cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blaster Revisited: A second look at the cost of Blaster sheds new light on today’s blended threats.

What lessons can we learn from the carnage the Blaster worm created? The following tale is based upon actual circumstances from corporate enterprises that were faced with confronting and eradicating the Blaster worm, which hit in August 2003. The story provides views from many perspectives, illustrating the complexity and sophistication needed to combat new blended threats.
The Research Actuality of Lectins from Common Medicinal and Edible Fungi in China

Research actuality in China of the lectins of medicinal and edible fungi in the aspects of purification technology,biological function and molecular biology were reviewed briefly,and the development foreground of lectins from medicinal and edible fungi in China were analyzed briefly.
Human activity affects the perception of risk by mule deer

Human activity has been shown to influence how animals assess the risk of predation, but we know little about the spatial scale of such impacts. We quantified how vigilance and flight behavior in mule deer Odocoileus hemionus varied with distance from an area of concentrated human activity—a subalpine field station. An observer walked trails at various distances away from the station looking for deer. Upon encounter, the observer walked toward the focal animal and noted the distance at which it alerted and directed its attention to the approaching human (Alert Distance; AD), and the distance at which it fled (Flight Initiation Distance; FID). AD and FID both increased nonlinearly with distance from the center of the field station, reaching plateaus around 250 m and 750 m, respectively. Deer also tended to flee by stotting or running, rather than by walking, when far from the station but they walked away when near the station. These results indicate that deer perceive lower risk near a focused area of human activity, and that vigilance and flight behaviors respond on somewhat different spatial scales. The concept of a spatial “human footprint” on behavior may be useful for understanding how human activities affect wildlife.
Clinical Decision Making in Brain Metastases

Surgery for metastatic cancer of the brain parenchyma has been shown to increase length of survival, especially in patients with primary breast cancer, RCC, and lung cancer. The identification of prognostic variables common to patients with brain metastases has permitted development of therapeutic guidelines.
Fed-Batch Cultivation

Fed-batch reactor is based on feeding of a growth limiting nutrient substrate to a culture. Cell growth and fermentation can be controlled by the feeding strategy. The fed-batch strategy is typically used to reach a high cell density in the bioreactor or mimic a continuous culture. Mostly the feed solution is highly concentrated. In essence, fed-batch reactor is applied in such a fashion that a chemostat is simulated with a seemingly batch operation. The controlled addition of the nutrient directly affects the growth rate of the culture and allows to avoid overflow metabolism (formation of side metabolites, such as acetate for Escherichia coli , lactic acid in cell cultures, ethanol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae ), oxygen limitation (anaerobiosis). Substrate limitation offers the possibility to control the reaction rates to avoid technological limitations connected to the cooling of the reactor and oxygen transfer. Substrate limitation also allows the metabolic control, to avoid osmotic effects and catabolite repression. Therefore there are different operation strategies for fed-batch: 1) constant feed rate; 2) exponential feed rate or constant specific growth rate. The exponential growth with fed-batch operation can be at any rate, up to the maximum rate in the exponential growth phase of a batch growth. Usually, maximum growth rate is not wanted for undesired by-product production can be high at maximum growth. Analysis of fed-batch reactors is more complex than either a chemostat or a batch reactor. Solutions of differential equations are usually required. When long operation time is employed, a pseudo-steady state may be assumed, simplifying the analysis. The pseudosteady state is found to correspond to biomass steady state or time derivative of biomass concentration is zero. Some solutions to the biomass concentration and product formation are listed for constant feed and exponential feed at pseudo-steady state conditions.
Multidimensional materials and device architectures for future hybrid energy storage

Electrical energy storage plays a vital role in daily life due to our dependence on numerous portable electronic devices. Moreover, with the continued miniaturization of electronics, integration of wireless devices into our homes and clothes and the widely anticipated ‘Internet of Things', there are intensive efforts to develop miniature yet powerful electrical energy storage devices. This review addresses the cutting edge of electrical energy storage technology, outlining approaches to overcome current limitations and providing future research directions towards the next generation of electrical energy storage devices whose characteristics represent a true hybridization of batteries and electrochemical capacitors.
Cooperative Control with Ultrasound Guidance for Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy typically begins with the acquisition of a CT scan of the patient for planning, followed by multiple days where radiation is delivered according to the plan. This requires that the patient be reproducibly positioned (set up) on the radiation therapy device (linear accelerator) such that the radiation beams pass through the target. Modern linear accelerators provide cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging, but this does not provide sufficient contrast to discriminate many abdominal soft-tissue targets and therefore patient setup is often done by aligning bony anatomy or implanted fiducials. Ultrasound (US) can be used to both assist with patient setup and to provide real-time monitoring of soft-tissue targets. One challenge, however, is that the ultrasound probe contact pressure can deform the target area and cause discrepancies with the treatment plan. Another challenge is that radiation therapists typically do not have ultrasound experience and therefore cannot easily find the target in the US image. We propose cooperative control strategies to address both challenges. First, we use cooperative control with virtual fixtures (VFs) to enable acquisition of a planning CT that includes the soft-tissue deformation. Then, for the patient setup during the treatment sessions, we propose to use real-time US image feedback to dynamically update the VFs; this co-manipulation strategy provides haptic cues that guide the therapist to correctly place the US probe. A phantom study is performed to demonstrate that the co-manipulation strategy enables inexperienced operators to quickly and accurately place the probe on a phantom to reproduce a desired reference image. This is a necessary step for patient setup and, by reproducing the reference image, creates soft-tissue deformations that are consistent with the treatment plan, thereby enabling real-time monitoring during treatment delivery.
Hemispheric Differences: The Bilingual Brain

