cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oral cavity neuroendocrine carcinoma: a comparison study with cutaneous Merkel cell carcinoma and other mucosal head and neck neuroendocrine carcinomas

Objectives Published cases of oral high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma (HGNEC) variably call the tumors Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) or small-cell/high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma. We studied cases of cutaneous MCC and mucosal HGNEC to better distinguish them and to better define oral cases. Study design Twelve cutaneous MCC and 14 mucosal HGNEC cases were identified. We reviewed the hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) morphology and performed immunohistochemistry for cytokeratin 20 (CK20), thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1), p63, neurofilament (NF), and achaete-scute homolog 1 (MASH-1). We also performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). Results By morphology and immunohistochemistry, MCC and HGNEC showed many differences. CK20, NF, and TTF-1 stains were the most discriminatory. MASH-1 was expressed by both MCC and HGNEC. MCPyV was present in MCC and absent in all HGNEC. The 2 oral cavity mucosal carcinomas segregated into MCC and HGNEC types, the former having the H&E nuclear morphology and classic dot-like perinuclear CK20 staining typically associated with MCC. Conclusions Oral cavity neuroendocrine carcinoma can be segregated into MCC and small-cell/HGNEC types by morphology and CK20 immunohistochemistry. MCPyV was present by PCR in cutaneous MCC but was not found in mucosal HGNEC.
The Taxation of Advertising: A Review of Current Issues

Abstract The taxation of advertising revenues and expenditures is affected by various economic and social developments such as the growth of the services economy. Analyzing the issues, principles, forces, processes and structures involved in the debate over taxes casts new perspectives on what advertising, as part of the marketing and communication functions, contributes to firms, economy and society. It also explains why pressures for more taxes will remain strong even though the advertising industry is now better prepared to fight them.
Electronic Journals in the Academic Law Library–Law Reviews and Beyond

Abstract This article is an introduction to electronic journals in the academic law library and to the questions librarians face and must respond to as they provide timely access to legal scholarship in an increasingly electronic environment. Such factors as licensing, use statistics, reference linking, user education, and the preservation of digital formats are considered. Although law reviews are the main form of scholarly communication in law and are comparatively inexpensive, law faculty and students look beyond traditional law journals in their research, and law librarians buy journals beyond student-edited law reviews. The author considers how spiraling subscription costs and changing publication patterns in other disciplines have led to a “serials crisis,” and how that “serials crisis” has led to a “scholarly communication crisis.” In addition, new technology allows the rapid dissemination of information and in some disciplines has led to changes in electronic publishing, such as articles with navi...
Determining output shadow prices for a cost-constrained technology

We develop a method for computing output shadow prices when total cost and input prices are exogenous, using the indirect output distance function of Shephard (1974). We show that indirect distance function shadow price imputations for output prices are the same to a proportional constant as marginal cost imputations. We motivate our results by relating them to the problem of valuing the output of nonprofit institutions, to some measurement issues for noncompetitive industries, and to a problem of imputing sales of the commercial banking industry to consuming sectors of the economy in the national income accounts.
The Adaptor Protein Crk Controls Activation and Inhibition of Natural Killer Cells

Natural killer (NK) cell inhibitory receptors recruit tyrosine phosphatases to prevent activation, induce phosphorylation and dissociation of the small adaptor Crk from cytoskeleton scaffold complexes, and maintain NK cells in a state of responsiveness to subsequent activation events. How Crk contributes to inhibition is unknown. We imaged primary NK cells over lipid bilayers carrying IgG1 Fc to stimulate CD16 and human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-E to inhibit through receptor CD94-NKG2A. HLA-E alone induced Crk phosphorylation in NKG2A(+) NK cells. At activating synapses with Fc alone, Crk was required for the movement of Fc microclusters and their ability to trigger activation signals. At inhibitory synapses, HLA-E promoted central accumulation of both Fc and phosphorylated Crk and blocked the Fc-induced buildup of F-actin. We propose a unified model for inhibitory receptor function: Crk phosphorylation prevents essential Crk-dependent activation signals and blocks F-actin network formation, thereby reducing constraints on subsequent engagement of activation receptors.
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Secretes Active Heat-labile Enterotoxin via Outer Membrane Vesicles

Escherichia coli and other Gram-negative bacteria produce outer membrane vesicles during normal growth. Vesicles may contribute to bacterial pathogenicity by serving as vehicles for toxins to encounter host cells. EnterotoxigenicE. coli (ETEC) vesicles were isolated from culture supernatants and purified on velocity gradients, thereby removing any soluble proteins and contaminants from the crude preparation. Vesicle protein profiles were similar but not identical to outer membranes and differed between strains. Most vesicle proteins were resistant to dissociation, suggesting they were integral or internal. Thin layer chromatography revealed that major outer membrane lipid components are present in vesicles. Cytoplasmic membranes and cytosol were absent in vesicles; however, alkaline phosphatase and AcrA, periplasmic residents, were localized to vesicles. In addition, physiologically active heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) was associated with ETEC vesicles. LT activity correlated directly with the gradient peak of vesicles, suggesting specific association, but could be removed from vesicles under dissociating conditions. Further analysis revealed that LT is enriched in vesicles and is located both inside and on the exterior of vesicles. The distinct protein composition of ETEC vesicles and their ability to carry toxin may contribute to the pathogenicity of ETEC strains.
Dynamic Response of Three-Dimensional Framed Structures

