cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adapting Agencies: Competition, Imitation, and Punishment in the Design of Bureaucratic Performance

This essay examines the roles of competition, comparison, imitation, and punishment in the design of bureaucratic performance. Through a series of simulations, this essay examines how these elements - alone and in combination - drive both the performance and technology search paths of adaptive agencies. I first provide a baseline model of an agency as a complex adaptive system, which experiences performance, sets goals, and searches for new technologies in a fully adaptive manner. I then provide three basic design choices for agencies, including: a competitive environment, an environment that allows agencies to imitate one another, and an environment in which lone agencies are punished at random for poor performance. These design choices help to assess ways of altering an agency's performance, and the likelihood of innovation and refinement as agencies search for new technologies. The models show the difficult tradeoffs encountered in designing agencies. Predictability is an enemy of change. Search can be as important as the outcomes of search. Stability competes with growth. Together, these tradeoffs offer a set of competing "goods" designers face when attempting to alter an agency's direction. By encouraging change we upset prediction; by encouraging innovation, we do not guarantee outcomes.
Chapter 9 – Antibiotics

The term “antibiotic,” coined in 1942, describes any substance produced by a microorganism, and subsequently by chemical synthesis, that is antagonistic to the growth of other microorganisms. There is a wide variety of antibiotics, all of which work as bactericidal or bacteriostatic medicines. Citizens of the world's developed societies live healthier, longer lives because of them. They are used to treat and prevent human and animal diseases. The controversy is about whether or not their use in animal husbandry is a driving force for the development of antibiotic resistance and, if the answer is yes, does that have important, negative human health implications? A major agricultural development enabled by antibiotics is the widespread presence of concentrated animal feeding operations.
Structural Model of Long-Term Commodity Price Dynamics

This paper contributes to the theories commodity prices and exhaustible resources by examining simultaneous optimal resource extraction and dynamic capacity building. I analyze the ways in which random demand process and irreversible capacity options shape the long-term price and volatility path of exhaustible resource. The model suggest a mean-reverting price path in the initial stages of extraction which is a possible resolution for the old puzzle of why the predictions of Hotelling's model (Hotelling (1931)) are not observed in reality. The results of this paper can contribute to a better understanding of long-run energy and commodity supply elasticity and price dynamics.
Determination of Butyl and Ethyl Alcohols in Fermentation Mixtures.

An accurate and rapid method for the quantitative determination of alcohols in fermentation mixtures would prove of value to the zymologist engaged in studies of the chemism of microbial action. A method which has been found very satisfactory is based upon the oxidation of the alcohols in the neutral volatile distillate by potassium dichromate and phosphoric acid. Ethyl alcohol yields acetic acid and butyl alcohol yields a mixture of butyric and acetic. The acids are quantitatively determined by the partition method.1 The method is presented in its present form for the quantitative determination of unknown mixtures of butyl and ethyl alcohols, such as are found in the “butyl-acetone” fermentation. This fermentation has extensive industrial use in the production of butyl alcohol and acetone.Fifty cc. of the alcohol mixture are pipetted into a 200 cc. balloon flask containing 10 gm. of potassium dichromate and 25 cc. of c.p. 85% phosphoric acid. Three or 4 small pieces of porcelain are added to insure smoot...
Diagnosis and Treatment of Arrhythmias During and Following Open Heart Surgery

The ability to record electrograms directly from the atria and to pace the atria and/or ventricles provides an effective, rapid, easy, and remarkably safe way to treat most disorders of rhythm and conduction in patients during and following open heart surgery. This article reviews various applications of those techniques.
Small Structural Changes of Chromosome 8 Two Cases with Evidence for Deletion

Two patients are described whose clinical features are interpreted as resulting from simple deletion of, respectively, bands p12 and q242 of chromosome 8.
Effects of Valsartan and Rosiglitazone on Expression of TGF-β1 in Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis Rats

Objective:To investigate the effects of valsartan and rosiglitazone on expression of TGF-β1 in kidney tissue of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis(FSGS)rats.Methods:Rat model of FSGS was constructed with one side nephrectomy and injection of adriamycin caudal-venously respectively.Rats were randomized to normal control group,valsartan-treated group,rosiglitazone-treated group,integrated treatment group and model group.Twenty-four hours urinary protein and blood biochemical indicators were measured at the 0,4th,6th and 8th week.The values of creatinine clearance(Ccr) was calculated.Renal pathological changes were evaluated at the 8th week.Expression of TGF-β1 was detected by immunohistochemical method,and the correlation between TGF-β1 expression and the pathological changes was analyzed.Results:Twenty-four hour urinary protein in each treatment group was lower than that in model group.The values of serum total protein(TP),albumin(ALB) increased significantly in each treatment group compared with that of model group.Meanwhile,the values of cholesterol decreased markedly,Ccr increased.The values of glomerular sclerotic index(SI) and glomerular extracellular matrix(ECM)/glomerular area(GA) were decreased significantly in each treatment group.The expression of TGF-β1 was lower in normal control group compared with that of model group.The expressions of TGF-β1 in each treatment group were decreased.Besides,there were differences between integrated treatment and other treatment group in 24 -hour urinary protein,renal pathological changes and expression of TGF-β1.Conclusion:The expression of TGF-β1 can reflect the progression of FSGS as the same as SI and ECM/GA.The integrated treatment of valsartan and rosiglitazone can be one of choices towards the treatment of FSGS except for hormone therapy.TGF-β1 may be an index of evaluating therapeutic effect.Both valsartan and rosiglitazone may be different targets to deal with FSGS.
Application of Quality Control Circle at Keeping a Dortor and a Patient in Children's Hospital

