cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Youth violence prevention

Youth violence continues to be a problem receiving a considerable amount of attention in contemporary American society. Although rates of youth violent crime have been declining since the early-to-...
Introduction to the technical series: what is science, and how does it help us?

Editor's Note: Readers trained in research have no need of a series of articles that introduce the value of the scientific method and the basic factors that comprise good research methodology. But readers who are primarily trained to do clinical work with families will find that today's healthcare environment increasingly requires that they be good consumers of research, as well as an increasing need for them to participate in studies of the models we wish to preserve. At a recent NIMH-sponsored conference, a speaker lamented the probable demise of some of our more interesting family approaches because third-party payers tend to support only evidence-based interventions. Clearly, we need to be able to defend our practices, and understanding the value and essential components of scientific methodology and research studies is likely to become even more important in the future. This new series will attempt to provide an orientation for those of our readers who are interested. We welcome your response to these articles and your suggestions for future segments.
Negative refraction and energy flow

The conditions for negative refraction are examined in a medium with complex permittivity and permeability. The direction of the wave is taken to be in the direction of the Poynting vector, and it is shown that the condition for negative refraction is that the real part of the permeability must be negative.
Multi-channel 24-hour pH monitoring and esophageal manometry in long (LSB)- and short-segment (SSB) Barrett's, gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and asymptomatic subjects (AS)

Multi-channel 24-hour pH monitoring and esophageal manometry in long (LSB)- and short-segment (SSB) Barrett's, gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and asymptomatic subjects (AS)
An algorithm for the enhancement of images of large dynamic range

This paper introduces a novel algorithm for the enhancement of images of large dynamic range. In addition to dynamic range compression, the method provides control of brightness and contrast. The dynamic range compression is done in the spatial domain using the log transformation. Brightness and contrast control are done in the biorthogonal 9/7 wavelet transform domain. The algorithm can be easily added on to a JPEG2000 image compression system with only a modest increase in the computational complexity. Experimental results have shown comparable visual quality with the previously published Retinex algorithm.
Local-global finite element analysis of the seismic response of earth dams

Abstract This paper addresses the numerical analysis of the elasto-plastic dynamic behavior of earth dams. A local-global finite element method is introduced. The method combines local and global shape functions. It has the flexibility of the finite element method and the cost effectiveness of the Galerkin-Ritz method. The method is illustrated by an application to the Long Valley Earth Dam.
Tumor Necrosis Factor–α as a Treatment Target for the Cancer Anorexia/Weight Loss Syndrome

The cancer-associated anorexia/weight loss syndrome occurs in > 50% of patients with advanced cancer. Associated with negative quality of life and diminished survival, this syndrome carries a devastating impact on patients with cancer. To date, efforts to manage this syndrome effectively have fallen short. However, recent data with therapy that targets the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) appear promising. This article discusses some of the preliminary data that suggest that further study of anti-TNF- alpha is warranted. It also describes the study design of an ongoing North Central Cancer Treatment Group trial that is aimed at treating this syndrome with the agent infliximab.
Simultaneous occurrence of xanthine oxidase and sulfite oxidase deficiency. A molybdenum dependent inborn error of metabolism

In a 3-week old female child with clinical features including neurologic abnormalities and lens dislocation, xanthinuria co-existed with increased excretion of sulfur compounds (sulfite, S-sulfocysteine, taurine and thio-sulfate). Low xanthine oxidase and absent sulfite oxidase activities were found on liver biopsy. No abnormality was detected in either parent. Both the above enzymes are molybdenum-flavoproteins. Normal serum molybdenum concentration seemed to rule out dietary deficiency or impaired absorption. A defect in the incorporation of the metal into flavoproteins is postulated in this case.
Identification of a cAMP-response element in the regulator of G-protein signaling-2 (RGS2) promoter as a key cis-regulatory element for RGS2 transcriptional regulation by angiotensin II in cultured vascular smooth muscles.

Mice deficient in regulator of G-protein signaling-2 (RGS2) have severe hypertension, and RGS2 genetic variations occur in hypertensive humans. A potentially important negative feedback loop in blood pressure homeostasis is that angiotensin II (Ang II) increases vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) RGS2 expression. We reported that Group VIA phospholipase A2 (iPLA2β) is required for this response (Xie, Z., Gong, M. C., Su, W., Turk, J., and Guo, Z. (2007) J. Biol. Chem. 282, 25278–25289), but the specific molecular causes and consequences of iPLA2β activation are not known. Here we demonstrate that both protein kinases C (PKC) and A (PKA) participate in Ang II-induced VSMC RGS2 mRNA up-regulation, and that actions of PKC and PKA precede and follow iPLA2β activation, respectively. Moreover, we identified a conserved cAMP-response element (CRE) in the murine RGS2 promoter that is critical for cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) binding and RGS2 promoter activation. Forskolin-stimulated RGS2 mRNA up-regulation is inhibited by CREB sequestration or specific disruption of the CREB-RGS2 promoter interaction, and Ang II-induced CREB phosphorylation and nuclear localization are blocked by iPLA2β pharmacologic inhibition or genetic ablation. Ang II-induced intracellular cyclic AMP accumulation precedes CREB phosphorylation and is diminished by inhibiting iPLA2, cyclooxygenase, or lipoxygenase. Moreover, three single nucleotide polymorphisms identified in hypertensive patients are located in the human RGS2 promoter CREB binding site. Point mutations corresponding to these single nucleotide polymorphisms interfere with stimulation of human RGS2 promoter activity by forskolin. Our studies thus delineate a negative feedback loop to attenuate Ang II signaling in VSMC with potential importance in blood pressure homeostasis and the pathogenesis of human essential hypertension.
Toward a Social Interpretation of Early Christian Apologetics

