cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliability estimation considering warranty data, usage rate profile, and qualitative information on design changes

Abstract Designing warranty policies based on reliability estimates obtained by using only failure/warranty data can be unrealistic and incur a huge cost due to inaccurate estimates. This suggests that to get more accurate reliability estimates, one should be able to utilize all sorts of information available for assessing the reliability. This chapter summarizes a comprehensive framework that facilitates the integration of information and/or data on surviving population as well as qualitative or subjective information on the impact of design changes on product reliability. The framework uses customer usage behavior to derive information on surviving population and treated survival time as censored data. The subjective information on design changes and their impact on reliability improvement are derived using appropriate indices and fuzzy logic. The inclusion of the censored data on surviving population and impact of design changes in reliability improvement provide better reliability estimates and warranty claims prediction. The case examples along with simulation study are provided to demonstrate the applicability and the validity of the proposed framework.
The Experts Speak - Incorrectly - On Internet Gambling in New Jersey

The New jersey legislature authorized Internet gambling in 2013. This paper reviews the financial predictions about the impact of Internet gambling in the state of New Jersey and the realities of Internet gambling in New Jersey.
Government Adopts an Industry Approach to Open Source Collaboration

In response to recent increases in massive identity-centric security breaches, NIST has released a significant update to Special Publication 800-63, Digital Identity Guidelines, which lays out technical and procedural requirements for US federal agencies that need to authenticate users accessing their digital services. This update took a new approach—open source document development—to more intimately involve stakeholders in the revision effort.
Sharafat and Bhal Mānsī: a new perspective on respectability in Fasana-e Azad

ABSTRACTIn the late nineteenth century, the definition of sharafat, or respectability, went through great change. This essay explores these changes through Fasana-e Azad (1878–1883), an early Urdu novel. Fasana-e Azad expanded the vocabulary of sharafat, using words like bhal mānsī (the quality of being a good person) to lift respectability above religious categories. Respectability was no longer to be associated with family background, or the Islamicate culture of the Mughal court. Rather, civility and proper behaviour and actions were to be its basis. Through its protagonist Azad, Fasana-e Azad proposed a reformed sharafat, defined in distinction to old elites and the lower classes. Its heroine Husn Ara represented a model of the new sharif woman, an educated, independent, autonomous thinker who exercised remarkable agency for her time. Fasana-e Azad attempted to secularize sharafat, offering a new vision of respectability in the context of social mobility and change in colonial South Asia.
Trimester-specific phthalate concentrations and glucose levels among women from a fertility clinic.

Subfertile women are at increased risk of glucose intolerance in pregnancy. Based on epidemiologic studies, exposure to certain phthalates is associated with diabetes, elevated glucose, and increased insulin resistance. To evaluate the association between urinary phthalate metabolites and pregnancy glucose levels in women seeking medically assisted reproduction. We evaluated 245 women participating in a prospective cohort study based at a large fertility clinic who delivered live births and had data on pregnancy urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and blood glucose levels. Urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations were from single spot urine samples collected in 1st and 2nd trimesters. Blood glucose data was abstracted from medical records for non-fasting 50-g glucose challenge tests at 24–28 weeks gestation. Multivariable linear regression models were used to evaluate associations between 7 urinary phthalate metabolites in quartiles and mean glucose adjusted for potential confounders. Eighteen percent of women had glucose levels ≥ 140 mg/dL. Second trimester monoethyl phthalate (MEP) concentrations were positively associated with glucose levels, with adjusted mean (95%CI) glucose levels of 121 mg/dl (114, 128) vs. 109 mg/dL (103, 116) for women in highest and lowest quartiles, respectively. Women in the highest quartile of second trimester mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP) concentrations had a mean glucose level 14 mg/dL lower compared to women in the lowest quartile. No other urinary phthalate metabolites were associated with glucose levels. MEP and MiBP—metabolites of diethyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate, respectively—were associated with higher pregnancy glucose in subfertile women—a population at high risk of glucose intolerance in pregnancy.
Mortality of Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus carissima) Naturally Exposed to Microcystin-LR

