cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of standard compressed video teleconference codecs in the transmission of medical image data

In this article we will describe the results of a study to determine the utility of compressed video techniques for medical diagnostic image consultation. This study was designed to assess the feasibility of decreasing bandwidth requirements from 90 megabits per second (Mbits/sec) to T-1 rates (1.5 Mbits/sec) using state-of-the-art coders/decoders with the most modern data compression algorithms. Vendors provided T-1, H.261 standard video codec devices which were CCITT Px64 compliant, with a selected data rate of 1.5 Mbit/sec and motion video resolution set to F-CIF at 30 frames/sec. The T-3 (45 Mbit/sec) codecs use pulse code modulation as the transmission format, with a line code format of B3ZS. The tests quantified the performance of the codecs by comparing the input test images to the output images after compression by the vendors' codecs. Evaluations were conducted utilizing common National Television Systems Committee industry performance standards, as well as the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Publican Recommended Practice (RP-133) for medical diagnostic imaging. Results indicated that the T-1 video codecs available at the time of the tests could not provide either the contrast or spatial resolution necessary for diagnostic medical image consultation.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Are your patients taking their medicine? Validation of a new adherence scale in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and comparison with physician perception of adherence.

Background: To date no adherence survey has been validated in IBD. The aim was to administer an improved medication adherence survey to IBD patients, to validate the scale in IBD, and to compare the results to perceived adherence by the gastroenterologists. Methods: IBD patients were given the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). To validate the scale, prescription claim information, calculated as continuous single-interval medication availability (CSA) and mean possession ratio (MPR), was correlated to the MMAS-8 scale. Nonpersistence or low adherence was defined as a CSA or MPR < 0.8. Treating gastroenterologists, blinded to the instrument, then assessed adherence in these patients. Results: Of 110 IBD patients in the study, MMAS-8 identified 54 patients as low adherers (LAs) to their IBD medication and 56 patients as medium or high adherers (MHAs). Eighty-five percent of LAs had nonpersistent fill rates, as per CSA, compared with 11% of MHAs. Physicians correctly classified 95% of patients who were MHAs but only 33% of LAs. Underestimation of adherence only occurred in 5% of patients, whereas overestimation occurred in 67% (P < 0.0001). In a linear regression analysis, CSA was significantly correlated with disease activity score (P < 0.001). Conclusions: LAs are a challenge to identify. This study demonstrates that the MMAS-8 scale is a valid instrument for assessing medication adherence in IBD. This is the first adherence scale to be validated in IBD. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011)
Fire-induced carbon emissions and regrowth uptake in western U.S. forests: Documenting variation across forest types, fire severity, and climate regions

The forest area in the western United States that burns annually is increasing with warmer temperatures, more frequent droughts, and higher fuel densities. Studies that examine fire effects for regional carbon balances have tended to either focus on individual fires as examples or adopt generalizations without considering how forest type, fire severity, and regional climate influence carbon legacies. This study provides a more detailed characterization of fire effects and quantifies the full carbon impacts in relation to direct emissions, slow release of fire-killed biomass, and net carbon uptake from forest regrowth. We find important variations in fire-induced mortality and combustion across carbon pools (leaf, live wood, dead wood, litter, and duff) and across low- to high-severity classes. This corresponds to fire-induced direct emissions from 1984 to 2008 averaging 4 TgC/yr and biomass killed averaging 10.5 TgC/yr, with average burn area of 2723 sq km/yr across the western United States. These direct emission and biomass killed rates were 1.4 and 3.7 times higher, respectively, for high-severity fires than those for low-severity fires. The results show that forest regrowth varies greatly by forest type and with severity and that these factors impose a sustained carbon uptake legacy. The western U.S. fires between 1984 and 2008 imposed a net source of 12.3 TgC/yr in 2008, accounting for both direct fire emissions (9.5 TgC/yr) and heterotrophic decomposition of fire-killed biomass (6.1 TgC yr1) as well as contemporary regrowth sinks (3.3 TgC/yr). A sizeable trend exists toward increasing emissions as a larger area burns annually.
The boston corpus of aphasic naming errors.

