cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A NEW MODEL FOR COSMIC-RAY ION EROSION OF VOLATILES FROM GRAINS IN THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

Erosion of small grains or grain mantles is important in a number of astrophysical environments. Since energy deposition events produced by energetic ions can create a "hot" region in a grain, simple thermal spike models have been applied to estimate the sputtering efficiency. Here the results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to describe sputtering from the "heat spike" formed by a heavy cosmic-ray (CR) ion. These results are compared to extrapolations of laboratory sputtering data for frozen volatiles and to earlier models for CR ion-induced desorption. The CO and H2O desorption rates for thick mantles or for whole volatile grains are given and are found to disagree with results obtained using heat spike models. Further, the rates are an order of magnitude smaller and an order of magnitude larger, respectively, than the rates typically used for desorption of CO and H2O from a thin mantle on a 0.1 μm silicate core in a molecular cloud. The model given here can now be used for calculating energetic ion-induced desorption from grains in a variety of astrophysical environments and of other compositions and sizes.
Analysis of temporal gene expression profiles using time-dependent MUSIC algorithm

Identifying periodically expressed genes and their subsequent transcriptional circuitry can shed new lights in studying the molecular basis of many diseases including cancer; and subsequently provide potential drug targets to treat them. Classical approaches for detecting periodically expressed transcripts in paradigms such as cell-cycle implicitly assume the given data to be stationary. However, it has been experimentally shown that modulation in the magnitude of gene expression is ubiquitous and defy stationary assumptions. In this paper, we formulate the problem of estimating the frequencies of multicomponent amplitude modulated (AM) signals as a hypothesis testing problem based on a time-dependent extension of the MUSIC algorithm. We subsequently propose a test statistic to detect periodic components in AM time-series. The power of the proposed algorithm is assessed in synthetic test signals and in real cell-cycle gene profiles extracted from microarray data.
Spontaneous formation of patterns on sputtered surfaces

Sputtering by collimated low energy ion beams can spontaneously create periodic structures on many surfaces. The pattern results from the balance between roughening by atom removal and smoothing, typically by surface diffusion. Experiments on a number of surfaces are considered in terms of linear and non-linear models of surface evolution.
Orientation in extruded polyethylene films

A discussion of the methods for studying orientation of crystalline and amorphous regions in polyethylene films is given. Extruded polyethylene films and films after having been stretched approximately 200% were studied by the methods of x-ray diffraction and absorption of polarized infrared radiation. It is shown that in extruded polyethylene films the a-axes of the crystallites are oriented parallel to the extrusion direction. The amorphous regions in these are either not oriented or show only to a slight degree the orientation of chains perpendicular to the extrusion direction. When the polyethylene films are stretched, both the crystallites and the amorphous regions become oriented. In stretched films, the orientation of the crystallites is with c-axis parallel to the stretching direction, and the chains in the amorphous regions are also oriented parallel to the stretching direction. Two mechanisms by which a-axis orientation may arise during extrusion of polyethylene films, and a convenient method for determining the relative degree of a-axis orientation in polyethylene films are given. The relative degrees of a-axis orientation as determined by x-ray diffraction and dichroism of absorption at 13.70 μ are compared for a number of film samples.
Kinetics of water vapor sorption in a model freeze-dried food

Sorption kinetics experiments were performed at 37 C with microcrystalline cellulose held between dryness and 51% water activity in the absence of other gases. Effective diffusion coefficients (<10−4 cm2/s) were greater than any previously reported for similar experiments. A model based on heat and mass transfer properties of the sample is proposed. The vapor space permeability calculated by application of this model is related to the structure of the microcrystalline cellulose as determined from water desorption isotherm analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and steady state permeability techniques. Microcrystalline cellulose, like some freeze-dried foods, contains micropores and macropores. During sorption, the macropores are important in determining the balance between the internal and environmental control during the first half of sorption. The micropores, which account for less than 1% of the void volume of the porous matrix but approximately 40% of the surface area, control the mass transfer properties of the sample during the latter stages of sorption. Because of the great difference between their mass transfer properties, the macropores approach local equilibrium faster than the micropores; this phenomenon suggests that changes in the effective diffusion coefficient and permeability as sorption proceeds are related to the structure of the sample rather than to the moisture content itself.
Punishing Hubris: The Perils of Overestimating One's Status in a Group

