cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teaching denial assertation to chronic hospitalized patients

Abstract Seventeen chronic hospitalized female participants in an intensive behavioral treatment program were trained by a semi-automated assertion training procedure aimed at producing greater refusal to unreasonable demands. The patients had not been screened for deficits in assertive skills. The training program utilized modeling, coaching, and either overt or covert behavioral rehearsal. Ten control subjects participated in the comprehensive behavioral treatment program but received no assertion training. A second control group of 8 subjects neither participated in the program nor received training. The trained subjects displayed greater refusal in the role-playing situations for which they had been trained than control subjects. Overt rehearsal led to greater refusal than covert rehearsal. The greater assertion was maintained on trained, but not untrained, subjects at 24-month follow-up.
Effect of Acidic Mine Drainage on the Mechanical and Hydraulic Properties of Three Geosynthetics

This paper describes a study of the physical effects of exposing three geosynthetics commonly used in waste containment systems (a geomembrane, geotextile, and drainage geocomposite) to a synthetic acidic mine drainage (AMD) from metallic mine wastes in an environment with limited access to oxygen and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The geosynthetic materials were immersed in tanks containing synthetic AMD, acidic water, and de-ionized water at 20, 40, or 60°C. Specimens were periodically removed from the tanks over a 22 month period and tested to determine their mechanical (tensile strength, puncture strength, and trapezoidal tear strength) and hydraulic properties (transmissivity and permittivity). Results of the tests were evaluated using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and linear regression to determine if statistically significant changes in the mechanical or hydraulic properties occurred during exposure. Both ANOVA and linear regression showed that none of the mechanical or hydraulic properties exhibited s...
Customizing a Food Frequency Questionnaire to the Needs of a Specific Ethnic Group for Increased Accuracy in Dietary Intake Assessment

Abstract The purpose of this study was to modify the Gladys Block Food Frequency Questionnaire (GBFFQ) in both content and format customizing it to the ethnic needs of a specific group of South Asian immigrants residing in the United States. The three steps involved were: (1) standardizing preparation methods of core foods selected from those identified as core foods of the study group using a 24-hour dietary recall and 2 days of food records; (2) adding the core foods to the GBFFQ and removing from the GBFFQ foods missing in the Asian diet; and (3) simplifying the GBFFQ by reducing from 9 to 4 the number of options to choose from. The completed customized GBFFQ was analyzed using the accompanying software; several adjustments were made during data entry. Twenty-four core foods were identified. Of these, 11 recipes that were most commonly eaten by this group, generally thought to be high in fat and not previously nutritionally analyzed were selected for standardization and calculation of their macronutrient and cholesterol contents. Seventeen foods, including the 11 standardized recipes, were matched in serving size and nutritive value with foods already found on the GBFFQ. The remaining 7 were just added in the spaces provided. Matching helped keep the GBFFQ short and easier to understand and the resultant questionnaire had 81 foods as opposed to 99 on the original GBFFQ. The 3 serving size options were removed and only the medium serving option was given and, of the 5 frequencies of consumption options, the 3 given were daily, weekly and monthly. During data entry, an adjustment was made in the frequency of consumption and serving size of meat dishes and vegetable oil. The modified GBFFQ greatly facilitated the dietary intake assessment of the ethnic study group whose dietary habits are greatly different from that of the usual U.S. population.
A Comparison of the Triangle Retrieval and Variational Data Assimilation Methods for Surface Turbulent Flux Estimation

Abstract Future operational frameworks for estimating surface turbulent fluxes over the necessary spatial and temporal scales will undoubtedly require the use of remote sensing products. Techniques used to estimate surface fluxes from radiometric surface temperature generally fall into two categories: retrieval-based and data assimilation approaches. Up to this point, there has been little comparison between retrieval- and assimilation-based techniques. In this note, the triangle retrieval method is compared to a variational data assimilation approach for estimating surface turbulent fluxes from radiometric surface temperature observations. Results from a set of synthetic experiments and an application using real data from the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment (FIFE) site indicate that the assimilation approach performs slightly better than the triangle method because of the robustness of the estimation to measurement errors and parsimony of the syste...
The mechanism-based inactivation of p450 2B4 by tert-butyl 1-methyl-2-propynyl ether: structural determination of the adducts to the p450 heme.

tert-Butyl 1-methyl-2-propynyl ether (tBMP) was analyzed for its ability to act as a mechanism-based inactivator of P450 2B4. tBMP inactivated P450 2B4 in a time-, concentration-, and NADPH-dependent manner. Losses in activity occurred with concurrent losses in the reduced CO spectrum and native P450 heme; however, there was a greater loss in activity than could be accounted for by reduced CO spectra or native heme loss. LC/MS analysis demonstrated that the losses in native heme were accompanied by the appearance of two modified hemes with m/z values of 705 Da, consistent with tBMP adducted hemes. Both adducts had identical fragmentation patterns when analyzed by LC/MS/MS. The spectra were consistent with a tBMP molecule and an oxygen atom attached to iron-depleted heme. Proton NMR studies suggest that the two modified hemes in P450 2B1 are N-alkylated on pyrrole rings A and D.
Open trial evaluation of a pyrrolidine derivative (AHR-1118) on norepinephrine metabolism