The orthogonality condition for vibrating three-dimensional framed structures has been directly applied to solve initial value problems. In solving the dynamic response problems due to force and displacement excitations by using the mode expansion method it is necessary to use the same orthogonality condition.
Does the subjective evaluation of medical student surgical knowledge correlate with written and oral exam performance

Abstract Background. Medical student performance evaluations have historically contained a significant subjective component. Multiple tools are used to assess fund of knowledge including subjective evaluation by faculty and residents as well as objective evaluations through standardized written and oral exams. We hypothesized that subjective evaluation of medical student knowledge would correlate with objective evaluation through written and oral exams. Methods. Records of consecutive medical students assigned to the surgery clerkship from January 1999 and March 2001 were reviewed. The core surgical rotation consisted of two 4-week blocks on a private, county, or VA hospital service. Surgical knowledge was assessed subjectively by both faculty (FES) and senior residents (RES) using a 10-point scale with verbal anchors. Objective measures of student surgical knowledge included the National Board shelf exam (WE) and a semistructured oral exam (OE). Data are reported as mean ± SEM. Spearman rank correlation coefficient ( r ) was used to assess relationships between groups ( r ≥ 0.5 → positive correlation). Results. A total of 354 students were evaluated. The mean FES was 7.8 ± 0.05 (median = 7.75, range 4.75 to 9.75). The mean RES was 7.7 ± 0.06 (median = 8.0, range 3.5 to 10.0). There was poor correlation between the subjective perception and objective measures of surgical knowledge (Table 1). Comparison of the FES and RES also showed poor correlation ( r = 0.38). Conclusions. Subjective evaluation of surgical knowledge by faculty and residents correlates poorly with performance measured objectively. These results question whether subjective evaluation of surgical knowledge should be included as part of the evaluation process.
Effect of Bdellovibrio bacteriovirus infection on the phosphoenolpyruvate: Sugar phosphotransferase system in Escherichia coli: Evidence for activation of cytoplasmic proteolysis

Intact cells of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus strain 109J were found to be incapable of taking up 14C-methyl alpha-glucoside, mannitol or fructose, and extracts derived from these cells exhibited negligible activities of the protein components of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS). Escherichia coli strain ML35 cells exhibited high in vivo sugar uptake activities that were progressively lost over a period of 2 h at 30 degrees C following the entry of B. bacteriovorus into the periplasm of E. coli. In vitro complementation assays revealed that the E. coli PTS enzymes, enzyme I, HPr, and the glucose- and mannitol-specific enzymes II, were all lost almost in parallel with the disappearance of uptake activity. Thus, loss of activity in vivo was not due to membrane leakiness, energy depletion, or preferential inhibition or inactivation of any one protein component of the PTS. Instead, loss of PTS activity was attributed to digestion of the protein constituents of the system by proteases present in the cytoplasm of the host cell after bdellovibrio entry. Both ethylenediaminetetraacetate and phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride partially protected against inactivation in vitro, and the two inhibitors together gave full protection, suggesting that both metallo- and seryl-proteases were responsible for the inactivation. Protease activity increased progressively with time following bdellovibrio entry and appeared to degrade the E. coli PTS enzymes in vivo. Preliminary evidence suggested that the proteases responsible for PTS enzyme degradation may be encoded by the B. bacteriovorus chromosome.
Alternative Reproductive Tactics in Spiders

The comparative study of reproduction at the level of population and individual is a relatively recent development in spider research. Such study is necessary to describe and examine alternative reproductive tactics. Female spider tactics are related to adaptations for a carnivorous mode of feeding. Being the larger of the sexes, the female has the alternative of mating with or preying upon attending males. In web building spiders, which are generally solitary, other female alternatives are related to characteristics of a web used in prey capture. These alternatives include different responses when defending the web, and individually building the web so that it does or does not contact another. Tactics may vary in communal species which build a sheet-like structure, as females may remain in the colony or emigrate and establish a small web. Male spiders usually search for females, and mating occurs on or near a female retreat or web. A male may show different alternatives in mate searching, demonstrate various courtship and copulatory tactics, copulate or feed on the female's prey while she feeds, and guard the female after mating or depart and search for another female. Certain characteristics of females are related to these male alternatives, these characteristics being: larger size and longer life expectancy as compared with the male, carnivorous feeding, and sexual receptivity. Male web spiders may also use alternatives while defending position on the female web. These alternatives are related to the design and placement of the web, and occasional web abandonment by the female. Relevant literature is reviewed and research suggested.
Identification of a small rna containing the trypanosome spliced leader: A donor of shared 5′ sequences of trypanosomatid mRNAs?