Individuals engage in status self-enhancement when they form an overly positive perception of their status in a group. We argue that status self-enhancement incurs social costs and, therefore, most individuals perceive their status accurately. In contrast, theories of positive illusions suggest status self-enhancement is beneficial for the individual and that most individuals overestimate their status. We found supportive evidence for our hypotheses in a social relations analysis of laboratory groups, an experiment that manipulated status self-enhancement, and a study of real-world groups. Individuals who engaged in status self-enhancement were liked less by others and paid less for their work. Moreover, individuals tended to perceive their status highly accurately. Mediation analyses showed that status self-enhancers were socially punished because they were seen as disruptive to group processes.
Infant exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Purpose: To identify infant health outcomes that have been empirically associated with environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in current international research literature. Methods: Reports of infant ETS exposure, obtained using computerized searches of CINAHL and Medline databases, were reviewed. Studies of infant health outcomes published between 1995 and 2000 were included if they met specific criteria including the selection of infant ETS exposure as a major study variable. Findings: The 10 studies in this integrative review of the literature were conducted in a variety of international health care settings. Positive associations were found between infant ETS exposure and gastroesophageal reflux, colic, sudden infant death syndrome, lower respiratory tract infections, and other infant morbidities. Parental self-reports were the predominant measures of ETS exposure. Maternal smoking was reported as a significant predictor of infant health outcomes. Conclusions: Nurses who care for mother-infant dyads in the first year of life are needed to support the development of a ‘gold standard’ for the measurement of ETS exposure that is reliable, valid, and economical. In the interim, the global nursing community may use the findings of these current studies as justification for directing infant health care resources to smoking cessation interventions specifically tailored to meet the needs of mothers who smoke.
Occupational Health Hazards of Working in the Interventional Laboratory: A Multisite Case Control Study of Physicians and Allied Staff

Abstract Background The occupational hazards of working in the interventional laboratory have been inadequately studied for physicians and remain unaddressed for nonphysician personnel. Objectives This study sought to determine whether the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal pain, cancer, and other medical conditions is higher among physicians and allied staff who work in interventional laboratories compared with employees who do not. Methods Mayo Clinic employees who work in affiliated hospitals with interventional cardiology or interventional radiology laboratories took an electronic survey. Results were stratified on the basis of self-reported occupational exposure to procedures that involve radiation. Results There were 1,543 employees (mean age 43 ± 11.3 years, 33% male) who responded to the survey (response rate of 57%), and 1,042 (67.5%) reported being involved with procedures utilizing radiation. These employees reported experiencing work-related pain more often than the control group before (54.7% vs. 44.7%; p Conclusions Musculoskeletal pain is more common among healthcare workers who participate in interventional procedures and is highest in nonphysician employees. The diagnosis of cancer in employees who participate in procedures that utilize radiation was not elevated when compared to controls within the same departments, although any conclusion regarding causality is limited by the cross-sectional nature of the study, as well as the low overall prevalence of malignancy in our study group.
Direct Observations of the Elastic Modulus and Tensile Strength of CVD Diamond Films and Fibers

We have directly measured, by bending tests of loaded microbeams of CVD diamond, the elastic modulus of polycrystalline deposited diamond. The values are in close agreement with those reported for natural diamond. By using patterning techniques developed in our work, diamond film tensile specimens were created and subjected to loading tests. Ultimate load measurements were taken leading to estimates of the strength of diamond films in orthogonal load conditions. Also, using a variety of extremely small diameter substrate fibers such as graphite and molybdenum, diamond fibers were created with diameters ranging from 50 to 300 microns. The grain structure and other topological features of these diamond fibers were examined by SEM analysis. Details of these activities will be reported in this paper.
Voluntary intake of calcium and other minerals by rats.

The voluntary intake by male Sprague-Dawley rats of five calcium salts and eight mineral chlorides was assessed. Groups of 12-25 rats received a series of 48-h two-bottle tests with a choice between water and ascending concentrations of a mineral solution. Similar inverted U-shaped concentration-intake functions were obtained with each of the five calcium salts tested (hydroxide, gluconate, phosphate, lactate, and chloride): rats drank more calcium solution than water at concentrations between approximately 0.2 and 5 mM, showed indifference between 5 and 12 mM, and avoided higher concentrations. Inverted U-shaped concentration-intake functions were also obtained for ammonium chloride (peak at 100 mM), magnesium chloride (peak at 10 microM), potassium chloride (peak at 10 mM), ferrous chloride (peak at 4.64 microM), and rubidium chloride (peak at 2.15 mM). Rats drank slightly and nonsignificantly more 2.15 microM aluminum chloride than water and never drank more zinc chloride than water (range tested, 1 microM to 464 mM). These results illustrate that, as is the case for sodium, rats spontaneously ingest low concentrations of calcium and several other mineral solutions in preference to water. In general, the lower the cation9s ionic charge, the greater the intake and higher the most accepted concentration.
Noninvasive Imaging of Plaque Inflammation : Role of Contrast-Enhanced MRI⁎

In recent years, great strides have been made in noninvasive imaging of atherosclerotic plaque, motivated by the potential to identify specific plaque characteristics associated with clinical sequelae or disease progression. In this endeavor, inflammation has been a prominent imaging target because
Warum Manager anders lernen

