cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A policy-based cloud broker for the VCL platform

Managing and delivering virtualised cloud-based services in systems like the virtual computing lab (VCL) is an open challenge. Current research is focused on enhancing specific components like service discovery, composition and monitoring and there is no holistic view of what would constitute a lifecycle of virtualised services delivered on a cloud environment. We have developed a policy-based integrated framework for automating acquisition and consumption of cloud services. This framework divides the cloud service lifecycle into five phases: requirements, discovery, negotiation, composition, and consumption. We have also developed a cloud broker tool to automatically discover, negotiate and reserve images from the VCL platform. It was developed using web technologies and is built upon our service lifecycle framework. This paper describes our methodology and the tool as implemented on the VCL platform.
Determinants of small-area water consumption for the City of Phoenix, Arizona

Rapid population growth in the face of an uncertain climate future challenges the desert city of Phoenix, Arizona to consume water more prudently. To better understand the demand side of this important issue, we identified the determinants of water consumption for detached single-family residential units using ordinary least squares regression (OLS). We compared the results from the OLS model to those of a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model to determine whether there are spatial effects above and beyond the effects of the OLS variables. Determinants of residential water demand reflect both indoor and outdoor use and include household size, the presence of swimming pools, lot size, and the prevalence of landscaping that requires a moist environment. Results confirm the statistical significance of household size, the presence of a pool, landscaping practices, and lot size. Improvement of the GWR over the OLS model suggests that there are spatial effects above and beyond the effects for household size and pools - two of the four determinants of water demand. This means that census tracts exhibit water consumption behavior similar to neighboring tracts for these two variables. Model parameters can be used to investigate the effects of policies designed to regulate lot size, pool construction, and landscaping practices on water consumption and to forecast water demand in areas of new construction.
Tiagabine is neuroprotective in the N171-82Q and R6/2 mouse models of Huntington's disease.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by chorea, incoordination, and shortened life-span, and by huntingtin inclusions and neurodegeneration. We previously screened the 1040 FDA-approved compounds from the NINDS compound library and found that a compound, nipecotic-acid, significantly reduced mutant huntingtin aggregations and blocked cell toxicity in an inducible cell model of HD. Because nipecotic-acid does not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), we studied its analogue, tiagabine, which is able to cross the BBB, in both N171-82Q and R6/2 transgenic mouse models of HD. Tiagabine was administered intraperitoneally at 2 and 5 mg/kg daily in HD mice. We found that tiagabine extended survival, improved motor performance, and attenuated brain atrophy and neurodegeneration in N171-82Q HD mice. These beneficial effects were further confirmed in R6/2 HD mice. The levels of tiagabine at effective doses in mouse serum are comparable to the levels in human patients treated with tiagabine. These results suggest that tiagabine may have beneficial effects in the treatment of HD. Because tiagabine is an FDA-approved drug, it may be a promising candidate for future clinical trials for the treatment of HD.
An optimal convex hull algorithm and new results on cuttings

An optimal algorithm for computing hyperplane cuttings is given. It results in a new kind of cutting, which enjoys all the properties of the previous ones and, in addition, can be refined by composition. An optimal algorithm for computing the convex hull of a finite point set in any fixed dimension is also given. >
Fault recovery in linear systems via intrinsic evolution

We investigate fault recovery using reconfiguration for analog linear feedback control systems. We assume any faults occur only within the linear system and accessibility to its internal circuitry is impossible. Consequently, the only way to restore service - even degraded service - is by inserting a compensation network into the control loop. System failures are manifested by a change in the original bandwidth. The compensators are evolved intrinsically.
Amalgam-contact hypersensitivity lesions and oral lichen planus.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between amalgam restorations and oral lichen planus. Study design. Eighty-one patients with oral lichenoid lesions were characterized clinically and skin patch tested for amalgam or mercury hypersensitivity. Thirty-three of these patients had amalgam fillings in contact with oral lesions replaced and were followed to determine the outcome. Results. Clinically, 2 patient groups were identified: (1) 30 patients with probable amalgam-contact hypersensitivity lesions (ACHLs) and (2) 51 patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) but no clear relationship with amalgam. Seventy percent of ACHL cases were patch test positive for amalgam or mercury compared with only 3.9% of OLP cases (P.0001). Amalgam replacement resulted in lesion improvement in 93% of ACHL cases. No such improvement was observed in the OLP cases treated (P <.001). Conclusion. OLP is a heterogeneous condition within which an ACHL subgroup can be identified. ACHLs, but not other OLP lesions, respond favorably to amalgam replacement. A strong clinical association between lesions and amalgam restorations plus a positive patch test result was a good predictor of lesion improvement on amalgam replacement. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2003;95:291-9)
On Optimal Collusion Strategies for Fingerprinting

