cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anomaly Mining - Past, Present and Future

Anomaly mining finds high-stakes applications in various real-world domains such as cybersecurity, finance, environmental monitoring, to name a few. Therefore, it has been studied widely and a large body of detection techniques exists [1]. Today, many real-world settings necessitate detection at speed for streaming/evolving data, and/or detection at scale for massive datasets stored in a distributed environment [2]. Despite the plethora of detection algorithms, selecting an algorithm to use on a new task as well as setting the values for its hyperparameter(s), known as the model selection problem, is an open challenge for unsupervised anomaly detection. This issue is only to be exacerbated with the recent advent of detectors based on deep neural networks that exhibit a long list of hyperparameters. The challenge stems from two main factors: the lack of labeled data and the lack of a widely accepted anomaly loss function. Toward automation, one can explore internal evaluation strategies [3], or capitalize on the experience from historical detection tasks through meta-learning [4]. However, the problem remains far from solved. In deployment, many real-world use cases of anomaly detection require the flagged anomalies from a detector to be screened or audited by a human expert, typically for vetting purposes, where taking automatic actions can be costly (e.g. directly charging a flagged medical provider with fraud). While a vast majority of the literature focuses on novel detection algorithms, as humans are often involved with(in) the process, anomaly mining also concerns various human-centric problems that are beyond mere detection, namely explanation [5, 6], human interaction [7], and fairness [8]. These aspects of the field are under-studied and pose many open challenges.
Machine learning assisted quantum super-resolution microscopy

A machine learning assisted framework significantly speeds up image acquisition in super-resolution microscopy based on photon antibunching. The technique is compatible with a CW excitation regime and applicable to a wide range of quantum emitters.
Uniform boundary controllability and homogenization of wave equations

We obtain sharp convergence rates, using Dirichlet correctors, for solutions of wave equations in a bounded domain with rapidly oscillating periodic coefficients. The results are used to prove the exact boundary controllability that is uniform in $\e$ - the scale of the microstructure, for the projection of solutions to the subspace generated by the eigenfunctions with eigenvalues less that $C\e^{-2/3}$.
Lannes's $T$-functor and equivariant Chow rings

For X a smooth scheme acted on by a linear algebraic group G and p a prime, the equivariant Chow ring CHG∗(X)⊗𝔽p is an unstable algebra over the Steenrod algebra. We compute Lannes’s T –functor applied to CHG∗(X)⊗𝔽p. As an application, we compute the localization of CHG∗(X)⊗𝔽p away from n–nilpotent modules over the Steenrod algebra, affirming a conjecture of Totaro as a special case. The case when X is a point and n=1 generalizes and recovers an algebrogeometric version of Quillen’s stratification theorem proved by Yagita and Totaro.
Smoothly bounded domains covering finite volume manifolds

In this paper we prove: if a bounded domain with $C^2$ boundary covers a manifold which has finite volume with respect to either the Bergman volume, the Kahler–Einstein volume, or the Kobayashi–Eisenman volume, then the domain is biholomorphic to the unit ball. This answers a question attributed to Yau. Further, when the domain is convex we can assume that the boundary only has $C^{1,\epsilon}$ regularity.
Radius and Mass Distribution of Ultra-short-period Planets

Ultra-short period (USP) planets are an enigmatic subset of exoplanets defined by having orbital periods $ $ 10 $R_{\oplus}$). Several theories attempt to explain the formation and composition of USP planets: they could be remnant cores of larger gas giants that lost their atmospheres due to photo-evaporation or Roche lobe overflow, or they could have developed through mass accretion in the innermost part of the protoplanetary disk. The radius and mass distribution of USP planets could provide important clues to distinguish between potential formation mechanisms. In this study, we first verify and update the Kepler catalog of USP planet host star properties, incorporating new data collected by the Gaia mission where applicable. We then use the transit depths measured by Kepler to derive a radius distribution and present occurrence rates for USP planets. Using spherical and tidally distorted planet models, we then derive a mass distribution for USP planets. Comparisons between the updated USP planet mass distribution and simulated planetary systems offer further insights into the formation and evolutionary processes shaping USP planet populations.
SAGE: A Split-Architecture Methodology for Efficient End-to-End Autonomous Vehicle Control

Autonomous vehicles (AV) are expected to revolutionize transportation and improve road safety significantly. However, these benefits do not come without cost; AVs require large Deep-Learning (DL) models and powerful hardware platforms to operate reliably in real-time, requiring between several hundred watts to one kilowatt of power. This power consumption can dramatically reduce vehicles’ driving range and affect emissions. To address this problem, we propose SAGE: a methodology for selectively offloading the key energy-consuming modules of DL architectures to the cloud to optimize edge, energy usage while meeting real-time latency constraints. Furthermore, we leverage Head Network Distillation (HND) to introduce efficient bottlenecks within the DL architecture in order to minimize the network overhead costs of offloading with almost no degradation in the model’s performance. We evaluate SAGE using an Nvidia Jetson TX2 and an industry-standard Nvidia Drive PX2 as the AV edge, devices and demonstrate that our offloading strategy is practical for a wide range of DL models and internet connection bandwidths on 3G, 4G LTE, and WiFi technologies. Compared to edge-only computation, SAGE reduces energy consumption by an average of 36.13%, 47.07%, and 55.66% for an AV with one low-resolution camera, one high-resolution camera, and three high-resolution cameras, respectively. SAGE also reduces upload data size by up to 98.40% compared to direct camera offloading.
SA-GAN: Structure-Aware GAN for Organ-Preserving Synthetic CT Generation.