The 35 nucleotide spliced leader (SL) sequence is found on the 5' end of numerous trypanosome mRNAs, yet the tandemly organized reiteration units encoding this leader are not detectably linked to any of these structural genes. Here we report the presence of a class of discrete small SL RNA molecules that are derived from the genomic SL reiteration units of Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leptomonas collosoma. These small SL RNAs are 135, 105, and 95 nucleotides, respectively, and contain a 5'-terminal SL or SL-like sequence. S1 nuclease analyses demonstrate that these small SL RNAs are transcribed from continuous sequence within the respective SL reiteration units. With the exception of the SL sequence and a concensus donor splice site immediately following it, these small RNAs are not well conserved. We suggest that the small SL RNAs may function as a donor of the SL sequence in an intermolecular process that places the SL at the 5' terminus of many trypanosomatid mRNAs.
Decision tool for the early diagnosis of trauma patient hypovolemia

We present a classifier for use as a decision assist tool to identify a hypovolemic state in trauma patients during helicopter transport to a hospital, when reliable acquisition of vital-sign data may be difficult. The decision tool uses basic vital-sign variables as input into linear classifiers, which are then combined into an ensemble classifier. The classifier identifies hypovolemic patients with an area under a receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.76 (standard deviation 0.05, for 100 randomly-reselected patient subsets). The ensemble classifier is robust; classification performance degrades only slowly as variables are dropped, and the ensemble structure does not require identification of a set of variables for use as best-feature inputs into the classifier. The ensemble classifier consistently outperforms best-features-based linear classifiers (the classification AUC is greater, and the standard deviation is smaller, p<0.05). The simple computational requirements of ensemble classifiers will permit them to function in small fieldable devices for continuous monitoring of trauma patients.
Inhibition of lipolysis in hamster adipocytes with selective α-adrenergic stimuli Functional characterization of the α-receptor

Abstract This communication shows the relative potencies of the α-agonists clonidine, methoxamine, methyl norepinephrine and phenylephrine in producing inhibition of lipolysis. At cell densities greater than 15 mg cell/ml lipolysis activated by either 1-methyl-3-isobutyl xanthine or adenosine deaminase was inhibited by α-adrenergic stimuli with a rank order of potency of clonidine > methoxamine > methyl norepinephrine; phenylephrine produced a further stimulation of lipolysis. At the same cell density isoproterenol-accelerated lipolysis was inhibited by α-adrenergic stimuli with a rank order of potency of phenyl-ephrine > methoxamine > clonidine > methyl norepinephrine. When the density of fat cells was reduced to less than 5 mg/ml, clonidine was a more effective inhibitor of isoproterenol-activated lipolysis than phenylephrine. Lipolysis that was activated by dibutyryl cyclic AMP, ACTH or cholera enterotoxin was not reduced by any α-adrenergic agent. Under conditions when clonidine failed to inhibit catecholamine-activated lipolysis (i.e., at cell densities greater than 15 mg/ml), it failed to antagonize the antilipolytic activity of phenylephrine. The antilipolytic activities of clonidine and phenylephrine were most effectively antagonized by the blocking drugs phentolamine and yohimbine; in contrast, phenoxybenzamine and prazosin were less effective blockers. These data indicate that the α-adrenergic receptor on hamster fat cells is similar to presynaptic α-adrenergic receptors. The data further suggest the possibility that phenylephrine may exert its action through a separate α-adrenergic receptor mechanism.
Comparison of phased array strategies for ultrasound surgery

The possibility of using phased array generated multiple-focus patterns to reduce the overall treatment time in ultrasound surgery while restraining prefocal heating was investigated by simulating the performance of different possible schemes, i.e., single-focus scans, multiple-focus scans, and simultaneous multiple focusing without scanning, when used to "ablate" a 10/spl times/10/spl times/10 mm/sup 3/ volume 100 mm deep. In all cases, forty-one foci were used to cover the treatment volume. Multiple-focus scans were arranged into nine groups which were scanned in a raster fashion, as with single-focus scans. Keeping the treatment time constant, the maximum intensities, maximum thermal doses, dose distributions and prefocal heating zones for the different schemes were compared. It was found that the non-scanned simultaneous multiple-focus case required the smallest maximum intensity and dose, and resulted in the most even dose distribution. Single-focus raster scanning of individual lesions, as currently used with fixed-focus transducer, gave the worst results. These results show that multiple-focus patterns help considerably in reducing the maximum intensity and dose, and in generating a more even dose distribution assuming the same treatment time and prefocal heating. Alternatively they can be used to significantly reduce treatment time while keeping the maximum intensity and prefocal heating below predetermined limits.
The Extent of Lymphadenectomy at the Time of Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer and its Impact on Prognosis and Survival