We study the theoretical performance of linear and non-linear collusion attacks under the assumptions that orthogonal or regular-simplex fingerprints are used, and that the detector performs a linear correlation test in order to decide whether a user of interest is among the colluders. The colluders create a noise-free forgery by applying a mapping f to their individual copies, and then add a noise sequence e to form the actual forgery. They seek the mapping f and the distribution of e that maximize the probability of error of the detector. The performance of mappings such as linear-averaging and interleaving can be compared in this framework. It is also shown that impulsive noise attacks are far more effective than Gaussian attacks.
Functional analysis of Rev binding region 2, a structural element of the EIAV Rev responsive element

Lentiviruses translate their structural and enzymatic proteins from unspliced and singly spliced viral mRNAs (vRNAs). Export to the cytoplasm of the incompletely spliced transcripts is mediated by the viral Rev protein. Rev binds to a highly structured region of the unspliced/singly spliced RNA, termed the Rev responsive element (RRE), multimerizes, and tethers the RNA to cellular export factors to cross the nuclear membrane. While Rev-RRE mediated nuclear export is well studied in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the interaction between the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) Rev and the RRE is less well studied. Chemical footprinting analysis indicates Rev interacts with two regions on the RNA, termed Rev binding region one (RBR-1) and Rev binding region 2 (RBR-2). RBR-1 contains a 56nt sequence termed the minRRE sufficient to both bind Rev and support nuclear export. The minRRE spans Rev exon 1 and an exon splicing enhancer (ESE) necessary for Rev exon 1 splicing. RBR-2 was previously functionally uncharacterized. RBR-2 contains predicted structural motifs found in several other lentiviruses, and is required for Rev high affinity binding, suggesting this region is biologically relevant and may be involved in Rev nuclear export. Here we examined the effect of deleting RBR-2 on nuclear export, virus structural gene expression, and virion production, and Rev-SF2/ASF competition. Our findings indicate RBR-2 is neither necessary nor sufficient for nuclear export, and deletion of RBR-2 does not affect either virus structural gene expression or virion production, suggesting RBR-1 is the primary binding site and RRE for Rev. The RBR-1 sequence secondary structure and the genomic intronic location is distinct from that of HIV-1 and other lentivirus RREs. It is still unclear if RBR-2 has a functional role in virus replication.
Parental Analgesic Knowledge and Decision Making for Children With and Without Obstructive Sleep Apnea After Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy.

Tonsillectomy is a common and painful procedure often indicated for children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who are at risk for opioid-related toxicity. Whether parents whose children have OSA understand the risks of opioids is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine whether parents whose children have OSA have greater opioid risk understanding and would be less likely to give an opioid to a child exhibiting oversedation compared to parents whose children do not have OSA. The study design was a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study. The study was conducted in a large academic, tertiary care children's hospital in the Midwest. 224 parents whose children with or without OSA underwent tonsillectomy with/without adenoidectomy were included. Parents were assessed for opioid adverse event understanding and then made decisions to give/withhold opioids for a child exhibiting adverse effects. After discharge, parents recorded all opioid doses they gave their child. There were no differences in opioid understanding between OSA and non-OSA groups, and nearly half in both would give an opioid to the child exhibiting oversedation. Similar amounts of opioids were given at home. OSA did not predict parents' opioid decisions; however, around-the-clock instruction predicted greater opioid use at home. Parents whose children had OSA had a similar understanding of opioid-related oversedation compared to other parents, and half would give a prescribed opioid when signs of oversedation were present, suggesting a need for improved understanding and recognition of this sign of toxicity, and of what to do should this symptom present.
Evaluating the Accessibility and Usability of Blogging Platforms for Blind Users

Web-based social media have become a dynamic way of allowing the inclusive communication of many perspectives from diverse backgrounds. In a recent survey from WebAIM, blogging was noted to be the dominant form of social media according to screen reader users (WebAIM, 2010). Social media and other forms of technology can provide a platform for users with disabilities to interact and communicate on a level playing field with anyone else throughout society. It is the responsibility of application designers to follow established standards of accessibility and usability in order to provide equal access to this dynamic technology.
“It’s not just words coming from the mouth” The nature of compassionate love among older couples

Compassionate love is an important characteristic of healthy close relationships. However, we know little about how compassionate love is behaviorally manifested. Furthermore, compassionate love may be uniquely experienced among older couples, as age-related challenges may require adjustments by spouses in providing more care for one another. Through interviews with 63 older married couples, this exploratory study examined the behavioral component of compassionate love among older couples as reported from the recipients’ perspective. From the qualitative data analysis, 11 behavioral domains were identified, including caring for physical health and helping with household tasks. The examples varied greatly in magnitude and meaningfulness, from willingly moving around the country to fixing breakfast. Further, couples frequently highlighted acts related to their increasing age-related challenges, underscoring the importance of taking a life-span approach to the study of compassionate love. The results may be ...
Abstract A27: Developing sisters informing sisters: A peer-based intervention in treatment decision making for newly diagnosed black breast cancer patients