Abstract 1. 1. The effect of AHR-1118, a nontricyclic antidepressant, on plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) was evaluated in depression. 2. 2. Seven inpatients suffering from primary major depressive disorder participated in the study designed as an open trial. 3. 3. Psychiatric measurements of clinical response were done using the Hamilton Depression Scale and the Zung Self-rating Scale for Depression. 4. 4. AHR-1118 caused significant and time-dependent changes in plasma levels of MHPG. Levels increased several-fold at the second week of treatment and returned to baseline at the end of the fourth week. 5. 5. Clinical improvement occurred in phases as did the changes in plasma MHPG. Significant correlations were obtained between the rate of clinical improvement and the biochemical changes. 6. 6. It was concluded that reuptake blockade of norepinephrine (NE) by the pyrrolidine derivative AHR-1118 produces changes that are reflected in plasma MHPG levels.
Effect of an H-2 antagonist on gallbladder contraction.

Abstract Cimetidine, an H-2 blocker, is a potent inhibitor of stimulated acid secretion. Its effects on other tissues have not been completely described. Using strips of guinea pig gallbladder, the effect of cimetidine on histamine-stimulated muscle contraction was tested. Doses of 1.6 × 10 −6 , 4.05 × 10 −6 , and 8.1 × 10 −6 M histamine acid phosphate produced graded increases of muscle contraction. When these doses were given in combination with 5 × 10 −6 and 5 × 10 −5 M cimetidine, there was a significant increase in muscle contraction. However, when 4.9 × 10 −7 M diphenhydramine hydrochloride, an H-1 receptor inhibitor, was given in combination with histamine, muscle contraction was significantly inhibited. From these data it is concluded that the effects of histamine on gallbladder muscle in vitro are mediated through the H-1 receptor site; however, the H-2 receptor is present and is an inhibitor of muscle contraction.
Relative risk reduction versus number needed to treat as measures of lipid-lowering trial results

Recent clinical trials dealing with cholesterol reduction in primary and secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease use Relative Risk Reduction to assess their clinical outcomes. Number Needed to Treat is a more valid measurement.
Differentiation of receptors responsive to isoproterenol.

Abstract Structural modification of 1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-amino-ethanol, by adding a methyl or ethyl group at the carbon alpha to the nitrogen or by adding various alkyl groups in the nitrogen center, changes sympathomimetic activity. A rank order evaluation of these changes indicates that the β-receptor population can be divided into two distinct groups, a β-1 type (found in the heart, adipose tissue and small intestine) and a β-2 type (found in the uterus, diaphragm, bronchioles and vascular bed), as described in this and previous publications from our laboratory. A review of recent published research from other laboratories suggest that similar results also may be obtained with β-receptor antagonists.
Intrafiber visible pulse compression by cross-phase modulation in a birefringent optical fiber.

Detailed subpicosecond observations of the time dependence of a propagating cross-phase-modulated pulse are presented. It is observed that propagation of a weak visible pulse in one polarization mode of a birefringent optical fiber, so that it is cross-phase modulated by the edge of a strong pulse in the other mode, can result in significant compression of the weak pulse, for normal dispersion, without external compensation. The compression efficiency is found to be enhanced by utilizing the group-velocity mismatch between the two modes to synchronize the weak pulse with the broadening edge of the strong pulse. This is the first observation, to the author’s knowledge, of intrafiber pulse compression for normal group-velocity dispersion, and a compressed pulse width of 0.3 psec for a 2-psec input pulse is observed.
Derivation of mean pulmonary artery pressure from noninvasive parameters.

Background The assessment of pulmonary pressure is important for the diagnosis and management of patients with pulmonary hypertension. Mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP) has been used in the current definition of pulmonary hypertension. However, invasive derivation by Doppler echocardiography provides the peak pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP). The aim of this study was to derive a method to predict MPAP from PASP. Methods Invasive hemodynamic pressures in 307 patients who underwent right heart catheterization were examined. Simple regression techniques were used to determine the relationship between MPAP and PASP in a derivation cohort ( n = 198) and a validation sample ( n = 109). Bland-Altman analysis was performed to examine predicted versus observed values of MPAP. Results MPAP and PASP at catheterization were strongly related over a range of pressures ( R 2 = 0.89, n = 198; SE, 4.04; P R 2 value of 0.94 for predicted versus observed MPAP (SE, 2.87; P R 2 = 0.78, P Conclusions MPAP can be accurately predicted from PASP over a wide pressure range for different etiologies of pulmonary hypertension. This finding may help define MPAP noninvasively.
Holographic radius test plates for spherical surfaces with large radius of curvature

