cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A buyer–seller game model for selection and negotiation of purchasing bids

Abstract Selection and negotiation of purchasing bids is a complex decision making process that requires consideration of a variety of vendor attributes such as price, delivery performance, and quality. Although several decision models have been utilized for vendor evaluation and selection, this paper proposes a buyer–seller game model that has distinct advantages over existing methods for bid selection and negotiation. The model effectively evaluates alternative bids based on the ideal targets set by the buyer. The alternative bid ratings are then utilized in an integer programming model in selecting an optimal set of bids that satisfy the buyer's demand requirements. The model also assists in proposing effective negotiation strategies for unselected bids in order to make them competitive. Finally, the paper proposes four variations of the model for evaluating different bid scenarios thereby providing flexibility for the buyer in selecting the appropriate method. The model application is demonstrated through a previously published dataset from a pharmaceutical company.
Differential effects of parenting in preterm and full-term children on developmental outcomes

Abstract Objective To examine the relations between preterm birth, parenting behavior during early childhood, cognitive development, and social–emotional outcomes at Kindergarten entry, and to determine whether parenting behavior differentially influences this developing system in children born preterm compared to children born full-term. Methods The nationally representative sample comprised 3600 full-term and 1300 preterm children born in the US in the year 2001. All children who entered Kindergarten and who participated in data collection at 9 months, 24 months, and Kindergarten entry were included in the study. Measures of parenting behavior were collected at 9 and 24 months and cognitive development at 24 months via home visits. Social–emotional outcomes were assessed at Kindergarten entry via parent and teacher report. Multiple-sample Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze group differences in a model whereby early childhood parenting behavior predicted cognitive outcomes, and social–emotional outcomes at Kindergarten entry, and indirectly predicted social–emotional outcomes via early cognitive processes. Results The full sample developmental model indicated excellent fit to the data. Preterm birth status indirectly influenced social–emotional outcomes at Kindergarten entry via its effect on early childhood parenting behavior and cognitive development. The multi-sample model revealed significant differences in the way in which early parenting behavior exerted its influence on outcomes at Kindergarten entry in preterm children compared to full-term children. Conclusions For preterm children, parenting indirectly influenced social–emotional outcomes via early cognitive functioning. Findings highlight the importance of early identification and targeted parenting programs to support early cognitive development in preterm children.
Phenylacetic acid stimulation of direct shoot formation in anther and somatic tissue cultures of rice (Oryza saliva L.)

The effect of phenylacetic acid (PAA) on rice (Oryza sativa L.) anther culture was investigated with six genotypes, using 2,4-D as control. In the two-step culture protocol, replacing 2,4-D with PAA in the induction medium did not influence callus induction but significantly improved the shoot differentiation from callus, particularly in the indica cultivar Teqing. The anther-derived calli of all genotypes regenerated shoots directly on the callus induction medium containing PAA. Most of the directly-regenerated plantlets had well-developed root systems and were therefore readily transplanted into soil. The improved shoot differentiation potential and the frequency of direct regeneration depended on genotype, basal medium and PAA concentration. The one-step green shoot regeneration frequencies obtained were 1.98% with the indica cultivar '129', 1.5% with the indica x japonica hybrid Teqing/02428' (F 1 ), and 1.98% with the indica x indica hybrid 'Waiyin 2/C.B.' (F 1 ). The PAA-based one-step method was most effective on the anther culture of indica genotypes. Three DH populations have been constructed from hybrids (F,) via one-step culture. PAA also enhanced the one-step plantlet formation in rice somatic tissue culture.
Suprapubic wad suspension. Combined perineal-abdominal approach for correction of postprostatectomy urinary incontinence.

Abstract A three-year experience with 20 patients who became incontinent after various types of prostatectomies is described. A new method of repair using a combined approach is presented. The perineal component allows the insertion of a pliable prosthetic “wad.” The posterior edge of the wad is held in a position inclined 20 degrees toward the vertical plane of the recumbent patient's perineum by two heavy nylon sutures. The sutures are brought into the previously dissected retropubic space by the use of a 10-cm. long Keith needle which is passed through the urogenital diaphragm. The ends of the sutures are tied over small marlex pledges over the abdominal fascia. There were two failures and one case in which urethral stricture developed among the 20 patients undergoing surgery.
Nanocrystal Layer Deposition: Surface-Mediated Templating of Cadmium Sulfide Nanocrystals on Zinc Oxide Architectures

The integration of zinc oxide (ZnO) and cadmium sulfide (CdS) has shown promise in applications such as sensing and photovoltaics. We describe here a room temperature, aqueous synthetic strategy to selectively grow nanocrystalline CdS on ZnO. In particular, we describe an experimentally simple process that selectively grows a conformal nanocrystalline coating only 1 nanocrystal (10−20 nm) thick on planar and three-dimensional extended ZnO structures. We explore the synthesis, characterization, and mechanisms involved in the formation of this composite material, and we demonstrate a promising optical response from these composite structures that may prove valuable for future optoelectronic applications.
Feature Selection and Classification of Hyperspectral Images With Support Vector Machines

