cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Army National Guard and Reserve Members' Use of Veteran Health Administration Health Care After Demobilizing From OEF/OIF Deployment

ABSTRACT This study described rates and predictors of Army National Guard and Army Reserve members' enrollment in and utilization of Veteran Health Administration (VHA) services in the 365 days following demobilization from an index deployment. We also explored regional and VHA facility variation in serving eligible members in their catchment areas. The sample included 125,434 Army National Guard and 48,423 Army Reserve members who demobilized after a deployment ending between FY 2008 and FY 2011. Demographic, geographic, deployment, and Military Health System eligibility were derived from Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System and “Contingency Tracking System” data. The VHA National Patient Care Databases were used to ascertain VHA utilization and status (e.g., enrollee, TRICARE). Logistic regression models were used to evaluate predictors of VHA utilization as an enrollee in the year following demobilization. Of the study members demobilizing during the observation period, 56.9% of Army Nationa...
Beliefs in Foreign Policy Goals and American Citizens' Support for Foreign Aid

This study examines the role of beliefs in foreign policy goals in accounting for American citizens’ support for foreign aid to various countries. Previous studies on public opinion on foreign policy showed the existence of organized and structured beliefs among the mass public. But few studies explore the effect of these beliefs in goals on American citizens’ policy preferences. Based on the theoretical proposition that individuals are motivated by goals and principles, this study tests the effect of these beliefs on citizens’ support for foreign aid. Two prominent goals that this study explores are humanitarianism and domestic interests. They represent goals of traditional idealism and realism. Results show that, in addition to commonly accepted isolationism, these two beliefs drive citizens’ support for foreign aid. Those individuals who believe in humanitarianism are more likely to support foreign aid, while those individuals who care about domestic interests are less likely to support such aid. Furthermore, more sophisticated individuals tend to be able to use a belief in goals more effectively than less sophisticated individuals in accounting for their support for foreign aid.
Fuzzy Real Lines And Dual Real Lines As Poslat Topological, Uniform, And Metric Ordered Semirings With Unity

Nontrivial examples of objects and morphisms are fundamentally important to establishing the credibility of a new category or discipline such as lattice-dependent or fuzzy topology; and often the justifications of the importance of certain objects and the importance of certain morphisms are intertwined. In [33], we established classes of variable-basis morphisms between different fuzzy real lines and between different dual real lines, but left untouched the issue of the canonicity of these objects. In this chapter, we attempt to demonstrate the canonicity of these spaces stemming from the interplay between arithmetic operations and underlying topological structures. We shall summarize the definitions of fuzzy addition and fuzzy multiplication on the fuzzy real lines and indicate their joint-continuity—along with that of the addition and multiplication on the usual real line—with respect to the underlying poslat topologies, as well as the quasi-uniform and uniform continuity (in the case of fuzzy addition and addition) with respect to the underlying quasi-uniform, uniform, and metric structures. These results not only help establish fuzzy topology w.r.t. objects, but enrich our understanding of traditional arithmetic operations.
Fine Structure of Chromosomes

In 1976 Watson wrote that “even today” our fundamental knowledge of the molecular structure of chromosomes is very incomplete. This is particularly relevant for the more complex chromosomes of higher plants and animals. The main chromosome component of bacteria and viruses is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). However, up to 50% of the chromosomes of higher organisms is protein. Information on the ultrastructure of chromosomes has been obtained by various techniques including x-ray diffraction, chemical analysis, electron microscopy, and autoradiography.
Implementing Educational Language Policy in Arizona: Legal, Historical and Current Practices in SEI, by M. B. Arias and C. Faltis

In this collected volume, Implementing Educational Language Policy in Arizona: Legal, Historical and Current Practices in SEI (series editors, Nancy H. Hornberger and Colin Baker), editors M. Beatr...
Fixed Drug Eruption due to Achiote Dye

Fixed drug eruption (FDE) is a localized type IV sensitivity reaction to a systemically introduced allergen. It usually occurs as a result of new medication, making identification and avoidance of the trigger medication straightforward; however, in a rare subset of cases no pharmacological source is identified. In such cases, the causative agent is often a food or food additive. In this report we describe a case of a FDE in a 12-year-old girl recently immigrated to the United States from Ecuador who had no medication exposure over the course of her illness. Through an exhaustive patient history and literature review, we were able to hypothesize that her presentation was caused by a dietary change of the natural achiote dye used in the preparation of yellow rice to a locally available commercial dye mix containing tartrazine, or Yellow 5, which has previously been implicated in both systemic hypersensitivity reactions and specifically in FDE. This report adds to the small body of available literature on non-pharmacological fixed hypersensitivity eruptions and illustrates an effective approach to the management of such a presentation when history is not immediately revealing.
On the Coupling Between Standing-Wave Thermoacoustic Engine and Piezoelectric Transducer