Radical cystectomy has become a standard and effective treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, however, the role and appropriate extent of a concomitant lymphadenectomy continues to evolve. We performed a detailed review of the English medical literature pertaining to the historical development and rationale for an extended lymphadenectomy in patients undergoing radical cystectomy. An historical perspective of lymphadenectomy and an anatomic account of bladder lymphatic drainage are presented. The boundaries and technique of an extended lymphadenectomy are also highlighted. Autopsy and contemporary survival data are presented to suggest that a more extensive lymphadenectomy has both prognostic and therapeutic utility. Furthermore, the stage of the primary bladder tumor, total number of lymph nodes removed, and the lymph node tumor burden are shown to be important prognostic variables in patients undergoing cystectomy with pathologic evidence of lymph node metastasis. Radical cystectomy provides not only excellent local cancer control with low pelvic recurrence rates, but also the best long-term survival. Radical cystectomy with an appropriate extended lymphadenectomy, while surgically more challenging, does not significantly increase the morbidity or mortality of the procedure. Although the absolute limits of the lymph node dissection remain to be determined, there is an evolving body of data to support that an extended lymphadenectomy provides further diagnostic and therapeutic benefit.
Newly defined central nervous system neoplasms.

In recent years, numerous new entities or variants of recognized central nervous system tumors have been described in the literature, and the morphologic spectrum of these neoplasms is delineated incompletely. The accurate diagnosis and classification of these lesions is important to ensure that patients receive adequate therapy and prognostic information. The clinicopathologic features and differential diagnosis of 4 new entities, including the chordoid glioma of the third ventricle, cerebellar liponeurocytoma, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor, and papillary glioneuronal tumor, are discussed in this review. The morphologic spectrum of central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms is complex and far from being delineated completely. In recent years, a number of reports of new entities or variants of recognized lesions have appeared in the literature. 1 Three of these lesions, the chordoid glioma of the third ventricle, cerebellar liponeurocytoma, and atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT), are included in the most recent (2000) version of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of nervous system tumors. 2 These three lesions and a fourth neoplasm that has emerged as a distinct entity since the publication of this classification, papillary glioneuronal tumor, are discussed in this review.
El lente circular del exilio: (re)fundar la identidad chilena por el medio fílmico

El estudio de la filmografia del exilio, las obras y sus cineastas, es util para acercarse y entender mejor como el desplazamiento geografico y la heterogeneidad cultural, debido al exilio chileno estan tejidos intimamente con la diversificacion de perspectivas contemporaneas sobre identidad y nacionalidad. Como actividad imprescindible que paralela la importancia de seguir con la recuperacion y difusion del patrimonio audiovisual del exilio, tambien debe haber mas estudios criticos sobre estas obras y sus cineastas, y que estos no solo deben examinar las actividades de directores-hombres reconocidos. Ademas de apelar no solo al rescate sino tambien la difusion nacional, a traves de un analisis de dos obras de Angelina Vazquez, este articulo intenta demostrar que las obras de cineastas exiliadas merecen mas reconocimiento y visibilidad.
Does acetic acid iontophoresis accelerate the resorption of calcium deposits in calcific tendinitis of the shoulder

The purpose of “Evidence in Practice” is to illustrate the literature search process to obtain evidence to guide clinical decision making. This article is not a case report. The examination, evaluation, and intervention sections are purposely abbreviated. A 48-year-old man, who was otherwise in good health, developed pain and a “clicking” sensation in his right shoulder during movement. The patient, who was referred to me by his physician, stated that this problem began approximately 2 months ago and has been getting steadily worse ever since. The patient is an avid skier and tennis player; however, he did not recall any serious direct trauma to the shoulder. Shoulder passive range of motion (ROM), measured using standard goniometric techniques as discussed by Riddle et al,1 was 0 to 170 degrees for flexion, 0 to 165 degrees for abduction, 0 to 70 degrees for internal rotation, and 0 to 75 degrees for external rotation. Manual muscle testing did not reveal any major strength deficits in the shoulder musculature, with the primary muscle groups graded between 4+ and 5 on scale of 0 to 5. Active humeral abduction, however, resulted in pain, especially near the midpoint of shoulder abduction. Radiographs that had been ordered by the physician showed a calcium deposit in the tendon of the right supraspinatus muscle. This deposit was approximately 175 mm2 in area, had well-defined borders, and was uniformly dense throughout the lesion. This patient, therefore, appeared to have calcific tendinitis of the right supraspinatus muscle. Based on my evaluation of these and other examination data, my diagnosis for this patient was “Impaired Joint Mobility, Motor Function, Muscle Performance, and Range of Motion Associated With Localized Inflammation” (Practice Pattern 4E, Guide to Physical Therapist Practice [Guide]2). Consistent with the Guide, I decided to implement an intervention program …
David Walker and the Political Power of the Appeal

David Walker’s famous 1829 Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World expresses a puzzle at the very outset. What are we to make of the use of “Citizens” in the title given the denial of political...
Genetic association studies in cancer: Good, bad or no longer ugly?