Objective To explore the quality control circle( QCC) at the effect and experience of keeping DT( a doctor and a patient) in the outpatient service of Chongqing University children's hospital. Methods The QCC organization was established,through the theme selection,activity planning,goal setting,current situation analysis and developing the fine infusion process and effect,confirmation and standardized transfusion service process modeling. Results The DT rate in the outpatient service increased from 58. 2% to 90. 35%. Conclusion The quality control circle pattern used for infusion service process improvement,Can improve the quality of medical care and treatment efficiency,protect patients' privacy better,enhance the quality of nursing work,enhance the efficiency of nurses,thus further improving patient satisfaction.
Mitral Valve Prolapse

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is very prevalent, affecting 2.4 % of the population, yet can be difficult to diagnose based on auscultation with the untrained ear. This chapter’s goal is to aid in the identification, pathophysiology and recommendations for MVP. A case of MVP is presented and discussed along with the risk factors, clinical basics and related heart anatomy. We discuss the auscultation features, maneuvers for altering the intensity and timing of the click, audio of this murmur, risk factors, annular calcification and myxomatous degeneration. The chapter is concluded with a discussion of the diagnostic and prognostic implications as well as the treatment recommendations based on the American Heart Association.
Development of a dietary intake monitoring system for nursing homes.

A general dietary estimating system has been developed and tested in six different studies conducted at the University of Wisconsin.
Solvent-induced Morphology in Nano-Structures

Publisher Summary Solvent-induced phenomena sometimes have undesirable influences on the morphology of carefully designed nanomaterials. The chapter basically describes the morphology of two seemingly unrelated nano-structures—arrays of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and sol–gel-templated semiconductor-oxide nanotubes—share strikingly similar responses to a high-surface-tension solvent, such as water. The chapter shows that the CNT brush morphology can be converted into a honeycomb nanostructure on silicon substrates by evaporating a dilute polymer solution in a volatile organic solvent on the brush surface. This composite CNT honeycomb morphology exhibits a combination of good electrical and mechanical properties and may have potential as a robust field emitter or other thin-film, functional polymer composites. The honeycomb morphology appears to be the result of water-induced capillary forces within the brush during drying. The same forces appear to be the origin of the collapsed or bundled morphology exhibited by sol–gel-templated processing of semiconductor nanotube arrays. Liquid and supercritical CO 2 drying of nanostructures can eliminate the effect of capillary (or interfacial tension) forces on the final morphology and enable the unique properties and potential applications of these novel materials to be realized.
Dynamic monitoring of antimicrobial resistance using magnesium zinc oxide nanostructure-modified quartz crystal microbalance.

Abstract Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is becoming a major global-health concern prompting an urgent need for highly-sensitive and rapid diagnostic technology. Traditional assays available for monitoring bacterial cultures are time-consuming and labor-intensive. We present a magnesium zinc oxide (MZO) nanostructure-modified quartz crystal microbalance (MZOnano-QCM) biosensor to dynamically monitor antimicrobial effects on E. coli and S. cerevisiae. MZO nanostructures were grown on the top electrode of a standard QCM using metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD). The MZO nanostructures are chosen for their multifunctionality, biocompatibility, and giant effective sensing surface. The MZO surface-wettability and morphology are controlled, offering high-sensitivity to various biological/biochemical species. MZO-nanostructures showed over 4-times greater cell viability over ZnO due to MZO releasing 4-times lower Zn2+ density in the cell medium than ZnO. The MZOnano-QCM was applied to detect the effects of ampicillin and tetracycline on sensitive and resistant strains of E.coli, as well as effects of amphotericin-B and miconazole on S. cerevisiae through the device's time-dependent frequency shift and motional resistance. The MZOnano-QCM showed 4-times more sensitivity over ZnOnano-QCM and over 10-times better than regular QCM. For comparison, the optical density at 600 nm (OD600) method and the cell viability assay were employed as standard references to verify the detection results from MZOnano-QCM. In the case of S. cerevisiae, the OD600 method failed to distinguish between cytotoxic and cytostatic drug effects whereas the MZOnano-QCM was able to accurately detect the drug effects. The MZOnano-QCM biosensor provides a promising technology enabling dynamic and rapid diagnostics for antimicrobial drug development and AMR detection.
Histological features of pituitary adenomas and sellar region masses.

