cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pattern-of-Life Modeling in Smart Homes

Smart home devices are relatively inexpensive, readily available, and easily integrated into homes. However, retailers provide smart home devices with little scrutiny in regards to device security or known vulnerabilities. This paper presents a smart home architecture designed with commercially available devices used to investigate Internet of Things data leakage in the wild. Additionally, a pattern-of-life analysis tool was developed to exhibit how an eavesdropper can use traffic from a smart home to classify devices, identify events, track users, and gain physical access to a home. The tool was evaluated through five-days of experimentation in which 17 of 18 devices were classified, 95% of 343 events were identified, and users were tracked with near 100% accuracy. This information, combined with a discovered Bluetooth low energy lock vulnerability, were used to gain unfettered access to the home while the user was away. Furthermore, a mitigation technique was created to introduce spoofed wireless traffic sent on behalf of devices within the home to hinder an eavesdropper’s ability to classify devices, identify events, and track users. During an additional five-day experiment, security devices were concealed, 221 false events were introduced per day, and the user appeared always home. Finally, this paper provides security recommendations to manufacturers and users to help defend against vulnerabilities and create a safer smart home environment.
Cyber and traditional peer victimization: Examining unique associations with children’s internalizing difficulties

Abstract Peer victimization leads to a number of negative developmental outcomes. Although many studies have explored cyber victimization impacts in adolescent samples, few have analyzed unique negative consequences in relation to younger children. To that end, the purpose of the present study is to examine the associations between cyber victimization and internalizing problems, alone and in combination with traditional victimization. Using a sample of 3rd through 5th grade students, structural equation modeling results reveal that traditional victimization was significantly related to depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and lower self-esteem; however, cyber victimization was not related to any of these outcomes of interest. Several gender and grade level differences were also found. Although a notable portion of the sample reported exposure to cyber victimization, traditional forms of victimization were more common. Implications for school-based prevention and intervention efforts are discussed.
Helicopter Transport of Patients with Acute Ischemic Syndromes

Improved understanding of the pathophysiology of acute ischemic syndromes as well as the rapid evolution of advanced technology for the treatment of coronary disease has led to an increasing need to make specialized resources available to the patient with an acute manifestation of ischemic heart disease. The Coronary Artery Surgery Study and other observational analyses of outcome in coronary disease have demonstrated that patients with stable symptoms have a low risk of morbid events (1). In contrast, patients with unstable angina which persists in the hospital and acute myocardial infarction remain at high risk of death or future infarction. Evidence has accumulated that the availability of specialized personnel and equipment can reduce mortality and morbidity associated with these syndromes (2). Furthermore, as promising new therapies are developed they will need to be tested at specialized centers.
Comparative Genomic Hybridization

Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) allows the entire genome of an organism to be scanned for relative changes in DNA copy number (copy number aberrations) (1–3) in a single experiment. Standard CGH can detect aneuploidies, deletions, and unbalanced translocations at a resolution of 5–10 megabases. This is particularly useful in cases where DNA is unstable and where changes in copy number occur. Thus, tumors are often analyzed by CGH, but other applications could include diagnosis of other chromosome based illnesses.
Republicanism: Impact on Social Thought

Modern republicanism is a family of political theories characterized by an ideal of freedom as nondomination. These theories look at social relations in terms of the role played by fundamental divisions that give rise to oppression and resistance. Politics is understood as the expression and regulation of social conflict through the institutionalization of nondomination. Such an instituting process requires two basic elements: a constituted rule of law and a constituent power of the people. Their dynamic and unstable combination reflects a necessary tension and mutual check between state and society.
Saint Thomas’ Methodology in the Treatment of Positiones

We will begin with the study of a text presented in the fifth article of the Quaestio de Spiritualibus Creaturis.1 The question proposed is: ‘Is there some created spiritual substance which is not united to a body?’ The body of the article falb into three main divisions: 1. The primi naturales philosophi who acknowledged only the existence of corporeal nature; 2. The posteriores philosophi who arrived at a knowledge of incorporeal substances; 3. We ourselves, ‘nos,’ the Christians, who likewise maintain the existence of spiritual being but for other reasons.
Analysis of Risks of Diversion of Plutonium or Highly Enriched Uranium

The production of a nuclear explosive device requires a range of specialized skills and facilities and a sufficient quantity of concentrated fissionable material. Significant amounts of such materials exist in hundred of locations, in a variety of forms including mixtures with nonfissionable materials and with radioisotopes. Nuclear weapons start with pure metallic materials of predominantly a single isotope (uranium-235 or plutonium-239). Chemically or isotopically diluted materials either require larger amounts of fissile isotope or else cannot be made to produce an explosive reaction without extensive processing involving sophisticated techniques and facilities. Obstacles to diversion of fissionable materials include combinations of physical security, guards and defense forces, accountancy, diluents, limited amounts of material in any one location, and timely detection and forceful reaction to attempts at diversion or theft.
Do Children Recall Numbers as Generic? A Strong Test of the Generics-As-Default Hypothesis

