cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Algorithmic Transparency for the Smart City

Emerging across many disciplines are questions about algorithmic ethics – about the values embedded in artificial intelligence and big data analytics that increasingly replace human decisionmaking. Many are concerned that an algorithmic society is too opaque to be accountable for its behavior. An individual can be denied parole or denied credit, fired or not hired for reasons she will never know and cannot be articulated. In the public sector, the opacity of algorithmic decisionmaking is particularly problematic both because governmental decisions may be especially weighty, and because democratically-elected governments bear special duties of accountability. Investigative journalists have recently exposed the dangerous impenetrability of algorithmic processes used in the criminal justice field – dangerous because the predictions they make can be both erroneous and unfair, with none the wiser. We set out to test the limits of transparency around governmental deployment of big data analytics, focusing our investigation on local and state government use of predictive algorithms. It is here, in local government, that algorithmically-determined decisions can be most directly impactful. And it is here that stretched agencies are most likely to hand over the analytics to private vendors, which may make design and policy choices out of the sight of the client agencies, the public, or both. To see just how impenetrable the resulting “black box” algorithms are, we filed 42 open records requests in 23 states seeking essential information about six predictive algorithm programs. We selected the most widely-used and well-reviewed programs, including those developed by for-profit companies, nonprofits, and academic/private sector partnerships. The goal was to see if, using the open records process, we could discover what policy judgments these algorithms embody, and could evaluate their utility and fairness. To do this work, we identified what meaningful “algorithmic transparency” entails. We found that in almost every case, it wasn’t provided. Over-broad assertions of trade secrecy were a problem. But contrary to conventional wisdom, they were not the biggest obstacle. It will not usually be necessary to release the code used to execute predictive models in order to dramatically increase transparency. We conclude that publicly-deployed algorithms will be sufficiently transparent only if (1) governments generate appropriate records about their objectives for algorithmic processes and subsequent implementation and validation; (2) government contractors reveal to the public agency sufficient information about how they developed the algorithm; and (3) public agencies and courts treat trade secrecy claims as the limited exception to public disclosure that the law requires. Although it would require a multi-stakeholder process to develop best practices for record generation and disclosure, we present what we believe are eight principal types of information that such records should ideally contain.
Selection of Stent Type in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Presenting With Acute Myocardial Infarction: An Analysis From the ACTION (Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network) Registry-Get With the Guidelines.

BackgroundPatients receiving oral anticoagulation in addition to dual‐antiplatelet therapy are known to be at high risk for bleeding events; thus, the selection of a drug‐eluting stent (DES) versus...
Aneurysm sac expansion is independently associated with late mortality in patients treated with endovascular aneurysm repair

Abstract Background Patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for abdominal aortic aneurysms can exhibit variations in sac behavior ranging from complete regression to expansion. We evaluated the impact of sac behavior at 1-year follow-up on late survival. Methods We used the Vascular Study Group of New England (VSGNE) registry from 2003 to 2011 to identify EVAR patients with 1-year computed tomography follow-up. Aneurysm sac enlargement ≥5 mm (sac expansion) and decrease ≥5 mm (sac regression) were defined per Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines. Predictors of change in sac diameter and impact of sac behavior on long-term mortality were assessed by multivariable methods. Results Of 2437 patients who underwent EVAR, 1802 (74%) had complete 1-year follow-up data and were included in the study. At 1 year, 162 (9%) experienced sac expansion, 709 (39%) had a stable sac, and 931 (52%) experienced sac regression. Sac expansion was associated with preoperative renal insufficiency (odds ratio [OR], 3.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-8.0; P P P = .02), and type I/III (OR, 16.8; 95% CI, 7.3-39.0; P P P = .03) and baseline aneurysm diameter (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.6-0.9; P P P P P P = .01), even with adjustment for reinterventions and endoleak during follow-up. Sac regression was associated with lower late mortality (hazard ratio, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.5-0.7; P P Conclusions These data suggest that an abdominal aortic aneurysm sac diameter increase of at least 5 mm at 1 year, although infrequent, is independently associated with late mortality regardless of the presence or absence of endoleak and warrants close observation and perhaps early intervention.
An Examination of Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms and Neighborhood Disorganization from Age 21 to 39.

