cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A big data analytics strategy for scalable urban infrastructure condition assessment using semi-supervised multi-transform self-training

This work aims to leverage the recent advances in the field of computer vision and big data computing to develop a scalable framework for image-based monitoring of urban infrastructure and the built environment. Two alternative sources of big visual data, namely web images and Google Street View imagery, were studied in a semi-supervised setting to minimize the costs associated with data collection and expert annotation. The features of interest include infrastructure defects and degradation such as different types of cracks, potholes, patches, faded markings, fallen signs, and sidewalk cracks and trip hazards. In the proposed multi-transform self-training approach, an ensemble of predictions on a set of geometric transformations of each unlabeled street view image was used to automatically pseudo-label images and retrain the model. This concept eliminates the need for human supervision, thus improving the scalability of the approach. Results show that the proposed transforms can significantly improve the performance of the model (more than 20% accuracy improvement) and reduce the domain gap between Google Street View and web images. A sensitivity analysis was also presented to study the factors influencing the method, and an error analysis was performed to explain a number of misclassification cases in the results. The proposed approach can be used to leverage the wealth of information embedded in the massive sources of imagery that are available to researchers, and the resulting models can be used to automatically process image streams from volunteer citizens, social media, as well as private and public vehicle cameras such as city buses and transportation agency vehicles to automate the urban condition monitoring task.
African Community-Based Conservancies: Innovative Governance for Whom?

Community-based conservancies (CBCs) are growing in numbers throughout Africa, particularly in the arid and semi-arid (ASAL) regions where pastoralists raise livestock and live among much of Africa’s remaining wildlife. CBCs emerge around national parks and other protected areas of wildlife spaces apart from people. Community conservancies, in contrast, are land tenure and land use governance arrangements to conserve wildlife while providing for the livelihoods of African pastoralists. Some conservancies are developed by communities in partnership with public agencies, while others are associated with nongovernment organizations and/or the private sector. Others are more top-down in origin, supported by large international donors and governments. Conservancies tend to develop in nation states that, until recently, have ignored the ASALs. Currently, however, ASALs are converting to towns and croplands as human populations and consumption grow. Shifting market incentives encourage different livestock strategies away from local production to commercial livestock products. Energy extraction and renewable energy production are expanding into these areas, transforming landscapes, communities and rural cultures. Formerly communal rangelands are increasingly privatizing and subdividing as pastoralists permanently settle. Fragmentation of communal lands is the result. We assess the goals of formation of community-based conservancies, their partnerships and outcomes for pastoralists.
Soft Drink Consumption and Mental Health in Adolescents: A Longitudinal Examination.

Abstract Purpose Previous studies showed associations between soft drink consumption and mental health problems in adolescents, but the direction of these effects is unknown. This study examines the hypotheses that soft drink consumption predicts aggression and depressive symptoms over time and that these mental health problems predict soft drink consumption. Methods Interviews were conducted with 5,147 children and their caregivers from three sites at child ages 11, 13, and 16. At each time point, youth reported on their frequency of consuming soft drinks, aggressive behavior, and depressive symptoms. An autoregressive cross-lagged path model tested reciprocal relationships between soft drink consumption, aggressive behavior, and depressive symptoms over time. Results More frequent consumption of soft drinks was associated with more aggressive behavior at each time point and depressive symptoms at ages 11 and 13 (r = .04 to .18, p ≤ .002). After adjusting for covariates and stability of each behavior over time, soft drink consumption at ages 11 and 13 predicted more aggressive behavior at the next time point (β = .08 and .06, p Conclusions More frequent consumption of soft drinks may contribute to aggressive behavior in adolescents over time; there is some support for reciprocal relationships. There is no evidence for soft drink consumption contributing to adolescents' depression. Future research should examine longitudinal effects over shorter intervals.
Double adenoma as a cause of primary hyperparathyroidism: Asymmetric hyperplasia or a distinct pathologic entity?

Abstract Background Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) caused by double adenoma may carry a higher risk of failure to cure. We compared outcomes in single adenoma (SA), double adenoma (DA) and four-gland hyperplasia (HP). Methods Patients undergoing initial parathyroidectomy for PHPT were categorized by diagnosis. The primary outcome was persistent/recurrent disease postoperatively. Results Of 3408 patients, 81.3% had SA, 9.5% had DA, and 9.3% had HP. Rates of persistence/recurrence were 2.9%, 5.3%, and 4.5% in SA, DA, and HP, respectively (p = 0.281). Patients with persistence/recurrence had higher preoperative calcium (11.0 vs 10.7 mg/dl, p = 0.028) and PTH (96 vs 77 pg/ml, p = 0.015), and lower rates of IOPTH normalization (77% vs 96%, p Conclusions Most patients with DA are cured with removal of two glands, but approximately 5% experience disease persistence/recurrence. Low-normal final IOPTH was associated with lower risk of persistent/recurrent disease.
A comparison of insecticide susceptibility levels in twelve species of urban pest ants with special focus on the odorous house ant, Tapinoma sessile