Hyperspectral images consist of large number of bands which require sophisticated analysis to extract. One approach to reduce computational cost, information representation, and accelerate knowledge discovery is to eliminate bands that do not add value to the classification and analysis method which is being applied. In particular, algorithms that perform band elimination should be designed to take advantage of the structure of the classification method used. This letter introduces an embedded-feature-selection (EFS) algorithm that is tailored to operate with support vector machines (SVMs) to perform band selection and classification simultaneously. We have successfully applied this algorithm to determine a reasonable subset of bands without any user-defined stopping criteria on some sample AVIRIS images; a problem occurs in benchmarking recursive-feature-elimination methods for the SVMs.
Product classification to support approximate life-cycle assessment of design concepts

Abstract Many companies are beginning to change the way they develop products due to increasing awareness of sustainable development. Designers, who play a key role in product development, are being asked to incorporate environmental criteria into the design process. The need for analytically based conceptual design methods for integrated life-cycle assessment (LCA) has motivated the development of an approximate life-cycle assessment concept based upon learning algorithms. Although preliminary tests on general approximate models showed promise, it was observed that grouping products to create specialized learning surrogate LCA models for different classes of products might further improve results. This paper presents work to develop an automated classification system to support the specialization of surrogate LCA models for different groups of products. Hierarchical clustering is used to guide a systematic identification of product groups based upon environmental categories. These groupings are then used to create automated classification schemes using the C4.5 decision tree algorithm. Although further data are needed to induce good generalization performance, resulting product classification systems are considered to be a viable approach to support specialized learning surrogate LCA models for different classes of products.
Preparation, lithiation and transformation of N‐(benzotriazol‐1‐ylmethyl) heterocycles

Indole, carbazole, pyrrole, imidazole, benzimidazole, 2-methyl- and 2-phenylbenzimidazole, and 1, 2, 4-triazole have each been converted into their N-(benzotriazol-1-ylmethyl) derivatives. The pyrrole, indole, and carbazole adducts undergo smooth lithiation at the inter-ring methylene group and subsequent reaction there with electrophiles. For the imidazole, benzimidazole, and triazole systems, lithiations at other molecular positions competed.
A Molecular Approach to the Identification and Individualization of Human and Animal Cells in Culture: Isozyme and Allozyme Genetic Signatures

The electrophoretic resolution of a group of geneticallymonomorphic gene-enzyme systems that are developmentally and biologically ubiquitous has been used to provide a species-specific and type-specific biochemical characterization of various cultured cells. The relative mobilities of gene-enzyme systems representing nine distinct gene products from cell cultures of 25 species fromDrosophils to man are presented. These isoenzymes effectively discriminate interspecies cell-to-cell contamination and almost invariably serve to identify the contaminating species. The resolution of eightpolymorphic gene-enzyme systems in human cell cultures provides a virtually unique allozyme genetic signature as a monitor of intraspecies cellular contamination. The genetic signatures of 47 commonly used human cells are presented. Included in the test were seven putative HeLa (human cervical carcinoma) contaminants each of which expressed a signature identical with that of HeLa. The probability that an unrelated human cell line will have a signature identical to a typed cell is computed for each line from the genotypic frequencies at each locus in a population of cultured human cells. The gene frequencies of this cell population are comparable to the same frequencies in natural human populations. The most common human signature has a frequency (and therefore a probability) of 0.02. The majority of the 17,010 possible signatures are far less probable. A calculation of the theoretical incidence of chance matching of signatures within test groups of two or more individuals is presented. The probability of a chance match between any two randomly selected individuals is 0.004 and among five randomly selected individuals is 0.034. The allozyme genetic signature represents a definitive monitor of cell identity and is presented as a standard of cell and tissue identification for a variety of biological studies.
Solutions of burnt-bridge models for molecular motor transport.

Transport of molecular motors, stimulated by interactions with specific links between consecutive binding sites (called ``bridges''), is investigated theoretically by analyzing discrete-state stochastic ``burnt-bridge'' models. When an unbiased diffusing particle crosses the bridge, the link can be destroyed (``burned'') with a probability $p$, creating a biased directed motion for the particle. It is shown that for probability of burning $p=1$ the system can be mapped into a one-dimensional single-particle hopping model along the periodic infinite lattice that allows one to calculate exactly all dynamic properties. For the general case of $pl1$ a theoretical method is developed and dynamic properties are computed explicitly. Discrete-time and continuous-time dynamics for periodic distribution of bridges and different burning dynamics are analyzed and compared. Analytical predictions are supported by extensive Monte Carlo computer simulations. Theoretical results are applied for analysis of the experiments on collagenase motor proteins.
Milk-Derived Transforming Growth Factor-β and the Infant Immune Response