Manner und Frauen, die in der Wirtschaft Verantwortung ubernehmen wollen, zukunftige Manager und Executives also, mussen neben umfangreichem fachlichen Wissen ein breites Spektrum an Management-Knowhow erwerben. Dies geschieht zum einen direkt unmittelbar in ihrem Arbeitsfeld, „on the job“, zum anderen in unternehmensinternen Schulungsund Fortbildungsveranstaltungen.
Berkshire Hathway's Uncommon Accounting

Berkshire Hathaway's reporting practices are different than those of other American public companies. Bershire Hathaway provides separate and additional summary accounting statements which are not in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles, provides look-through earnings that include the pro-rata share of portfolio companies, and explicitly discusses the relationship between economic realities and accounting conventions. Why is this style of reporting, which provides additional information to shareholders, so atypical? Possible answers include legal risks, job insecurity among managers, and the desire to protect strategically important information. As to the last two, Berkshire Hathaway is atypically situated. Even though uncommon, its style of reporting appears to have worked for Bershire Hathaway. Although it is very similar to a closed-end investment company, it sells at a premium to net asset value unlike most closed-end investment companies. Other issuers might benefit from emulating a reporting style that treats shareholders as grown ups and partners.
Simplex-based surface and contour models for segmentation and meshing for surgery simulation

Medical simulation generally requires at least two types of model: one each for the anatomy and therapy. Generally, the anatomical modeling requires separate algorithmic stages for segmentation, which maps voxel intensities from MRI/CT to tissues, and meshing, which decomposes tissues into simple shapes conducive to therapy simulation. This paper describes techniques under development that can both improve the robustness of the segmentation and simplify the meshing: 3D active Simplex surface and contour models. A n-simplex is characterized as a mesh with n+1 connectivity: a 2-Simplex produces a surface mesh where every vertex is linked by edges to 3 neighboring vertices, dual to triangulated mesh, while a 1-Simplex produces a contour model with every vertex linked to two vertices. The 2-Simplex is already well-published, and is used in conjunction with a Newtonian model of the vertex motion, based on the application of both internal and external forces: the internal forces generally impose model behavior encompassing surface continuity while the external forces include a balloon-like inflation force as well as an image-based stopping force. The final Simplex surface mesh can then anchor subsequent tetrahedral meshing. Modifications to this 2-Simplex in the literature include the application of a shape statistics force derived from a population of anatomical equivalents, aswell as multi-surface modeling with resolution control and static collision detection, which prevents proximate surface models from overlapping each other spatially. Our improvements to Simplex modeling, in conjunction with neurosurgery simulation research, include the combination of shape statistics and multi-surface modeling in the 2-Simplex for spine surgery simulation, a 2-Simplex with shared boundaries based on multi-material contouring for representing a deep-brain atlas as a multi-surface mesh and enabling real-timebrain shift estimation in robotic deep-brain stimulation, and a 1-Simplex.
A note on growth and food conversion in pigs at different air temperatures and ventilation rates

Ventilation rates of 0·14, 0·42 and 0·71 m3/min per pig (2·3, 6·9 and 11·5 air changes per hour) were compared at weight ranges from 42 to 65 kg and from 69 to 88 kg and at optimum ambient temperature and at 8°C above optimal. A total of 96 pigs was used, housed so that gases from manure decomposition were present. Growth rate and food conversion were not affected by ventilation rates, but food intake was significantly lower at the lowest ventilation rate compared with the other two rates at the hotter temperature only. The odours and gases at the lowest ventilation rate were such that attendants strongly objected to them.
Evaluation of Dry Etching Induced Damage of Gainas Using Transmission Lines and Schottky Diodes

Plasma etching of GaInAs and AlInAs has been carried out in a system which consists of an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) source and an rf-powered stage. Since the ECR source can generate a plasma with low ion energy, dry etching induced damage is expected to be minimal. In this study, Schottky diodes and transmission lines were fabricated on the etched GaInAs surface. The diode and transmission line characteristics were evaluated as a function of etch conditions. For the etching of GaInAs and AlInAs, Cl2 and Ar were used as the etch gases. In addition to the ratio of the two gases, microwave power, rf power, pressure, and source distance were varied and their effects on etch rate, morphology, and surface damage were analyzed. Etch rate increased monotonically with microwave power, rf power, and Cl2 percentage. Etch rate decreased with increasing distance and reached a maximum for a pressure of 1 mTorr. The etch conditions for the damage study were chosen to maintain smooth morphology. One of the most important factors influencing damage was the ion energy which can be limited by using low rf power and short source distance. Minimum damage was obtained at 1 mTorr which provides the optimal balance between high etch rate and low ion energy. Besides limiting ion energy, the addition of Cl2 reduced etch-induced damage. The specific contact resistivity and sheet resistivity obtained from transmission line measurements of dry-etched n-GaInAs were lower than the wet-etched samples. Schottky diode analysis show reduction in barrier height and breakdown voltage after Ar sputtering. Addition of 10% Cl2 is sufficient for full recovery of the diode characteristics.
Mortalities of Cochlicella barbara1 andTheba pisana2 Land Snails Exposed to Low Temperatures in Morocco3