How did Christianity appear to men and women of the GrecoRoman world when it first began to emerge into public view? What ideas and conceptions were present within Roman “social thought” to identify and define a new phenomenon such as Christianity? What did men “see” when they looked at the Christians? In antiquity no one subjected the Christian movement to a social analysis or took a Gallup poll of popular opinions, but there is some evidence from which to gain an impression of how Christianity appeared to outsiders. As a methodological guideline I take the suggestion made by James Gustafson in his Treasure in Earthern Vessels.
Calcium, Dairy Products, and Risk of Prostate Cancer in a Prospective Cohort of United States Men

Intake of calcium and/or dairy products has been associated with increased risk of prostate cancer in some epidemiological studies. One potential biological mechanism is that high calcium intake down-regulates 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D3, which may increase cell proliferation in the prostate. We examined the association between calcium, dairy intake, and prostate cancer incidence in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, a prospective cohort of elderly United States adults. Participants in the study completed a detailed questionnaire on diet, medical history, and lifestyle at enrollment in 1992–1993. After excluding men with a history of cancer or incomplete dietary information, 65,321 men remained for analysis. During follow-up through August 31, 1999, we documented 3811 cases of incident prostate cancer. Multivariate-adjusted rate ratios (RRs) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models. Total calcium intake (from diet and supplements) was associated with modestly increased risk of prostate cancer [RR = 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0–1.6 for ≥2000 versus <700 mg/day, P trend = 0.02). High dietary calcium intake (≥2000 versus <700 mg/day) was also associated with increased risk of prostate cancer (RR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1–2.3, P trend = 0.10), although moderate levels of dietary calcium were not associated with increased risk. Dairy intake was not associated with prostate cancer risk. The association between prostate cancer and total calcium intake was strongest for men who reported not having prostate-specific antigen testing before 1992 (RR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1–2.0, P trend < 0.01 for ≥ 2000 mg/day of total calcium; RR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.3–3.4 ≥2000 mg/day of dietary calcium, P trend = 0.04). Our results support the hypothesis that very high calcium intake, above the recommended intake for men, may modestly increase risk of prostate cancer.
The Role of Community Colleges in Advancing Upward Mobility: A Demos Perspective.

This article provides a short background on Demos, a public policy organization that works on issues of political and economic inequality. Demos views community colleges as a linchpin in the American higher education system, and it has worked over several years to research ways to increase state support for higher education and direct support toward underserved students and under-resourced institutions.
Supporting palladium metal on gold nanoparticles improves its catalysis for nitrite reduction

Nitrate (NO3−) and nitrite (NO2−) anions are often found in groundwater and surface water as contaminants globally, especially in agricultural areas due to nitrate-rich fertilizer use. One popular approach to studying the removal of nitrite/nitrate from water has been their degradation to dinitrogen via Pd-based reduction catalysis. However, little progress has been made towards understanding how the catalyst structure can improve activity. Focusing on the catalytic reduction of nitrite in this study, we report that Au NPs supporting Pd metal ('Pd-on-Au NPs') show catalytic activity that varies with volcano-shape dependence on Pd surface coverage. At room temperature, in CO2-buffered water, and under H2 headspace, the NPs were maximally active at a Pd surface coverage of 80%, with a first-order rate constant (kcat = 576 L gPd−1 min−1) that was 15x and 7.5x higher than monometallic Pd NPs (∼4 nm; 40 L gPd−1 min−1) and Pd/Al2O3 (1 wt% Pd; 76 L gPd−1 min−1), respectively. Accounting only for surface Pd atoms, these NPs (576 L gsurface-Pd−1 min−1) were 3.6x and 1.6x higher than monometallic Pd NPs (160 L gsurface-Pd−1 min−1) and Pd/Al2O3 (361 L gsurface-Pd−1 min−1). These NPs retained ∼98% of catalytic activity at a chloride concentration of 1 mM, whereas Pd/Al2O3 lost ∼50%. The Pd-on-Au nanostructure is a promising approach to improve the catalytic reduction process for nitrite and, with further development, also for nitrate anions.
Will invasive coronary imaging identify vulnerable plaque and predict future cardiac events

Key Points Culprit ACS lesions are characterized by varying degrees of plaque rupture and thrombosis overlying a large lipid core plaque (LCP). Identification of LCP using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was accurate for detecting culprit lesions in ACS patients. While LCP may be a marker of vulnerable plaque, further studies are needed to determine if NIRS can provide a site-specific approach to predicting and preventing future cardiac events. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The contexts of sexual involvement and concurrent sexual partnerships.