Living in disorganized neighborhoods characterized by high levels of poverty, crime, violence, and deteriorating buildings has been associated with increased alcohol consumption and mental health problems. Data drawn from the Seattle Social Development Project (N = 790), a theory-driven longitudinal study originating in Seattle, WA, were used to estimate trajectories of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) symptoms from age 21 to 39. Time-varying measures of neighborhood disorganization, psychological distress, and sociodemographic factors were associated with deviations from average AUD symptoms at each wave. Results indicated that, on average, AUD symptoms decreased as individuals got older. Living in more disorganized neighborhoods and experiencing psychological distress was associated with increased AUD symptoms after accounting for average reductions from AUD symptoms over time and time-varying measures of relevant sociodemographic factors. Results of mediation analysis suggested that psychological distress is a mechanism by which disorganized neighborhoods increased risk of AUD from age 21 to 39.
Capturing the security effects of network segmentation via a continuous-time markov chain model

Segmentation or compartmentalization of a computer network is a commonly used defensive mitigation against cyber attack. Its goal is to limit the damage an attacker can cause by partitioning a network into sections or enclaves and restricting communications between them. While this technique is widely advocated as critical to the security of a network, no clear guidance currently exists on how to appropriately implement it. Additionally, the cost of testing candidate segmentation architectures on a live network or a cyber test environment is prohibitively expensive. This study examines an alternative method for evaluating segmentation architectures utilizing a continuous-time Markov chain to model changes in network state based on relevant network parameters such as vulnerability arrival rate, patch rate, etc. The model is realized by an event-based network simulation and demonstrated via a case study that evaluates a range of candidate architectures.
Virginia Deer and the Buffer Zone in the Late Prehistoric-Early Protohistoric Periods In Minnesota

Hickerson has proposed the existence of an unoccupied buffer zone in Minnesota and Wisconsin, between the Chippewa and the Dakota, in the period 1780 to 1850. He suggests that the shape and charact...
Flourishing for the Common Good: Positive Leadership in Christian Higher Education During Times of Change

This paper argues that higher education should exist for society's common good, a focus that has been lost in recent years (Dorn, 2011; Eagan et al., 2015; Ford 2016; Habley, Bloom & Robbins, 2012)...
Manganese Oxides Resembling Microbial Fabrics and Their Implications for Recognizing Inorganically Preserved Microfossils

Abstract In the search for microfossils of early life on Earth, the demonstration of biogenicity is paramount. Traditionally, only syngenetic structures with cellular elaboration, hollow sheaths/ce...
Impact of sexual orientation on contemporary rates of prostate cancer screening.

122Background: Despite increasing societal acceptance of non-heterosexual persons, sexual minorities continue to face discrimination. The effect of non-heterosexual orientation on adoption of cancer preventive services, particularly prostate cancer screening (PSAS), is not clearly known. We hypothesize that male sexual minorities are less likely to receive PSAS compared to heterosexual (HTS) males. Methods: The 2014-16 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was queried for males 40-69, without a history of prostate cancer, and having answered all sexual orientation (SO) questions. PSAS occurred if a respondent had a PSA test within the last two years for reasons other than “a prostate problem” or “for prostate cancer”. Descriptive statistics were generated for demographic covariates stratified by year and SO [HTS, homosexual (HMS), bisexual (BIS), transgender (TGR), other, and refused]. The Chi-Square test was used to compare the distribution of covariate proportions amongst SO categories within each ...
Numerical behavior envelopes for qualitative models

Semiquantitative models combine both qualitative and quantitative knowledge within a single semiquantitative qualitative differential equation (SQDE) representation. With current simulation methods, the quantitative knowledge is not exploited as fully as possible. This paper describes dynamic envelopes - a method to exploit quantitative knowledge more fully by deriving and numerically simulating an extremal system whose solution is guaranteed to bound all solutions of the SQDE. It is shown that such systems can be determined automatically given the SQDE and an initial condition. As model precision increases, the dynamic envelope bounds become more precise than those derived by other semiquantitative inference methods. We demonstrate the utility of our method by showing how it improves the dynamic monitoring and diagnosis of a vacuum pump down system.
Metric Space Structures for Computational Anatomy

This paper describes a method based on metric structures for anatomical analysis on a large set of brain MR images. A geodesic distance between each pair was measured using large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping (LDDMM). Manifold learning approaches were applied to seek a low-dimensional embedding in the high- dimensional shape space, in which inference between healthy control and disease groups can be done using standard classification algorithms. In particular, the proposed method was evaluated on ADNI, a dataset for Alzheimer's disease study. Our work demonstrates that the high-dimensional anatomical shape space of the amygdala and hippocampi can be approximated by a relatively low dimension manifold.
Subakutes proximales Engpasssyndrom des N. radialis im Hiatus radialis