We describe a novel interferometric method, based on nested Fresnel zone lenses or photon sieves, for testing and measuring the radius of curvature of precision spherical surfaces that have radii in a range between several meters and a few hundred meters. We illustrate the measurement concept with radius measurements of a spherical mirror with a radius of about 10 m. The measured radius is 9877 mm±10 mm for a coverage factor k=2. Our measurements also demonstrate, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the utility of photon sieves for precision surface metrology because they diffuse higher diffraction orders of computer generated holograms, which reduces coherent noise.
Non-Abelian magnetic charge and Lorentz invariance

Attempts are made to construct a generalization of magnetic-charge theory to non-Abelian groups, retaining the symmetry of electric- and magnetic-charge dynamics. It is shown why the automatically gauge- and Lorentz-invariant path-dependent formalism of Mandelstam does not allow such a generalization. Strict gauge invariance and manifest Lorentz invariance are then abandoned in favor of a fully quantized field theory with all required properties, including a generalized charge quantization condition. It is concluded from the failure of locality in this model that such a generalization is probably incompatible with Lorentz invariance. (AIP)
XIAP Is a Copper Binding Protein Deregulated in Wilson's Disease and Other Copper Toxicosis Disorders

X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), known primarily for its caspase inhibitory properties, has recently been shown to interact with and regulate the levels of COMMD1, a protein associated with a form of canine copper toxicosis. Here, we describe a role for XIAP in copper metabolism. We find that XIAP levels are greatly reduced by intracellular copper accumulation in Wilson's disease and other copper toxicosis disorders and in cells cultured under high copper conditions. Elevated copper levels result in a profound, reversible conformational change in XIAP due to the direct binding of copper to XIAP, which accelerates its degradation and significantly decreases its ability to inhibit caspase-3. This results in a lowering of the apoptotic threshold, sensitizing the cell to apoptosis. These data provide an unsuspected link between copper homeostasis and the regulation of cell death through XIAP and may contribute to the pathophysiology of copper toxicosis disorders.
Introduction to extended common coupling with an application study on Linux

Common coupling is usually considered an obstacle to software maintenance. In this paper, we study the interaction of common coupling with other forms of software coupling and introduce the concept of extended common coupling. We define four types of extended common coupling, which can help us to understand how a global variable is usually referenced, and how it is related to other forms of coupling. We perform an application study on Linux global variable current. The result shows that in most cases, global variable current in Linux is used with stamp coupling instead of data coupling, which will make the maintenance more difficult.
Linking Preservice Teachers' Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Mathematics Teaching Efficacy to Their Mathematical Performance.

This study examined preservice teachers' mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics teaching efficacy and compared them to their mathematical performance. Participants included 89 early childhood preservice teachers at a Midwestern university. Instruments included the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES), Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (MTEBI), and the Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) Basic Skills Test. The results indicate that preservice teachers' mathematics self-efficacy is positively correlated to their personal mathematics teaching efficacy. In addition, their mathematical performance is related to their mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics teaching efficacy. In regard to affecting student outcomes, only those preservice teachers who are very confident in their ability to teach believe they can have an effect on their students. Implications on teacher education programs are discussed.
Rapid determination of sugar content in corn stover hydrolysates using near infrared spectroscopy

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy provides rapid determination method for biomass characterization. The objective of this study is to use NIR to model and predict contents of monosaccharides in biomass hydrolysates. A uniform distribution of pretreatment conditions was used to generate representative samples that cover wide ranges of sugar concentration for model development. The formation of glucose, xylose, and arabinose was studied via response surface methodology and 3D models were provided to show the effects of pretreatment conditions. The NIR models developed with partial least squares are able to provide excellent and good prediction for glucose and xylose concentration in biomass hydrolysates, respectively. Data transformation did not increase model performance, but the reduced wavelength range improved model prediction for all the sugar contents. The NIR method significantly reduced the time and cost of sugar determination.
The method of equivalence applied to three state, two input control systems

The feedback equivalence of three-state two-input nonlinear control systems is analyzed by using Cartan's method of equivalence. The control linear and linear equivalents are classified, including examples of control linear systems which are inequivalent to a linear system. The existence of time-critical closed-loop controls is demonstrated for 'fully nonlinear' control systems. The existence of natural contact structures and Riemannian structures is demonstrated for certain classes of systems. >
In Building a Script for an Emotion, Do Preschoolers Add Its Cause Before Its Behavior Consequence?