CONTEXT:Concurrent sexual partnerships may facilitate the spread of STDs, but little is known about partnership concurrency and its association with the relationship contexts of sexual involvement. METHODS:Data about demographic characteristics, sexual histories and the most recent opposite-sex partnership among 783 adults aged 18–59 were drawn from the 1995 Chicago Health and Social Life Survey. Wald chi-square tests assessed gender differences in the timing and type of sexual involvement and in concurrent partnerships; bivariate probit regression analyses examined associations between concurrent partnerships and sexual involvement and other characteristics. RESULTS:One in 10 of both women and men reported that both they and their partners had had other partners. Men were more likely than women to have been nonmonogamous (17% vs. 5%), and women were more likely than men to report that their partner had been (17% vs. 8%). The probability of having been nonmonogamous was 44% higher among women who were sexually involved with a friend, and 30% higher among those with a casual partner, than among those in a serious relationship; the corresponding figures for their partners were 48% and 32%, respectively. For men, the probability of having been nonmonogamous was elevated by 25% among those who were sexually involved with a friend and by 43% among those with a casual partner; for their partners, the figures were 27% and 24%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:Increased awareness that nonromantic sexual involvement is associated with partnership concurrency may enhance individuals’ understanding of the risks and rewards of their relationships.
Cannabinoid Administration Attenuates the Progression of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus

Δ(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC), the primary psychoactive component in marijuana, is FDA approved to ameliorate AIDS-associated wasting. Because cannabinoid receptors are expressed on cells of the immune system, chronic Δ(9)-THC use may impact HIV disease progression. We examined the impact of chronic Δ(9)-THC administration (0.32 mg/kg im, 2 × daily), starting 28 days prior to inoculation with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV(mac251); 100 TCID(50)/ml, iv), on immune and metabolic indicators of disease during the initial 6 month asymptomatic phase of infection in rhesus macaques. SIV(mac251) inoculation resulted in measurable viral load, decreased lymphocyte CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio, and increased CD8(+) proliferation. Δ(9)-THC treatment of SIV-infected animals produced minor to no effects in these parameters. However, chronic Δ(9)-THC administration decreased early mortality from SIV infection (p = 0.039), and this was associated with attenuation of plasma and CSF viral load and retention of body mass (p = NS). In vitro, Δ(9)-THC (10 μm) decreased SIV (10 TCID(50)) viral replication in MT4-R5 cells. These results indicate that chronic Δ(9)-THC does not increase viral load or aggravate morbidity and may actually ameliorate SIV disease progression. We speculate that reduced levels of SIV, retention of body mass, and attenuation of inflammation are likely mechanisms for Δ(9)-THC-mediated modulation of disease progression that warrant further study.
High dose cytarabine and mitoxantrone: an effective induction regimen for high-risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

AbstractPatients with high-risk AML, defined as those with advanced age, relapsed/refractory disease, unfavorable molecular and cytogenetic abnormalities, therapy-related myeloid neoplasm (t-MN) and multiple medical co-morbidities tend to respond poorly to standard cytarabine and daunorubicin induction therapy and have a poor prognosis. We performed a retrospective analysis of an alternative induction regimen using high dose cytarabine (HiDAC) and mitoxantrone (MITO) administered to 78 high-risk patients with AML at The University of Chicago from 2001 to 2008. The primary endpoints of the study were complete remission (CR) rate and death within 30 days of initiation of treatment. The median age was 63 years (range:23–85); 27% of these patients had a Charlson co-morbidity index (CCI) > 2. Forty-three (56%) patients had unfavorable cytogenetics, 28 (37%) had intermediate-risk cytogenetics and 5 (7%) had favorable cytogenetics. The CR rate was 45% and the CRi rate 10%; 7 patients (9%) died during induction. ...
Are blastocyst prostaglandins produced endogenously

This study was undertaken to determine whether preimplantation mouse and rabbit blastocysts possess cyclooxygenase activity and therefore are able to metabolize arachidonic acid (AA) to prostaglandins (PGs) and thromboxane B2. Single rabbit blastocysts or groups of 100 mouse blastocysts were incubated for 4 h in the presence of 5 muCi/ml [3H] AA (sp. ac. 61 Ci/mmol) or for 24 h and 18 h with 0.2 and 0.1 muCi/ml [14C] AA (sp. ac. 56.5 Ci/mmol), respectively. Incubated blastocysts were subsequently exposed for 10 min to 24 h to the Ca2+ specific ionophore, X-537A (10 microM), to stimulate release of radiolabeled AA from the phospholipid pool. After incubation, incorporation of AA into the phospholipid and neutral lipid pools, and metabolism of the fatty acid to PGs and thromboxane B2, were determined using thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) and liquid scintillation spectroscopic techniques. In addition, spent incubation media were analyzed for radiolabeled PG content. In blastocysts of both species, incorporation of AA into phospholipids was greater than that into neutral lipids (mouse: 1.0 vs. 0.7 pmol/blastocyst; rabbit: 159.7 vs. 56.9 pmol/blastocyst). The ionophore stimulated the release of AA from the phospholipid, and to a lesser extent, from the neutral lipid pool, of both blastocysts. No newly synthesized PGs were detected in either mouse blastocysts or their spent incubation media after stimulation with X-537A. Radiolabeled PGs (PGE2, PGF2 alpha, PGD2, PGA2) and thromboxane B2 were present in the media of rabbit blastocyst incubations, however, but were undetectable in the tissue extracts. Increases in metabolism of AA into each compound were observed with an increase in time of exposure to ionophore, and meclofenamic acid (2 microM) partially inhibited the synthesis of all compounds during a 24-h incubation. The results are discussed with regard to the role of blastocyst PGs in the events of implantation.
Chlorpromazine for the Treatment of Migraine in a Pediatric Emergency Department