Breast milk cytokines have the potential to regulate the immune response to food antigens in infants. Cytokines are present in all mammalian milks and are capable of inhibiting excess inflammation and modulating epithelial proliferation. There are a range of candidate cytokines in milk such as transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), the major cytokine present, and interleukin-10, which play a role in immune regulation in the developing infant. This article will be a review of the current literature with regard to TGF-β in infant immune development. Our data on supplementation of formula with rTGF-β2 will be discussed in view of the current literature. Oral antigen exposure also plays an important role in priming the developing immune response. The influence of early introduction of oral β-lactoglobulin in allergy prone rat pups will also be discussed.
Using a structured world model in flexible recognition of two dimensional patterns

Abstract An attempt for a world model driven recognition process of two dimensional visual patterns is presented. Patterns are organized in a world model according to their shapes. The world model is in a form of a lattice-like structure. The nodes represent either properties or relations of considered objects. The lattice structure of the world model allows us to recognize objects by partial information, because of the lattice property, e.g. the greatest lower bound. Examples of a computer recognition of two dimensional patterns are shown.
Purification and properties of a membrane-bound NADH-cytochrome-b5 reductase from erythrocytes of the sipunculid worm, Phascolopsis gouldii.

Abstract The purification to homogeneity of the membrane-bound NADH-cytochrome-b5 reductase from erythrocytes of the sipunculid, Phascolopsis gouldii is reported. This highly purified reductase has allowed more detailed characterizations of its molecular and kinetic properties than was possible in a previous study (Utecht, R.E. and Kurtz, D.M., Jr. (1988) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 953, 164–178). The reductase has a molecular weight of 34 000 and contains FAD as the prosthetic group. In aqueous solution containing 0.5 vol% Triton X-100, the reductase forms an aggregate of Mr ∼ 220 000. A higher purity preparation of P. gouldii erythrocyte cytochrome b5 was also obtained. The combination of purified, solubilized reductase and cytochrome b5 was shown to catalyze the quantitative two-electron reduction of [Fe(III),Fe(III)]methemerythrin to [Fe(II),Fe(II)]deoxyhemerythrin by NADH. The P. gouldii NADH-cytochrome-b5 reductase is the first from hemerythri–containing erythrocytes to be purified and characterized. This methemerythrin reduction system appears to be analogous to methemoglobin reductases from vertebrate erythrocytes.
Origin and early growth rate of continents

Abstract Data suggest that early continents formed over mantle sinks and grew rapidly between 2.7 and 3.0 Ga ago. Nd isotopic results indicate that Archean tonalites, which are largely responsible for early continental growth, are derived chiefly from ancient depleted mantle sources. Trace element and oxygen isotope data, however, indicate enriched sources for such tonalites. These constraints can be explained if the mantle is fractionated into depleted (DMR) and enriched (EMR) reservoirs during early degassing of the Earth (⩾4.4 Ga). Blocks of EMR are recycled back into the mantle and the EMR-DMR mixtures serve as sources for Archean basalts. These basalts are enriched in incompatible elements by deep-sea alteration, metasomatism in sinks, or by other mantle processes, and then undergo wet partial melting to produce tonalite magmas. Enrichment must occur not more than 150 Ma prior to tonalite production. Basalt plateaus accumulate at sinks and as cooling continues, geotherms at sinks pass into the eclogite stability field. Dense eclogite roots form on the basalt plateaus which pulls them into the mantle between 2.7 and 3.0 Ga ago, resulting in rapid tonalite production and, thus in rapid continental growth.
Mapping an emotional topography of an ecological homeland: The case of Sakhalin Island, Russia

Abstract Attachment to local environments occurs worldwide, but especially where people use natural resources for everyday survival. On sub-arctic Sakhalin Island, Russia, subsistence and semi-subsistence resource use are increasingly important for many local and indigenous people since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. These people continue to struggle through socioeconomic, political and environmental transformation with minimal aid from the federal center while transnational hydrocarbon extraction in Sakhalin's offshore regions has transformed on- and offshore environments valued by the people of Sakhalin since the mid-1990s. Here, I explore and analyze narratives about emotions expressed about ecologies and resources from indigenous (Nivkh, Evenk) and local viewpoints. Through constant invocation and imagination of Sakhalin's ecological setting as an all-providing, nurturing environment by indigenous and local peoples, negative emotions are attached to current ecological transformation. Here, I argue that the concept of homeland – often explored culturally and politically in local contexts – must expand to include ecological aspects. Long-term subsistence use of Sakhalin's resources gives rise to understandings of the island as an ecological homeland with a specific emotional topography that can be mapped cognitively, providing new conceptualizations of emotional, ecological topographies.
The application of image analysis and neural network technology to the study of large-cell liver-cell dysplasia and hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver cell dysplasia (LCD) is considered a preneoplastic lesion, whose characterization and differentiation from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and from the reactive changes seen in cirrhosis has been controversial. We studied 12 cases of LCD (large cell type) with image analysis techniques (IA) and compared the findings with those of HCC (n = 40), and a spectrum of non-neoplastic hepatic lesions including normal liver and cirrhosis (n = 49). A minimum of 200 Feulgen-stained nuclei were measured from each lesion with the CAS 200 image analysis system. The data were collected with the aid of CellSheet software. Thirty-four variables were measured, including geometric, textural, and photometric nuclear features and DNA ploidy. The data were analyzed with multivariate statistics and a backpropagation neural network (NN). Stepwise statistical analysis selected 22 variables that were statistically significant in the three groups with P values <.05. Various NN architectures were developed using these variables. The best NN architecture included a sigmoidal transfer function, 14 input, 16 hidden, and 3 output neurons. It trained to completion after 8,887 runs using 90% of the lesions. This NN yielded a 100% cross-validation rate for unknown cases. These data support the concept of LCD (large cell type) as a lesion that can be objectively distinguished from HCC and non-neoplastic liver. Our study also demonstrates the potential usefulness of IA for the evaluation of difficult histopathological problems.
Consequences of magnesium deficiency on the enhancement of stress reactions; preventive and therapeutic implications (a review).

