cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Virtual organizations: two choice problems

This paper reviews some virtual organizations and the costs and benefits of being in a virtual organization. Particular emphasis is given to those costs and benefits deriving from the information technology and processes required to facilitate communication and transaction processing in virtual organizations. Using analytic models, this paper analyzes two problems faced by companies joining virtual organizations and by virtual organizations: • Under what circumstances should a firm join a virtual organization and when should they do extensive information search regarding joining that virtual organization? • Is it possible to chose a set of standards that are optimal for each company and the virtual organization? Arrow’s impossibility theorem is used to find that there is no standard that meets the optimal needs of the virtual organization and each individual company in the virtual organization.
The Japanese Family: An Institutional Logic for Japanese Corporate Networks and Japanese Management

Although the existence of Japanese corporate networks and Japanese management practices has been substantiated in the management literature, explanations for their origins are lacking. The author illustrates that the Japanese family provides an institutional logic for Japanese corporate networks and Japanese management practices. Furthermore, the historical actions of individuals in Japanese corporations are indicative of a strategy to sustain and nurture their social capital—a strategy that might explain the historical persistence of this family logic.
Density matrix reconstruction of atoms with large angular momentum

Summary form only given. Determining the unknown state of a quantum system from measurements of observables, a question first posed by Pauli, is a nontrivial task, which does not always permit a solution. The few examples where this inverse problem was experimentally solved include light fields, molecular vibrations, the motion of trapped ions and free atomic waves. We describe a method to reconstruct the complete density matrix of a generally mixed spin state of trapped neutral atoms. Compared to spin- 1/2 systems, the reconstruction of the spin density matrix for a large angular momentum is a much more challenging task. In our system with cesium atoms in the hyperfine ground state, a reconstruction of the 9/spl times/9 density matrix requires 80 real numbers to be experimentally determined. This can be achieved by measuring the 2F+1=9 populations along 4F+1=17 carefully chosen orientations of a Stern-Gerlach apparatus. A numerical simulation of the reconstruction shows this method to be robust against expected experimental uncertainties. We report on an experiment in progress to implement this measurement protocol in a standard laser cooling and trapping arrangement of neutral cesium atoms.
A New Look at Informed Consent for Cancer Clinical Trials

Informed consent is fundamental to the conduct of clinical trials. Prospective participants need to be adequately informed and given the opportunity to ask questions and consult with relatives or friends without feeling pressured or rushed.
2-Year BMI Changes of Children Referred for Multidisciplinary Weight Management

Objective. To examine body mass index (BMI) changes among pediatric multidisciplinary weight management participants and nonparticipants. Design. In this retrospective database analysis, we used multivariable mixed effect models to compare 2-year BMI z-score trajectories among 583 eligible overweight or obese children referred to the One Step Ahead program at the Boston Children's Primary Care Center between 2003 and 2009. Results. Of the referred children, 338 (58%) attended the program; 245 (42%) did not participate and were instead followed by their primary care providers within the group practice. The mean BMI z-score of program participants decreased modestly over a 2-year period and was lower than that of nonparticipants. The group-level difference in the rate of change in BMI z-score between participants and nonparticipants was statistically significant for 0–6 months (P = 0.001) and 19–24 months (P = 0.008); it was marginally significant for 13–18 months (P = 0.051) after referral. Younger participants (<5 years) had better outcomes across all time periods examined. Conclusion. Children attending a multidisciplinary program experienced greater BMI z-score reductions compared with usual primary care in a real world practice; younger participants had significantly better outcomes. Future research should consider early intervention and cost-effectiveness analyses.
Integrating color, texture, and geometry for image retrieval

This paper examines the problem of image retrieval from large, heterogeneous image databases. We present a technique that fulfils several needs identified by surveying recent research in the field. This technique fairly integrates a diverse and expandable set of image properties (for example, color, texture, and location) in a retrieval framework, and allows end-users substantial control over their use. We propose a novel set of evaluation methods in addition to applying established tests for image retrieval; our technique proves competitive with state-of-the-art methods in these tests and does better on certain tasks. Furthermore, it improves on many standard image retrieval algorithms by supporting queries based on subsections of images. For certain queries this capability significantly increases the relevance of the images retrieved, and further expands the user's control over the retrieval process.
Product Selection, Fixed Costs, and Monopolistic Competition

Deals with a study which investigated the effects of fixed costs and monopolistic competition on the selection of products and product characteristics in a set of interacting markets. Price discrimination; Impact of monopolistic competition on complementary products; Approaches to the problems of substitute products. (Из Ebsco)
Tax Policies to Promote Private Charitable Giving in DAC Countries