An emotion concept is a script in which an emotion event is an ordered sequence of subevents from situational cause through bodily changes to behavioral consequence. As children build a script for each emotion, in what order do they add each subevent? Preschoolers (N = 108, three to five years), were asked to name the protagonist’s emotion in stories consisting solely of either a cause or a consequence of one of six emotions. More children correctly inferred happiness, fear, sadness, and disgust from their causes than from their consequences, but more correctly inferred anger from its consequence than from its cause. (No significant difference was found for surprise.) Subevents are added to scripts in a different order for different emotions.
Correction and commentary for Ocean forecasting in terrain-following coordinates: Formulation and skill assessment of the regional ocean modeling system by Haidvogel et al., J. Comp. Phys. 227, pp. 3595-3624

Although our names appear as co-authors in the above article (Haidvogel et al. (2008) [1], hereafter H2008), we were not aware of its existence until after it was published. In reading the article, we discovered that a significant portion of it (~40%, or 10 pages) repeats three large fragments from our own previously published work, Shchepetkin and McWilliams (2005) [2] (hereafter SM2005), but now presented in such a way that the motivation for the specific algorithmic choices made in ROMS and the relations among the different model components are no longer clear. The model equations appearing in H2008, Section 2.1 (taken from an earlier article, Haidvogel et al. (2000) [3]) are not entirely consistent with the actual equations solved in the ROMS code, resulting in contradictions within H2008 itself. In our view the description in H2008 does not constitute a mathematically accurate statement about the hydrodynamic core of ROMS. The purpose of this note is to clarify and correct this, as well as to explain some of the algorithmic differences among ROMS versions now in use.
Slip surface localization in wireless sensor networks for landslide prediction

A landslide occurs when the balance between a hill's weight and the countering resistance forces is tipped in favor of gravity. While the physics governing the interplay between these competing forces is fairly well understood, prediction of landslides has been hindered thus far by the lack of field measurements over large temporal and spatial scales necessary to capture the inherent heterogeneity in a landslide. We propose a network of sensor columns deployed at hills with landslide potential with the purpose of detecting the early signals preceding a catastrophic event. Detection is performed through a three-stage algorithm: First, sensors collectively detect small movements consistent with the formation of a slip surface separating the sliding part of hill from the static one. Once the sensors agree on the presence of such a surface, they conduct a distributed voting algorithm to separate the subset of sensors that moved from the static ones. In the second phase, moved sensors self-localize through a trilateration mechanism and their displacements are calculated. Finally, the direction of the displacements as well as the locations of the moved nodes are used to estimate the position of the slip surface. This information along with collected soil measurements (e.g. soil pore pressures) are subsequently passed to a finite element model that predicts whether and when a landslide will occur. Our initial results from simulated landslides indicate that we can achieve accuracy in the order of cm in the localization as well as the slip surface estimation steps of our algorithm. This accuracy persists as the density and the size of the sensor network decreases as well as when considerable noise is present in the ranging estimates. As for our next step, we plan to evaluate the performance of our system in controlled environments under a variety of hill configurations.
Predictors of outcome for advanced-stage supraglottic laryngeal cancer.

Background. The objective of this study was to report our experience in the management of patients with advanced-stage supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma and to identify factors predictive of outcome. Methods. In total, 181 patients with advanced-stage supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma were treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center between 1984 and 1998. Sixty-nine (38%) patients were treated by surgery ± postoperative radiotherapy (SRT), 93 (52%) by chemoradiotherapy (CTRT), and 19 (10%) by radiotherapy alone (RT). Survival outcomes were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Predictors of outcome were identified using multivariate analysis. Results. The-5 year overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were 53% and 71%, respectively. Patients treated with SRT and CTRT had comparable outcomes. The main independent predictors of OS and DSS were age greater than 60 years and stage of the neck at presentation. Conclusion. Regardless of index treatment, age over 60 years and clinical stage of the neck at presentation were the main independent predictors of OS and DSS. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2009
A Hybrid Approach for Selecting a Course Management System: A Case Study.

The Internet is creating exciting opportunities for universities and their stakeholders. Universities are experimenting with different modes of education. E-learning is one such mode, where students can learn from any place at any time, as long as they have an Internet connection. A course management system (CMS) facilitates e-learning, making it critical to select a system that can meet the needs of all its stakeholders. This paper addresses a hybrid approach used to select a course management system for a mid-Atlantic university. The resulting product is the outcome of faculty input, inputs from the program manager of e-Learning, students, and other stakeholders. The authors have experienced four different CMSs over twelve years of teaching online. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, universities planning to venture into e-learning or trying to revamp their current CMS can learn from our experiences. The case study could assist current and future Web course faculty in selecting a CMS to suit their teaching needs. In addition, by increasing their awareness of various capabilities that might be present in their current CMS, the discussion in the paper could also encourage the faculty to revamp their courses.
God, Wittgenstein and John Cook