Background: Improved treatment decision making has been suggested as a strategy to increase use of adjuvant systemic breast cancer therapies. However, few interventions address this issue particularly in black patients. The study objective was to assess the feasibility of delivering a patient education intervention to improve treatment decision making. Methods: Seventy-six women with histologically confirmed breast cancer were recruited from the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. After a baseline telephone interview, women received an in-person educational session with a trained breast cancer survivor (survivor coach). The coach used a culturally appropriate guidebook and decision-making model TALK Back! SM , which instructs breast cancer patients to T ell your story, A sk questions, L isten actively, and K now your treatment options. After the session, patients were recontacted to assess their acceptability of the intervention and self-reported outcomes. Results: Most (87%) found the intervention acceptable. After the intervention, participants reported: increased treatment knowledge (79%), better self-efficacy in communicating with providers (70%), and increased self-efficacy in making treatment decisions (57%). Compared to baseline scores, post-intervention communication with providers significantly increased (p Conclusions: These findings support the feasibility and acceptability of intervening with this population. Testing the impact of this intervention on decision outcomes and treatment adherence using RCTs or similar designs will be important next steps. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):A27.
Comparison of Efficiency-Increasing and Toxic Effects of Theophyllinated Scillaridin∗ on Isolated Cat Heart.†:

SummaryA new cardiac drug, a dimethylxanthine genate, has been studied in the completely isolated cat heart. It has been found to exhibit marked cardiotonic properties, and low toxicity. It exerts ...
Some Additional Mammal Records from Kentucky

Recent mammal collecting in Kentucky has resulted in the acquisition of a few specimens of some species whose distribution in the state is poorly known. In an effort to bring up to date the knowledge of these species in the state, the literature has been surveyed and data pertinent to the specimens appended. Credit is due to The Research Fund Committee of the University of Kentucky for financial assistance in the collection of certain of the specimens; Charles O. Handley of the United States National Museum for verifying my identification of the specimens of Corynorhinus and for other courtesies; and to many of my students for assistance in the field. Nomenclature of Corynorhinus follows that of Handley (Jour. Wash. Acad. Sei., 45(5): 147–149, 1955), wherein C. rafinesquii = C. macrotis , and C. townsendii = C. rafinesquii . Most of the specimens are deposited in the zoological collection of the University of Kentucky; a few are in the United States National Museum. Measurements are expressed in millimeters; averages are given first, followed by extremes in parentheses. …
SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential Enrichment), as a Powerful Tool for Deciphering the Protein–DNA Interaction Space

DNA-binding proteins, including transcription factors, play essential roles in many biological processes. The identification of the DNA sequences to which these proteins bind is a first, yet still challenging, step for determining their functions. SELEX provides an excellent tool for deciphering protein DNA-binding sequence specificity, and it has been widely adopted for addressing fundamental biological questions. SELEX is an experimental procedure that involves the progressive selection, from a large combinatorial double-stranded oligonucleotide library, of DNA ligands with variable DNA-binding affinities and specificities by repeated rounds of partition and amplification. In this chapter, we describe a SELEX protocol that we have successfully applied to both plant and animal MYB transcription factors.
Quinidine: is it a good drug or a bad drug?

PreviewGLINDA: Are you a good witch or a bad witch? DOROTHY: Who, me? Why… I'm not a witch at all. From the movie, The Wizard of Oz, 1939Recently, the level of concern about the safety of quinidine has been raised because of the risk of nonfatal and fatal proarrhythmic complications. Like Glinda, physicians must ask, Is quinidine a good drug or a bad drug?
Optical Generation of Sound: Experiments with a Moving Thermoacoustic Source. The Problem of Oblique Incidence of the Laser Beam

An intensity modulated laser beam was reflected by a rotating mirror over a body of water to produce a moving thermoacoustic source. Pressure waveforms were recorded at several locations in the field and for different values of the the source velocity. A strong increase in sound pressure was observed when the source was moving at a velocity close to that of sound in water. The effect of oblique incidence of the laser beam on the water surface is then studied analytically for farfield radiation and numerically for the nearfield case. It is shown that in general the effect of oblique incidence is to accentuate the broadside characteristic of the acoustic radiation.
Understanding manycore scalability of file systems

We analyze the manycore scalability of five widely-deployed file systems, namely, ext4, XFS, btrfs, F2FS, and tmpfs, by using our open source benchmark suite, FXMARK. FXMARK implements 19 microbenchmarks to stress specific components of each file system and includes three application benchmarks to measure the macroscopic scalability behavior. We observe that file systems are hidden scalability bottlenecks in many I/O-intensive applications even when there is no apparent contention at the application level. We found 25 scalability bottlenecks in file systems, many of which are unexpected or counterintuitive. We draw a set of observations on file system scalability behavior and unveil several core aspects of file system design that systems researchers must address.
Case 56: A Case Report

From time to time you will, in your clinical practice, come across an interesting/unusual case. If you feel it is of significant clinical importance, you may want to have your case report published so as to share your experience with others. An example of such a case is the following which happened to us.
Nutrition Label Numeracy: Disparities and Association with Health Behaviors.