Language is a fundamental tool of communication. If eyes are the windows to our soul, then language, written or spoken, offers a window to our thoughts generated in our brain. This is a more poetic way of describing language and how important it is.Let us see how neuroscientists who study the brain and how it affects behavior understand and see language.
Attitudes Related to Sexual Concerns: Gender and Orientation Comparisons

One hundred and seventy-five heterosexual and homosexual college students of both genders completed the Attitudes Related to Sexual Concerns Scale (ASCS). The ASCS is an instrument designed to measure attitudes regarding: sexual self-understanding, body image, gender-role behavior in sexual relationships, commitment, communication with a sexual partner, masturbation, sexual guilt, and performance anxiety. The results indicated that sexual orientation had a significantly greater impact on these attitudes than did gender. Overall, heterosexual students reported more negative attitudes than did gay/lesbian students, particularly in the areas of sexual self-understanding, communication with a sexual partner, commitment issues, and overall sexual and masturbation guilt. Therefore, sexual orientation should be studied in future evaluations of attitudes and sexual concerns, along with gender, age, and other factors.
Long-term results of a phase I/II trial of the addition of celecoxib to chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head-and-neck

We performed this open-label phase I/II trial to investigate concurrent celecoxib as a radiosensitizer during chemoradiotherapy. Eligible patients included those with newly diagnosed, or recurrent, stage III or IVA locoregionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head-and-neck (SCCHN), excluding nasopharyngeal tumors. The primary tumor was prescribed 70.2 Gy with concurrent weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel. Celecoxib was dosed at 400 mg twice daily, beginning 1 week prior to radiotherapy. Thirty patients were enrolled between 2002 and 2007. The median age at enrollment was 57.6 years, and the median follow-up for surviving patients was 10.4 years (range 5.9–11.8 years). The complete clinical response rate was 87 %, nearly achieving the primary end point goal of 90 %. The 5-year actuarial disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 40 and 53.3 %. Fourteen (47 %) patients experienced grade 3 or worse acute hematologic toxicity. Five (17 %) patients experienced grade 4 acute non-hematologic toxicity. Celecoxib appears to be a safe addition to cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy for the primary treatment of locoregionally advanced SCCHN. Initial response rates were encouraging, and survival compared favorably with contemporary trials. Unfortunately, concern for cardiac toxicity of the drug led to early closure and limited statistical significance.
Abstract B20: Schedule-dependent activation of DNA helicases by Checkpoint Kinase 1 inhibition following dNTP depletion causes CDK2-independent replication catastrophe