Two species of Mediterranean snails commonly intercepted by the United States Department of Agriculture Plant Quarantine Division were subjected to low temperatures in 2 series of tests. Both active and estivated snails were eliminated at −12.2°C. Adults of active Theba pisana (Muller) resisted cold temperatures better than immature snails of the same species. Cochlicella barbara (L.) snails were less easily killed by low temperatures in the estivated state. Extension of the freezing periods greatly increased effectiveness of low-temperature treatments. Decontamination of substantial amounts of military retrograde cargoes by freezing appears to be feasible considering safety, effectiveness, and cost.
Cognitive loading-induced sway alterations are similar in those with chronic ankle instability and uninjured controls

Abstract Performing a cognitive task while balancing can result in either increased or decreased sway depending on the nature of the cognitive task, and is commonly used in pathologic populations to evaluate postural performance. A total of 39 participants were recruited into two groups: uninjured controls ( n = 20, age: 21.9 ± 2.1 years, height: 175.0 ± 11.2 cm, mass: 71.3 ± 14.9 kg) and chronic ankle instability ( n = 19, age: 22.1 ± 5.6 years, height: 169.7 ± 7.7 cm, mass: 72.9 ± 17.3 kg). Participants were asked to perform one of three cognitive tasks while maintaining single limb balance. Cognitive tasks included backwards counting by 3 (BC), the manikin test (MAN), and random number generation (RNG). Time-to-boundary minima, mean, and standard deviations were calculated and compared between groups as pre to post change scores. Effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals were also calculated to test for group differences and the effect of task performance on sway. No significant main effects of Group or Group by Task interactions were identified ( p > 0.05). However, a significant multivariate main effect of Task was identified in BC ( p = 0.001, F (6, 32) = 4.804) and RNG ( p F (6, 32) = 6.233) but not for MAN ( p = 0.117). The results suggest that those with chronic ankle instability and uninjured controls have similar postural–suprapostural interactions across multiple cognitive task domains. Both the BC and RNG tasks resulted in less sway for all participants. Our results suggest that dual-task interference in the CAI population may not be present as previous research would suggest.
The analyses of Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody test results in 6795 cases of respiratory tract infection

Objective:To investigate the Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in the region.Methods: Passive agglutination assay was used to detect Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody(MP-Ab) in the serum of patients with respiratory tract infections,and detection results of the 6795 cases were analyzed.Results: The total positive rate of test results was 46.4%;while positive rates of male and female were 41.7% and 51.9% respectively,the difference between them had statistical significances(P0.05).Difference among different age groups had statistical significances(P0.05),and the highest positive rate was found in group of 8 to14 years old.Seasonal difference in incidence of MP also had statistical significances,and Autumn had the highest positive rate.Conclusion: The MP infection rate was high in this area,children aged 3~14 years old were the high-risk population,women were more susceptible to MP than the men.Passive agglutination can be used as the routine detection method for laboratory diagnosis of mycoplasma pneumoniae.
Relationship for gas transport during high-frequency ventilation in dogs

Alveolar ventilation during high-frequency ventilation (HFV) was estimated from the washout of the positron-emitting isotope (nitrogen-13-labeled N2) from the lungs of anesthetized paralyzed supine dogs by use of a positron camera. HFV was delivered at a mean lung volume (VL) equal to the resting functional residual capacity with a ventilator that generated tidal volumes (VT) between 30 and 120 ml, independent of the animal's lung impedance, at frequencies (f) from 2 to 25 Hz, with constant inspiratory and expiratory flows and an inspiration-to-expiration time ratio of unity. Specific ventilation (SPV), which is equivalent to ventilation per unit of compartment volume, was found to follow closely the relation: SPV = 1.9(VT/VL)2.1 X f. From this relation and from arterial PCO2 measurements we found an expression for the normocapnic settings of VT and f, given VL and body weight (W). We found that the VL was an important normalizing parameter in the sense that VT/VL yielded a better correlation (r = 0.91) with SPV/f than VT/W (r = 0.62) or VT alone (r = 0.8).
Using litter chemistry controls on microbial processes to partition litter carbon fluxes with the Litter Decomposition and Leaching (LIDEL) model