In medical image synthesis, model training could be challenging due to the inconsistencies between images of different modalities even with the same patient, typically caused by internal status/tissue changes as different modalities are usually obtained at a different time. This paper proposes a novel deep learning method, Structure-aware Generative Adversarial Network (SA-GAN), that preserves the shapes and locations of in-consistent structures when generating medical images. SA-GAN is employed to generate synthetic computed tomography (synCT) images from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with two parallel streams: the global stream translates the input from the MRI to the CT domain while the local stream automatically segments the inconsistent organs, maintains their locations and shapes in MRI, and translates the organ intensities to CT. Through extensive experiments on a pelvic dataset, we demonstrate that SA-GAN provides clinically acceptable accuracy on both synCTs and organ segmentation and supports MR-only treatment planning in disease sites with internal organ status changes.
Analysis of a three-dimensional slip field in a hexagonal Ti alloy from in-situ high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy data

Abstract Here we analyze a three-dimensional distribution of crystallographic slip measured in-situ during the uniaxial deformation of hexagonal Ti-7Al. The slip field is reconstructed using a novel methodology that combines spatially resolved lattice orientation fields and grain-averaged stresses measured using high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy (HEDM) with crystal plasticity. Analysis is performed to explore lattice orientation dependence, stress dependence, and connectivity (network relationships) of grains experiencing elevated amounts of slip. Elevated slip is found to be primarily associated with a single large network of connected grains, and within this network, a clustered group of grains oriented favorably for slip are found to have outsized structural importance. The effect of different slip system strengths and rate sensitivities of families of slip systems on reconstructed slip activity is also discussed.
Credibility Enhanced Temporal Graph Convolutional Network Based Sybil Attack Detection On Edge Computing Servers

The emerging vehicular edge computing (VEC) technology has the potential to bring revolutionary development to vehicular ad hoc network (VANET). However, the edge computing servers (ECSs) are subjected to a variety of security threats. One of the most dangerous types of security attacks is the Sybil attack, which can create fabricated virtual vehicles (called Sybil vehicles) to significantly overload ECSs' limited computation resources and thus disrupt legitimate vehicles' edge computing applications. In this paper, we present a novel Sybil attack detection system on ECSs that is based on the design of a credibility enhanced temporal graph convolutional network. Our approach can identify the malicious vehicles in a dynamic traffic environment while preserving the legitimate vehicles' privacy, particularly their local position information. We evaluate our proposed approach in the SUMO simulator. The results demonstrate that our proposed detection system can accurately identify most Sybil vehicles while maintaining a low error rate.
The Case of Dixon v. Alabama: From Civil Rights to Students’ Rights and Back Again:

Background/ContextLegal scholars have cited the Fifth Circuit's ruling in Dixon v. Alabama State Board of Education (1961) as the beginning of a revolution for students’ rights that ended the in lo...
Diffusion spreadability as a probe of the microstructure of complex media across length scales

Understanding time-dependent diffusion processes in multiphase media is of great importance in physics, chemistry, materials science, petroleum engineering, and biology. Consider the time-dependent problem of mass transfer of a solute between two phases and assume that the solute is initially distributed in one phase (phase 2) and absent from the other (phase 1). We desire the fraction of total solute present in phase 1 as a function of time, $\mathcal{S}(t)$, which we call the spreadability, since it is a measure of the spreadability of diffusion information as a function of time. We derive exact direct-space formulas for $\mathcal{S}(t)$ in any Euclidean space dimension $d$ in terms of the autocovariance function as well as corresponding Fourier representations of $\mathcal{S}(t)$ in terms of the spectral density, which are especially useful when scattering information is available experimentally or theoretically. These are singular results because they are rare examples of mass transport problems where exact solutions are possible. We derive closed-form general formulas for the short- and long-time behaviors of the spreadability in terms of crucial small- and large-scale microstructural information, respectively. The long-time behavior of $\mathcal{S}(t)$ enables one to distinguish the entire spectrum of microstructures that span from hyperuniform to nonhyperuniform media. For hyperuniform media, disordered or not, we show that the ``excess'' spreadability, $\mathcal{S}(\ensuremath{\infty})\ensuremath{-}\mathcal{S}(t)$, decays to its long-time behavior exponentially faster than that of any nonhyperuniform two-phase medium, the ``slowest'' being antihyperuniform media. The stealthy hyperuniform class is characterized by an excess spreadability with the fastest decay rate among all translationally invariant microstructures. We obtain exact results for $\mathcal{S}(t)$ for a variety of specific ordered and disordered model microstructures across dimensions that span from hyperuniform to antihyperuniform media. Moreover, we establish a remarkable connection between the spreadability and an outstanding problem in discrete geometry, namely, microstructures with ``fast'' spreadabilities are also those that can be derived from efficient ``coverings'' of space. We also identify heretofore unnoticed, to our best knowledge, remarkable links between the spreadability $\mathcal{S}(t)$ and NMR pulsed field gradient spin-echo amplitude as well as diffusion MRI measurements. This investigation reveals that the time-dependent spreadability is a powerful, dynamic-based figure of merit to probe and classify the spectrum of possible microstructures of two-phase media across length scales.
A cluster-based model of COVID-19 transmission dynamics

