cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Capacitated clustering problem in computational biology

The capacitated clustering problem (CCP) has been studied in a wide range of applications. In this study, we investigate a challenging CCP in computational biology, namely, sibling reconstruction problem (SRP). The goal of SRP is to establish the sibling relationship (i.e., groups of siblings) of a population from genetic data. The SRP has gained more and more interests from computational biologists over the past decade as it is an important and necessary keystone for studies in genetic and population biology. We propose a large-scale mixed-integer formulation of the CCP for SRP that is based on both combinatorial and statistical genetic concepts. The objective is not only to find the minimum number of sibling groups, but also to maximize the degree of similarity of individuals in the same sibling groups while each sibling group is subject to genetic constraints derived from Mendel's laws. We develop a new randomized greedy optimization algorithm to effectively and efficiently solve this SRP. The algorithm consists of two key phases: construction and enhancement. In the construction phase, a greedy approach with randomized perturbation is applied to construct multiple sibling groups iteratively. In the enhancement phase, a two-stage local search with a memory function is used to improve the solution quality with respect to the similarity measure. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm using real biological data sets and compare it with state-of-the-art approaches in the literature. We also test it on larger simulated data sets. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm provide the best reconstruction solutions.
A shortened instrument for literacy screening.

The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM-R), a new 8-item instrument designed to rapidly screen patients for potential health literacy problems, was administered to 157 patients. The REALM-R was correlated with Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-R) (.64) and demonstrated a Cronbach’s α of 0.91. The REALM-R identified 26 of 30 persons scoring more than 1 standard deviation below the mean on the WRAT-R, corresponding to a sixth grade reading level. The REALM-R identified a substantial number of people who scored poorly on the WRAT-R, and depending on further studies of validity and reliability, may offer a practical approach to identify patients at risk for health literacy problems in a clinical setting.
The transition to coparenthood: Parents' prebirth expectations and early coparental adjustment at 3 months postpartum

In the decade since the first observationally based empirical studies of coparenting process in nuclear families made their mark, most investigations of early coparenting dynamics have examined whether and how such dynamics drive child development trajectories, rather than identifying factors that may contribute to the differential development of such dynamics in the first place. In this prospective study, we examined both individual-representational and dyadic-interpersonal predictors of early coparental process. Fifty married couples expecting their first child portrayed their expectations and concerns about family life after the baby's arrival, and took part in a set of problem-solving tasks used to help evaluate marital quality. Both mothers' and fathers' prebaby expectations about the future family, and prenatal marital quality, predicted observed coparenting cohesion at 3 months postpartum. Maternal- and marriage-coparenting trajectories differed as a function of infant characteristics, with pathways most pronounced when infants were rated high in negative reactivity. Results reveal how the prenatal environment can come to shape early coparenting process, and indicate that family models must take into account the role that child characteristics can play in altering prebirth-postpartum pathways.
Diagnosis and management of relapsing pancreatitis associated with cystic neoplasms of the pancreas

One of the most important causes of relapsing pancreatitis is a cystic neoplasm of the pancreas. These low grade malignancies may cause pancreatitis by obstructing or communicating with a pancreatic duct. Patients with relapsing pancreatitis and a focal fluid fluid collection should be investigated for the possibility of a mucinous cystic neoplasm. Cross sectional imaging can provide a diagnosis with the imaging findings of a low attenuation cystic lesion containing mural calcification (CT scanning) or a lobular T2 enhancing lesion (MRCP). Endoscopic ultrasound can provide more detailed imaging with the ability to guide fine needle aspiration of the cyst fluid. Cyst fluid analysis can provide a diagnosis of a mucinous cystic lesion with the combination of cytology (mucinous epithelium), elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and the presence of DNA mutations. Management of these patients consists of surgical resection and monitoring in patients not able to withstand surgery.
Macrophages and Inflammatory Mediators in Tissue Injury

Tissue injury induced by a diverse group of xenobiotics appears to involve both direct and indirect damage to target cells. Thus, while chemicals may act directly on target cells resulting in toxicity, they may also act indirectly by recruiting and activating resident and inflammatory tissue macrophages. Macrophages are potent secretory cells that release an array of mediators, including proinflammatory and cytotoxic cytokines and growth factors, bioactive lipids, hydrolytic enzymes, reactive oxygen intermediates, and nitric oxide--each of which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of tissue injury. The potential role of macrophages and their mediators in tissue injury has been extensively investigated in the lung and the liver. In both of these tissues, xenobiotics induce localized macrophage accumulation and mediator release. Furthermore, when macrophage functioning is blocked, pulmonary and hepatic injury-induced agents such as ozone, bleomycin, acetaminophen, carbon tetrachloride, and galactosamine are reduced. These data provide direct support for the hypothesis that macrophages and the mediators they release contribute to xenobiotic-induced tissue injury.
The cellulose synthase gene superfamily and biochemical functions of xylem-specific cellulose synthase-like genes in Populus trichocarpa.