We describe a die-off of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus carissima) associated with acute intoxication with microcystin-LR in 2016 at Scofield Reservoir in Utah, US. High levels of this cyanotoxin in water from the reservoir and gastrointestinal content of bats supported this diagnosis.
An Evaluation of PROMIS in Patients With Primary or Metastatic Spine Tumors.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective evaluation of prospectively collected data. OBJECTIVE In spine tumor patients: i) to assess the correlation of Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) physical function (PF), pain interference (PI), and Depression scores with Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) scores; and ii) to assess ceiling and floor effects of PROMIS PF, PI, and Depression domains and the ODI/NDI. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA There remains no widely used patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument for spine tumor patients. PROMIS, a universal PRO tool, may add notable value to patient care. A paucity of work exists comparing PROMIS to legacy PRO tools in primary and metastatic spine tumor patients. METHODS Patients confirmed to have a primary or metastatic spine tumor were asked to complete PROMIS PF, PI, and Depression domains and either an ODI or NDI questionnaire between May 2015 and December 2017. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were calculated. Ceiling and floor effects were determined. P < 0.05 was significant. RESULTS Eighty unique visits from 51 patients with spine tumors (44 metastatic/67 visits; 7 primary/13 visits) met our inclusion criteria. A strong correlation existed between PROMIS PI and the ODI/NDI in both primary and metastatic tumor patient subgroups (range, r = 0.75-0.86, P < 0.05). PROMIS PF and the ODI/NDI demonstrated a strong correlation among all patients (r = -0.75, P < 0.05) and in the metastatic disease subgroup (r = -0.78, P < 0.05). A strong correlation existed between PROMIS Depression and the ODI/NDI in the primary tumor subgroup (r = 0.79, P < 0.05). PROMIS Depression demonstrated the largest floor effect (13.6%); there were similar ceiling effects. CONCLUSION PROMIS PF and PI domains correlate well with the ODI/NDI in spine tumor patients and have a similar ceiling effect but decreased floor effect. PROMIS Depression was not as well captured, except in the primary tumor subgroup. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2.
NL λ as the Logic of Scope and Movement

Lambek elegantly characterized part of natural language. As is well-known, his substructural logic L, and its non-associative version NL, handle basic function/argument composition well, but not scope taking and syntactic displacement—at least, not in their full generality. In previous work, I propose $$\text {NL}_\lambda $$ , which is NL supplemented with a single structural inference rule (“abstraction”). Abstraction closely resembles the traditional linguistic rule of quantifier raising, and characterizes both semantic scope taking and syntactic displacement. Due to the unconventional form of the abstraction inference, there has been some doubt that $$\text {NL}_\lambda $$ should count at a legitimate substructural logic. This paper argues that $$\text {NL}_\lambda $$ is perfectly well-behaved. In particular, it enjoys cut elimination and an interpolation result. In addition, perhaps surprisingly, it is decidable. Finally, I prove that it is sound and complete with respect to the usual class of relational frames.
Metal-Acetylide Bonding in (η5-C5H5)Fe(CO)2C≡CR Compounds. Measures of Metal-dπ-Acetylide-π Interactions from Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Gas-phase He I and He II photoelectron spectroscopy is used to experimentally determine the bonding interactions of η 1 -acetylide ligands in (η 5 -C 5 H 5 )Fe(CO) 2 C≡CR compounds (R=H, t Bu, or phenyl). The spectra show a large amount of interaction between the metal dm orbitals and the acetylide π orbitals. Evidence for this is obtained from the splitting of metal-based ionization bands, from the shifts in Cp-based and acetylide-based ionizations, from the changes in ionization cross sections between the He I and He II spectra, and from vibrational fine structure in the metal-based ionizations
Topology-Preserving Deep Image Segmentation

Segmentation algorithms are prone to make topological errors on fine-scale struc- tures, e.g., broken connections. We propose a novel method that learns to segment with correct topology. In particular, we design a continuous-valued loss function that enforces a segmentation to have the same topology as the ground truth, i.e.,having the same Betti number. The proposed topology-preserving loss function is differentiable and can be incorporated into end-to-end training of a deep neural network. Our method achieves much better performance on the Betti number error, which directly accounts for the topological correctness. It also performs superior on other topology-relevant metrics, e.g., the Adjusted Rand Index and the Variation of Information, without sacrificing per-pixel accuracy. We illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method on a broad spectrum of natural and biomedical datasets.
Improving learning and accountability in foreign aid

Abstract Learning and accountability in foreign aid require project comparisons, but the dominant framework for aid evaluation institutionalizes inconsistency. Today, most aid evaluations are organized in terms of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. Usually the evaluators determine how to apply each criterion. Also, with donor agencies organizing their own evaluation systems, project monitoring tends to be weak and many evaluations are superficial, positively biased, and/or poorly timed. Logically, the most effective way to improve learning and accountability would be to implement independent and consistent evaluation for cost effectiveness. We substantiate and illustrate this argument by explaining why evaluation should be oriented to cost effectiveness and how this could be accomplished by an evaluation association, and by discussing six evaluations of health projects and several documents that summarize many evaluations. The proposed association would provide a stronger foundation in evidence and incentive environment for aid managers to make decisions that maximize the cost effectiveness of their interventions. This would enhance the professionalism of foreign aid and hasten an end to poverty.
Management of Implant Exposure and Extrusion