A striking characteristic of human thought is that we form representations about abstract kinds (Giraffes have purple tongues), despite experiencing only particular individuals (This giraffe has a ...
Disparities in Geographic Access to Hospital Outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs in the United States

Background For individuals with COPD, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) improves outcomes in terms of exercise capacity, severity of dyspnea, and health-related quality of life. However, many US patients with COPD do not use PR services. There has been limited research on geographic access to needed health-care services for individuals who live in rural communities in the United States. This study: (1) examines the geographic distribution of hospital-based outpatient PR programs in the US; and (2) compares the organizational characteristics of hospitals that offer PR programs and those that do not. Methods A multistep process supported the determination of whether a hospital provided PR services and included: program directory data from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) website and websites for AACVPR state affiliates and other COPD-relevant organizations; searches of hospital websites; e-mails with state contacts and other state organizations; and phone calls with hospital staff and state contacts. The study population included all Medicare-certified short-term acute care general medical and surgical hospitals. Data were collected and analyzed from January to November 2018. Medicare Provider of Service and American Hospital association data were used to compare the characteristics of hospitals with and without PR programs, using descriptive and bivariate statistics. Results 1,776 US counties do not have a hospital outpatient PR program located in a short-term acute care general medical or surgical hospital in the county, including 697 counties that do not have a hospital. The availability of a hospital outpatient PR program varies significantly by county type, hospital type and Census region. Hospitals located in a noncore county, designated as a Critical Access Hospital, or located in the South and the West were less likely to have an outpatient PR program. Conclusions Significant geographic disparities exist in access to hospital outpatient PR. Potential strategies for addressing these disparities include: increasing clinician and patient awareness of the potential benefits of PR; offering staff training and incentives to supervise and provide PR services; improving Medicare reimbursement rates for PR services; replicating PR programs that have success serving rural areas; expanding cardiac rehabilitation programs to include PR; and assessing the use of telehealth technologies to provide PR in isolated areas.
Trimetrexate in advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer. An ECOG phase II trial.

The antitumor activity and toxicity of trimetrexate (TMTX) was evaluated in measurable, hormone-refractory, advanced prostate cancer patients. Patients were required to have an ECOG performance status < 3, bidimensionally measurable disease, serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL, normal bone marrow function, and adequate hepatic function. Prior non-hormonal systemic therapy, active infection, third space effusions were exclusion criteria. TMTX 12 mg/m2 daily for five days (8 mg/m2 for patients with any prior radiation therapy or age ≥75 years) was administered every 3 weeks. There were no responses in the 18 eligible patients. Median time to treatment failure and median survival were 6 and 20 weeks, respectively. Myelosuppression was the most frequent toxicity observed and was mild to severe in all but 4 patients. Two patients whom experienced life-threatening reversible leukopenia and grade 4 thrombocytopenia developed in 2 further patients. Non-hematologic toxicity was also reversible and was mild to severe. TMTX at this dose and schedule is inactive in advanced, hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
Theileriosis in Rhodesia: 1. A study of diagnostic specimens over two seasons

Theileriosis of cattle is a scheduled disease in Rhodesia. Study of fifty-five outbreaks detected during two seasons (1964 to 1966) shows that Theileria lawrencei is the main cause. Theileria mutans is also present. Theilerio parva was eradicated in 1954 and the present work confirms that it is no longer present in Rhodesia.
Is incidental splenectomy during thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair associated with reduced survival

Abstract Objective The effect of incidental splenectomy during thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair is unknown. We hypothesized incidental splenectomy was associated with decreased late survival. Methods We studied 1056 thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repairs from 2006 to 2016. Exclusion criteria were age less than 18 years (n = 9), prior splenectomy (n = 2), and intraoperative death (n = 3). This left 1042 thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repairs for analysis (median age, 65 years; interquartile range, 56-72), including 221 (21%) that were reoperations. Multivariable modeling identified predictors of operative mortality in the total cohort. Moreover, to adjust for baseline differences, propensity score matching was performed to examine the frequency of these outcomes in the total cohort (n = 132 pairs) and the early survivors (n = 110 pairs). Late survival was estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method, and risk of late mortality was assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression. Results Incidental splenectomy was performed in 135 patients (13%), 36% of whom underwent reoperation. Operative mortality rates of the incidental splenectomy and nonincidental splenectomy groups were 16% versus 8% in both the overall study (P = .005) and the propensity score–matched (P = .07) cohorts. In multivariable analysis, incidental splenectomy independently predicted operative mortality (odds ratio, 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-3.94; P = .008). For early survivors, incidental splenectomy did not increase the risk of late mortality. Survival estimates of matched early survivors did not differ between the incidental splenectomy and nonincidental splenectomy groups (P = .29). Conclusions Incidental splenectomy during thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair was associated with increased operative mortality but not reduced late survival. Splenic preservation is encouraged when feasible.
Exploring the possibilities and limits to transfer and learning: Examining a teacher leadership initiative using the theory of action framework