Abstract This chapter focuses on surgical pathologic features of pituitary adenomas using the new classification systems that employ transcription factors steroidogenic factor-1 (SF1) and PIT1 in conjunction with immunostaining for specific anterior pituitary hormones and cytokeratin. Normal pituitary gland histology, general features of pituitary adenomas, molecular genetics of adenomas, and the issue of “atypical adenoma,” which has now been removed from the newest World Health Organization (WHO) classification system (2017), are discussed. Practical issues such as the fact that clinically silent adenomas are not identical to hormone-negative adenomas and why subtyping is valuable in predicting response to therapies are addressed. The histologic and immunohistochemical features expected in specific pituitary adenoma subtypes are presented succinctly and fully illustrated, including the newly added category of plurihormonal PIT1-positive adenoma. Finally, rarer sellar region entities are also included and illustrated, including hypophysitis, Rathke cleft cyst, and craniopharyngiomas (the two types now known to be driven by separate genetic events: beta catenin [CTNNB1] mutation in adamantinomatous and BRAF V600E in papillary). Pituicytoma, spindle cell oncocytoma, and granular cell tumor of the neurohypophysis, WHO grade I sellar region masses now known to be linked by their mutual shared immunoreactivity to thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), and rare sellar region atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT), an entity with a peculiar tendency to affect older adult women, are all pictorially represented. This chapter should facilitate workup of the common pituitary adenoma, as well as rare sellar region masses.
Ensuring Choice and Voice for Campus Sexual Assault Victims: A Call for Victims' Attorneys

There is a national conversation about the role and responsibility of colleges in addressing campus sexual assault, including a debate about the definition of consent, reporting requirements, interim measures, adjudicatory processes, appropriate standard of proof, accused students’ legal rights, and judicial oversight. As colleges increase internal reporting requirements and form information-sharing agreements with local law enforcement agencies, student victims begin to lose their choice and agency in reporting decisions and investigations. And as college adjudicatory proceedings become more complicated and extend past adjudicatory findings into appeals and lawsuits, student victims lose their voice and ability to fully enforce their rights. The purpose of this Article is to bring victims back into the discussion by emphasizing their legal rights to safety, privacy, and education, and by suggesting the need for victims’ attorneys to promote victims’ choice and voice throughout overlapping legal processes. Survivors of sexual assault generally report negative experiences with the criminal justice system, civil law system, and college adjudicatory system—all sources of secondary trauma. This Article suggests that access to victim-centered, comprehensive legal advice at all stages of sexual assault investigations and the adjudication process has the potential to diminish secondary trauma by providing student victims with two vital tools: a choice to initiate and participate in a criminal or campus investigation by providing sufficient information for informed consent and a voice throughout the investigation and legal proceedings. Specifically, the Article argues that student victims would benefit from access to victims’ attorneys at four distinct stages following a sexual assault: (1) the pre-reporting stage–to provide sufficient information and legal advice to ensure reports to law enforcement and colleges are intentional and provided with victims’ informed consent; (2) the investigation stage—to ensure that student victims maintain agency throughout the investigation, help prevent unprofessional investigation techniques, and promote access to interim measures necessary to meet safety, privacy, and educational needs; (3) the hearing stage—to enforce victims’ safety rights, amplify victims’ voices in the proceedings, and reduce secondary trauma from victim-blaming questions and arguments; and (4) the post-hearing stage, including appeals and civil lawsuits—to provide representation in internal college appeals, lawsuits filed by the respondent or victim against the college, and retaliatory complaints or lawsuits filed against the victim, including defamation and harassment.
CAP: Configurable resistive associative processor for near-data computing

Internet of Things is capable of generating huge amount of data, causing high overhead in terms of energy and performance if run on traditional CPUs and GPUs. This inefficiency comes from the limited cache size and memory bandwidth which result in large amount of data movement through memory hierarchy. In this paper, we propose a configurable associative processor, called CAP, which accelerates computation using multiple parallel memory-based cores capable of approximate or exact matching. CAP is integrated next to the main memory so it fetches the data directly from DRAM. To exploit data locality, CAMs adaptively split into highly and less frequent components and update at runtime. To further improve the CAP efficiency, we integrate a novel signature-based associative memory (SIGAM) beside each processing cores, to store highly frequent patterns and in runtime retrieve them in exact or approximate modes. Our experimental evaluations show that the CAP in approximate (exact) mode can achieve 9.4× and 5.3× (7.2× and 4.2×) energy improvement, and 4.l× and 1.3× speeds up compare to AMD GPU and ASIC CMOS-based designs while providing acceptable quality of service.
Quantification of the effect of modeled lightning NO 2 on UV-visible air mass factors