This essay is a meditation on Wittgenstein's injunction to ‘look and see’, especially when it is applied to the debate over theological realism. John Cook thinks that the injunction should be followed in metaphysics and epistemology, something he believes that Wittgenstein himself did not do. I am inclined to think that Cook is right about this, even though I am not persuaded by him that Wittgenstein goes wrong because he was committed to Neutral Monism. Interestingly, Cook thinks that there is no need to adopt the look-and-see approach when it comes to the philosophy of religion, and this paper tries to show why he is wrong to think so.
An Updated Review of the Epidemiological Evidence that Cigarette Smoking Increases Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Carcinogens from tobacco reach the colorectal mucosa through either the alimentary tract or the circulatory system and could possibly damage or alter expression of important cancer-related genes. Twenty-one of 22 studies found that long-term, heavy cigarette smokers have a 2-3-fold elevated risk of colorectal adenoma. Risk of large adenomas, immediate cancer precursors, was elevated in smokers in 12 of 12 studies. The studies of smoking and colorectal cancer risk conducted earlier in the twentieth century consistently did not show any association. However, 27 studies in various countries, including the vast majority of those that have been analyzed in the past several years, now show an association between tobacco use and colorectal cancer. In the United States, 15 of 16 studies conducted after 1970 in middle-age men and elderly men and, in the 1990s, in women demonstrate an association. This temporal pattern is consistent with an induction period of three to four decades between genotoxic exposure and the diagnosis of colorectal cancer and with men as a group having begun smoking several decades earlier than women. Overall, accumulating evidence, much within the past decade, strongly supports the addition of colorectal cancer to the list of tobacco-associated malignancies and the possibility that up to one in five colorectal cancers in the United States may be potentially attributable to tobacco use.
Racial Resentment and Whites’ Gun Policy Preferences in Contemporary America

Our study investigates how and why racial prejudice can fuel white opposition to gun restrictions. Drawing on research across disciplines, we suggest that the language of individual freedom used by the gun rights movement utilizes the same racially meaningful tropes as the rhetoric of the white resistance to black civil rights that developed after WWII and into the 1970s. This indicates that the gun rights narrative is color-coded and evocative of racial resentment. To determine whether racial prejudice depresses white support for gun control, we designed a priming experiment which exposed respondents to pictures of blacks and whites drawn from the IAT. Results show that exposure to the prime suppressed support for gun control compared to the control, conditional upon a respondent’s level of racial resentment. Analyses of ANES data (2004–2013) reaffirm these findings. Racial resentment is a statistically significant and substantively important predictor of white opposition to gun control.
Bicuspid aortic valve disease beyond the aortic root: potential prognostic implications for ascending aortic dilation.

With an estimated incidence of 1% to 2% in the general population ([1][1]), bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) afflicts more patients than all other congenital heart anomalies combined ([2][2]). One-third of all patients with BAV experience one of the serious complications of BAV, including aortic stenosis
A Nonlinear Functional Analytic Framework for Modeling and Processing Fuzzy Sets

We present a nonlinear functional analytic framework for modeling and processing fuzzy sets in terms of their membership functions. Let X = {x} denote a universe of discourse, and A, a fuzzy set of elements x in X and membership function μA. First, we formally introduce a class C = {A} of attributes A, and a judgment criterion J in the definition of μA; and explain the role of such an attribute- and judgment-based membership function μA(A, J, x) in the interpretation of A as a value-based or uncertainty-based fuzzy set. Second, for uncertainty-based fuzzy sets, we associate with each attribute A (e.g., old), a corresponding event, also denoted by A (e.g., event of being old), the set C of all such events constituting a completely additive class in an appropriate probability space, x being a random variable, vector, or object induced by this space. On such a basis, we present and discuss the role of the membership function μA as a generalization of the concept of posterior probability P(A/x). This allows us to introduce rigorously, on a single platform, both human and machine judgment J in assigning objects to fuzzy sets by minimizing conditional risk. Third, we assume that X is a vector space endowed with a scalar product, such as a Euclidian Space or a separable Hilbert Space. Typically, X = {x} would be a feature space, its elements x = x(p) being feature vectors associated with objects p of interest in the discourse. Then, membership functions become membership “functionals”, i.e., mappings from a vector space to the real line. Fourth, with this motivation, we focus attention on the class Φ of fuzzy sets A whose membership functions μA are analytic (nonlinear) functionals on X, which, can therefore be represented by abstract power series in the elements x of X. Specifically, μA in Φ are assumed to lie in a positive cone Λ of vectors in a Generalized Fock Space F(X). This F(X) is a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS) of analytic functionals on X introduced by the author and T. A. W. Dwyer in 1980 for nonlinear signals and systems analysis. Fifth, in such a setting, we view the μA as vectors in F(X) acting as “representers” of their respective fuzzy sets A. Thus, because of the one-to-one relationship between the fuzzy sets A and their respective μA, the fuzzy sets A can benefit from all the results of analytical processing of their μA as vectors. Finally, we derive a “best model” Â for a fuzzy set A based on a best approximation μA of its membership functional μA in the space F(X), subject to appropriate interpolating or smoothing training data constraints and a positivity constraint. The closed form solution μA thus obtained appears in the form of an artificial network, proposed by the author in another theoretical context in 1990. For the purpose of illustration of the underlying technology, an application to the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is briefly discussed.
Integrated microwave photonics