Small thermoacoustic engines integrated with piezoelectric elements can be effective small-scale power sources to convert heat to electricity. A simplified mathematical model is developed to illustrate the effect of transducer parameters on the frequency and onset temperature difference in a standing-wave engine and to estimate efficiencies of energy conversion. Results of sample calculations show that efficiencies for the acoustic-electric energy conversion on the order of 10% are feasible.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Methyl Jasmonate Exposure Induces Insect Resistance in Cabbage and Tobacco

The effect of methyl jasmonate treatment of 2 plant species (cabbage and tobacco) on the feeding of their corresponding lepidopteran pests was studied. Treatment of cabbage and tobacco plants with methyl jasmonate increased lipoxygenase activity in the leaf tissues. Reduced feeding of lepidopteran larvae was observed in choice test experiments with cabbage loopers and tobacco hornworms. Similar results were obtained for the feeding of both pests on detached methyl jasmonate-treated leaves. Treatment of tobacco plants with methyl jasmonate had no effect on hatching of hornworm eggs but inhibited larval development after hatching. Application of methyl jasmonate to detached leaves in petri plates also inhibited feeding of tobacco hornworms. Methyl jasmonate is known to increase lipoxygenase activity in several plant species and cause elevated production of volatile C6-aldehydes. The same aldehydes that increased after treatment of plants with methyl jasmonate (hexanal and E -2-hexenal) inhibited feeding of tobacco hornworms on detached tobacco leaves. No effect was observed on larval development and pupation of either cabbage loopers or tobacco hornworms when methyl jasmonate was applied to artificial diet. Cabbage looper larvae whose feeding was inhibited on leaves from methyl jasmonate-treated plants were transferred to an artificial diet along with larvae that fed on the leaves from control plants. There was no effect observed on the subsequent development of either larval group. This study demonstrates that inhibition of lepidopteran larval feeding is not caused by the direct effect of methyl jasmonate, but rather to altered metabolism in the plant tissues.
Design and experimental verification of MRI performance testing phantom

Design MRI performance testing phantom, which includes testing modules and fixing structures. The designed phantom was compared with Magphan SMR170 phantom. Auto CAD was used for the design of MRI phantom. Polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA) and Polyformaldehyde materials were used in the designed phantom. Comparative tests were designed for the self-designed phantom and Magphan SMR170 on performance parameters such as SNR, uniformity,spatial resolution,low contrast resolution,geometric distortion,slice thickness,etc. The images of the self-designed phantom were clear and had good contrast. Moreover,the test results of it had good consistency with those of Magphan SMR170 under the same conditions. The self-designed phantom not only had the same test capabilities with the Magphan SMR170 phantom, but also could provide magnetic field performance, MTF, Ghost artifact testing capabilities. Meanwhile,each testing module could be disassembled and packaged freely. The self-designed phantom satisfied the requirement of performance testing of QAQC very well.
Doubling strong lensing as a cosmological probe

Strong gravitational lensing provides a geometric probe of cosmology in a unique manner through distance ratios involving the source and lens. This is well-known for the time delay distance derived from measured delays between lightcurves of the images of variable sources such as quasars. Recently, double source plane lens systems involving two constant sources lensed by the same foreground lens have been proposed as another probe, involving a different ratio of distances measured from the image positions and fairly insensitive to the lens modeling. Here we demonstrate that these two different sets of strong lensing distance ratios have strong complementarity in cosmological leverage. Unlike other probes, the double source distance ratio is actually more sensitive to the dark energy equation of state parameters ${w}_{0}$ and ${w}_{a}$ than to the matter density ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}_{m}$, for low redshift lenses. Adding double source distance ratio measurements can improve the dark energy figure of merit by 40% for a sample of fewer than 100 low redshift systems, or even better for the optimal redshift distribution we derive.
Spectroscopic and solid-state evaluations of tetra-aza macrocyclic cobalt complexes with parallels to the classic cobalt(II) chloride equilibrium

AbstractThe Co(III) complex of 3,6,9,15-tetra-azabicyclo[9.3.1]penta-deca-1,11,13-triene (L1) has been synthesized in DMF and isolated as a blue solid (1) ([L1CoIIIClX]n+, X = Cl− or DMF, n = 1 or 2). Complex 1 exhibits solution behavior similar to the classic cobalt(II) chloride equilibrium. When 1 is dissolved in water, the solution is pink and this complex exists as 1a, which consists of a cobalt(III) bound to L1 and two cis-chlorides with a perchlorate counter-ion to balance the complex charge ([L1CoIIICl2][ClO4]). In contrast, when 1 is dissolved in DMF or other organic solvents the solution is blue and is observed as 1b. The 1b complex salt contains two cobalt centers. One cobalt(III) is bound to L1, Cl−, and DMF. Charge balance is accomplished by the second cobalt center: [CoIICl4]2−, thus making 1b (L1CoIIICl(DMF)][CoIICl4]). This equilibrium was confirmed using UV–visible spectroscopy, EPR, and X-ray crystallography.
What are normal blood values for leukemia in remission.