Wood from forest trees modified for more cellulose or hemicelluloses could be a major feedstock for fuel ethanol. Xylan and glucomannan are the two major hemicelluloses in wood of angiosperms. However, little is known about the genes and gene products involved in the synthesis of these wood polysaccharides. Using Populus trichocarpa as a model angiosperm tree, we report here a systematic analysis in various tissues of the absolute transcript copy numbers of cellulose synthase superfamily genes, the cellulose synthase (CesA) and the hemicellulose-related cellulose synthase-like (Csl) genes. Candidate Csl genes were characterized for biochemical functions in Drosophila Schneider 2 (S2) cells. Of the 48 identified members, 37 were found expressed in various tissues. Seven CesA genes are xylem specific, suggesting gene networks for the synthesis of wood cellulose. Four Csl genes are xylem specific, three of which belong to the CslA subfamily. The more xylem-specific CslA subfamily is represented by three types of members: PtCslA1, PtCslA3, and PtCslA5. They share high sequence homology, but their recombinant proteins produced by the S2 cells exhibited distinct substrate specificity. PtCslA5 had no catalytic activity with the substrates for xylan or glucomannan. PtCslA1 and PtCslA3 encoded mannan synthases, but PtCslA1 further encoded a glucomannan synthase for the synthesis of (1→4)-β-d-glucomannan. The expression of PtCslA1 is most highly xylem specific, suggesting a key role for it in the synthesis of wood glucomannan. The results may help guide further studies to learn about the regulation of cellulose and hemicellulose synthesis in wood.
Systemic prednisone administration selectively alters granulocyte subsets in nasal polyps from aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease and chronic rhinosinusitis patients

Background: Nasal polyps (NPs) are hallmark inflammatory lesions of sinusitis. Despite the spectrum of NP conditions, cellular differences between NPs from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with NPs (CRSwNP) and aspirinexacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) are poorly understood. NPs are associated with abundant eosinophils; the contributions of neutrophil and basophil granulocytes are less defined. We therefore sought to assess granulocyte subpopulations, and differential effects following prednisone pretreatment, within NPs of CRSwNP and AERD patients. Methods: NPs, adjacent ethmoid sinus tissue, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery. Samples from 5 cohorts: CRSwNP ± prednisone (n = 6e ach), AERD ± prednisone (n = 6 each), and controls (n = 9), were analyzed by high-dimensional flow cytometry to gate granulocyte populations. Specimens were also assessed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Results: Systemic prednisone administration was associated with a lower frequency of eosinophils (p < 0.0001, n = 6) in NPs in both CRSwNP and AERD patients, whereas a decrease in neutrophils (p = 0.0070, n = 6) in NPs was − − − +
Efficient Fault Diagnosis for All-Optical Networks: An Information Theoretic Approach

Network management and control contribute to at least half of the operating cost of current optical networks. All-optical networks with end-to-end transparent lightpaths promise significant cost savings using optical switching at network nodes. However, this cost saving cannot be realized unless the cost of network management is also reduced. In this paper we explore a promising technique towards that goal. The fault diagnosis problem for all-optical networks is investigated via an information theoretic approach, with the objective to minimize the operating 'cost' of failure detection and localization in the optical layer. Under a probabilistic link failure model, we first interpret the run-length probing scheme previously developed for Eulerian graphs as a constrained source-coding algorithm, and characterize its performance via the code rate of its corresponding run-length code. We then extend the run-length probing scheme to non-Eulerian graphs via two alternative approaches: the disjoint-trail decomposition approach and the path-augmentation approach, and obtain their performance analytically. The analytical and numerical results indicate that the run-length probing scheme is asymptotically optimum for both Eulerian and non-Eulerian graphs of large size. The property of the run-length probing scheme also suggests that each probe in an efficient probing scheme should provide approximately one bit of network state information and thus the total number of probes (or equivalently, the operating cost of failure identification) is lower-bounded and approximated by the entropy of the network states. We believe that our approach using information theory in an inter-disciplinary effort can provide new insights on network management, and substantial cost-reduction for all-optical networks can be realized
Some real-world applications of wireless sensor nodes