DNA damaging agents are standard of care therapies for many cancers, but frequently produce poor outcomes in many patients. Using DNA damage checkpoint inhibitors to sensitize cancer cells to standard therapies is a rapidly emerging strategy. Understanding the mechanism behind sensitization will help clinicians develop rational combinations and schedules to improve cancer care. Additionally, understanding how defects in the DNA damage response affect treatment outcomes may help identify which patients will respond to treatment. We have previously demonstrated that inhibition of Checkpoint Kinase 1 (Chk1) with MK8776 sensitizes cells to the DNA damaging agent, gemcitabine, in a schedule-dependent manner. However, the mechanism of sensitization as well as the reason why sensitization increases with time following gemcitabine are not well understood. Gemcitabine inhibits ribonucleotide reductase and rapidly depletes deoxyribonucleotides (dNTPs) leading to S phase arrest. We found that delayed (18-24 h), but not concurrent (0-6 h), Chk1 inhibition following gemcitabine activated the replication machinery. Using chromatin fractionation and western blotting, we found that the helicase co-factor, CDC45, is recruited to DNA during delayed Chk1i after gemcitabine. However, the continued lack of dNTPs prevented functional DNA replication during activation of replicative helicases. This resulted in formation of excessive single-stranded DNA as measured by native BrdU fluorescent microscopy. Consequently, excess single-stranded DNA depleted cellular pools of the DNA protective protein, Replication Protein A. We also confirmed that the treatment results in DNA double-strand breaks, presumably from endonuclease cleavage of unprotected single-stranded DNA. Cyclin Dependent Kinase 2 (CDK2) is a known down-stream target of Chk1 activity. CDK2 is also known to play a role in activating the replicative machinery during normal replication. However, titrating in a CDK2 inhibitor did not prevent activation of replicative helicases, suggesting CDK2 is not required for DNA damage in this model. We identified a separate replication-associated kinase, CDC7, was required for DNA damage mediated by delayed Chk1i following gemcitabine. Treatment with CDC7i prevented Chk1i-mediated activation of the replicative helicases as well as DNA damage 18 h after gemcitabine. We conclude that CDC7-mediated aberrant activation of the replication machinery in the absence of dNTPs is the primary mechanism by which Chk1 inhibitors sensitize cancer cells to gemcitabine. Citation Format: Nicholas JH Warren, Alan R. Eastman. Schedule-dependent activation of DNA helicases by Checkpoint Kinase 1 inhibition following dNTP depletion causes CDK2-independent replication catastrophe [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on DNA Repair: Tumor Development and Therapeutic Response; 2016 Nov 2-5; Montreal, QC, Canada. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2017;15(4_Suppl):Abstract nr B20.
Pin Site Complications Associated With Computer-Assisted Navigation in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Background There has been a great increase in the use of navigation technology in joint arthroplasty. In most types of navigation-assisted surgery, several temporary navigation pins are placed in the patient. Goals of this study are (1) to identify complications and (2) risk factors associated with placement of these pins. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of all navigation-assisted hip and knee arthroplasty performed a single institution over a 3-year period. Records were reviewed and outcome measures were tabulated in a database. Complications included in the database were pin site infection, deep prosthetic joint infection, neurologic injury, vascular injury, and fracture through a pin site. Results A total of 3136 pin sites in 839 patients were included in the study. Five pin site complications were reported with a complication rate of 0.16% per pin site and 0.60% per patient. The complications-per-procedure were slightly higher for unicondylar knee arthroplasty (0.64%) compared with patellofemoral arthroplasty (0%) and total hip arthroplasty (0.46%), but not statistically significant. There were three infections, one neuropraxia, and one suture abscess. No periprosthetic fractures through a pin site were reported. All complications were resolved with nonoperative treatment. The infections required oral antibiotics, and were associated with transcortical drilling in two cases and juxtacortical drilling in the third. Conclusion Pins required for navigation-assisted arthroplasty have a low complication rate. Transcortical or juxtacortical drilling may be a risk factor for pin site infection; future studies should be directed at quantifying this effect.
Time Travel with One Click: Effects of Digital Filters on Perceptions of Photographs

Today's digital photographs are being heavily "filtered." By simple clicks on mobile apps like Hipstamatic and Instagram, users can easily apply digital filters to their pictures to create effects such as faux-vintage and light leaks. To understand the potential impacts of photo filters, we conducted an online experiment and investigated how the use of the black-and-white and film-style photo filters changed viewers' perceptions and descriptions of photographs. We found that photo filters substantially increased viewers' perceived temporal distances to photographs. Participants also tended to describe analogue-style photos more interpretively and tentatively than unfiltered ones, indicating an increase in construal levels. We suggest that the widely used photo filter is not just a tool to change aesthetics; it also adds a layer of history, meaning, and defamiliarization to photographs, allowing users to construct a mental distance in images that deviates from everyday experiences. We offer insights into the psychology of visual styles and implications for designing filter apps and photo-sharing platforms.
RIPK1 mediates a disease-associated microglial response in Alzheimer’s disease

Dysfunction of microglia is known to play an important role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we investigated the role of RIPK1 in microglia mediating the pathogenesis of AD. RIPK1 is highly expressed by microglial cells in human AD brains. Using the amyloid precursor protein (APP)/presenilin 1 (PS1) transgenic mouse model, we found that inhibition of RIPK1, using both pharmacological and genetic means, reduced amyloid burden, the levels of inflammatory cytokines, and memory deficits. Furthermore, inhibition of RIPK1 promoted microglial degradation of Aβ in vitro. We characterized the transcriptional profiles of adult microglia from APP/PS1 mice and identified a role for RIPK1 in regulating the microglial expression of CH25H and Cst7, a marker for disease-associated microglia (DAM), which encodes an endosomal/lysosomal cathepsin inhibitor named Cystatin F. We present evidence that RIPK1-mediated induction of Cst7 leads to an impairment in the lysosomal pathway. These data suggest that RIPK1 may mediate a critical checkpoint in the transition to the DAM state. Together, our study highlights a non-cell death mechanism by which the activation of RIPK1 mediates the induction of a DAM phenotype, including an inflammatory response and a reduction in phagocytic activity, and connects RIPK1-mediated transcription in microglia to the etiology of AD. Our results support that RIPK1 is an important therapeutic target for the treatment of AD.
Key Issues in Nursing Theory: Developments, Challenges, and Future Directions.