Abstract New understanding of the connection between dynamic microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE), litter decomposition products, and pathways of soil organic carbon (SOC) formation have not been fully integrated into current generalizable litter decomposition models. We developed a new approach, the Litter Decomposition and Leaching (LIDEL) model, that: 1) includes leaching and formation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), important components of vertical C movement and SOC inputs into deeper soil layers, and 2) uses widely available litter chemistry data to drive the simulation of microbial processes that partition litter during decomposition, through affecting rates of CO 2 respiration versus formation of microbial biomass and microbial products. Two ecologically important but poorly understood processes explored in this analysis include 1) the relationship between litter nitrogen (N) availability and rates of microbial decay and assimilation, and 2) the efficiency of DOC generation from the decomposition and leaching of soluble- versus cellulose-dominated plant litter fractions. We tested multiple hypothesis-driven model formulations, and for each estimated initial conditions and parameters using hierarchical Bayesian approaches. We combined data from experimental results and literature review for five types of litter that vary by initial lignin and N content. Our analyses showed the LIDEL model formulations with a logistic N limitation curve gave better predictions than model formulations using a linear N limitation curve. Model formulations with higher DOC generation efficiency from the soluble litter pool yielded more variable predictions and parameter estimations (shown by consistently wider 95% Bayesian credible intervals), but may have better simulated large DOC leaching events in early decomposition. Our analyses highlight a need for targeted studies clarifying measures of soluble litter and the generation of DOC during early litter decomposition, as well as rates of microbial biomass turnover and the flux of soluble versus non-soluble microbial products. Overall, the LIDEL model provides a robust generalizable framework to express and test hypotheses connecting litter chemistry and dynamic microbial CUE with the generation of DOC and microbial products during litter decomposition.
Cyp1b1-mediated suppression of lymphoid progenitors in bone marrow by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons coordinately impacts spleen and thymus: a selective role for the Ah Receptor

Bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic stem cells differentiate to common lymphoid progenitors (CLP) that emigrate to the thymus to form T cells or differentiate into immature B cells that then migrate to the spleen for maturation. Rapid in vivo suppression of BM progenitor cells by a single oral or intraperitoneal dose of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) subsequently decreased mature lymphoid populations in BM, spleen, and thymus. These suppressions depended on BM CYP1B1, but not on aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activity. Suppression of pre-B colony formation at 6 h, correlated with subsequent decreases in mature BM, spleen, and thymus populations (48-168 h). Thymus T-cell ratios were unaffected, suggesting low local toxicity. DMBA treatment suppressed progenitor cells 24-h post treatment in wild type (WT), AhRb mice, but not in Cyp1b1-ko mice. The stem cell populations were sustained. Benzo(a)pyrene (BP) mediated a similar progenitor suppression up to 6 h, but reversal rapidly ensued. This recovery was absent in mice with a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-resistant, AhRd genotype. This AhR-dependent progenitor recovery with BP induction accounts for the absence of suppression of B220+ BM and spleen populations at 48-168 h. However, DMBA and BP produced similar profiles for thymus cell suppression, independent of AhR genotype. Thus, lymphoid progenitors may exit the BM to the thymus prior to the BP reversal. This progenitor recovery is associated with elevated chemokines and cytokines that depend on AhR-mediated induction of CYP1A1. This response increased constitutively in Cyp1b1-ko BM, demonstrating that CYP1B1 metabolizes local stimulants that impact a basal progenitor protection process.
The Elusive “Political” Dimension

It was under these tenuous circumstances, with the bulk of the original jihadist forces chased from Mali's territory, French forces bent on withdrawing as fast they could, and an uncertain transition to a UN peacekeeping force under way, that the focus began to shift back toward Mali's fraught political scene and the daunting state-building task ahead. American officials – especially the State Department – had emphasized the importance of the political dimension of reconstruction all along, stressing the need for reconciliation between the Tuaregs and political elites in Bamako as well as the restoration of democracy through national elections. French political and military leaders likewise recalled the desultory outcome of the NATO intervention in Libya two years earlier, where initial military success had been followed by a rudderless and almost nonexistent international postwar effort – and consequent strategic failure. As they withdrew, the French were thus sensitive to the possibility that their military gains could soon slip away absent rapid progress on political fronts. Al Qa'ida was at bay, but Mali's problems ran deep. As Traore put it, “the fact that Mali collapsed in so few days was not a good sign.” There were no illusions that the military itself could offer a permanent solution for the challenge. “It's not the French army that will ensure Mali's future,” a senior official said a year after Serval was launched. Addressing the political piece of the problem would be critical. Three major challenges called for immediate and near-simultaneous attention. First, political, military, administrative, and other institutions had to be rebuilt on multiple fronts. Major efforts to reduce corruption and strengthen the postwar state were clearly required. To truly regain its sovereignty and independence, the Malian state also needed reliable security forces that could hold the north without direct support from France or the United Nations. These were a long way off. Second, Traore's interim government had functioned as well as one might have hoped, but it was widely agreed that Mali needed to get an elected government back in place as soon as possible. Without an elected government, the United States would be limited in what it could contribute to reconstruction. More importantly, most officials thought it would be fruitless for the interim government to try to move ahead toward a settlement with the north.
Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Schizotypal personality disorder is characterized by a constellation of traits that fall into three main clusters: cognitive-perceptual disturbances, interpersonal disturbances, and disorganized, eccentric behavior. Although long described under a variety of names by researchers, this constellation of traits was given its current name in 1980 with the publication of the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980). Prior to that, researchers referred to the interpersonal and disorganized features of schizotypy as “borderline schizophrenia” in an attempt to characterize those clinical features seen in relatives of individuals with schizophrenia. According to the most recent revision of the DSM, the DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000), the disorder consists of a pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits characterized by profound discomfort with, and decreased capacity for, close relationships, in addition to odd behaviors and cognitive and/or perceptual distortions. This pattern begins by early adulthood and occurs in various contexts. Keywords: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; personality disorders; schizotypal personality; schizophrenia
Getting to Why: Semi-Supervised Topic Modeling of Customer Purchase Histories