For some time, investigators have appreciated that genetic association studies in cancer are complex because of the multi-stage process of cancer and the daunting challenge of analysing genetic variants in population and family studies. Because of recent technological advances and annotation of common genetic variation in the human genome, it is now possible for investigators to study genetic variation and cancer risk in many different settings. While these studies hold great promise for unravelling multiple genetic risk factors that contribute to the set of complex diseases called cancer, it is also imperative that study design and methods of interpretation be carefully considered. Replication of results in sufficiently large, well-powered studies is critical if genetic variation is to realise the promise of personalised medicine -- namely, using genetic data to individualise medical decisions. In this regard, the plausibility of validated genetic variants can only be realised by the study of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. The genetic association study in cancer has come a long way from the days of restriction fragment length polymorphisms, and now promises to scan an entire genome 'agnostically' in search of genetic markers for a disease or outcome. Moreover, the application and interpretation of these studies should be conducted cautiously.
Quilty lesions are associated with increased expression of vitronectin receptor (αvβ3) and subsequent development of coronary vasculopathy

Abstract Background: Quilty lesions are common after heart transplantation; however, their relationship to vasculopathy has not been described. We tested the hypothesis that Quilty lesions are associated with increased expression of vitronectin receptor (αvβ3) and the subsequent development of coronary vasculopathy. Methods: A total of 140 heart transplant recipients underwent coronary intravascular ultrasound at baseline and at 1 year after transplantation, and we measured the change in coronary maximal intimal thickness. Endomyocardial biopsy specimens taken within 8 weeks after transplantation showed Quilty lesions in 54 of 140 (39%) patients (Quilty group). We compared these results with the remaining 86 of 140 patients (61%) who had no evidence of Quilty lesions during the same period (control group). We evaluated 10 endomyocardial biopsy specimens from each group for αvβ3, using immunohistochemistry staining and immunoblotting. Results: Quilty lesions stained positive for αvβ3, and Western blot analysis showed a 1.3-fold ( p = 0.004) increase in expression of αvβ3. Compared with control, the Quilty group tended to have a greater incidence of post-transplant ischemic injury complicated by fibrosis (54% vs 38%, p = 0.08) and a greater reported incidence of "previous biopsy site" during the first 4 weeks after transplantation (48% vs 32%, p = 0.06). At 1 year, the Quilty group had a significant increase in the change in coronary maximal intimal thickness seen with intravascular ultrasound (0.54 ± 0.34 vs 0.42 ± 0.28 mm, p = 0.038). Conclusions: This is the first report to describe the association of Quilty lesions with coronary vasculopathy and its association with increased αvβ3 expression.
Qaneryaramta Egmiucia: Continuing Our Language

Orchestrating an Indigenous language program for Indigenous peoples within any academic environment is no easy task. In most cases, Indigenous languages are taught by a recognized community expert, in the community; teaching that same language in a university environment is much more challenging. This article responds to Mindy J. Morgan's description of a university-based Ojibwe language program by exploring the efforts of students and facilitators of the Yup'ik Eskimo language as they attempt to gain ownership of the language and grammar they are teaching or learning to use in their own communities.
Being Prepared: Essential to Self-Care and Quality of Life for the Person With Cancer

Being adequately prepared for an experience such as cancer empowers patients, lowers distress, improves coping, supports self-management, promotes recovery, and improves quality of life. However, patients with cancer report unmet informational and support needs across the cancer trajectory. The purpose of this article is to describe the relationship of information preparation and patient outcomes, identify information and support needs across the cancer trajectory, and describe the role of oncology nurses in the delivery of high-quality patient-centered cancer care. The middle range theory of "Carrying On" was used to identify information and support needs during different phases of the cancer trajectory from treatment to survivorship. The authors concluded that nurses should engage the patient in a relational exchange of information; provide concrete, understandable information across specific times in the cancer experience; and use creative approaches to minimize barriers in meeting patient needs to achieve high-quality patient-centered cancer care.
No End to Hierarchy Does Rank Make a Difference in Perceptions of Leadership Credibility

This article investigates whether authority hierarchy still serves as an important factor influencing employee perceptions toward organizational roles and expected behavior. Results of a study in a federal agency suggest that hierarchy does serve as a significant force influencing employee attitudes toward leadership roles, contrary to the notion that hierarchy will diminish in importance over time. Hierarchy remains a crucial structural force in public organizations and is unlikely to wither away.
Endovascular embolization of complex hypervascular skull base tumors