Endogene Lasionen des N. radialis im Bereich des Oberarmes und im Canalis spiralis sind sehr selten. Bekannt sind Strangulationen des N. radialis im Hiatus radialis nach abnormer Belastung durch forcierte und repetetive Armstreckung oder durch Nachbarschaftsprozesse. Wir beobachteten zwei Patienten mit einer subakut aufgetretenen schmerzhaften mittleren Radialisparese, bei denen es durch eine Lasion im Hiatus radialis zu einer kompletten Axondegeneration kam, die mittels EMG, Sonographie, MRT und chirurgischer Exploration gesichert wurde. Eine operative Revision, mit Einbringen eines Nerveninterponates bei einem Patienten, war in beiden Fallen notig und erfolgreich. In beiden Fallen muss eine fokale Neuritis in Hohe des Hiatus radialis mit lokaler Auftreibung des Nervens und hierdurch bedingter Strangulation im Hiatus radialis angenommen werden. Als Ursache der Nervenentzundung fand sich in einem Fall eine floride Neuroborreliose.
Application of the Electric Current Perturbation Method to the Detection of Fatigue Cracks in a Complex Geometry Titanium Part

Presently, the rotary wing-head and hub subassemblies of the Army’s Black Hawk helicopter require almost complete disassembly to inspect failure critical threads of the main spindle. Even with direct access to the threads, detection of fatigue cracks in the thread roots is very difficult using visual and penetrant methods. Therefore, the purpose of this project was twofold: (1) to demonstrate an improved nondestructive inspection method for the spindle threads applicable to routine teardown maintenance, and (2) to determine the feasibility of performing safety-of-flight inspections on the spindle with only minimal disassembly.
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications Accreditation: Quality or Compliance?

Accreditation is a topic that is sure to spark lively debates among faculty of journalism programs. And it has for years. Several prominent journalism programs in the United States recently let the...
Investigation of properties and performances of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) fiber-reinforced rubber concrete

Abstract In this study, the Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) fiber was introduced to improve the performance of the rubberized concrete. This study experimentally investigated the mechanical performance and durability of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) fiber-reinforced rubber concrete. The waste rubber particles (mesh size #10–#30) were selected to partially replace fine aggregates in the plain concrete. In addition, the rubber particles were pre-treated with an alkali solution to enhance the interface bond with cement paste. The fiber-reinforced rubber concrete samples were prepared with different fine aggregate replacement ratios based on the volume of fine aggregate (15%, 20%, and 25%) and a selected fiber content (0.5% based on the total volume of the mixture). For those samples, the mechanical properties, including compressive strength, flexural behavior, and fracture energy were evaluated to compare with control samples. The results showed that fiber-reinforced samples can largely improve the post-cracking extension and fracture energy. The results of electrical resistivity test indicated the reduced permeability in the fiber-reinforced rubber concrete. The durability performance including Alkali-Silica reaction (ASR) expansion, drying shrinkage and freeze-thaw resistance were also investigated and compared with the control samples. All the durability performances were enhanced through rubber stress release and fiber crack bridging. Therefore, the PVA-fiber reinforced rubber concrete can improve durability and ductility of cementitious materials for structure construction and also can facilitate the recycling of waste rubber into cementitious materials.
EXPOSURE TO HEAVY METALS MAY INCREASE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK BY ELEVATION OF SERUM LIPID LEVELS AND HEMOGLOBIN A1C: A NATIONAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION EXAMINATION SURVEY BASED STUDY

Heavy metals, defined as metals with densities higher than 5g/cm3, have the ability to interact with various physiological processes in the body with cardiovascular consequences. We sought to gain better understanding between the relationship of serum levels of heavy metals and serum total and LDL-
Diversification of Hawaiian Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) under the influence of incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization

Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) is a genus of flowering plants with over 800 species distributed throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. On the Hawaiian Islands, 60 named species and over 89 putative hybrids exist, most of which are identified on the basis of morphology. Despite many previous studies on the Hawaiian Cyrtandra lineage, questions regarding the reconciliation of morphology and genetics remain, many of which can be attributed to the relatively young age and evidence of hybridization between species. We utilized targeted enrichment, high‐throughput sequencing, and modern phylogenomics tools to test 31 Hawaiian Cyrtandra samples (22 species, two putative hybrids, four species with two samples each, one species with four samples) and two outgroups for species relationships and hybridization in the presence of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). Both concatenated and species‐tree methods were used to reconstruct species relationships, and network analyses were conducted to test for hybridization. We expected to see high levels of ILS and putative hybrids intermediate to their parent species. Phylogenies reconstructed from the concatenated and species‐tree methods were highly incongruent, most likely due to high levels of incomplete lineage sorting. Network analyses inferred gene flow within this lineage, but not always between taxa that we expected. Multiple hybridizations were inferred, but many were on deeper branches of the island lineages suggesting a long history of hybridization. We demonstrated the utility of high‐throughput sequencing and a phylogenomic approach using 569 loci to understanding species relationships and gene flow in the presence of ILS.
Becoming an advocate for K-12 CS education: conference workshop