This paper presents two case histories of the use of wireless sensor Mote technologies. These are devices that incorporate communications, processing, sensors, sensor fusion, and power source into a package currently about two cubic inches in size - networked autonomous sensor nodes. The first case discussed is the November, 2001, instrumentation of a blastinduced liquefaction test in Tokachi Port, Japan. The second case discussed is the dense-pak™ instrumentation of the seismic shaking test of a full-scale wood-frame building on the UCB Richmond shake table. The utility of dense instumentation is shown, and how it allows location of damage globally unseen. A methodology of interpreting structural seismic respose by Bayesian updating and extended Kalman filtering is presented. It is shown that dense, inexpensive instrumentation is needed to identify structural damage and prognosticate future behavior. The case studies show that the current families of Motes are very useful, but the hardware still has difficulties in terms of reliability and consistancy. It is apparent that the TinyOS is a wonderful tool for computer science education but is not an industrual quality instrumentation system. These are, of course, growing pains of the first incarnations of the Berkeley Smart Dust ideal. We expect the dream of easy to use, inexpensive, smart, wireless, sensor networks to become a reality in the next couple
Star Wars in Psychotherapy: Video Games in the Office

Video games are used in medical practice during psycho-education in chronic disease management, physical therapy, rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury, and as an adjunct in pain management during medical procedures or cancer chemotherapy. In psychiatric practice, video games aid in social skills training of children with developmental delays and in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This most popular children’s toy may prove a useful tool in dynamic psychotherapy of youth. The author provides a framework for using video games in psychotherapy by considering the characteristics of video games and describes the ways their use has facilitated various stages of therapeutic process. Just as other play techniques build a relationship and encourage sharing of emotional themes, sitting together in front of a console and screen facilitates a relationship and allows a safe path for the patient’s conflict to emerge. During video game play, the therapist may observe thought processes, impulsivity, temperament, decision-making, and sharing, among other aspects of a child’s clinical presentation. Several features inherent to video games require a thoughtful approach as resistance and transference in therapy may be elaborated differently in comparison to more traditional toys. Familiarity with the video game content and its dynamics benefits child mental health clinicians in their efforts to help children and their families.
Saturation Throughput Analysis of the 802.11e Enhanced Distributed Channel Access Function

The IEEE 802.11e standard has recently been ratified. This standard provides quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees in the medium access control (MAC) layer of 802.11 wireless local area networks (WLANs). In other words, the 802.11e standard updates the MAC layer of the former 802.11 standard for QoS. In particular, the enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) function of 802.11e is an enhancement of the distributed coordination function (DCF) of 802.11. In this paper, we present an analytical model for EDCA in saturation mode. Our model incorporates an accurate contention window (CW) and arbitration interframe space (AIFS) differentiation. In addition, it provides virtual collision treatment for an access category (AC). Validating the theoretical results via simulations, we show that i) the proposed model accurately captures EDCA saturation throughput, and ii) this model is substantially more accurate than the models previously proposed in the literature.
Energy Detection Based Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio: An Experimental Study

Energy detection is an attractive spectrum sensing method for cognitive radio. The design of energy detection relies on two critical assumptions: 1) noise power is perfectly and {\it a prior} known; and 2) the test statistics in energy detection can be accurately modeled as independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Gaussian random variables. In practice, noise power varies from time to time. This renders difficulty in estimating noise power and incurs an inaccuracy in modeling the test statistics. This paper studies how to realize energy detection using software-defined radio in a real environment. The noise power variation in a real environment is investigated. A histogram based method is proposed to determine the threshold of energy detection. Our experimental study shows the effectiveness of the histogram based method.
Risk Factors and Mortality of Black-Tailed Deer in a Managed Forest Landscape

Abstract We investigated the influence of habitat use on the risk of death of Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) on Heceta Island in Southeast Alaska, USA. A mosaic of even and uneven-aged forests covered much of the island and provided a model setting in which to assess relationships between habitat use and mortality of deer. We radiocollared and monitored 51 adult females, 11 adult males, and 19 young of the year. We compared risk of death with habitat composition, habitat distribution, topography, distances to features such as roads, and functional habitat characteristics such as seasonal forage biomass within 50-, 500-, and 1,000-m circular buffers around relocations of deer. Those buffers encompassed habitats used at scales of radio-locations, home ranges, and landscapes. We addressed hypotheses that related habitat composition and distribution to risk of death from malnutrition, predation, and hunting. Predation by wolves (Canis lupus) and malnutrition were the principal causes ...
The Roles of Transforming Growth Factors α and β in Growth Regulation of Normal and Transformed Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