Background Today, we face a situation some call the “profession at the crossroads.” The problem is the development of the profession being threatened by an imbalance among philosophical, conceptual/theoretical, and empirical inquiry. Objectives The aims of this project are to (a) examine the development and contributions of theory, (b) outline the challenges we face in knowledge development, and (c) provide a structure for disciplinary knowledge that provides a unifying focus and renovates theories’ place in nursing science that can direct the future of developing knowledge for practice. Methods A personal narrative along with literature reviews. Narrative strategies included my own publications on theory, some relevant unpublished speeches, memories of meetings checked with concurrent attendees, and similar or dissimilar points of view in nursing theory textbooks. Results Contributions of theoretical work in the 20th century included maturing of the discipline, clarifying the theoretical focus of nursing as holistic persons with processes and patterns for environmental integration to attain health, a plurality of grand theories for articulating and testing of theories in practice and research, identification of the mutual impact of theory and education and major conferences, and contributions globally. Twenty-first century developments used all levels of theories particularly for research. Questions are raised about the evaluation of theory. Detours and dead ends for theory development involved metatheory debates and specific events. Challenges identified relate to rapid changes in society, healthcare, and science. A pathway for the future is presented in a figure with its description of the structure of nursing knowledge. Discussion The potential of this structure for developing future theory-based nursing knowledge for practice is envisioned, and strategies for creating this future are suggested.
Theories for Understanding the Neuroscience of Mathematical Cognitive Development

Throughout history, humans have invented and used mathematics to solve meaningful problems critical to survival and prosperity. To advance our understanding of mathematical cognitive development and achievement, it is important to place research within theoretical frameworks that allow us to interpret and apply results. In this chapter, I discuss evolutionary developmental psychology as a meta-theory for considering important questions relevant to understanding neuroscience research on mathematical cognitive development. Then, I use a developmental systems approach to describe how genetics, neural activity, and experiences in environmental niches dynamically interact in the development of evolved probabilistic cognitive mechanisms. As an example, I describe biologically primary mathematical abilities that may have been selected for in evolution to solve recurrent problems, passed on via genetics, and instantiated in human brain development. The process of their development into biologically secondary mathematical abilities, which are cultural inventions that build upon biologically primary abilities, is then described. I present Dehaene and colleagues’ triple-code model of numerical processing as the predominant neuroscience-based theory of mathematical cognition. I conclude by arguing that there is a place for neuroscience in the field of cognitive development and advocating for the integration of scientific findings across levels of analysis.
Mirtazapine: clinical overview.

There is currently available evidence that suggests that drugs combining 2 synergistic mechanisms of action (e.g., enhancement of both noradrenergic and serotonergic neurotransmission) may yield superior therapeutic efficacy compared with a single therapeutic mechanism of highly selective agents such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The differences in antidepressant efficacy favoring dual-acting drugs may exist in particular for 3 difficult-to-treat groups of patients: those with endogenous depression, those with severe depression, or hospitalized depressed patients. Mirtazapine differs from other new dual-acting antidepressants by not being a reuptake inhibitor. Its antidepressant activity may be related to a direct enhancement of noradrenergic neurotransmission by blockade of alpha2-autoreceptors. The rapid increase in serotonin (5-HT) synaptic levels by blockade of alpha2-heteroreceptors indirectly enhances 5-HT1A-mediated neurotransmission since 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 are blocked by mirtazapine. The antidepressant efficacy of mirtazapine was established in several placebo-controlled trials. Currently available evidence suggests that mirtazapine is effective in all levels of severity of depressive illness, as well as is in a broad range of symptoms associated with depression.
Selective hydrogenation of dinitriles to aminonitriles on Raney catalysts

Abstract High selectivity to aminonitriles can be achieved when liquid-phase hydrogenation of dinitriles over Raney catalysts is carried out in the presence of an excess of methanol (containing an inorganic base) or ammonia. Results obtained by hydrogenation of dinitriles containing from 4 (succinonitrile) to 12 (dodecanedinitrile) carbon atoms are compared. Observed trends are tentatively explained by invoking an intramolecular transformation of the aminonitrile molecules in the preferred reaction media. Formation of ring structures (existence of which is supported by IR results) should hinder readsorption and hence further hydrogenation of aminonitriles to diamines.
Technoeconomic feasibility of a sustainable charcoal industry to reduce deforestation in Haiti