This report provides verbatim error responses to picture naming given by 30 aphasic patients (10 Broca's aphasics, 6 Wernicke's aphasics, 7 conduction aphasics, and 7 anomic aphasics). The error corpus is intended to supply a rich set of raw data for investigators interested in the characteristics of aphasic word-finding problems as well as those interested in general models of lexical retrieval.
Uniqueness of barbilian domains

W. Leissner has developed a plane geometry over any Z-ring R, in which a point is an element of R×R and a line is a set of the form {(x+ ra, y + rb):r ∈ R} where (x,y) ∈ R×R and (a,b) is from a “Barbilian domain”, i.e., a set of unimodular pairs from R×R satisfying certain axioms. In this note we generalize results of W. Benz guaranteeing the uniqueness of Barbilian domains over several classes of commutative rings. The author wishes to thank Gordon Keller and Douglas Costa for fruitful discussions, the referee for his improvements, and the University of Virginia for its hospitality while this work was done.
VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY AND CHEMISTRY BY PHOTOIONIZATION AND PHOTOELECTRON METHODS

The recent developments of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser and third generation synchrotron radiation sources, together with the introduction of pulsed field ionization (PFI) schemes for photoion-photoelectron detection, have had a profound impact on the field of VUV spectroscopy and chemistry. Owing to the mediation of near-resonant autoionizing states, rovibronic states of ions with negligible Franck-Condon factors for direct photoionization can be examined by VUV-PFI measurements with rotational resolutions. The VUV-PFI spectra thus obtained have provided definitive ionization energies (IEs) for many small molecules. The recent synchrotron-based PFI-photoelectron-photoion coincidence experiments have demonstrated that dissociative photoionization thresholds for a range of molecules can be determined to the same precision as in PFI-photoelectron measurements. Combining appropriate dissociation thresholds and IEs measured in PFI studies, thermochemical data for many neutrals and cations can be determined with unprecedented precision. The further development of two-color excitation-ionization schemes promises to expand the scope of spectroscopic and chemical applications using the photoionization-photoelectron method.
Effects of local autonomy of global concurrency control in heterogeneous distributed database systems

A heterogeneous distributed database system (HDDBS) is a system which integrates preexisting database systems to support global applications accessing more than one database. The difficulties and general approaches of global concurrency control in HDDBSs are studied. In particular, the author discusses the difficulties of maintaining global serializability in HDDBSs. The need for new strategies is established, and counterexamples to existing algorithms are given. An assumption usually made in addressing multidatabase systems is that the element databases are autonomous. The meaning of autonomy and its effects on designing global concurrency control algorithms are addressed. It is the goal of this study to motivate other researchers to realize the need for new correctness criteria by which concurrency control algorithms can be validated. >
Amisulpride for the treatment of very-late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis.

Background Although schizophrenia affects all age groups, late or very-late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis has not been well studied and various treatment issues remain unresolved. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of amisulpride monotherapy in a diagnostically homogeneous group of elderly patients without cognitive impairment suffering from very-late-onset schizophrenia. Methods Twenty-six patients of mean age 76.2 ± 5.8 years, fulfilling both the recent consensus criteria for very late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis and the DSM-IV-TR criteria for schizophrenia, were assessed by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Clinical Global Impression Scale and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale at baseline and five weeks following amisulpride (50–200 mg/day) administration; also, the presence of abnormal movements was evaluated with the Simpson-Angus Scale, the Barnes Akathisia Scale, and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. Results A highly significant (p < 0.001) improvement on all measures of psychotic symptomatology was observed in all patients. Amisulpride was very well tolerated by the patients and no clinically significant adverse effects were observed. Scores on all abnormal movement scales did not differ significantly prior to and after amisulpride treatment. Conclusion Preliminary results indicate that amisulpride appears to be an efficacious and safe atypical antipsychotic for the treatment of very-late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Team memory: information management for business teams

A need exists to organize, integrate, and annotate information generated by business teams. To investigate this domain, a prototype 'team memory' system has been developed based on prior theory in the domains of team and organizational memory, similar systems with related features, and data gathered from a case study of four longitudinal workgroups supported by an electronic collaboration system. This prototype provides a platform for information support during and between team collaboration tasks by enabling team members to access items such as team membership and member information, past meeting documentation, team work-in-progress, and miscellaneous electronically stored data related to team projects. It lays the groundwork for future research that can contribute to theory and knowledge in the domains of team and organizational memory. >
Changes in body mass, energy balance, physical function, and inflammatory state in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiation after low-dose induction chemotherapy.

Background. We aimed to determine changes in body mass and body composition in relation to energy balance, inflammatory state, and physical function before and after con- current chemoradiation (CCR). Methods. Seventeen patients with stage III and IVa head and neck cancer, aged 58.9 6 5.4 years, who had completed a 9-week regimen of low-dose induction chemotherapy came to the General Clinical Research Center pre- and post-CCR for measurement of body mass composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, resting energy expenditure (REE) by indirect calorimetry, physical performance (by Modified Baecke Ques- tionnaire and Reuben's Physical Performance Test), and func- tionality (Activities and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scores). Fasting venous samples were collected to determine C- reactive protein and cytokines interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10. Random 24-hour telephone diet recalls assessed energy intakes.
Effects of stallion seminal plasma on hydrogen peroxide release by leukocytes exposed to spermatozoa and bacteria