Computer science is not taught in 9 out of 10 K-12 schools in the US. Computer science teachers and faculty may understand the value of K-12 students developing computational thinking skills, but not all policy makers, school administrators, guidance counselors, parents and students share this view. This tutorial will provide advice for college faculty interested in advocating for more CS education in their local schools and state. The author is the 2015 Utah Association for Career and Technical Education (UACTE) Champion of the Year and the Utah representative on the Computer Science Advocacy Leadership Team (CSALT). She will share tips from her experience successfully advocating for Utah to accept Exploring Computer Science and AP Computer Science Principles towards Utah high school graduation requirements.
Computing libration point isolated invariant sets using isolating blocks

Abstract Earlier work focused on the computation of isolating blocks around the libration points in the circular restricted three-body problem and the use of these isolating blocks to compute the stable and unstable asymptotic sets of the isolated invariant set around the libration points. In this study, the isolated invariant set, or the invariant three-sphere of solutions, is studied using the asymptotic approaches of the stable manifold to the periodic and quasiperiodic orbits contained within the invariant three-sphere. A new bisection method is used to compute trajectories that follow the invariant three-sphere and study these trajectories in more detail.
Towards a Science of Resilient Robotic Autonomy.

This discussion paper aims to support the argument process for the need to develop a comprehensive science of resilient robotic autonomy. Resilience and its key characteristics relating to robustness, redundancy, and resourcefulness are discussed, followed by a selected - but not exhaustive - list of research themes and domains that are crucial to facilitate resilient autonomy. Last but not least, an outline of possible directions of a new and enhanced design paradigm in robotics is presented. This manuscript is intentionally short and abstract. It serves to open the discussion and raise questions. The answers will necessarily be found in the actual process of conducting research by the community and in the framework of introducing robotics in an ever increasing set of real-life use cases. Its current form is based on thoughts identified within the ongoing experience of conducting research for robotic systems to gain autonomy in certain types of extreme environments such as subterranean settings, nuclear facilities, agriculture areas, and long-term off-road deployments. The very context of this document will be subject to change and it will be iteratively revisited.
Disentangling the Social Context of Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants in College Students.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the social context of nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) among college students who endorsed NMUPS with co-occurring substance use disorders (SUD) compared with those without co-occurring SUDs. METHODS Presented here are new analyses based on data previously collected from college students aged 18 to 28 years derived from the Boston metropolitan area who endorsed NMUPS (N = 100) at least once in their lifetime. Differences between those with lifetime history of SUD (N = 46) and without a history of SUD (N = 54) on the Massachusetts General Hospital ADHD Medication Misuse and Diversion Assessment were analyzed using the Student t test, the Pearson χ2 test, and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. RESULTS College students who endorsed NMUPS with co-occurring SUD were more likely than those without SUD to have bought or traded stimulants, bought or traded in their car, used at parties with drugs/alcohol, or used intranasally (all P < .05). Intranasal administration was common (38% of all students endorsing NMUPS) and was associated with misuse at a party and simultaneous use with cocaine (P = .04), marijuana (P < .001), and alcohol (P < .001), compared with only oral use. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Notable characteristics were identified among individuals who engaged in NMUPS in the type, amount, cost, and ascertainment of stimulants. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE The concurrence of SUD and/or intranasal administration appear to represent a more severe phenotype of NMUPS that should be considered in the implementation of future prevention and intervention protocols on college campuses. (Am J Addict 2020;29:476-484).
Treatment outcomes in melanoma with brain metastases in the era of immunotherapy: An analysis of the National Cancer Database.

e14513Background: Brain metastases (BM) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in metastatic melanoma. Radiotherapy (RT) and/or surgery are the standard of care for treating brain metastases....
A Non‐aqueous H 3 PO 4 Electrolyte Enables Stable Cycling of Proton Electrodes

A non-aqueous proton electrolyte is devised by dissolving H3 PO4 into acetonitrile. The electrolyte exhibits unique vibrational signatures from stimulated Raman spectroscopy. Such an electrolyte exhibits unique characteristics compared to aqueous acidic electrolytes: 1) higher (de)protonation potential for a lower desolvation energy of protons, 2) better cycling stability by dissolution suppression, and 3) higher Coulombic efficiency owing to the lack of oxygen evolution reaction. Two non-aqueous proton full cells exhibit better cycling stability, higher Coulombic efficiency, and less self-discharge compared to the aqueous counterpart.
Enhancing Collective Estimates by Aggregating Cardinal and Ordinal Inputs

There are many factors that affect the quality of data received from crowdsourcing, including cognitive biases, varying levels of expertise, and varying subjective scales. This work investigates how the elicitation and integration of multiple modalities of input can enhance the quality of collective estimations. We create a crowdsourced experiment where participants are asked to estimate the number of dots within images in two ways: ordinal (ranking) and cardinal (numerical) estimates. We run our study with 300 participants and test how the efficiency of crowdsourced computation is affected when asking participants to provide ordinal and/or cardinal inputs and how the accuracy of the aggregated outcome is affected when using a variety of aggregation methods. First, we find that more accurate ordinal and cardinal estimations can be achieved by prompting participants to provide both cardinal and ordinal information. Second, we present how accurate collective numerical estimates can be achieved with significantly fewer people when aggregating individual preferences using optimization-based consensus aggregation models. Interestingly, we also find that aggregating cardinal information may yield more accurate ordinal estimates.
Pilot Validation of a New Wireless Patch System as an Ambulatory, Noninvasive Tool That Measures Gut Myoelectrical Signals: Physiologic and Disease Correlations.