Researchers have written hundreds of papers on the causes and consequences of official foreign aid, while paying almost no attention to private overseas giving, by individuals, universities, foundations, and corporations. Yet private giving is significant - some $15.5 billion/year, compared to more than $60 billion/year in public giving - and is in no small part an outcome of public policy. In most rich countries, tax deductions and credits lower the "price" of charity to donors. And governments with low tax revenue/GDP ratios leave more money in private pockets for private charity. To correct the near-complete lack of information on this de facto aid policy, we survey officials of 21 donor nations on the use of tax incentives to promote private charity. From the results, we develop an index of the overall incentive for private charity, expressed as a percentage increase over the hypothetical giving level absent incentives. France's tax code creates the largest price incentive while those of Austria, Finland, and Sweden offer none. Factoring in the income effect of the tax ratio, Australia, Ireland, Germany, and the United States move to the top, with combined price and income effects sufficient to double private giving. As a result, tax policy appears to have nearly doubled private overseas giving from donor countries in 2003, from a counterfactual $8.0 billion. Two-thirds of the $7.5 billion increase occurred in the United States. Of that, nearly 40% appears to be U.S. charity to Israel. According to 21-country scatter plots, countries with lower church attendance and more faith in the national legislature have lower taxes (stronger income effect), but average levels of targeted tax incentives. Income (GDP/capita) does correlate with private overseas aid/capita, but also with public aid/capita, so that the two aid flows are complementary in magnitude.
Megabar Shocks in Beryllium-Copper Driven by a NIF-Like Foot Pulse in a Vacuum Halfraum

Summary form only given. An understanding of the material dynamics and EoS characteristics of copper-doped beryllium (Be-Cu) ablators is critical for several ignition designs for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Beryllium offers several advantages as an ablator: (a) high density, (b) low heat capacity, and (c) low opacity. In addition, dopants can be used to optimize these characteristics, for example, copper increases the density and opacity. In such a design, the Be-Cu ablator is subjected to thermal and soft X-ray radiation, delivering a sequence of shocks which compress a deuterium-tritium capsule. The first shock is expected to be between 0.5 and 8.0 Mbar. Be-Cu is predicted to melt on the Hugoniot between 1 and 2 Mbar and may depend upon the time scale. The anisotropic mechanical and thermal expansion properties of Be-Cu may introduce velocity fluctuations as the microstructure is loaded, and may then seed Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities. The uncertainty in Be-Cu melt and instability-growth dependence upon microstructure impacts the predictive capabilities for capsule performance. We have developed and fielded a series of experiments at the Omega laser facility that closely replicate the NIF-foot hohlraum conditions expected for a Be-Cu ablator. The experiments aim to investigate the seeding of instabilities by microstructure. In these experiments, a holhraum is rapidly brought up to a radiation temperature of 70-90 eV and held there for 2.5-3.2 ns. After ~3.0 ns, the temperature is raised to 120-150 eV in order to drive instabilities. Using 25-70 micron thick Be-0.9%Cu samples mounted on one end of the hohlraum, we performed free-surface velocimetry and pyrometry measurements during the foot of the pulse. We will present the velocity and pyrometry data along with inferred pressure, and discuss potential implications for Be-Cu capsule performance at NIF
Reduction of Norwalk Virus, Poliovirus 1, and Bacteriophage MS2 by Ozone Disinfection of Water

Norwalk virus and other human caliciviruses (noroviruses) are major agents of gastroenteritis, and water is a major route of their transmission. In an effort to control Norwalk virus in drinking water, Norwalk virus reduction by bench-scale ozone disinfection was determined using quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR for virus assays. Two other enteric viruses, poliovirus 1 and coliphage MS2, were included for comparison, and their reductions were assayed by infectivity assays as well as by RT-PCR. Virus reductions by ozone were determined using a dose of 0.37 mg of ozone/liter at pH 7 and 5 degrees C for up to 5 min. Based on two RT-PCR assays, the reductions of Norwalk virus were >3 log(10) within a contact time of 10 s, and these were similar to the reductions of the other two viruses determined by the same assay methods. Also, the virus reductions detected by RT-PCR assays were similar to those detected by infectivity assays, indicating that the RT-PCR assay is a reliable surrogate assay for both culturable and nonculturable viruses disinfected with ozone. Overall, the results of this study indicate that Norwalk virus as well as other enteric viruses can be reduced rapidly and extensively by ozone disinfection and that RT-PCR is a useful surrogate assay for both culturable and nonculturable viruses disinfected with ozone.
Atypical presentation of fungal dacryocystitis. A report of two cases.