OBJECTIVE We investigated the relative importance of nutrition label numeracy and sociodemographic characteristics in predicting health behaviors. METHODS Secondary data analysis of data collected from the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 4, cycle 3, 2013). Weighted age-adjusted ordinal logistical regression was used to evaluate sociodemographic characteristics among individuals with different nutrition label numeracy levels. Dominance analysis was conducted to rank nutrition label numeracy and sociodemographic characteristics in order of importance as predictors of health behavior. RESULTS Lower levels of nutrition label numeracy were associated with older age, black and Hispanic race/ethnicity, unemployment, being born outside of the United States, lower English proficiency, lower education achievement, lower income, and living in the South. Nutrition label numeracy and income were the most important predictors of health behaviors, accounting for about 50% of the variance in fruit consumption and level of effort, frustration, concern, and confusion experienced while seeking health information. CONCLUSIONS Nutrition label numeracy differed significantly among sociodemographic groups and was a strong predictor of health behaviors. When developing health interventions targeting dietary behaviors, disparities in nutrition label numeracy comprehension should be considered.
Trityl radicals in perfluorocarbon emulsions as stable, sensitive, and biocompatible oximetry probes.

Abstract EPR oximetry with the use of trityl radicals can enable sensitive O2 measurement in biological cells and tissues. However, in vitro cellular and in vivo biological applications are limited by rapid trityl probe degradation or biological clearance and the need to enhance probe O2 sensitivity. We synthesized novel perfluorocarbon (PFC) emulsions, ∼200 nm droplet size, containing esterified perchlorinated triphenyl methyl (PTM) radicals dispersed in physiological aqueous buffers. These formulations exhibit excellent EPR signal stability, over 20-fold greater than free PTM probes, with high oxygen sensitivity ∼17 mG/mmHg enabling pO2 measurement in aqueous solutions or cell suspensions with sensitivity >0.5 mmHg. Thus, PFC-PTM probes hold great promise to enable combined O2 delivery and sensing as needed to restore or enhance tissue oxygenation in disease.
Protection of multi-terminal and distributed DC systems: Design challenges and techniques

Abstract The DC power system is an effective architecture that achieves more reliable power with higher efficiency, leading to a better integration of energy sources with fewer power electronic converters. However, the protection of DC power systems, especially multi-source distribution systems and multi-terminal dc lines, involves many challenges. Through extensive study, this paper presents the key requirements for the protection of these systems, such as personal safety, fault detection and location capabilities, equipment survivability and ride-through capability. Various grounding topologies utilized in DC systems are detailed and their advantages and limitations are compared in terms of personal safety, transient short circuit current behavior, fault detection and protection capabilities, and insulation requirements. In multi-source systems, the proper design and coordination of circuit breakers and disconnecting switches are very important to rapidly isolate the faulted area and restore the system. In this paper, different circuit breaker technologies and configurations have been studied and their performances are compared. Moreover, this paper presents a comprehensive overview of various fault detection and location techniques suggested in the literature. The requirements and applications of these techniques are discussed and areas for future research are indicated.
The management of the entero-atmospheric fistula (EAF)

The open abdomen is an available tool utilized in the management of damage control laparotomy (DCL) as well as emergency general surgery intra-abdominal sepsis. Despite its theoretical usefulness, open abdomen has definite associated complications including ventral hernia and entero-atmospheric fistula (EAF). Unlike entero-cutaneous fistula (ECF), EAF presents a somewhat more clinical challenge in terms of wound care and fistula effluence control. In this chapter, we presented an EAF case scenario, an overview of the subject including etiology, classification, and various techniques in managing this difficult clinical scenario with literature review. The best treatment for the EAF is most likely its prevention as it is so devastating for the patient and surgeon. The earlier the abdomen is closed, the less chance that the EAF will develop.
Utilization Trends in Noncardiac Thoracic Imaging, 2002-2014.