Despite advances in orbital implant design and refinements in technique, exposure and extrusion remain both relatively common and challenging to manage. The increased popularity of porous implants confers a number of significant advantages, which are in turn counterbalanced by well-characterized and distinctive drawbacks when compared to solid spheres. A thorough understanding of implant sizing and material properties, wrapping options, and surgical technique is critical to minimizing the incidence of exposure. When it does arise, rescue techniques with patch grafts or vascularized flaps are used in conjunction with removal of any clearly avascular portion of the implant. Should implant removal be required, thoughtful management of conjunctival and forniceal deficits is essential to permit successful future prosthesis wear.
Wandering bumps in a stochastic neural field: A variational approach

Abstract We develop a generalized variational method for analyzing wandering bumps in a stochastic neural field model defined on some domain U . For concreteness, we take U = S 1 and consider a stochastic ring model. First, we decompose the stochastic neural field into a phase-shifted deterministic bump solution and a small error term, which is assumed to be valid up to some exponentially large stopping time. An exact, implicit stochastic differential equation (SDE) for the phase of the bump is derived by minimizing the error term with respect to a weighted L 2 ( U , ρ ) norm. The positive weight ρ is chosen so that the error term consists of fast transverse fluctuations of the bump profile. We then carry out a perturbation series expansion of the exact variational phase equation in powers of the noise strength ϵ to obtain an explicit nonlinear SDE for the phase that decouples from the error term. Solving the corresponding steady-state Fokker–Planck equation up to O ( ϵ ) , we determine a leading-order expression for the long-time distribution of the position of the bump. Finally, we use the variational formulation to obtain rigorous exponential bounds on the error term, demonstrating that with very high probability the system stays in a small neighborhood of the bump for times of order exp ( C ϵ − 1 ) .
How do undergraduates cope with anxiety resulting from active learning practices in introductory biology

Active learning pedagogies decrease failure rates in undergraduate introductory biology courses, but these practices also cause anxiety for some students. Classroom anxiety can impact student learning and has been associated with decreased student retention in the major, but little is known about how students cope with anxiety caused by active learning practices. In this study, we investigated student coping strategies for various types of active learning (clickers, volunteering to answer a question, cold calling, and group work) that were used in 13 introductory Biology courses at a large public university in 2016-2017. A survey asked students to rate their anxiety regarding the four active learning practices and over half of the students explained the coping strategies they used to manage their active learning anxieties. Coping responses from 880 students were sorted into pre-defined categories of coping strategies: problem solving, information seeking, self-reliance, support seeking, accommodation, helplessness, escape, delegation, and isolation. We found that a different category of coping was dominant for each type of active learning. The dominant coping strategies for anxiety associated with clickers, cold calling, and group work were adaptive coping strategies of information seeking, self-reliance, and support-seeking, respectively. The dominant coping strategy for volunteering to answer a question was escape, which is a maladaptive strategy. This study provides a detailed exploration of student self-reported coping in response to active learning practices and suggests several areas that could be foci for future psychosocial interventions to bolster student regulation of their emotions in response to these new classroom practices.
Pictorial dissection guide and internal anatomy of the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini)

Ticks are pests and vectors of diseases that are of public health and veterinary importance. The cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini, 1888), is one of the most studied tick species because of its impact on livestock health and production in the tropical and subtropical parts of the world, costing the cattle industry billions annually. Control methods have evolved throughout the years but so has R. microplus. Reliance upon chemical control has created a consistent need to develop new technologies to overcome the pesticide resistance that occurs as the ticks adapt. In order to utilize the more advanced tools such as RNAi or Crispr/Cas9 systems, tick tissues need to be isolated and manipulated. Unfortunately, there are a limited number of dissection guides available providing a detailed view of tick internal anatomy. This manual includes photomicrographs to guide the dissection of R. microplus adults, male and female. Topography and anatomical differences between the internal organs of unfed and gravid adult females are described. We were able to locate the crucial tissues for cattle tick physiology and lay out spatial and temporal guidelines for their identification and dissection. Examples of how this information can be used at the nexus between organismal and molecular research to innovate tick control technologies is discussed.
Magnetoelectric materials and devices

Over the past few decades, magnetoelectric (ME) materials and devices have been investigated extensively, which is one of the most interesting research topics since the revival of multiferroic laminates with large ME coupling coefficients. The existence of two or more ferroic properties in the ME systems plays key roles in the next generation of novel multifunctional devices. Strong ME coupling has been demonstrated in various ME systems, including single-phase bulk or thin-film materials and bulk or thin-film composites such as piezoelectric/magnetostrictive heterostructures. Based on the coupling mechanisms, a variety of device applications have attracted ever-increasing attention, such as magnetic field sensors, voltage tunable inductors, mechanical ME antennas, which are compact, lightweight, and power-efficient. These novel ME materials and devices provide great opportunities for next-generation magnetic field sensing, communication systems, spintronics, nonvolatile memory applications, etc. In this paper, we try to summarize the most recent progress on ME materials, phenomena, and devices in the past few years, with emphasis on thin-film composite materials and devices. Some unsolved questions and future directions where the community could head for are also provided.
A Scalable Approximation Algorithm for Weighted Longest Common Subsequence