Background Migraine headache is a common presenting condition to the pediatric emergency department (PED). Dopamine receptor antagonists, such as prochlorperazine and metoclopramide, serve as the primary treatment for migraine headache in many emergency departments; however, in 2012, our institution experienced a shortage of these drugs, resulting in the use of alternative medications. Chlorpromazine was included as an option for treatment at our institution during this shortage, although limited data exist on the effectiveness in children. Objective The objectives of this study were: (1) to compare the treatment failure rate of chlorpromazine in the treatment of migraine headache in youth presenting to the PED with those who received prochlorperazine; and (2) to identify the frequency and type of adverse events, and change in pain score. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients 12-21 years of age treated for migraine headache in our emergency department. Our treatment group received intravenous chlorpromazine between February and April 2012, while the comparison group consisted of children treated with intravenous prochlorperazine between February and April 2011. The outcomes of interest were: (1) treatment failure, defined as need for additional therapy, hospitalization or 48-hour return; (2) adverse reactions to drug therapy; and (3) change in pain score. Results This study yielded 75 patients in the treatment group and 274 in the comparison group. Forty percent (30/75) of the treatment group had treatment failure compared with 15% (41/274) of the comparison group. There was no difference in mean change in pain score between the groups. The most common adverse effects included hypotension in the treatment group (12%) and akathisia in the comparison group (12%). Conclusions This is the first study that has examined the use of chlorpromazine as a therapy in pediatric migraines. Abortive therapy for migraine headache in the PED with chlorpromazine is associated with greater need for rescue medication and hospitalization, and higher rates of hypotension.
Extrapair Copulations Predict Extrapair Fertilizations in the American Crow

Abstract. The general relationship between extrapair copulations (EPC) and extrapair paternity (EPP) in wild birds is unclear because relatively few studies have collected both types of information from a single population. I compared observed copulatory behavior with genetic paternity in a population of the American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos). For each group of nesting crows, the proportion of extrapair young in a brood was higher when EPC attempts were observed in the group that year. The overall proportion of broods with extrapair young was identical to the proportion of focal group-years in which EPC attempts were observed (32%). In a given brood, however, observed EPC attempts did not always predict EPP, and failure to observe EPCs did not always predict monogamy. Furthermore, males observed attempting EPCs often differed from the males gaining EPP, suggesting that EPCs were attempted by multiple males with certain females in certain years. Observed EPC attempts were initiated by males, and most ap...
Role of community informatics in heritage tourism development

The paper argues that community informatics research forms the basis for more integrated and participatory forms of heritage tourism development. Principles of community informatics, and specifically virtual community networks and digital storytelling, are reviewed and then discussed within the framework of a Web-based application developed for a small, rural community. The case study illustrates how community informatics guided the design and implementation processes. Specific challenges are discussed and implications for the evaluation of such systems are provided.
Beamforming and aberration correction in HF radar

A combined array beamforming and channel equalization technique for mitigating the effect of external interferences and signal phase aberrations associated with an HF radar is presented. The aberration correction scheme is a nonmodel-based technique which makes use of the statistical randomness in the clutter region. It is capable of correcting phase distortions due to frequency dispersion incurred in the ionospheric propagation paths. Simulation shows that with this technique the phase distorted signal can be restored to within 1 dB loss of the undistorted signal. In order to retain the possibility of correcting phase aberration at the array element level, a two-step beamforming technique has been implemented by providing a spatial filter to exclude the strong RFI and jammers at the element level and by applying conventional beamforming on the receiver residue which contains only clutter return and local noise. The phase aberration technique is applied between the two steps after the major interferers are canceled. >
How to discover what you have to say—A talk to students