Many countries have manifested COVID-19 trajectories where extended periods of constant and low daily case rate suddenly transition to epidemic waves of considerable severity with no correspondingly drastic relaxation in preventive measures. Such solutions are outside the scope of classical epidemiological models. Here, we construct a deterministic, discrete-time, discrete-population mathematical model called cluster seeding and transmission model, which can explain these non-classical phenomena. Our key hypothesis is that with partial preventive measures in place, viral transmission occurs primarily within small, closed groups of family members and friends, which we label as clusters. Inter-cluster transmission is infrequent compared with intra-cluster transmission but it is the key to determining the course of the epidemic. If inter-cluster transmission is low enough, we see stable plateau solutions. Above a cutoff level, however, such transmission can destabilize a plateau into a huge wave even though its contribution to the population-averaged spreading rate still remains small. We call this the cryptogenic instability. We also find that stochastic effects when case counts are very low may result in a temporary and artificial suppression of an instability; we call this the critical mass effect. Both these phenomena are absent from conventional infectious disease models and militate against the successful management of the epidemic.
Quasiparticle electronic structure of phthalocyanine:TMD interfaces from first-principles GW

Interfaces formed between monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and (metallo)phthalocyanine molecules are promising in energy applications and provide a platform for studying mixed-dimensional molecule-semiconductor heterostructures in general. An accurate characterization of the frontier energy level alignment at these interfaces is key in the fundamental understanding of the charge transfer dynamics between the two photon absorbers. Here, we employ the first-principles substrate screening GW approach to quantitatively characterize the quasiparticle electronic structure of a series of interfaces: metal-free phthalocyanine (H2Pc) adsorbed on monolayer MX2 (M=Mo, W; X=S, Se) and zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) adsorbed on MoX2 (X=S, Se). Furthermore, we reveal the dielectric screening effect of the commonly used α-quartz (SiO2) substrate on the H2Pc:MoS2 interface, using the dielectric embedding GW approach. Our calculations furnish a systematic set of GW results for these interfaces, providing structure-property relationship across a series of similar systems and benchmarks for future experimental and theoretical studies.
Magnetic charge and geometry confluence for ultra-low forward voltage diode in artificial honeycomb lattice

Abstract Spin diode is important prerequisite to practical manifestation of spin electronics. Yet, a functioning magnetic diode at room temperature is still illusive. Here, we reveal diode-type phenomena due to magnetic charge mediated conduction in artificial honeycomb geometry, made of concave shape single domain permalloy element. We find that honeycomb lattice defies symmetry by populating vertices with low and high multiplicity magnetic charges, causing asymmetric magnetization, in applied current of opposite polarity. High multiplicity units create highly resistive network, thereby inhibiting magnetic charge dynamics propelled electrical conduction. However, practical realization of this effect requires modest demagnetization factor in constituting element. Concave structure fulfills the condition. Subsequently, magnetic diode behavior emerges across broad thermal range of T = 40K - 300K. The finding is a departure from the prevailing notion of spin-charge interaction as the sole guiding principle behind spintronics. Consequently, a new vista, mediated by magnetic charge interaction, is envisaged for spintronic research.
Pandemic and progressivity.

Based on a survey of 2500 US adults, we show that serious illness or job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic increase support for temporary progressive levies or structural progressive tax reform, controlling for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. People who reveal preferences for spending items (more on police, military, border protection; less on education, health, environment) that are associated with communitarian (rather than universalist) moral perspectives show generally weaker support for progressive reforms, but more of them change their views following personal experience. The results are consistent with previous findings that economic upheavals can mold individuals’ views on policy matters.
Is there a rationale to use a dual mobility poly insert for failed Birmingham metal-on-metal hip replacements? A retrieval analysis