Limited means exist to assess gastrointestinal activity in a noninvasive, objective way that is highly predictive of underlying motility disorders. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of recording myoelectric gastrointestinal activity by cutaneous patches and to correlate myoelectric signals with gastrointestinal function in various clinical settings. A novel wireless patch system (WPS) (G-Tech Medical) that acquires gastrointestinal myoelectrical signals was placed on the patients’ anterior abdomens. Data were transmitted wirelessly to a mobile device with a user interface and forwarded to a cloud server where processing algorithms identified episodes of motor activity, quantified their parameters, and nominally assigned them to specific gastrointestinal organs based on their frequencies. The inherent reproducibility of the WPS measurement technique itself and from the underlying gut activity, coupled with source validation and sensitivity to changes in gut activity in several physiologic and pathologic states, demonstrates its feasibility, safety, and performance in clinical settings. The novel WPS technology, measuring myoelectric intestinal activity noninvasively and continuously over multiple days, is feasible in a wide range of clinical settings, highlighting its promise in the diagnosis and management of motility disorders. Further research is required for more extensive validation and to determine how best to employ this information to optimize patient care.
Cyber-Physical Architecture for Automated Responses (CyPhAAR) Using SDN in Adversarial OT Environments

The ability to react to a malicious attack starts with high fidelity recognition, and with that, an agile response to the attack. The current Operational Technology (OT) systems for a critical infrastructure include an intrusion detection system (IDS), but the ability to adapt to an intrusion is a human initiated response. Orchestrators, which are coming of age in the financial sector and allow for levels of automated response, are not prevalent in the OT space. To evolve to such responses in the OT space, a tradeoff analysis is first needed. This tradeoff analysis should evaluate the mitigation benefits of responses versus the physical affects that result. Providing an informed and automated response decision. This paper presents a formulation of a novel tradeoff analysis and its use in advancing a cyber-physical architecture for automated responses (CyPhAAR).
Decreased IDO1 Dependent Tryptophan Metabolism in Aged Lung during Influenza

Influenza epidemics remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the current study, we investigated the impact of chronological aging on tryptophan metabolism in response to influenza infection. Examination of metabolites present in plasma collected from critically ill patients, identified tryptophan metabolism as an important metabolic pathway utilised specifically in response to influenza. Using a murine model of influenza infection to further these findings illustrated that there was decreased production of kynurenine in aged lung in an indoleamine-pyrrole 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1)-dependent manner that was associated with increased inflammatory and diminished regulatory responses. Specifically, within the first 7 days of influenza, there was a decrease in kynurenine pathway mediated metabolism of tryptophan, which resulted in a subsequent increase in ketone body catabolism in aged alveolar macrophages. Treatment of aged mice with mitoquinol, a mitochondrial targeted antioxidant, improved mitochondrial function and restored tryptophan metabolism. Taken together, our data provide additional evidence as to why older persons are more susceptible to influenza and suggest a possible therapeutic to improve immunometabolic responses in this population.
Green Leaf Volatiles: Airborne Signals that Protect against Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Green leaf volatiles (GLVs) are rapidly released by plant leaves upon damage. This makes them ideal signals to convey the presence of a damaging threat to other parts of the same plant, but also to plants nearby. There, GLVs were first found to activate defense responses against insect herbivores and necrotrophic pathogens. Aside from providing direct protection, GLVs also prime those responses resulting in an enhanced and/or accelerated response to these biotic stressors. Recently, it was shown that GLVs also provide protection against cold stress in plants, resulting in stress-specific transcript accumulation and subsequent reduced damage. Interestingly, this response was further associated with a stimulation of growth after the stress subsided. However, this growth compensation was only observed in cold stressed plants while control plants continued to grow normally. Common to all those stresses is that they can also cause the release of these compounds and it is safe to assume that this correlation lies at the evolutionary origin of their biological activity. However, the quantities and qualities of the emitted GLVs can vary significantly even in closely related species, suggesting that eco-physiological factors related to biotic and abiotic stresses may have been the driving force for the highly variable emission of these compounds. However, too little is known about the regulation of GLV emissions, signaling, and responses to support this hypothesis. In this presentation we will provide an overview of current knowledge regarding biosynthesis and signaling of GLVs in plants and will give an outlook into future areas of research that may provide essential information about the complex biological activities of these compounds.
Anger and disillusionment in Argentinian feminism, 2011–2015: an ethnography of feminist activism in Buenos Aires' popular education movements

This essay draws from four years of ethnographic fieldwork with women activists in self-defined Paulo Freirean-based popular education schools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Rather than leaning on the...
The Application of Community-Based Information from the American Community Survey in a Large Integrated Health Care Organization.

