cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A complementary SVMs-based image annotation system

A novel automatic image annotation system is proposed, which integrates two sets of SVMs (support vector machines), namely the MIL-based (multiple instance learning) and global-feature-based SVMs, for annotation. The MIL-based features are obtained by applying MIL on the image blocks. They are further input to a set of SVMs for finding the optimum hyperplanes to categorize training images. Similarly, global color and texture features are fed into another set of SVMs for categorizing training images. Consequently, two sets of image features are constructed for each test image and are respectively sent to the two sets of SVMs, whose outputs are incorporated to obtain the final annotation results. Our system is validated using COREL images and outperforms the peer systems in terms of efficiency and accuracy.
A note on the Doomsday Argument

I argue that advocates of the Doomsday Argument are faced with a dilemma. If they accept the thirder position regarding self-location, then the Doomsday Argument fails; knowledge of birth rank has no effect on one’s credences concerning the survival of the human species. If they accept the halfer position regarding self-location, then the Doomsday Argument fails; knowledge of birth rank may confirm smaller total human populations over larger ones, but this is not equivalent to confirmation of a shorter future for humanity, and in fact the same evidence may confirm longer future human survival over shorter.
Report of diurnal acid metabolism in two aquatic Australian species of Isoetes

Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of crassulacean acid metabolism in the North American submerged aquatic Isoetes howellii (Isoetaceae). Diurnal changes in titratable acidity and malic acid levels indicate the presence of this pathway in two Australian species of Isoetes.
Developing Psychosocial Interventions for Depression in Dementia: Beginnings and Future Directions

Teri, McKenzie, and LaFazia's (this issue) review of outcome studies suggests that a number of psychosocial interventions have shown positive benefits relative to depression in dementia. However, considerably more research will be required to marshal convincing and practice-relevant evidence for the efficacy of particular intervention techniques in producing clinically significant amelioration of depression in older adults with dementia. This commentary discusses risk-benefit considerations surrounding the use of interventions in vulnerable older adults, as well as suggesting issues to be addressed in intervention development studies on this class of interventions.
Response of Juvenile Fish Assemblages in Tidal Salt Marsh Creeks Treated for Phragmites Removal

We examined fish assemblages in tidal salt marsh creeks in Delaware Bay in order to evaluate their response to treatment forPhragmites removal following initial treatment in 1996. In Alloway Crrek, a tributary to Delaware Bay, reference creeks draining marsh of untreatedPhragmites or naturally occurringSpartina were compared with creeks in marshes treated forPhragmites removal. These reference and treated creeks occur in close proximity and share many characteristics including salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity, although creeks inPhragmites sites differed slightly in bathymetry. We analyzed a time series of otter trawl collections (22 monthly sample periods from 1999 to 2001) for differences in juvenile fish assemblage among creeks with different vegetation history. Periodically, young-of-the-year (YOY) and age 1+ white perch (Morone americana), YOY spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), YOY Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), and other species were relatively more abundant atPhragmites sites, but other dominant species were preiodically abundant at all sites. Among-treatment differences based on principal response curves analysis accounted for about 19% of the total species variation, but differences varied widely among sample periods and there is little or no indication of a trend over the 3-yr period. Larger collections were often associated with subtidal structure, which was more common atPhragmites sites and potentially represents a sampling artifact. Assemblages of creeks with differing vegetation history differ weakly but recognizably, suggesting slow or little response to treatment, at least based on otter trawl collections in subtidal marsh creeks.
Preparation and Mechanical Properties of Hafnium-based Bulk Metallic Glasses

We have prepared bulk metallic glasses of composition (Hf x Zr 1-x ) 52.5 Cu 17.9 Ni 14.6 Al 10 Ti 5 (with x=0-1) by an arc melting/suction casting method. The density of these alloys increases by nearly 67% with increasing Hf content, which is advantageous for their potential use as kinetic energy armor-piercing projectile materials. The glass transition temperature and the melting temperature increase linearly with increasing Hf content. The reduced glass transition temperature (T g /T m ) decreases from 0.64 (x=0) to 0.62 (x=1), indicating reduced glass-forming ability for the Hf- based alloy. The fracture strength in uniaxial compression at quasi-static strain rates also increases with increasing Hf content, reaching ∼ 2.2 GPa for Hf 52.5 Cu 17.9 Ni 14.6 Al 10 Ti 5 .
The Steady States of a Stochastic Decentralized Growth Model