Previous studies showed poor outcomes for patients undergoing revision of failed metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty (MoM-THA) and resurfacing (RS) with an increased risk of dislocation. Dual mobility inserts are an option to retain the acetabular component and change the metal-on-metal bearing to plastic-on-metal. The current study analyzes the rationale for the off-label use of a dual mobility poly insert (MDM X3, Stryker, Mahwah, NJ) in a Birmingham metal shell (Smith & Nephew, Memphis, TN). Based on retrievals from the implant database the study compared the clearance between 20 BHR shells, 31 MDM poly inserts and 24 ADM acetabular components of different sizes. The radial clearance was calculated for each possible combination of implants [n = 81 (MDM/BHR) and n = 119 (MDM/ADM)]. An MDM mobile bearing poly insert in an ADM shell has an average clearance of 0.314 mm (SD 0.031) compared to 0.234 mm (SD 0.030) in a BHR shell (p < 0.01). The minimal clearance is 0.246 and 0.163 mm, respectively. 30.9 % of the MDM/BHR clearances were within the range of the MDM/ADM bearing and 88.9 % had a clearance of more than 0.2 mm. Clearances of the MDM poly insert in a BHR shell are reduced, and although the majority of combinations appear safe, the indication needs to be made on an individual base carefully considering alternative treatment options.
Common law environmentalism

The necessity to control environmental externalities is almost invariably given as justification for command-and-control regulation and other forms of state intervention in related markets. When even mentioned, common law remedies that protected environmental rights for centuries are quickly dismissed as either being unworkable or ineffective. A review of the common law experience indicates that the rule of law can be effective in protecting environmental rights. Indeed, it is quite possible that common law was too effective, which led to special interest demand for statute law. The rule of politics may be more attractive to rent seekers than the rule of law and markets.
Treaties and National Security

The OECD Anti-Bribery Convention charges States Parties with sanctioning overseas bribes paid by their firms. In late 2006 the British government, claiming an implicit national security exception, halted a bribery investigation directed at BAE Systems. This action raises the question of the nature of such exceptions in international law. Many treaties contain explicit national security exceptions. But can an implicit exception be read into all treaties? This article argues that it cannot. Customary international law does not contain a broad national security exception, and explicit national security exceptions take various forms tailored to the subject of the individual treaties. Thus, because explicit terms are not difficult to draft, if no explicit language exists, then a country that claims to be acting on grounds of national security is violating the treaty at issue, rather than exercising an exception that implicitly exists. Furthermore, even if one disagrees with that claim, most explicit national security exceptions are not open-ended and some include procedural limits. Constraints on even explicit exceptions ought to apply a fortiori to implicit exceptions. An implicit exception must be interpreted no more generously than clauses that have actually been incorporated into the language of treaties. Any other conclusion would lead to the anomalous result that the way to obtain a strong national security exception is not to mention the matter at all.
Epilogue on Future, Science, and Ethics

The principles of complex systems suggest that the physical, social, and mental world is nonlinear and complex. This essential result of epistemology has important consequences for our present and future behavior. Science and technology will have a crucial impact on future developments. Thus this book finishes with an outlook on future, science, and ethics in a complex and nonlinear world. What can we know about its future? What should we do?
Functioning of older, long-term cancer survivors: the role of cancer and comorbidities.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relative effect of comorbidities, noncancer symptoms, and cancer-related factors on the functioning of older adult long-term survivors of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers. DESIGN: Data from in-person interviews with survivors of a tumor registry–based stratified random sample were used to test a multivariate model using ordinary least-squares regression. SETTING: Survivors were identified in the tumor registry of a National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred twenty-one older (60), long-term (5 years) cancer survivors. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome measure, functional difficulty, was measured using Nagi’s Performance Limitations Index. Predictors included a number of indicators of survivors’ personal characteristics, age-related health characteristics, and cancer-related characteristics. RESULTS: The model explained 44% of the variance in functional difficulties between the cancer survivors in this sample. The strongest predictors were symptoms not attributed to cancer (b 5 0.28) and comorbidities (b 5 0.22), although cancer-related factors explained an additional 8% of the variance over that explained by demographic and noncancer health factors, with current cancer-related symptoms being a significant predictor (b 5 0.14). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate the importance of monitoring cancer-related characteristics along with comorbidities and noncancer symptoms in long-term survivors because they jointly affect overall physical functioning. Special attention needs to be given to women and minority cancer survivors as well. J Am Geriatr Soc 57:S289–S292, 2009.
Assembly and secretion of recombinant human fibrinogen