The ability of stallion seminal plasma to modify phagocytosis of spermatozoa and Streptococcus zooepidemicus was examined. Phagocytosis was monitored indirectly as the H2O2 produced by peripheral blood leukocytes after addition of spermatozoa or bacteria. Hydrogen peroxide production after addition of ejaculated spermatozoa was greater (P less than 0.01) than after addition of epididymal sperm. Furthermore, pre-incubation of epididymal sperm with 6.25-50% seminal plasma caused a dose-dependent increase in subsequent H2O2 production by leukocytes (P less than 0.05). In addition, equine serum was capable of opsonizing epididymal and ejaculated sperm. Seminal plasma also directly stimulated phagocyte function because leukocytes preincubated with 12.5% or 25% seminal plasma released more H2O2 after addition of S. zooepidemicus than control leukocytes (P less than 0.05). It is suggested that the opsonization of spermatozoa and the direct stimulation of phagocytes by seminal plasma may represent mechanisms for clearing spermatozoa and bacteria from the reproduction tract.
Contact lenses purchased over the Internet place individuals potentially at risk for harmful eye care practices

BACKGROUND: Individuals are increasingly purchasing contact lenses over the Internet. No studies exist regarding Internet purchase of contact lenses and eye care health practices. METHODS: One hundred fifty-one college students were surveyed regarding contact lenses purchase category (doctor’s office, store, Internet). Pearson chi-square analyses compared purchase category with responses regarding U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations for purchasing contact lenses online. Analysis of variance compared contact lenses purchase category with the Time Pressure Scale (TPS). Also, correlation analyses compared the TPS with Internet eye-health statements. RESULTS: Contact lens purchase categories included doctor’s office (43.0%), store (55.0%), and Internet (22.5%), with individuals purchasing at multiple venues. With regard to the FDA recommendations, those who purchased contact lenses at a doctor’s office more often adhered to the recommendations, whereas those who purchased contact lenses at a store or the Internet did so less often. Those who purchased contact lenses over the Internet had significantly higher TPS scores. In addition, higher TPS scores were significantly correlated with various statements regarding the Internet. CONCLUSIONS: Those who purchase contact lenses via the Internet or store do not follow a number of FDA contact lenses recommendations. Also, those with higher TPS scores trust possible non-evidence‐ based contact lenses Internet information. Implications with regard to the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act are discussed. Optometry 2008;79:23-35
VISUAL OPTIMIZATION OF DCT QUANTIZATION MATRICES FOR INDIVIDUAL IMAGES

Many image compression standards (JPEG, MPEG, H.261) are based on the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). However, these standards do not specify the actual DCT quantization matrix. We have previously provided mathematical formulae to compute a perceptually lossless quantization matrix. Here I show how to compute a matrix that is optimized for a particular image. The method treats each DCT coefficient as an approximation to the local response of a visual 'channel'. For a given quantization matrix, the DCT quantization errors are adjusted by contrast sensitivity, light adaptation, and contrast masking, and are pooled non-linearly over the blocks of the image. This yields an 8x8 'perceptual error matrix'. A second non-linear pooling over the perceptual error matrix yields total perceptual error. With this model we may estimate the quantization matrix for a particular image that yields minimum bit rate for a given total perceptual error, or minimum perceptual error for a given bit rate. Custom matrices for a number of images show clear improvement over image-independent matrices. Custom matrices are compatible with the JPEG standard, which requires transmission of the quantization matrix.
Distributed Bayesian object recognition

A new paradigm for performing realistic object recognition is presented. It is shown how several intuitive notions in the context of geometric hashing can be translated into a well-founded Bayesian approach to object recognition. This interpretation leads to well-justified formulas and gives a precise weighted-voting method for the evidence-gathering phase of geometric hashing. A computational model for performing object recognition in a distributed fashion is described. The validity of the authors' paradigm is demonstrated by presenting a prototype system that has been implemented on a small cluster of nondedicated workstations. The resulting system is scalable and can recognize models subjected to 2-D rotation, translation and scale changes in real-world digital imagery. The performance of the system is superior by a factor of 2 to that obtained for a similar system on the Connection Machine-2 (CM-2). >
A Series of Papers on Fluid-Mineral Equilibrium Applied to Mineral Deposits: Preface

The four papers that follow this brief introduction are examples of fluid-mineral equilibrium geochemistry and chemical mass transfer as it is applied to mineral deposits, a field pioneered by the late Harold (Hal) C. Helgeson (November 13, 1931–May 28, 2007). Although Helgeson is best known as a geochemist, he started his career as an economic geologist and it could be said that his time in the mines shaped his later geochemical contributions to the general field of economic geology. Hal was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After completing a degree in geology at Michigan State University, he worked for a year as an exploration geologist for Technical Mine Consultants in Athabasca, Saskatchewan, and at Blind River, Ontario (1953–1954). He then served two years during the Korean War as a photo-radar intelligence officer in the 497th Recon. Tech. Squadron of the U.S. Air Force in Wiesbaden, Germany. After his military service he spent four years as a mining and exploration geologist for Anglo-American …
Pediatric splanchnic arterial occlusive disease: Clinical relevance and operative treatment