Teacher Leadership is an effective way to support positive school change (Lai and Cheung 2015; Mangin and Stoelinga in Effective teacher leadership, Teachers College Press, New York, pp 1–9, 2008). To accelerate success, professional development programs aimed at building teacher leadership have proliferated across the globe. And yet, teacher leaders attending such programs often report difficulty in transferring their new knowledge and skills to their schools in meaningful ways (Snoek and Volman in Teach Teach Educ 37:91–100, 2014). In this study, we propose these results may stem from a failure of such programs to support double loop learning. To test this idea, we apply Argyris and Schon’s (Theory in practice: increasing professional effectiveness, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1996) theory of action framework as a tool to examine teachers’ (n = 13) and administrators’ (n = 6) experiences with a teacher leadership development program and specifically whether there were gaps in their espoused theories and theories-in-use. We find double loop learning occurred regarding informal teacher leadership and the cultural norms of autonomy, egalitarianism, and seniority. However, such learning did not extend to principals’ orientation towards shared decision making and authority. While administrators (re)-created structures for teacher leaders to participate in such decision-making (e.g., instructional leadership teams) (i.e., single loop learning), they failed to shift power and authority regarding decision-making in these venues. As a result, teacher leaders’ efficacy was diminished as was the school’s ability to fully engage in change.
Leveraging Turbidity and Thromboelastography for Complementary Clot Characterization

Thrombosis is a leading cause of death worldwide. Fibrin(ogen) is the protein primarily responsible for clot formation or thrombosis. Therefore, characterizing fibrin clot formation is beneficial to the study of thrombosis. Turbidity and thromboelastography (TEG) are both widely utilized in vitro assays for monitoring clot formation. Turbidity dynamically measures the light transmittance through a fibrin clot structure via a spectrometer and is often used in research laboratories. TEG is a specialized viscoelastic technique that directly measures blood clot strength and is primarily utilized in clinical settings to assess patients' hemostasis. With the help of these two tools, this study describes a method for characterizing an in vitro fibrin clot using a simplified fibrinogen/thrombin clot model. Data trends across both techniques were compared under various clotting conditions. Human and bovine fibrin clots were formed side-by-side in this study as bovine clotting factors are often used as substitutes to human clotting factors in clinical and research settings. Results demonstrate that TEG and turbidity track clot formation via two distinct methods and when utilized together provide complementary clot strength and fiber structural information across diverse clotting conditions.
Contextualizing Russia and South Asia Relations through Putin’s Look East Policy:

Since donning the mantle of authority, President Putin has taken actions which have uninhibitedly been geared at reasserting Russia’s hegemony around the world. Putin’s Look East policy stems from ...
Preliminary Investigation of Pharmaceutical Counterfeiters in the United States

Pharmaceutical counterfeiting is one of the most pressing public health concerns in the United States and abroad, and recently an increasing amount of scholarly attention has been given to this issue. However, the extant literature lacks a systematic investigation of the specific roles undertaken within pharmaceutical counterfeiting schemes. We attempt to address this knowledge gap through an analysis of individuals convicted in federal court of counterfeiting offenses related to U.S.-based pharmaceutical counterfeiting incidents. From our investigation we identified six distinct roles that can classify an individual’s involvement in a pharmaceutical counterfeiting scheme: Key/Lead, Supporting, Sales/Distribution to Legitimate Others, Sales/Distribution to Illegitimate Others, Production, and Purchase. Through an examination of these roles and their distinct characteristics we propose several role-related crime prevention strategies. Additionally, we discuss the broader implications of our work for the study of pharmaceutical counterfeiting and identify directions for future research.
Decay of Gd 161 64 (3.73 min)

The decay of $_{64}\mathrm{Gd}^{161}$(3.73 min) is characterized by beta emission to excited states in $_{65}\mathrm{Tb}^{161}$. This activity has been investigated by means of the Argonne 256-channel scintillation coincidence spectrometer and photographic internal-conversion-electron spectrographs. Sources were prepared by neutron irradiation of Gd, enriched in ${\mathrm{Gd}}^{160}$, in the Argonne reactor, CP-5. The presence of three beta-ray branches is deduced; two of these were observed experimentally by means of absorption methods. Fourteen gamma rays are reported. These radiations are fitted into a decay scheme which indicates excited states in ${\mathrm{Tb}}^{161}$ at 56.6, 134.0, 315.3, 417.6, 480.6, and 586.1 kev. A rotational band, based on the ground state and including the first two excited states, is indicated. Spin and parity assignments are also suggested for the third and fourth excited states.
Co-treatment of chlorophenol and methanolic wastes