BACKGROUND Many ant species are pests in urban, agricultural, and natural habitats around the world. The primary means of reducing or eliminating ant infestations utilizes chemical control, mainly applications of residual insecticides. Control failures with residual insecticides are common, driven in part by a lack of understanding of basic biological and life history characteristics, including interspecific variation in susceptibility to insecticides. The current study evaluated the susceptibility of 12 species of urban pest ants to three classes of insecticides. RESULTS Results show significant variation in susceptibility across species. Contrary to the hypothesis of proportionality, no significant relationship was detected between body mass and median lethal time (LT50 ) or time to 100% mortality. The odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile) was consistently the least susceptible to all insecticides, as indicated by the highest LT50 values and the greatest amount of time required to reach 100% mortality. Comparatively low susceptibility to commonly used spray insecticides may explain why T. sessile is such a persistent pest. Broadcast applications of spray insecticides may kill off the most susceptible species, leaving behind T. sessile. Lack of competition from other ant species, combined with increased access to nesting and feeding resources may allow T. sessile to fill a vacant ecological niche and expand its range. CONCLUSION Considering T. sessile's relatively low susceptibility to insecticides, its ability to become established in areas colonized by other invasive ants, and its highly invasive behaviors, it should be watched for by biosecurity programs as it has high potential to become a globally invasive pest. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Dry-wet and freeze-thaw cycles enhance PFOA leaching from subsurface soils

Abstract Subsurface soil naturally experiences dry-wet and freeze-thaw cycles, which could affect the leaching of previously adsorbed pollutants. A slow release of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from impacted subsurface soil may serve as a long-term diffuse source of PFAS to groundwater. Yet, the extent to which these weathering conditions may affect the subsurface release of PFAS is unknown. We subjected columns packed with soil pre-adsorbed with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to dry-wet and freeze-thaw cycles and observed a spike in PFOA concentration in leachate following each weathering treatment compared to no weathering treatment. Weathering conditions released a high concentration of soil colloids, which were confirmed by particle-size distribution analysis, SEM-EDS, and XRD. Fractionation of PFOA in the water sample reveals that up to 36 % of leached PFOA was associated with soil colloids. Thus, previous studies that did not account for colloids might have underestimated the leaching of PFAS from the soil. Overall, the results indicate that natural weathering conditions can enhance subsurface leaching of colloids and colloid-associated PFOA. Therefore, current conceptual site models to quantify the leaching of PFAS from source zones should account for weathering and the contribution of colloids.
Development of the Theory and Practice of Higher Education Innovatics

Most of the innovative changes in higher education in relation to academic capitalism are based on market principles. The aim of the article is to further study and determine the innovative directions of the reform of higher education. For this, it is necessary to create and implement a scientific and applied system that combines theoretical and practical approaches to the innovative development of higher education. The authors propose the further development of a new scientific direction in the field of higher education - “innovatics of higher education”. Theoretical foundations and practical issues of higher education innovatics include innovative changes in a number of activities. The main of these activities are: teaching, training and study; RD financial and economic support of the educational process, RD inventive and patent-licensing activities, technology transfer, academic/university entrepreneurship; cultural and moral development, upbringing of cultural, moral and human values; sports, recreational, festive and extracurricular activities including other types of universities activities. Thus, innovatics of higher education includes innovative changes in almost all areas of higher education to enhance the quality training of professionals and responsible citizens of the modern community. More over innovations can guarantee financial independence, economic stability and competitiveness for a university development. This will be useful both for reforming the higher education systems and for universities R&D in Ukraine and other countries.
Dysmenorrhea in adolescents: diagnosis and treatment.

Dysmenorrhea occurs in the majority of adolescent girls and is the leading cause of recurrent short-term school absence in this group. In the vast majority of cases, a presumptive diagnosis of primary dysmenorrhea can be made based on a typical history of low anterior pelvic pain coinciding with the onset of menses and lasting 1–3 days with a negative physical examination. Risk factors for primary dysmenorrhea include nulliparity, heavy menstrual flow, and smoking. Poor mental health and social supports are other associations. Empiric therapy for primary dysmenorrhea can be initiated without diagnostic testing. Effective therapies include NSAIDs, oral contraceptives, and pharmacologic suppression of menstrual cycles. In atypical, severe, or refractory cases, imaging and/or laparoscopy should be performed to investigate secondary causes of dysmenorrhea. The most common cause of secondary dysmenorrhea is endometriosis, the treatment of which may include medical and surgical approaches. Pharmacologic treatment of young women with pain related to endometriosis is similar to treatment of primary dysmenorrhea but may infrequently include gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists in severe refractory cases.
Relational database structure to manage high-density tissue microarray data and images for pathology studies focusing on clinical outcome the prostate specialized program of research excellence model