The purpose of this paper is to prove the existence of a steady state for a simple decentralized growth model which is subject to random shocks. The model has the following elements. The population is composed of an endless sequence of overlapping cohorts of two-period households; each cohort is the same size; and, there is an aggregate production function and one output good. Because the labor supply is fixed, the production function relates output in each period t to the total saving of all young families in period t 1 and to the current realization zt of a random variable Z: The random variable has an exogenous, unchanging, and known distribution. Futures markets are imperfect: young families can save at time t only by investing in physical capital, which will pay a return at time t + 1. The return depends on the size of the time-(t + 1) capital stock, k,, and on zl+ r. Let y, = y(k,1, zt) be the vector of incomes of young families at time t. Then such families use a function g( vf) = k, to predict k, (note that g is nonstochastic). The families adjust their saving to maximize their expected utility, where the latter is computed using g and the distribution function for 5. We call resulting aggregate savings by young families y(y,, g). We use a fixed-point argument to prove the existence of sets K and Y and an expectation function g such that if all realizations of 5 fall within Z, (i) Y(K x Z) c K (ii) g(y) = K and (iii) g(y) = y(y, g) all y E Y. The resulting g determines (in a very simple context) what Grandmont [7] would call “ ‘rational’ expectations” and what Radner [ 17, 181 would call an “equilibrium of plans and expectations.” We use this g to generate a transition function v for k,. We then show v has a finite invariant set K* (which includes all feasible states except one trivial one); there are a finite number of ergodic sets EL,..., EN c K* for V; and there is a unique stationary distribution function Di associated with each Ei. Each pair (Di, Ei) constitutes a “steady state” (corresponding to Green and Majumdar’s [9] concept of an “equilibrium distribution” and to Grandmont’s (71 “long-run equilibrium”): Once the evolution of the economy carries it into Ei some
An architecture for an extensible 3D interface toolkit

This paper presents the architecture for an extensible toolkit used in construction and rapid prototyping of three dimensional interfaces, interactive illustrations, and three dimensional widgets. The toolkit provides methods for the direct manipulation of 3D primitives which can be linked together through a visual programming language to create complex constrained behavior. Features of the toolkit include the ability to visually build, encapsulate, and parameterize complex models, and impose limits on the models. The toolkit's constraint resolution technique is based on a dynamic object model similar to those in prototype delegation object systems. The toolkit has been used to rapidly prototype tools for mechanical modelling, scientific visualization, construct 3D widgets, and build mathematical illustrations.
A Unified Algorithm for Both Randomized Deterministic and Adaptive Routing in Torus Networks

Torus networks are popular in large scale, high performance computing installations due to their use of relatively short cables and their incremental expandability. There are basically two types of traditional torus routing approaches: deterministic dimension ordered routing and adaptive routing. Traditional approaches to deterministic routing have known shortcomings under some traffic patterns, but adaptive routing creates challenges at the network end-point for programming models that expect ordered messages (e.g. MPI and SHMEM). This paper presents a new approach that supports both adaptive routing and improved throughput for deterministically routed (and therefore ordered) messages. In addition, whereas most current approaches to adaptive routing are designed for either mesh networks or virtual cut-through torus networks, the new routing algorithm allows for adaptive routing of messages on wormhole routed torus networks. The result is a routing algorithm that achieves a substantial portion of the benefit of adaptive routing while maintaining message ordering.
A Steerable Directional Local Profile Technique for Extraction of Handwritten Arabic Text Lines

In this paper, we present a new text line extraction method for handwritten Arabic documents. The proposed technique is based on a generalized adaptive local connectivity map (ALCM) using a steerable directional filter. The algorithm is designed to solve the particularly complex problems seen in handwritten documents such as fluctuating, touching or crossing text lines. The proposed algorithm consists of three steps. Firstly, a steerable filter is used to probe and determine foreground intensity along multiple directions at each pixel while generating the ALCM. The ALCM is then binarized using an adaptive thresholding algorithm to get a rough estimate of the location of the text lines. In the second step, connected component analysis is used to classify text and non text patterns in the generated ALCM to refine the location of the text lines. Finally, the text lines are separated by superimposing the text line patterns in the ALCM on the original document image and extracting the connected components covered by the pattern mask. Analysis of experimental results on the DARPA MADCAT Arabic handwritten document data indicate that the method is robust and is capable of correctly isolating handwritten text lines even on challenging document images.
Macrophage-dependent nitric oxide expression regulates tumor cell detachment and metastasis after IL-2/anti-CD40 immunotherapy.

Using an orthotopic model of renal cell carcinoma, we showed previously that IL-2/anti-CD40 immunotherapy resulted in synergistic anti-tumor responses, whereas IL-2 or α-CD40 alone mediated partial transient anti-tumor effects. We now show that treatment of tumor-bearing mice with IL-2/α-CD40, but not IL-2 or α-CD40, induced significant nitric oxide synthase (NOS) 2 expression in tumor-associated macrophages. In control-treated mice (low NO), NOS2 inhibition reduced tumor burden. However, during immunotherapy (high NO), NOS2 inhibition or macrophage depletion reversed the ability of IL-2/α-CD40 treatment to reduce lung metastases but had no effect on primary tumor burden. Furthermore, IL-2/α-CD40 induced the IFN-γ– and NO-dependent decrease in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression and activity, concomitant with increases in tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) 1 and E-cadherin expression within tumors. Finally, treatment of tumor-bearing mice with the NO donor JS-K significantly reduced metastases. These data differentiate the mechanism for primary anti-tumor effects of IL-2/α-CD40 immunotherapy, which are independent of NO, from the NO-dependent inhibition of metastases. Furthermore, reduced MMP9 activity implicates M1-polarized macrophages within the tumor microenvironment as critical components of therapeutic response. Our data demonstrate the mechanistic basis for IL-2/α-CD40–mediated control of metastases and suggest that the context-dependent application of NO donors may hold promise for prevention of metastatic disease.
Dynamic instability of microtubules.