Abnormal expression of specific growth factors or their receptors may be involved in the initiation and development of a variety of malignancies (Heldin and Westermark, 1984; Goustin et al., 1986). Normal or nontransformed cells in culture generally exhibit a high degree of dependence upon exogenously supplied growth factors for proliferation, whereas transformed cells demonstrate a partial or complete relaxation in their growth factor requirements. This independence from exogenous growth factors may result from an increased level of expression of the same growth factors and/or receptor “down regulation” in cells which have become malignantly transformed (Sporn and Roberts, 1985). It has been postulated that by an autocrine feed-back loop, the secreted growth factors could act on the cells’ own receptors and thus contribute to an abnormal growth pattern.
Global metabolomics identifies perturbation of multiple metabolic pathways in Multiple Sclerosis (P5.242)

OBJECTIVE: To compare the metabolic profile of subjects with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and healthy controls. BACKGROUND: Given that metabolic changes have been reported by recent studies in animal models of MS, we hypothesized that metabolic pathway markers in MS would be measurably different from healthy controls. DESIGN/METHODS: Plasma was obtained from 15 subjects with RRMS and 15 healthy controls (HC) who were matched for age, sex and ethnicity. Samples underwent methanol extraction followed by liquid/ gas chromatography coupled with mass-spectrometry at Metabolon Inc. (Durham, NC). Metabolites were identified by automated comparison of the ion features in the experimental samples to a reference library of chemical standard entries. Data analysis was performed using SIMCA-12.0 to build a partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model and MetaboAnalyst 2.5 for individual compound and pathway analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of subjects was 38.3±8.7 years, and 73[percnt] were female. In MS patients, the median EDSS was 1.0 (IQR:1.0-1.5), median disease duration was 1 year (IQR:1-6 years) and 10 (66[percnt]) subjects were untreated. A total of 676 metabolites were measured, out of which 61(42 up-regulated, 19 down-regulated) were significantly altered between the groups. Utilizing PLS-DA, it was possible to accurately classify the two groups based on their metabolomic profile (Q2=0.43). The pathways involved in MS patients included neuropeptide metabolism (elevated N-acetylaspartate and N-acetylaspartatyl-glutamate), redox homeostasis (decreased beta and gamma-tocopherol, elevated oxidized-cysteinyl glycine and cysteine), lipid metabolism (elevated long-chain fatty acids and PUFA) and bile acid metabolism. There was evidence for impaired fatty acid beta-oxidation (elevated acyl-carnitines) suggesting possible mitochondrial dysfunction in the MS group. CONCLUSIONS: Comparative global metabolic profiling revealed that MS patients have a distinct metabolic profile. This could serve as an important tool for biomarker discovery and provide insights into the pathogenesis of the disease. Study Supported by: NMSS FP-1787-01 to P.B Disclosure: Dr. Bhargava has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mowry has received research support from Teva Neuroscience. Dr. Calabresi has received personal compensation for activities with Abbott, Vaccinex, and Vertex. Dr. Calabresi has received research support from Novartis and Biogen Idec.
Site Structure of the Orbit Inn: An Application of Ethnoarchaeology

One goal of ethnoarchaeology is to strengthen archaeological inferences about the past. A fifteenth-century hunter-gatherer, open site in Utah is used to examine ethnoarchaeological contributions toward determining the use of space, duration of occupation, assemblage composition, and site function. Comparisons between macrorefuse and microrefuse patterning suggest that (1) the distribution of macrorefuse can help identify locations of ephemeral structures and household activity areas; (2) the distribution of microrefuse in this intermittently occupied open site is useful for assessing assemblage composition; (3) determining the characteristics of macro- and microrefuse improves hypotheses about duration of occupation; and (4) interpretation of plant remains can be improved by considering site-formation processes. The study points to the need for a closer linkage between ethnoarchaeology and the archaeology of the past.
Evaluation of AIDS surveillance and discussion of model for management of AIDS patients and HIV positives in Zhuhai City

Objective To evaluate the AIDS surveillance and study the management model of HIV/AIDS cases in Zhuhai and provide the scientific materials for local government. Methods Model for Mandgememt of local HIV surveillance of AIDS cases and HIV positives by means of evaluating the sera HIV surveillance and KABP investigation and analyzing the treatment of each case in recent 5 years. Results The multi administrative levels of sentry surveillance and KABP investigation conducted in Zhuhai is very effect for the detection of HIV-infectors with a total serum HIV-antibody postive rate 0.4% and the highest KABP eligible rate reached to 68.89% in 1998 from 23.58% in 1996,while the management for HIV/AIDS cases remains poor. Conclusion More behavior interventions and better mechanism for HIV/AIDS case management should be setup as soon as possible.
Glycyrrhizin Reduces HMGB1 and Bacterial Load in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Keratitis.