With the completion of the Human Genome Project and high-throughput screening methods using cDNA array and tissue microarray (TMA) technology, there is a pressing need to manage the voluminous data sets generated from these types of investigations. Herein is described a database model to handle 1) clinical and pathology data, 2) TMA location information, and 3) web-based histology results. The model is useful for managing clinical, pathology, and molecular data on >1300 prostate cancer patients dating back to 1995 from the University of Michigan Specialized Program of Research Excellence for prostate cancer. The key components in this multidatabase model are 1) the TMA database, 2) the TMA-image database (TMA-I DB), and 3) the prostate pathology and clinical information databases. All databases were created in Microsoft Access (Microsoft, Redmond, WA). Desired patient, tissue, block, diagnosis, array location, and respective clinical and pathology information is obtained by linking the unique identifier fields among database tables. The TMA database is comprised of interrelated data from 336 prostate cancer patients transferred into 19 TMA blocks with 5451 TMA biopsy cores. Tissue samples include 1695 normal prostate, 3171 prostate cancer, 464 prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, and 121 atrophy. All 19 TMA blocks have been analyzed over the Internet for several immunohistochemical biomarkers including E-cadherin, prostate-specific antigen, p27 Kip1 , and Ki-67 labeling index. This system facilitates the statistical analysis of high-density TMA data with clinical and pathology information in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Because the review is performed over the Internet, this system is ideal for collaborative multi-institutional studies.
What Explains Superior Retail Performance

We analyze the performance of retail firms for the period 1978-97 using public financial data. Our performance measures are long-term stock returns and whether the firm filed for bankruptcy in the period of study. We assume that over a long time period of at least five years, stock returns are a reasonable measure of the overall success of a firm. We have found a very wide disparity in performance between firms. On the one hand, retailers like Wal-Mart, the Gap and Circuit City have had phenomenal success (nineteen year compounded stock returns of 31.2%, 29.5%, and 34.5%, respectively), while on the other, 17% of the public retail firms filed for bankruptcy. We investigate how the following levers managed by the CEO of a retail firm affect performance: return on assets, sales growth, inventory turns, gross margin, financial leverage, and selling, general, and administrative expenses. The nature of the analysis is contemporaneous, providing insights into managerial actions that correlate with success as measured by stock returns, but not a prediction of future stock returns. We find that (1) return on assets, sales growth, standard deviation of return on assets and financial leverage explain more than 50% of the variation in stock returns for periods of ten years or more; (2) retailers in different segments - apparel, department stores, grocery and convenience stores, drugs and pharmaceuticals, jewelry, consumer electronics, home furnishings, toys, and variety stores - achieve similar return on assets and return on equity by following very different strategies with respect to their gross margins and inventory turns; (3) even within the same segment, high gross margin correlates with low inventory turns, and with high selling, general, and administrative expenses; (4) risk of bankruptcy is related to the mismatch between how fast a firm attempts to grow versus what growth rate it realizes. We also test for a negative correlation between sales growth and return on assets, which is widely believed to be true but is not borne out by our data.
Women and Mathematics

In any history of mathematics one is hard pressed to find mention of women mathematicians. One wonders if there were any and, if any, why so few? To answer this question, it is perhaps necessary only to consider the lives of some of the few there were. We do this in the first part of the paper, when we look at the lives of six women mathematicians from six different countries, the first born in 1718, the latter dying in 1935.
Religious Decline or Religious Change? Making Sense of Secularization in Europe

The sociological theory of secularization has long served as the dominant explanation for what has happened to religion in modern European history, but the theory has fallen out of favor in recent decades. New theories and models have emerged, many of them focusing on religious change in modern European history and on what makes religion in Europe exceptional when compared with the United States and the global South. In this article, I provide an overview of the debate over secularization in Europe, surveying its nineteenth-century origins, the emergence of the theory of secularization in the 1960s, and the alternative theories and models arising from a variety of disciplines since the 1980s. I argue that the best understanding of modern European religious history is one that takes seriously both religious decline and religious change. I conclude with brief reflections on the future of secularization studies and particularly on the two themes that hold the most promise for enhancing the secularization debate: gender and immigration.
History of Star Formation in the Universe

The cosmic history of star formation is briefly reviewed, starting with the Milky Way and then discussing observations relevant to the closed box and hierarchical build-up models. Observations of local star formation are reviewed for comparison. The halo globular clusters appear to have formed in about the same way as today's clusters, with the same IMF and stellar densities, and with a larger mass reflecting the higher pressures of their environments. The bulge of the Milky Way appears to have evolved according to the dissipational collapse model, but other bulges may differ.
Clonal reproduction shapes evolution in the lizard malaria parasite Plasmodium floridense

