cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emerging Empirical Evidence on the Ethics of Schizophrenia Research

Many challenging ethical questions come with the scientific efforts to understand the nature and treatment of schizophrenia. The empirical study of ethical aspects of schizophrenia research has sought to clarify and resolve many of these questions. In this article we provide an overview of the existing data-based literature on schizophrenia research ethics and outline directions for future inquiry. We examine 5 broad categories of inquiry into the ethics of schizophrenia research: (1) Scientific designs (eg, placebo-controlled studies and medication-free intervals, prodromal and high-risk research, and genetics research); (2) informed consent and decision-making capacity, including assessment of decisional abilities, as well as intervention studies; (3) understanding and perceptions of risk and benefit (including the therapeutic misconception); (4) influences on research participation (including voluntarism, altruism, and other motivations); and (5) key participant safeguards, such as protocol review and participant advocates. We discuss how empirical work in each of these areas answers certain questions and raises new ones. Finally, we highlight important gaps in our understanding of ethically relevant aspects of schizophrenia research and offer a specific research agenda for empirical ethics.
A new approach for extracting shape from texture

A novel way of modeling images that result from the projective distortions of homogeneous textures laid on illuminated 3D surfaces, as they are seen by a camera is presented. A Gaussian Markov random field (GMRF) is used for modeling the homogeneous planar parent texture. The projective distortions of the parent texture is a 2D Gaussian random field described by a probability distribution which is an explicit function of the parameters of the GMRF homogeneous texture model, the surface shape, and the camera model (orthographic or pinhole). The basic modeling concepts are used in extracting shape information from texture. Shape parameter estimation is posed as a maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE) problem. >
A Dynamic Group Mutual Exclusion Algorithm Using Surrogate-Quorums

The group mutual exclusion problem extends the traditional mutual exclusion problem by associating a type with each critical section. In this problem, processes requesting critical sections of the same type can execute their critical sections concurrently. However, processes requesting critical sections of different types must execute their critical sections in a mutually exclusive manner. In this paper, we provide a distributed algorithm for solving the group mutual exclusion problem based on the notion of surrogate-quorum. Intuitively, the algorithm uses the quorum that has been successfully locked by a request as a surrogate to service other compatible requests for the same type of critical section. Unlike the existing quorum-based algorithms for group mutual exclusion, the algorithm achieves a low message complexity of O(q), where q is the maximum size of a quorum, while maintaining both synchronization delay and waiting time at two message hops. Moreover, like the existing quorum-based algorithms, the algorithm has high maximum concurrency of n, where n is the number of processes in the system. The existing quorum-based algorithms assume that the number of groups is static and does not change during runtime. However, the algorithm can adapt without performance penalties to dynamic changes in the number of groups. Simulation results indicate that our algorithm outperforms the existing quorum-based algorithms for group mutual exclusion by as much as 50% in some cases
Cover: Features of Hurricane Katrina using multi sensor data

The hurricane season of 2005 has surpassed all records in the known meteorological history of the Atlantic Ocean region. It had the highest number of tropical cyclones in one year. Indeed, the 21 n...
Periodicities in the Jovian magnetosphere: Magnetodisc models after Voyager

The Voyager 1 and 2 outbound observations of periodic double-peak flux maxima (which mark encounters with the magnetodisk) are separated into two distinct branches: a 'leading' branch (N to S disk crossings) and a 'trailing' branch (S to N disk crossings). On a plot of longitude versus radial distance, the leading branch has a positive slope and the trailing branch has a relatively flat slope. The two branches meet at 80 to 100 Jovian radii, beyond which periodic single peaks or closely spaced multiple peaks are generally observed. In the present paper, this structure is examined, using the three principal disk models which have been proposed to explain periodicities in the Jovian atmosphere.
Technical Note-Precedence Relations of the Flow-Shop Problem

A theory based on the precedence relation dominance condition with no fixed presequence concept has been developed and applied to the flow-shop problem. The nature and scope of two major precedence relations have been explored. The paper offers a natural generalization of the Johnson algorithm for the general case, and proves sufficient conditions for optimality of the resulting sequence.
A constant revenue model for packet switched network

It is well known that the quality of service as measured by latency in a packet switched network degrades rapidly when the incident traffic exceeds the design limits of the network. A higher latency would result in customer dissatisfaction and likely large scale customer flight to alternative service providers with the attendant loss of revenue to the service provider. This paper presents a mechanism that introduces a priority system with the objective of providing a higher and a lower quality of service to the two customer groups. The non-priority traffic carries a lower price tag and a lower quality of service. An important characteristic of the proposed pricing schemes is that the overall revenue associated with the network remains constant as long as the total demand is confined within a relatively large bound, termed the region of operation, for the network.
Examination of spinal cord tissue architecture with magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging.

Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging yields images with detailed information about tissue water diffusion. Diffusion-weighted imaging of the human spinal cord requires dedicated magnetic resonance pulse sequences that minimize the effects of subject motion, distortions, and artifacts from lipids and CSF flow. These problems are accentuated by the anatomic properties of the spinal cord (i.e., a small crosssectional dimension and a location deep inside the body). The diffusion tensor (a simplified model for complex diffusion in structured tissues) can be estimated for each image pixel by measuring diffusion along a minimum of six independent directions. It can then be used to derive mean diffusivity, diffusion anisotropy, and the dominant orientation of the diffusion process. The observation that diffusion along nerve fibers is much higher than across fibers, allows a noninvasive reconstruction of the spinal cord nerve fiber architecture. This includes not only the primary cranio-caudad running connections, but also secondary, transverse running collateral fibers. With fiber tracking, the pixel-based diffusion information can be integrated to obtain a three-dimensional view of axonal fiber connectivity between the spinal cord and different brain regions. The development and myelination during infancy and early childhood is reflected in a gradual decrease of mean diffusivity and increase in anisotropy. There are several diseases that lead to either local or general changes in spinal cord water diffusion. For therapy research, such changes can be studied noninvasively and repeatedly in animal models.
Translating the Adoption of B2B e-Business into Measurable Value for Organizations

In todays competitive business environment, companies are seeking ways to perform transactions efficiently and effectively. The Internet has created a flexible platform for the buying and selling of products and services. As businesses recognize the need for employing efficient methods for the vertical exchange of goods and services, they are considering the adoption of functional business-to-business (B2B) applications and technologies that allow transactions in "real time." The purpose of B2B is to improve profitability through establishing relationships with other organizations that will allow supply-chain planning, collaboration, product pricing, logistics and distribution management, and procurement efficiencies (Ranganthan, 2003). Proven continuing growth in B2B provides that incorporating such technologies into business operations is a significant issue for consideration. However, how easily do businesses ascertain the value added to their organizations by the adoption of B2B e-commerce? It depends greatly upon the organization and the self-analysis performed before project commencement. Our study emphasizes how critical each identified factor is to the translation of employment of B2B e-commerce to value for the organization. In this paper, we address the ease with which organizations can translate the benefits of B2B e-business initiatives into direct measurable value. Significant results and correlations were found, as discussed in the statistical analysis portion of this paper.
Self-Tuning for Maximized Lifetime Energy-Efficiency in the Presence of Circuit Aging

This paper presents an integrated framework, together with control policies, for optimizing dynamic control of self-tuning parameters of a digital system over its lifetime in the presence of circuit aging. A variety of self-tuning parameters such as supply voltage, operating clock frequency, and dynamic cooling are considered, and jointly optimized using efficient algorithms described in this paper. Our optimized self-tuning approach satisfies performance constraints at all times, and maximizes a lifetime computational power efficiency (LCPE) metric, which is defined as the total number of clock cycles achieved over lifetime divided by the total energy consumed over lifetime. We present three control policies: 1) progressive-worst-case-aging (PWCA), which assumes worst-case aging at all times; 2) progressive-on-state-aging (POSA), which estimates aging by tracking active/sleep modes, and then assumes worst-case aging in active mode and long recovery effects in sleep mode; and 3) progressive-real-time-aging-assisted (PRTA), which acquires real-time information and initiates optimized control actions. Various flavors of these control policies for systems with dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) are also analyzed. Simulation results on benchmark circuits, using aging models validated by 45 nm measurements, demonstrate the effectiveness and practicality of our approach in significantly improving LCPE and/or lifetime compared to traditional one-time worst-case guardbanding. We also derive system design guidelines to maximize self-tuning benefits.
The Brain's Default Mode Network

The brain's default mode network consists of discrete, bilateral and symmetrical cortical areas, in the medial and lateral parietal, medial prefrontal, and medial and lateral temporal cortices of the human, nonhuman primate, cat, and rodent brains. Its discovery was an unexpected consequence of brain-imaging studies first performed with positron emission tomography in which various novel, attention-demanding, and non-self-referential tasks were compared with quiet repose either with eyes closed or with simple visual fixation. The default mode network consistently decreases its activity when compared with activity during these relaxed nontask states. The discovery of the default mode network reignited a longstanding interest in the significance of the brain's ongoing or intrinsic activity. Presently, studies of the brain's intrinsic activity, popularly referred to as resting-state studies, have come to play a major role in studies of the human brain in health and disease. The brain's default mode network plays a central role in this work.
Global Hydrological Cycle Response to Rapid and Slow Global Warming