Abstract. Space-borne measurements of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) columns are up to 10x more sensitive to upper tropospheric (UT) NO2 than near-surface NO2 over low-reflectivity surfaces. Here, we quantify the effect of adding simulated lightning NO2 to the a priori profiles for NO2 observations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) using modeled NO2 profiles from the Weather Research and Forecasting–Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model. With observed NO2 profiles from the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) aircraft campaign as observational truth, we quantify the bias in the NO2 column that occurs when lightning NO2 is not accounted for in the a priori profiles. Focusing on late spring and early summer in the central and eastern United States, we find that a simulation without lightning NO2 underestimates the air mass factor (AMF) by 25 % on average for common summer OMI viewing geometry and 35 % for viewing geometries that will be encountered by geostationary satellites. Using a simulation with 500 to 665 mol NO flash−1 produces good agreement with observed NO2 profiles and reduces the bias in the AMF to
Adaptive Computerized Educational Systems: A Case Study

Publisher Summary Adaptive instruction focuses on textual presentation and support services that adapt to meet the needs of the user in the best way possible; however, even within this meaning the term often describes at least two different instructional service strategies: strategies that are homeostatic and those that are truly adaptive in the same sense that control systems engineers use the term. Homeostatic characteristics common to home air-conditioning systems serve as a model for almost all modern “adaptive” instructional software systems. Upon closer inspection, it is a somewhat misguided use of the term “adaptive.” It is certainly not consistent with how cybernetic and systems researchers would describe the feedback-driven, disturbance-control dynamics for maintaining stability in homeostatic systems like the air-conditioning example. Truly adaptive systems also include the metaphorical ability to learn or adjust by self-modifying the goal or the desired state. That dramatically increases the long-term maintenance or even enhanced development of the system's integrity. The concept of managing the learning process suggests that there is a need to be sensitive to where the student is at all times in terms of the student's need for prompting, segmenting content, and reinforcing through testing results. Such principles guide educators to begin with the size of content segment best suited to an individual student.
Point of Care Ultrasound Diagnosis of a Massive Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm

This report highlights an atypical presentation of extensive thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm with intramural hematoma and transient paralysis of the lower extremities. Clinical suspicion for aortic pathology prompted a point of care ultrasound of the heart and aorta, which demonstrated a thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm with intraluminal pathology. Consultation and transfer to a tertiary care facility was based solely on the emergency physician's ultrasound. Subsequent computed tomography (CT) imaging confirmed the ultrasound findings and discovered a left common iliac artery thrombosis consistent with the patient's presentation. Point of care ultrasound can help clinicians diagnose aortic pathology and direct patient care efficiently and effectively.
Molecular modeling to predict peptide accessibility for peptide-functionalized hydrogels

Peptide-functionalized (PF) hydrogels are being widely investigated by the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine communities for a broad range of applications because of their unique potential to mimic the natural extracellular matrix and promote tissue regeneration. In order for these complex material systems to perform their intended bioactive function (e.g., cell signaling), the peptides that are tethered to the hydrogel matrix must be accessible at the hydrogel surface for cell-receptor binding. The factors influencing the surface accessibility of the tethered peptide mainly include the length of the tethers, the loading (i.e., concentration) of the peptide, and the association between the tethered peptide and the hydrogel matrix. In the present work, the authors developed coarse-grained molecular models based on the all-atom polymer consistent force field for a type of poly(ethylene glycol)-based PF hydrogel and conducted molecular simulations to investigate the distribution of the peptide within the hydrogel and its surface accessibility as a function of tether length and peptide concentration. The calculated results of the effects of these design parameters on the surface accessibility of the peptide agree very well with corresponding experimental measurements in which peptide accessibility was quantified by the number of cells attached to the hydrogel surface per unit area. The developed modeling methods are able to provide unique insights into the molecular behavior of PF hydrogels and the distribution of the tethered peptides, which can serve as a guide for hydrogel design optimization.
Metatarsal Fractures Fixed with Plates or Wires

Metatarsal fractures are common injuries encountered by orthopedic surgeons. Although many metatarsal fractures can be treated nonoperatively, there are some relative indications for operative fixation. In this chapter, a case study is presented to demonstrate fixation techniques of a metatarsal shaft fracture. The patient has fractures in two metatarsals—one is fixed with plating and the other is fixed with pinning. Preoperative planning for these patients, operative techniques, and subsequent postoperative care are discussed. In addition, the chapter highlights several key technical points which the reader could apply to one’s surgical repertoire.
Seven Steps to Establish a Leader and Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program