The design and marketing of new products is fundamentally about understanding a customer's underlying needs. In this paper we describe research to learn needs by analyzing a customer's past purchases. We leverage what companies already (believe that they) know about how customers solve problems in the form of guides, instructions, and/or recipes. Using a semi-supervised form of LDA topic modeling, we align customer purchases with lists of equipment and materials that define established solutions for known problems. From known needs and solutions, we seek to discover new ways that customers are solving (un)known problems in the unlabeled data. We evaluate the approach on purchase-data from 18,000 customers of a multi-billion dollar specialty retailer.
Improvement of the performance of animal crossing warning signs

Abstract Introduction: Animal–vehicle collisions (AVCs) can result in serious injury and death to drivers, animals' death, and significant economic costs. However, the cost effectiveness of the majority of AVC mitigation measures is a significant issue. Method: A mobile-based data collection effort was deployed to measure signs under the Utah Department of Transportation's (UDOT) jurisdiction. The crash data were obtained from the UDOT risk management database. ArcGIS was employed to link these two data sets and extract animal-related crashes and signs. An algorithm was developed to process the data and identify AVCs that occurred within sign recognition distance. Kernel density estimation (KDE) technique was applied to identify potential crash hotspots. Results: Only 2% of AVCs occurred within the recognition distance of animal crossing signs. Almost 58% of animal-related crashes took place on the Interstate and U.S. highways, wherein only 30% of animal crossing signs were installed. State routes with a higher average number of signs experienced a lower number of AVCs per mile. The differences between AVCs that occurred within versus outside of sign recognition distance were not statistically significant regarding crash severity, time of crash, weather condition, driver age, vehicle speed, and type of animal. It is more likely that drivers become accustomed to deer crossing signs than cow signs. Conclusions : Based on the historical crash data and landscape structure, with attention given to the low cost safety improvement methods, a combination of different types of AVC mitigation measures can be developed to reduce the number of animal-related crashes. After an in-depth analysis of AVC data, warning traffic signs, coupled with other low cost mitigation countermeasures can be successfully placed in areas with higher priority or in critical areas. Practical applications: The findings of this study assist transportation agencies in developing more efficient mitigation measures against AVCs.
Re-evaluating the Appropriateness of Non-invasive Arterial Vascular Imaging and Diagnostic Modalities

Imaging modalities to detect and diagnose vascular disease have become increasingly popular in recent years, owing in large part to their availability and accessibility. The American College of Cardiology Foundation published a two-part Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) guidance document for both peripheral vascular imaging and physiologic testing several years ago. In the years since their publication, a number of important studies have challenged previously held beliefs about appropriateness of vascular diagnostic testing. To address the ever-changing landscape, we offer a review of the current appropriate use guidelines for arterial vascular diagnostic procedures and relevant major studies published in the interim. We aim to provide a comprehensive review of appropriate arterial vascular diagnostic imaging testing for the cardiovascular clinician.
Differential Scanning Calorimetry of Polyurethanes

The urethane linkage results from the reaction of an isocyanate group and a hydroxyl group and has the structure \( \left( {\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} H&O&{} \\ |&{||}&{} \\ { - N - }&{C - }&{O - } \end{array}} \right) \). Polymers containing this linkage are referred to as polyurethanes although the term has also been applied to polymers containing related linkages (such as the disubstituted urea linkage.) A large number of polyurethane polymers are known, ranging from thermoplastics to elastomers, and a few are commercially important. There are two principle synthetic routes to the polyurethanes,1 In the prepolymer method, a low molecular weight polyester or polyether containing hydroxyl end groups is reacted with an excess of diisocyanate. The resulting isocyanate terminated species is called the prepolymer and is usually of sufficiently low molecular weight to be liquid at room temperature. The prepolymer is cured to an elastomeric product by reacting it with a diamine or a diol. Small amounts of triols and higher polyols are often used to introduce crosslinking.
Meta-Algorithms in Cognitive Computing