This work introduces novel parallel methods for weighted longest common subsequence (WLCS) and its generalization, all-substrings WLCS. Previous work developed efficient algorithms for these problems via Monge matrix multiplication, which is a limiting factor for further improvement. Diverging from these approaches, we relax the algorithm’s optimality guarantee in a controlled way, using a different, natural dynamic program which can be sketched and solved in a divide-and-conquer manner that is efficient to parallelize.
The Decline in the U.S. Labor Force Participation Rate: A Literature Review

After peaking around the year 2000, the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of Americans declined substantially. The weakening in LFPR was faster after the financial crisis of 2007, the “Great Recession.” Since 2015, the LFPR has remained at its lowest in four decades. This paper constitutes a comprehensive review of the literature investigating the causes of the LFPR’s recent decline. We determine what is known and identify the remaining gaps. The literature reviewed signaled multiple causes behind this decline. Trend factors, such as long-running demographic patterns, explain an important part of the decline. The research on the extent to which the Great Recession caused the decline establishes that most of the drop cannot be attributed to cyclical factors. Part of the decline in LFPR can be attributed to factors such as technological innovations and trade, which affect the participation rates of specific subpopulations, as well as to changes in social programs, like Social Security Disability Insurance. Some subpopulation trends are clear, but their ultimate causes are not fully understood, as is the case for the LFPRs of women and youth. We list these factors and point to important areas for future research.
Investigating dopants to improve sintered LiMn2O4 spinel electrode electrochemical cycling limitations

Abstract Lithium-ion batteries have become prevalent for portable energy storage. Towards continuing to increase the energy density of batteries, engineering the electrode structure can provide improvements with regards to energy and power density. Sintered electrodes, which have no inactive additives, can achieve high areal loadings of over 150 mg electroactive material cm−2, however, they have electronic and/or ionic transport resistance limitations as the electrode loadings and thicknesses increase. Herein, LiMn2O4 was investigated as a sintered electrode cathode material. LiMn2O4 is attractive as a relatively low cost and Co-free cathode option, but its relatively low electronic conductivity and fading due to Jahn-Teller distortion and/or manganese dissolution pose challenges that are exacerbated in sintered electrodes relative to composites. Thus the incorporation of dopants LiMn2-xMxO4, where M = Cu or Al (in isolation or combination) and x ranged from 0 to 0.15, were investigated to understand how modifications to the material electronic conductivity and structural stability would impact sintered electrodes comprised of these materials. Improvement in sintered electrode electrochemical outcomes was observed for incorporation of both dopants.
Ideal-Science Realism

(1) Only ideal or perfected science accurately and reliably depicts reality, and not science as we do or shall actually have it. (2) In matters of inductive theorizing, “the actual truth” is attained only in the ideal limit. (3) In the course of actual practice, scientific inquiry provides no more than our best available estimate of the truth. The only unproblematically viable sort of scientific realism is accordingly one that is geared to the ideal state.
Similarities in regulation of the HSV-1 LAT promoter in corneal and neuronal cells.

Purpose. To address the possibility of neuronal-like herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) latency in the cornea by determining if regulation of the HSV-1 LAT promoter in stromal keratocytes is similar to LAT promoter regulation in neurons. Methods. Transient chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) assays were used to measure the relative promoter activity of various HSV-1 LAT promoter fragments in primary human corneal cells versus neuronal and nonneuronal cells. Results. The authors found that the LAT promoter, whose location they previously mapped in neurons using transient CAT assays, functioned in stromal keratocytes using the same assay system and that two regions between —283 and —1932 nucleotides relative (upstream) to the start of LAT transcription slightly increased the LAT promoter activity in stromal keratocytes. They previously showed a similar increase in neuronal cells, and a large decrease in nonneuronal cells. In addition, they found that a neuronal specific enhancer region they previously defined between —162 and —283 nucleotides upstream of the start of LAT transcription also enhanced promoter activity in stromal keratocytes. Using gel-shift assays, they detected a nuclear factor specific to neurons and stromal keratocytes that binds to the LAT promoter and that may be a LAT regulatory factor. Conclusions. Recently, it has been suggested that the cornea might serve as an alternative site of latent herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. However, this remains controversial. The authors' findings suggest that corneal and neuronal cells regulate the LAT promoter similarly and that this regulation differs from that seen in nonneuronal cells. Thus, the possibility of neuronal-like latency in the cornea remains plausible. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1994;35:2981—2989.
Vaccines and Immunotherapies for Future Treatment of Food Allergy