Abstract 1. The values for hemoglobin concentration, total white blood cells, granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes at the midpoint of 78 drug-induced remissions in a group of children with acute leukemia have been presented. These values have been compared with those from a group of normal children, and the differences analyzed statistically. 2. Statistical analysis shows that, in general, blood values in remission are reduced by the particular agent employed. White blood cells are more markedly affected than hemoglobin. 3. The effects are essentially the same with 6-M.P. given alone or in combination with azaserine or DON. 4. The reduction in values is greatest with 6-M.P., alone or in combination, less with amethopterin and least with prednisone. 5. The data presented indicate that criteria for complete blood remission should make allowances for the influence of the drug employed.
Fabrication and Short-Term in Vivo Performance of a Natural Elastic Lamina-Polymeric Hybrid Vascular Graft.

Although significant advances have been made in the development of artificial vascular grafts, small-diameter grafts still suffer from excessive platelet activation, thrombus formation, smooth muscle cell intimal hyperplasia, and high occurrences of restenosis. Recent discoveries demonstrating the excellent blood-contacting properties of the natural elastic lamina have raised the possibility that an acellular elastic lamina could effectively serve as a patent blood-contacting surface in engineered vascular grafts. However, the elastic lamina alone lacks the requisite mechanical properties to function as a viable vascular graft. Here, we have screened a wide range of biodegradable and biostable medical-grade polymers for their ability to adhere to the outer surface of the elastic lamina and allow cellular repopulation following engraftment in the rat abdominal aorta. We demonstrate a novel method for the fabrication of elastic lamina–polymeric hybrid small-diameter vascular grafts and identify poly(ether u...
Ethical Field Research

How can we define ethical research? A broad definition might be ‘a way of working that you, the research community and the language com­munity think is appropriate’. We can consider the question of ethics broadly, or more narrowly, in the sense of ‘what type of research is approved by university ethics boards?’
Trends in the utilization of adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy in women with early-stage endometrial carcinoma: Results of an updated period analysis of SEER data

Purpose Adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy (VB) is a well-established and effective radiation treatment modality in women with early-stage endometrial carcinoma. We sought to evaluate and update published trends in the utilization of VB vs. other radiation therapy modalities (pelvic external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) or the combination of VB and pelvic EBRT using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Methods and Materials The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried for adult females with histologically confirmed International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 1988 Stage I–II endometrial carcinoma diagnosed from 1995 to 2012 and treated definitively with hysterectomy and adjuvant radiation therapy. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences by radiation type (VB, EBRT, and VB + EBRT) and various demographic and clinical variables. Results We identified 15,201 patients that met inclusion criteria. There was a significant overall increase in the use of VB was observed from 17.1% in 1995–2000 compared to 57.1% in 2007–2012 (p < 0.0001). Similarly, there was a proportional decrease in the use of EBRT from 54.0% to 25.5% (p < 0.0001) as well as in the use of VB + EBRT from 28.9% to 17.4% during the same period (p < 0.0001). The observed increase in utilization of VB was not limited to any variables (age, race, histological type, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, and the status of lymph node dissection [yes or no]) or the number of dissected lymph nodes. Conclusions In this large national database set, there continues to be an increasing trend for the use of VB in the adjuvant setting in women with early-stage endometrial carcinoma.
A Comparison of DR-BEM and SR-BEM Solutions for Parabolic Problems

The Boundary Element Method (BEM) is a well accepted numerical procedure for elliptic partial differential equations. The main reason for this acceptance is due to the numerical simplifications introduced to the computational algorithms through the analytic reduction of the order of governing partial differential equations. In BEM only boundary nodes need to be included to the computation process to analyze a specific boundary value problem, Liggett and Liu [1983]. Using this procedure, internal solutions may also be computed at a desired number of points thus totally eliminating the unnecessary and undesired solution of all internal points characterized by a specific idealization which is the case for all domain methods.
The problem in the world of Archimedes

In this chapter I discuss the Archimedean problem in its first, “Classical” stage. In section 1.1, I show how it was first obtained by Archimedes and then, in 1.2, I offer a translation of the synthetic part of Archimedes' solution. Following that, section 1.3 makes some preliminary observations on the geometrical nature of the problem as studied by Archimedes. Sections 1.4 and 1.5 follow the parallel treatments of the same problem by two later Hellenistic mathematicians, Dionysodorus and Diocles. Putting together the various treatments, I try to offer in section 1.6 an account of the nature of Ancient geometrical problems. Why were the ancient discussions geometrical rather than algebraic – why were these problems , and not equations ? The problem obtained In his Second Book on the Sphere and Cylinder , Archimedes offers a series of problems concerning spheres. The goal is to produce spheres, or segments of spheres, defined by given geometrical equalities or ratios. In Proposition 4 the problem is to cut a sphere so that its segments stand to each other in a given ratio. For instance, we know that to divide a sphere into two equal parts, the solution is to divide it along the center, or, in other words, at the center of the diameter. But what if want to have, say, one segment twice the other?
Success in the West—Disaster in the East