Stress intensifies release of catecholamines and corticosteroids that increase survival of normal animals when their lives are threatened. When magnesium (Mg) deficiency exists, stress paradoxically increases risk of cardiovascular damage including hypertension, cerebrovascular and coronary constriction and occlusion, arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD). In affluent societies, severe dietary Mg deficiency is uncommon, but dietary imbalances such as high intakes of fat and/or calcium (Ca) can intensify Mg inadequacy, especially under conditions of stress. Adrenergic stimulation of lipolysis can intensify its deficiency by complexing Mg with liberated fatty acids (FA), A low Mg/Ca ratio increases release of catecholamines, which lowers tissue (i.e. myocardial) Mg levels. It also favors excess release or formation of factors (derived both from FA metabolism and the endothelium), that are vasoconstrictive and platelet aggregating; a high Ca/Mg ratio also directly favors blood coagulation, which is also favored by excess fat and its mobilization during adrenergic lipolysis. Auto-oxidation of catecholamines yields free radicals, which explains the enhancement of the protective effect of Mg by anti-oxidant nutrients against cardiac damage caused by beta-catecholamines. Thus, stress, whether physical (i.e. exertion, heat, cold, trauma--accidental or surgical, burns), or emotional (i.e. pain, anxiety, excitement or depression) and dyspnea as in asthma increases need for Mg. Genetic differences in Mg utilization may account for differences in vulnerability to Mg deficiency and differences in body responses to stress.
Cash and fraud: A destructive alliance revisited

By all accounts, today's business environment is a “perfect storm” for fraud. Today's economic climate places more emphasis on success—no matter how it is achieved. Many business leaders and managers begin to rationalize away any wrongdoings as completely appropriate. And computer technology has often made fraud easier. As a result of all this, self-serving and inappropriate decisions may now routinely be made without any without fear of scrutiny. In layman's terms, this is a workable definition of fraud. The authors of this article take a close look at this troubling situation and discuss what to do about it. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Nonlinear viscoelasticity in rabbit medial collateral ligament.

The goal of this study was to characterize the vis- coelastic behavior of the rabbit medial collateral ligament (MCL) at multiple levels of strain (between 0% and»5%) and their corre- sponding stresses (between 0 and»55 MPa) for stress relaxation and creep, respectively. We hypothesized that in the rabbit MCL the rate of stress relaxation would be strain dependent and the rate of creep would be stress dependent. Thirty MCLs from 15 rabbits were tested ex vivo for this study. Results show that within the physiologically relevant region of ligament behavior, the rate of stress relaxation is strain dependent in the rabbit MCL, with the rate of relaxation decreasing with increasing tissue strain. The rate of creep is stress dependent in the rabbit MCL, with the rate of creep decreasing with increasing stress. These results support our hypothesis, with the greatest nonlinearities in a physiologically relevant region of loading. As such, these nonlinearities should be considered when quantifying ligament viscoelastic behavior with a rabbit model.
Estrogen-induced loss of progesterone receptor expression in normal and malignant ovarian surface epithelial cells