This study analyzes the response of global water vapor to global warmingin a series of fully coupled climate model simulations. The authorsfind that a roughly 7% K 21 rate of increase of water vapor with global surface temperature is robust only for rapid anthropogenic-like climate change. For slower warming that occurred naturally in the past, the Southern Ocean has time to equilibrate, producing a different pattern of surface warming, so that water vapor increases at only 4.2% K 21 . This lower rate of increase of water vapor with warming is not due to relative humidity changes or differences in mean lower-tropospheric temperature. A temperatureofover808Cwould berequiredin theClausius‐Clapeyronrelationship tomatchthe4.2%K 21 rate of increase. Instead, the low rate of increase is due to spatially heterogeneous warming. During slower global warming, there is enhanced warming at southern high latitudes, and hence less warming in the tropics per kelvin of global surface temperatureincrease. This leads to a smaller global watervapor increase, because most of the atmospheric water vapor is in the tropics. A formula is proposed that applies to general warming scenarios. This study also examines the response of global-mean precipitation and the meridional profile of precipitation minus evaporation and compares the latter to thermodynamic scalings. It is found that globalmean precipitation changes are remarkably robust between rapid and slow warming. Thermodynamic scalings for the rapid- and slow-warming zonal-mean precipitation are similar, but the precipitation changes are significantly different, suggesting that circulation changes are important in driving these differences.
PEDESTRIAN TRAVEL TIMES AND MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC SIGNALS

Traffic signals generally have been installed to maximize the flow of motor vehicle traffic by reducing the average travel delay time. Under free-flow conditions, motor vehicle travel delay is very sensitive to the amount of green phase and the total cycle of the traffic signal. Average pedestrian delay at traffic signals is not taken into account. Some simple examples are used to demonstrate that travel time delay costs to pedestrians caused by existing signalization cycles may often result in increased travel time costs to society. In areas with heavy pedestrian traffic (or during peak pedestrian hours), traffic signals should trade off the costs of motor vehicle delay with pedestrian delay. This may suggest that in some areas, motor vehicle traffic should be banned or severely restricted. Narrower street widths that can allow reduced total signal cycle times can also reduce pedestrian delay.
Theorem Proving for Verification: The Early Days

Summary form only given. Since Turing, computer scientists have understood that the question "does this program satisfy its specifications?" could be reduced to the question "are these formulas theorems?" But the theorem proving technology of the 50s and 60s was inadequate for the task. In 1971, here in Edinburgh, Boyer and I started building the first general-purpose theorem prover designed for a computational logic. This project continues today, with Matt Kaufmann as a partner; the current version of the theorem prover is ACL2 (A Computational Logic for Applicative Common Lisp). In this talk I'll give a highly personal view of the four decade long "Boyer-Moore Project," including our mechanization of inductive proof, support for recursive definitions, rewriting with previously proved lemmas, integration of decision procedures, efficient representation of logical constants, fast execution, and other proof techniques. Along the way we'll see several interesting side roads: the founding of the Edinburgh school of logic programming, a structureshared text editor that played a role in the creation of Word, and perhaps most surprisingly, the use of our "Lisp theorem prover" to formalize and prove theorems about commercial microprocessors and virtual machines via deep embeddings, including parts of processors by AMD, Centaur, IBM, Motorola, Rockwell-Collins, Sun, and others. The entire project helps shed light on the dichotomy between general-purpose theorem pro vers and special-purpose analysis tools.
Spec-based tests make sure telecom software works

Designers of contemporary telecommunications equipment face a daunting task, bringing quickly to market in an intensely competitive environment products that rely on ever more complex software. The author discusses a relatively new approach to creating software tests which is based on a graphical specification of the system's behaviour combined with an automatic test script generator. The approach is applied in Teradyne's TestMaster.
Psychophysical measurement of the judged seriousness of crimes and severity of punishments

Ratio scaling techniques of magnitude estimation and cross-modality matching were used to establish psychological scales of the seriousness of 22 crimes and the severity of then-associated punishments. The judged seriousness of crimes and judged severity of punishments were related to the physical duration of punishment by the same nonlinear function. Judged seriousness of crimes and severity of punishments were both power functions with an exponent of .5 of the duration of prison term. The results suggest that, in most cases, the punishment fits the crime when both are expressed in psychological units.
When Are Corporate Environmental Policies a Form of Greenwashing

Do environmental policy statements accurately represent corporate commitment to environmental sustainability? Because companies are not required by law to publish environmental policy statements or to verify that these statements are true using independent third parties, external stakeholders often wonder when a published commitment to a policy translates into actual policy implementation. The authors analyzed two independent databases to predict the circumstances under which large, leading-edge corporations in industry sectors will commit to and/or implement proactive corporate environmental policies and when it is unlikely they will do so. The authors found that commitment to specific environmental policies does not vary greatly between industry sectors; however, policy implementation does.
Trajectory generation for driving guidance of front wheel steering vehicles