Abstract Purpose To analyze recent trends in utilization of the various noncardiac thoracic imaging modalities in the Medicare population. Methods The Medicare Part B databases for 2002 through 2014 were reviewed. All CPT codes pertaining to noninvasive imaging of the thorax were selected and grouped into seven categories: x-ray, CT, computed tomographic angiography (CTA), nuclear scans (noncardiac), MRI, MR angiography, and ultrasound. Yearly utilization rates per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries were calculated. Medicare physician specialty codes were used to determine how many studies were performed by radiologists versus nonradiologist physicians. Results The total utilization rate of all chest imaging peaked at 1,090 per 1,000 in 2005, then progressively declined to 913 by 2014 (−16%). In 2002, radiologists' share of thoracic imaging was 87% and increased to 91% by 2014. Among all providers, the total utilization rate of chest CT rose sharply, peaked at 100 in 2007, and has remained steady at around 89-91 in more recent years. The CTA utilization rate rose progressively from 2 in 2002 to 23 in 2014. Utilization rates of nuclear chest imaging decreased steadily after 2002. Chest x-ray rates reached a peak of 976 in 2005 but then declined to 790 in 2014; this change was largely responsible for the decline in total thoracic imaging. Conclusion Overall thoracic imaging utilization rates have declined in recent years, despite an increase in use of CT and CTA. The decline largely resulted from a decrease in use of chest x-rays.
Platelets Protect Tumors from Hemorrhage Induced by Stroma-Infiltrating Leukocytes

Abstract In a recent study, we showed that platelets are crucial regulators of tumor vascular homeostasis in that they continuously prevent tumor hemorrhage through secretion of their granules. However, it remains unclear what platelets target to prevent tumor bleeding. Tumors are associated with inflammation, a cause of hemorrhage in thrombocytopenia. We hypothesized that platelets protect tumors from vascular damages induced by infiltrating inflammatory cells. Here, we report that thrombocytopenia-induced tumor hemorrhage preferentially occurs at the periphery of tumors, where massive accumulation of monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils was revealed by tumor histology. To further investigate the role of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes in the induction of tumor hemorrhage in thrombocytopenic mice, we used genetically-engineered mice with a deficiency in either beta2 or beta3 integrins, or in integrin activation. We show that these mice have decreased leukocyte infiltration in the tumor stroma and are protected from thrombocytopenia-induced tumor hemorrhage. Using a model of TNFa-induced skin inflammation, we demonstrate that releasates from collagen- and thrombin-stimulated platelets inhibit neutrophil-induced vascular damage. Our results show that platelets protect tumors from vascular leakage induced by infiltrating leukocytes and that releasate from activated platelets has potent in vivo healing properties needed after leukocyte transmigration.
Bioprivileged molecules: creating value from biomass

The petrochemical industry is built on C2–C4 alkenes and aromatics as intermediate molecules, which are converted to a range of products. This industry is highly developed with little opportunity for new chemical products. In comparison biological-derived intermediates from biomass have the potential to introduce a new set of intermediate molecules, which can be converted to molecules that directly replace petrochemicals. Even more promising is the potential to convert biological-derived intermediates to novel chemical species that impart enhanced performance properties in their end use. Here the concept of bioprivileged molecules is introduced as a useful new paradigm for developing biobased chemicals. Included are muconic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and triacetic acid lactone as example bioprivileged molecules. Also, discussed is the research needed to move this concept forward.
WNT5A regulates adipose tissue angiogenesis via antiangiogenic VEGF-A165b in obese humans

Wingless-related integration site 5a (WNT5A) negatively regulates adipose tissue angiogenesis via VEGF-A165b in human obesity.
Working mothers’ second shift, personal resources, and self-care

The stress of feeling rushed and busy are contemporary facts of life as evidenced by research on time pressure and overload. This is explained by conservation of resources theory which posits that ...
Percutaneous Curettage and Bone Grafting for Humeral Simple Bone Cysts

Traditional treatments for simple bone cysts are associated with significant surgical morbidity and high recurrence rates. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a percutaneous approach to the treatment of proximal humeral simple bone cysts that includes percutaneous decompression, curettage, and injection of allogeneic cancellous bone combined with autologous bone marrow. Twenty-one children (average age, 10.1+/-4.6 years) with symptomatic simple bone cysts of the proximal humerus were surgically treated with percutaneous cyst decompression, curettage, and cancellous allograft combined with autologous bone marrow. Patients were observed in-clinic with serial examinations and radiographs. Fracture healing and cyst recurrence were determined at follow-up. All patients returned to activities of daily living with full range of motion and were completely asymptomatic. All fractures healed. There were no surgical complications or refractures. Five patients demonstrated radiographic evidence of partial cyst recurrence and required additional surgical treatment. One patient required a third operative procedure for a second recurrence. Three of 8 active cysts demonstrated partial recurrence. Recurrence was associated with younger age. Our goal in the treatment of proximal humeral simple bone cysts is to prevent cyst recurrence and pathologic refracture. Radiographic evidence of cyst resolution occurred in 75% of our patients using percutaneous curettage and bone grafting, and in 95% of patients with a second procedure. As expected, partial recurrence of active cysts after treatment with this method is high. This percutaneous technique is a safe and effective treatment for humeral simple bone cysts.
Psychiatric and psychosocial issues and intervention among ventricular assist device patients