Treatment feasibility of cholorphenol and methanolic waste (CP-M) was examined in an experimental UASB reactor for 40-42 weeks. Permissible organic loading rate (OLR) to achieve 80% TOC was observed to be 6.25g-TOC/L-d with 18mg-CP/L, at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 12-48hrs. The overall gas conversation rate observed at greater than 80% TOC removal efficiency was found to be 0.13L/g-CODrem with 60% of methane content. Kinetic coefficients of k, Ks, Y and kd were determined to be 0.70g-TOC/g-VSS.d, 0.30g-TOC/L, 0.26g-VSS/g-TOC and 0.02day-1, respectively. The results of this study suggested that the anaerobic digestion of CP-M is a promising technique.
Compact Pattern-Switching Patch Antenna

In this paper, a simple compact radiation pattern reconfigurable patch antenna is presented. The proposed design is composed of two back-to-back identical patches surrounded by a conductive strip, etched on both sides of a dielectric substrate. It has the same dimensions as a classical patch. Thanks to the use of well-placed switches, it allows switching its radiation pattern between three modes, forward- and backward- broadside radiation patterns, and omnidirectional one. Realization examples of single- and two-port- patch antennas operating in the 2.45GHz ISM band are presented. These antennas are printed on an FR4 substrate with total dimensions of 42x42x1.2mm3. Their simulated performances are presented, thoroughly analyzed and validated experimentally.
Reconstructing and analyzing the traffic flow during evacuation in Hurricane Irma (2017)

Abstract Hurricane evacuation has long been a difficult problem perplexing local government. Hurricane Irma in 2017 created the most extensive scale of evacuation in Florida’s history, involving about 6.5 million people in a mandatory evacuation order and an estimated 4 million evacuation vehicles. Traffic jams emerged in mid-Florida and rapidly spread to involve the entire state. To understand the hurricane evacuation process, the spatial and temporal evolution of the traffic flow is a critical piece of information, but it is usually not fully observed. Based on game theory, this paper employs the available traffic observation of main highways to reconstruct the traffic flow on all highways in Florida during Irma. The reconstructed traffic conditions compare well with those simulated by dynamic models while the reconstruction model is computationally much cheaper to use. Validation with smartphone data further confirms that the reconstruction model captures the traffic conditions for real evacuation processes. The reconstructed data show that the evacuation rates for 5 representative cities -- Key West, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville-- in Florida were about 90.1%, 38.7%, 52.6%, 22.1%, and 7%, respectively. The peak evacuation traffic flows from Tampa and Miami arrived in the Orlando region at almost the same time, triggering the catastrophic congestion through the entire state. Also, the evacuation for Hurricane Irma was greater than that predicted by an evacuation demand model developed based on previous event and survey data. The detailed evacuation traffic flow reanalysis accomplished in this article lays a foundation for studying evacuation demand as well as developing evacuation management policies.
The Promise and Perils of Convergence in Financial Regulation and Consumer Protection (La promesse et les périls de la convergence en matière de réglementation financière et de protection des consommateurs Regulating Stock Markets and Information Uncertainty: A Matter of Regulatory Style and Structure? Réglementer les boursiers et l’incertitude de l’information: une question de style et de structure de réglementation?)

English Abstract: As well as identifying, analyzing and evaluating the advantages of regulating both securities investments and consumer financial instruments through entities such as the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, or through specialized agencies such as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, this paper also considers significant regional and global developments which prompted the introduction of a single financial services regulator in the UK. In addition to evaluating whether the Financial Conduct Authority’s regulatory structure confers upon it greater advantages or disadvantages when compared to its counterparts, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the paper also highlights how it can consolidate on the initiatives of its predecessor, the Financial Services Authority. French Abstract: En plus d'identifier, d'analyser et d'evaluer les avantages de la reglementation des placements en valeurs mobilieres et des instruments financiers destines aux consommateurs par le biais d'entites telles que la Financial Conduct Authority du Royaume-Uni ou d'agences specialisees telles que la Securities and Exchange Commission des Etats-Unis et le Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ce document examine egalement les evolutions regionales et mondiales significatives qui ont conduit a la creation d'un organisme unique de reglementation des services financiers au Royaume-Uni. Outre la question de savoir si la structure reglementaire de la Financial Conduct Authority lui confere des avantages ou des inconvenients plus importants par rapport a ses homologues, la Securities and Exchange Commission des Etats-Unis et le Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, le document souligne egalement la maniere dont elle peut consolider les initiatives de son predecesseur, la Financial Services Authority. Mots-cles: risques systemiques, supervision de services unifies, valeurs mobilieres, reglementation financiere, stabilite financiere, protection des consommateurs, protection des investisseurs, legislation bancaire, directives en matiere d'investissement, reglementation en matiere d'assurance, transparence, asymetries d'information, loi Dodd Frank
Germ cells: ENCODE's forgotten cell type†.