The preponderant clonal evolution hypothesis (PCE) predicts that frequent clonal reproduction (sex between two clones) in many pathogens capable of sexual recombination results in strong linkage disequilibrium and the presence of discrete genetic subdivisions characterized by occasional gene flow. We expand on the PCE and predict that higher rates of clonal reproduction will result in: (1) morphologically cryptic species that exhibit (2) low within-species variation and (3) recent between-species divergence. We tested these predictions in the Caribbean lizard malaria parasite Plasmodium floridense using 63 single-infection samples in lizards collected from across the parasite's range, and sequenced them at two mitochondrial, one apicoplast, and five nuclear genes. We identified 11 provisionally cryptic species within P. floridense, each of which exhibits low intraspecific variation and recent divergence times between species (some diverged approximately 110,000 years ago). Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that clonal reproduction can profoundly affect diversification of species capable of sexual recombination, and suggest that clonal reproduction may have led to a large number of unrecognized pathogen species. The factors that may influence the rates of clonal reproduction among pathogens are unclear, and we discuss how prevalence and virulence may relate to clonal reproduction.
Coexistent interstitial and intrauterine pregnancy following homolateral salpingo-oophorectomy: Report of a case

Abstract A case of coexistent intrauterine and interstitial pregnancy following homolateral salpingectomy is presented. The possible mechanism for this occurrence is discussed.
Insufficient supply of reducing equivalents to the respiratory chain in cerebral cortex during severe insulin-induced hypoglycemia in cats.

The ability of endogenous substrates in brain to substitute for glucose as sources for energy metabolism during insulin-induced hypoglycemia was studied. The ratio of the arteriovenous difference o...
Characteristics of community dwelling elderly not vaccinated for pneumococcus in 1998 and 2001.

Abstract Background. We estimate proportions and numbers of elderly (>65 years old) not vaccinated for pneumococcus in 1998 and 2001 by ethnic group, socioeconomic status, health history, and access and use of health care. Methods. Self-reported lifetime pneumococcal vaccination and participant characteristics were obtained from 10,624 community dwelling elderly in the 1998 and 2001 National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS). Robust descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were fit. Outcome. Non-receipt of pneumococcal vaccination. Results. In 2001, about 13 million (or 45% of all) community dwelling elderly were unvaccinated against pneumococcus, including 11.5 million who saw a doctor at least once, 4 million who received an influenza vaccination and 2.3 million who were hospitalized, during the previous year. In 1998 and 2001 non-US born, Hispanic, African-American, and Medicaid recipient elderly were disproportionately un-vaccinated, with about 65% of each group not vaccinated in 2001. Conclusions. In 2001, lifetime pneumonia vaccination of community dwelling elderly (55%) was below the goal (60%) for Healthy People 2000. While there has been important progress in improving overall vaccination rates, much more needs to be done to attain national goals and reduce large, persistent racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. Lack of a usual source of healthcare and lower frequency of physician visits were among the factors associated with non-vaccination. However, most unvaccinated individuals had seen a physician in the last year, and many had received influenza vaccination or been hospitalized, suggesting the need for more consistent implementation and monitoring of guidelines for routine pneumococcal vaccination in healthcare settings.
A modified two-dimensional paper chromatographic system for the separation of DNP-amino acids

Abstract The two-dimensional separation of DNP-amino acids by solvent systems which appear to overcome most of the shortcomings of previously described solvent systems is described. The organic solvent consists of n -amyl alcohol saturated with 0.05 M phthalate buffer at pH 6.0; the aqueous solvent consists of 1.5 M sodium sulfate containing 0.05 M phthalate buffer (pH = 6.0).
GASTROINTESTINAL MANIFESTATIONS OF CONGENITAL ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME IN CHEIDREN

The GI manifestations of AIDS are not well characterized in children. We reviewed 9 children with congenitally acquired HIV. Clinical symptoms began at a mean age of 7.5 months (3wks-22mos); HIV seropositivity was confirmed at a mean of 20 months (3.5 mos - 5.5 yrs). Seropositive status was present at the time of study or death for a mean of 11.8 months. RESULTS: 6 of the 9 children had diarrhea and failure to thrive all within the first 9 mo. of life. Stool cultures contained possible pathogens in 6 (1 Candida; 1 enterovirus and Candida; 2 pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida; 1 pseudomonas and enterovirus; 1 giardia and rotavirus). 3 patients had secretory diarrhea 1 responding to Loperamide. Rectal biopsy showed non-specific colitis in 1; 2 others were normal. 4 patients with diarrhea had small bowel biopsies; 2 were abnormal (1 invasive CMV; 1 non-specific inflammation) Viruslike particles, distinct from CMV, were seen in both by electron microscopy. Five patients had severe failure to thrive and responded to aggressive nutritional therapy, (2 enteral feeds; 3 requiring TPN). CONCLUSIONS: Differences from experiences in adults with HIV infection include: 1) The spectrum of enteric infections; 2) The timing and severity of the diarrhea and growth failure; these may be related to the immaturity of infants' immune function 3) Aggressive nutritional therapy is important in the rehabilitation of these children.
Millimeter-Wave Heating, Radiometry, and Calorimetry of Granite Rock to Vaporization