This paper addresses how to generate an optimum trajectory for front wheel steering vehicles that equip with digital map systems. The vehicle dynamic equation is incorporated into the design formulation for trajectory generation under several performance indices. Based on cell mapping method, a numerical procedure for solving the general optimum trajectory generation has been developed. And the shortcoming of this method is also discussed.
Exposure to α-Copaene and α-Copaene-Containing Oils Enhances Mating Success of Male Mediterranean Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract Previous research revealed that exposure to the synthetic attractant trimedlure increased the mating success of male Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). In the current study, I investigated whether a similar effect resulted from male exposure to α-copaene, a naturally occurring compound found in many host plants, and two α-copaene-containing essential oils, angelica seed oil (Angelica archangelica L.) and ginger root oil, (Zingiber officinale Roscoe). For all three substances, mature males were exposed to 20 μl of the attractant over a 6-h period and then held 2 d before testing. In field-cage trials, treated males (exposed to attractants) obtained significantly more matings than control males (no exposure) for all three substances. In an additional experiment with ginger root oil, treated males prevented from contacting the oil directly (i.e., exposed to the odor only) still exhibited a mating advantage over control males. Discussion centers on the influence of α-copaene-b...
DIGESTIBLE ENERGY REQUIREMENTS FOR MAINTENANCE OF BODY MASS OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN SOUTHERN TEXAS

Abstract Previous experiments designed to estimate daily digestible energy requirements for body-mass maintenance in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were conducted using deer adapted to northern environments. However, animals adapted to warmer, drier environments may have lower metabolic requirements than their temperate conspecifics. We conducted a feeding trial to estimate digestible energy requirements for maintenance of body mass of white-tailed deer in southern Texas and to determine if those requirements vary over time. By restricting dietary levels of digestible energy and measuring deer body mass every 3 days for a 30-day period, we developed a model relating digestible energy intake and change in body mass over time for 11 adult, nongravid females during autumn. Predicted daily digestible energy intake requirements for body-mass maintenance (kJ/kg body mass0.75) ranged from 820 ± 168 SE at trial initiation to 357 ± 42 at trial completion. Our experiment demonstrated that daily digestib...
Proton radiation effect on performance of InAs/GaSb complementary barrier infrared detector

In this work, we investigated the effect of proton irradiation on the performance of long wavelength infrared InAs/GaSb photodiodes (λc = 10.2 μm), based on the complementary barrier infrared detector design. We found that irradiation with 68 MeV protons causes a significant increase of the dark current from jd = 5 × 10−5 A/cm2 to jd = 6 × 10−3 A/cm2, at Vb = 0.1 V, T = 80 K and fluence 19.2 × 1011 H+/cm2. Analysis of the dark current as a function of temperature and bias showed that the dominant contributor to the dark current in these devices changes from diffusion current to tunneling current after proton irradiation. This change in the dark current mechanism can be attributed to the onset of surface leakage current, generated by trap-assisted tunneling processes in proton displacement damage areas located near the device sidewalls.
Institutional Isomorphism and Oversight of the Executive

This paper examines the causes of increasing similarity between House and Senate committees in their oversight of executive branch agencies. Using a panel design, the paper examines the influence of environmental (e.g., public demand and inter-branch relations), institutional (i.e., opportunities and resources for oversight), and partisan influences on committee behavior. Environmental influences are found to be the most important in explaining why House and Senate committees look increasingly similar.
COMMENT: Minnesota Rails to Trails on the Line in State v. Hess

The Minnesota Supreme Court decided State v. Hess in 2004, holding that an 1898 deed from two northern Minnesota landowners to the Brainerd and Northern Minnesota Railway Company for a railroad right-of-way conveyed a fee simple determinable. Because the abutting landowners failed to record their outstanding right of reverter, Minnesota's Marketable Title Act operated to extinguish that interest. As a result, the court held that the state's DNR, which now operates a public recreational trail along the former railroad right-of-way, owns the land in fee simple absolute. The Hess court's reasoning and holding depart from precedent case law and analytical principles of deed interpretation in a way that creates a unique dilemma for future cases. Since courts' primary goal in interpreting deeds is to discern the actual intent of the original grantors, contemporaneous case law and scholarly work should paint an accurate picture of grantors' legal understandings and intentions. However, Hess's marked departure from turn-of-the-century precedent now means that courts interpreting similar language will be forced to decide between prior cases' depictions of the relevant law and Hess's underlying public policy preference for recreational trails. This Comment proposes a variety of judicial and legislative solutions to aid future courts in fairly balancing the competing interests of private landowners and recreational trail enthusiasts. These proposals would establish a more principled approach to interpreting ambiguous railroad conveyances and would legitimize shifting public policy preferences in accordance with society's view of what constitutes the best use of abandoned railroad corridors. In addition, Minnesota's position as a leader in the field of rails-to-trails offers the state a unique opportunity to pilot innovative legislation and set an example for other states confronting the same issues.
Going to the ground (or AstroTurf): a grassroots view of regime resilience