Abstract Objective: Splanchnic arterial occlusive disease is rare in childhood. The purpose of this study was to review the clinical relevance and operative treatment of these lesions in a unique experience from a single institution. Methods: Seventeen children (11 boys and 6 girls) from 2 years to 17 years in age with critical narrowings of the celiac artery (CA) and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) underwent treatment at the University of Michigan from 1974 to 2000. Etiologic factors included embryologic fusion abnormalities of the fetal aortae during formation of the splanchnic arteries (n = 15), inflammatory aortoarteritis (n = 1), and radiation-induced arterial fibrosis (n = 1). Individual lesions included CA occlusions (n = 6) and stenoses (n = 7), SMA occlusions (n = 3) and stenoses (n = 11), and inferior mesenteric artery stenosis (n = 1). Fourteen children had abdominal aortic coarctations, and 15 had renal artery stenoses. Two patients had postprandial abdominal discomfort and food aversion, consistent with intestinal angina. Small stature affected five others, perhaps attributable to severe renovascular hypertension and failure to thrive. Ten children underwent intestinal revascularization, at the time of an aortoplasty or thoracoabdominal bypass for aortic coarctation (n = 7) or at the time of renal artery revascularization (n = 8). Primary splanchnic revascularization procedures included SMA-aortic implantation (n = 3), aorto-SMA and CA bypass with an internal iliac artery graft (n = 3) or a saphenous vein graft (n = 1), CA-aortic implantation at a stenotic SMA origin (n = 2), and CA and SMA intimectomy (n = 1). Secondary operations included SMA-aortic implantation (n = 2). Results: All 10 children who underwent splanchnic revascularization have thrived, gained weight, and are free of abdominal pain, with follow-up periods averaging 9 years. No intestinal ischemic manifestations occurred in the seven children who did not undergo operation. Conclusion: Pediatric splanchnic arterial occlusive disease is a rare illness appropriately treated with operation in properly selected children. (J Vasc Surg 2002;35:860-7.)
Disruption of P450-mediated vitamin E hydroxylase activities alters vitamin E status in tocopherol supplemented mice and reveals extra-hepatic vitamin E metabolism

The widely conserved preferential accumulation of α-tocopherol (α-TOH) in tissues occurs, in part, from selective postabsorptive catabolism of non-α-TOH forms via the vitamin E-ω-oxidation pathway. We previously showed that global disruption of CYP4F14, the major but not the only mouse TOH-ω-hydroxylase, resulted in hyper-accumulation of γ-TOH in mice fed a soybean oil diet. In the current study, supplementation of Cyp4f14−/− mice with high levels of δ- and γ-TOH exacerbated tissue enrichment of these forms of vitamin E. However, at high dietary levels of TOH, mechanisms other than ω-hydroxylation dominate in resisting diet-induced accumulation of non-α-TOH. These include TOH metabolism via ω-1/ω-2 oxidation and fecal elimination of unmetabolized TOH. The ω-1 and ω-2 fecal metabolites of γ- and α-TOH were observed in human fecal material. Mice lacking all liver microsomal CYP activity due to disruption of cytochrome P450 reductase revealed the presence of extra-hepatic ω-, ω-1, and ω-2 TOH hydroxylase activities. TOH-ω-hydroxylase activity was exhibited by microsomes from mouse and human small intestine; murine activity was entirely due to CYP4F14. These findings shed new light on the role of TOH-ω-hydroxylase activity and other mechanisms in resisting diet-induced accumulation of tissue TOH and further characterize vitamin E metabolism in mice and humans.
Cerebral edema in a patient following cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraoperative intraperitoneal chemoperfusion

Background Cytoreductive surgery and intraoperative, intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemoperfusion (HIPEC) is increasingly used to treat peritoneal surface metastases. We describe a fatal case of cerebral edema in a patient with appendiceal carcinoma and an underlying seizure disorder who underwent cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC.
Stepanov-like almost automorphic functions and applications to some semilinear equations

This article is concerned with the existence and uniqueness of an almost automorphic solution to the semilinear equation where is the infinitesimal generator of an exponentially stable C 0-semigroup on a Banach space and is Sp -almost automorphic for p > 1 and jointly continuous.
Cyproheptadine-Induced Acute Liver Failure

We present the case of a 55-year-old white female with no history of liver or gastrointestinal disease, admitted with acute liver failure following a trial of cyproheptadine for appetite stimulation. The patient was managed with supportive care, symptomatic treatment, and discontinuation of cyproheptadine. To our knowledge, this is the first described case of cyproheptadine-induced acute liver failure in over 20 years.
Understanding the population genetic structure of Gleditsia triacanthos L.: seed dispersal and variation in female reproductive success