Candidates for heart transplantation face increasingly lengthy waits for donor hearts. In the United States, candidates may wait for well over 12 months (United Network of Organ Sharing statistics for 1994), and during this period, life-threatening deteriorations in their condition often occur. When death is imminent or when survival to transplant is unlikely given declining clinical condition, mechanical circulatory support can often be successfully utilized to bridge patients to cardiac transplantation. By mid-1992, a total of 380 persons had received one of the four most-used types of ventricular assist devices approved as bridges in the United States (38). These devices include the Pierce-Donachy Assist Device (Thoratec, Berkeley, CA) (n = 172 bridged patients by August, 1992); the Abiomed BVS-5000 (Abiomed Cardiovascular Inc., Danvers, MA) (n = 58 patients); the Novacor Left Ventricular Assist System (Novacor Division, Baxter Health Care Corporation, Oakland, CA) (n = 124 patients), and the CardioWest device (CardioWest, Inc., Tempe, AZ) (n = 26 patients). Clinical reports of patients supported by these and similar devices approved more recently show not only remarkable physical rehabilitation in many cases after device insertion, but excellent post-transplant survival rates that meet and sometimes exceed survival rates in nonbridged patients (21,38).
Stephen Jay Gould’s Analysis of the Army Beta Test in The Mismeasure of Man: Distortions and Misconceptions Regarding a Pioneering Mental Test

In The Mismeasure of Man, Stephen Jay Gould argued that the preconceived beliefs and biases of scientists influence their methods and conclusions. To show the potential consequences of this, Gould used examples from the early days of psychometrics and allied fields, arguing that inappropriate assumptions and an elitist desire to rank individuals and/or groups produced incorrect results. In this article, we investigate a section of The Mismeasure of Man in which Gould evaluated the Army Beta intelligence test for illiterate American draftees in World War I. We evaluated Gould’s arguments that the Army Beta (a) had inappropriate content, (b) had unsuitable administration conditions, (c) suffered from short time limits, and (d) could not have measured intelligence. By consulting the historical record and conducting a pre-registered replication of Gould’s administration of the test to a sample of college students, we show that Gould mischaracterized the Army Beta in a number of ways. Instead, the Army Beta was a well-designed test by the standards of the time, and all evidence indicates that it measured intelligence a century ago and can, to some extent, do so today.
Pyrazine nucleoside analogs. Synthesis and reactions of some 5-thio-substituted pyrazines

5-Benzylthio-1,2-dihydro-2-oxopyrazine (8) was prepared from 2-amino-5-bromopyrazine by sequential treatment with sodium thiobenzylate and diazotization. Condensation of the silyl derivative of 8 with a protected 2-deoxyribofuranosyl chloride gave α and β anomers of 5-benzylthiopyrazine nucleosides. Reaction of 2,5-dichloropyrazine 4-oxide with sodium thiobenzylate followed by hydrolysis gave 5-benzylthio-1,2-dihydro-2-oxopyrazine 4-oxide (16).
Evolving Role of Genomics in Genitourinary Neoplasms.

The aim of this article is to review the current role of genomic testing in the risk, prognosis, and treatment of genitourinary malignancies. The authors selected guidelines, publications, and abstracts relevant to the current and emerging role of genomics in genitourinary cancers. The risk of developing genitourinary cancer can be stratified based on genomic data. Prostate cancer has the strongest degree of heritability, with BRCA1/2 and HOXB13 mutations playing a role in familial disease. Genomic data is on the verge of informing treatment decisions across genitourinary cancers. mCRPC has diverse genomic alterations that represent potential therapeutic targets, including alterations in the AR pathway, DNA damage and repair pathways, cell cycle pathways, PI3K pathway, and Wnt signaling. Genomic alterations in clear cell renal cell carcinoma can inform prognosis and mutations in mTOR pathways predict response to mTOR inhibitors. Urothelial carcinoma can be classified into different subtypes based on gene expression profiling, which provides prognostic information and predicts response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Specific mutations have been identified that predict response to therapy including ERCC2 mutations and cisplatin, DNA damage and repair mutations and checkpoint inhibitors, and FGFR3 mutations and FGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as erdafitinib. Conclusion. Genitourinary malignancies have not felt the impact of genomic data as greatly as other cancer types. The majority of benefit lies in identifying patients at high risk of genitourinary cancer. Fortunately, breakthroughs are on the horizon that will result in a greater incorporation of genomic information into treatment decisions for patients with genitourinary cancer.
Altered metabolism for neuroprotection provided by mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent adult stem cells which have become popular research targets for their use in cellular therapy for tissue repair. While recent advancements in research have shown the MSCs have immunomodulatory functions which are altered in response to host inflammatory molecules, how these stimuli produce different functional outcomes is not understood. Here, we evaluate research examining how the proinflammatory cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) affects the immunomodulatory functions of MSCs by altering their metabolism. This study indicates that IFN-γ causes an increase in glycolytic activity and uncoupling of glycolysis to tricarboxylic acid cycle and hence, the glycolytic metabolites and intermediates can be funneled toward the production of anti-inflammatory modulators indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase and PGE2. A complete understanding of how MSCs' cellular metabolism affects their function is necessary for their employment in cellular therapy, as MSCs have been demonstrated to have pro- and anti-inflammatory functions. These findings are a large step forward in the understanding of the regulation of MSCs and toward their eventual use in cellular therapy, specifically for stroke recovery, in which MSCs have been shown to have powerful neuroprotective and neurogenerative effects.
Effective Social-Context based Message Delivery using ChitChat in Sparse Delay Tolerant Networks