Food allergy is a major cause of life-threatening hypersensitivity reactions. Currently, the avoidance of the allergenic food is the only method of preventing further reactions for allergic patients. Even with good educational information, 50% of allergic patients have accidental ingestions and allergic reactions over a 24-month period. With better characterization of allergens and an understanding of the immunologic mechanism involved in this reaction, investigators have developed several therapeutic modalities potentially applicable to the treatment and eventual prevention of food allergy. Techniques under current investigation for the treatment of food allergy include peptide immunotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine, mutated protein immunotherapy, allergen DNA immunization, vaccination with immunostimulatory DNA sequences, and anti-IgE therapy. While peptide immunotherapy for food allergy has not yet reached clinical trials, studies utilizing the peptides of the peanut allergens are interesting and suggest a possible role for peptide immunotherapy in the future therapy of food allergy. New therapies currently under investigation should help the physician greatly improve care for food-induced allergic reactions while reducing the risk of anaphylaxis in these patients.
An Alternative Look at the Unsteady Separation Phenomenon

When a solid surface is in unsteady motion relative to the fluid, the flow sometimes breaks away from the surface and forms a thick layer with high level velocity fluctuations. This phenomenon is called unsteady separation and several interesting but nontrivial problems are associated with it. First, what is the proper criterion to define the onset of separation? Second, what is the physical process producing the unsteady separation? Third, how are the aerodynamic properties on a lifting surface affected by the unsteady separation?
Supporting nomadic users within virtual private networks

Virtual private networks (VPNs) are communication environments for groups deployed within a public network but are actually not taking care of mobility. Nomadic VPN users have special requirements relating to resource adaptation and customization. This paper discusses how mobile agent technology applied to DPE-based VPN provides seamless access, service capabilities to nomadic users within the visiting network environment. Taking into account the structuring mechanisms enabled by standard mobile-agents platforms, such as regions, agencies grouped within regions, and places belonging to agencies, we have to apply these structural principles to our target mobile communications environment. Currently service providers do not have access to nodes' control environments, algorithms and states. Within programmable DPE based VPNs, agents traverse the network and configure the nodes in order to achieve the best of the network's behavior during a particular task/application data flow between VPN users.
Comparison of the noise performance of MODFET's

The frequency dependencies of minimum noise figure (Fmin) and associated gain (Ga) of extrinsic MODFETs have been fit with the resistor temperature noise model for intrinsic FETs of Pospieszalski. The noise model for extrinsic MODFETs has two fitting parameters; an effective fmax and an effective output resistor temperature (Td) which are extracted directly from the measured Fmin and Ga. A comparison of noise results in more than 50 publications shows that the majority of MODFETs can be modelled with a small range of effective Td values between 300 and 700 K. AlInAs/GaInAs/InP MODFETs exhibit significantly lower Fmins and Gas than conventional AlGaAs/GaAs and AlGaAs/InGaAs pseudomorphic MODFETs of the same gate length. The reason is InP-based MODFETs have a much higher average fmax(DOT)Lg at low noise bias. The noise model implies that in addition to a high fT and low Rin, a lower Gds also reduces Fmin. Also, it suggests that the Fukui fitting factor (Kf) is proportional to the inverse square root of the voltage gain. Recent experimental results support this suggestion. The noise model and the analyses of published results show that a higher fmax at low noise bias is a key factor for a lower Fmin and a higher Ga.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Switching Exponent Scaling near Bifurcation Points for Non-Gaussian Noise

We study noise-induced switching of a system close to bifurcation parameter values where the number of stable states changes. For non-Gaussian noise, the switching exponent, which gives the logarithm of the switching rate, displays a non-power-law dependence on the distance to the bifurcation point. This dependence is found for Poisson noise. Even weak additional Gaussian noise dominates switching sufficiently close to the bifurcation point, leading to a crossover in the behavior of the switching exponent.
Was the industrial revolution worth it? Disamenities and death in 19th century British towns

This paper is an attempt to add new evidence and arguments to the debate over the quality of urban life in Britain during the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century. The infant mortality rate is used as a proxy for urban disamenities and the higher wages ("disamenity bribes") required to induce workers to migrate to urban areas are examined. Comparisons are made between data for the early nineteenth century and 1905. (ANNOTATION)
The prognostic significance of depressive symptoms for predicting quality of life 12 months after gastric bypass