More than a decade ago, the ENCODE and NIH Epigenomics Roadmap consortia organized large multilaboratory efforts to profile the epigenomes of >110 different mammalian somatic cell types. This generated valuable publicly accessible datasets that are being mined to reveal genome-wide patterns of a variety of different epigenetic parameters. This consortia approach facilitated the powerful and comprehensive multiparametric integrative analysis of the epigenomes in each cell type. However, no germ cell types were included among the cell types characterized by either of these consortia. Thus, comprehensive epigenetic profiling data are not generally available for the most evolutionarily important cells, male and female germ cells. We discuss the need for reproductive biologists to generate similar multiparametric epigenomic profiling datasets for both male and female germ cells at different developmental stages and summarize our recent effort to derive such data for mammalian spermatogonial stem cells and progenitor spermatogonia. Summary sentence The ENCODE and NIH Epigenome Roadmap consortia have generated valuable datasets profiling epigenomes of >110 different mammalian somatic cell types, but none of these have included profiles of even a single germ cell type.
The overlooked importance of food disadoption for the environmental sustainability of new foods

With human food production a major driver of global environmental change, there is increasing recognition of the importance of shifting towards more sustainable dietary patterns. With wholesale dietary change notoriously difficult to implement at scale, various new food analogues have emerged to serve as qualitatively similar (e.g., taste, texture) but lower environmental impact alternatives for existing foods, particularly animal protein. While new foods may have low environmental impacts, very little is known about how reliably new products drive the disadoption (permanently reduced or ceased consumption) of existing foods. Using simple models of the interplay between adoption levels, substitution ratios of new and existing foods, and different products targeted for replacement, we explore the role of food disadoption on the global warming potential of protein consumption by a theoretical human population. We show how counterintuitive changes to the total environmental impacts attributable to food consumption are plausible following widespread uptake of "sustainable" new foods if they do not reliably drive the disadoption of existing high-impact alternatives. Greater empirical evidence of how effectively new foods drive the disadoption of their intended targets is needed to prevent mass development of alternatives that exacerbate the environmental impact of human diets.
Profiles of Risk for HIV/AIDS Among Young Malawian Adults: Understanding Behavioral Intentions

Young adults are especially vulnerable to HIV and engage in sexual activities that expose them to the HIV virus. Although into a third decade of HIV/AIDS epidemic, few studies have examined the heterogeneity in the population of young adults at risk for HIV in Malawi. This study utilizes a Latent Class Analysis method to identify profiles of young adults at most risk for contracting HIV/AIDS to include: High Risk and At-Risk. A Chi squared test was used to determine whether class membership was associated with reported changes in sexual behavior to avoid HIV. The results indicate that of young adults who report to change their behaviors, 61.4 % were in the At-Risk Group, whereas 38.6 % were in the High Risk Group. We conclude that practice and policy measures that involve High Risk Group would be beneficial. This group would benefit from additional interventions encouraging them to change their sexual behaviors. Results from this study highlight the importance of identifying profiles of culturally formed attitudes, beliefs, and norms as a step towards targeting interventions that may decrease the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among young adults.
TH-EF-BRD-04: A Fast 4D IMRT/VMAT Planning Method Based On Segment Aperture Morphing

Purpose: To investigate dosimetric advantages of a 4D IMRT/VMAT planning method employing a segment aperture morphing (SAM) algorithm accounting for respiration-induced target motion and deformation. The minimal required number of calculated SAM phases was tested to minimize plan creation time. Methods: The new technique involves generating 4D step-and-shoot IMRT or VMAT plans based on 10-phase 4DCT in the following steps: (1) optimizing a flattening-filter-free IMRT/VMAT plan based on the 50% phase CT dataset (2) warping contours from the 50%-phase CT to the remaining phases via deformable image registration (DIR) and manual editing (3) morphing segment apertures of the 50%-phase plan to each phase CT using SAM that adjusts each aperture shape based on the change of the beam’s-eye-view of the target contour between the two phases (4) calculating the dose distribution for each phase with the morphed apertures and same MUs as in the 50%-phase plan, and (5) generating the 4D plan by accumulating the dose from all nine SAM-corrected phases and the original 50% optimized phase using DIR. 4D plans based on 10, 7, 5 and 3 SAM-corrected phases were generated for representative lung and pancreatic cancer cases, and were compared using DVH analysis against the gold-standard 4D plan where all 10 phases are individually planned and optimized. A SAM-corrected 4D plan was also compared to a simpler phase-by-phase isocenter-shifted plan to assess accounting for tumor deformation and translation opposed to only tumor translation. Results: Plan DVH quality for the 10-phase and 7-phase 4D SAM plans were comparable with the fully-optimized 4D plans (PTV-D95’s within 3% of fully-optimized plans). SAM based algorithms out-performed simpler isocenter-shifted-only approaches (∼1.5% PTV-D95 improvement). SAM-based 4D planning greatly reduces planning time verses individually optimized phase planning techniques. Conclusion: SAM with DIR provides a fast and accurate way to create 4D IMRT/VMAT plans.
The Impact of Noise on the Scaling of Collectives: The Nearest Neighbor Model [Extended Abstract]