Abstract This study evaluates the technoeconomic viability of utilizing a fast-growing crop, Pennisetum purpureum (elephant grass), to sustainably produce charcoal in Haiti, thereby reducing the harvest of trees, slowing deforestation and driving local economy. The objective of the analysis is to determine the potential for a profitable investment in sustainable charcoal, with profitability defined by net present value (NPV) modeling over a 10-year period. Monte Carlo statistical simulation is employed in computing NPV based on variability in model inputs. Results include a probabilistic NPV that incorporates uncertainty in model inputs and yields an odds-based assessment of the likely profitability of the plant. Results indicate that the plant is likely to yield positive return on capital investment, with a 91% likelihood of the plant breaking even and an 84% likelihood of achieving a 25% return on investment within 10 years. Sensitivity analysis of the model results to model input variability show that charcoal sale price and feedstock cost are the most significant variables that affect plant profitability and profitability uncertainty. Based upon model results, suggestions for improved economic feasibility are presented. Additionally, the broader social and environmental impacts of the proposed venture to reduce deforestation and create local jobs is assessed.
PSA in the screening, staging and follow-up of early-stage prostate cancer

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) represents a major advance in our tumor marker armamentarium. Although not cancer-specific, it is specific for prostatic epithelium. Sophisticated serum assays have been developed for the detection of the analyte, and serum PSA has been used in the staging, monitoring, and screening of patients. The greastest utility of PSA appears to be in the monitoring of patients with carcinoma of the prostate, most significantly following radical prostatectomy. The role of serum PSA involving patients undergoing radiation therapy and hormonal manipulation is less clear; however, there also appears to be potential in these areas. The usefulness of PSA in screening is hampered by the observation that benign hyperplasia may be associated with elevated serum levels. PSA is a significantly better tumor marker for prostatic disease than prostatic acid phosphatase and should be used by all physicians managing these patients.
An examination of Twitter data to identify risky sexual practices among youth and young adults in Botswana.

Botswana has the third highest rate of HIV infection, as well as one of the highest mobile phone density rates in the world. The rate of mobile cell phone adoption has increased three-fold over the past 10 years. Due to HIV infection rates, youth and young adults are the primary target for prevention efforts. One way to improve prevention efforts is to examine how risk reduction messages are disseminated on social media platforms such as Twitter. Thus, to identify key words related to safer sex practices and HIV prevention, we examined three months of Twitter data in Botswana. 1 December 2015, was our kick off date, and we ended data collection on 29 February 2016. To gather the tweets, we searched for HIV-related terms in English and in Setswana. From the 140,240 tweets collected from 251 unique users, 576 contained HIV-related terms. A representative sample of 25 active Twitter users comprised individuals, one government site and 2 organizations. Data revealed that tweets related to HIV prevention and AIDS did not occur more frequently during the month of December when compared to January and February (t = 3.62, p > 0.05). There was no significant difference between the numbers of HIV related tweets that occurred from 1 December 2015 to 29 February 2016 (F = 32.1, p > 0.05). The tweets occurred primarily during the morning and evening hours and on Tuesdays followed by Thursdays and Fridays. The least number of tweets occurred on Sunday. The highest number of followers was associated with the Botswana government Twitter site. Twitter analytics was found to be useful in providing insight into information being tweeted regarding risky sexual behaviors.
Hearthstone AI: Oops to Well Played

Online digital collectible card games have seen a massive rise in popularity recently, none more so than Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. While the game is mainly player vs. player focused, a need for competent game playing AI has arisen as well. This project attempts to tackle this problem by presenting a solution for a game playing AI using a tree-based game simulation and machine learning state evaluator. Additionally, the paper provides a way to breakdown Hearthstone into a feature set usable by machine learning algorithms. The AI based on this solution is shown to perform better than multiple testing solutions when played against them.
Why the Three Forces

Globalization, Competitiveness, and Governability are the Three Disruptive Forces of Business in the twenty-first century. Presently, the previous sentence is simply a statement and one can argue the basis of stating it. Thus, as you read on, you will realize that the statement under discussion is more of a fact. We establish that globalization, competitiveness, and governability are not only disrupting business in the twenty-first century but also that there is a symbiotic relationship between these three forces, resulting in an impact on the economic and business environment far greater than the effects of any of these three individually.
Numbering others: Religious demography, identity, and fertility management experiences in contemporary India