My title willserveasanoutline. It begins with"How to,"andthisisa "Howto"talk. Itisaboutaproblem we allface, andthesolution Ipropose isan example aboutverbal self-management, using my Verbal Behavior (1957) asthe basis ofatechnology. Atissue ishowwe canmanageourown verbal behavior moreeffectively. (Imaynoteinpassing thatpsycholinguistic s, a verydifferent kindofanalysis, largely structural and developmental, hasgiven rise tonocomparable technology, inpartbecause itso often devotes itself tothelistener rather thanthespeaker.) Verbal behavior begins almost always inspoken form.Evenwhenwewrite, we usually speakfirst, either overtly or covertly. Whatgoesdownonpaperis thenakindofself-dictation. Iam concerned hereonlywithwritten behavior andevensowithonlyaspecial kind, the kindofwriting attheheart ofapaper, a thesis, orabookinafield suchasthe analysis ofbehavior. Whatsuchwriting is "about" ishardtosay-indeed, thatis justtheproblem. Certain complex circumstances call forverbal action. You haveasheet ofpaperandapen;what happens next? Howdoyouarrive atthe best possible account? Do Imeanhowareyouto"think" aboutthosecircumstances, to "have ideas" aboutthem?Yes,ifthose terms areproperly defined. Inthelast chapter ofVerbal Behavior, Iargue that thinking issimply behaving, anditmaynotbetoo misleading tosaythat verbal responses do
Intractable epilepsy due to meningitis: results of surgery and pathological findings

Between 1986 and 1992, among a total of 668 craniotomies performed for intractable epilepsy, 13 (1.9%) patients had a presumed aetiology of a previous episode of meningitis. Twelve were investigated with chronic electrocorticography with subdural electrodes which showed mesial temporal onset in eight, regional temporal onset in three and bilateral diffuse onset in one. One patient underwent corpus callosotomy and 12 anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) (6L, 6R). The pathology in the resection cases was hippocampal sclerosis in six and gliosis in six. Mean length of follow up was 3 years (range 1-6 years). Ten of the 12 (83%) ATL patients were seizure free (six off medications). Two ATL patients and the callosotomy patient were significantly improved. It is concluded that in patients where the presumed aetiology of intractable epilepsy is meningitis and widespread damage may therefore be expected, this does not necessarily indicate multifocality, and the prognosis following resective surgery appears to be good.
A NOTE ON THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG FINENESS, GARBLING, AND SUFFICIENCY FOR THE COMPARISON OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS*

Choice among competing information systems is an important problem for both the providers and users of information. When the attributes of the decision makers and decision problems for which information is produced are unknown or heterogeneous, it is difficult to choose among alternative information sources. Three criteria for such comparisons of information systems are available in the theory of information economics. These criteria may be distinguished by the differing restrictions that they impose on the generality of the studies in which they are used. This note explicates the relationships among these criteria and discusses the various limitations that they impose on generality.
PRO-OXIDANT EFFECTS OF THE FLAVONOID MYRICETIN ON RAT HEPATOCYTES IN CULTURE

Myricetin was selected as a model polyphenolic flavonoid for study of its pro-oxidant activity in rat hepatocytes in culture. Its activity was compared with that of a known oxidant, potassium dichromate. Cytotoxicity, membrane lipid peroxidation, and DNA strand breaks were used as endpoints of oxidative cell injury. Myricetin, like potassium dichromate, induced a concentration-dependent increase in cytotoxicity and membrane lipid peroxidation concurrent with a decrease in double-stranded DNA content in cultured rat hepatocytes. However, myricetin was a less potent oxidant than dichromate. Myricetin appears to be less effective in inducing oxidative DNA damage in rat hepatocytes in culture when compared with our previously published studies on isolated rat liver nuclei.
Learning to parse database queries using inductive logic programming

This paper presents recent work using the CHILL parser acquisition system to automate the construction of a natural-language interface for database queries. CHILL treats parser acquisition as the learning of search-control rules within a logic program representing a shift-reduce parser and uses techniques from Inductive Logic Programming to learn relational control knowledge. Starting with a general framework for constructing a suitable logical form, CHILL is able to train on a corpus comprising sentences paired with database queries and induce parsers that map subsequent sentences directly into executable queries. Experimental results with a complete database-query application for U.S. geography show that CHILL is able to learn parsers that outperform a preexisting, hand-crafted counterpart. These results demonstrate the ability of a corpus-based system to produce more than purely syntactic representations. They also provide direct evidence of the utility of an empirical approach at the level of a complete natural language application.
NMR imaging of multiphase flow in porous media

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging techniques are used to determine porosity and saturation distributions. Difficulties in quantitation which arise from the short transverse relaxation times exhibited by fluids in porous media are addressed. Procedures are presented whereby transverse relaxation during the signal acquisition process is modeled to obtained accurate estimates of intrinsic magnetization intensity, and thus porosity and saturation. Special consideration is given to saturation/position dependence and multiexponential behavior of transverse relaxation. These procedures are validated with results for longitudinal profile images. The use of thin-slice cross-sectional profile images are demonstrated by observing fluid displacement in a rock sample with structural heterogeneities.
Tracking users' visual attention and responses to personalized advertising based on task cognitive demand