Fine-scale genetic structuring is influenced by a variety of ecological factors and can directly affect the evolutionary dynamics of plant populations by influencing effective population size and patterns of viability selection. In many plant species, genetic structuring within populations may result from highly localized patterns of seed dispersal around maternal plants or by the correlated dispersal and recruitment of siblings from the same fruit. This fine-scale genetic structuring may be enhanced if female parents vary significantly in their reproductive success. To test these hypotheses, we used genetic data from 17 allozyme loci and a maximum-likelihood, ‘maternity-analysis’ model to estimate individual female fertilities for maternal trees across a large number of naturally established seedlings and saplings in two populations of Gleditsia triacanthos L. (Leguminosae). Maximum-likelihood fertility estimates showed that the three highest fertility females accounted for 58% of the 313 progeny at the first site and 46% of the 651 progeny at the second site, whereas 18 of 35 and 16 of 34 females, respectively, had fertility estimates that did not exceed 1%. Additional analyses of the second site found individual female fertility to vary significantly both within and among juvenile age classes. Female fertility at the first site was weakly correlated with maternal tree size and spatial location relative to the open, old-field portions of the population, where the great majority of seedlings and saplings were growing, but no such correlations were found at the second site. Estimates of realized seed dispersal distances indicated that dispersal was highly localized at the first site, but was nearly random at the second site, possibly reflecting differences between the two sites in the behaviour of animal dispersers. The combined estimates of seed dispersal patterns and fertility variation are sufficient to explain previously described patterns of significant fine-scale spatial genetic structure in these two populations. In general, our results demonstrate that effective seed dispersal distributions may vary significantly from population to population of a species due to the unpredictable behaviour of secondary dispersers. Consequently, the effects of seed dispersal on realized fine-scale genetic structure may also be relatively unpredictable.
Fabrication of Feedthrough Atom Trapping Chips for Atomic Optics

We present a novel fabrication process for feedthrough atom trapping chips, which are used in atomic condensate optics. Copper electroplating is employed to vacuum seal the chip-through vias. The advantages of using feedthrough atom trapping chips are the simple microfabrication process and reduction of the overall chip area bonded to the glass atom trapping cell. The results demonstrate that current can be conducted through the vias while the vacuum can also be held under 1times10-9 torr.
Salt Gland Function in the Green Sea Turtle Chelonia Mydas

When salt-gland-cannulated green sea turtles were stimulated by the intravenous injection of various salt loads the secretion osmolality rose quickly from a basal value of 300–400 mosmol kg−1 to a plateau of 1680–2000. The height of the plateau and the duration of the response were dependent on the amount of salt given. An increase in flow rate accompanied the initial rise in concentration, but the flow rate thereafter declined while the plateau concentration was held. The fluid was protein-free, and was mainly composed of Na+ and Cl−, in similar relative concentrations to those in sea water, but had substantial amounts of K+, Mg2+ and HCO3− and negligible amounts of glucose. Urea concentrations did not change with osmolarity, and were similar to that of plasma, suggesting that the walls of the salt gland ducts are permeable to urea. The composition of the tearswas uninfluenced by the concentration of the injected solutions, and its ionic content did not directly depend upon the identity of the added salts. The two eyes of individual turtles frequently did not function in synchrony. The average amount of the salt load remaining in a turtle at the end of salt gland activity, 4.5 mmol ion kg body mass−1, was very similar to the median load required to stimulate the salt gland (4.0 mmol ion kg body mass−1). This suggests that there is a threshold salt load level of around 4–5 mmol ion kg body mass−1 that determines salt gland on/off activity. The flow/concentration relationships of the salt gland fluid are consistent with water reabsorption from a primary isosmotic secretion being the major mechanism for concentrating the tears. A high maximal secretory rate is indicated for theprimary fluid, 0.32 ml g salt gland−1min−1, equivalent to that of the mammalian kidney. Calculations suggest that 83% of the initial fluid is recovered, Na+ is passively concentrated, Cl− and Mg2+ concentrations are enhanced, and that the duct walls are either impermeable to glucose or that glucose is actively taken up.
Evidence of evidence is evidence (trivially)

Richard Feldman (2007, 2011) has proposed and defended different versions of a principle about evidence. In slogan form, the principle holds that ‘evidence of evidence is evidence’. Recently, Branden Fitelson (2012) has argued that Feldman’s preferred rendition of the principle falls pray to a counterexample related to the non-transitivity of the evidence-for relation. Feldman (2014) replies arguing that Fitelson’s case does not really represent a counterexample to the principle. In this note, we argue that Feldman’s principle is trivially true
Comparison of renal actions of urodilatin and atrial natriuretic peptide.