ABSTRACTWhile disproportional resources and curbs on civil and political rights clearly matter to electoral authoritarian persistence, long-term acculturation to political norms and modes of governance on the ground in such regimes – of which Singapore and Malaysia are the most durable examples – complicate transformation. A combination of what amounts to classic machine politics with the structural “assist” of sub-par elections renders electoral authoritarianism extraordinarily increasingly resilient over time, not just because it is hard or unlikely for voters to vote in new leaders, but also because the aspiring or elected opposition may end up reproducing rather than subverting key attributes of that regime. Clientelist political praxis may be highly responsive, offer direct accountability, and align with voters’ rational self-interest, at least in the short term. However, its persistence impedes pursuit of new ideological or programmatic objectives, perpetuates piecemeal and inefficient allocation of...
A national survey of postmortem human immunodeficiency virus testing by medical examiners and coroners.

This article reports on a survey of a stratified random sample of medicolegal offices in the United States to find the extent of their testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), using mailback questionnaires. Seventy-six percent (172) of the 225 offices queried responded. Estimates were made for the total population of medicolegal jurisdictions (U.S.A.). Testing in all autopsies was performed by 3% of the offices covering 11% of the population. Testing useful for surveillance was performed by 19% of the offices covering 47% of the population. Testing done for emergency responders' HIV exposure was performed by 35% of the offices covering 75% of the population. Diagnostic testing was performed by 54% of the offices covering 86% of the population. Forty percent of the offices covering 10% of the population did not test. The level of testing does not correlate with the jurisdiction's prevalence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Of the population covered with surveillance testing, 19% neither directly nor indirectly had the results reported to their health departments.
2012 Advanced Accelerator Concepts Workshop

We report on the organization and outcome of the 2012 Advanced Accelerator Concepts Workshop, held in Austin, Texas in June 2012.
Insulation Design of Gas Insulated HVDC Transmission Line

The electrical specification of gas insulated transmission line (GIL) is similar to overhead line and the former possesses many advantages such as less land occupation, low-loss etc., it will be extensively applied in the field of high and ultra-high voltage power transmission. By means of analyzing the impact of surface charge accumulation and free metallic conducting particles on surface discharge of insulators, it is pointed out the that the surface charge accumulation and the adhesion of free metallic conducting particle are key reasons causing insulation performance deterioration of HVDC GIL. To ameliorate this condition, the methods that make the distribution of electric field around the insulator more reasonable are adopted, i.e., the optimization of semi-conical disc insulator and film coating to make the distribution of surface resistivity step-shaped. The insulation structure for HVDC GIL, including film-coated electrode, particle trap, particle driving electrode and field-well ring, which can restrict the movement of free metallic conducting particle is designed.
Do the results of semen analysis predict future fertility? a survival analysis study

The authors examined the results of the initial semen analysis from 1089 couples in an infertility clinic. The distributions of the values for various semen variables among couples who remained infertile were very similar to those among couples who later conceived. A cutoff point was selected in each pair of distributions to compare the cumulative probability of conception for couples with higher and lower results. The authors took into account the varying times to conception or loss to follow-up by using life table analysis. No statistically significant differences were found at the P= 0.05 level of significance. Cox's univariate and multiple regression models were then used to investigate the relationship between various semen characteristics and future fertility. Finding no significant influence of any semen characteristic on the cumulative probability of conception, the authors believe that using specific values of the semen analysis to estimate the potential for fertility of infertile couples is not useful.
Treatment modalities in sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma: an analysis from the national cancer database.

Background Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (SNUC) is a rare, aggressive malignancy of unknown etiology with a poor overall prognosis. Its relative rarity has made it difficult to determine the impact of different treatment modalities on survival. Methods Retrospective study of cases in the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). NCDB cases that were diagnosed as having SNUC between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013 were included in the analysis. Outcomes of patients treated with surgery followed adjuvant chemoradiotherapy were compared with definitive chemoradiotherapy. Results A 5-year survival rate of 42.2% was observed in the 460 patients in the analysis. American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) clinical staging data were available for 304 patients. Of these patients, 60.2% had advanced tumors (AJCC stage 3 or 4). Surgery followed by adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was associated with better survival than definitive chemoradiotherapy (55.8% vs 42.6%, p = 0.007) in the study population. However, in late-stage tumors, there was no difference in survival between the 2 treatment groups (p = 0.22). For late-stage tumors, the time to initiation of adjuvant therapy was 49.2 ± 5.1 days for the surgery plus adjuvant therapy group as compared with 25.9 ± 2.6 days in the definitive chemoradiotherapy group (p 0.05). Margin status played a critical role in the success of surgical resection, as no patients with positive margin status receiving adjuvant therapy survived to 5 years. Conclusion Surgery may play a role in a multimodality approach to treatment of late-stage SNUC if the tumor is amenable to surgical resection and negative margins can be reliably obtained. However, in cases where there may be difficulty obtaining negative margins, or this is considered unlikely preoperatively, surgical resection does not appear to provide any additional survival benefit.
Trauma-Informed Hospice and Palliative Care