Purpose High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) contributes to poor disease outcome in Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis. This study tests the prophylactic effect of treatment with HMGB1 inhibitors, glycyrrhizin (GLY) and its derivative, carbenoxolone (CBX), for Pseudomonas keratitis. Methods We treated C57BL/6 (B6) mice subconjunctivally with GLY or CBX, infected with a noncytotoxic clinical isolate (KEI 1025) or a cytotoxic strain (ATCC 19660) of P. aeruginosa, and injected intraperitoneally with either agent. Clinical score, photography with a slit lamp, real-time RT-PCR, ELISA, myeloperoxidase (MPO) assay, bacterial plate count, histopathology, and absorbance assays were used to assess treatment efficacy and bacteriostatic activity. Results After KEI 1025 infection, GLY treatment reduced HMGB1 (mRNA and protein levels) and improved disease outcome with significant reduction in mRNA levels of IL-1β, TLR4, CXCL2, and IL-12; protein expression (IL-1β, CXCL2); neutrophil infiltrate; and bacterial load. Treatment with GLY enhanced antimicrobial proteins, including CRAMP and mBD2, but not mBD3. Glycyrrhizin also reduced clinical scores and improved disease outcome in corneas infected with strain 19660. However, neither HMGB1 mRNA or protein levels were reduced, but rather, CXCL2 expression (mRNA and protein), neutrophil infiltrate, and bacterial load were reduced statistically. Treatment with GLY initiated 6 hours after infection reduced plate count; GLY also was bacteriostatic for KEI 1025 and ATCC 19660. Conclusions Glycyrrhizin reduces HMGB1 and is protective against P. aeruginosa-induced keratitis with a clinical isolate that is noncytotoxic. It was similar, but less effective when used after infection with a cytotoxic strain, which did not reduce HMGB1.
Technologies, Technocracy, and the Promise of “Alternative” Heritage Values

A turn towards more technologically advanced approaches to heritage preservation and management is global and undeniable, but not without drawbacks. An emerging field that relies increasingly on an array of technologies may be putting more emphasis on the infinite possibilities of a paradigm change for heritage–stakeholder relationships, and less attention on the nature, needs, and limitations of their use in practice. As heritage is increasingly recognized as a concept that is used to construct, reconstruct, and negotiate values and meanings, it is not just the significance of a process-oriented approach that becomes evident, but also the significance of identifying the user. This does not refer exclusively to the user of heritage as a product, but also the user of the processes—methodological approaches—that construct specific heritage forms and their agendas.
RNA Editing, ADAR1, and the Innate Immune Response

RNA editing, particularly A-to-I RNA editing, has been shown to play an essential role in mammalian embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, and is implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases including skin pigmentation disorder, autoimmune and inflammatory tissue injury, neuron degeneration, and various malignancies. A-to-I RNA editing is carried out by a small group of enzymes, the adenosine deaminase acting on RNAs (ADARs). Only three members of this protein family, ADAR1–3, exist in mammalian cells. ADAR3 is a catalytically null enzyme and the most significant function of ADAR2 was found to be in editing on the neuron receptor GluR-B mRNA. ADAR1, however, has been shown to play more significant roles in biological and pathological conditions. Although there remains much that is not known about how ADAR1 regulates cellular function, recent findings point to regulation of the innate immune response as an important function of ADAR1. Without appropriate RNA editing by ADAR1, endogenous RNA transcripts stimulate cytosolic RNA sensing receptors and therefore activate the IFN-inducing signaling pathways. Overactivation of innate immune pathways can lead to tissue injury and dysfunction. However, obvious gaps in our knowledge persist as to how ADAR1 regulates innate immune responses through RNA editing. Here, we review critical findings from ADAR1 mechanistic studies focusing on its regulatory function in innate immune responses and identify some of the important unanswered questions in the field.
Optical coherence tomography angiography of diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis.

Purpose Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) is often a challenging diagnosis to make. We present a DUSN case with its multimodal imaging to aid in the diagnosis, emphasizing the observations on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).
Are wrathful gods the killer app of religion? Two nits to pick with Johnson’s God is Watching You

In God is Watching You, Johnson has produced a phenomenally written (and cleverly titled) synthesis of the supernatural punishment hypothesis. He has persuasively argued for the importance of super...
Probing the Structural Evolution of Gold–Aluminum Bimetallic Clusters (Au2Aln–, n = 3–11) Using Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Theoretical Calculations