Background The American Community Survey (ACS) is the largest household survey conducted by the US Census Bureau. We sought to describe the community-level characteristics derived from the ACS among enrollees of Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC), evaluate the associations between ACS estimates and selective individual-level health outcomes, and explore how using different scales of the census geography and the linearity assumption affect the associations. Methods We examined the associations between track-level and block group-level ACS 5-year estimates and 4 individual-level Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) outcome measures (comprehensive diabetes care, postpartum care, antidepressant medication management, and childhood immunization status) using multilevel generalized linear models. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were estimated for every 10% increase in ACS measures. Results 6,357,841 addresses were successfully geocoded to at least the tract level. The community-level demographic, socioeconomic, residential, and other ACS measures varied among KPSC health plan enrollees. A majority of these ACS measures were associated with the selected HEDIS health outcomes. The directions of the effects were consistent across health outcomes; however, the magnitudes of the effect sizes varied. Within each HEDIS health outcome, the relative size of the effects appeared to remain similar. Differences between the census tract- and block group-level estimates were minor, especially for measures related to race/ethnicity, education, income, and occupation. Conclusion These findings support the use of many ACS measures at neighborhood levels to predict health outcomes. The geographic units might have little effect on the results. The linearity assumption should be made with caution.
Central airway collapse is related to obesity independent of asthma phenotype.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Late-onset non-allergic asthma in obesity is characterized by an abnormally compliant, collapsible lung periphery; it is not known whether this abnormality exists in proximal airways. We sought to compare collapsibility of central airways between lean and obese individuals with and without asthma. METHODS A cross-sectional study comparing luminal area and shape (circularity) of the trachea, left mainstem bronchus, right bronchus intermedius and right inferior lobar bronchus at RV and TLC by CT was conducted. RESULTS In 11 lean controls (BMI: 22.4 (21.5, 23.8) kg/m2 ), 10 lean individuals with asthma (23.6 (22.0, 24.8) kg/m2 ), 10 obese controls (45.5 (40.3, 48.5) kg/m2 ) and 21 obese individuals with asthma (39.2 (35.8, 42.9) kg/m2 ), lumen area and circularity increased significantly with an increase in lung volume from RV to TLC for all four airways (P < 0.05 for all). Changes in area and circularity with lung volume were similar in obese individuals with and without asthma, and both obese groups had severe airway collapse at RV. In multivariate analysis, change in lumen area was related to BMI and change in circularity to waist circumference, but neither was related to asthma diagnosis. CONCLUSION Excessive collapse of the central airways is related to obesity, and occurs in both obese controls and obese asthma. Increased airway collapse could contribute to ventilation abnormalities in obese individuals particularly at lower lung volumes, and complicate asthma in obese individuals.
Novel curcumin analog (cis-trans curcumin) as ligand to adenosine receptors A2A and A2B: potential for therapeutics.

Abstract All four of the adenosine receptor (AR) subtypes mediate pain and have been targeted by pharmacologists to generate new therapeutics for chronic pain. The vanilloid phytochemicals, which include curcumin, capsaicin, and gingerol, have been shown to alleviate pain. However, there is little to no literature on the interaction of vanilloid phytochemicals with ARs. In this study, photochemical methods were used to generate a novel isomer of curcumin (cis-trans curcumin or CTCUR), and the interactions of both curcumin and CTCUR with the two Gs-linked AR subtypes were studied. Competitive binding assays, docking analysis, and confocal fluorescence microscopy were performed to measure binding affinity; cell survival assays were used to measure toxicity; and cAMP assays were performed to measure receptor activation. Competitive binding results indicated that CTCUR binds to both AR A2A and AR A2B with Ki values of 5 μM and 7 μM, respectively, which is consistent with our docking results. Fluorescence microscopy data also shows binding for A2B and A2A. Cell survival results show that CTCUR and CUR are nontoxic at the tested concentrations in these cell lines. Overall, our results suggest that vanilloid phytochemicals may be slightly modified to increase interaction with Gs-ARs, and thereby can be further explored to provide a novel class of non-opioid antinociceptives.
Radiation-induced intracranial osteosarcoma of the anterior skull base after treatment of esthesioneuroblastoma

Esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) is an uncommon sinonasal cancer of the olfactory neuroepithelium that is typically treated with surgical resection followed by radiation therapy. Radiation-induced intracranial osteosarcoma of the skull base is a rare but devastating long-term complication of radiation therapy in this region. Here, we present a case of an 82-year-old patient who developed radiation-induced osteosarcoma of the anterior skull base and paranasal sinuses 10 years after radiation therapy following resection of an ENB. Older patients may be at risk of developing this complication earlier and with a worse prognosis relative to younger patients. Treating physicians/surgeons should be aware of this devastating complication. Patients who are treated with high-dose radiation therapy in this region should be followed for many years.
Sweet Science, Sweet Thunder: Jazz, Pugilism, and the Fine Art of Criticism

This article proceeds from the observation that language describing the performances of jazz musicians and prizefighters with reference to one another is common to both sports writing and jazz crit...
Open Source Community Health: Analytical Metrics and Their Corresponding Narratives

Open source projects are most often evaluated by potential contributors and consumers using metrics that describe a level of activity within the project because those measurements are available. The principle question in the minds of most evaluators, however, is “How healthy and sustainable is this project in the context of its competitors or dependent projects”? Limitations of current analysis methods focused on trace data alone are discussed, and reviewed in depth. Next, our methods for conducting engaged field research, developing metrics standards as part of a corporate communal partnership, and molding tools that evolve through a reflexive discourse with practitioners using standard metrics is framed as an approach to consider for examining open source software health and sustainability. Researchers, in particular, need tools for increasing the feasibility of comprehensive, multi-project health and sustainability studies, and connecting trace data with human experience. From a practice perspective, these same conditions are increasing the difficulty organizations and individuals engaged in open source face when trying to understand the status, condition, and health of a particular project, the project's ecosystem or ecosystems emerging around their specific project context. This study examines the work of a Linux Foundation working group, CHAOSS (Community Health Analytics Open Source Software) during the first four years of the formation. The paper concludes with examples of CHAOSS metrics operationalized in partnership with corporate collaborators in a manner that emphasizes comparison, transparency, trajectory and visualization as components for discursive, evolutionary understanding of open source software health.
Asynchronous phase field fracture model for porous media with thermally non-equilibrated constituents

Abstract This paper presents the mathematical framework and the asynchronous finite element solver that captures the brittle fractures in multi-phase fluid-infiltrating porous media at the mesoscale where the constituents are not necessarily in a thermal equilibrium state. To achieve this goal, we introduce a dual-temperature effective medium theory in which the distinct constituent temperatures are homogenized independently whereas the heat exchange among the constituents is captured via phenomenological heat exchange laws in analog to the dual-permeability theory. To handle the different growth rates of the boundary layers in a stable and computationally efficient manner, an asynchronous time integrator is proposed and implemented in an operator-split algorithm that updates the displacement, pore pressure, phase field, and temperature of each constituent in an asynchronous manner. Numerical examples are introduced to verify the implementation and compare the path-dependent behaviors predicted by the dual-temperature and one-temperature models.
Developing Vehicle Classification Inputs for Project-Level MOVES Analysis

The motor vehicle emission simulator (MOVES) model is the primary regulatory model for estimating automobile emissions in the United States. The model requires refined input data; otherwise, internal model assumptions that are not necessarily representative of the project being modeled can dominate the outputs. For example, project-level on-road fleet composition is highly dependent on local vehicle use; hence, MOVES default inputs and regional distributions are not likely to apply (and MOVES estimates for project-level analyses are especially sensitive to vehicle source type distribution). Unfortunately, developing project-level source type distributions can be challenging for model users. This research proposes a procedure for developing MOVES vehicle source type distribution inputs that uses the FHWA vehicle classification scheme, Environmental Protection Agency certification data, state registration data, along with on-road license plate and video data. A case study of I-85 near Atlanta, Georgia, is p...
MRI demonstrates a decrease in myocardial infarct healing and increase in compensatory ventricular hypertrophy following mechanical microvascular obstruction

Purpose To provide direct evidence that mechanical obstruction of microvessels inhibits infarct resorption (healing) and enhances left ventricular (LV) remodeling using MRI. Materials and Methods Animals (n = 20 pigs) served as controls (group I) or were subjected to either 90 min left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery occlusion/reperfusion (group II) or 90 min LAD occlusion/ microemboli delivery/reperfusion (group III). MRI (cine and delayed contrast enhanced MRI, DE-MRI) was performed at 3 days and 5 weeks after interventions and used for assessing LV function, mass, and extent of myocardial damage and microvascular obstruction (MVO) using semi-automated threshold method. Results Persistent MVO in the core of contiguous infarct was larger and more frequent (n = 8/8) in group III than group II (4/8) on DE-MRI at 3 days. Furthermore, patchy microinfarct, as a result of microembolization, was visible as hyperenhanced zone at the borders of the contiguous infarct. The reduction in ejection fraction and increase in LV volumes on cine MRI were greater in group III than group II at 3 days and 5 weeks, which may be attributed to the slow infarct resorption, MVO extents and patchy microinfarct at the borders. Conclusion This MRI study illustrates the recently raised conjecture that MVO delays/inhibits infarct resorption (healing), accentuates LV hypertrophy and pathological remodeling. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;40:906–914. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A comparison of actual versus stated label amounts of EPA and DHA in commercial omega-3 dietary supplements in the United States.