Delay tolerant networks (DTNs) have garnered much interest with the wide-spread adoption of portable smart devices capable of wirelessly connecting with one another, thus enabling the formation of a network for opportunistic data dissemination. This type of network is useful in a variety of applications where other form of network communication strategies are unavailable, such as an on-the-ground tactical military network in an active battlefield or an emergency network formed immediately after a catastrophic disaster. DTNs also provide opportunities for various other interesting applications such as location-based social networking, interests-based data dissemination, and geolocal advertising. One persistent challenge for DTNs is achieving sufficient message delivery due to the dynamic, unpredictable, and opportunistic nature of inter-device connections; this challenge is exacerbated when such connections are sparsely available. In this paper, a novel social-context based message routing system, called ChitChat, is proposed with the focus on message delivery through sparsely-connected DTNs. ChitChat is a hybrid geographic/data-centric routing system designed to exploit each user’s social (or mission) interests to opportunistically learn of multi-hop paths through the network, and to derive the social semantics of geographic locations using user travel itineraries and multi-hop social relationships. In turn, this information is used to make distributed routing decisions based on the likelihood an encountered node will connect with others capable of successfully delivering a message. An analysis of network sparsity is conducted against five real-world datasets. Through simulations using the two highest-sparsity real-world datasets, ChitChat is capable of achieving more successful deliveries against three recent state-of-the-art DTN routing schemes while incurring lower costs against flooding.
Plasmonic Sensors on Invisible Substrates

Gold nanodisks array with minimal effect from the glass substrates have been fabricated using nanosphere lithography and HF undercutting. The undercut substrates have blue-shifted plasmonic resonance with higher bulk refractive index sensitivity.
Large Field-Of-View Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging with Combined On- and Off-Axis Stiffness Estimation for High Frame Rate Hepatic HCC Screening

Heptaocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a commonly occurring cancer and is currently detected using B-mode ultrasound scans in at-risk patients. However, B-mode ultrasound has low sensitivity for HCC, particularly for early stage disease. Ultrasound elasticity imaging methods have been used to demonstrate a stiffness contrast between HCC lesions and the surrounding liver, but currently, these elasticity methods are limited to small fields of view (3x3 cm2), such that full liver elasticity screenings would be excessively time consuming. Previous work has simulated a large field-of-view shear wave elasticity imaging sequence with on-axis reconstruction techniques. This work demonstrates this sequence and reconstruction strategy in phantoms, including an experimentally developed lookup table for the on-axis reconstruction. Results are presented for both a homogeneous and lesion-containing phantom. In the homogeneous phantom, the experimentally derived lookuptable exhibits less bias in the on-axis reconstruction than when using a simulation-based lookup table. In the lesion phantom, three lesions are measured and found to have similar shear wave speed values and contrasts to the manufacturer quoted values. Overall, a field of view of 68 cm2 is obtained using 3 overlapping SWEI reconstruction regions.
Frequency and Consistency of Self-Weighing to Promote Weight-Loss Maintenance.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the roles of frequency and consistency of self-weighing in promoting weight-loss maintenance. METHODS Participants were 74 adults who completed a 3-month internet-based weight-loss program followed by a 9-month no-intervention maintenance period. Frequency of self-weighing was defined as the number of days that participants self-weighed during the maintenance period via a study-provided smart scale. Consistency was defined as the number of weeks that participants self-weighed at a certain frequency, with multiple minimum thresholds examined. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to assess associations among frequency, consistency, and weight change during the maintenance period. RESULTS Greater consistency was significantly associated with less weight regain when defined as the number of weeks that participants self-weighed on ≥6 d/wk or 7 d/wk (P values < 0.05). Contrary to hypotheses, frequency was not associated with weight change (P = 0.141), and there was not a significant interaction between frequency and consistency. CONCLUSIONS Results demonstrate that consistency of self-weighing may be more important than total frequency for preventing weight regain after the end of a weight-loss program. Further, results suggest that a high level of consistency (self-weighing for ≥6 d/wk or 7 d/wk) may be necessary to promote successful weight-loss maintenance.
Ontology and Government