Recent evidence shows that dynamic instability is the dominant mechanism for the assembly of pure tubulin in vitro and for the great majority of microtubules in the mitotic spindle and the interphase cytoplasmic microtubule complex. The basic concepts of this model provide a framework for future characterization of the molecular basis of spatial and temporal regulation of microtubule dynamics in the cell and the function of microtubule dynamics in motile processes such as chromosome movement.
Physiological Differences Across Populations Reflecting Early Life and Later Life Nutritional Status and Later Life Risk for Chronic Disease

This paper addresses how indicators of early life nutrition and development and later life nutrition vary in aging populations in the U.S., England, Mexico, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Tsimane of Bolivia. These populations span a wide range of current life expectancy and infant mortality when they were young. The indicators of nutritional problems are related to both current life expectancy and to levels of past infant mortality. The indicators of past and present nutrition are also related to a set of risk factors for chronic disease including the ratio of Total Cholesterol to High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, level of glycosylated hemoglobin, pulse pressure, and C-reactive protein. Results indicate that current obesity is associated with significantly higher levels of most risk factors in most settings. On the other hand, stunting in childhood is not related consistently to any of the indicators of current risk. Social and demographic differences in risk vary across settings. Future increases in obesity around the world are likely to be related to increasing risk for the chronic conditions of old age.
Low-income minority mothers' reports of infant health care utilisation compared with medical records.

Summary This study aimed to investigate mothers' reporting of the nature, location, frequency and content of health care visits for their infants, as compared with data abstracted from the infants' medical records. It was part of a community-based parenting intervention designed to improve preventive health care utilisation among minority mothers in Washington, DC. Mothers ≥18 years old with newborn infants and with poor or no prenatal care were enrolled in the study. A total of 160 mother–infant dyads completed the 12-month study. Mothers were interviewed when the infants were 4, 8 and 12 months old, and were asked to recall infant visits to all health care providers. Medical records from identified providers were used for verification. The number and type of immunisations given, types of providers visited, and reason for the visits were compared. Only about a quarter of mothers agreed with their infants' medical records on the number of specific immunisations received. The mothers reported fewer polio (1.8 vs. 2.1, P = 0.006), diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis (DTP) (1.8 vs. 2.2, P = 0.002), and Haemophilus influenzae type b (HiB) (1.3 vs. 2.1, P < 0.0001) immunisations than were recorded. Similarly, about a quarter of the mothers were unaware of any polio, DTP or hepatitis B immunisations given, as documented in the medical records, and 38% did not know that their infant was immunised for HiB. Nearly half of the mothers recalled more infant doctors' visits than were recorded in the medical records (4.1 vs. 3.6 visits, P = 0.017). The mothers generally disagreed with the providers about the reason for a particular visit and reported fewer sick-baby visits (1.5 vs. 3.3, P < 0.0001) than the providers recorded. Mothers' reports and medical records matched in only 19% of the cases. In 47%, mothers under-reported and in 34% over-reported the total number of visits. The strongest agreement between mothers' reports and medical records was in the case of emergency room visits (63%). In conclusion, in this population, mothers' reporting did not match that of providers with respect to specific information: the number of immunisations, the location where services were provided, and the classification of sick- vs. well-baby visits. Future studies that evaluate health care utilisation data should take these discrepancies into consideration in their selection of information source, and in their interpretation of the data.
Selling Less Information for More: Garbling with Benefits

Abstract The expected value of information in a standard portfolio investment problem with ex-post payment can increase when the information is garbled prior to its sale. Distorting the information helps to resolve the incentive problem decreasing the buyer's default risk and thereby increasing the seller's expected revenues.
Two-Point Stretchable Electrode Array for Endoluminal Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Measurements of Lipid-Laden Atherosclerotic Plaques