Neurointerventional radiology plays a critical role in the endovascular evaluation and treatment of complex hypervascular skull base tumors. In this article, we review hypervascular skull base tumors, the vascular anatomy, and neurointerventional techniques that facilitate surgical excision with reduced morbidity and decreased incidence of local recurrence.
Brief paper: Disturbance tolerance and rejection of linear systems with imprecise knowledge of actuator input output characteristics

We study the robustness of linear systems with respect to the disturbances and the uncertainties in the actuator input output characteristics. Disturbances either bounded in energy or bounded in magnitude are considered. The actuator input output characteristics are assumed to reside in a so-called generalized sector bounded by piecewise linear curves. Robust bounded state stability of the closed-loop system is first defined and characterized in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Based on this characterization, the evaluation of the disturbance tolerance and disturbance rejection capabilities of the closed-loop system under a given feedback law is formulated into and solved as optimization problems with LMI constraints.
Noise Benefits in Quantizer-Array Correlation Detection and Watermark Decoding

Quantizer noise can improve statistical signal detection in array-based nonlinear correlators in Neyman-Pearson and maximum-likelihood (ML) detection. This holds even for infinite-variance symmetric alpha-stable channel noise and for generalized-Gaussian channel noise. Noise-enhanced correlation detection leads to noise-enhanced watermark extraction based on such nonlinear detection at the pixel or bit level. This yields a noise-based algorithm for digital watermark decoding using two new noise-benefit theorems. The first theorem gives a necessary and sufficient condition for quantizer noise to increase the detection probability of a constant signal for a fixed false-alarm probability if the channel noise is symmetric and if the sample size is large. The second theorem shows that the array must contain more than one quantizer for such a stochastic-resonance noise benefit if the symmetric channel noise is unimodal. It also shows that the noise-benefit rate improves in the small-quantizer noise limit as the number of array quantizers increases. The second theorem further shows that symmetric uniform quantizer noise gives the optimal rate for an initial noise benefit among all finite-variance symmetric scale-family noise. Two corollaries give similar results for stochastic-resonance noise benefits in ML detection of a signal sequence with known shape but unknown amplitude.
Adaptive feedback control based artificial pancreas

In this paper, an adaptive control method is developed for the design of an artificial pancreas in the presence of patient insulin-glucose characteristic, actuation disturbance and feedback sensor uncertainties. A feedback control law is used to regulate the patientpsilas blood glucose level, and an adaptive law is derived to update the controller parameters to accommodate the system uncertainties. An adaptive estimate of the system output is employed for feedback control. Adaptive control schemes are developed and analyzed for both known and unknown insulin-glucose dynamics. A simulation study is presented to demonstrate the system performance.
Generating user-focused, content-based summaries for multi-documents using document graphs

Due to the huge amount of information available on-line, the research and development of systems to automatically summarize multiple documents has become the focus of considerable interest and investment in many research sectors. One of the challenges that face multi-document summarization is generating user-focused summaries. Here, we present a new method for automatic user-focused summarization generation of multiple documents using document graphs. We propose generating summaries based on identifying the important concepts/entities and relations in the text. In this approach we are generating 3 different summaries, each one of them belongs to a different level of focus. The data from Document Understanding Conference 2002 (DUC2002) has been used in the experiment
Bone Morphogenic Protein-2 Induces Apoptosis and Cytotoxicity in Periodontal Ligament Cells

Background: Periodontal ligament (PDL) expresses endogenous growth factors, such as bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs), which facilitate maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Inflammatory conditions, such as chronic periodontitis, could disrupt this homeostasis, and physiologic levels of growth factors may be insufficient to maintain tissue homeostasis. BMPs facilitate periodontal bone regeneration but also are implicated in causing tooth ankylosis and root resorption. The underlying mechanism of tooth ankylosis is unclear. However, there is evidence that BMPs induce apoptosis in progenitor cells. Little is known about BMP-induced cytotoxicity in PDL cells, which contain a population of progenitor cells. The aim of this study is to determine BMP2-induced osteogenic mediators and cytotoxic effects in PDL cells and compare these cells to osteoblasts.Methods: Human PDL cells and primary osteoblasts were stimulated with doses of 1 to 200 ng/mL BMP2. Expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), in vitro mineralization...
Ultrasonographic Evaluation of the Pleura

Pleural ultrasonography is useful to diagnose, monitor, and guide management of pleural disease. This article reviews the applications of ultrasonography to pleural disease.
Cultural carrying capacity: Organ donation advocacy, discursive framing, and social media engagement

Social media sites such as Facebook have become a powerful tool for public health outreach because they enable advocacy organizations to influence the rapidly increasing number of people who frequent these forums. Yet the very open-ness of social media sites creates fierce competition for public attention. The vast majority of social media messages provoke little or no reaction because of the sheer volume of information that confronts the typical social media user each day. In this article, I present a theory of the "cultural carrying capacity" of social media messaging campaigns. I argue that advocacy organizations inspire more endorsements, comments, and shares by social media users if they diversify the discursive content of their messages. Yet too much diversification creates large, disconnected audiences that lack the sense of shared purpose necessary to sustain an online movement. To evaluate this theory, I created a Facebook application that collects social media posts produced by forty-two organ donation advocacy organizations over 1.5 years, as well as supplemental information about the organization, its audience, and the broader social context in which they interact. Time series models provide strong evidence for my theory net of demographic characteristics of social media users, the resources and tactics of each organization, and broader external factors. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for public health, cultural sociology, and the nascent field of computational social science.
Stochastic Model Bias Correction of Dynamic System Responses for Simulation-Based Reliability Analysis