This paper presents a theoretical study of the impact of noise on the scaling of a cluster when the processors participate in “local” collectives with their nearest neighbors. The model considered here is an extension of that introduced in [9] for understanding the effect of noise on the scaling of “global” collectives in large clusters. In this paper, the scaling is studied with respect to three fundamental aspects: (1) the distribution of noise: whether it is heavy or light tailed; (2) the temporal independence of noise; (3) the topology of the cluster. When the noise has a “light” tail and is temporally independent, it is shown that the cluster scales well, i.e., the slowdown per phase is just proportional to the (logarithm of the) maximum degree of the communication topology. This implies that for popular topologies such as grids and toruses the slowdown per phase is just a constant factor, which is independent of the number of processors. In the light tailed case, assuming only a weak temporal independence, a general upper bound is derived in terms of an “expansion” parameter of the communication topology. For grid-like graphs this establishes an exponential speedup compared to what was shown for global collective operations in [9].
Fowl typhoid and pullorum disease

Fowl typhoid (FT) and pullorum disease (PD) are septicaemic diseases, primarily of chickens and turkeys, caused by Gram negative bacteria, Salmonella Gallinarum and S. Pullorum, respectively. Clinical signs in chicks and poults include anorexia, diarrhoea, dehydration, weakness and high mortality. In mature fowl, FT and PD are manifested by decreased egg production, fertility, hatchability and anorexia, and increased mortality. Gross and microscopic lesions due to FT and PD in chicks and poults include hepatitis, splenitis, typhlitis, omphalitis, myocarditis, ventriculitis, pneumonia, synovitis, peritonitis and ophthalmitis. In mature fowl, lesions include oophoritis, salpingitis, orchitis, peritonitis and perihepatitis. Transovarian infection resulting in infection of the egg and subsequently the chick or poult is one of the most important modes of transmission of these two diseases. Salmonella Gallinarum and S. Pullorum can be isolated by use of selective and non-selective media. Salmonella Pullorum produces rapid decarboxylation of ornithine whereas S. Gallinarum does not, an important biochemical difference between the two bacteria. Both FT and PD can be detected serologically by use of a macroscopic tube agglutination test, rapid serum test, stained antigen whole blood test or microagglutination test. Both diseases can be controlled and eradicated by use of serological testing and elimination of positive birds. Vaccines may be used to control the disease and antibiotics for the treatment of FT and PD. Although FT and PD are widely distributed throughout the world, the diseases have been eradicated from commercial poultry in developed countries such as the United States of America, Canada and most countries of Western Europe. Both S. Gallinarum and S. Pullorum are highly adapted to the host species, and therefore are of little public health significance.
Shrinkage Estimator for Bayesian Network Parameters

Maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) are commonly used to parameterize Bayesian networks. Unfortunately, these estimates frequently have unacceptably high variance and often overfit the training data. Laplacian correction can be used to smooth the MLEs towards a uniform distribution. However, the uniform distribution may represent an unrealistic relationships in the domain being modeled and can add an unreasonable bias. We present a shrinkage estimator for domains with hierarchically related random variables that smoothes MLEs towards other distributions found in the training data. Our methods are quick enough to be performed during Bayesian network structure searches. On both a simulated and a real-world neuroimaging domain, we empirically demonstrate that our estimator yields superior parameters in the presence of noise and greater likelihoods on left-out data.
SU-F-207-14: Low Contrast Detectability (LCD) at Different Diagnostic Reference Levels for Adult Abdominal CT Procedures

Purpose Using diagnostic reference levels (DRL) to optimize CT protocols has potential to reduce radiation dose and meet regulatory requirements. However, DRL’s tend to be misconstrued as dose limits, are typically designed for specific patient populations, and are assumed to have acceptable image quality (AIQ) associated with them. To determine the image quality that is associated with established DRL’s for adult abdominal CT studies, a LCD phantom study was employed. Methods: A CT phantom (CIRS) containing three columns of 7 spherical targets, ranging from 10mm to 2.4 mm, that are 5, 10, and 20 HU below the background (HUBB) matrix was scanned with a GE HD750 64 slice scanner. The phantom was scanned at the NEXT 2006 25th CTDIvol of 12 mGy, the NCRP 172 achievable dose (AD) CTDIvol of 17 mGy and 75th CTDIvol of 25 mGy and at the ACR recommended CTDIvol of 25 mGy. It was also scanned at a CTDIvol 20% greater than the AD at 20 mGy and the ACR maximum threshold of 30 mGy. Results: At the NEXT 2006 25th percentile CTDIvol of 12 mGy, a 6.3 mm low contrast lesion was detectable in the 20 HUBB; 6.3 mm in the 10 HUBB and 10 mm in the 5 HUBB column. Increasing the CTDIvol to the NCRP 172 AD of 17 mGy, an additional 4.8 mm lesion was visualized in the 20 HUBB column. At 20 mGy, an additional 4.8 mm lesion was detectable in the 10 HUBB column. No further lesions were visible between 20 and 30 mGy. However, conspicuity of all lesions increased with each additional step up in CTDI. Conclusion: Optimizing radiation dose to achieve AIQ is a critical aspect of any dose optimization committee. Hence, judicious monitoring of radiation exposure to patients has to be balanced with diagnostic image quality.
Some Applications of Operator-Valued Herglotz Functions