It has been more than 10 years since the last Word Conference on Smoking or Health was held in Asia, and major progress has been made since that time in the United States to curb tobacco use. Nevertheless, the British and United States tobacco manufacturers have only shifted the focus of their marketing activities from home to abroad, with particular attention to Asian nations. I review here the progress made in the United States, with a focus on the State of Massachusetts and discuss how the tobacco industries have responded to the decline in American consumption by forcing entry into Asian tobacco markets and transforming how cigarettes are manufactured, advertised, priced and sold in Asia. Finally, I discuss how the pending settlement with the tobacco industry in the United States could further effect the promotion of cigarettes by western manufacturers in the region.
A multi-sensor system for high throughput field phenotyping in soybean and wheat breeding

A multi-sensor system for high throughput field phenotyping was developed.The system measured canopy height, temperature, NDVI, reflectance, and RGB image.The sensor system was successfully tested in soybean and wheat field trials.In-season sensor traits revealed the growth pattern of plots during the season.Final yield is significantly correlated with the sensor traits at early and late season. Collecting plant phenotypic data with sufficient resolution (in both space and time) and accuracy represents a long standing challenge in plant science research, and has been a major limiting factor for the effective use of genomic data for crop improvement. This is particularly true in plant breeding where collecting large-scale field-based plant phenotypes can be very labor intensive and costly. In this paper we reported a multi-sensor system for high throughput phenotyping in plant breeding. The system comprised five sensor modules (ultrasonic distance sensors, thermal infrared radiometers, NDVI sensors, portable spectrometers, and RGB web cameras) to measure crop canopy traits from field plots. A GPS was used to geo-reference the sensor measurements. Two environmental sensors (a solar radiation sensor and air temperature/relative humidity sensor) were also integrated into the system to collect simultaneous environmental data. A LabVIEW program was developed to control and synchronize measurements from all sensor modules and stored sensor readings in the host computer. Canopy reflectance spectra (by portable spectrometers) were post processed to extract NDVI and red-edge NDVI spectral indices; and RGB images were post processed to extract canopy green pixel fraction (as a proxy for biomass). The sensor system was tested in a soybean and wheat field trial. The results showed strong correlations among the sensor-based plant traits at both early and late growing season. Significant correlations were also found between the sensor-based traits and final grain yield at the early season (Pearson's correlation coefficient r ranged from 0.41 to 0.55) and late season (r from 0.55 to 0.70), suggesting the potential use of the sensor system to assist in phenotypic selection for plant breeding. The sensor system performed satisfactorily and robustly in the field tests. It was concluded that the sensor system could be a powerful tool for plant breeders to collect field-based, high throughput plant phenotyping data.
Epidural Steroid Injection or Physical Therapy for Lumbosacral Radiculopathy Due to Disc Herniation

A 58-year-old male presents to his physician with complaints of low back pain for the past 4 months. The pain is sharp and burning and radiates down the back of his left leg to the bottom of the foot. There is a tingling and occasional numbness on the sole of his foot. He has tried taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) with minimal benefit, and finally decided it was time to get the pain checked as golf season was around the corner, and he did not want it to impact his game. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is performed and reveals a small central left paracentral disc herniation at L5-S1, which partially effaces the ventral thecal sac.
A STUDY OF METHODS TO ENUMERATE THE MICROBIAL FLORA OF THE AVIAN EGG SHELL1

Experiments were done to compare results from three different methods used to enumerate the microbial flora of avian egg shells. The methods compared were: (a) swabbing the shell surface, (b) rinsing the shell surface, and (c) blending the entire shell and membranes after removal of the contents. Sanitized eggs held at 25 C were inoculated with a 24-hr old culture of Pseudomonas fluorescens by immersion for 5 min at 25 C. In the swab method, the entire surface of the inoculated egg was swabbed by rolling the swab in either direction twice as each area was swabbed. For the rinse method, the inoculated egg was held using a metal holder and rinsed with 100 ml of 0.1% peptone solution. With the blender method, the entire emptied inoculated egg shell and shell membranes were blended using a Sorvall Omni-Mixer to which a presterilized Mason jar was attached. As expected, the blender method gave significantly higher counts (P<0.05) than either the swab or rinse methods. There was no significant difference (P<0.0...
Predicting financial risk from revenue reports