Abstract Objective This study was conducted to examine the relative prognostic significance of weight and depressive symptoms for 12-month postoperative health-related quality of life (HRQL) in extremely obese gastric bypass patients. Methods Participants comprised 137 extremely obese patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery. Presurgery and 12 months postsurgery participants completed the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey, a standard measure of HRQL, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Regression analyses were performed to predict HRQL, both before and 12 months after surgery, by using demographic variables, and measures of body mass index (BMI) and depressive symptoms as predictors. Results At baseline the predictors accounted for 19% of the variance of physical HRQL, and 56% of the variance of mental HRQL. At 12 months after surgery, the predictors accounted for 32% of the variance of physical HRQL and 48% of mental HRQL. In the prediction of 12-month postoperative HRQL, baseline BMI, BMI unit change, baseline BDI, and improvements in BDI score made significant contributions to most of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey scales. Demography contributed little to these predictor analyses. Depressive symptoms made greater contributions than weight and demography, and change in BDI score made the greatest contributions (ranging from 3% to 37%) of all the variables tested. Conclusions Measures of weight and depressive symptoms were useful in predicting quality of life both before and 12 months after gastric bypass surgery; however, this is the first study to document that improvements in HRQL postsurgery may be largely related to improved depressive symptoms.
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor Administration To Treat Neonatal Neutropenia

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor Administration To Treat Neonatal Neutropenia
Treatment of Naturally Acquired Common Colds with Zinc: A Structured Review

Background Over the past 20 years, the use of zinc as an over-the-counter alternative therapy for the common cold has vastly grown in popularity. Recent reports of potentially permanent anosmia caused by intranasal zinc therapy warrant careful analysis of the therapeutic effects of zinc. Methods A search of the Medline database (including articles published during 1966-2006) for studies of zinc and the common cold produced 105 published reports. Fourteen were randomized, placebo-controlled studies that examined the effect of zinc lozenges, nasal sprays, or nasal gels on naturally acquired common colds. Eleven features of experimental design affecting signal quality, chance, bias, and blinding were used to evaluate the 14 placebo-controlled studies. These criteria were validated case definition, quantifiable hypothesis, sample size calculation, randomized assignment, double blinding, proof of blinding, measurement of compliance, measurement of dropout rate, analysis by intent to treat, description of methods of analysis, and measurements of probability. Equal weight was given to each criterion, because failure to meet any one could potentially invalidate the findings of a clinical trial. Results Four studies met all 11 criteria. Three of these studies reported no therapeutic effect from zinc lozenge or nasal spray. One study reported positive results from zinc nasal gel. Of the remaining 10 studies, 6 reported a positive effect and 4 reported no effect. Intent-to-treat analysis was the most common criterion not met. Conclusions This structured review suggests that the therapeutic effectiveness of zinc lozenges has yet to be established. One well-designed study did report a positive effect of zinc nasal gel.
Making good decisions: Having confidence in simulations in higher education

To achieve the desired learning outcomes it is critical that developers and users of simulations understand human decision-making. How participants will make decisions in the simulation is a function of both the participant's expertise and their interaction with the exercise design. It is an important pedagogical issue to know whether the design of the simulation reinforces and builds a participant's ability to respond in a normative reasoned fashion to a decision situation, or to experience the situation in its complexity and respond in a synthetic intuitive fashion. To comprehend the implications of these two viewpoints I present the debate between promoters of the normative views and the descriptive views on decision-making. By performing a critical analysis of these different perspectives, I offer insight on how the decision-making philosophy used in the design of simulations affects both the use of the simulation and the measurable learning outcomes.
Efficient use of unlabeled data for protein sequence classification: a comparative study

Background Recent studies in computational primary protein sequence analysis have leveraged the power of unlabeled data. For example, predictive models based on string kernels trained on sequences known to belong to particular folds or superfamilies, the so-called labeled data set, can attain significantly improved accuracy if this data is supplemented with protein sequences that lack any class tags–the unlabeled data. In this study, we present a principled and biologically motivated computational framework that more effectively exploits the unlabeled data by only using the sequence regions that are more likely to be biologically relevant for better prediction accuracy. As overly-represented sequences in large uncurated databases may bias the estimation of computational models that rely on unlabeled data, we also propose a method to remove this bias and improve performance of the resulting classifiers.
Distribution of nucleotide differences between two randomly chosen cistrons in a subdivided population: the finite island model.

Abstract Using the island model of finite size, the distributions as well as the means and variances of dw and db are obtained, where dw is the number of nucleotide differences between two cistrons randomly chosen from the same colony and db is the corresponding number between two cistrons randomly chosen from different colonies. The rate for the means to approach equilibrium is independent of mutation while that for the variances is somewhat retarded by mutation. At the steady state, the mean of dw is independent of population subdivision and migration rate, as long as there is migration. It has been shown that the actual genic variation in a colony may be much larger than that revealed by the heterozygosity in the colony.
Understanding Community-Level Disaster and Emergency Response Preparedness.