We consider operator-valued Herglotz functions and their applications to self-adjoint perturbations of self-adjoint operators and self-adjoint extensions of densely defined closed symmetric operators. Our applications include model operators for both situations, linear fractional transformations for Herglotz operators, results on Friedrichs and Krein extensions, and realization theorems for classes of Herglotz operators. Moreover, we study the concrete case of Schrodinger operators on a half-line and provide two illustrations of Livsic’s result [44] on quasi-hermitian extensions in the special case of densely defined symmetric operators with deficiency indices (1,1).
Concussion research at the National Institutes of Health: an update from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Concussion: the scope of the issue Concussion is an exceedingly common type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet little is known about what happens to the brain at the time of concussion. A concussion can be defined as a sudden onset change in neurologic function that occurs immediately after the brain encounters a mechanical force. When the head sustains an injury, direct or rotational biomechanical forces induce physiologic dysfunction; the most characteristic is immediate loss or alteration of consciousness. Each year, between 1.6 and 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur in the USA, particularly in youth athletes [1]. In the US military, it is estimated that roughly 20% of the deployed forces suffered a head injury in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 83% of whom endured a mild, uncomplicated TBI or concussion [2]. While striking, these figures are likely vast underestimates of the actual number of afflicted individuals, since many who suffer concussion do not seek medical attention. The issues surrounding concussion can be divided into three major areas:
The Absence of Myocardial Calcium-Independent Phospholipase A2γ Results in Impaired Prostaglandin E2 Production and Decreased Survival in Mice with Acute Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

Cardiomyopathy is a serious complication of Chagas' disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The parasite often infects cardiac myocytes, causing the release of inflammatory mediators, including eicosanoids. A recent study from our laboratory demonstrated that calcium-independent phospholipase A2γ (iPLA2γ) accounts for the majority of PLA2 activity in rabbit ventricular myocytes and is responsible for arachidonic acid (AA) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) release. Thus, we hypothesized that cardiac iPLA2γ contributes to eicosanoid production in T. cruzi infection. Inhibition of the isoform iPLA2γ or iPLA2β, with the R or S enantiomer of bromoenol lactone (BEL), respectively, demonstrated that iPLA2γ is the predominant isoform in immortalized mouse cardiac myocytes (HL-1 cells). Stimulation of HL-1 cells with thrombin, a serine protease associated with microthrombus formation in Chagas' disease and a known activator of iPLA2, increased AA and PGE2 release, accompanied by platelet-activating factor (PAF) production. Similarly, T. cruzi infection resulted in increased AA and PGE2 release over time that was inhibited by pretreatment with (R)-BEL. Further, T. cruzi-infected iPLA2γ-knockout (KO) mice had lower survival rates and increased tissue parasitism compared to wild-type (WT) mice, suggesting that iPLA2γ-KO mice were more susceptible to infection than WT mice. A significant increase in iPLA2 activity was observed in WT mice following infection, whereas iPLA2γ-KO mice showed no alteration in cardiac iPLA2 activity and produced less PGE2. In summary, these studies demonstrate that T. cruzi infection activates cardiac myocyte iPLA2γ, resulting in increased AA and PGE2 release, mediators that may be essential for host survival during acute infection. Thus, these studies suggest that iPLA2γ plays a cardioprotective role during the acute stage of Chagas' disease.
Modeling the Charge Transfer between Alkali Metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Using Electronic Structure Methods

The interaction of alkali metals-specifically, lithium-with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was studied using a variety of electronic structure methods. Electron transfer from lithium to a PAH depends on the size and structure of the PAH and the electronic structure method used. In some cases, we observe an artificial transfer when using density functional theory (DFT) due to the self-interaction error, whereas Hartree-Fock underestimates the amount of charge transfer due to overlocalization. Our results have interesting implications for the validity of DFT calculations on the alkali metal-PAH interaction in Li batteries, hydrogen storage devices, and alkali-metal-doped superconductors.
ALTERATION OF NEONATAL RAT PAROTID GLAND ACINAR CELL PROLIFERATION BY GUANETHIDINE-INDUCED SYMPATHECTOMY