We report a combined photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical study of the structural evolution of aluminum cluster anions doped with two gold atoms, Au2Aln– (n = 3–11). Well-resolved photoelectron spectra have been obtained at several photon energies and are used to compare with theoretical calculations to elucidate the structures of the bimetallic clusters. Global minima of the Au2Aln– clusters were searched using the basin-hopping method combined with density functional theory calculations. Vertical detachment energies were computed for the low-lying isomers with the inclusion of spin–orbit effects and were used to generate simulated photoelectron spectra. Au2Al2– was previously found to exhibit a tetrahedral structure, whereas Au2Al3– is found currently to be planar. Beyond n = 3, the global minima of Au2Aln– are dominated by three-dimensional structures. A robust square-bipyramidal Al6 motif is observed for n = 6–9, leading to a highly stable tubular-like global minimum for Au2Al9–. Compact three-d...
Inverter-based low-power delta–sigma modulator using correlated level shifting technique

A low-power delta–sigma modulator based on inverter operational-transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) using correlated level shifting technique (CLS) is presented. The CLS technique boosts the DC gain of inverter-based OTA from 42 to 79 dB and extends the linear output swing from 55 to 80% of the full scale. Simulation results show that design in 180 nm CMOS technology, the proposed second-order delta–sigma modulator achieves a signal-to-quantisation-noise ratio improvement of 10.4 dB compared to a conventional inverter-based modulator implementing the identical loop filter with the same oversampling ratio.
The Ethics and Politics of Diet: Tolstoy, Pilnyak, and the Modern Slaughterhouse

The modern slaughterhouse has figured as an important ethical and political issue in many developed countries. In late imperial and early Soviet Russia, the ethics and politics of industrialized slaughterhouses are illustrated in sharply contrasting ways in the fates of two prominent writers. Lev Tolstoy wrote an essay in 1892 describing the gruesome slaughter of terrified oxen at a local abattoir that was lauded as a “bible of vegetarianism” for the way it presented what many readers viewed as a highly cogent ethical argument against the use of meat in the human diet. A few decades later, Boris Pilnyak was commissioned by the Soviet Food Commissar to write a Socialist Realist novel that would glorify the achievements of his country9s newly modernized meat industry. Meat: A Novel (1936), however, failed to please Party officials and led to the writer9s execution during Stalin9s Great Terror of 1937–38.
Underutilization of Treatment for Regional Gastric Cancer Among the Elderly in the USA

In the USA, a quarter of elderly patients do not receive any treatment for regional gastric cancer, which results in poorer outcomes. We sought to identify factors associated with undertreatment of regional gastric cancer in this population, as well as to assess overall survival in the undertreated population. Elderly patients (aged ≥ 65 years) diagnosed with regional gastric cancer between 2001 and 2009 were identified from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked databases. Treatment was defined as receiving any medical or surgical therapy for gastric cancer. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with failure to receive treatment. Overall survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model. Of 5972 patients with regional gastric cancer, 1586 (26.5%) received no treatment. Median age was 78 years; 56.1% of patients were men. On multivariable analysis, the factors strongly associated with lack of therapy were age ≥ 80 years, black race, lower education level, and diagnosis before 2007. As expected, patients who received therapy had better overall survival (log-rank test, p < 0.001). Specifically, median survival and 5-year survival were 16.5 months and 20.5% for treated patients, compared with 9.1 months and 19.0% for untreated patients. Elderly patients with gastric cancer have better overall 5-year survival after receiving treatment for their cancer. Disparities in the use of treatment for curable cancers are associated with older age, black race, lower educational level, and diagnosis before 2007.
Sustaining alcohol and opioid use disorder treatment in primary care: a mixed methods study

Efforts to integrate substance use disorder treatment into primary care settings are growing. Little is known about how well primary care settings can sustain treatment delivery to address substance use following the end of implementation support. Data from two clinics operated by one multi-site federally qualified health center (FQHC) in the US, including administrative data, staff surveys, interviews, and focus groups, were used to gather information about changes in organizational capacity related to alcohol and opioid use disorder (AOUD) treatment delivery during and after a multi-year implementation intervention was executed. Treatment practices from the intervention period were compared to practices after the intervention period to examine whether the practices were sustained. Data from staff surveys and interviews were used to examine the factors related to sustainment. The two clinics sustained multiple components of AOUD care 1 year following the end of implementation support, including care coordination, psychotherapy, and medication-assisted treatment. Some of the practices were modified over time, for example, screening became less frequent by design, while use of care coordination and psychotherapy for AOUDs expanded. Participants identified staff training and funding for medications as key challenges to sustaining treatment. Following a multi-year implementation intervention, a large FQHC continued to deliver AOUD treatment. Access to external funding and staff support appeared to be critical elements for sustaining care over time. clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01810159
A mathematical model of the electrocardiographic QT-RR relationship.