A brief overview of algorithms that improve other algorithms and their role in cognitive computing.
Husserl and His Alter Ego Kant

Husserl’s lifelong interest in Kant eventually becomes a preoccupation in his later years when he finds his phenomenology in competition with Neokantianism for the title of transcendental philosophy. Some issues that Husserl is concerned with in Kant are bound up with the works of Lambert. Kant believed that the role played by principles of sensibility in metaphysics should be determined by a “general phenomenology” on which Lambert had written. Kant initially believed that man is capable only of symbolic cognition, not intellectual intuition. Lambert saw an increasing need in mathematics for symbolic cognition as exemplified in his proofs of the irrationality of π and e. Kant takes from Leibniz and Lambert an unrestricted notion of construction, allowing him to view mathematics as constructing its concepts in intuition, while Lambert’s proofs convince him that all mathematical problems are eventually solvable. Husserl criticizes Kant’s intuitionism for its inadequate accommodation of meaning to intuition, which he redresses with his theory of categorial intuition. This may improve on Kant’s intuition of the axiom of parallels but not so clearly on his spatial intuition. Husserl opposes Kant’s view of space as the form of outer intuition with his own view of it as the form of things. Husserl’s exploration of the geometry of visual space, which involves his earliest uses of epoche and reduction, converges however with Hilbert’s logical analysis of Kantian spatial intuition in leading to Euclidean spatial judgments. Hilbert’s analysis leads him to affirm the solvability of all well posed mathematical problems, a thesis complicated by the outbreak of logical paradoxes. Untroubled by such paradoxes, Husserl develops a supramathematics of all possible deductive systems whose completeness implicitly would also provide solutions of all such problems. Husserl’s full transcendental turn coincides with his realization that in effecting his Copernican turn, Kant was really the first to detect the “secret longing” of modern philosophy for a phenomenological clarification of being. Husserl now finds that Kant’s transcendental deductions presuppose a pure ego not adequately analyzed by Kant that survives the phenomenological reduction. Husserl’s idealism leads him to develop his own intuitionism, which adds to Kant’s, a “method of clarification” of mathematical concepts intended to clarify difficult impossibility proofs, but neither Husserl nor Kant base arithmetic on time. Husserl’s critique of the room left in Kant’s idealism, for things in themselves, leads to his own monadological solution of the problem of intersubjectivity. Husserl’s final judgment on Kant is that his form of transcendental idealism did not enable him to achieve absolute subjectivity through a genuine transcendental reduction.
Cardiovascular Risks of Fluphenazine in a Patient With Schizophrenia.

Objective: Patients with psychiatric illnesses are at an increased risk for heart disease, and many antipsychotic medications elicit adverse effects on the heart. This report summarizes conduction ...
Operating an optical frequency comb using a 5-W handheld USB charger

We present a 100-MHz frequency comb that can be fully stabilized using less than 5 W of electrical power. We demonstrate full repetition-rate and offset-frequency stabilization while powering the comb with a handheld USB charger.
Brief Commentary: Social Determinants of Health and Treatment Targets for Type 2 Diabetes.

This commentary was selected for publication from among several submitted in response to a call for readers' perspectives on treatment targets for type 2 diabetes.
Changing Physiological Systems in the Preimplantation Embryo

Two well-known changes in preimplantation development, are the transfer of the control of development from the maternal to the embryonic genome, a genetic change, and compaction, a morphological change (see First and Barnes [1989], and Johnson and Pratt [1983], for reviews]. Both changes have important physiological consequences. Less well known changes during preimplantation development involve the entry and exit of substances from the embryo — the so-called transport functions. To emphasize the developmentally dynamic state of this period of the life cycle, three phenomena involving transport processes will be discussed: the physiological correlates of compaction, the regulation of intracellular pH (pHi) of blastomeres, and the transtrophectoderm potential. These processes are of considerable interest in that they may provide the opportunity to study the genetic control of development with a relatively simple physiological model whose components and functions are known.
On optimal game-tree search using rational meta-reasoning

In this paper we outline a general approach to the study of problem-solving, in which search steps are considered decisions in the same sense as actions in the world. Unlike other metrics in the literature, the value of a search step is defined as a real utility rather than as a quasi-utility, and can therefore be computed directly from a model of the base-level problem-solver. We develop a formula for the expected value of a search step in a game-playing context using the single-step assumption, namely that a computation step can be evaluated as it was the last to be taken. We prove some meta-level theorems that enable the development of a low-overhead algorithm, MGSS*, that chooses search steps in order of highest estimated utility. Although we show that the single-step assumption is untenable in general, a program implemented for the game of Othello soundly beats an alpha-beta search while expanding significantly fewer nodes, even though both programs use the same evaluation function.
Paclobutrazol removal from irrigation water using a commercial-scale granular activated carbon system