Despite long-standing debates about whether leaders are born or made, current thinking within the leadership field is that leaders can be developed. In the arena of health and healthcare, developing effective, value-driven and outcome-focused leaders is critical to address the many challenges facing systems that promote and maintain health as well as focus on healthcare delivery and practices. Effective health and healthcare leaders are needed to set thoughtful policies; educate the public about primary prevention strategies; identify best practices (administrative and clinical); allocate healthcare resources wisely; address healthcare needs and disparities; focus on optimal clinical outcomes and value in the delivery of care; and encourage individuals to engage in behaviors that enhance well-being. This chapter presents seven steps to establish a Leader and Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program. These steps were based on the authors’ experience establishing a LEAD program at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) where physicians, advanced practice nurses, dentists, psychologists, and scientists are trained for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Public Health Service, and civilians are trained to become scientists, academicians, and clinicians with a focus on national service and health. These same steps also could be used as a guide to establish programs that educate and develop leaders for other professions and careers.
Reading Hegel’s Islam

This chapter considers the limitations and potential of Hegel’s characterizations of Islam. What threatens to unsettle Hegel’s dialectic, and indeed his entire system, is the degree to which Hegel’s “Islam” is a myth, based on second- and third-hand sources and conflicting with the actual ways in which Islam can be seen to have developed in historical terms. In other words, Hegel’s dialectic is sustained by a vision of Europe as developing rationally toward “freedom,” a Europe whose own identity is forged in contrast with, and by superseding or sublating, an otherness whose content is mythical, the product of a Eurocentric imagination—whether in the case of Islam, or the Orient in general, or India, or Africa. This chapter addresses some of the important issues and dilemmas arising from various assessments of Hegel’s treatment of Islam, and concludes by suggesting how we might make use of Hegel’s own methods in abrogating ethnocentrism.
Extracorporeal photopheresis: cellular therapy for the treatment of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potentially curative option for many disease states. Despite significant improvements in strategies used to prevent and treat acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (a/cGVHD), they continue to negatively affect outcomes of HSCT significantly. Standard, first-line treatment consists of corticosteroids; beyond this, there is little consistency in therapeutic regimens. Current options include the addition of various immunosuppressive agents, the use of which puts patients at even higher risks for infection and other morbidities. Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is a widely used cellular therapy currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; it involves the removal of peripherally circulating white blood cells, addition of a light sensitizer, exposure to UV light, and return of the cells to the patient. This results in a series of events ultimately culminating in transition from an inflammatory state to that of tolerance, without global immunosuppression or known long-term adverse effects. Large-scale, prospective studies of the use of ECP in patients with a/cGVHD are necessary in order to develop the optimal treatment regimens.
Mindfulness Interventions for College Students with ADHD: A Multiple Single Case Research Design

A multiple single case research design (SCRD) was used to examine two mindfulness interventions (MBSR and Vipassana meditation). Impacted symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)...
eSourcing Capability Model for Client Organizations (eSCM-CL) Annotated Bibliography

The eSourcing Capability Model for Client Organizations (eSCM-CL) [Hefley 2006a, 2006b] is a “best practices” capability model with two purposes: (1) to give client organizations guidance that will help them improve their capability across the sourcing life-cycle, and (2) to provide client organizations with an objective means of evaluating their sourcing capability. eSourcing relies on information and communication technologies as an integral part of the service delivery of a sourced service. Embedded within any service delivery is the client – service provider relationship. Client organizations serve as “informed customers” of these sourcing relationships, ensuring that the organization’s sourcing activities are directed to meet end-user needs, provide value for money, and achieve the most beneficial outcomes.The ultimate success of the eSCM-CL model will be demonstrated when model adopters see fewer sourcing relationships that end due to deficiencies in service providers’ performance, more effective and efficient management of service providers, better relationships between client organizations and their service providers, and increased business value arising from client organization’s sourcing activities.The eSCM-CL was developed by a consortium led by Carnegie Mellon University’s Information Technology Services Qualification Center (ITSqc). This work began in March 2003, with the eSCM-CL being released in September 2006. Data collection activities during the model development included an extensive review of the published literature; interviews with clients, service providers, and advisors; and multiple workshops with global participation.The literature review used to support the design of this model is represented in this Annotated Bibliography and is organized into two sections. The first section provides annotated entries that are ordered alphabetically by author’s last name. In the second section, the entries are arranged in a topical bibliography. This topical bibliography is organized into sections addressing existing frameworks and each of the Capability Areas (CA) of the eSourcing Capability Model for Client Organizations (eSCM-CL).
Phenomenology in Japan

Introduction: Phenomenology in Japan A.J. Steinbock. Inquiry into the I, Disclosedness, and Self-Consciousness: Husserl, Heidegger, Nishida T. Tani. The Relationship between Nature and Spirit in Husserl's Phenomenology Revisited T. Sakakibara. The Theory of Association after Husserl: 'Form/Content' Dualism and the Phenomenological Way Out of It S. Nuki. Colors in the Lifeworld J. Murata. On the Semantic Duplicity of the First Person Pronoun 'I' H. Kojima. Qi and Phenomenology of Wind T. Ogawa.
Introduction : Cancer treatment and male fertility: effects of therapy and current and future management options