This chapter investigates methods of predicting the financial risk of publicly traded corporations using their revenue reports. Unlike many existing algorithms, where a prediction model is learnt using real-valued ground truth risks, we propose to solve the prediction as a learning-to-rank problem with pairwise constraints (e.g., company A is financially more stable than company B). To further increase the flexibility of our approach, we solve the pairwise learning formulation in its dual format, which makes our model nonlinear and thereby it can be applied to complex prediction tasks. The advantage of using pairwise supervision is not only limited to the simplified acquisition of training data, but it also produces new problem settings. We explore one such setting in which the prediction model can actively ask humans informative questions so as to improve prediction accuracy. Our work aims to address three limitations of existing works: (1) pointwise supervision—we adopt pairwise supervision which reduces the cost of collecting training samples; (2) linearity—we kernelize the formulation to make it nonlinear, which broadens its applicability; and (3) training data bottleneck—the proposed model can actively integrate humans into the learning loop, so that when the initial training samples do not carry enough knowledge, additional examples can be added to create a better prediction model. Using the proposed efficient optimization method, we evaluate our approach using real-text files (annual revenue reports) and compare with state-of-the-art methods. The results unequivocally demonstrate the superior performance of our proposed approach, and validate the effectiveness of our active knowledge injection in the context of human–machine interaction.
Information Technology Progress Indicators: Temporal Expectancy, User Preference, and the Perception of Process Duration

Users of information technology IT often encounter "progress indicators" during their interactions. These graphics appear on screen as a user waits for a task to complete and are designed to inform the user of the progress made as the task moves toward completion. This study employs theoretical models from research on human experiences in waiting to develop hypotheses related to the design of one type of progress indicator: the "stalling progress bar." That is, a progress bar that moves consistently during most of the computing process but then stalls for an indeterminate period before completing. Data from one experiment indicates that participants preferred a progress bar that moves consistently to a stalling progress bar, and judged the process duration to be shorter with the linear progress bar. Data from a second experiment indicates that displaying an explanatory message with a stalling progress bar enhances participant's perception about the stalling bar.
Understanding New Parents' Navigation Practices in Healthcare

Much work falls to patients who interact with a vast and fragmented healthcare system [19]. My dissertation research concerns new parents' navigation practices in the multi-institutional healthcare system in the U.S. Examples include finding and coordinating particular health services, learning insurance information, and seeking medical knowledge. The goal is to identify the challenges the healthcare system presents to new parents, document their strategies for tackling these challenges, and provide implications for HCI design that facilitates new parents' navigation practices.
Comparative-Historical Analysis and Development Studies

This essay first explores how the defining features of comparative-historical analysis (CHA) endow this approach with comparative advantages for substantive research on macro development. It identifies three major traits of CHA that make this tradition an especially powerful approach for the study of development: cased-based research; a focus on context and configurations; and a concern with mechanisms and temporal flow. It then considers what concretely we have learned about the sources of macro development from CHA studies. While some findings are tentative or open to debate, the list of empirical contributions from CHA is quite substantial. Finally, the essay considers some of the frontiers of CHA work on development. Included at this frontier is work on the concept of development itself, displacing the centrality of property institutions with a focus on identity institutions, and moving the focus of analysis from the national level to subnational and supranational levels.
Reduced grain boundary energies in rare-earth doped MgAl2O4 spinel and consequent grain growth inhibition

Abstract Grain growth inhibition in MgAl2O4 spinel nanostructure was achieved by grain boundary (GB) segregation of rare-earth dopants. Microcalorimetric measurements showed that dense spinel compacts doped with 3 mol% of R2O3 (R = Y, Gd, and La) had decreased GB energies as compared to the undoped spinel, representing reduction in the driving force for grain growth. Segregation energies of the three dopants to the Σ3 (111) GB were calculated by atomistic simulation. The dopants with higher ionic radius tend to segregate more strongly to GBs. The GB energies were calculated from atomistic simulation and, consistent with experiments, a systematic reduction in GB energy with dopant ionic size was found. High temperature grain growth experiments revealed a significant reduction of grain growth in the doped nanostructures as compared to the undoped one, which was attributed to increased metastability or possibly also a GB dragging originated from the dopant segregation.
Recovery of Phytophthora ramorum in plant tissue with mixed infections

This study was performed to investigate the frequency with which P. ramorum would be isolated from host tissue co-infected with P. ramorum as well as an indigenous Phytophthora species or P. kernoviae. Three separate experiments were tested in a similar manner using different combinations of pathogens and hosts. Overall for any of the individual experiments, very few segments did not have any growth of Phytophthora spp. For mixed infections of P. ramorum and P. kernoviae, a difference was observed between isolating both of the species and P. ramorum only on rhododendron. The data showed that P. ramorum or P. kernoviae will not be detected 29 or 12% of the time, respectively, in infected Rhododendron sp. Phytophthora kernoviae was not detected alone in mixed infections with P. ramorum on Pieris japonica. When two different P. ramorum isolates were co-inoculated individually with one P. citricola isolate, there was a significant difference between isolating P. ramorum and isolating both species. These results confirm that choice of host species used for baiting can strongly influence detection results. For example, if P. japonica were used for baiting in mixed infections, there is a 55% chance that P. kernoviae would not be detected. This study highlights the difficulty in being confident in isolating and identifying an individual Phytophthora sp. from host material when mixed infections are present, and emphasizes the importance of a large sample size in order to increase the chances to recover all possible different species in a mixed infection.
Personalized Diagnosis for Alzheimer's Disease.