Four-point electrode systems are commonly used for electric impedance measurements of biomaterials and tissues. We introduce a 2-point system to reduce electrode polarization for heterogeneous measurements of vascular wall. Presence of endoluminal oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and lipids alters the electrochemical impedance that can be measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). We developed a catheter-based 2-point micro-electrode configuration for intravascular deployment in New Zealand White rabbits. An array of 2 flexible round electrodes, 240 µm in diameter and separated by 400 µm was microfabricated and mounted on an inflatable balloon catheter for EIS measurement of the oxLDL-rich lesions developed as a result of high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia. Upon balloon inflation, the 2-point electrode array conformed to the arterial wall to allow deep intraplaque penetration via alternating current (AC). The frequency sweep from 10 to 300 kHz generated an increase in capacitance, providing distinct changes in both impedance (Ω) and phase (ϕ) in relation to varying degrees of intraplaque lipid burden in the aorta. Aortic endoluminal EIS measurements were compared with epicardial fat tissue and validated by intravascular ultrasound and immunohistochemistry for plaque lipids and foam cells. Thus, we demonstrate a new approach to quantify endoluminal EIS via a 2-point stretchable electrode strategy.
The Importance of Place and Place-Makers in the Life of a Los Angeles Community: What Gentrification Erases from Echo Park

This article looks at restaurants as urban forms of public space in which ethnic entrepreneurs act as place-makers. The author highlights El Nayarit, a Mexican restaurant in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles, from 1947 to the present, as a nucleus of a community where racial, ethnic, class, and generational boundaries were breached. This restaurant and its spin-off enterprises also helped to define the neighborhood as ethnic space. In contrast, urban redevelopment and gentrification, beginning in the 1990s, have resulted in erasure of the area’s history and the sense of space in which ethnic identity and multiethnic bonds were once fostered.
The Doomsday Machine: Proportionality, Punishment and Prevention

Much of the philosophical discussion of punishment has focused on its justification. Consequentialists argue that punishment must be justified by its future consequences. Retributivists argue that punishment must be justified by the ill-desert of the one punished. And there are several philosophical posi tions on the justification of punishment in between these two: for example, weak or teleological retributivism, which justifies particular instances of punishment by both their consequences and the desert of the offenders, and positions which distinguish between the institution of punishment (justified by consequences) and specific instances of punishment (justified by desert). All of the above philosophical positions have assumed that there is one specific practice?punishment?that must be justified. I shall attempt to show, however, that there are two distinct moral enterprises that frequently overlap in the punishment of criminals. I shall attempt to show further that each of these enterprises has its own separate justifying principles, although these principles may all be derived from a more general principle or set of principles. The two enterprises are preventing intentional violations of rights and giving people what they deserve (prevention and retribution).1 I shall argue that where the former enterprise is involved, punishing criminals is more closely related to placing valuables in a safe or locking a door than to giving the wicked their due. Where the latter enterprise is involved, punishing criminals is related more closely to distributive justice than to crime preven tion. Distinguishing the two enterprises and their justifying principles, while it will not eliminate the wealth of philosophical problems surrounding punish ment, will at least resolve some of those problems and clarify others. Moreover, it may have as a policy implication the reconsideration of the proportionality limitation on punishment and defense of rights. It is important to state at the very outset that I am not going to consider any purely consequentialist account of punishment of criminals, that is, any account that is purely forward-looking. (A principle such as "always strive to see that everyone gets what he deserves" I do not deem to be purely forward looking.) In the first place, it is not clear that consequentialism can even give a coherent account of what punishment is and how it differs from other deliberate inflictions of harm without somehow incorporating the retributivist concept of ill-desert. Wasserstrom, pp. 300-05. Moreover, it is
Four Decades of Implicit Monte Carlo

ABSTRACTIn 1971, Fleck and Cummings derived a system of equations to enable robust Monte Carlo simulations of time-dependent, thermal radiative transfer problems. Denoted the “Implicit Monte Carlo” (IMC) equations, their solution remains the de facto standard of high-fidelity radiative transfer simulations. Over the course of 44 years, their numerical properties have become better understood, and accuracy enhancements, novel acceleration methods, and variance reduction techniques have been suggested. In this review, we rederive the IMC equations—explicitly highlighting assumptions as they are made—and outfit the equations with a Monte Carlo interpretation. We put the IMC equations in context with other approximate forms of the radiative transfer equations and present a new demonstration of their equivalence to another well-used linearization solved with deterministic transport methods for frequency-independent problems. We discuss physical and numerical limitations of the IMC equations for asymptotically ...
Gradient and Fixed-Point Complex ICA Algorithms Based on Kurtosis Maximization

We present two algorithms for independent component analysis of complex-valued signals based on the maximization of absolute value of kurtosis and establish their properties. Both the algorithm derivation and the analysis are carried out directly in the complex domain, without the use of complex-to-real mappings as the cost function satisfies Brandwood's analyticity condition. Simulation results are presented that show the advantages of the new algorithms, especially when the number of sources in the mixture increases.
DEVELOPMENT OF TYPE 1 DIABETES AFTER CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY

ABSTRACT Objective: Nivolumab, anti–programmed cell death 1 monoclonal antibody, is a newly Food and Drug Administration–approved biologic for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. New indications for treatment of other cancers have been recently granted. Nivolumab package insert reads: “Warnings and Precautions: immune-mediated pneumonitis, colitis, hepatitis, nephritis and renal dysfunction, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism may occur.” Development of type 1 diabetes as an adverse event was not documented in the New England Journal of Medicine article that introduced its successful use for melanoma treatment. Methods: We present the case of an adult patient who developed autoimmune diabetes after treatment with nivolumab, accompanied by the presence of high serum titers of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) isoform antibodies and a clinical presentation of diabetic ketoacidosis. Results: Although endocrine autoimmunity has been described following treatment with nivolumab, type 1 diabetes has only ...
Real time driver drowsiness detection using a logistic-regression-based machine learning algorithm

The number of car accidents due to driver drowsiness is very steep. An automated non-contact system that can detect driver's drowsiness early could be lifesaving. Motivated by this dire need, we propose a novel method that can detect driver's drowsiness at an early stage by computing heart rate variation using advanced logistic regression based machine learning algorithm. Our developed technique has been tested with human subjects and it can detect drowsiness in a minimum amount of time, with an accuracy above 90%.
The Human Microbiome and Clinical Immunology

Humans, in many respects, are not single organisms, but more like coral reefs, complex assemblages of myriad diverse creatures. The human microbiota, the bugs living in association with humans, contains more cells than comprise the human body itself (1). Like the fish on a reef, the microbes interact with each other, sometimes competing and sometimes collaborating, to form a complex and resilient food web. Some of the population promote the growth and development of the reef, while others consume the reef material, turning the hard corals to sand.
Development of a Life-Cycle Assessment Tool to Quantify the Environmental Impacts of Airport Pavement Construction

The environmental impacts of airport pavement construction were evaluated in this study through a life-cycle analysis approach. Total primary energy (TPE) consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from material production and construction of pavement were determined by using life-cycle assessment (LCA), a quantitative methodology described in the ISO 14040 series. A tool was developed to implement a probabilistic LCA through the Monte Carlo method. This tool allowed for consideration of uncertainty from life-cycle inventory data. A case study on the construction of Runway 10R-28L at Chicago O’Hare International Airport focused on mainline and shoulder pavement designs. Environmental impacts from producing materials for the pavements increased from lower to upper layers, while asphalt layers had relatively higher TPE consumption than the upper portland cement concrete layer—and vice versa for GHGs. Impacts from material production overshadowed those from construction, which contributed less than 2% of...
Synergistic Effects of Oak Volatiles with Ethanol in the Capture of Saprophagous Wood Borers

We tested the response of wood and phloem boring Coleoptera to traps baited with ethanol alone, and to ethanol baits augmented with oak logs. The logs provided a source of natural oak volatiles, an...
A Novel and Accurate Finite Difference Method for the Fractional Laplacian and the Fractional Poisson Problem

Abstract In this paper, we develop a novel finite difference method to discretize the fractional Laplacian ( − Δ ) α / 2 in hypersingular integral form. By introducing a splitting parameter, we formulate the fractional Laplacian as the weighted integral of a weak singular function, which is then approximated by the weighted trapezoidal rule. Compared to other existing methods, our method is more accurate and simpler to implement, and moreover it closely resembles the central difference scheme for the classical Laplace operator. We prove that for u ∈ C 3 , α / 2 ( R ) , our method has an accuracy of O ( h 2 ) uniformly for any α ∈ ( 0 , 2 ) , while for u ∈ C 1 , α / 2 ( R ) , the accuracy is O ( h 1 − α / 2 ) . The convergence behavior of our method is consistent with that of the central difference approximation of the classical Laplace operator. Additionally, we apply our method to solve the fractional Poisson equation and study the convergence of its numerical solutions. The extensive numerical examples that accompany our analysis verify our results, as well as give additional insights into the convergence behavior of our method.
Histone modifications in cancer biology and prognosis.

Cancer is a disease of genome sequence alterations as well as epigenetic changes. Epigenetics refers in part to the mechanisms by which histones affect various DNA-based processes, such as gene regulation. Histones are proteins around which the DNA wraps itself to form chromatin – the physiologically relevant form of the human genome. Histones are modified extensively by posttranslational modifications that alter chromatin structure and serve to recruit to or exclude protein complexes from DNA. Aberrations in histone modifications occur frequently in cancer including changes in their levels and distribution at gene promoters, gene coding regions, repetitive DNA sequences, and other genomic elements. Locus-specific alterations in histone modifications may have adverse effects on expression of nearby genes but so far have not been shown to have clinical utility. Cancer cells also exhibit alterations in global levels of specific histone modifications, generating an additional layer of epigenetic heterogeneity at the cellular level in tumor tissues. Unlike locus-specific changes, the cellular epigenetic heterogeneity can be used to define previously unrecognized subsets of cancer patients with distinct clinical outcomes. In general, increased prevalence of cells with lower global levels of histone modifications is prognostic of poorer clinical outcome such as increased risk of tumor recurrence and/or decreased survival probability. Prognostic utility of histone modifications has been demonstrated independently for multiple cancers including those of prostate, lung, kidney, breast, ovary, and pancreas, suggesting a fundamental association between global histone modification levels and tumor aggressiveness, regardless of cancer tissue of origin. Cellular levels of histone modifications may also predict response to certain chemotherapeutic agents, serving as predictive biomarkers that could inform clinical decisions on choice and course of therapy. The challenge before us is to understand how global levels of histone modifications are established and maintained and what their mechanistic links are to the cancer clinical behavior.
Long-term outcomes in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma with adjuvant and salvage radiotherapy after surgery.