Cancer treatments are detrimental to spermatogenesis. This series reviews effects of anticancer therapies on male fertility, current and future approaches to determine sperm health, and gives recommendations for patient management.
The Role of the Theory of Dual Radiation Action in Radiation Protection

Radiation protection is a very complex subject and the development of an adequate system of radiation protection involves many problems including basic philisophy, concepts, quantities and units, measurement, administrative aspects, and many others. However, the fundamental question that needs to be answered before any of these problems are dealt with concerns the nature and the magnitude of the risk to human populations exposed to ionizing radiation. This is a matter on which there is still a considerable amount of controversy and no doubt this is at least in a large measure due to inadequate information. It is a very difficult problem which almost by definition cannot be solved on the basis of studies of irradiated human populations. There are a variety of such populations which have received a broad range of doses with the evident trend of a decreasing frequency of detrimental effects with decreasing dose. However, it is invariably postulated that the probability of any harmful effects that can be induced by maximum permissible doses must at most be very small. Consequently, doses which cause even moderately discernible effects are likely to be larger than those that are considered acceptable in radiation protection.
Digressive Methodologies: Inviting the Aesthetic and Material Into the Phenomenological:

In this article, we invite the concept of digression into methodological endeavors through the phenomenological tradition of postintentional phenomenology. Using five modes of inquiry—unsettle, unr...
Changing practice patterns of adjuvant radiation among elderly women with early stage breast cancer in the United States from 2004 to 2014.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have challenged the need for routine radiation therapy (RT) in women ≥ age 70 with favorable early stage breast cancer (BC) due to modest improvement in local control and no survival benefit. We studied practice patterns in RT among elderly women in the United States. We analyzed data from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) of women ≥age 70 diagnosed with T1 or T2 and N0 invasive BC treated with breast conservation surgery (BCS) between 2004 and 2014. Patients were divided into four groups: (1) no RT, (2) partial breast irradiation (PBI); (3) hypofractionation (HF); and (4) conventional whole breast RT (CWBI). Univariable and multivariable analyses (MVA) were performed to compare characteristics among the four RT groups. A subgroup analysis of women with favorable disease (T1N0 ER + HER2-) was also performed with similar statistical comparisons. Of the 66,126 meeting eligibility, 9,570 (14.5%) had PBI, 16,340 (24.7%) had HF, and 40,117 (60.7%) had CWBI. Only 99 patients (0.15%) had RT omitted. Omission of RT increased marginally from 0.04% in 2004 to 0.24% in 2014. MVA identified older age (OR 1.18, CI 1.08-1.28), more comorbidities (Charlson-Deyo Score of 1) (OR 3.36, CI 1.29-8.72), and no hormone therapy (OR 22.07, CI 5.79-84.07) as more likely to have RT omitted. The use of HF increased from 3.9% to 47.0%, P < .001 with a concomitant decrease in CWBI from 88% to 41%, P < .001. MVA identified older age, treatment location, and omission of chemotherapy as associated with HF. No significant differences from the larger cohort were found among the T1N0 subgroup analysis. Despite RCT evidence, omission of RT was rare in the United States, suggesting that more effective outreach methods to disseminate clinical guideline information may be needed.
The Effects of Grant Aid on Student Persistence and Degree Attainment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Causal Evidence:

The provision of grant aid is important to students’ postsecondary opportunities and success. It is well established that grant aid increases the probability of enrollment in postsecondary educatio...
Opioid Stewardship in Urology: Quality Improvement Summit 2018

AbstractIntroduction:We summarize the 2018 AUA (American Urological Association) Quality Improvement Summit, Opioid Stewardship in Urology, highlighting appropriate urological opioid use as well as...
Driver Distraction Detection Using Deep Neural Network

Driver distraction, drunk driving and speed are three main causes of fatal car crashes. Interacting with intricated infotainment system of modern cars increases the driver’s cognitive load notably and consequently, it increases the chance of car accident. Analyzing driver behavior using machine learning methods is one of the suggested solutions to detect driver distraction and cognitive load. A variety of machine learning methods and data types have been used to detect driver status or observe the environment to detect dangerous situations. In many applications with a huge dataset, deep learning methods outperform other machine learning approaches since they can extract very intricated patterns from enormous datasets and learn them accurately. We conducted an experiment, using a car simulator, in eight contexts of driving including four distracted and four non-distracted contexts. We used a deep neural network to detect the context of driving using driving data which have collected by the simulator automatically. We analyzed the effect of the depth and width of the network on the train and test accuracy and found the most optimum depth and width of the network. We can detect driver status with 93% accuracy.
Complement Deficiencies Result in Surrogate Pathways of Complement Activation in Novel Polygenic Lupus-like Models of Kidney Injury.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in lupus patients, but the mechanisms of kidney damage remain unclear. In this study, we introduce, to our knowledge, novel models of LN designed to resemble the polygenic nature of human lupus by embodying three key genetic alterations: the Sle1 interval leading to anti-chromatin autoantibodies; Mfge8-/- , leading to defective clearance of apoptotic cells; and either C1q-/- or C3-/- , leading to low complement levels. We report that proliferative glomerulonephritis arose only in the presence of all three abnormalities (i.e., in Sle1.Mfge8 -/- C1q -/- and Sle1.Mfge8 -/- C3 -/- triple-mutant [TM] strains [C1q -/-TM and C3-/- TM, respectively]), with structural kidney changes resembling those in LN patients. Unexpectedly, both TM strains had significant increases in autoantibody titers, Ag spread, and IgG deposition in the kidneys. Despite the early complement component deficiencies, we observed assembly of the pathogenic terminal complement membrane attack complex in both TM strains. In C1q-/- TM mice, colocalization of MASP-2 and C3 in both the glomeruli and tubules indicated that the lectin pathway likely contributed to complement activation and tissue injury in this strain. Interestingly, enhanced thrombin activation in C3-/- TM mice and reduction of kidney injury following attenuation of thrombin generation by argatroban in a serum-transfer nephrotoxic model identified thrombin as a surrogate pathway for complement activation in C3-deficient mice. These novel mouse models of human lupus inform the requirements for nephritis and provide targets for intervention.
Quasi-Variational Inequalities without the Concavity Assumption