While estrogens are suspected risk factors for epithelial ovarian cancer (OCa), progesterone (P4) has been shown to exert protective effects. The biological actions of P4 in target cells are mediated by progesterone receptors (PRs) that exist principally as A- and B-isoforms. We observed overexpression of PR-A and PR-B protein in two lines of OCa cells when compared to two lines of nontumorigenic, normal human ovarian surface epithelial (HOSE) cells. Treatment of HOSE or OCa cells with estrone or 17beta-estradiol at 10(-8) M for a period of 72 h induced significant loss of PR-A and PR-B mRNA and protein expression, with the regulation primarily controlled at the transcriptional level. In contrast, breast cancer cells (line MCF-7) exposed to estrogens upregulated PR-A and PR-B expression. Of significance, both the inhibitory and stimulatory actions of estrogens were blocked by the specific ER-antagonist ICI 182,780 (ICI, 10(-5) M), confirming estrogen specificity. Co-treatment of estrogen-exposed HOSE, OCa, and MCF-7 cell lines with inhibitors of type 1- and type 2-17beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase did not affect the previously observed changes in PR expression, suggesting that the action of each estrogen is direct and not mediated via conversion to its metabolic counterpart. Green fluorescence protein (GFP)-PR-A and GFP-PR-B were localized in the cytoplasmic compartment of untreated HOSE cells and translocated to the nucleus after P4 treatment, while both chimera PRs resided in the nuclei of OCa cells in a ligand-independent manner. In OCa cell cultures, P4 (10(-6) M), but not RU486 (10(-5) M), induced apoptosis that was blocked by co-treatment with the antiprogestin but enhanced by co-treatment with ICI. In sharp contrast, P4 induced proliferation, while ICI and RU486 caused cell death in MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, this study is first to demonstrate estrogens as negative regulators of PR expression in HOSE/OCa cells and to provide a mechanistic basis upon which to explain the antagonism of estrogens on the anti-OCa action of progestins. It also raises the possibility of using progestin and ICI as a combinational therapy for OCa treatment.
Dimensions of everyday memory in young adulthood

This paper reports the findings of two studies on everyday memory in young adulthood. In Study 1, 387 male and female college students (18-22 years old) completed the 25-item Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ; Broadbent, Cooper, Fitzgerald & Parkes, 1982). Principal components analysis yielded five internally consistent factors: distractibility; misdirected actions; spatial/kinaesthetic memory; interpersonal intelligence; and memory for names. Further, each of these dimensions was interpretable within an information-processing framework. Study 2 examined the relation of the five everyday memory dimensions obtained in Study 1 to measures of working memory and traditional intelligence in a separate sample of 32 college students. Findings obtained in Study 2 suggest that attentional processes may be important components of the everyday memory construct.
Reconfiguring the (Lacanian) Real: ‘Saying the Real (as Khôra — χώρα) qua the impossible–possible event

I suggest in this article that there are several aspects of the Lacanian Real that so-called Lacanian literature has not adequately addressed, or barely did so. In this pursuit, I present a deconstructing reading of a number of Lacanian texts. My deconstructive reading suggests that three key features characterize the literature on the Real. First, there always is resistance that is involved in thinking about, and in experiencing the effects of, the Real. Second, the Real is most characteristically thought of in negative terms. Third, the Real is more or less thought of as a limit that cannot be transgressed. A deconstruction of these features leads to two arguments. First, I propose that the deployment of the Real as khora within a discourse is an originary performativity which speaks of retroactively positing of a have-always-been-there Real. Second, I argue that the Real is the impossible–possible event which is at the heart of ‘saying the Real’. The deconstruction thus leads to a reconfiguration of th...
Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Therapy Is a Potent Immunostimulator for Management of Systemic Malignancies

I read with interest the recent article by Mendez-Samperio et al. ([6][1]). The Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine has played a major role in decreasing the incidence of tuberculosis in developing nations. But the past few years have also seen its increased application in
Embryonic viability, parental care and the pro-life thesis: a defence of Bovens

On the basis of three empirical assumptions about the rhythm method and the viability of embryos, Bovens concludes that the pro-life position regarding empbryos implies that it is prima facie wrong to use the rhythm method. Pruss objects to Bovens9s philosophical presuppositions and Kennedy to his empirical premises. This essay defends two revised versions of Bovens9s argument. These arguments revise Bovens9s empirical assumptions in response to Kennedy and, in response to Pruss, supplement Bovens9s argument with what I call ‘the principle of parental care’.
Advances in Causal Chain Development and Testing in Alcohol Research: Mediation, Suppression, Moderation, Mediated Moderation, and Moderated Mediation

Background: While causal modeling is generally well known to alcohol researchers, several causal structures (including suppression, mediated moderation, and moderated mediation) are often poorly understood and seldom employed when investigators seek to model the complex mechanisms of behavior change, despite their widespread applicability to the field. Methods: This paper compares and contrasts five basic structures of causal modeling in the context of contemporary alcohol research and demonstrates how mechanisms of behavior change can be conceptualized and tested as parallel and serial sequences of these basic causal structures, forming causal chains. Conclusion: Recent methodological developments, while representing an important advancement for the field, fail to adequately address the complexities of alcohol dependence phenomena. A differentiation between frequently combined forms of these causal structures is proposed that would better address the needs of the field.
Limitations of nonlinear PCA as performed with generic neural networks