A mathematical model of the electrocardiographicQT-RR relationship is presented. Numerical estimates produced a curve that fits reasonably well the empirical approximation made with Bazett's formula. The model is general and would agree in principle with previous membrane theories; this fact should encourage experiments in the mammalian heart and in single cells. The ‘activation’ constant A was found to be 3·88×10−2 1/s. The critical periodTk=x0 estimated from the experimental data was 0·5 s with a corresponding critical frequencyfk of 120 beats/min. These values are valid for the whole ventricle of the snakeConstrictor constrictor; beyondfk fibrillation would be expected to occur.
The History of Management Accounting in the U.S.

Abstract This chapter chronicles the history of management accounting in the U.S. from 1800 to 1970. A major theme of the first century covered was the search for the origins of purposeful cost accounting in venues such as the New England textile industry, the Springfield Armory, the railroads, and the metal-working firms where the scientific management movement was born. The rise of the mega-corporation and the genesis of managerialism are key events of the early twentieth century. Standard costing and budgeting were essential developments. The chapter concludes with our analysis of certain components of management accounting's conventional wisdom as of 1970, accompanied by a view of the discipline's future directions.
A Beta-Band Energy Detecting Circuit for Deep Brain Stimulator

This paper presents the design and measurement of a feature extraction circuit which is able to detect the pathological Beta-band oscillation related to the Parkinson's disease, so as to control the Deep Brain Stimulator. The proposed circuit includes a 2nd-order transconductance-capacitance (Gm-C) filter and an analog multiplier. The operated signal range is improved by using a fully differential architecture; body input, source degeneration, gate degeneration, as well as a bump circuit are used to achieve low Gm and high input range. All transistors in the circuit are operated in the sub-threshold region with 1-volt supply voltage, thus the whole circuit consumes only 2.8uW. Finally, the measurement result of the input range is 400mVpp within 1% variation in Gm.
Patterns of Treatment Noninitiation and Early Loss to Follow-Up in Breast Cancer Care in Haiti

Background: Loss to follow-up after treatment initiation is a recognized and well-studied problem in cancer care programs in low- and low-middle income countries (LMIC). However, there is less lite...
The intermediate filament protein synemin (SYNM) was found to be more widespread in CD117+ gastrointestinal stromal cell tumors (GIST) than the CD34 transmembrane phosphoglycoprotein: an immunohistochemical study

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are the pacemaker cells in the gastrointestinal system, initiating the rhythmic systematic contraction of smooth muscle to regulate peristalsis. Benign ICC are ide...
Designing Translingual Pedagogies: Exploring Pedagogical Translation through a Classroom Teaching Experiment

This study examined how middle-grades language arts teachers learned to integrate a small-group collaborative translation activity into their teaching practice. We discuss what we call pedagogical ...
Photoinduced Radical Cleavage of Bromophenyl Ketones

Several bromophenyl alkyl ketones undergo photoinduced radical cleavage of bromine atoms; the resulting acylphenyl radicals are trapped as the dehalogenated ketones either by alkane solvents or by added thiols. Quantum yields for this process decrease with increasing solvent viscosity; this behavior indicates that recoupling of the phenyl/bromine radical pairs competes with their diffusion apart. In some cases Norrish type II elimination competes with the cleavage reaction. Steady state studies indicate room temperature rate constants for triplet state C−Br radical cleavage of 2 and 1 × 108 s-1, respectively, for m- and p-bromoacetophenone. Flash kinetics measurements of the temperature dependence for their triplet decay provided activation parameters for triplet state cleavage: ΔS⧧ = −5 eu for the para isomer and −3 eu for the meta; ΔH⧧ = 5.3 kcal/mol for both. The values for the meta isomer are the same in methanol and toluene and extrapolate to the room temperature decay rate measured by steady state ...
Unconsciousness and Survival:: Kafka’s Metamorphosis and Borowski’s This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen

This reading of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and Borowski’s This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen for what they imply about unconsciousness and survival is based on the assumptions that literature is a primary source for understanding psyche, that literature makes available consciousness about ways collectives are living unconsciously, and that literature continues to unfold aspects of collective unconsciousness through many readers, cultures, and generations. Specifically, Kafka’s story presents to this reader a portrait of humanity’s thriving (in the sense of proliferating) through unconsciousness, and Borowski’s presents vignettes questioning whether physical survival of the species should be the criterion for progress and/or the ultimate priority. Their juxtaposition leads to questions intended to generate reflection on psychological consequences of integrating realization of species mortality.
Dehumanization of the “Nonhuman” Being