This study examined the effects of personalization in banner advertising on visual attention to the advertisement. A 2 (ad type: personalized vs. non-personalized)?×?2 (task cognitive demand: high vs. low) eye-tracking experiment (N?=?93) was conducted to examine how personally salient information attracts consumers' attention, and how it interacts with different levels of cognitive load for given tasks. Consistent with previous literature, participants paid relatively longer and more attention to the personalized compared to non-personalized advertisements. However, task cognitive demand was shown to moderate the effects of personalization on attention, such that the personalized advertisement was much more effective in attracting consumers' attention than the non-personalized advertisement when people were engaged in a highly cognitively demanding task. No significant interactions between personalization and cognitive demand of task were found on perceived goal impediment and attitude toward the advertisement. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided. The effects of personalized display advertising on visual attention were tested using eye-tracking.Personalized banner ads attracted significantly longer and more attention than non-personalized ads.Cognitive demand of tasks moderated the effect of personalized banner ads on attention.
Owlet Caterpillars of Eastern North America

I began reading this volume thinking that my review might be biased. I had selected a systematics text from the stack: I do not like systematics texts, which seem so dry and boring. What a welcome surprise. In my opinion, “The Owlets of Eastern North America” is the most beautifully conceived and well-organized book about the Lepidopteran Family Noctuidae imaginable! Principal funding came from awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team; The University of Connecticut; and The Nature Conservancy. The USFS Forest Initiative funding was discontinued early into the work, and its …
Attenuation correction with extreme CT dose reduction for whole-body FDG PET/CT

502 Objectives Dose reduction for PET/CT can be achieved through proper selection of CT acquisition. If the sole purpose of the CT is for PET attenuation correction (CTAC) the CT technique can be greatly reduced compared to CT for diagnostic or localization purposes. Methods Patients receiving clinically indicated whole-body FDG PET/CT exams were recruited in an IRB-approved study to receive an additional CT acquisition using an extremely low dose technique (120 kVp, 5 mAs, 1.375 pitch, CTDIvol = 0.34 mGy). In addition, an anthropomorphic phantom study evaluated impact at a range of CT doses. CT and PET image volumes from the regular and low dose acquisitions were compared in the lung and abdomen regions. Results Low dose CT acquisitions were acquired at 1/10 to 1/60th the dose of a clinical CT exam. While biasing and noise artifacts were apparent in the CT images, there were no changes in the visual appearance of the PET images when attenuation correction used either the regular or very low dose CT acquisitions. In four patients, the SUVmax of the lung lesions did not change from regular to low dose CTAC (increased by on average 0.97% [-0.8% to 1.7]%). The background noise measured in uniform regions in the lung and abdomen were also largely unchanged in the PET images (-1.1% to 0.9% for lung and -0.4% to 1.7% for abdomen). The largest variation from regular to very low dose CTAC was in the bias of the background values of the PET image due to local artifacts in the CT which varied by as much as -12% to 7%. Conclusions While extremely low dose CT acquisitions cause severe degradations in the CT image, these do not propagate as substantial differences or artifacts in the PET image. For the lesion sizes examined in this data, measured patient and phantom images show essentially no change in lesion quantitation or noise levels when extremely low dose CT exams are performed for attenuation correction. Bias as much as 12% can occur in peripheral background regions, although these variations may not be clinically significant.
Promoting Early, Safe Return to Work in Injured Employees: A Randomized Trial of a Supervisor Training Intervention in a Healthcare Setting.

Purpose Supervisors in the healthcare sector have the potential to contribute to disability prevention in injured employees. Published data on the evaluation of return to work (RTW) interventions aimed at direct supervisors are scarce. We sought to determine the effect of a brief audiovisual supervisor training module on supervisor RTW attitudes and knowledge. Methods A parallel-group study, using equal randomization, comparing the training module intervention to usual practice in healthcare supervisors at a quaternary care hospital was conducted. Differences between groups in changes in RTW attitude and knowledge survey question scores between baseline and 3 months were assessed using the Mann–Whitney U test. The Benjamini–Hochberg–Yekutieli procedure was used to control for false discovery rate and generate adjusted p values. Results Forty supervisors were allocated to the intervention group and 41 to the usual practice group. Attitude and knowledge scores for most questions improved between baseline and immediately after intervention administration. Comparing intervention (n = 33) and usual practice groups (n = 37), there was a trend toward greater increase between baseline and 3 months follow-up in agreement that the supervisor can manage the RTW process (U = 515, adjusted p value = 0.074) and in confidence that the supervisor can answer employees’ questions (U = 514, adjusted p value = 0.074) in the intervention group, although these findings were not statistically significant. Conclusions The training intervention may have provided the initial tools for supervisors to navigate the RTW process in collaboration with others in the RTW community of practice. A larger study with longer follow-up is needed to confirm results.
Chopped newspaper for weed control in nursery crops