This review highlights the need to integrate trauma-informed practices into hospice and palliative care. The pervasiveness of psychological trauma exposure has been established in the general population and among the elderly adults. Moreover, there is emerging evidence for multiple additional opportunities for exposure to psychological trauma at or near the end of life. For example, many people experience intensive medical interventions prior to their admission to hospice and/or palliative care, and there is increasing recognition that these interventions may be traumatic. These and related opportunities for trauma exposure may combine synergistically at the end of life, particularly in the presence of pain, anxiety, delirium, dementia, or ordinary old age. This, in turn, can negatively affect patient mental health, well-being, behavior, and reported experience of pain. This review closes with suggestions for future research and a call for universal assessment of psychological trauma history and symptoms in hospice and palliative care patients, along with the development of palliative trauma intervention strategies appropriate to these populations.
Abstract 3781: Effects of a novel microtubule inhibitor, AK301 on Apc heterozygote colon cells

Over 80% of the sporadic colon cancers harbor somatic mutations of APC, predominantly resulting in APC protein lacking its C-terminal end. The basic region within the C-terminus of APC interacts with microtubules to promote polymerization, a process essential for establishment of cell polarity and faithful segregation of chromosomes during mitosis. Truncation mutations of Apc have been proposed to act in a dominant negative manner to slow microtubule growth and anchoring. We recently identified a novel microtubule inhibitor, 4-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl) (2-ethoxyphenyl)methanone, referred to as AK301. Our in vitro tubulin polymerization assay indicates that AK301 disrupts microtubule polymerization, but does not completely abrogate microtubule growth. In addition, in silico molecular docking predicts a novel and unique binding orientation of AK301 to the colchicine-binding domain of β-tubulin. We examined the effects of AK301 on microtubule dynamics in Apc +/+ and Apc Min/+ cells. Here we show that Apc Min/+ cells normally maintain shorter microtubules under normal growth conditions. Following treatment with AK301, mutant cells show more extensive cytoskeletal and mitotic spindle abnormalities. Moreover, AK301-treated Apc Min/+ cells showed centrosome declustering, evident from multiple Aurora A kinase foci; bipolar assembly was observed in the corresponding untreated Apc Min/+ cells or treated Apc +/+ cells. Overall, AK301 and its derivatives may help illuminate the regulation of microtubule dynamics in Apc mutant cells and provide insight into the consequences of targeting their microtubule assembly defect. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Avijeet Chopra, Amy Anderson, Daniel Rosenberg, Charles Giardina. Effects of a novel microtubule inhibitor, AK301 on Apc heterozygote colon cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3781. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3781
Structure of Classical Groups

In this chapter we study the structure of a classical group G and its Lie algebra. We choose a matrix realization of G such that the diagonal subgroup H ⊂ G is a maximal torus; by elementary linear algebra every conjugacy class of semisimple elements intersects H. Using the unipotent elements in G, we show that the groups GL(n,\(\mathbb{C}\)), SL(n,\(\mathbb{C}\)), SO(n,\(\mathbb{C}\)), and Sp(n,\(\mathbb{C}\)) are connected (as Lie groups and as algebraic groups). We examine the group SL(2,C), find its irreducible representations, and show that every regular representation decomposes as the direct sum of irreducible representations. This group and its Lie algebra play a basic role in the structure of the other classical groups and Lie algebras. We decompose the Lie algebra of a classical group under the adjoint action of a maximal torus and find the invariant subspaces (called root spaces) and the corresponding characters (called roots). The commutation relations of the root spaces are encoded by the set of roots; we use this information to prove that the classical (trace-zero) Lie algebras are simple (or semisimple). In the final section of the chapter we develop some general Lie algebra methods (solvable Lie algebras, Killing form) and show that every semisimple Lie algebra has a root-space decomposition with the same properties as those of the classical Lie algebras.
The Use of Computer-Assisted Instruction to Improve the Reading Comprehension of Students With Learning Disabilities: An Evaluation of the Evidence Base According to the What Works Clearinghouse Standards:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the evidence base for using computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to improve the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities (LD). Twelve...
Heterosis, transmission genetics, and selection for increased growth rate in a N. tabacum × synthetic tobacco cross