OBJECTIVE Early-stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) represents a heterogeneous group of patients, and locoregional recurrence rates are as high as 25% with surgery alone. Radiotherapy (RT) is typically reserved as part of salvage multimodality therapy after salvage surgery because it is generally thought that there is no significant detriment to salvage therapy. Our aim was to examine outcomes for recurrent OCSCC treated with salvage surgery and radiation and compare them to outcomes for patients treated with adjuvant postoperative RT upfront. METHODS We identified 425 patients with OCSCC treated with postoperative RT at our institution. The 5-year rates of local failure, locoregional failure (LRF), survival, and distant metastasis (DM) were the main outcome measures. We performed a landmark analysis and examined the same outcomes in the adjuvant versus salvage cohorts using Cox proportional hazards and Fine-Gray competing risk method. RESULTS The adjuvant cohort had higher tumor (T) (P < 0.0001) and nodal (N) (P < 0.0001) stage than the salvage cohort's stage at initial presentation. On multivariate analysis, a strategy of salvage RT experienced poorer overall survival (OS) compared to upfront adjuvant RT (hazard ratio [HR] 1.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26-2.70; P = 0.002). Moreover, salvage surgery followed by RT patients experienced increasing risk of LRF (HR 1.56; 95% CI, 1.18-2.06; P = 0.002) and (DM) (HR 1.53; 95% CI, 1.08-2.17; P = 0.02) on multivariate analysis. Additional analysis was performed excluding salvage cohort with advanced disease at initial presentation (T3-T4 and N2). Salvage RT treatment selection for early-stage OCSCC continued to experience significantly poorer OS as compared to adjuvant RT (HR 1.48; 95% CI, 1.002-2.19; P = 0.049). CONCLUSION Early-stage OCSCC patients who are observed and experienced recurrence requiring salvage therapy (surgery and RT) have worse oncologic outcomes than locally advanced patients receiving upfront adjuvant RT. Prospective randomized studies are needed to identify high-risk subset of early-stage OCSCC comparing adjuvant RT versus observation, followed by salvage surgery and RT at recurrence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4. Laryngoscope, 2539-2545, 2018.
Deposition and characterization of nickel gallium thin films

Recent studies have indicated that nickel gallium alloys can be effective catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol. To simplify the characterization of NiGa catalysts, the authors are developing model systems using sputter deposited NiGa thin films. The NiGa thin films used in this study were deposited using an equimolar alloy target and annealed in ultrahigh vacuum. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the NiGa films before and after annealing. AFM results showed that film roughness and grain size significantly increased as the film was annealed above 700 °C. XRD patterns indicated that NiGa thin films were nanocrystalline as deposited and then transitioned to the Ni13Ga9 phase after annealing above 500 °C. XPS results indicated that gallium and oxygen segregated to the surface after annealing up to 600 °C, and formed a surface Ga2O3 layer. For anneals above 600 °C, the Ga2O3 XPS signal was reduced in intens...
Assessment and individualized instruction in elementary general music: A case study:

Elementary general music teachers have differing perspectives on the meaning and value of assessment, and few studies have examined how the results of assessment are applied in the classroom. In th...
A Schematic Method for Teaching About Thought Disorder

This paper describes a schematic method for teaching the subject of thought process disorder to medical students and beginning psychiatric residents. Several thought disorders are defined in terms of thought linkage and goal attainment, exemplified and graphically depicted.
ELECTRONIC CURRENCY IN AFRICA: M‐PESA AS PRIVATE INSIDE MONEY

Electronic monies such as Bitcoin and mobile money have become popular in recent times. However, unlike with bitcoin, attempts to classify Mâ€ Pesa theoretically have been rare. This article classifies Mâ€ Pesa as a privately issued inside money, which evolved as an entrepreneurial response to the lack of traditional monies. It describes the institutional framework within which Mâ€ Pesa and other monies evolved while highlighting how competitive forces led to mutual acceptance of competing inside monies, lower prices as well as greater choice for consumers. The case of Mâ€ Pesa and other electronic monies illustrates the potential even today for entrepreneurial and market processes in money given the right institutional setting, especially in developing countries.
Cybersecurity challenges in developing nations