Millimeter-wave (MMW) technologies can provide unique heating and diagnostic capabilities to research the thermal dynamics of materials to extreme temperatures. The MMW properties of rocks in the molten state up to their vaporization temperatures are not well known. Using a 28 GHz gyrotron beam collinear with a 130 GHz radiometry view in a calorimetric chamber, the transitions of granite rock specimens through solid phases, melting, and vaporization were observed, including release of trapped trace gas (<0.07%). The 28 GHz emissivity of molten granite was observed to be approximately constant at 0.66 ± 0.03 up to vaporization where it increased to 0.70 ± 0.03 at an equilibrated temperature of 2710 ± 120°C. An analysis of the thermal power balance during a 76 s steady state vaporization time period indicates that the MMW emissivity of the molten granite is larger than in the infrared. The observations support the possibility that MMW thermal ablative penetration into hot crystalline rock formations could be a more practical approach than infrared laser drilling to access deep resources.
Dual orexin receptor antagonist 12 inhibits expression of proteins in neurons and glia implicated in peripheral and central sensitization

Sensitization and activation of trigeminal nociceptors is implicated in prevalent and debilitating orofacial pain conditions including temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. Orexins are excitatory neuropeptides that function to regulate many physiological processes and are reported to modulate nociception. To determine the role of orexins in an inflammatory model of trigeminal activation, the effects of a dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA-12) on levels of proteins that promote peripheral and central sensitization and changes in nocifensive responses were investigated. In adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, mRNA for orexin receptor 1 (OX₁R) and receptor 2 (OX₂R) were detected in trigeminal ganglia and spinal trigeminal nucleus (STN). OX₁R immunoreactivity was localized primarily in neuronal cell bodies in the V3 region of the ganglion and in laminas I-II of the STN. Animals injected bilaterally with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) in the TMJ capsule exhibited increased expression of P-p38, P-ERK, and lba1 in trigeminal ganglia and P-ERK and lba1 in the STN at 2 days post injection. However, levels of each of these proteins in rats receiving daily oral DORA-12 were inhibited to near basal levels. Similarly, administration of DORA-12 on days 3 and 4 post CFA injection in the TMJ effectively inhibited the prolonged stimulated expression of protein kinase A, NFkB, and Iba1 in the STN on day 5 post injection. While injection of CFA mediated a nocifensive response to mechanical stimulation of the orofacial region at 2h and 3 and 5 days post injection, treatment with DORA-12 suppressed the nocifensive response on day 5. Somewhat surprisingly, nocifensive responses were again observed on day 10 post CFA stimulation in the absence of daily DORA-12 administration. Our results provide evidence that DORA-12 can inhibit CFA-induced stimulation of trigeminal sensory neurons by inhibiting expression of proteins associated with sensitization of peripheral and central neurons and nociception.
Identification of the Steering Flow for Tropical Cyclone Motion from Objectively Analyzed Wind Fields

Abstract The flow patterns at various levels in the atmosphere around northwest Pacific tropical cyclones are studied using objectively-analyzed wind fields produced by the United States Navy. The results show large differences in the flow fields among groups of cyclones moving in different directions. Appreciable baroclinity is found in cyclones moving northward or northeastward. The results also demonstrate the impotence of stratifying cyclones by their characteristics and synoptic environment in the study and prediction of tropical cyclone motion The relationships between tropical cyclone motion and the midtropospheric flow averaged around the 5–7° latitude radial band are also investigated using both the composite and individual cases. The composite results are generally consistent with those obtained from individual cases. In most cases, these relationships also agree with those derived in previous studies from rawinsonde composites and objectively-analyzed height fields. Since the objectively-analyz...
Distinct host cell fates for human malignant melanoma targeted by oncolytic rodent parvoviruses

The rodent parvoviruses are known to be oncoselective, and lytically infect many transformed human cells. Because current therapeutic regimens for metastatic melanoma have low response rates and have little effect on improving survival, this disease is a prime candidate for novel approaches to therapy, including oncolytic parvoviruses. Screening of low-passage, patient-derived melanoma cell lines for multiplicity-dependent killing by a panel of five rodent parvoviruses identified LuIII as the most melanoma-lytic. This property was mapped to the LuIII capsid gene, and an efficiently melanoma tropic chimeric virus shown to undergo three types of interaction with primary human melanoma cells: (1) complete lysis of cultures infected at very low multiplicities; (2) acute killing resulting from viral protein synthesis and DNA replication, without concomitant expansion of the infection, due to failure to export progeny virions efficiently; or (3) complete resistance that operates at an intracellular step following virion uptake, but preceding viral transcription.
Foreign banks in the United States: Entry strategies and operations

This article deals with a very significant component of the U.S. banking industry: foreign banks in the United States. Their growth in the U.S., and specifically in California, is traced, as are the foci of their business strategy. In addition, the article explores the motivation of foreign banks to enter the U.S. market. All available theories are summarized and their relevance explored. The article goes on to speculate about some factors likely to influence the growth of foreign banking in the United States. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Combined arterial reconstruction and free tissue transfer for limb salvage.