A 32-amino acid atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)-like peptide, putatively synthesized by the kidney, has recently been isolated from human urine. This peptide, urodilatin (Uro), is structurally sim...
Fluid, Imaging, and Cognitive Biomarkers

Biomarkers are measurable indicators of the presence or severity of underlying disease pathology. Ideal biomarkers for detection of preclinical disease should have high sensitivity and specificity long before the first symptoms appear. Present markers that fulfill these requirements include cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) assays of Aβ 1–42 and tau, PET scans for detecting aggregated Aβ, and atrophy of key brain regions affected early in Alzheimer’s. CSF Aβ 1–42 , total, and p -tau as well as the ratio of tau to Aβ 1–42 provide sensitive and specific identification of pathology up to 15 years prior to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis. Plasma Aβ and tau are more unreliable in predicting AD. However, as part of a larger marker panel, they could be helpful in predicting future AD in studies in which CSF and PET-scan studies are not practical. Hippocampal volume has been shown to be strongly related to the severity of AD neuropathology and is as sensitive and specific as CSF markers for future prediction of AD. Reliable differences in hippocampal volume are apparent 15 years before AD diagnosis. Fibrillary amyloid PET has high sensitivity and specificity for neuritic plaques and is useful for detection of AD 15 years prior to diagnosis. However, the development of specific tracers for Aβ oligomers could lead to earlier detection. PET imaging of pathologic tau, while still under development, could be useful in early identification of individuals at risk for AD. Fluorodeoxyglucose PET reflects synaptic activity and appears to change around 10 years prior to diagnosis. Despite the general consensus that impairment in delayed memory is the first cognitive sign of AD, longitudinal studies show impairments in verbal fluency and other tests much earlier. Because of low specificity, cognitive measures by themselves are unlikely to provide reliable prediction in individuals. Combinations of biomarkers, especially combinations that include APOE, are likely to provide the best predictors of risk in individuals.
Predicting User Participation and Detecting User Role Diffusion in Online Health Communities

Nowadays, healthcare issues draw people's attention globally. According to the report by the Pew Research Center [1], 35% of U.S. Adults have gone online particularly for information related to medical conditions. Besides getting information from healthcare professionals and friends, 24% of adults also sought information or support from peers who have the same health condition. A major venue where people find such peers is Online Health Communities (OHCs), such as "Patientslikeme.com". Compared with traditional health-related websites that only allow users to retrieve information, OHCs increased members' ability to interact with peers facing similar health problems and, as a result, better meet their needs for social support. Literatures on social support suggest that OHCs mainly feature three types of social support: informational support, emotional support, and companionship (a.k.a., Network support) [2]. As social support is a pillar of OHCs, a natural question to ask would be: when it comes to users' participations, are a user's online activities in different types of social support related to her/his participation in an OHC? If so, can we predict whether a user will churn from an OHC based on these social support activities? Despite the large amount of research on social support in OHCs, few studies have answered this question systematically by examining users' seeking, receiving, and provision of various types of social support from large-scale datasets. In 2012, Wang [3] suggested that receiving more emotional support is associated with users' longer stay in an OHC. However, the types of social support investigated were limited and only the receiving of support was considered, while that providing social support is also important and beneficial. Analyzing large-scale data from an OHC, we combined various data analytics techniques, including text mining, survival analysis, and predictive modelling. We found that receiving more emotional support or contributing more companionship are positively correlated with users' longer involvement in OHCs. Our research described as well as predicted users' participation in OHCs from the perspective of online social support. At the same time, we identified several roles of users in an OHC and suggested that overall those who only seek social support are more likely to leave (i.e., "churn" from) an OHC. By analyzing their monthly behaviors in social support, we found that users' roles evolve over time. Moreover, we also found evidence for the diffusion of roles in the OHC social network -- a user tends to adopt the role that many of her network neighbors take. This is the first study to show that user roles related to social support are in fact "contagious" via social ties. The outcome of this research has implications for building and sustaining an active OHC.
A Method for the Experimental Production of Brain Abscess

Conclusions1. A method for the production of experimental brain abscess is reported which will permit the evaluation of chemotherapy and various surgical procedures in the treatment of this lesion. 2. Such abscesses have the gross and microscopic pathological picture of brain abscess from other causes.
Some Questions about Explanation

As Mancur Olson mentions in his Acknowledgements, his book has already been criticized over a number of years by a vast number of people. In his first chapter he refers to Sherlock Holmes's comment about the 'curious incident' of the dog that didn't bark (a reference to which I shall return later). Reviewing the final product of so much criticism, however, reminds me of another incident in the Canon, the dramatic first meeting of Holmes and Moriarty. As Holmes recounts the story to Watson, the conversation ran as follows: 'You evidently don't know me,' said he. 'On the contrary,' I answered, 'I think it is fairly evident that I do. Pray take a
Perceptions of Skill Development of Participants in Three National Career Development Programs For Women Faculty in Academic Medicine