Abstract Chopped newspaper was evaluated as a weed control mulch for nursery row crops. Newspaper mulch at 2.3 and 3.6 kg/m2 [4.2 lb/yd2 (≈ 10 cm or 4 in depth) and 6.3 lb/yd2 (≈ 15 cm or 6 in depth), resp.] suppressed weed germination for two seasons without a negative effect on Daphne burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’, Physostegia virginiana, and Salix caprea. Gaillardia grandiflora had less growth when mulched with newspaper during one experiment, but not in another. The authors observed that wetting the newspaper mulch after application followed by compression with a lawn roller pressed the paper into a mat which resisted blowing and weathering. Further reduction in blowing of paper mulch was achieved by applying a tackifier after rolling. Bark mulch at 19.4 dm3/m2 (988 in3/yd2 ≈ 10 cm or 4 in depth) resulted in weed suppression comparable to either of the two rates of newspaper mulch and better than bark at 9.7 dm3/m2 (494 in3/yd2 ≈ 5 cm or 2 in depth). All mulch treatments moderated maximum soil temperature...
Schedulability Analysis of Task Sets with Upper- and Lower-Bound Temporal Constraints

Increasingly, real-time systems must handle the self-suspension of tasks (that is, lower-bound wait times between subtasks) in a timely and predictable manner. A fast schedulability test that does not significantly overestimate the temporal resources needed to execute self-suspending task sets would be of benefit to these modern computing systems. In this paper, a polynomial-time test is presented that is known to be the first to handle nonpreemptive self-suspending task sets with hard deadlines, where each task has any number of self-suspensions. To construct the test, a novel priority scheduling policy is leveraged, the jth subtask first, which restricts the behavior of the self-suspending model to provide an analytical basis for an informative schedulability test. In general, the problem of sequencing according to both upper-bound and lower-bound temporal constraints requires an idling scheduling policy and is known to be nondeterministic polynomial-time hard. However, the tightness of the schedulabili...
Hobbes's Concept of Representation—I*

It is not customary to regard Thomas Hobbes as a theorist particularly concerned with representation. Hardly any of the traditional commentaries on his thought even acknowledge that he mentions the term; and the index to Molesworth's standard edition of Hobbes's English works contains no reference to it. But the fact is that representation plays a central role in the Leviathan; and Hobbes's analysis of the concept is among the most serious, systematic and challenging in the history of political philosophy. It is an analysis both temptingly plausible and, as I hope to show, peculiarly wrong. And the ways in which it is wrong are intimately related to what is most characteristic and peculiar in the Hobbesian political argument.
Finding Reservoir Operating Rules

Deterministic dynamic programming is used with operational hydrology to find optimal reservoir operating rules. The objective is to find that annual operating policy of a single reservoir having an economic loss associated with each draft rate which minimizes the expected loss.
Automated Labelling of Dialogue Modes In Tutorial Dialogues.

We present in this paper a study whose goal was to automatically label higher level constructs, called dialogue modes, in tutorial dialogues. Each tutorial dialogue is regarded as a sequence of utterances articulated by either the learner or the tutor. The dialogue utterances can be grouped into dialogue modes which correspond to general conversational phases such as dialogue openings, e.g. when the conversational partners greet each other, or serve specific pedagogical purposes, e.g. a scaffolding students’ problem solving process. Detecting dialogue modes is important because they can be used as an instrument to understand what good tutors do at a higher level of abstraction, thus, enabling more general conclusions about good tutoring. We propose an approach to the dialogue mode labeling problem based on Conditional Random Fields, a powerful machine learning technique for sequence labeling which has net advantages over alternatives such as Hidden Markov Models. The downside of the Condition Random Fields approach is that it requires annotated data while the Hidden Markov Models approach is unsupervised. The performance of the approach on a large data set of 1,438 tutoring sessions yielded very good results compared to human generated tags.
Atypical medullary carcinoma of the breast has similar prognostic factors and survival to typical medullary breast carcinoma: 3,976 cases from the National Cancer Data Base

Backgrounds and Objectives Medullary breast carcinoma (MBC) is a subtype with a more favorable prognosis. Tumors with some, but not all, characteristics of MBC are classified as atypical medullary carcinoma of the breast (AMCB). Methods Patients with invasive MBC and AMCB reported to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) from 2004 to 2013 were compared for tumor characteristics and overall survival, using infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) as a reference. Results Patients with MBC (n = 3,688), AMCB (n = 288), and IDC (n = 918,870) met inclusion criteria. Comparing MBC with AMCB, the mean age at diagnosis (52.9 vs. 53.9 years), mean tumor size (2.4 vs. 2.5 cm), lymph node positivity (22.8% vs. 22.4%), estrogen receptor (ER) positivity (22% vs. 25%), progesterone receptor (PR) positivity (14% vs. 15%), HER2 positivity (11% vs. 14%), rate of breast conserving surgery (67% vs. 68%), use of chemotherapy (76% vs. 75%), and use of hormonal therapy (19% vs. 18%), respectively, were not clinically or statistically different. Five-year (92% vs. 89%) and 10-year survival rates (85% vs. 87%) were not significantly different (P = 0.46). Conclusions There does not appear to be any reason to differentiate between AMCB and MBC given the similarities in presentation, treatment and prognosis. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:533–536. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Memory, Modernity and the Moving Image

The chapter historically contextualizes the discussion of contemporary memory and focuses on the reconceptualization that memory underwent at the turn of the twentieth century and the significance of the moving image in such a reconceptualization. Central to the modern redefinition of memory in psychology, psychoanalysis and culture at large is the theorization of forgetting and a grounding of the individual and her life story in memory. The chapter further relates this process to the cultural alignment of mind and screen and discusses the theoretical and experimental relevance of the moving image in the theorization of memory processes and the study of trauma. Critical is the problematic that forgetting inscribes in twentieth and twenty-first century discourses of memory.
Pim-1: A serine/threonine kinase with a role in cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and tumorigenesis.