Abstract Purpose: Lower-extremity arterial anatomy that is insufficient for successful vein bypass grafting and major proximal foot wounds often lead to leg amputation in patients with severe ischemia. Free tissue transfer, which can provide limb salvage in these patients after arterial reconstruction, was studied. Methods: During a 45-month period, 21 patients who otherwise would have undergone leg amputation were treated with arterial bypass by means of vein grafting and free tissue transfer. Ages of the patients ranged from 40 to 73 years (average, 59 years); 18 of the 21 patients had diabetes mellitus; and all patients except one were men. Arterial reconstruction was performed from the femoral (nine of 21 patients) or popliteal artery (12 of 21 patients) to the posterior tibial (eight patients), dorsalis pedis (five patients), peroneal (three patients), popliteal (one patient), or anterior tibial artery (one patient), or directly to the free flap (three patients). The tissue transferred included latissimus dorsi (five patients), rectus abdominus (five patients), omentum (five patients), gracilis (two patients), radial forearm flaps (three patients), and a scapular flap (one patient). Foot defects were debrided, including the appropriate toe or transmetatarsal amputation, covered with the transferred flap, and then split-thickness skin grafted. Arterial flow for all flaps was through the vein grafts, with direct arterial anastomosis and with venous outflow through adjacent tibial veins. Results: All 21 procedures were successful initially, without operative mortality, but three failed within 4 weeks because of uncontrolled infection (two) or embolization from a remote site (one) and required below-knee amputation. Grafts remained patent in 18 procedures, and follow-up of this cohort ranged from 1 to 45 months (mean, 13.3 months). Two patients died, one after 4 months and one after 6 months, of unrelated illness; at the time of death, they had functioning grafts. The remaining 19 patients are alive. Of these, 15 have patent arterial grafts, all viable free flaps. Thus, limb salvage was accomplished in 18 of 21 (86%) patients who otherwise would have required below-knee amputation. Conclusion: Patients destined for leg amputation despite aggressive traditional arterial bypass grafting methods can achieve limb salvage with the additional technique of free tissue transfer. (J Vasc Surg 1999;29:814-20.)
Gerlits and function spaces

Janos Gerlits died unexpectedly in 2008. In this paper we attempt to make a small tribute to his very powerful mathematical legacy by describing the emerging impact of two ideas, γ-spaces and Gerlits-Nagy spaces, from [19] and [20].
High frequency response of inverting integrators

Inverting integrators are dependent upon the open-loop frequency response of the amplifier. Improvement in frequency performance of an order of magnitude is achieved with two-pole versus single-pole compensation for the same amplifier. Amplifier output impedance can affect integrator frequency response.
A critical evaluation of the planning target volume for 3-D conformal radiotherapy of prostate cancer

Abstract Purpose: To determine an adequate planning target volume (PTV) margin for three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT) of prostate cancer, the uncertainties in the internal positions of the prostate and seminal vesicles (SV) and in the treatment setups were measured. Methods and Materials: Weekly computed tomography (CT) scans of the pelvis ( n = 51) and daily electronic portal images ( n = 1630) were reviewed for eight patients who received seven-field 3D CRT for prostate cancer. The CT scans were registered in three dimensions to the original planning CT scan using commercially available software to measure the center-of volume (COV) motion of the prostate and SV. The daily portal images were registered to the corresponding simulation films to measure the setup displacements. The standard deviation (SD) of the internal organ motions was added to the SD of the setups in quadrature to determine the total uncertainty. Positive directions were left, anterior, and superior. Rotations necessary to register the CT scans and portal images were minimal and not further analyzed. Results: The mean motion for the COV of the prostate ± the SD was 0 ± 0.9 mm in the left–right (LR), 0.5 ± 2.6 mm in the anterior–posterior (AP), and 1.5 ± 3.9 mm in the superior–inferior (SI) directions. The mean motion for the COV of the SV ± the SD was 0.3 ± 1.7 mm in the LR, 0.7 ± 3.8 mm in the AP, and 0.9 ± 3.5 mm in the SI directions. For all patients the mean isocenter displacement ± the SD was 0 ± 3.1 mm in the LR, 1.4 ± 3.0 mm in the AP, and −0.4 ± 2.1 mm in the SI directions. The total uncertainty for the prostate was 3.2 mm, 4.0 mm, and 4.4 mm in the LR, AP, and SI directions, respectively. For the SV, the total uncertainty was 3.5, 4.8, and 4.1 mm in the LR, AP, and SI directions, respectively. Conclusions: PTV margins of 10 to 16 mm are required to encompass all (99%) possible positions of the prostate or SV during 3D CRT. PTV margins of 7 to 11 mm will encompass the measured uncertainties with a 95% probability. PTV margins of 5 mm may not adequately cover the intended volume.
Characterization of surface interleukin-2 receptor expression on gated populations of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from manatees, Trichechus manatus latirostris.