PurposeThe Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and Drexel University College of Medicine have designed and implemented national career development programs (CDPs) to help women faculty acquire and strengthen skills needed for success in academic medicine. The authors hypothesized that sk
Styrenic DABCO salt-containing monomers for the synthesis of novel charged polymers

A facile, two-step synthesis afforded styrenic DABCO salt monomers bearing two cyclic quaternary ammonium cations. Free radical polymerization of the DABCO salt monomers yielded homopolymers and copolymers with n-butyl acrylate. DABCO salt-containing ionomers exhibited superior thermomechanical properties with extended plateau regimes compared to ionomers bearing singly-charged pendant groups.
Frigate: A Validated, Extensible, and Efficient Compiler and Interpreter for Secure Computation

Recent developments in secure computation have led to significant improvementsin efficiency and functionality. These efforts created compilers that form thebackbone of practical secure computation research. Unfortunately, many of theartifacts that are being used to demonstrate new research for secure computationare incomplete, incorrect, or unstable, leading to demonstrably erroneousresults and inefficiencies - extending even to the most recently developedcompiler systems. This is a problem because it hampers research and underminesfeasibility tests when other researchers attempt to use these tools. We addressthese problems and present Frigate, a principled compiler and fast circuitinterpreter for secure computation. To ensure correctness we apply bestpractices for compiler design and development, including the use of standarddata structures, helpful negative results, and structured validation testing. Our systematic validation tests include checks on the internal compiler state, combinations of operators, and edge cases based on widely used techniques anderrors we have observed in other work. This produces a compiler that buildscorrect circuits, is efficient and extensible. Frigate creates circuits withgate counts comparable to previous work, but does so with compile time speedupsas high as 447x compared with the best results from previous work in circuit compilers. By creating avalidated tool, our compiler will allow future secure computationimplementations to be developed quickly and correctly.
Raman scattering studies of tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cells: a carcinogenesis model

Analysis of Raman spectra from a pair of tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cells suspended in phosphate buffered saline will be presented. This system allows examination of cellular changes associated strictly with carcinogenesis without interfering factors.
Controversies in Blount’s Disease

Since the description of childhood (“infantile”) and adolescent idiopathic (usually) progressive varus deformity of the proximal tibia by Blount (J Bone Joint Surg. 29:1–29, 1937) and Langenskiold (Acta Chir Scand. 103(1):1–22, 1952), relatively little progress has been made to understand the etiology of either condition. Although both forms are often referred to as (infantile and adolescent) Blount’s disease, the conditions share little except for varus deformity of the proximal tibia. Radiographic appearance, the extent of epiphyseal and physeal distortion, secondary and adaptive radiographic deformities, short- and long-term natural history, and conservative and surgical treatment options may differ distinctly between the two conditions. The one current clinical feature that they often share is patient obesity, which complicates treatment, if not actually causes or accelerates the primary deformity.
Spatio-Temporal Mapping and the Enteric Nervous System.

Study of the enteric nervous system (ENS) is somewhat less glamorous than other body systems but offers a unique opportunity to study the sensory, interneuronal and motor outputs of a highly developed neural network in the same tissue. This has not been a trivial task, and even after a century, we still struggle to understand both the simple (e.g. reflexes) and complex (e.g. MMCs) behaviors the gut produces. On top of that, other control networks (such as ICC) that are integrated with ENS at varying levels, can modify ENS activity directly or indirectly. While many of the methods used to study the ENS were originally developed in other systems (e.g. brain/heart), a few were spawned “in the offal” so to speak, due to the unique characteristics of the gut. The brief perspective below outlines how spatio-temporal maps (ST Maps) originated and continue to flourish in GI research as a tool to describe and analyze the complexity of GI movements.
Motivation in a Social Context: Coordinating Personal and Shared Goal Pursuits With Others

Abstract This article reviews research on motivation in a social context. We first explore pursuit of personal goals and how information on others, as well as the presence of others, influences motivation. We next explore pursuit of group goals, including pursuit of goals alone for the self and others, and pursuit of shared goals together with others. Across these various domains, we identify coordination as the underlying principle for pursuing goals in a social context. We show that individuals' tendency to coordinate their actions with others leads to a variety of phenomena, including conformity, divergence, shared reality, jointly maximizing choice, and highlighting versus balancing group actions. We further show that coordination increases with interpersonal closeness but is not limited to close friends.
What we know about TMEM106B in neurodegeneration