Current learning-based methods for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) rely on training a general classifier aiming to recognize abnormal structural alternations from homogenously distributed dataset deriving from a large population. However, due to diverse disease pathology, the real imaging data in routine clinic practices is highly complex and heterogeneous. Hence, prototype methods commonly performing well in the laboratory cannot achieve expected outcome when applied under the real clinic setting. To address this issue, herein we propose a novel personalized model for AD diagnosis. We customize a subject-specific AD classifier for the new testing data by iteratively reweighting the training data to reveal the latent testing data distribution and refining the classifier based on the weighted training data. Furthermore, to improve estimation of diagnosis result and clinical scores at the individual level, we extend our personalized AD diagnosis model to a joint classification and regression scenario. Our model shows improved performance on classification and regression accuracy when applied on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) selected from Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. Our work pinpoints the clinical potential of personalized diagnosis framework in AD.
THE LANDSCAPE OF CONTEMPORARY JURISPRUDENCE REGARDING FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION

Since 1990 the debate over the limits of free exercise of religion has touched the courts, the Congress, and the executive branch. A wide range of issues has emerged: property use, prisoner rights, religious speech and association in schools, church’s autonomy in hiring employees, and the Obama administration’s policies toward health insurance requirements for religious institutions and businesses. The purpose of this paper is to assess the current state of free exercise jurisprudence through a survey of the major developments in these fields. It seems that when free exercise issues affect individuals or religious institutions alone, a wide scope is allowed for religious liberty. However, when other political interests come into play—such as gay and lesbian groups or groups representing women—the record is far more mixed
Subjective Cognitive Decline Modifies the Relationship Between Cerebral Blood Flow and Memory Function in Cognitively Normal Older Adults.

Objectives: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), or self-reported cognitive decline despite normal neuropsychological test performance, is a risk factor for objective cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While brain mechanisms contributing to SCD are not well defined, studies show associations with vascular risk factors and altered cerebral blood flow (CBF), raising the hypothesis that those with SCD might be experiencing vascular dysregulation, or a disruption in the normal relationship between CBF and cognition. We examined whether the association between CBF and verbal memory performance differs between those with SCD (SCD+) and those without SCD (SCD-). Methods: Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate whether the voxel-wise relationship between arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI-measured CBF and verbal memory performance was modified by SCD among a group of 70 cognitively normal older adults (35 SCD+, 35 SCD-; mean age=72) matched on age, gender, and symptoms of depression. Results: Results indicated that the SCD- group exhibited positive associations between verbal memory and CBF within the posterior cingulate cortex, middle temporal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus, whereas the SCD+ group displayed negative associations between verbal memory and CBF within the posterior cingulate cortex, middle temporal gyrus, hippocampus, fusiform gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus. Conclusions: Findings suggest that, while higher CBF is supportive of memory function in those without SCD, higher CBF may no longer support memory function in those presenting with SCD, perhaps reflecting neurovascular dysregulation. (JINS, 2018, 24, 213–223)
Numerical Simulation of Wake Flowfield Behind the C-130 with Cargo Ramp Open

Simulation results are presented for a C-130 aircraft configured to perform cargo airdrop operations. Flight operations with the cargo ramp open lead to strong vortical flow structures and unsteady...
Abstract 15287: Atypical Stress Cardiomyopathy is Associated With Lower Risk of Severe Shock at Diagnosis

Introduction: Typical stress cardiomyopathy is characterized by apical ballooning with relative preservation of basal segments. However, atypical variants with variable wall motion abnormalities (WMA) are increasingly recognized. Whether patients presenting with atypical variants of stress cardiomyopathy have distinctive clinical outcomes remains largely unknown. Hypothesis: Atypical variants of stress cardiomyopathy are associated with a more favorable hemodynamic status and lower mortality compared to the typical form. Methods: The study included all adult subjects diagnosed with stress cardiomyopathy (Mayo Clinic criteria) at a large medical center between 2005 and 2015. Atypical variants were defined by a midventricular, basal, and/or focal distribution of WMA. The primary outcome was death within 30 days of index diagnosis. Severe shock at diagnosis, defined as the need for vasopressors or mechanical circulatory support, was assessed as the secondary outcome. Results: Three hundred and six subjects met the inclusion criteria, Table 1. Death and severe shock occurred in in 43 (14%) and 90 (29%) of subjects, respectively. In multivariable logistic regression adjusting for age, Charlson Comorbidity Index, triggering mechanism, sepsis, and initial ejection fraction, atypical variants were not associated with 30-day mortality (OR=0.35, 95% CI=0.09-1.35, p=0.128). However, atypical stress cardiomyopathy was associated with lower odds of severe shock (OR=0.37, 95% CI=0.15-0.95, p=0.039). Conclusions: Atypical variants of stress cardiomyopathy may be associated with lower likelihood of severe shock at diagnosis. Table 1. Clinical characteristics. Data are presented as median (IQR) for continuous variables and count (percentage) for categorical variables. N represents the number of non-missing values. a Wilcoxon Rank Sum test b Pearson’s Chi-Squared test
Sarcopenia is a predictor of outcomes after lobectomy