Reliability analysis based on the simulation model could be wrong if the simulation model were not validated. Various model bias correction approaches have been developed to improve the model credibility by adding the identified model bias to the baseline simulation model. However, little research has been conducted for simulation models with dynamic system responses. This paper presents such a framework for model bias correction of dynamic system responses for reliability analysis by addressing three technical components including: i) a validation metric for dynamic system responses, ii) an effective approach for dynamic model bias calibration and approximation, and iii) reliability analysis considering the dynamic model bias. Two case studies including a thermal problem and a corroded beam problem are employed to demonstrate the proposed approaches for simulation-based reliability analysis.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Survival Rate of Young Southeastern Brown Bats, Myotis austroriparius, in Florida

Mortality of young Myotis austroriparius from birth to weaning was measured by censusing carcasses that fell from a nursery roost in northern Florida. Rates were determined from population counts and published data on natality and population structure. Shape of the mortality curve was the same in 2 years. Most deaths (75%) occurred in the first week of life, and the survivors that acquired their first permanent tooth had a high probability (97%) of living to weaning age. A total of 88.2% of the young survived to weaning age. Total preweaning survival in M. austroriparius is relatively low. This high loss and previously recorded features of M. austroriparius natality (twinning and altricial de- velopment of the young) are interpreted in the context of characteristics of the nursery roosts and climate, as follows. Low preweaning survival results from certain death when young fall into water under the roost, without parental retrieval. Selection of roosts over water is favored by predation pressure. Adults maintain high-risk activity almost all year, with only brief periods of hibernation, so adult mortality probably is relatively high. These two sources of heightened mortality have selected for twinning, but physiological limitations dictate that young are born at an early stage of develop- ment.
Comment on "Observation of Nonextremal Fermi-Surface Orbits in Bulk Bismuth"

This comment on a recent letter by Henrich points out that that author misinterpreted an earlier paper by Dooley and Tepley. Thus, Henrich's work is not the first measurement of nonextremal Fermi-surface orbits in bismuth.
The Consumer Frontier: Household Consumption in Early Kentucky

The image was an appealing one: sturdy pioneers leaving behind the comforts of civilization to carve out new lives in the trans-Appalachian wilderness. They lived simply, in log houses, surrounded by fields that produced all needed food and the raw materials for clothing and domestic furnishings; neighbors informally exchanged the labor and goods necessary to sustain the local community. Thus the frontier traditionally was portrayed as a region of virtuous and self-sufficient yeomen. Over the decades, frontier women and men became part of the national myth -the wellsprings of democracy and military strength, but most of all, of cultural and economic independence. The frontier myth can be traced to the revolutionary era, when republicans hoped agrarian simplicity would preserve the virtue of the new nation. Thomas Jefferson, for example, envisioned the trans-Appalachian West settled by generations of independent farmers who would form the backbone of American liberty. Self-sufficiency on the land would lead to self-reliance in the political arena; freed from commercial entanglements, the western settlers would orient their interests to the good of the commonwealth rather than the demands of the marketplace.1 By the end of the nineteenth century, the frontier myth looked backward rather than forward in time. Romanticized images of early American life born of crowded, scrambling cities and mechanized, dehumanized workplaces -created for the western settlements a lost golden age of subsistence farms, communal work activities, and wholesome precapitalist values.2
Pre-patched software

Developing and deploying software patches is currently slow and labor-intensive. After software vendors discover a security bug in their product, they must write a patch, test it thoroughly, and distribute it to users, who may peform further testing before installing the patch. These manual steps take time, leaving users vulnerable for days or even weeks after a bug is discovered. Pre-patched software removes these time-consuming steps from the vulnerability-response critical path, reducing the window of vulnerability to hours or even minutes. Pre-patched applications ship with latent run-time checks that are automatically inserted during the compilation process. The compiler emits checks to cover any potentially-unsafe operation in the code. When the software vendor discovers a new vulnerability in its product, it can issue an alert informing its customers that they should activate one or more of the checks. Generating the run-time checks in advance removes the manual patchd-evelopment and testing processes from the vulnerability response critical path. Thus, when the vendor discovers a new vulnerability, it can immediately issue an alert and users can act on that alert without hesitation. By default, the run-time checks are disabled and hence incur little or no overhead. We have developed a CIL-based programtransformation that pre-patches C programs for memory-safety bugs. Early experiments suggest that pre-patched software may incur little measurable run-time overhead.
The predictors of post-transplant coronary events among liver transplant recipients.