This thesis examines the guidance that is being given to developing nations that are rapidly deploying information and communication technologies. It studied the African countries of Rwanda and Tunisia to draw lessons on their situation and potential methods of improving the situation. The thesis found that developing nations are often recommended to implement a conglomeration of existing rules and regulations found in other countries especially in European countries and in the United States. Developing countries are also recommended to create national CERTs, organizations of cybersecurity experts to coordinate a nation to respond to cyber incidents. The proposed rules and regulations are largely irrelevant for developing nations and the proposed missions of a CERT do not match the needs of those countries. In promoting better guidance, the thesis identifies and discusses several challenges. It finds policy makers in developing nations are aware of the cyber threat, and that the cyber threat is different and often smaller in less ICT developed nations even if they are using similar equipment and software. To help craft better recommendations, the thesis identifies the benefits of ICT especially in agriculture, education and government. These benefits are analyzed to determine whether they would be protected by current guidance and the analysis determines that protecting ICT use in government should be the priority. In crafting future guidance the challenges are that nations have differences in ICT architecture and ICT use, and developing nations have fewer resources but also they have different resources to use. Another such difference is the common lack of a private cybersecurity sector and different expectations of government. This thesis concludes with discussing unexpected results. The first is Rwandan policy makers desire good enough security and have a higher risk tolerance concerning cyber threats than is found in more developed nations. In addition, open source software can be a potential way to reduce the cost of cyberspace defense and this thesis makes an initial investigation. The lesson of the thesis is that cybersecurity strategy is not a one size fits all and so it must be customized for each country as each country is unique.
Thermodynamic magnetization of liquid 3He

We have measured the absolute thermodynamic magnetization of 3 He in all of its liquid phases while using a new calibration technique which relies on the nuclear paramagnetism over the entire temperature range below 1 K as measured by Ramm, et al. We have directly measured the temperature dependence separately of the nuclear paramagnetism via NMR and of the total magnetism via our free-surface modulation technique. We report substantial agreement with Ramm, et al. In consequence, we find that the diamagnetism of liquid 3 He is significantly smaller than expected theoretically, a condensed matter effect not seen previously. We have also remeasured the magnitude of the magnetization discontinuity at the superfluid A-B transition and find close agreement at saturated vapor pressure with NMR-deduced values from Scholz.
Simultaneous courtship and parenting in males and sex role reversal in females of the haremic bluebanded goby, Lythrypnus dalli

While males typically compete for females, species with female biased sex ratios and/or large male investment in offspring care often exhibit reversed sex roles. Here we investigated, in a haremic fish species, the bluebanded goby, Lythrypnus dalli, the impact of male and female courtship behaviour on male reproductive success, measured as the total number of eggs in the nest and total number of developed eggs. Reproductive success was not associated with rates of male behaviour, such as parenting, approaching and courtship, but was associated with rates of female courtship. Consistent with predictions for a role-reversed reproductive strategy, only males demonstrated nest care and females exhibited high rates of courtship and intrasexual competition, such that alpha females interrupted courtship solicitations by beta females. Overall, these data are consistent with sex role reversal in L. dalliand show that the expression of male courtship behaviour does not interfere with paternal care.
Psychological Anthropology and the Study of Disability

Autism understood in cultural context is as essential as autism understood as a neurological condition. Psychological Anthropology (PA) includes the comparative, contextual study of culture and mental life. PA aspires to be holistic, open to plural mixed methods, comparative, collaborative with other disciplines, and inclusive across the levels of analysis. This essay considers six themes in PA that also are reflected in the chapters in our volume: difference is both biological and social; diverse experiences of disability are central; cultural beliefs regarding disability vary widely around the world; disability is connected to other differences in society, including deprivation, exclusion and vulnerability due to race, class and resources; social and sociolinguistic mechanisms that are important for understanding disability also are important for studying many other topics in PA generally; and diverse family and parenting practices and everyday routine activities are important in the field of PA, perhaps especially so for ASD, as are the institutional and structural conditions in society that condition daily routines. The contributions of PA—particularly ecocultural theory, cultural models, and explanatory models of illness—are important for theory, methods, and empirical outcomes for autism spectrum conditions, and open up possibilities for new approaches to ASD.
IFN-γ synergism with poly I:C reduces growth of murine and human cancer cells with simultaneous changes in cell cycle and immune checkpoint proteins.

Abstract Previously, we reported that IFN-γ and poly I:C, a TLR3 Pattern Recognition Receptor (PRR) agonist, reduces growth of and induces Cleaved-Caspase-3, ISG54 and p27Kip in B16 melanoma cells. Here, analysis of IFN-γ/PRR synergism was expanded with UM-SCC1 and UM-SCC38 human squamous carcinoma cells and other PRR agonists. As in B16 cells, poly I:C plus IFN-γ synergism reduced UM-SCC1 and UM-SCC38 growth, and no more than 24 h was needed for significant growth reduction. IFN-γ synergism to stem B16 growth also occurred with TLR7, TLR9, TLR4, and STING agonists, but not TLR2 agonist. IFN-γ synergized with TLR3 and TLR4 agonists reducing UM-SCC1 growth, and with TLR7 and TLR3 agonists reducing UM-SCC38 growth. IFN-γ plus poly I:C, which had the most pronounced effect, decreased cyclin-D1, increased G1 cell cycle arrest, and increased Cleaved caspase-3 in B16 cells, as well as RAW264.7, a virus-transformed murine macrophage cell line. Finally, IFN-γ plus poly I:C modulated total but not cell surface expression of immune checkpoint protein PD-L1, as well as cell cycle checkpoint proteins in B16 cells. Thus IFN-γ plus poly I:C, and other PRR agonists, may well be effective adjuvants to cancer immunotherapy against several tumor cell types.
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency: Vital for Iowa Women

