudinal direction. The leading term 〈 a 1 2 〉 corresponds to the asymmetry of numbers of the participants from the two colliding nuclei. This method is tested in events generated from AMPT and HIJING model. The a n signal are found to be strongly dampened in AMPT than in HIJIGN, due to weaker short-range correlaitons and final-state effects in AMPT. Two-particle correlation also reveals an intresting shallow minimum around Δ η ≈ 0 in AMPT events, which is absent in HIJING results. The method opens a new avenue to elucidate the particle production mechanism and early time dynamics in heavy-ion collisions.
CDC42 binds PAK4 via an extended GTPase-effector interface

The p21-activated kinase (PAK) group of serine/threonine kinases are downstream effectors of RHO GTPases and play important roles in regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, cell growth, survival, polarity, and development. Here we probe the interaction of the type II PAK, PAK4, with RHO GTPases. Using solution scattering we find that the full-length PAK4 heterodimer with CDC42 adopts primarily a compact organization. X-ray crystallography reveals the molecular nature of the interaction between PAK4 and CDC42 and shows that in addition to the canonical PAK4 CDC42/RAC interactive binding (CRIB) domain binding to CDC42 there are unexpected contacts involving the PAK4 kinase C-lobe, CDC42, and the PAK4 polybasic region. These additional interactions modulate kinase activity and increase the binding affinity of CDC42 for full-length PAK4 compared with the CRIB domain alone. We therefore show that the interaction of CDC42 with PAK4 can influence kinase activity in a previously unappreciated manner.
The association between e-cigarette use characteristics and combustible cigarette consumption and dependence symptoms: Results from a national longitudinal study.

Abstract Background Existing longitudinal surveys focused on the association between ever use of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarette consumption, making it difficult to infer what characteristics of e-cigarette use could potentially change combustible cigarette use behavior, which may have long-term health consequences. Although e-cigarettes' efficacy of alleviating dependence symptoms was supported by studies conducted in laboratory settings, whether the results can be translated into symptom reduction in the real world and over time is an open question. Methods This study conducted secondary analysis on the Waves 1-2 data of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study to examine the association between e-cigarette use characteristics (frequency, flavoring, and voltage adjustment) and combustible cigarette use outcomes (frequency, quantity, and symptoms), using the Heckman 2-step selection procedure with the selection bias controlled. The inclusion criteria ensured that we followed an adult cohort of exclusive combustible cigarette users at Wave 1. Results The result shows that higher frequency of e-cigarette use was associated with lower combustible cigarette consumption and dependence symptoms, controlling for the corresponding baseline cigarette use variable and other confounders. Given the frequency of e-cigarette use, the feature of voltage adjustment was not significantly associated with any of the cigarette use outcomes. Flavoring, on the other hand, was associated with lower quantity of cigarette use. Conclusions Exclusive smokers who start using e-cigarettes do indeed change the frequency and quantity with which they smoke cigarettes. E-cigarette use may also help reduce dependence symptoms.
Reliability Analysis of Repairable Systems With Incomplete Failure Time Data

Reliability analysis of repairable systems has been widely conducted based on collected information such as the systems’ failure counting processes. In many real-life situations, the failure counting processes may not be completely observed when some failure times are not recorded or missing due to various practical reasons. In the literature, only a limited number of reliability studies focus on missing failure time data for repairable systems with an assumption that the system repair is either perfect or minimal. When the repair effect is general as in many real-world situations, challenges arise for reliability analysis in that the observed and unobserved failure times are statistically dependent in a complex manner, and the time censoring problem becomes unconventional. In this paper, to overcome these challenges, we propose a reliability model for repairable systems with incomplete failure time data under general repair. The proposed model is suitable for modeling both a single system and multiple systems subject to failure heterogeneity. A maximum likelihood estimation method is developed to estimate the model parameters. Based on the proposed model, statistical inference of the missing times is developed. Simulation and real-life case studies are conducted to verify the developed methods.
Invertebrates in ornithogenic soils on Ross Island, Antarctica

A habitat suitability model developed for soil biotic communities in the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica predicts that soil moisture, organic carbon, and salinity exert control on the abundance and complexity of soil food chains. The model has been intensively tested in dry and carbon-poor soils of the Dry Valleys. To determine the influence of moisture and soil organic mater in wetter soils with high C content, invertebrates (nematodes, rotifers, and tardigrades) from soil samples collected in and near penguin rookeries on Ross Island (Cape Bird, Cape Crozier, and Cape Royds) were examined. Invertebrates were present in less than 50% of all collected soil samples. Although four nematode species were identified (Eudorylaimus antarcticus, Panagrolaimus davidi, Plectus antarcticus, Scottnema lindsayae), only populations of Panagrolaimus davidi were observed in soils collected from within penguin rookeries. Abundances of Panagrolaimus davidi and rotifers differed among rookeries, and year of sampling had a significant effect only on the populations of Panagrolaimus davidi. There were no temporal differences in soil moisture and soil chlorophyll a concentrations within each rookery or across rookeries. No invertebrates were correlated with soil moisture or chlorophyll a at the time of collection. Counter to our expectations, higher nutrient, organic matter, and moisture levels did not result in more abundant and diverse invertebrate communities in the rookery soils. It appears that excessive accumulations of nutrients, creating high soil salinity, may limit soil invertebrate presence within active rookeries.