Pim-1 belongs to a family of serine/threonine protein kinases that are highly conserved through evolution in multicellular organisms. Originally identified from moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV)-induced T-cell lymphomas in mice, Pim-1 kinase is involved in the control of cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Expression of Pim-1 kinase can be stimulated by a variety of growth factors and regulated at four different levels: transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational and post-translational. Several signal transduction pathways may be associated with the regulation of Pim-1's expression; accumulating data support that the expression of Pim-1 protein is mediated through activation of JAK/STATs. Recent studies of Pim family kinases indicate that Pim-1 kinase plays important roles outside of the hematopoietic system as well.
Risk-based inspection and maintenance of aged structures

The industry has seen an ever-increasing interest in applying risk-based approaches to better manage the integrity of structures in service. The next generation of inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) takes the form of risk-based inspection (RBI), risk-based maintenance (RBM) and risk-based repairs (RBR).
Mesoscopic fluorescence molecular tomography

Mesoscopic Fluorescence Molecular Tomography (MFMT) is a novel optical imaging modality that reveals the 3D distribution of fluorescent probes at depths of a few millimeter in turbid tissues. MFMT harnesses scattered photons collected in a reflection geometry and cast an inverse problem to retrieve the spatial distribution of the biomarker of interests. Due to its high-sensitivity and deep depth penetration, MFMT is well suited for in vitro as well as in vivo molecular imaging applications well beyond the depth penetration limits of classical microscopy techniques.
Hardware Platforms for Electrostatic Tuning of Mems Gyroscope Using Nature-Inspired Computation

We propose a tuning method for Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) gyroscopes based on evolutionary computation to increase the accuracy of MEMS gyroscopes through electrostatic tuning. The tuning method was tested for the second generation JPL/Boeing Post-resonator MEMS gyroscope using the measurement of the frequency response of the MEMS device in open-loop operation. We also report on the development and preliminary results of a hardware platform for integrated tuning based on “switched drive-angle” of MEMS gyroscopes whereby the same gyro is operated with its drive direction first at 0° and then at 90°. The control of this device is implemented through a digital design on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The hardware platform easily transitions to an embedded solution that allows for the miniaturization of the system to a single chip.
A BN Aromatic Ring Strategy for Tunable Hydroxy Content in Polystyrene

BN 2-vinylnaphthalene, a BN aromatic vinyl monomer, is copolymerized with styrene under free radical conditions. Oxidation yields styrene-vinyl alcohol (SVA) statistical copolymers with tunable hydroxy group content. Comprehensive spectroscopic investigation provides proof of structure. Physical properties that vary systematically with hydroxy content include solubility and glass transition temperature. BN aromatic polymers represent a platform for the preparation of diverse functional polymeric architectures via the remarkable reaction chemistry of C-B bonds.
A multi-objective optimization for the design and operation of a hydrogen network for transportation fuel

Abstract In this work we present a multi-objective, multi-period, mixed integer, linear optimization formulation to analyze a hydrogen supply chain network. The objectives of the optimization problem are: (i) the maximization of the net present value (NPV) and (ii) the minimization of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while determining: (i) the locations of the hydrogen facilities, (ii) the production technology, (iii) the size of each facility (iv) transportation unit and (v) the distribution route. The model was deployed for the state of Texas and two scenarios were investigated: (i) oxygen co-produced with hydrogen from electrolysis is discarded and (ii) oxygen co-produced form the electrolysis is further processed and sold to generate revenue. A Pareto curve of twenty efficient points is developed and the extreme points on the curve are used to test the aforementioned scenarios. We found that further processing of produced oxygen for sell instead of discarding it made electrolysis an economically viable technology option for the production of hydrogen.
Collaborating to Meet the Needs of Alternative Certification Teachers Using Formative Design

A nation-wide teacher shortage in the 1980s popularized the alternative route to teacher certification. However, this solution is limited by the costly high attrition rates of these teachers. Using a formative research process to determine the needs of alternative certification teachers, we surveyed teachers in one school district to assess their coursework needs, preferences for course delivery methods, and requirements for state certification assessments to determine the feasibility of establishing a collaborative partnership between a college of education and a school district. Using descriptive statistics to analyze the results, respondents indicated the highest needs for credits in classroom management and educational assessment. Virtual courses were the preferred delivery method, and the majority of respondents indicated a preference for short summer courses. Finally, the majority of respondents indicated a need to pass the certification exam for professional education. Based on the results, the college of education and school district have needed information to establish a collaborative partnership to meet the needs of the teachers with alternative certification, ultimately impacting student learning.