Kramer's (1991) nonlinear principal components analysis (NLPCA) neural networks are feedforward autoassociative networks with five layers. The third layer has fewer nodes than the input or output layers. This paper proposes a geometric interpretation for Kramer's method by showing that NLPCA fits a lower-dimensional curve or surface through the training data. The first three layers project observations onto the curve or surface giving scores. The last three layers define the curve or surface. The first three layers are a continuous function, which we show has several implications: NLPCA "projections" are suboptimal producing larger approximation error, NLPCA is unable to model curves and surfaces that intersect themselves, and NLPCA cannot parameterize curves with parameterizations having discontinuous jumps. We establish results on the identification of score values and discuss their implications on interpreting score values. We discuss the relationship between NLPCA and principal curves and surfaces, another nonlinear feature extraction method.
Characteristics associated with willingness to participate in a randomized controlled behavioral clinical trial using home-based personal computers and a webcam

Background Trials aimed at preventing cognitive decline through cognitive stimulation among those with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment are of significant importance in delaying the onset of dementia and reducing dementia prevalence. One challenge in these prevention trials is sample recruitment bias. Those willing to volunteer for these trials could be socially active, in relatively good health, and have high educational levels and cognitive function. These participants’ characteristics could reduce the generalizability of study results and, more importantly, mask trial effects. We developed a randomized controlled trial to examine whether conversation-based cognitive stimulation delivered through personal computers, a webcam and the internet would have a positive effect on cognitive function among older adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment. To examine the selectivity of samples, we conducted a mass mail-in survey distribution among community-dwelling older adults, assessing factors associated with a willingness to participate in the trial.
Influencing memory for people and their actions

In two experiments subjects saw slides of people behaving. Afterward some subjects were asked questions suggesting that a particular person had done something that was actually done by someone else. The effect of these leading questions was to increase the likelihood that a person was recalled as having committed an act that he did not commit.
EFFECTS OF HUMOROUS STIMULI AND SENSE OF HUMOR ON DISCOMFORT

The effects of humor on increasing discomfort thresholds were tested with Transcutaneous End Nerve Stimulation (TENS). Undergraduate students (n = 31) with high or low scores on Martin and Lecourt's Situational Humor Questionnaire were randomly assigned to a humor or nonhumor condition. Discomfort thresholds for TENS were assessed before and during treatment. There was a significant increase in discomfort thresholds in the humorous treatment compared to the nonhumorous condition. Evidence was found for subjects to smile "wryly" (an increase in zygomatic and corrugator tensions) more during humorous stimuli than nonhumorous stimuli when they were waiting to be stimulated with the TENS.
Solving the multi-constrained path selection problem by using depth first search

An extended depth-first-search (EDFS) algorithm is proposed to solve the multi-constrained path (MCP) problem in quality-of-service (QoS) routing, which is NP-Complete when the number of independent routing constraints is more than one. EDFS solves the general k-constrained MCP problem with pseudo-polynomial time complexity O(m2 middot EN + N2), where E and N are the number of links and nodes of a graph respectively, and m is the maximum number of feasible paths maintained for each destination. This is achieved by deducing potential feasible paths from knowledge of previous explorations, without re-exploring finished nodes and their descendants in the process of the DFS search. One unique property of EDFS is that the tighter the constraints are, the better the performance it can achieve, w.r.t. both time complexity and routing success ratio. Analysis and extensive simulation are conducted to study the performance of EDFS in finding feasible paths that satisfy multiple QoS constraints. The main results show that EDFS is insensitive to the number of constraints, and outperforms other popular MCP algorithms when the routing constraints are tight or moderate. The performance of EDFS is comparable with that of the other algorithms when the constraints are loose
NIST-F1: recent improvements and accuracy evaluations

In the last several years we have made many improvements to NIST-F1 (a laser-cooled Cs fountain primary frequency standard at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado) resulting in a reduction by over a factor of 2 in the uncertainty of the realization of the SI second. The two most recent accuracy evaluations of NIST-F1 had combined standard fractional uncertainties of 0.61 × 10−15 (June 2004) and 0.53 × 10−15 (January 2005), which were submitted to the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures with total fractional uncertainties (including time-transfer contributions) of, respectively, 0.88 × 10−15 and 0.97 × 10−15. Here we discuss the improvements and evaluation methods and present an updated uncertainty budget.
A New Physical Mechanism for Soft Errors in Dynamic Memories

A new physical soft error mechanism in dynamic RAMs and CCDs is the upset of stored data by the passage of heavily-ionizing radiation through the memory array area. Alpha particles are emitted in the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium present in parts-per-million levels in packaging materials. When an alpha particle penetrates the die surface, it can create enough electron-hole pairs near a storage node to cause a random, single-bit error. Results of experiments and measurements of alpha activity of materials are reported and a physical model for the soft error is developed. Implications for the future of dynamic memories are also discussed.
Current suicide ideation and prior suicide attempts of bipolar patients as influences on caregiver burden