Expression vectors containing full-length cDNAs for each of the human fibrinogen chains were constructed. COS-1 cells were transfected with single vectors, mixtures of two, or with all three vectors and stable cell lines selected. Cells transfected with single vectors, or with mixtures of any two vectors, expressed the appropriate fibrinogen chains but did not secrete them. COS cells transfected with three vectors expressed all of the chains and secreted fibrinogen. COS cells transfected with three vectors contained, intracellularly, a mixture of fibrinogen-related proteins. The four main intracellular products were nascent fibrinogen, an A alpha.gamma complex, free A alpha chains, and free gamma chains. This is a similar pattern to that noted in Hep G2 cells. The intracellular forms of fibrinogen were sensitive to endoglycosidase H, indicating that they reside in a pre-Golgi compartment. Secreted fibrinogen was endoglycosidase H-insensitive, suggesting that the secreted glycoprotein moieties were processed in the normal manner. When mixed with plasma fibrinogen, radiolabeled recombinant fibrinogen was incorporated into a thrombin-induced clot. These studies demonstrate that COS cells transfected with all three fibrinogen chain cDNAs are capable of assembling and secreting a functional fibrinogen molecule.
Phase equalization for magnetic recording

The origins of phase distortion in analog magnetic recording are reviewed. These include bandlimiting, record equalization, record magnetization angle, and reproduce aperture equalization. While the magnitude of the complex frequency response for the overall record/reproduce process is maximally flat by design, the cumulative effect of the different phase distortions present is a severe linear distortion of transient signals. Reproduced transient waveforms generally are not replicas of the original input signals. Furthermore, large overshoots may occur which increase waveform peak factor. The operation and performance of several phase equalization schemes are reviewed, including conjugate filtering, first-order all-pass filters, Hilbert transformers, and cosine equalizers.
Development of a protocol for isometric trunk rotational strength testing and strength asymmetry assessment

A standardized protocol for assessing trunk rotational strength symmetry has not been established. Opposing muscle (agonist/antagonist) strength ratios have been used to assess strength asymmetry of appendicular joints but not the asymmetry of trunk rotational strength. The purpose of this study was to develop a protocol for measuring isometric trunk rotational strength with proper data analysis to assess rotational strength asymmetry. Methods: Maximum isometric trunk rotational strength of twenty healthy young adults, 12 women (25.1 ± 3 years), 8 men (30.1 ± 5.6 years), was measured at 5 positions of trunk rotation on two different days by two different testers. Strength asymmetry was assessed in several ways including F-tests, percent-differences, and strength ratios. Results: Trunk strength was symmetrical at neutral and 18° testing positions. In the 36° pre-rotated trunk positions, right contractions toward neutral tended to be stronger than left contractions; whereas left contractions away from neutral tended to be stronger than right contractions. Conclusions: Our findings suggest caution when interpreting asymmetry at the 36° pre-rotated position. These methods of testing and assessing rotational strength asymmetry may be useful in patient populations in which strength asymmetry is hypothesized.
Safety, feasibility and learning curve of robotic single-site surgery in gynecology

Background Robotic single-site (RSS) surgery has emerged as a novel minimally invasive approach in gynecology. Methods Retrospective cohort study of consecutive RSS gynecologic procedures undertaken between October 2013 and March 2014. Results The 25 RSS completed cases consisted of 11 adnexal and 14 hysterectomy cases of which three included pelvic lymphadenectomies. Mean age, body mass index and estimated blood loss were 51 years, 25 kg/m2, 30 mL in the adnexal group, respectively, and 58 years, 27 kg/m2, 96 mL in the hysterectomy group, respectively. Mean console time was 20 and 45 min and mean total operative time was 56 and 93 min in adnexal and hysterectomy cases, respectively. The CUSUM method identified two learning phases with significant reduction in console time after the 7th adnexal case and the 5th hysterectomy. Conclusion When performed by advanced minimally invasive surgeons and in appropriately selected patients, RSS surgery is feasible and safe. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Low birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation in Filipino infants

Low birth weight, prematurity, and intrauterine growth retardation represent important health tasks for neonates. Pregnancy outcome risk categories based on combinations of these variables and a measure of body proportions were developed and tested with respect to how well they predict poor growth during infancy. Data were collected during a prospective community-based survey of births representative of the Cebu region of the Philippines. In the sample of 2139 births for which there were available birth weight and gestational age data, 20% of infants were classified as growth retarded and 12% were low birth weight. Low birth weight, the more conservative category, was a better predictor of small infant size at 12 months of age than intrauterine growth retardation. Rohrer's index, which captures information about patterns of intrauterine growth, improves the positive predictive value of categories based either on intrauterine growth retardation or low birth weight. Infants who had an adequate Rohrer's index, ie, were well proportioned at birth, were smaller at 12 months of age than infants who had a low Rohrer's index, ie, had weight deficits relative to their lengths at birth. Important questions about the value of the intrauterine growth retardation classification are raised by the results.
Problems without Ceilings: How Mentors and Novices Frame and Work on Problems-of-Practice