BACKGROUND Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are associated with health benefits throughout life and are obtained primarily through fish and fish oil supplements. Due to the growing popularity of dietary supplements, 47 commercial fish, krill, and algal oil supplements were analyzed for EPA, DHA, and other fatty acids. RESULTS For fish- and krill-based supplements, the range of EPA was 81.8 to 454.6 mg g−1 oil and DHA was 51.6 to 220.4 mg g−1 oil. For algal oil supplements, EPA ranged from 7.7 to 151.1 mg g−1 oil and DHA ranged from 237.8 to 423.5 mg g−1 oil. The percentage of the stated label amount for EPA and DHA ranged from 66 to 184% and 62 to 184%, respectively. Only 10 supplements (21% of those tested) had at least 100% of the stated label amount of EPA, while 12 supplements (25% of those tested) had at least 100% of the stated amount of DHA. Over 70% of the supplements tested did not contain the stated label amount of EPA or DHA. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the quality of fish oil supplements is not being adequately monitored by manufacturers or government agencies and increased testing is needed to ensure regulatory compliance. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Ethics in Academic Finance: A Normative Apology

The goal of this paper is to motivate academic finance associations to design and adopt salient codes of ethics as well as standards of professional practice. In true academic form, this paper provides the formal justification for the existence of ethics in finance as well as the teaching of ethics in academic finance. A normative approach is taken, as this appears to be the perspective reflected in practitioner finance association’s code of ethics. The distinction is discussed between normative finance and positive finance. Normative always precedes positive.
Modeling and evaluation of certification path discovery in the emerging global PKI

Establishing trust on certificates across multiple domains requires an efficient certification path discovery algorithm. Previously, small exmaples are used to analyze the performance of certification path discovery. In this work, we propose and implement a simulation framework and a probability search tree model for systematic performance evaluation. Built from measurement data collected from current PKI systems in development and deployment over more than 10 countries, our model is (to the best of our knowledge) the largest simulated PKI architecture to-date.
The search for Omega

For the effective use of iterative algorithms for solving large sparse linear systems it is often necessary to select certain iteration parameters. Examples of iteration parameters are the relaxation factor, omega, for the SOR and SSOR methods and the largest and smallest eigenvalues of the matrix for a basic iterative method when Chebyshev acceleration is used to speed up the convergence. For many iterative algorithms the performance is extremely sensitive to the choice of iteration parameters. Moreover, uncertainty as to how to choose iteration parameters has often, in the past, tended to discourage the use of iterative methods, as opposed to direct methods, for certain classes of problems. The purpose of this paper is to review the development of procedures for choosing iteration parameters, with special emphasis on methods applicable to linear systems arising from the numerical solution of partial differential equations. The discussion will include a priori procedures including analytic techniques, spectral methods, and methods based on related differential equations. Automatic, or adaptive,'' procedures, wherein the iteration parameters are improved as the computation proceeds, will also be discussed. Some of these procedures have been incorporated into the ITPACK software packages for solving large sparse linear systems. Numerical experiments indicatemore » that the amount of overhead needed to determine satisfactory parameters is usually not excessive. Methods for choosing iteration parameters for nonsymmetric systems will also be considered.« less
Using a medium-fill simulation to evaluate the microbial contamination rate for USP medium-risk-level compounding.

Purpose. The estimated microbial contamination rate for complex, multiple-step, medium-risk-level compounding was studied. Methods. The results of evaluations of the aseptic technique of pharmacists and technicians in compounding complex USP medium-risk-level sterile preparations were compiled to estimate the microbial contamination rate. The testing took place in 2002 and 2003 at a single institution and involved reconstitution of sterile dry growth medium and a series of complicated transfers of the medium from vials and ampuls to intravenous bags. The bags were incubated at 25–35 °C for 14 days and observed for microbial growth. Results. Of 539 evaluations, 28 (5.2%) resulted in preparations that yielded microbial growth. Pharmacists’ compounding resulted in a slightly lower contamination rate (4.4%) than that of technicians (6.2%). Inadvertent touch contamination may have been the principal source of the contamination. Conclusion. A two-year series of 539 evaluations of the aseptic technique of pharmacists and technicians conducted with sterile growth medium and designed to simulate the compounding of USP medium-risk-level sterile preparations yielded an overall contamination rate of 5.2%.