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 50,000 people in the United States alone. The most common pathological subtype of FTLD is the presence of ubiquitinated TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) accumulations in frontal and temporal brain regions at autopsy. While some cases of FTLD-TDP can be attributed to the inheritance of disease-causing mutations, the majority of cases arise with no known genetic cause. In 2010, the first genome-wide association study was conducted in patients with FTLD-TDP to determine potential genetic risk factors for this homogenous subgroup of dementia patients, leading to the identification of the TMEM106B locus on chromosome 7. In this manuscript, we review the initial discovery and replication studies describing TMEM106B variants as disease risk factors and modifiers in TDP-43 proteinopathies, such as FTLD-TDP caused by progranulin (GRN) or chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) mutations, as well as Alzheimer's disease and hippocampal sclerosis. We further summarize what is currently known about the previously uncharacterized TMEM106B protein and its role as a potential regulator of lysosomal function, and we discuss how modifying TMEM106B levels might uncover promising therapeutic strategies for individuals suffering from TDP-43 proteinopathy.
Cognitive Illusions and Nonrealism: Objections and Replies

I adopt an agnostic position concerning scientific realism, partly for historicist reasons. In work more fully developed elsewhere, I suggest that cognitive illusions (e.g., the flat future or end-of-history illusion, the maturity illusion, the fish-in-water illusion), often involving insensitivity to past and future history, make realism look more plausible than it is. Strong realists, in effect, claim to be able to foretell the future in denying that there will be either revolutionary or long-term evolutionary change in mature theoretical sciences—no matter how far into the future we go. Most of this chapter is devoted to answering selected objections to the agnostic position. All research tools available to realists are also available to pragmatists, and, contrary to common perception, pragmatists can be tougher minded than strong realists.
Unpacking Environmental Dynamism: From Operationalization to Characterization

The level of dynamism within environments differs across time and across industries. These differences present firms simultaneously with problems and opportunities, and managers must learn how to r...
Animating a Postmodern Ramayana: Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues

(2009). Animating a Postmodern Ramayana: Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues. South Asian Review: Vol. 30, 'Theorizing Religion in a Postmodern Context'. Guest Edited by John Hawley, pp. 167-180.
Large-scale experimental removal of non-native slider turtles has unexpected consequences on basking behavior for both conspecifics and a native, threatened turtle

The red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans; RES) is one of the worlds most invasive species. Native to the central United States, RES are now widely established in freshwater habitats across the globe, largely due to release of unwanted pets. Laboratory and mesocosm experiments suggest that introduced RES are competitively dominant to native turtles, but such competition remains untested in the wild. Here, we experimentally removed introduced RES to test whether they compete for critical basking habitat with native, threatened western pond turtles (Emys marmorata; WPT), a species being considered for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Following removal, we found that both the remaining RES as well as WPT altered their basking distribution but in a manner inconsistent with strong interspecific competition. However, these findings suggest strong intraspecific competition for basking sites amongst RES and that interspecific competition between WPT and introduced RES likely occurs at higher RES densities. Our works suggests RES influence the behavior of native species in the wild and indicates that RES removal may be most beneficial at high RES densities. This experiment highlights the importance of considering experimental venue when evaluating competition between native and non-native species and should encourage conservation biologists to treat removal efforts as experiments.
Sexual Orientation Group Differences in Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms Among Young Adults in the United States.

Abstract Purpose: Overall, sexual minorities have poorer mental health than heterosexual individuals, and stress is thought to underlie such disparities. However, sexual minorities include both tho...
Inquiry Classroom Patterns of Student Cognitive Engagement: An Analysis Using Growth Curve Modeling

Educational research continues to reiterate the need for inquiry-based instruction in secondary science. However, the patterns of how teachers implement inquiry-based pedagogy have not been thoroug...
Protecting Single Shingled Write Drives Against Latent Sector Failures

The recently introduced shingled write technology is necessary for reaching drive capacities of 10 TB, but no longer allows blocks to be updated in place. This inconvenience however simplifies the use of intra-disk redundancy to protect disks against latent sector failures, necessary when the disk drive does not form part of a larger ensemble. Latent disk sector errors usually befall single disk blocks and are only discovered when repeated attempts to read the block have failed. It is known that they afflict a sizable portion of modern disks. Because of the nature of shingled writing, content is written to disks in large contiguous bands. Redundant information can be calculated over large segments of each band and embedded as parity blocks into the segment. We investigate strategies for generating redundant information, evaluate various codes using distributions of latent sector locations obtained by Schroeder and colleagues, and propose a simple pyramid code that combines easy creation and easy recovery of unreadable blocks with low storage overhead and good protection.
Packaging Hall Effect Devices

In order to share in today’s tributes to Doctor Edwin Hall, I would like to tell you about some practical applications that one company has derived from his discovery. The company is my employer, MICRO SWITCH, a Honeywell division.