Demographers have carefully analyzed intersecting aspects of identity beyond religious category that influence fertility patterns in India, such as region, access to wealth, sex ratios, and gender dynamics (Padmanabhan, 2015). Drawing on interviews and participant-observation conducted during 15 months of field research on infertility in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, north India, between 2005-07 and 2016-17, this study shows how nuances of demographic change categorized by religion, such as changes in fertility and mortality rates, ripple through public discourse and imagination less powerfully than overall shifts in population percentages. This paper connects media and political discourse about religion, demography, and fertility in large-scale reports, such as the 2011 Census of India and the Sachar Committee Report on status of Muslims in India (Sachar et al., 2006), to the health care services and advice provided to Muslim women and children. While the Sachar Report drew attention to economic and social disadvantage among Muslims, political discourse in response to the 2011 Census continues a trend of labeling disparities in fertility rates across religious categories as a social problem. Such discourse renders individual fertility and infertility experiences invisible and reinforces longstanding negative representations of Muslims' fertility, with important implications for health, identity, and ultimately, governance (Sangamoorthy and Benton, 2012). Ethnographic data from health outreach efforts led by and serving Muslim women in Lucknow demonstrate the diversity of Muslim women's positions relative to health and fertility services as well as the intersections of various aspects of identity with fertility management experiences. By bringing these perspectives together, the paper shows how ethnographic work matters for making sense of quantitative population data. The political uses of large-scale quantitative data demonstrate how social science analysis can be used both to create "Others" and argue for neo-eugenics, and to bolster arguments for resources and reform that benefit the disadvantaged.
Lessons of the dragon: Bruce Lee and perfectionism between East and West:

This article endeavors to understand the work of Bruce Lee, particularly his appearance on the US television series Longstreet (1971–1972), with reference to the philosophical concept of perfection...
Reactive Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Quantum Chemistry Calculations To Investigate Soot-Relevant Reaction Pathways for Hexylamine Isomers

Sooting tendencies of a series of nitrogen-containing hydrocarbons (NHCs) have been recently characterized experimentally using the yield sooting index (YSI) methodology. This work aims to identify soot-relevant reaction pathways for three selected C6H15N amines, namely, dipropylamine (DPA), diisopropylamine (DIPA), and 3,3-dimethylbutylamine (DMBA) using ReaxFF molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and quantum mechanical (QM) calculations and to interpret the experimentally observed trends. ReaxFF MD simulations are performed to determine the important intermediate species and radicals involved in the fuel decomposition and soot formation processes. QM calculations are employed to extensively search for chemical reactions involving these species and radicals based on the ReaxFF MD results and also to quantitatively characterize the potential energy surfaces. Specifically, ReaxFF simulations are carried out in the NVT ensemble at 1400, 1600, and 1800 K, where soot has been identified to form in the YSI experiment. These simulations account for the interactions among test fuel molecules and pre-existing radicals and intermediate species generated from rich methane combustion, using a recently proposed simulation framework. ReaxFF simulations predict that the reactivity of the amines decrease in the order DIPA > DPA > DMBA, independent of temperature. Both QM calculations and ReaxFF simulations predict that C2H4, C3H6, and C4H8 are the main nonaromatic soot precursors formed during the decomposition of DPA, DIPA, and DMBA, respectively, and the associated reaction pathways are identified for each amine. Both theoretical methods predict that sooting tendency increases in the order DPA, DIPA, and DMBA, consistent with the experimentally measured trend in YSI. This work demonstrates that sooting tendencies and soot-relevant reaction pathways of fuels with unknown chemical kinetics can be identified efficiently through combined ReaxFF and QM simulations. Overall, predictions from ReaxFF simulations and QM calculations are consistent, in terms of fuel reactivity, major intermediates, and major nonaromatic soot precursors.
Drug-Induced Ototoxicity: A Comprehensive Review and Reference Guide.

Objective In an era of increasing polypharmacy, adverse drug effects such as ototoxicity have significant public health implications. Despite the availability of evidence, many health care professionals may not know the risk of ototoxicity in common medications. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive, easy to use, ototoxic profile of medications with an assessment of supporting evidence. Methods Medications of interest were identified through adverse drug reaction reports derived from Micromedex (IBM), Lexicomp (Wolters Kluwer), and the textbook, Drug Induced Diseases: Prevention, Detection, and Management. Additional evidence was identified though a query of PubMed and the Cochrane database. Evidence of causality was graded according to the following: A (randomized, controlled clinical trials), B (nonrandomized clinical trials, prospective observational studies, cohort studies, retrospective studies, case-controlled studies, and/or postmarketing surveillance studies), and C (case reports/case series). Results A total of 194 systemically administered medications associated with ototoxicity were identified, most commonly antimicrobials (53), psychotropics (21), antihypertensive/antiarrhythmics (19), nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (18), and antineoplastics (16). There was evidence of cochleotoxicity in 165 medications (evidence grading A [22], B [77], C [69]), vestibulotoxicity in 100 medications (evidence grading A [23], B [47], and C [30]), and dizziness in 142 medications (evidence grading A [50], B [76], and C [16]). In addition, a review of the evidence of ototoxicity in ototopical medications is also reviewed. Conclusion The effect and severity of ototoxicity can vary immensely depending on pharmacological and individual patient risk factors. The intent of this comprehensive review was to help health care providers of all sectors obtain a deeper knowledge of drug-induced ototoxicity to make more informed management decisions for their patients.
Quasi-static responses and associated failure mechanisms of cold-formed steel roof trusses