What kind of things do we need to hypothesize when we refer to “government”? A government is made up of actors—individuals who occupy roles; who have beliefs, interests, commitments, and goals; and who exist within social relations and networks involving other individuals both within and outside the corridors of power. How are the actors who make up government tied together through constraints, actions, institutions, values, incentives, norms, identities, emotions, and interests? What forms of social causation and influence serve to constitute the organizations and institutions of government? Recent work in organizational sociology has provided new tools for describing social arrangements within organizations on the basis of which organizations function. Current studies of organizations also provide a basis for understanding the importance and sources of dysfunction within government and other ensembles of organizations. This chapter lays the ground for developing an extensive theory of the social realities that constitute a modern government.
Exploring the adoption of Artificial Intelligence in the Finance Industry: The case of Chatbots in the Kenyan Finance Industry

This study was a review of Chatbot AI technologies in the financial sector in Kenya which included Banks and Insurance organizations. A total of 42 Banks and 41 Insurance companies were reviewed firstly to confirm if chatbot technologies had been adopted in the organizations. The study was further elaborated by asking customers of the institutions that had deployed chatbots to review and provide feedback on their perceptions and opinions regarding them. This research was an extension of the recommendations for future studies by Araujo (2018), who provided input into how chatbots that were human-like were perceived by users. Since his research was in a controlled environment, there was a need to review the actual perceptions of customers towards chatbots. The result of the study showed that only 7% of Kenyan financial institutions in the study (which consisted of most Banks and Insurance Companies in the country) had chatbots. The study also showed that the majority of users and customers that interacted with chatbots had a positive experience. These conclusions confirm the study by Hertzfeld (2019) who found that 80% of consumers that were exposed to chatbots reported a positive experience. The low penetration of chatbot technologies in financial institutions in Kenya may indirectly be due to the findings by the same researcher that though perceptions of chatbots were positive, financial institution customers preferred interacting with human beings, therefore, causing low adoption (Hertzfeld, 2019). It is recommended that future studies review this assumption in detail.
A Direct Measure of Stand Density Based on Stand Growth

Standardizing gross volume increment on periodic height increment of the dominant trees is a means of minimizing the effects of site quality and age in growth–growingstock relations; however, volume increment per height increment contains more information than just a normalization method for fitting growth models. This study builds on previous work suggesting that the cumulative sum of the ratios between individual-tree volume increment and height increment may be a direct measure of stand density. We used data from several levels of growing-stock studies for Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, and red pine to explore this hypothesis. Regression analysis indicated that the sum of the ratios is proportional to (Dqx · N), the underlying equation form of Reineke’s stand density index. Stem growth is a function of canopy dynamics, and additional analyses showed that volume added per unit of height growth was also related to canopy architecture, increasing with decreasing live-crown ratio and increasing foliage density. The linkages between growth, canopy architecture, intermediary canopy dynamics, and (Dqx · N) support the hypothesis that the sum of the tree ratios between volume increment and height increment is a direct measure of site occupancy due to its association between growth and corresponding resource use. Study Implications: Stand density indices are fundamental to managing the development of forest stands to achieve habitat and production goals, and advanced statistical techniques are providing silviculturists with more precise tools to manage density. However, the increased precision is only available with data from self-thinning stands, rare in managed forests. Furthermore, silviculturists must assume that constant fractions of relative stand density are parallel to fitted self-thinning trajectories. The results of this study show that the slope of the stand density gradient can be determined without data from self-thinning stands and the gradient in stand density runs parallel to the trajectory of self-thinning stands.
TEM-based study of oxidation of FeCo high moment alloy at elevated temperatures

Abstract FeCo (60%-70% Fe, 30%-40% Co at.%) alloys have been used as write transducer materials due to their large saturation magnetization at room temperature (μ0M = 2.45 T). In this research, we investigate the influence of oxidation on the magnetic moment of a Fe70Co30 material at elevated temperatures in the application of heat assisted magnetic recording. We find that the moment of Fe70Co30 decreases after oxidation for all temperatures explored and that Co does not take part in the oxidation process. The moment loss is mainly due to the formation of ferrimagnetic Fe3O4 or γ-Fe2O3 as well as the change of the Fe/Co ratio in the FeCo alloy. A 2 nm Cr underlayer has been employed to change the FeCo texture from (1 1 0) to (0 0 2). This also increases the grain size of the FeCo thin film. In the case of the (0 0 2) textured sample, voids form between the FeCo film and the oxide layer, which could be the direct result of Fe cations diffusion.