OBJECTIVE: Community-level disaster readiness is a major component of community health promotion. However, many readiness programs are focused on the response of emergency and health care personnel and not on the preparedness levels of local citizens. This potentially leaves the public unready and unprepared for emergency event response. METHODS: A 20-item survey on general states of disaster preparedness was delivered to the residents of a midsized midwestern county. The residents were asked to share their knowledge of local hazards, emergency systems, and personal preparedness. RESULTS: A convenience sample of 423 residents responded to the survey. Fifty-seven percent (n=241) reported limited personal preparedness. Seventy-six percent (n=321) acknowledged little to no familiarity with residential emergency systems, and 52% (n=220) reported that they did not know how to gain information on public health emergencies, such as pandemic flu and evacuation response. CONCLUSIONS: Local citizens should become educated on the methods to support personal disaster and emergency readiness. Health care and emergency management organizations are encouraged to include these concepts in routine community health promotion activities and to pay special attention to known areas of community vulnerability. Failure to do so creates a population unable to support themselves in the provision of basic health and safety measures. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;0:1-6). Language: en
Union-closed families

Abstract A union-closed family F is a finite collection of sets not all empty, such that any union of elements of F is itself an element of F . Peter Frankl conjectured in 1979 that for any such family, there is an element in at least half of its sets. But the problem remains unsolved. We find a number of equivalent conjectures, and we prove the conjecture in special cases, including for example all families involving up to seven elements or having up to 28 sets, extending the previously known result for up to 18 sets. We also prove a general theorem stating exactly when a subfamily is enough to guarantee the existence of an element from the subfamily which is in half the sets of the whole family.
Respiratory suppression and swallowing from introduction of fluids into the laryngeal region of the lamb.

Respiratory Suppression and Swallowing from Introduction of Fluids into the Laryngeal Region of the Lamb
Neurotrophins acting via TRKB receptors activate the JAGGED1-NOTCH2 cell-cell communication pathway to facilitate early ovarian development.

Tropomyosin-related kinase (TRK) receptor B (TRKB) mediates the supportive actions of neurotrophin 4/5 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor on early ovarian follicle development. Absence of TRKB receptors reduces granulosa cell (GC) proliferation and delays follicle growth. In the present study, we offer mechanistic insights into this phenomenon. DNA array and quantitative PCR analysis of ovaries from TrkB-null mice revealed that by the end of the first week of postnatal life, Jagged1, Hes1, and Hey2 mRNA abundance is reduced in the absence of TRKB receptors. Although Jagged1 encodes a NOTCH receptor ligand, Hes1 and Hey2 are downstream targets of the JAGGED1-NOTCH2 signaling system. Jagged1 is predominantly expressed in oocytes, and the abundance of JAGGED1 is decreased in TrkB−/− oocytes. Lack of TRKB receptors also resulted in reduced expression of c-Myc, a NOTCH target gene that promotes entry into the cell cycle, but did not alter the expression of genes encoding core regulators of cell-cycle progre...
Substrate removal for improved performance of QWIP–LED devices grown on GaAs substrates

Pixelless infrared imaging can be accomplished by epitaxially integrating a light emitting diode (LED) with a quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) large area device. The device acts as an infrared image converter by detecting a mid-to-far infrared (M/FIR) signal using the QWIP and outputting a near-infrared (NIR) signal via the integrated LED. By removing the device substrate, the detector performance can be significantly improved. This paper describes a substrate removal process, which uses a combination of mechanical polishing and chemical selective wet-etch. The choice of a suitable optical adhesive and the control of carrier/device parallelism are the two most important factors determining the success of the process.
Planning a Mass Vaccination Exercise Using Influenza Vaccine in Grand Forks, North Dakota

Abstract ISSUE: Communities and healthcare organizations are preparing for bioterrorism and biological events. Plans include mass distribution of pharmaceuticals. The 2005 Joint Commission requirements include preparation to respond to epidemics or infections that can overwhelm organizational resources. PROJECT: A North Dakota Department of Health grant allowed the Northeast Biological Planning Coalition to adapt the Greater Grand Forks (GF) community's mass vaccination plan to an exercise administering free influenza vaccine to the public. Participating agencies included: GF Public Health, Altru Health System, Alerus Center, United Way, GF County Sheriff's Department, University of North Dakota, City of GF Public Information Office, GF Fire Department, GF Air Force Base, GF Police Department, GF County Social Services, UND Family Practice, Red Cross, and the Regional Bioterrorism Coordinator. The exercise was named MAXVAX. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Smallpox Response Plan and Guideline was used to calculate the number of vaccinees and workers needed to simulate the scenario of immunizing 70,000 people in 10 days. The MAXVAX goal was to give 1750 people influenza vaccine in 4 hours. The venue was the 447,000-sq.-ft. Alerus Center. One-hundred-twenty volunteers were identified. A media campaign invited the public to be vaccinated. RESULTS: Although final plans were in place, the event was cancelled on short notice due to the unexpected shortage of flu vaccine in December 2003. LESSONS LEARNED: An exercise will identify weaknesses in written bioterrorism plans. Weaknesses that we identified include: event communication plans, volunteer management, security, and accommodating persons with special needs and homebound persons. Implementation of community emergency plans requires cooperation between many agencies.
Complete basis for power suppressed collinear-ultrasoft operators