This paper generalizes a foundational quasi-variationalinequality by relaxing the (0-diagonal) concavity condition. The approach adopted in this paper is based on continuous selection-type arguments and hence it is quite different from the approach used in the literature. Thus it enables us to prose the existence of equilibrium of the constrained noncooperative games without assuming the (quasi) convexity of loss functions.
Comments regarding “Acoustical and physico-chemical study of binary azeotropes (aniline)”

Abstract A polemic is given regarding the volumetric data reported in the recent paper by Palaniappan and Nithiyantham. The authors' measured excess molar volumes are found to differ significantly from previously published literature values for four of the six systems studied.
Trends in Restricting Symptoms at the End of Life from 1998 to 2019: A Cohort Study of Older Persons.

Objectives To describe changes in the occurrence of restricting symptoms at the end of life from 1998 to 2019 and compare these changes according to the condition leading to death. Design Prospective longitudinal study. Setting Greater New Haven, CT. Participants A total of 665 decedents from a cohort of 754 community-living persons, 70 years or older. Measurements The occurrence of 16 restricting symptoms was ascertained during monthly interviews. Information on the conditions leading to death was obtained from death certificates and comprehensive assessments that were completed every 18-months. For each restricting symptom, adjusted rates (per 100 person-months) were calculated separately for six multiyear time intervals. Results From 1998 to 2019, rates decreased for five (31.3%) restricting symptoms (difficulty sleeping; chest pain or tightness; shortness of breath; cold or flu symptoms; and nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea), increased for three (18.8%: arm or leg weakness; urinary incontinence; and memory or thinking problem), and changed little for the other eight (50.0%: poor eyesight; anxiety; depression; musculoskeletal pain; fatigue; dizziness or unsteadiness; frequent or painful urination; and swelling in feet or ankles). The decrease in rates was most pronounced for shortness of breath, with a reduction from 15.0 (95% credible interval = 11.7-18.6) in 1998 to 2001 to 8.2 (95% credible interval = 5.9-10.5) in 2014 to 2019, yielding a rate ratio (95% credible interval) of 0.92 (0.86-0.98). When evaluated according to the condition leading to death, the results were similar, with 10 of the 13 statistically significant rate ratios representing decreases in rates over time and only 3 representing increases. Conclusion The occurrence of most restricting symptoms at the end of life has been decreasing or stable over the past two decades. These results suggest that end-of-life care has been improving, although additional efforts will be needed to further reduce symptom burden at the end of life.
Little history of CAPTCHA

This article traces the early history of CAPTCHA, the now ubiquitous cybersecurity tool that prompts users to “confirm their humanity” by solving word- and image-based puzzles before accessing free...
Susan Davidson Speaks Out on Collaborating with Other Research Areas and Balancing Work and Family

Welcome to ACM SIGMOD Records series of interviews with distinguished members of the database community. I'm Marianne Winslett, and today we're at the 2017 SIGMOD and PODS conference in Chicago. I have with me Susan Davidson, who's a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Sue is an ACM Fellow, a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the recipient of the 2017 IEEE Technical Committee on Data Engineering Impact Award. Sue has served as the chair of her department, Deputy Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, a member of the NSF Cise Advisory Committee, and as the chair of the Computing Research Association. Sue's Ph.D. is from Princeton University. So, Sue, welcome.
Applications of Machine Learning For Precision Agriculture and Smart Farming