Abstract An in vitro system to determine surface interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression on mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from free-ranging manatees, Trichechus manatus latirostris was developed. Human recombinant IL-2, conjugated with a fluorescein dye was used in conjunction with flow cytometric analysis to determine changes in surface expression of IL-2R at sequential times over a 48-h period of in vitro stimulation. Surface expression of IL-2R was detected on mantaee PBMC, which also cross-reacted with an antifeline pan T-cell marker. An expression index (EI) was calculated by comparing mitogen-activated and non-activated PBMC. Based on side- and forward-scatter properties, flow cytometric analysis showed an increase in the number of larger, more granular “lymphoblasts” following concanavalin A (Con A) stimulation. The appearance of lymphoblasts was correlated with an increase in their surface expression of IL-2 receptors. Surface IL-2R expression, in Con A-stimulated PBMC, was detected at 16 h, peaked at 24–36 h, and began to decrease by 48 h. Characterization of the IL-2R expression should provide additional information on the health status of manatees, and the effect of their sub lethal exposure to brevetoxin.
Real-Time Three-Dimensional Echocardiographic Acquisition and Quantification of Left Ventricular Indices in Children and Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: Comparison with Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular (LV) contractility and dimensions is important in the management of patients with congenital heart disease. Conventional two-dimensional measures are limited because of volume or pressure-overloaded right ventricles that may distort the septal planes. Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) has overcome these limitations; however, postprocessing image reconstruction and analysis are required. We compared LV indices calculated by new online RT3DE software with those obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with congenital heart disease. Methods Twelve patients (ages 1-33 years, median age=15.9 years) with congenital heart disease underwent RT3DE and cardiac MRI. End-diastolic and end-systolic LV volumes, stroke volume, ejection fraction, and mass were calculated online using biplane method-of-discs and semiautomated border detection echocardiographic techniques. Results All RT3DE volumes correlated strongly with MRI ( r = 0.93-0.99, P r = 0.69, P = .013). There was no significant underestimation or overestimation of MRI values by RT3DE. Both biplane method-of-discs and semiautomated border detection echocardiographic techniques had excellent volume correlation ( r = 0.94-0.99, P Conclusions Combined RT3DE acquisition and analysis machines can accurately assess the LV in patients with congenital heart disease, thus impacting clinical management and perhaps obviating the need for MRI in some cases.
Low hospital mortality in patients with acute interstitial pneumonia.

Study objectives To compare the presenting features and outcome of patients with acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) with other patients with diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) and with historical control subjects. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting A large, urban, teaching hospital. Interventions Patients were classified into idiopathic (AIP group) and secondary causes of DAD (ARDS group) according to available clinical and microbiology data. AIP and ARDS cases were compared, and ARDS cases were analyzed for long-term outcome. Measurements and results Twenty patients with pathologic diagnosis of DAD were identified. Four cases were excluded; eight cases of ARDS due to known etiologies were identified. These etiologies included pneumonia and sepsis (n = 6), cocaine use (n = 1), and carmustine chemotherapy (n = 1). Eight cases of AIP were found. When compared with the ARDS group, patients in the AIP group had a longer time from the onset of symptoms until hospital admission (16.8 ± 15.7 days vs 2.2 ± 1.0 days, p=0.0015) and a shorter time from hospital admission to open-lung biopsy (8.3 ± 3.0 days vs 15.5 ± 9.5 days, p=0.02) [mean ± SD]. Seven of eight patients with AIP and four of eight patients with ARDS survived to hospital discharge (p = not significant). The 12.5% mortality rate for patients with AIP reported in this series was significantly lower than the previously reported cumulative rate of 69.5% (p = 0.0025). Follow-up in five AIP survivors for a mean of 7.6 ± 3.5 years (range, 3 to 11 years) showed all to be without shortness of breath or relapse despite mild residual fibrosis on chest radiograph and mild-to-moderate restriction on pulmonary function tests (mean total lung capacity, 68.5 ± 6.2% predicted). Conclusions Our data support a favorable hospital and long-term outcome for patients with AIP, with no evidence of recurrence or progression to chronic interstitial lung disease.
Predicting contraceptive behavior among college students: the role of communication, knowledge, sexual anxiety, and self-esteem.