This chapter looks at the other side of the coin—dehumanization—and the processes of devaluating a being (mechanical or organic). I look at three examples of artificial beings: Cylons (Battlestar Galactica), replicants/androids (Blade Runner), and clones (The Island). The role of empathy is discussed, and whether this is a uniquely human feature. I conclude with the ultimate science fiction bogeyman, the Borg (Star Trek), which are set up as a socially acceptable species to dehumanize and vilify.
Parameter Tuning in Personal Search Systems

Retrieval effectiveness in information retrieval systems is heavily dependent on how various parameters are tuned. One option to find these parameters is to run multiple online experiments and using a parameter sweep approach in order to optimize the search system. There are multiple downsides of this approach, mainly that it may lead to a poor experience for users. Another option is to do offline evaluation, which can act as a safeguard against potential quality issues. Offline evaluation requires a validation set of data that can be benchmarked against different parameter settings. However, for search over personal corpora, e.g. email and file search, it is impractical and often impossible to get a complete representative validation set, due to the inability to save raw queries and document information. In this work, we show how to do offline parameter tuning with only a partial validation set. In addition, we demonstrate how to do parameter tuning in the cases when we have complete knowledge of the internal implementation of the search system (white-box tuning), as well as the case where we have only partial knowledge (grey-box tuning). This has allowed us to do offline parameter tuning in a privacy-sensitive manner.
Parametric Survival Models

The Cox model is the most widely used survival model in the health sciences, but it is not the only model available. In this chapter we present a class of survival models, called parametric models, in which the distribution of the outcome (i.e., the time to event) is specified in terms of unknown parameters. Many parametric models are acceleration failure time models in which survival time is modeled as a function of predictor variables. We examine the assumptions that underlie accelerated failure time models and compare the acceleration factor as an alternative measure of association to the hazard ratio. We present examples of the exponential, Weibull, and log-logistic models and give a brief description of other parametric approaches. The parametric likelihood is constructed and described in relation to left, right, and interval-censored data. Binary regression is presented as an alternative approach for modeling interval-censored outcomes. The chapter concludes with a discussion of frailty models.
Investigating the Relation between Gender Typicality and Pressure to Conform to Gender Norms

Previous research suggested that gender typicality and pressure to conform to gender norms were unrelated; however, this may have been due to how gender typicality was assessed (i.e., by only comparing the self to one’s own gender collective). In the present study, we used a dual identity approach (comparing oneself to both gender collectives: to own-gender and other-gender individuals) to create typologies of gender typicality to examine how similarity to own and other gender collectives might differentially associate with pressure to conform to gender norms. The potentially unique influence of pressure sources (parents, peers, or the self) was also analyzed. Participants were 378 U.S. 6th grade students (48% female; Mage = 11.44 years, range = 10–13). Results indicated that male early adolescents felt more pressure than did female early adolescents and that those who felt more similar to own-gender (and less similar to other-gender) felt significantly higher levels of pressure and that the highest source of pressure was the self rather than peers or parents. We discuss how the present research provides insights into who experiences the highest levels of felt pressure to conform to gender norms and suggests that self-socialization plays a strong role in gender development for many early adolescents.
The Veterans Administration and Department of Defense clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of sleep disorders: what does this mean for the practice of sleep medicine?

In 2017 the Veterans Administration (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) launched development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders, with the goa...
Ethical and responsible tourism: managing sustainability in local tourism destinations

The book, Ethical and responsible tourism: Managing sustainability in local tourism destinations, edited by Koscak and O’Rourke is 440 pages and includes illustrations, a list of contributors, a pr...
[DC] "SHOW YOUR DEDICATION:" VR Games and Outmersion

Videogame scholarship has noted the unhelpful vagueness of ‘immersion’ as a descriptor, yet in the discourse surrounding VR entertainment, ‘immersion’ remains a central focus, and is lauded by users as the primary goal of VR experiences. Building on the legacy of games scholarship that complicates ‘immersion’ [5], [10] this study uses close-play to examine several emergent tropes in VR experiences that rely on outmersive design: VR suicide, bodily alteration of the avatar, and VR-within-VR. Ultimately, I advocate for increased attention to how VR’s technical capacity for user immersion differs from the reality of many VR experiences that use outmersive design.
Green Functions in Non-local Theories

This chapter serves as a prerequisite for the rest of this thesis. We develop the notion of Green functions in the presence of non-locality and derive explicit expressions for static Green functions that will be used throughout the remainder of this thesis. It is based on Boos et al. (Phys Rev D 97(8):084021, 2018), Boos et al. (Phys Lett B 782:688, 2018), Boos et al. (Phys Rev D 99(7):076014, 2019), Boos et al. (Phys Lett B 793:290, 2019) and Boos et al. (Phys Rev D 101(12):124065, 2020).