Support for new forms of teaching expertise with rigorous and equitable outcomes for student learning is a particular challenge when communities of actors working together do not share a similar language or vision of teaching practice. For this project, we coordinated activities in and outside of secondary science classrooms for cooperating teachers (CTs) and their preservice teachers (PSTs) to inquire into a set of research-based teaching practices and tools. Using frame analysis, we contrast three problems-of-practice addressed by 23 dyads: problems of developing novice teachers, problems of improving teaching, and problems of improving student learning. The last frame, improving student learning, required actors to share and co-create knowledge with members outside of their dyads. To do this, groups of dyads formed new or repurposed existing social networks to share tools and work on problems “without ceilings,” meaning those that fueled ongoing lines of inquiry. We describe ways in which knowledge bec...
A Double-blind, Randomized Pilot Trial of Chromium Picolinate for Binge Eating Disorder: Results of the Binge Eating and Chromium (BEACh) Study

Abstract Objective Chromium treatment has been shown to improve mood, appetite, and glucose regulation in various psychiatric and medical patient populations. The authors propose that chromium may be useful in the treatment of binge eating disorder (BED). Method Twenty-four overweight adults with BED were enrolled in a 6-month double-blind placebo-controlled trial and randomly assigned to receive either 1000 mcg chromium/day (“high dose”; n = 8) or 600 mcg chromium/day (“moderate dose”; n = 9) as chromium picolinate or placebo (n = 7). Mixed linear regression models were used to estimate mean change in binge frequency and related psychopathology, weight, symptoms of depression, and fasting glucose. Results Fasting glucose was significantly reduced in both chromium groups compared to the placebo group; similarly, numerically, but not significantly, greater reductions in binge frequency, weight, and symptoms of depression were observed in those treated with chromium versus placebo, although statistical power was limited in this pilot trial. For fasting glucose, the findings suggest a dose response with larger effects in the high dose compared to moderate dose group. Conclusion These initial findings support further larger trials to determine chromium's efficacy in maintaining normal glucose regulation, reducing binge eating and related psychopathology, promoting modest weight loss, and reducing symptoms of depression in individuals with BED. Studies designed to link the clinical effects of chromium with changes in underlying insulin, serotonin, and dopamine pathways may be especially informative. If efficacious, chromium supplementation may provide a useful, low-cost alternative to or augmentation strategy for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which have partial efficacy in BED. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00904306 .
Menarche and assessment of body mass index in adolescent girls.

Objectives To determine whether menarcheal status in individual girls biases assessments of overweight and obesity when using body mass index (BMI) criteria from age-based reference data. Study design Data were analyzed for 2145 girls aged 8.00 to 16.99 years was examined from 1999 to 2002 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Results An estimate of the menarche-related effect on BMI assessment at each age was calculated as K=(m-M)β, in which m=the menarcheal status of a girl (0,1); M=the prevalence of menarcheal status; and β = the regression coefficient of BMI on m. At levels of BMI near the percentile cutoff points defining overweight and obesity (85th, 95th) the prevalence of menarcheal status is higher and the BMI differences between menarcheal and premenarcheal girls (β) are smaller than those observed when all girls are considered. The average effects on BMI of menarche that occurs earlier than the population mean age or of menarche that occurs later than the population mean age generally are ≤ ± 1.00 kg/m 2 for individual girls whose BMI is near the cutoff values defining overweight and obesity. Conclusion The average effects of menarcheal status on BMI assessments of overweight and obesity are small and usually should not be clinically important.
Prospective Longitudinal Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging in Adult Traumatic Brain Injury

Purpose To investigate whether longitudinal magnetic resonance proton spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) demonstrates regional metabolite abnormalities after traumatic brain injury (TBI) that predict long-term neurologic outcome. Materials and Methods Two-dimensional-MRSI (point resolved spectroscopy sequence [PRESS]; TR/TE = 3000/144 msec; 10 mm) was acquired prospectively in 42 adults with severe TBI through the level of the corpus callosum 7 ± 4 days after injury. Measurements were repeated in 31 patients six to 12 months after injury. Regional and pooled (all regions combined) mean ratios were compared with control values and then used to predict long-term (six- to –12-month) neurologic outcome (good vs. poor) using a logistic regression model. Results Initial pooled mean N-acetylaspartate (NAA) ratios were lower (P < 0.01) and choline (Cho)/creatine (Cr) ratios higher (P < 0.01) in all TBI patients compared to controls. Ratios from the corpus callosum region were affected most and predicted long-term dichotomized outcome with 83% accuracy. When repeated at six to 12 months after injury, pooled mean NAA/Cr remained lower (P = 0.03) and Cho/Cr remained higher (P = 0.01) in patients with poor outcomes. Conclusion The NAA/Cr ratio from the corpus callosum was most useful for outcome prediction. Chronic alterations of metabolite ratios are likely due to neuronal loss and glial proliferation long after injury. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Isothermal titration calorimetry measurement of enthalpy changes in monodisperse oil-in-water emulsions undergoing depletion flocculation