Microwave signal generation using the heterogeneous photonic integration platform is described. Preliminary results from a heterogeneously integrated photonic microwave signal generator are shown. Heterogeneous integration, as was recently demonstrated, allows for superior performance of certain devices compared to purely III-V devices and we outline the benefits it brings. Finally, we address narrow-linewidth tunable lasers as one of key components of low phase noise photonic microwave signal generators and show the possibility of achieving sub-kHz linewidths by utilizing on-chip high-Q ring resonators.
Methylxanthines, Inflammation, and Cancer: Fundamental Mechanisms

Methylxanthines are an integral part of everyday food and drink consumption even though the majority of humans do not identify them by their chemical name. The breakthrough in understanding the action(s) of methylxanthines was in large part due to the understanding that methylxanthines can function as antagonists of adenosine receptors. This represented an example of scientific search and was instructive in view of both new therapeutic options and alarming realizations. It was the subsequent demonstration of the in vivo critical role of A2A adenosine receptors in controlling excessive collateral inflammatory damage that attracted the attention of immunologists to the A2A-adenosine-receptor-antagonizing methylxanthines. We summarize here data showing that caffeine is capable of preventing the inhibition of antitumor T cells in a hypoxic tumor microenvironment. On the other hand, caffeine may exacerbate liver damage by weakening the tissue-protecting A2A adenosine receptor signaling during episodes of acute liver inflammation. However, methylxanthines may also prevent the excessive hepatic connective tissue deposition that is associated with the progression of chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis, which is one of the common causes of mortality.
A SYSTEM OF JOINT MEASUREMENTS

All joint movements are measured on a half-circle arc from 0° to 180°. The zero end of this arc is toward the head and the neutral position is 180° for all movements except rotation. For rotation, including pronation and supination, the zero end is toward the median body line (on the left for the spine) and the neutral position is 90°. Extension is a movement toward 180° and flexion toward 0° on the flexor half-circle arc in the anteroposterior plane. Hyperextension is a movement toward 0° on the half-circle arc on the extensor side of the joint in the anteroposterior plane. Abduction and adduction are both movements toward 0° in the lateral plane, the former on the half-circle arc lying external to the joint, and the latter on the half-circle arc lying internal to the joint. Internal rotation is toward 0° and external toward 180° on the anterior half-circle arc in the transverse plane. For the spine rotation to the patient's left is toward 0° and to his right toward 180°. The number of degrees stated in records by this system indicates the limit of motion on the half-circle scale and not the amount of motion.
Analyte stability in clinical chemistry quality control materials.

AbstractWe have reviewed literature reporting stability characteristics of a wide variety of analytes in lyophilized, liquid, and frozen matrices used for control purposes. The most commonly reported unstable analytes in unreconstituted lyophilized controls are glucose, CPK., and SGPT (ALT). Occasional reports indicate instability in a variety of other analytes. Increasing alkaline phosphatase activity and decreasing CPK activity are commonly noted in reconstituted lyophilized materials. The definition of stability must take into consideration the analytic method employed and refers to a measured change in concentration of analytes by the given method. The wide variety of statistical approaches used to assess stability have been reviewed. Techniques employing multiple measurements over time and using parametric statistics are desirable, but alternate methods have provided useful information and may also be employed depending on the nature of the data base and the frequency of timed measurements. These mea...
Vectorial total variation denoising for myocardial blood flow estimation in dynamic CT

Dynamic CT could provide a relatively inexpensive and widely available technique to measure myocardial blood flow (MBF) for evaluating coronary artery disease (CAD). The main limitation to clinical acceptance is the substantial radiation dose. The dose can be reduced by decreasing the photon flux or the number of temporal frames, both resulting in noisy 4D data from which accurate MBF information needs to be extracted. In this work, we investigate two novel image domain denoising techniques based on total variation (TV). These methods are possible generalizations of the Rudin Osher Fatemi denoising model to multiple frames of dynamic CT data. Our first method, scalar total variation (STV), considers the sum of total variation of multiple temporal images as the penalty. Our second method, vectorial total variation (VTV) leverages the fact that images reconstructed from different dynamic frames have a common edge structure. We performed simulation studies of low-dose, dynamic cardiac CT acquisitions (25 mAs, 30 frames) of several flow states (flow = 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 ml/g/min) and compared the accuracy of MBF estimates obtained from the proposed STV and VTV methods to a sinogram-domain 4D smoothing technique. Through simulation studies, we found that the proposed VTV algorithm gave us the best MBF estimate for 25 mAs tube current. The VTV method is fast and versatile, offering a pragmatic filtering strategy to improve the quality of dynamic 4D CT images. The STV method did not perform as well as the other two denoising methods.
Development of Quantum Well, Quantum Dot, and Antimonide Superlattice Infrared Photodetectors