Background: As screening for lung cancer rises, an increase in the diagnosis of early stage lung cancers is expected. Lobectomy remains the standard treatment, but there are alternatives, consideration of which requires an estimation of the risk of surgery. Sarcopenia, irrespective of body mass index, confers a worse prognosis in many groups of patients including those undergoing surgery. Here we examine the association of muscle mass with outcomes for patients undergoing lobectomy. Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing lobectomy were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative computed tomography scans were reviewed, and cross-sectional area of the erector spinae muscles and pectoralis muscles was determined and normalized for height. Univariate and multivariate analyses were then done to examine for an association of muscle mass with morbidity and short- and long-term mortality. Results: During the study period, there were 299 lobectomies, 278 of which were done by video assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The average age of the patients was 67.5±10.6 years. Overall complication rate was 52.2%, pneumonia rate was 8.7%, and the 30-day mortality rate was 1.3%. Mean height adjusted-erector spinae muscle cross-sectional area was 10.6±2.6 cm 2 /m 2 , and mean height adjusted-pectoralis muscle cross sectional area was 13.3±3.8 cm 2 /m 2 . The height adjusted cross sectional areas of the erector spinae and pectoralis muscles were not associated with overall complication rate, rate of pneumonia, readmission, or intensive care unit length of stay. The height adjusted-erector spinae muscle cross sectional area was inversely correlated with 30-day mortality risk, odds ratio 0.77 (95% CI, 0.60–0.98, P=0.036). Mean length of stay was 7.0 days (95% CI, 5.5–8.4 days). Multivariate analysis demonstrated a significant inverse association of the height adjusted-erector spinae muscle cross sectional area with length of stay (P=0.019). Conclusions: The height adjusted-erector spinae muscle cross sectional area was significantly associated with 30-day mortality and length of stay in the hospital. Measurement of muscle mass on preoperative computed tomography imaging may have a role to help predict risk of morbidity and mortality prior to lobectomy.
Preoperative Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging Use by Breast Density and Family History of Breast Cancer.

Abstract Background: Use of preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) among women with a new breast cancer has increased over the past decade. MRI use is more frequent in younger women and those with lobular carcinoma, but associations with breast density and family history of breast cancer are unknown. Materials and Methods: Data for 3075 women ages >65 years with stage 0-III breast cancer who underwent breast conserving surgery or mastectomy from 2005 to 2010 in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium were linked to administrative claims data to assess associations of preoperative MRI use with mammographic breast density and first-degree family history of breast cancer. Multivariable logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association of MRI use with breast density and family history, adjusting for woman and tumor characteristics. Results: Overall, preoperative MRI use was 16.4%. The proportion of women receiving breast MRI was s...
Voters’ Response to Candidate Ambiguity in U.S. House Elections:

There is a sizable literature on the causes and effects of candidate positioning in elections. An implication of this research is that candidates present clear issue positions to the electorate and citizens then make voting decisions based on this information. However, if candidates are ambiguous in the positions they take, this may impair voters’ decision-making and prompt voters to punish them for inconsistency. Although there is a growing literature on the effects of candidate and party ambiguity, consensus on the implications of ambiguity for candidates and voters is yet to be achieved. Using data from the 2010 House elections, we find that candidate ambiguity undermines voters’ ability to vote consistent with the spatial logic just as Downs speculated. We also find, in contrast to Downs, that voters punish rather than reward candidate ambiguity. We suggest that a possible mechanism is in voters’ valence ratings of candidates.
Learning the Emotion Rules of Communicating Within a Law Office: An Intern Constructs a Professional Identity Through Emotion Management:

This article explores different types of emotion a student experiences as she interns at a public defender’s office and proposes several emotion rules based on her experience. After a literature review that locates emotions within the identity-construction process, the author analyzes data from reflective questionnaires to identify various emotions this student experienced that serve as a basis for inductively formulating the rules. Following a discussion of the rules, the article concludes with implications of this research for educators and newcomers to workplace communication environments.
A “Dynamic” Proof of the Frobenius–Perron Theorem for Metzler Matrices