Abstract Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to measure enthalpy changes resulting from titration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles into 2 wt% silicone oil-in-water emulsions containing monodisperse droplets of different diameter (0.5–1.0 μm) at 30°C. The SDS micelles increased the attraction between the emulsion droplets through a depletion mechanism, which led to flocculation when the surfactant concentration exceeded a critical concentration (CFC). The presence of emulsion droplets led to an exothermic contribution to the enthalpy of mixing when SDS micelles were injected into a SDS solution below the CFC, but to an endothermic contribution when the micelles were injected into a SDS solution above the CFC. Depletion flocculation was therefore entropically favorable, but enthalpically unfavorable. This study demonstrates that ITC can be used to provide valuable information about droplet–droplet interactions in flocculated emulsions.
Accessibility challenges and tool features: an IBM Web developer perspective

Using evidence from a survey of 49 IBM Web developers we explore two concerns: barriers to the developers' designing accessible Web-based products, and what value they felt specific features in an "accessibility" tool might have. They found designing for accessibility difficult, but more surprisingly, they found using the test tools and finding technology work-arounds equally hard. Testing and finding work-arounds were also the most time consuming aspects of accessibility, while design was not. When asked about tool features, all agreed that a checklist of automatically detected problems and an explanation of each problem were the most important. There were fifteen features in all, and the more experienced the developer, the more they valued the other features, particularly being able to experience a site as someone with a particular disability would, and being able to pinpoint a problem on the rendered view of a page. The survey results suggest existing tools are often unclear, cumbersome, and incomplete with respect to the standards that must be met.
Laparoscopic assisted parametrectomy/upper vaginectomy (LPUV)-technique, applications and results.

Abstract Objective. In this analysis, we summarize our experiences with the laparoscopic parametrectomy/upper vaginectomy (LPUV) as a treatment option for patients with an unexpected finding of cervical cancer after simple hysterectomy as well as for patients with cancer of the vaginal cuff. Methods. From 1995–2004, 6 of our patients underwent LPUV including 5 patients with stage Ib 1 cervical cancer and one patient with Ia 1 cervical cancer. Prior procedures were TVH ( n = 3), TAH ( n = 2) or LAVH ( n = 1). Charts were reviewed and follow-up data were collected. Results. Mean age was 40.5 (38–49) years and Quetelet index was 31.5 (25–40) kg/m 2 . Average time from hysterectomy to LPUV was 54 (30–84) days. Retrospective FIGO staging revealed stage Ib 1 ( n = 5) and stage Ia 1 ( n = 1) cervical cancer. Mean duration of surgery was 207 (151–265) min, average blood loss 300 (100–500) mL. One patient had an intraoperative bladder injury and one patient a bowel injury. Histopathological evaluation found residual adenocarcinoma in situ in one patient and no malignancy in all other specimen. All pelvic (average 22 (10–36) nodes, n = 6) and paraaortic nodes (9 nodes, n = 1) were negative for malignancy. One patient had postoperative hematocrit drop and required blood transfusion, mean hematocrit difference pre- vs. postoperative was 6.4 (0.2–10.9) %. There were no further postoperative complications during the average hospital stay of 3.5 (2–5) days. No patient required adjuvant therapy after the operation. There were no recurrences or late complications in an average of 21.5 (3–50) months of follow-up. Conclusion. LPUV is an alternative to open parametrectomy or radiation therapy in patients with unexpected cervical cancer after simple hysterectomy or cancer of the vaginal stump. Bladder injuries must be considered to be a specific complication of this otherwise safe procedure.
Chiral phase dependence of the massive fermionic path integral.

The Jacobian in the path-integral measure is evaluated for quarks in QCD with arbitrary complex mass matrix. The result clarifies, more transparently than the usual understanding, that the overall chiral U(1) phase of the mass matrix leads to an apparently {ital CP}-violating {theta} term in QCD.
A multivariate analysis of pulpal responses of bilateral intact human teeth

Abstract The use of multivariate analysis on pulp-test readings of three surfaces of bilateral intact maxillary first premolars is demonstrated. As in the case of the analysis of variance performed on these data, it was convenient to use the sums and differences between corresponding surfaces of the two sides. The multivariate tests for surface differences and for the difference in surface profiles between the two sides agreed with the corresponding tests in the analysis of variance. The test for the difference in the surface profiles was adjusted for the overall side difference. The effect of this adjustment was negligible.
Topographic Changes of Surgical Clips for Breast Tumor Bed Localization Between Prone and Supine Setup

Prone setup was associated with a significantly increased distance between clips and pleura, without affecting distances to skin. The changes of clips distances significantly correlated with breast volume. The increased distance to pleura confirms that prone setup for breast radiotherapy can facilitate sparing of intrathoracic organs, and more notably so with larger breasts. Topographic Changes Of Surgical Clips For Breast Tumor Bed Localization Between Prone And Supine Setup F. Caparrotti1, V. Vinh-Hung1, M. Laouiti1, A. Rozenholc2, G. Vlastos2. Geneva University Hospitals, 1Radiation oncology, 2Surgical senology.
ECHO MACHINE-IMPOSED LIMIT ON TRANSMITRAL SPECTRAL DOPPLER VELOCITY-PROFILE ANALYSIS