Abstract The use of cold-formed steel trusses in roof framing has significantly increased recently. Cold-formed steel roof trusses are ideal and efficient systems for a variety of applications due to their design flexibility and ease of construction. Past research explored the behavior of these truss systems up to the ultimate capacity point; however, the inelastic behavior to the failure was not fully captured. Information about the response beyond the buckling point and the energy absorption capacities are missing and need to be investigated. In this paper, small-scale cold-formed steel roof truss specimens were tested to failure under quasi-static loading. The static resistance of these systems and the associated failure mechanisms were identified. Such information is key input when analyzing these roof systems under blast loads using the Single Degree of Freedom simplified technique. Experimental results and absorbed energy comparisons show that the truss layout and the shape of loading significantly affect the performance of the truss and the failure mechanism. Three-dimensional finite element models were developed and verified against the experimental results. The advanced models predicted the static resistance with a high level of accuracy. Experimental and finite element analyses have shown that the energy absorbed is improved significantly when the web members susceptible to buckling are strengthened.
Cyber Security Training and Awareness through Game Play

Although many of the concepts included in staff cyber-security awareness training are universal, such training often must be tailored to address the policies and requirements of a particular organization. In addition, many forms of training fail because they are rote and do not require users to think about and apply security concepts. A flexible, highly interactive video game, CyberCIEGE, is described as a security awareness tool that can support organizational security training objectives while engaging typical users in an engaging security adventure.
Nationwide Census of Institutional Repositories: Preliminary Findings

The MIRACLE (Making Institutional Repositories A Collaborative Learning Environment) Project is a multi-phased research project that is investigating the development of institutional repositories (IRs) in U. S. colleges and universities to identify models and best practices in the administration, technical infrastructure, access to, and preservation of repository collections. This paper features preliminary findings from the project’s first phase, a nationwide census that will reveal the extent of college and university involvement with IRs in the United States. Preliminary findings address the types of investigative activities that institutions are conducting prior to making the decision to implement an IR, perceived benefits of IRs, staffing for IRs, methods of recruiting digital content, characteristics of operational IRs including their costs, and participating institutions’ next steps on the road to implementing an IR.
Interest-Based Self-Organizing Peer-to-Peer Networks: A Club Economics Approach

Improving the information retrieval (IR) performance of P2P networks is an important and challenging problem. Recently, the computer science literature has tried to address this problem by improving the efficiency of search algorithms. However, little attention has been paid to improving performance through the design of incentives for encouraging users to share content and, mechanisms for enabling peers to form communities based on shared interests. Our work draws on the club goods economics literature and the computer science IR literature to propose a next generation file sharing architecture addressing these issues. Using the popular Gnutella 0.6 architecture as context, we conceptualize a Gnutella ultrapeer and its local network of leaf nodes as a club (in economic terms). We specify an IR-based utility model for a peer to determine which clubs to join, for a club to manage its membership, and for a club to determine to which other clubs they should connect. We simulate the performance of our model using a unique real-world dataset collected from the Gnutella 0.6 network. These simulations show that our club model accomplishes both performance goals. First, peers are self-organized into communities of interest - in our club model peers are 85% more likely to be able to obtain content from their local club than they are in the current Gnutella 0.6 architecture. Second, peers have increased incentives to share content - our model shows that peers who share can increase their recall performance by nearly five times over the performance offered to free-riders. We also show that the benefits provided by our club model outweigh the added protocol overhead imposed on the network, that our results are stronger in larger simulated networks, and that our results are robust to dynamic networks with typical levels of user entry and exit.
Business Driven SOA Customization

Service Oriented Architecture, e.g., Web services, as building blocks for IT based on open standards, assist enterprises become more responsive to the changing business environment when they are implemented and used in the context of business processes. In this direction, packaged integration platforms like IBM's Composite Business Services or SAP have pre-configured business processes offered as web services. When the demand for a new capability arises, it can be addressed by building new services or by customizing an existing service. Service providers try to cover as much of the potential customer requirements as possible with provided capabilities but a complete coverage is not possible as individual industries might have unique requirements and customers can integrate services from multiple parties. In this situation, the problem is not whether a particular customization method will work but rather how to determine the overall impact of a new requirement in a complex SOA environment in terms of activities to be done and at what cost. In this paper, we propose a solution to these problems by introducing the notion of business driven customization of SOA (specifically web services). We introduce a formal model capturing properties and relationships of business objects and business processes, and their implementing services and messages. We also have instance-independent, impact propagation rules to encode the desirable customization behavior of any implementation. Now, we can capture new requirements as change triggers in the model and using the modeled rules, can precisely compute the scope of their overall impact spanning both business and IT domains. Overall, we introduce the customization and impact model, describe its implementation, and illustrate its application in an industry scenario with large number of services with complex characteristics (SAP).
Whole Slide Imaging and telepathology