We examined whether caregivers of bipolar patients reporting current suicidal ideation and/or a history of a suicide attempt reported higher levels of burden and/or poorer health compared to caregivers of patients without these suicidality indices. In a cross-sectional design, caregivers (N = 480) associated with (a) patients with current suicidal ideation or (b) patients with a positive lifetime history of at least one suicide attempt, reported lower general health scores than caregivers associated with patients with neither of these indices. Parents of patients with at least one lifetime attempt reported more burden secondary to role dysfunction than spouses. Levels of depression in caregivers varied with whether the caregiver was a spouse or a parent, and whether patients had a history of suicide attempts, current suicidal ideation, or both.
Cutting Tool Temperature Analysis in Heat-Pipe Assisted Composite Machining

Machining of advanced materials, such as composite, encounters high cutting temperatures and rapid tool wear because of the abrasive nature of the reinforcement phases in the workpiece materials. Ultrahard coatings, such as chemical vapor deposition diamond, have been used for machining such advanced materials. Wear of diamond-coated tools is characterized by catastrophic coating failure, plausibly due to the high stress developed at the coating-substrate interface at high temperatures because of very different elastic moduli and thermal expansion coefficients. Temperature reductions, therefore, may delay the onset of the coating failure and offer tool life extension. In this study, a passive heat-dissipation device, the heat pipe, has been incorporated in composite machining. Though it is intuitive that heat transfer enhanced by the heat pipe may reduce tool temperatures, the heat pipe will likely increase heat partitioning into the tool at the rake face, and complicate the temperature reduction effectiveness. A combined experimental, analytical, and numerical approach was used to investigate the heat-pipe effects on cutting tool temperatures. A machining experiment was conducted and the heat-source characteristics were analyzed using cutting mechanics. With the heat sources as input, cutting tool temperatures in machining, without or with a heat pipe, were analyzed using finite element simulations. The simulations encompass a 3-D model of a cutting tool system and a 2-D chip model. The heat flux over the rake-face contact area was used in both models with an unknown heat partition coefficient, determined by matching the average temperature at the tool-chip contact from the two models. Cutting tool temperatures were also measured in machining using thermocouples. The simulation results agree reasonably with the experiment. The model was used to evaluate how the heat pipe modifies the heat transport in a cutting tool system. Applying heat-pipe cooling inevitably increases the heat flux into the tool because of the enhanced heat dissipation. However, the heat pipe is still able to reduce the tool-chip contact temperatures, though not dramatically at current settings. The parametric study using the finite element analysis (FEA) models shows that the cooling efficiency decreases as the cutting speed and feed increase, because of the increased heat flux and heat-source area. In addition, increasing the heat-pipe volume and decreasing the heat-pipe distance to the heat source enhances the heat-pipe cooling effectiveness.
Computing robust basestock levels

This paper considers how to optimally set the basestock level for a single buffer when demand is uncertain, in a robust framework. We present a family of algorithms based on decomposition that scale well to problems with hundreds of time periods, and theoretical results on more general models.
Efficient Voting Protocols with Witnesses

Witnesses are small entities recording the state of a replicated object. They are especially useful in voting protocols as these protocols require 2n + 1 replicas to guarantee continuous access to the data in the presence of n site failures but allow some of these replicas to be replaced by a witness. We propose in this paper two orthogonal enhancements to the original voting with witnesses protocol. Our first proposal introduces a new kind of witness that can be stored in volatile memory and is put in a state of temporary amnesia when it recovers from a hardware failure. Our second proposal allows the set of all current replicas to act as a majority even when it only has a minority of the votes; it is then referred to as a leading minority. We show that under standard Markovian assumptions two full replicas and one volatile witness managed by a majority consensus voting protocol recognizing leading minorities provide a data availability comparable to that achieved by three full replicas managed by majority consensus voting.
Psychology of the Scientist: LXIII. Perceiving Scattergrams: Is Visual Line Fitting Related to Estimation of the Correlation Coefficient?

Visual line fitting and direct estimation of the correlation coefficient were carried out by 50 subjects using computer-generated scattergrams as stimuli. In visual line fitting, slopes of visual lines were generally greater than the corresponding regression slopes, in agreement with the hypothesis that visual lines are placed so as to bisect the cloud of displayed points at the cloud's major axis rather than to approximate a regression line. Subjects tended to underestimate the correlation coefficient, scaling their judgments of linear structure somewhat more as if they were judging the coefficient of determination. With the actual degree of linear structure partialed out, there were no strong relationships between measures of visual line fitting and measures of estimation. While both of these tasks offer quickly-obtained correlates of linear structure in scattergrams, users should be aware of their biases. We suggest that visual lines do not approximate regression lines very well and estimates of correlation do not approximate the correlation coefficient very well, because the perceptual processes involved perform operations other than regression and correlation. In the present data, these operations appeared to be independent of each other.
Von Wright on on Certainty

Wittgenstein’s On Certainty was first published in 1969, and as all exegetes know, it was his last work,1 the final seven entries being inserted into the manuscript only two days before he died. Professor von Wright’s essay, “Wittgenstein on Certainty,” was delivered at a conference in Helsinki in August of 1970, and as he later pointed out “it was at the time of its composition perhaps the fullest presentation of the newly published Uber Gewisheit (On Certainty) containing Wittgenstein’s latest philosophical writings.”2 As far as I know, it was also the first study of On Certainty to appear in print.
Resection Followed by Involved-Field Fractionated Radiotherapy in the Management of Single Brain Metastasis.