Abstract We have previously developed a kinematic model of ventricular filling. Its application to in vivo transmitral Doppler velocity profiles provides a quantitative characterization of filling. However, the model parameters computed by solving the “inverse problem” may depend on ultrasound machine type and setting ( e.g. , gain, baseline filter, dynamic range). To determine machine-based effects on the computed model parameters, we performed a flow phantom study using Acuson and HP echocardiography machines at various settings. We compared maximum velocity envelopes (MVEs), as well as the model fit to these MVEs, for 3 simulated waveforms imaged by both machines. For all 3 waveforms, the machines generated comparable MVEs, fit by the model within a mean-square difference of 5E-5 (m/s) 2 . The associated variations in model parameters for the 3 waveforms were not uniform. Two waveforms showed slight variation between machines, with model parameters varying by less than 6%. The shortest duration waveform showed model parameter variations of 10–15%. Analysis of the parameter space for this waveform showed a constant mean-square error contour that was larger than that for the other two, causing similar small variations in measured MVEs to result in larger differences in the parameter estimates for this waveform. Because this method completely eliminates inter- and intraobserver variability, we conclude that, within the limits established, the slight contour variations due to machine type and setting should not affect this method's applicability in clinical Doppler-flow analysis.
A paradigm shift is coming - continuous failure

Resilience is a measure of the ability of a computing system and its applications to continue working in the presence of system degradations and failures. This talk presents the factors that are driving an exponential increase in system fault rate. At the rate of increase, if the hardware and software are not fault tolerant at Exascale, then even relatively short-lived applications are unlikely to finish; or worse, the applications may complete with incorrect results. New paradigms must be developed for handling faults within both the system software and user applications. Also presented are new approaches for integrating detection algorithms in both the hardware and software and new techniques to help simulations adapt to faults.
EDO: Exception-directed optimization in java

Optimizing exception handling is critical for programs that frequently throw exceptions. We observed that there are many such exception-intensive programs written in Java. There are two commonly used exception handling techniques, stack unwinding and stack cutting. Stack unwinding optimizes the normal path by leaving the exception handling path unoptimized, while stack cutting optimizes the exception handling path by adding extra work to the normal path. However, there has been no single exception handling technique to optimize the exception handling path without incurring any overhead to the normal path.We propose a new technique called Exception-Directed Optimization (EDO) that optimizes exception-intensive programs without slowing down exception-minimal programs. It is a feedback-directed dynamic optimization consisting of three steps: exception path profiling, exception path inlining, and throw elimination. Exception path profiling attempts to detect hot exception paths. Exception path inlining embeds every hot exception path into the corresponding catching method. Throw elimination replaces a throw with a branch to the corresponding handler. We implemented EDO in IBM's production Just-in-Time compiler and made several experiments. In summary, it improved the performance of exception-intensive programs by up to 18.3p without decreasing the performance of exception-minimal programs for SPECjvm98. We also found an opportunity for performance improvement using EDO in the startup of a Java application server.
Microbial contamination of antibiotic ophthalmic ointments.

A survey was conducted to determine the sterility of antibiotic ophthalmic ointments. One hundred fourteen batches of ointments from 16 manufacturers were tested by the membrane-filtration procedure as described in the Antibiotic Regulations. Eight batches (7%) were found contaminated.
Intramolecular vs intermolecular formation of bityrosine upon photoreaction of poly(l-tyrosine) in dilute aqueous solution

The molecular weight dependence of the rate of the formation of bityrosine upon irradiation of poly(L-tyrosine) at 300 nm has been investigated in dilute aqueous solution, pH 12. The samples studied were the monodisperse monomer, dimer, trimer, and hexamer, as well as two polydisperse polymers with average degrees of polymerization of ∼ 102 and ∼ 103. The reaction is predominantly intermolecular in the monodisperse oligomers, but it is predominantly intramolecular in the two polymers. The intramolecular reaction in the polymers involves phenolic rings on monomers i and i+j, with j>5. The steric restraints imposed by the backbone of the chain make it unlikely that two rings will approach one another with the appropriate geometry for reaction if j<5.
Multiple mechanisms for the loss of coking properties caused by mild air oxidation

Abstract Evidence is presented for the existence of at least three different mechanisms by which low temperature oxidation (weathering) destroys coal's coking properties. Lithium aluminium hydride reduction of Bruceton coal oxidized for 28 days restores the FSI to its initial value of 8 from a value of 3. After 220 days oxidation, reduction raises the FSI from 0.5 to 2. Clearly, two different processes are responsible for the FSI decrease. The pyridine solvent swelling change during this time is quite small, much smaller than observed by Liotta. Thus the oxidative increase in cross-link density observed by Liotta is a third mechanism of thermoplasticity loss. The initial FSI decrease, that reversible by reduction, is tentatively ascribed to oxidative loss of readily donatable hydrogen from the coal. The second mechanism remains uncharacterized.