Accurate diagnosis of lesions in genetically engineered mice requires a level of experience and expertise that is not available in all institutions. As a result, there is an unmet demand for the services of a limited number of expert pathologists. In order to meet this demand, we have developed several electronic, web-based educational and consulting tools to expand the availability of expert pathologists.
Developing sympathetic neurons express a neuronal trait before a catecholaminergic synthetic enzyme in vivo

How multiple mature phenotypic traits are regulated in developing neurons remains a central problem in developmental neurobiology. Mature sympathetic neurons express general neuronal epitopes, including neuron specific tubulin (NST) as well as markers involved in neurotransmitter synthesis including tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). To investigate the relationship between neuronal differentiation and neurotransmitter development, the order of appearance of NST and TH was determined in both chick and rat embryonic sympathetic ganglia by double-label immunohistochemistry. In differentiated ganglia, these two markers were expressed in virtually all sympathetic neurons examined. By contrast, at early stages of embryonic development in both chick and rat, sympathetic ganglia contained many NST immunoreactive (IR) cells, but few precursors were TH-IR. With further development, more NST-IR cells were also TH-IR, and these two markers gradually became coexpressed with subsequent development. These data provide evidence that general neuronal and neurotransmitter differentiation events are separable and independently regulated during cellular diversification in the adrenergic lineage.
Outcomes for patients with cervical cancer treated with extended-field intensity-modulated radiation therapy and concurrent cisplatin.

Objective To evaluate disease outcomes and toxicity in patients with cervical cancer treated with extended-field intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Materials and Methods We included all patients treated with extended-field intensity-modulated radiotherapy and concurrent weekly cisplatin from 2003 to 2010 at 2 institutions. Overall survival and disease-free survival were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. Locoregional failure (LRF), distant failure, and competing mortality were calculated using cumulative incidence functions. Acute and late toxicity were graded using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group late radiation morbidity scoring criteria, respectively. Results The study included 21 patients, 14 and 20 of which had positive para-aortic and pelvic nodes, respectively. The median follow-up was 22 months. Eighteen-month overall survival and disease-free survival were 59.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 41.2%–86.4%) and 42.9% (95% CI, 26.2%–70.2%). Eighteen-month cumulative incidences of LRF, distant failure, and competing mortality were 9.5% (95% CI, 1.5–26.8%), 42.9% (95% CI, 21.3–62.9%), and 4.8% (95% CI, 0.3–20.2%), respectively. Eighteen-month cumulative incidences of late grade 3 or higher-grade genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity were 4.8% (95% CI, 0.2%–20.3%) and 0%, respectively. Conclusions Intensity-modulated extended-field radiotherapy was associated with low rates of late toxicity and LRF. High rates of distant failure indicate that this group of patients could benefit from intensified systemic therapy.
State of the art cerebrospinal fluid leak and encephalocele repair

The advent of endoscopic sinus surgery has revolutionized the treatment of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks. Defects traditionally treated with an open approach have now been successfully repaired using either an endoscopic or combined endoscopic/open approach. This process has resulted in decreased operative morbidity and shorter lengths of stay. Various approaches will be described to treat CSF leaks based on their location within the sinonasal cavity. This article is designed to describe the techniques of endoscopic repair of CSF leaks and determine when an open approach will be needed, either as an adjunctive procedure or as the sole treatment of a CSF leak. When appropriate, schematic illustrations have been included to facilitate reader understanding and orientation.
Is the Pain Worth the Gain? The Advantages and Liabilities of Agreeing With Socially Distinct Newcomers

The impact of diversity on group functioning is multifaceted. Exploring the impact of having a newcomer join a group, the authors conducted a 2 (social similarity of newcomer to oldtimers; in-group or out-group) x 3 (opinion agreement: newcomer has no opinion ally, one opinion ally, or two opinion allies) interacting group experiment with four-person groups. Groups with out-group newcomers (i.e., diverse groups) reported less confidence in their performance and perceived their interactions as less effective, yet they performed better than groups with in-group newcomers (i.e., homogeneous groups). Moreover, performance gains were not due to newcomers bringing new ideas to the group discussion. Instead, the results demonstrate that the mere presence of socially distinct newcomers and the social concerns their presence stimulates among oldtimers motivates behavior that can convert affective pains into cognitive gains.