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of a dynamic proof of the Frobenius–Perron theorem for Metzler matrices. Metzler matrices have non-negative off-diagonal elements and can be applied in mathematical economics and other fields of investigation. An important property, especially for the study of stability of dynamic systems, is that the largest real part of the characteristic roots is itself a characteristic root and has a semi-positive characteristic vector. There is a less well-known property of linear dynamic systems governed by Metzler matrices: If the forcing term is a non-negative vector and if the system starts in the positive orthant, it will remain there forever.
The impact of technology on information system

- The technological progress of information systems is largely determined by the advancement of the silicon integrated circuitry. The cost/performance progress of this technology shows no signs of saturation in the foreseeable future.
Reproducibility of Liver-to-Thorax Area Ratio Ultrasound Measurements in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the reproducibility of a standardized method to assess the ultrasound liver-to-thoracic area ratio in fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Methods We selected 24 images of 9 fetuses diagnosed with left-sided at our institution between January 2010 and December 2017. Eight operators (1 maternal-fetal medicine specialist and 7 sonographers) reviewed the selected images and assessed the ultrasound liver-to-thoracic area ratio according to a standardized protocol. We evaluated the correlation between operators using the intraclass correlation coefficient and compared agreement between the sonographers and a physician with experience in measuring the ultrasound liver-to-thoracic area ratio using a Bland-Altman analysis. Results Good intraoperator reproducibility was observed for the standardized ultrasound liver-to-thoracic area ratio (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.78). Good agreement among sonographers and the physician was also observed for the standardized measurements (bias, 0.01; precision, 0.03; limits of agreement, -0.05 to + 0.07). Conclusions We demonstrated that good intraoperator and interoperator reproducibility of ultrasound liver-to-thoracic area ratio assessment is feasible after standardizing the method in our center.
PKM2 is not required for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

While most cancer cells preferentially express the M2 isoform of the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase (PKM2), PKM2 is dispensable for tumor development in several mouse cancer models. PKM2 is expressed in human pancreatic cancer, and there have been conflicting reports on the association of PKM2 expression and pancreatic cancer patient survival, but whether PKM2 is required for pancreatic cancer progression is unknown. To investigate the role of PKM2 in pancreatic cancer, we used a conditional allele to delete PKM2 in a mouse model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PDAC tumors were initiated in LSL-KrasG12D/+;Trp53flox/flox;Pdx-1-Cre (KP−/−C) mice harboring a conditional Pkm2 allele. Immunohistochemical analysis showed PKM2 expression in wild-type tumors and loss of PKM2 expression in tumors from Pkm2 conditional mice. PKM2 deletion had no effect on overall survival or tumor size. Loss of PKM2 resulted in pyruvate kinase M1 (PKM1) expression, but did not affect the number of proliferating cells. These findings are consistent with results in other cancer models. PKM2 is not required for initiation or growth of PDAC tumors arising in the KP−/−C pancreatic cancer model. These findings suggest that, in this mouse PDAC model, PKM2 expression is not required for pancreatic tumor formation or progression.
Student-Written Multiple-Choice Questions-a Practical and Educational Approach.

The purpose of our student-led project was to fulfill junior medical students’ demand for instructive, curriculum-specific practice questions while providing a learning experience and teaching opportunity for participating senior students. Eleven second-year students were taught how to write high-quality multiple-choice questions through an interactive workshop. Subsequently, they were instructed to write questions with detailed explanations for their assigned lecture topics. Thirty-four student-written and faculty-reviewed questions were combined with 16 purely faculty-written questions to create a 50-question exam. No significant difference was found in question difficulty between the student-written (79.5%) and faculty-written (84.0%) questions (p = 0.37). The discrimination index and point biserial correlation were higher for student-written (0.29, 0.32) vs. faculty-written (0.17, 0.25) questions (p < .01, < .05). The test-takers learned key course topics, while the test-writers reviewed key first-year objectives and refined their test-taking strategies. The project provided a model for feasibly developing comprehensive, high-quality, and curriculum-specific questions.
Investigation into Component Losses and Efficiency of a Bidirectional Full-Bridge DC-DC Converter

Efficient, small, and reliable dc-dc power converters with high power density are highly desirable in applications such as aerospace and electric vehicles, where battery storage is limited. While bidirectional full-bridge (FB) dc-dc converters are popular in medium and high-power applications requiring regenerative capabilities, converter efficiency and reliability are heavily dependent on the switch characteristics and resiliency. Silicon Carbide (SiC) devices are expected to reduce converter losses and size as well as facilitate high-voltage, high-temperature, and high-frequency operation. This paper aims to investigate individual losses in SiC devices and evaluate their performance in bidirectional full-bridge dc-dc converters. A 5 kW converter using Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs will be designed and simulated using LTSpice to validate the presented theory.