Nearly-lattice-matched or pseudomorphically-grown III-V semiconductor quantum structures such as quantum wells, quantum dots, and superlattices can provide high degree of flexibility in terms cutoff wavelength range. In this presentation, we describe the development of long-wavelength quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) for imaging spectrometer applications and quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) for long-wavelength applications. In addition, III-V semiconductors offer a highly effective platform for the development of sophisticated heterostructure-based MWIR and LWIR detectors, as exemplified by the high-performance double heterstructure (DH) nBn, XBn, and type-II superlattice infrared detectors. A key enabling design element is the unipolar barrier, which is used to implement the complementary barrier infra-red detector (CBIRD) design for increasing the collection efficiency of photo-generated carriers, and reducing dark current generation without impeding photocurrent flow. Heterostructure superlattice detectors that make effective use of unipolar barriers have demonstrated strong reduction of generation-recombination (G-R) dark current due to Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) processes.
Structure-Property Relationships of Perfectly Alternating Polycarbonate-Polydimethylsiloxane Block Copolymers, Part II

Abstract The relationships between the properties and microstructures of two series of perfectly alternating bisphenol A-polycarbonate-polydimethylsiloxane block copolymers were studied. In the first series, the polycarbonate (PC) block length was kept constant while the block length of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was varied. The tensile properties of these block copolymers were found to be a function of composition. Dynamic mechanical properties measured as a function of temperature revealed the two-phase nature of these materials. Transmission electron micrographs showed that all samples had a sponge-like morphology independent of composition. The rheological maximum viscosity for the sample containing PC and PDMS blocks of equal molecular weight and extrudate swells increased with PC content. Takayamagi's mechanical coupling model was used to predict the maximum loss tangent at the glass transition temperature of PDMS using the known properties of pure components. The predictions agreed fairly well wit...
Bayesian Calibration of Aerothermal Models for Hypersonic Air Vehicles

Predictive capabilities of coupled fluid-thermal-structural models for aerodynamic pressure and heating are investigated for a flat plate and spherical dome protuberances subjected to hypersonic flow conditions. Aerothermal test data from hypersonic wind tunnel experiments are used in a Bayesian network to calibrate uncertain model parameters and model discrepancies for aerodynamic pressure and heat flux predictions. A segmented Bayesian model calibration approach is explored as an alternative to full, simultaneous calibration for reduced computational cost. To quantify the viability and potential benefit of isolating calibrations of models in the network, segmented and simultaneous calibration are compared using the Kullback-Leibler distance and Bayes factor metrics. For model calibration using the aerothermal data, the segmented approach yielded greater prediction uncertainty than the simultaneous approach due to inherent correlations lost through the segmentation. However, the segmented approach resulted in calibration convergence with fewer samples, and the Bayes factor metric indicated good prediction agreement with simultaneous calibration.
Malocclusion model of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis in mice with and without receptor for advanced glycation end products.

Abstract Objective This study has two aims: 1. Validate a non-invasive malocclusion model of mouse temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis (OA) that we developed and 2. Confirm role of inflammation in TMJ OA by comparing the disease in the presence and absence of the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). Design The malocclusion procedure was performed on eight week old mice, either wild type (WT) or without RAGE. Results We observed TMJ OA at two weeks post-misalignment/malocclusion. The modified Mankin score used for the semi-quantitative assessment of OA showed an overall significantly higher score in mice with malocclusion compared to control mice at all times points (2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks). Mice with malocclusion showed a decrease in body weight by the first week after misalignment but returned to normal weight for their ages during the following weeks. The RAGE knock out (KO) mice had statistically lower modified Mankin scores compared to WT mice of the same age. The RAGE KO mice had statistically lower levels of Mmp-13 and HtrA1 but higher Tgf-β1, as measured by immunohistochemistry, compared to WT mice at eight weeks post malocclusion. Conclusions We demonstrate an inexpensive, efficient, highly reproducible and non-invasive model of mouse TMJ OA. The mechanical nature of the malocclusion resembles the natural development of TMJ OA in humans, making this an ideal model in future studies that aim to elucidate the pathogenesis of the disease leading to the discovery of a treatment. The RAGE plays a role in mouse TMJ OA.
Thermal Creep of Coke-Oven Jamb Frames

The jamb frame is one of the major structural elements of a coke-oven end-closure system. The structural behavior of the jamb interacting with other end-closure elements determines the sealing performance of the system as a whole. One of the main causes of poor sealing is the accumulation of reversible and/or irreversible jamb distortions. In particular, the jamb frame often deforms in its plane so that the posts deflect towards each other--a deformation called hourglassing.
Legal Issues in Medical Records/Health Information Management