Cardiac morbidities can occur during the peri- and post-liver transplant (LT) period, affecting the long-term survival. The purpose of this study was to identify the potential factors that predict a coronary event post-transplantation. Medical records of patients who underwent liver transplantation at Johns Hopkins Hospital between 2009 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. We looked at pre-liver transplant cardiac risk factors and the diagnostic tests utilized for coronary artery disease screening. Patients with and without post-liver transplant coronary events were compared. There were a total of 146 patients with a mean age at LT of 55.3 years. The prevalence of hypertension, tobacco use and diabetes within the patient population was 61.6 % (n = 90), 39 % (n = 57) and 37.6 % (n = 55), respectively. There were 29 deaths and 30 coronary events over a median follow-up period of 1.75 years. Age at the time of liver transplant was predictive of coronary event (OR 1.11, CI 1.01–1.20). The 1-year survival in patients with a coronary event was 47 versus 94 % in patients without a coronary event. The combined use of a dobutamine stress echocardiogram and coronary artery calcium score predicted a coronary event with a sensitivity of 62.5 % and specificity of 66.7 %. In conclusion, LT recipients with cardiac events had limited survival as compared to the cohort without coronary events. Identification of such patients with noninvasive screening may provide a practical alternative to an invasive cardiac workup. Further improvement in screening strategies may minimize the liver transplant cardiac morbidity.
Teaching Research Methods to MFT Master’s Students: A Comparison between Scientist-Practitioner and Research-Informed Approaches

The current study compares a traditional “scientist-practitioner” and a “research-informed” approach utilizing a sample of students from a COAMFTE accredited master’s program. Students were enrolled in a research methods course with either a “scientist-practitioner” or a “research-informed” focus. Results from both self assessment of core competencies, as well as basic research knowledge, found that both course types led to significant improvements; however neither course emerged as more significant than the other. Implications for best practices in teaching research methods in MFT training programs are discussed.
Coherent quantum oscillations and echo measurements of a Si charge qubit

Fast quantum oscillations of a charge qubit in a double quantum dot fabricated in a Si/SiGe heterostructure are demonstrated and characterized experimentally. The measured inhomogeneous dephasing time ${T}_{2}^{*}$ ranges from 127 ps to 2.1 ns; it depends substantially on how the energy difference of the two qubit states varies with external voltages, consistent with a decoherence process that is dominated by detuning noise (charge noise that changes the asymmetry of the qubit's double-well potential). In the regime with the shortest ${T}_{2}^{*}$, applying a charge-echo pulse sequence increases the measured inhomogeneous decoherence time from 127 to 760 ps, demonstrating that low-frequency noise processes are an important dephasing mechanism.
Economic and quality-of-life impact of NSAIDs in rheumatoid arthritis: A conceptual framework and selected literature review.

In this review, we provide a conceptual framework of the ideal pharmacoeconomic model for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use in rheumatoid arthritis, together with a review of selected literature focusing on those areas identified in our model. An ideal pharmacoeconomic model fully accounts for the benefits and costs of this therapy. The benefits include: decreased pain and swelling; increased functional status, which may in turn lead to increased earnings potential; and decreased use of adjunctive therapies. The costs include costs for drug acquisition and administration, monitoring and treatment for adverse effects, as well as preventive measures. Noneconomic 'costs' (i.e. losses in quality of life and/or functional status) must also be included in this equation. Our literature review led to the following conclusions. NSAIDs are highly effective agents for the control of musculoskeletal pain and inflammation, and as such are among the most widely used drugs worldwide. It is well recognised that marked improvements in quality of life occur among arthritic patients receiving NSAIDs. Although careful patient selection and monitoring for potential adverse effects is essential, these drugs are well tolerated by most patients. NSAID-induced gastrointestinal events, ranging from dyspepsia to severe complications that can lead to hospitalisation, surgery and death, are reported more commonly than adverse effects from any other class of drugs. These events represent a substantial economic burden to society and have well documented negative effects on quality of life. Although misoprostol (a prostaglandin analogue) prevents the development of clinically defined NSAID-associated ulcers, its effectiveness on clinically important outcomes such as haemorrhage and perforation is somewhat more modest. Furthermore, there is evidence that some patients may experience substantial losses in quality of life because of the adverse effects of medication (particularly diarrhoea). Therefore, the widespread use of misoprostol prophylaxis not only has important economic consequences, but has important consequences for quality of life. More research is needed to address the critical trade-offs between cost and quality of life that are inherent in the use of NSAIDs.
Fused Deposition of Ceramics: A New Technique for the Rapid Fabrication of Ceramic Components

(1995). Fused Deposition of Ceramics: A New Technique for the Rapid Fabrication of Ceramic Components. Materials Technology: Vol. 10, No. 7-8, pp. 144-146.