Introduction: We expanded upon our previous experience using involved-field fractionated radiotherapy (IFRT) as an alternative to whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for patients with surgically resected brain metastases. Material and Methods: All patients with single brain metastases who underwent surgical resection followed by IFRT at our institution from 2006-2013 were evaluated. Local recurrence-free survival, distant failure-free survival and overall survival were determined. Analyses were performed associating clinical variables with local recurrence and distant failure. Salvage approaches and toxicity of treatment for each patient were also assessed. Results: Median follow-up was 19.1 months. Fifty-six patients were treated with a median dose of 40.05 Gy/15 fractions with IFRT to the resection cavity. Local recurrence-free survival was 91.4%, distant failure-free survival was 68.4%, and overall survival was 77.7% at 12 months. No variables were associated with increased local recurrence, however melanoma histopathology and infratentorial location were associated with distant failure on multivariate analysis. Local recurrences were salvaged in 5/8 patients, and distant failures were salvaged in 24/29 patients. Two patients developed radionecrosis. Conclusions: Adjuvant IFRT is feasible and safe for well-selected patients with surgically resected single brain metastases. Acceptable rates of local control and salvage of distal intracranial recurrences continue to be achieved with continued follow-up.
Wearable Second Harmonic Generation Imaging: The Sarcomeric Bridge to the Clinic

Imaging of sarcomere dynamics in vivo in patients has significant clinical importance, as the structure and function is altered in numerous pathologies. In this issue of Neuron, Schnitzer and coworkers (Sanchez et al., 2015) demonstrate this capability through a miniature, wearable Second Harmonic Generation microscope.
Reduction of affine variational inequalities

We consider an affine variational inequality posed over a polyhedral convex set in n-dimensional Euclidean space. It is often the case that this underlying set has dimension less than n, or has a nontrivial lineality space, or both. We show that when the variational inequality satisfies a well known regularity condition, we can reduce the problem to the solution of an affine variational inequality in a space of smaller dimension, followed by some simple linear-algebraic calculations. The smaller problem inherits the regularity condition from the original one, and therefore it has a unique solution. The dimension of the space in which the smaller problem is posed equals the rank of the original set: that is, its dimension less the dimension of the lineality space.
Hypercontractivity in non-commutative holomorphic spaces

We prove an analog of Janson’s strong hypercontractivity inequality in a class of non-commutative “holomorphic” algebras. Our setting is the q-Gaussian algebras Γq associated to the q-Fock spaces of Bozejko, Kummerer and Speicher, for q ∈ [−1,1]. We construct subalgebras Open image in new window, a q-Segal-Bargmann transform, and prove Janson’s strong hypercontractivity Open image in new window for r an even integer.
Deconstructing the Double-Network Hydrogels: The Importance of Grafted Chains for Achieving Toughness

This paper aims to shed light on the microstructure of tough, “double-network” (DN) hydrogels synthesized by free-radical polymerization of a monomer within a highly cross-linked polyelectrolyte hydrogel and to discuss the most efficient topological microstructure for toughness enhancement. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) characterization of a hydrogel synthesized from the potassium salt of 3-sulfopropyl acrylate (SAPS) and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) demonstrated that polymer chains synthesized during the second polymerization step of a conventional DN hydrogel are grafted to the skeleton of the polyelectrolyte network. Uniaxial tensile tests performed on hydrogels synthesized from SAPS and acrylamide (AAm) indicate that linear and nonlinear polymerization of a second monomer within a network without grafting to the first network, i.e., forming a semi-interpenetrating or interpenetrating network, does not produce a tough hydrogel. Toughness enhancement of a covalent hydrogel was optimized by grafting...
The dilemma of preservation of the rectum: Retention of the rectum in colectomy for inflammatory disease of the bowel

Retention of the rectum in colectomy for inflammatory disease of the bowel minimizes operative morbidity and mortality, especially in emergency operations. When a normal rectum is a requirement for ileoproctostomy, however, very few patients will be candidates, and most of these will have Crohn's disease. In this series, the rectums were retained initially in 58 of 100 patients undergoing colectomy, but only nine patients had ileoproctostomy primarily or secondarily, and only three patients maintained that arrangement over the long term. This policy is biased against ileoproctostomy, but when the rectum is involved by inflammatory disease, it is advisable to do a proctectomy to eliminate the risk of cancer and to restore patients to productive lives.