Cultivated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is a classic amphidiploid, and hybrids between this cultivated species and closely related diploid Nicotiana relatives often exhibit heterotic effects for growth rate and yield. Crosses between N. tabacum and synthetic tobaccos, 4x(Nicotiana sylvestris × Nicotiana otophora) or 4x(N. sylvestris × Nicotiana tomentosiformis), may provide superior routes for genome-wide introgression from diploid relatives and allow increased potential to capitalize on heterotic effects in tobacco. Significant levels of mid-parent heterosis were observed for yield and growth rate in F1 hybrids between synthetic tobaccos and a standard tobacco cultivar. Microsatellite marker genotyping of an F2 population derived from a K326 × [4x(N. sylvestris × N. otophora)] cross was carried out to preliminarily investigate the relative importance of different types of gene action on observed heterosis in the original interspecific cross. Results suggested a role for both partial dominance and overdominance. Marker genotyping also indicated an overall reduced level of recombination in the N. tabacum × synthetic tobacco cross relative to a N. tabacum × N. tabacum cross but no evidence of genomic regions with severely restricted levels of recombination. Results suggest that populations derived from N. tabacum × synthetic tobacco crosses may be more efficient for introgressing germplasm from diploid relatives, as compared to populations derived from crosses between N. tabacum and diploid forms where preferential pairing between N. tabacum homologues can reduce the potential for introgression of alien chromatin. Such materials may be useful as sources of favorable alleles influencing quantitative characters in tobacco.
Granulomatous-Lymphocytic Interstitial Lung Disease in a Patient With Common Variable Immunodeficiency

Common variable immunodeficiency is the most common primary immunodeficiency and consists of impaired immunoglobulin production causing recurrent sinopulmonary infections. The most common cause of mortality for this disorder, however, is from the development of malignancy and autoimmune disorders. One common entity that develops is a systemic granulomatous and lymphoproliferative disorder that can cause an interstitial lung disease more formally referred to as granulomatous-lymphocytic interstitial lung disease (GL-ILD). We discuss a case of a 25-year-old woman with common variable immunodeficiency and GL-ILD and review the literature to summarize the most common radiological findings to raise the suspicion for GL-ILD on high-resolution computed tomography and delineate this from infection and other mimickers. We will also review key histopathological characteristics for diagnosis and the clinical approach and treatment options for this rare disease.
Remplissage Versus Modified Latarjet for Off-Track Hill-Sachs Lesions With Subcritical Glenoid Bone Loss.

Background:Off-track Hill-Sachs lesions have been associated with high rates of recurrent shoulder instability. Both arthroscopic Bankart with remplissage and modified Latarjet have been described ...
Impact of the SPRINT Trial on Hypertension Management

The Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial is the first large prospective randomized controlled trial to demonstrate the benefit of an intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) treatment target (<120 mm Hg) compared to a standard target (<140 mm Hg) in reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and all-cause mortality in high-risk hypertensive patients. The impact of SPRINT on hypertension treatment has been large, but major questions remain about the feasibility of achieving the SPRINT intensive SBP target in routine practice, the generalizability of the SPRINT findings to hypertensive populations that were excluded from the trial, and the cost effectiveness of adopting the SPRINT intensive treatment goal. In this review, we discuss the generalizability of SPRINT data to the general population of adults with hypertension and with various comorbidities, the cost effectiveness of intensive SBP-lowering therapy, and the implications of SPRINT for future hypertension guideline development and clinical...
FDA Approval Summary: Pembrolizumab for Treatment of Metastatic Non‐Small Cell Lung Cancer: First‐Line Therapy and Beyond

On October 24, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda; Merck & Co., Inc., https://www.merck.com) for treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) whose tumors express programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) as determined by an FDA-approved test, as follows: (a) first-line treatment of patients with mNSCLC whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression (tumor proportion score [TPS] ≥50%), with no epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) genomic tumor aberrations, and (b) treatment of patients with mNSCLC whose tumors express PD-L1 (TPS ≥1%), with disease progression on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations should have disease progression on FDA-approved therapy for these aberrations prior to receiving pembrolizumab.Approval was based on two randomized, open-label, active-controlled trials demonstrating statistically significant improvements in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients randomized to pembrolizumab compared with chemotherapy. In KEYNOTE-024, patients with previously untreated mNSCLC who received pembrolizumab (200 mg intravenously [IV] every 3 weeks) had a statistically significant improvement in OS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.41-0.89; p = .005), and significant improvement in PFS (HR 0.50; 95% CI: 0.37-0.68; p < .001). In KEYNOTE-010, patients with disease progression on or after platinum-containing chemotherapy received pembrolizumab IV 2 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, or docetaxel 75 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. The HR and p value for OS was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.58-0.88), p < .001 comparing pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg with chemotherapy and the HR and p value for OS was 0.61 (95% CI: 0.49-0.75), p < .001 comparing pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg with chemotherapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE This is the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of a checkpoint inhibitor for first-line treatment of lung cancer. This approval expands the pembrolizumab indication in second-line treatment of lung cancer to include all patients with programmed death-ligand 1-expressing non-small cell lung cancer.
IMTBX and Grppr: Software for Top-Down Proteomics Utilizing Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry

Top-down proteomics has emerged as a transformative method for the analysis of protein sequence and post-translational modifications (PTMs). Top-down experiments have historically been performed primarily on ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometers due to the complexity of spectra resulting from fragmentation of intact proteins, but recent advances in coupling ion mobility separations to faster, lower resolution mass analyzers now offer a viable alternative. However, software capable of interpreting the highly complex two-dimensional spectra that result from coupling ion mobility separation to top-down experiments is currently lacking. In this manuscript we present a software suite consisting of two programs, IMTBX ("IM Toolbox") and Grppr ("Grouper"), that enable fully automated processing of such data. We demonstrate the capabilities of this software suite by examining a series of intact proteins on a Waters Synapt G2 ion-mobility equipped mass spectrometer and compare the results to the manual and semiautomated data analysis procedures we have used previously.
Hierarchically Porous Carbon Materials for CO2 Capture: The Role of Pore Structure

With advances in porous carbon synthesis techniques, hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) materials are being utilized as relatively new sorbents for CO2 capture applications. These HPC materials were used as a platform to prepare samples with differing textural properties and morphologies to elucidate structure–property relationships. It was found that high microporous content, rather than overall surface area, was of primary importance for predicting good CO2 capture performance. Two HPC materials were analyzed, each with near identical high surface area (∼2700 m2/g) and colossally high pore volume (∼10 cm3/g), but with different microporous content and pore size distributions, which led to dramatically different CO2 capture performance. Overall, large pore volumes obtained from distinct mesopores were found to significantly impact adsorption performance. From these results, an optimized HPC material was synthesized that achieved a high CO2 capacity of ∼3.7 mmol/g at 25 °C and 1 bar.
AN UNCOMMON CAUSE OF SYNCOPE IN CHURCH

Echocardiographic evaluation with color Doppler is essential for accurate diagnosis of intracardiac shunt in case of ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SOVA). A 21 year old college student with no significant medical history presented after a syncopal episode at church. Physical exam was
Saturable inductors for superior reflexive field containment in inductive power transfer systems

Inductive power transfer has many applications that range from electric vehicle charging to robotics. In dynamic applications, it is required that the segmented transmitter coil transfer power to a moving receiver coil. One proposed method to achieve this is using the reflexive field containment approach presented in the literature. In this work, we improve on the concept by adding a saturable inductor to the system to maximize the difference between the coupled and uncoupled currents in the transmitter coil.
Incentive Effects of No-Fault Automobile Insurance: Evidence from Insurance Claim Data

This paper investigates the effects of no-fault on automobile property damage claim frequency in the United States. No fault restricts the right to sue for bodily injury liability (BIL), but most U.S. no fault laws make no change in the legal rules involving property damage claims. Thus, an analysis of property claims can reveal the indirect effects of no fault on incentives. The principal finding is that no fault induces drivers to shift property claims from property damage liability (PDL) coverage into collision (first party property damage) coverage. With the elimination of some BIL claims under no fault, the expected recovery under tort is reduced so that first-party property claims become more attractive relative to PDL claims. Thus, no fault may facilitate experience rating since a higher proportion of claims come to the attention of the driver’s insurer. The effect no fault on total claims is less conclusive. However, controlling for the size of the residual market, no fault appears to be positively associated with total property claims frequency.
High-Performance Skiing

The term high-performance skiing commonly refers to ski racing, speed skiing, acrobatic skiing, ski jumping, and extreme skiing, usually in association with organized, high-level competition. In this chapter we will look at a few issues related to high-performance, competitive skiing that should, nevertheless, prove interesting to recreational skiers. For example, any factor that decreases velocity, as aerodynamic drag does, is crucially important for the high-performance racer or speed skier. Although aerodynamic drag is usually not an especially important issue for recreational skiers, it affects the recreational skier in the same manner that it affects a racer or speed skier. For that reason, all skiers may achieve some greater understanding of their performance—whether it be high, medium, or low—by understanding something about the way aerodynamic drag affects a skier, which is the first high-performance skiing issue we will consider.