Abstract Use and content of the medical record, whether in paper or electronic form, is governed by a variety of groups and regulations, some of which vary between organizations. As clinical computing systems are installed and maintained, this oversight continues and needs to be understood and considered when changes in management, use, and content of health information are proposed. The purpose of this chapter is to review legal and regulatory requirements relevant to medical records—whether paper or electronic—and in the management of health information.
Case XVII: Hand Weakness 4

A 74-year-old male, with a 20-year-history of progressive sensorimotor polyneuropathy, has recent increase in weakness of the left hand with loss of dexterity as well as numbness of the medial one and a half fingers. He is taking gabapentin, which is controlling his pain very well. PMH: hypertension, migraine, kidney stones, peptic ulcer, and left hip replacement. He used to smoke cigarettes but quit 35 years ago; he takes 15 alcoholic drinks per week. His father died of metastatic cancer. Examination of the left hand reveals significant atrophy of the FDI, IO 3, FDP to 4th and 5th digits 4. The remaining muscle groups are 4+/5. Sensation to light touch and pinprick is diminished over the little finger and medial half of the ring finger on the left, extending to the medial aspect of the hand up to the wrist both palmar and dorsal aspects. DTRs are 1+ in the upper limbs and 0 in the lower limbs. Romberg’s test is positive.
Language Edit Distance and Maximum Likelihood Parsing of Stochastic Grammars: Faster Algorithms and Connection to Fundamental Graph Problems

Given a context free language G over alphabet a#x03A3; and a string s, the language edit distance problem seeks the minimum number of edits (insertions, deletions and substitutions) required to convert s into a valid member of the language L(G). The well-known dynamic programming algorithm solves this problem in cubic time in string length [Aho, Peterson 1972, Myers 1985]. Despite its numerous applications, to date there exists no algorithm that computes the exact or approximate language edit distance problem in true sub cubic time. In this paper we give the first such truly sub-cubic algorithm that computes language edit distance almost optimally. We further solve the local alignment problem, for all substrings of s, we can estimate their language edit distance near-optimally in same time with high probability. Next, we design the very first sub cubic algorithm that given an arbitrary stochastic context free grammar, and a string returns a nearly-optimal maximum likelihood parsing of that string. Stochastic context free grammars significantly generalize hidden Markov models, they lie at the foundation of statistical natural language processing, and have found widespread applications in many other fields. To complement our upper bound result, we show that exact computation of maximum likelihood parsing of stochastic grammars or language edit distance in true sub cubic time will imply a truly sub cubic algorithm for all-pairs shortest paths, a long-standing open question. This will result in a breakthrough for a large range of problems in graphs and matrices due to sub cubic equivalence. By a known lower bound result [Lee 2002], and a recent development [Abboud et al. 2015] even the much simpler problem of parsing a context free grammar requires fast matrix multiplication time. Therefore any nontrivial multiplicative approximation algorithms for either of the two problems in time less than matrix-multiplication are unlikely to exist.
Safety and Efficacy of Antibacterial Prophylaxis After Craniotomy: A Decision Model Analysis.

Background Antibiotic prophylaxis has revolutionized the safety of neurosurgical procedures in the last century. Today, the clinician's drug of choice before surgery often is based on the antibiotic's resistance profile and drug-induced complications. Methods A decision tree model was developed to compare cefazolin (cephalosporin), vancomycin, or their combination on 90-day mortality postcraniotomy. We modeled the infection type (methicillin-sensitive, methicillin-resistant, or other organisms), antibiotic-related complications that could affect mortality (e.g., renal injury), and Clostridium difficile infections. Parameters' values were extracted from published sources. One-way sensitivity analysis was used to examine results' robustness to plausible variations in input parameter values. Results The expected value (EV) of 90-day survival was the greatest among patients on cefazolin (EV = 0.9145), followed by patients on vancomycin (EV = 0.8898), and patients on the combination (EV = 0.8886). Cefazolin was the preferred strategy in most one-way sensitivity analyses, except for a few cases in which other options could be preferred based on expected survival. Vancomycin was preferred if kidney injury risk was ≤0.056 conditional on vancomycin intake or ≥12% conditional on cefazolin intake. The combination was preferred if kidney injury conditional risk was ≤0.083 or that for kidney injury-mortality was ≤4.7%. Varying other risks (e.g., postsurgical-site infections (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus , or other); Clostridium difficile infections' risks conditional on each antibiotic) did not change the preferred strategy. Conclusions According to this decision analysis, patients undergoing a craniotomy who had cefazolin as prophylaxis had a slightly greater expected survival compared with other strategies. These results were sensitive to changes in kidney injury development risk and kidney failure–associated death.