I knew right away when I came to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for my residency interview that it was where I wanted to complete my training; and now that I am done with residency and continuing on in fellowship, I’ve never had one regret about choosing to come to Iowa. Iowa is a unique place – it is a nationally recognized program with faculty that are leaders in their fields, yet it is also a close-knit program where the trainees are treated with respect. The ObGyn residents receive well-rounded training and fortunately, many find that after 4 years in Iowa, they want to stay.
Multi-modal, ultrasensitive, wide-range humidity sensing with Ti3C2 film

Gravimetric, direct-current electrical, and electrical impedance sensing modes were used to measure response of high surface area 2D Ti3C2 MXene film to water vapor pressures spanning 3 orders of magnitude (20 mTorr-20 Torr). The Ti3C2 film exhibited reproducible reversible response in 0.1%-95% relative humidity (RH) range with a detection limit of <20 mTorr H2O partial pressure (<0.1% RH). DC electrical current-based sensing with 3 mV operating voltage and 0.8 pW power consumption was demonstrated. The highest normalized sensitivity was shown for gravimetric sensing modalities which scale with the overtone number, reaching highest sensitivity of about 12 Hz/% RH at the 9th crystal overtone (45 MHz oscillation).
Mortality, Surveillance and the Tertiary “Funnel Effect” on the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Geospatial Modeling of the Geography of Deterrence

Theories of migration deterrence have long posited that border enforcement infrastructure pushes migration routes into more rugged and deadly terrain, driving an increase in migrant mortality. Appl...
Impact of Additional Early Feedback on Doctoral Capstone Proposal Approval

More than 40% of doctoral students are unable to complete their independent capstone research at the conclusion of their coursework, and of those who do complete the capstone, completion often takes longer than anticipated. In online universities, students are often successful during their structured course work, but become overwhelmed with the demands of their capstone research and fail to progress. To scaffold the capstone process, the program under study has several discrete steps in the completion and review processes, such as prospectus (research plan) development, and the proposal and final study approvals by committee members and the university-level research reviewer. The program recently added another early step to provide structured feedback and additional guidance to assist students in the development of their research plans. This step is the prospectus-stage review by the Research Program Director (RPD). Grounded by Hattie and Timperley’s model of feedback to enhance student learning, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the RPD review by examining differences in the number of days elapsed for approval between students who had their prospectus reviewed by the RPD and students who did not. Differences in the number of university-level research reviewer proposal returns were also examined. Both analyses of variance indicated significant differences between the two groups, supporting the effort and expenditures by the university for the added early-stage structured feedback process.
Convection-diffusion-reaction of CO2-enriched brine in porous media: A pore-scale study

Abstract CO2-enriched brine interaction with reservoir minerals and the subsequent mineral trapping of CO2 alter the morphology of pore structure. Such changes in the pore space modify the storage capacity of reservoirs and increase the long-term security of CO2 storage. The extent of pore space modification depends on the relative weight of advection, diffusion and reaction mechanisms. We present a general framework for a direct simulation of reactive transport in digitized reservoir rock samples based on a pore-scale modeling in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) pore-throat networks. We examine the impact of transport properties such as Peclet (Pe) and Damkohler (Da) numbers, on the petrophysical properties and dissolution of mineral in pore space. We implement marker-based watershed segmentation to extract pore networks of 3D micro-CT (Computerized Tomography) scan images. The extracted network is used to simulate the reactive solute transport and dissolution on real rock samples. This approach enables us to study reaction of CO2-enriched brine with reservoir rock samples, which is vital in predicting long-term security of CO2 storage. We implement our approach to study CO2 injection in samples from the Cranfield site, Mississippi, U.S.A. We show that for small PeDa numbers, the concentration and dissolution patterns are more uniform.
Hedging Climate Change News

We propose and implement a procedure to dynamically hedge climate change risk. We extract innovations from climate news series that we construct through textual analysis of newspapers. We then use a mimicking portfolio approach to build climate change hedge portfolios. We discipline the exercise by using third-party ESG scores of firms to model their climate risk exposures. We show that this approach yields parsimonious and industry-balanced portfolios that perform well in hedging innovations in climate news both in sample and out of sample. We discuss multiple directions for future research on financial approaches to managing climate risk.