Undergraduate students were surveyed about their sexual behavior and contraceptive behavior. In addition, measures of their self-esteem, knowledge about contraception, communication with their dating partners, communication about sexual matters with their sexual partners, and sexual anxiety were taken. Consistent with Byrne's (1983) model of effective contraception, it was found that general and sexual communication with one's partner were significant predictors of contraception use. Directional, but statistically weak, support was obtained for the predictions that knowledge about contraception and sexual anxiety would be related to contraception use. No support was found for the prediction that general self-esteem would be associated with contraceptive behavior
DSpin: Detecting Automatically Spun Content on the Web

Web spam is an abusive search engine optimization technique that artificially boosts the search result rank of pages promoted in the spam content. A popular form of Web spam today relies upon automated spinning to avoid duplicate detection. Spinning replaces words or phrases in an input article to create new versions with vaguely similar meaning but sufficiently different appearance to avoid plagiarism detectors. With just a few clicks, spammers can use automated tools to spin a selected article thousands of times and then use posting services via proxies to spam the spun content on hundreds of target sites. The goal of this paper is to develop effective techniques to detect automatically spun content on the Web. Our approach is directly tied to the underlying mechanism used by automated spinning tools: we use a technique based upon immutables, words or phrases that spinning tools do not modify when generating spun content. We implement this immutable method in a tool called DSpin, which identifies automatically spun Web articles. We then apply DSpin to two data sets of crawled articles to study the extent to which spammers use automated spinning to create and post content, as well as their spamming behavior.
Development of an Integrated Biospecimen Bank and Multidisciplinary Clinical Database For Pancreatic Cancer

The integration of biospecimens with reliable clinical data is critical to advance molecular findings from the laboratory to the clinic. We describe the development of an integrated pancreatic tissue bank (PTB) and clinical database for patients with pancreatic cancer and other pancreatic disorders. A clinical database and PTB were created in 1990 and 2000, respectively, to collect clinical information and biospecimens from patients with suspected or confirmed pancreatic cancer, other pancreatic diseases, and tumors of the duodenum, ampulla of Vater, and distal bile duct. Standard procedures for biospecimen collection and data entry were developed. From 2000 through 2006, the PTB collected 8,061 pancreatic tissue specimens from 620 patients. The most common histologies of pancreatic tumors were pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (55.3%) and neuroendocrine carcinoma (16.3%). The biospecimen collection also includes 431 plasma samples, 40 fine-needle aspiration samples, and a tissue microarray containing 85 pancreatic adenocarcinomas and matched normal tissue specimens. The clinical database contains information for 7,647 patients with pancreatic cancer, other pancreatic disorders, and duodenal, ampullary, or bile duct neoplasms. The data are arranged into nine modules: patient, presentation, risk factors, diagnostic imaging, treatment plan, surgery, pathology, postoperative complications, and follow-up. We have established a pancreatic cancer tissue bank with standardized procedures for collection of biospecimens along with a comprehensive multidisciplinary clinical database. The integrated biospecimen bank and clinical database for pancreatic cancer described here can serve as a model from which other groups may develop similar systems.
CEO compensation and firm competitive behavior: Empirical evidence from the U.S. pharmaceutical industry

Abstract Executive compensation is one of the most critically evaluated aspects of a firm. Driving this attention is the debate into what exactly are the consequences of executive pay. Since a majority of prior compensation research has aggregated industries into a single omnibus sample, it has been difficult to detect compensation effects that are likely industry specific. Accordingly, we focus on a high technology industry and examine how CEO incentive compensation affects firm competitive behavior. Utilizing a sample of U.S. pharmaceutical firms, we find that both short- and long-term incentives of a CEO are positively related to firm competitive aggressiveness. Moreover, our results show a positive relationship between long-term incentives of the top executive and the diversity of competitive moves undertaken by the firm. This study contributes to technology management, compensation, and strategy literatures and generates interesting possibilities for future research.
Selecting a Predictor Weighting Method by Press

An empirical method (PRESS) for examining and contrasting the cross-validated prediction accuracies of some popular algorithms for weighting predictor variables was advanced and examined. The weighting methods that were considered were ordinary least squares, ridge regression, regression on principal components, and regression on an equally weighted composite. PRESS was executed on several data sets having varied characteristics, with each of the weighting techniques obtaining the greatest accuracy under some conditions. The degree of advantage or disadvantage offered by these alternate weighting algorithms relative to ordinary least squares was considered. As it was not possible to determine a priori which weighting technique would be most accurate for a particular data set from theoretical knowledge or from simple sample data characteristics, the sample specific PRESS method was proffered as possibly most appropriate when the researcher wishes to select from among the several alternate predictor weighti...
An Optical-Digital Image Processing System

The combination of optical preprocessing and interactive digital processing furnishes a powerful technique for image analysis and pattern recognition. We describe in this paper several innovative data-reducing operations easily implemented with an optical system. A particular design for an interactive optical-digital computer now being assembled is discussed and several actual examples of optical preprocessing are given.