Newborn rats were injected with guanethidine-sulfate (20 micrograms/g body weight) every 48 hr from 12 hr after birth until day 14 (eight injections per animal). The guanethidine treatment resulted in an 86% absolute reduction in cell number in the superior cervical ganglia of 15 day old rats. The cells which remained after guanethidine treatment showed destruction of mitochondria and an extensive decrease in endoplasmic reticulum. Chemical sympathectomy with guanethidine induced a 3.1 hr lengthening of the acinar cell generation cycle time (17.4 hr to 20.5 hr), resulting from a longer G1 period (6.9 hr in the control group as compared to 10.5 hr in the guanethidine-treated group), as well as a cecrease in the mean percentage of [3H]thymidine-labeled acinar cells (22.3 +/- 0.5% to 19.3 +/- 0.5%) and mean acinar cell mitotic index (2.6 +/- 0.2% to 2.1 +/- 0.1%). A circadian rhythm was found to exist in parotid gland acinar cell mitotic activity of 15 day old rats and the amplitude of the rhythm was reduced from 26.5% to 14.9% in guanethidine-treated rats. This study indicates that the diminution of sympathetic influence on the developing parotid gland results in a slight, but significant alteration in acnar cell proliferation.
Spaced Retrieval Technique—A Cognitive Tool for Social Workers and Their Clients

Social workers frequently work with clients who have cognitive deficits that impair their ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living and reduce their quality of life. Borrowing from the cognitive aging literature, the Spaced Retrieval Technique can be used by social workers to help their clients retain information needed for more autonomous functioning. This technique consists of recalling information over progressively longer periods of time until the information is successfully consolidated into long-term memory. The retained information may include adhering to medication regimens, keeping doctor's appointments, and remembering to pay bills. This technique is established and employed in early Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, and HIV. Implications for social work practice are posited.
Dominance hierarchies and factors influencing dominance in the guppy Poecilia reticulata (peters)

Abstract Dominance behaviour and factors influencing dominance were investigated in small heterosexual and homosexual groups of guppies ( Poecilia reticulata ) in the laboratory. Straight line nip-right hierarchies were the most frequent type of dominance relationship. In heterosexual groups separate homosexual hierarchies were formed, and females were the more dominant sex. Dominant males performed significantly more reproductive behaviour than lower rank individuals. Agonistic behaviour appears early in young P. reticulata . Factors involved in determining dominance were size, sex and aggressiveness. Individual or role recognition or both may occur in this species. Advantages of dominance are discussed.
Influence of unilateral castration and increased plane of nutrition on sexual development of Holstein bulls. II. Histologic development of the testes

Sixty-five Holstein bull calves were assigned in an experiment to determine the effects of unilateral castration (UC) at 1 week of age and of two levels of nutrition after 6 months on reproductive development to 16 months. Five animals were killed at 1 wk and half the remainder UC at that age. Groups of 5 in all factorial groups were killed at 2, 4, 8 and 16 months. Tubular diameter increased with age (P<.01) and at 8 and 16 months with UC (P<.01). Epithelial area at 8 and 16 months increased with age and UC (P<.01). The percents of tubular and intertubular tissue varied with age (P<.01) with the tubular tissue having its highest value at 8 months. Indexes of both total tubular and intertubular tissue were increased with age and UC (P<.01). The number of type A spermatogonia per cross section of stage 1 tubules of 16-month bulls was increased by UC (P<.05).
Local differences in soil temperature and soil moisture regimes on a mountain slope, Hawaii.

Abstract This article presents analyses of the soil temperature and soil moisture regimes on a mountain slope on the basis of measurements during five years at 17 sites on Maui, Hawaii. Soil temperature regimes over the 400 km 2 study area indicate that the isothermic zone extends higher on the mountain than previously thought and that the dry leeward areas contain an hyperthermic zone. Hyperthermic regimes had not previously been identified in the Hawaiian Islands. Soil moisture regimes range from aridic to udic. The hyperthermic-isohyperthermic boundary and the limit of the aridic regime coincide approximately with the isohyet of 600 mm annual rainfall, an amount close to the average annual rainfall of the nearby open ocean.
Kinetics and mechanism of donor–acceptor azulenic optical limiting molecules

Abstract The transient absorption spectra and kinetics of ten new donor–acceptor azulenic molecules, after excitation of the charge-transfer band, have been studied by means of ultrafast transient spectroscopy. All of the molecules show intense and broad reverse saturable absorption bands in the visible region, which appear within the excitation pulse ( τ =1 ps), and decay with picosecond lifetimes. The early time steps of the photochemical mechanism of these azulenes are proposed. Owing to the high absorption cross-section, fast kinetics and broad spectral response, these molecules may serve as the active media for optical limiting devices.
Double-Bundle Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With a Bifid Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Allograft

The treatment of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries remains controversial. The ideal choice of graft and reconstructive technique remains uncertain. A bifid bone-patellar tendon-bone allograft is described that is suitable for either arthroscopic transtibial tunnel or open tibial inlay reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament. This graft closely recreates the anatomic configuration and size of the native posterior cruciate ligament. Testing of this graft versus a single bundle construct showed improved biomechanical performance in a tibial inlay PCL reconstruction. When posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is indicated, a double-bundle reconstruction effectively restores normal knee kinematics. We describe our clinical experience with this technique for PCL reconstruction with our active-duty military population.