Abstract A commercial-scale granular activated carbon (GAC) system was evaluated for removal of the plant growth regulator paclobutrazol [(2RS,3RS)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)pentan-3-ol] from recaptured irrigation water in an ornamental greenhouse operation. This greenhouse collected and re-used irrigation drain water from 8.1 ha of subirrigated greenhouse production space, resulting in approximately 5.4 million L of recycled irrigation water filtered annually by GAC. Recaptured water was pre-filtered with polyester bag filters and then passed through three 1000 L (454 kg) GAC vessels in series before being recycled for irrigation purposes. Each GAC filter contained 8 × 30 US mesh (595–2380 μm) bituminous coal-based GAC. In Experiment 1, paclobutrazol concentration was analyzed in pre- and post-GAC filtration samples approximately weekly with a total of 55 samples between March 2015 and August 2016. The highest concentration of paclobutrazol found in recycled irrigation water was 72.5 μg L−1, whereas residual concentration after GAC was below a target 5 μg L−1 in all samples. In Experiment 2, water samples collected pre- and post-GAC filtration four times over a ten-week period during a peak period of plant production and included chemical analysis and a broccoli bioassay. The GAC filtration in Experiment 2 was effective at paclobutrazol removal despite wide variation in flow rates and resulting contact times (11–31 min) through the filter. In Experiment 3, samples were taken in a random order from the outlet of each individual GAC filter with contact times of 0, 10, 21, or 31 min. After 31 min of GAC contact time, broccoli bioassay plants were 7% (0.22 cm) shorter than control plants that received 0 μg L−1 paclobutrazol. There was a 30% average reduction in paclobutrazol concentration with the addition of each GAC filter or approximately 10 additional minutes of contact time with each GAC filter, reduced from 16.3 μg L−1 for the control to 1.7 μg L−1 after 31 min contact time. A partial budget showed GAC media replacement to be the highest operating cost item associated with treating recaptured irrigation water, contributing approximately 30% of the total annual cost of $13,020. There was no indication of reduced effectiveness of GAC paclobutrazol removal after approximately one year of filtration without GAC replacement.
A New Lightweight Two-Party Key Agreement Protocol Defined on Underdetermined Systems of Polynomial Equations for Probable Security

This paper introduces a new lightweight key exchange (KE) protocol which can be suitably implemented on resource-constrained smart devices to protect the privacy of communications. The most attractive features of this new KE protocol are provable security and lightweight. The security of this new KE protocol is based on the known impossibility of finding the unique solution of an underdetermined system of equations in which the number of free variables are more than the number of equations. This new lightweight KE protocol can be suitably implemented on the resource-constrained devices by imposing low computational load and low memory consumption. The lightweight KE scheme provides the desired security features of Key Confirmation (KC), Session Key (SK) security, and Know-Key (KK) security.
Stand-Alone Balloon Kyphoplasty for Treatment of Traumatic Burst Fracture in Pediatric Patient

Background Kyphoplasty is commonly employed in the treatment of compression fractures in the elderly and is increasingly used in the treatment of adult trauma along with concomitant instrumentation. Although kyphoplasty with instrumentation has been reported in pediatric patients, concerns regarding retardation of spinal growth and iatrogenic spinal deformity have been raised. The utilization of kyphoplasty without instrumentation has yet to be reported in the case of pediatric patients. Case Description A 13-year-old male presented to the emergency department with a traumatic L2 burst fracture with 50% loss of height, which continued to cause severe pain after a trial of bracing. He was subsequently treated with a kyphoplasty without instrumentation. He experienced a rapid and excellent recovery and resumed all previous activity. Conclusions Kyphoplasty alone without instrumentation is a less invasive means to treat these patients and also prevents iatrogenic deformity or retardation of growth in the pediatric spine.
Tolvaptan for Volume Management in Heart Failure

Volume management in acute decompensated and chronic heart failure (HF) remains a significant challenge. Although progress has been made in the development of mortality-reducing neurohormonal regimens in the reduced ejection fraction population, no clinical trial has yet demonstrated anything more than symptomatic relief or biomarker reduction with pharmacotherapeutic volume-based interventions made in the acutely decompensated individual or those with evolving outpatient congestion. As the number of patients with HF continues to grow, in addition to HF-related hospitalizations, identifying therapies that have the potential to aid in diuresis more safely and efficaciously is paramount to decreasing inpatient length of stay and preventing unnecessary admissions. More recently, a significant amount of research has been dedicated to the use of vasopressin antagonists, specifically tolvaptan, as adjunctive therapy to loop and thiazide diuretics. Although these agents do not seem to have a pervasive role in fluid management in the acute decompensated and chronic HF populations, they are effective tools to have available for specific clinical situations. This review summarizes the literature surrounding the use of tolvaptan for volume management in congestive HF, as well as offering practical guidance for use of this agent.