Recent deglobalization movements have had a transformativeimpact and an increase in uncertainty on manyindustries. The advent of technology, Big Data, and MachineLearning (ML) further accelerated this disposition.Many quantitative metrics that measure the globaleconomy’s equilibrium have strong and interdependentrelationships with the agricultural supply chain and internationaltrade flows. Our research employs econometricsusing ML techniques to determine relationshipsbetween commonplace financial indices (such asthe DowJones), and the production, consumption, andpricing of global agricultural commodities. Producersand farmers can use this data to make their productionmore effective while precisely following global demand.In order to make production more efficient, producerscan implement smart farming and precision agriculturemethods using the processes proposed. It enablesthem to have a farm management system that providesreal-time data to observe, measure, and respondto variability in crops. Drones and robots can be usedfor precise crop maintenance that optimize yield returnswhile minimizing resource expenditure. We developML models which can be used in combinationwith the smart farm data to accurately predict the economicvariables relevant to the farm. To ensure the accuracyof the insights generated by the models, ML assuranceis deployed to evaluate algorithmic trust.
Transport in the 2D Fermi-Hubbard Model: Lessons from Weak Coupling

We use quantum kinetic theory to calculate the thermoelectric transport properties of the 2D single band Fermi-Hubbard model in the weak coupling limit. For generic filling, we find that the high-temperature limiting behaviors of the electrical ($\sim T$) and thermal ($\sim T^2$) resistivities persist down to temperatures of order the hopping matrix element $T\sim t$, almost an order of magnitude below the bandwidth. At half filling, perfect nesting leads to anomalous low temperature scattering and nearly $T$-linear electrical resistivity at all temperatures. We hypothesize that the $T$-linear resistivity observed in recent cold atom experiments is continuously connected to this weak coupling physics and suggest avenues for experimental verification. We find a number of other novel thermoelectric results, such as a low-temperature Wiedemann-Franz law with Lorenz coefficient $5\pi^2/36$.
Machismo as a Determinant for HIV/STD Risk Behavior Among Latino MSM

Objective: Male-to-male sexual contact is the most common mode of transmission for HIV among Latino men. Psychosocial factors such as machismo, homophobic discrimination, and internalized homophobia have been hypothesized to greatly impact sexual behaviors among Latinos. However, studies investigating the relationship between these psychosocial factors and risky sexual behaviors are limited. This study examined the impact of machismo on risky sexual behaviors among Latino Male who have Sex with Men (MSM). Methods: This study utilized data collected from 254 Latino MSM in 1999 from selected cities within Virginia. The analysis focused on respondent demographic characteristics, psychosocial factors, acculturation, and sexual risky behaviors. Composite measures for acculturation, machismo, internalized homophobia, and sexual discrimination were created by combining sets of relevant questions. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used and odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results The study found a statistically significant relationship between machismo and HIVISTD sexual risk behaviors. Latino MSM with high machismo values were over four times more likely to engage in HIVISTD sexual risk behaviors compared to those with low machismo values (OR=5.53,95%CI =I 35-16.47). In contrast, HIVISTD sexual risk behaviors were not significantly associated with acculturation, discrimination, or homophobia. Conclusions Machismo is a significant risk factor for HIV and STD sexual risk behaviors in Latino MSM. Culturally competent messaging and appropriate skill building opportunities addressing machismo values should be incorporated into HIV and STD prevention programs that target Latino MSM.
Engraftment syndrome after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in adults.

We performed a retrospective study of the engraftment syndrome (ES) as defined by the Spitzer Criteria in adult patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for various hematological malignancies at a single institution, over a decade, and analyzed its relationship to acute GVHD; 217 patients underwent either myeloablative (38.7%) or reduced intensity (61.3%) HCT; 22.1% met the criteria for ES. Acute GVHD prophylaxis (P = 0.006) and transplants prior to 2006 (P < 0.0001) were significantly associated with a risk of ES in univariable analysis. Early aGVHD within 4 weeks of engraftment was significantly more common in the ES compared to the non ES cohort (21 vs. 8.3% respectively, P = 0.02). ES did not predict for future GVHD, as at day +180, the cumulative incidences of grades II–IV aGVHD (31 vs. 23%, P = 0.19) and of chronic GVHD at 2 years of engraftment (42 vs. 36%, P = 0.28) were not significantly different between the ES and non ES groups, respectively. No significant differences in NRM, overall survival and progression-free survival were observed between the two groups. Although predictive of early aGVHD, ES occurred independently of GVHD in 79% of the patients. Survival outcomes should be evaluated in a larger randomized study to investigate if there is a correlation with ES. Am. J. Hematol. 89:698–705, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Atom Movement in Materials

Diffusion is the movement of atoms within a material. Atoms move in a predictable fashion to eliminate concentration differences and produce a homogeneous, uniform composition. Movement of atoms is required for many of the treatments that we perform on materials. Diffusion is required for the heat treatment of metals, the manufacture of ceramics, the solidification of materials, the manufacture of transistors and solar cells, and the electrical conductivity of many ceramic materials. By understanding how mass is transferred by diffusion, we can design materials processing techniques, leak-proof devices, or even purification equipment.