We construct operators that describe power corrections in mixed collinear-ultrasoft processes in QCD. We treat the ultrasoft-collinear Lagrangian to $\mathcal{O}({\ensuremath{\lambda}}^{2})$ and heavy-to-light currents involving collinear quarks to $\mathcal{O}(\ensuremath{\lambda}),$ including new three body currents. A complete gauge invariant basis is derived which has a full reduction in Dirac structures and is valid for matching at any order in ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{s}.$ The full set of reparametrization invariance (RPI) constraints is included, and is found to restrict the number of parameters appearing in Wilson coefficients and to rule out some classes of operators. The QCD ultrasoft-collinear Lagrangian has two $\mathcal{O}({\ensuremath{\lambda}}^{2})$ operators in its gauge invariant form. For the $\mathcal{O}(\ensuremath{\lambda})$ heavy-to-light currents there are $(4,4,14,14,21)$ subleading (scalar, pseudoscalar, vector, axial-vector, tensor) currents, where $(1,1,4,4,7)$ have coefficients that are not determined by RPI. In a frame where ${v}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=0$ and $n\ensuremath{\cdot}v=1$ the total number of currents reduces to $(2,2,8,8,13),$ but the number of undetermined coefficients is the same. The role of these operators and universality of jet functions in the factorization theorem for heavy-to-light form factors is discussed.
Minor malformations characteristic of the retinoic acid embryopathy and other birth outcomes in children of women exposed to topical tretinoin during early pregnancy

Topical tretinoin (Retin-A) is used to treat acne and photodamaged skin. Its teratogenic potential is of concern due to its similarity to isotretinoin (Accutane), a recognized human teratogen. Through the California Teratogen Information Service and Clinical Research Program, between 1983 and 2003, 106 pregnant women with first-trimester exposure to topical tretinoin were prospectively ascertained and followed. Birth outcomes, including pregnancy loss, major structural defects, and pre- and postnatal growth were compared to 389 similarly and prospectively ascertained women with no topical tretinoin exposure during pregnancy. Because a distinct pattern of malformation had already been described for isotretinoin, we also compared exposed (n = 62) and unexposed (n = 191) infants on the prevalence of a specific subset of minor malformations selected to represent the spectrum of defects comprising the retinoic acid embyopathy. There were no significant differences between groups in the proportion of pregnancies ending in spontaneous abortion (6.6% in exposed vs. 8.5% in unexposed; P = 0.53), or infants with major structural defects (2.2% in exposed vs. 1.2% in unexposed; P = 0.62). In addition, the groups were similar in birth weight, length and head circumference, and there were no significant differences between groups in length of gestation. Furthermore, the prevalence of one or more retinoic acid-specific minor malformations did not differ significantly between groups (12.9% in exposed vs. 9.9% in unexposed; P = 0.51). First-trimester topical tretinoin exposure in this study was not associated with an increased risk of any adverse pregnancy outcome evaluated. Specifically, there was no indication that topical tretinoin is associated with an increased risk for minor malformations that are consistent with the retinoic acid embryopathy. Although it is impossible to exclude the possibility that some women/infants may be uniquely susceptible to topical tretinoin exposure, this study provides further reassurance for women who are inadvertently exposed early in pregnancy.
General Strain Theory and Collegiate Drinking Patterns Among African American Female Students

Collegiate drinking, its prevalence and the associated problems it poses have been a national concern for over 30 years. Recent studies indicate that alcohol related issues are still a problem for college students. As research continues to describe the patterns of college students drinking patterns based on frequency and quantity, the literature does not specifically reflect the drinking patterns of African American college students. Further, research is also limited in examining the drinking patterns of college students attending Historically Black Colleges versus those attending majority serving institutions. This research focuses on the drinking patterns of African-American women (N = 140) attending a Historically Black College/University (HBCU). Specifically, the General Strain Theory (GST) is used to analyze the indicators of African American women collegiate drinking habits. Our findings indicate that strain sparked depressive issues, which resulted in coping (i.e. binge drinking). Moreover, the more days of stressful life events increased the likelihood of depression which increased the likelihood of binge drinking.
Maternity Blues Research: A Critical Review

Maternity blues research from 1962, when the first study was published, to the present is critically evaluated. Each study that met the sample criteria was judged against the following categories: measurement, research designs, sampling, and clinical description. Two major weaknesses in blues research were identified: (1) lack of standardized instruments for the measurement of the incidence, severity, and duration of the blues and (2) inconsistencies in research design.