Background: Candida albicans has only rarely been implicated in nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Its association with dacryoliths is well known, but it is unclear whether it is an etiologic factor or is present as a result of the obstruction. Findings: The authors report 2 cases of fungal dacryocystitis that were not associated with dacryolith formation and where Candida species appear to be the primary etiologic agent. Conclusion: The possibility of a fungal infection should be considered in the evaluation of "routine" chronic dacryocystitis, particularly in the presence of corneal ulceration or postoperative endophthalmitis, as prompt initiation of appropriate therapy may be crucial.
Trigeminal neuralgia: for one nerve a multitude of treatments.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is reputed to be one of the most painful conditions in human experience. Thus, many treatments, both medical and surgical, have been developed for this relapsing and remitting, paroxysmal stabbing or electrical, facial pain syndrome. The likely etiology in many cases is vascular compression of the trigeminal nerve root entry zone, leading to focal demyelination and aberrant neural discharges. MRI may disclose neurovascular contact, although not with sufficient sensitivity or specificity to substitute for careful clinical diagnosis. In treating TN, antiepileptic drugs are superior to traditional analgesics. Carbamazepine is the first choice drug. Additional drugs for which there is evidence of efficacy include oxcarbazepine, baclofen, gabapentin, lamotrigine and phenytoin. Many patients eventually experience tachyphylaxis or may not tolerate effective doses. Surgical options include: microvascular decompression; balloon compression; radiofrequency thermocoagulation or glycerol rhi...
DEVELOPMENT OF FLUORINE-18 RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS FOR DOPAMINE NEURORECEPTORS

Fluorine-18 offers good radionuclide characteristics for incorporation into positron radiopharmaceuticals. Development of fluorine-18 radiopharmaceuticals for neuroreceptor imaging by positron emission tomography (PET) is a challenge that most of us in the PET community have encountered. The magnitude of the problem is due to the multidisciplinary nature of issues that a radiochemist faces, such as drug design, organic syntheses, in vitro pharmacology, radiolabeling methods, in vivo pharmacology, in vivo stability and radiotracer modeling methods in order to achieve the successful application of a radiopharmaceutical in meaningful human studies. The radiochemist is therefore forced to anticipate and take into account in the design process the potential hurdles that might be encountered upon arrival at each step. Fluorine is becoming a more common element that is incorporated into biologically interesting molecules within the pharmaceutical industry. When such fluorinated lead compounds from the pharmaceutical industry are available, development of a fluorine-18 radiopharmaceutical is somewhat simplified, and then largely depends upon radiolabeling methods, in vivo pharmacology, in vivo stability and radiotracer modeling methods. However, there remain a large number of potentially useful pharmaceuticals which are of interest to PET researchers that do not possess a fluorine atom. Therefore as a question of investment versus outcome should researchers, particularly radiochemists in the PET community, embark on new drug development rather than use only what is available from the pharmaceutical industry.
Antineutrophil monoclonal antibody (1F12) alters superoxide anion release by neutrophils and Kupffer cells

The formation of oxygen-derived radicals by phagocytes is regulated by chemotactic agents, cytokines, and adhesion molecules, such as CD11b/CD18 (Mac-i). In the rat system, we investigated the effect of monoclonal antibody 1F12 against rat neutrophils on hepatic seques- tration of neutrophils and superoxide release by hepatic phagocytes. Within 15 mm after 1F12 injection, there was profound neutropenia, which persisted for 24 h. The majority of the "lost" neutrophils were sequestered in the liver 4 h after treatment. Zymosan-induced superoxide release in vitro by isolated hepatic neutrophils from lFi2-treated rats was significantly attenuated at 4 and 24 h. The phorbol myristate acetate mediated superoxide release was inhibited 24 h after treatment. Superoxide anion release by normal adherent neutrophils in the presence of agonists was also inhibited by 1F12 in vitro. The in vivo administration of 1F12 primed the Kupifer cells to release superoxide. In vitro treatment of Kupifer cells with iFi2 also stimulated superoxide release. Monoclonal antibody WT.3 (also directed against rat neutrophils), which does not cause neutropenia, did not alter superoxide generation by neutrophils and Kupifer cells. These results indicate that 1F12 may be useful in at- tenuating inflammation and tissue injury associated with neutrophil activation. However, the activation of Kupifer cells to release toxic oxygen-derived metabolites may predispose the liver to injury in certain pathological con- ditions. J. Leukoc. Biol. 55: 328-335; 1994.
Product Market Interactions and the Propensity to Restructure in Bankruptcy

In this paper we model the spillovers from the restructuring of a financially distressed firm on other firms and the feedback effects from the restructuring. Our results indicate that the spillover and feedback effects are complex and are determined by several factors including the level of information asymmetry regarding the restructuring firm, its direct bankruptcy cost, bankruptcy's effect on its competitiveness, and the nature of its economic linkages with the other firms. For example, when the information asymmetry about a firm's prospects is sufficiently high, its bankruptcy can lower both its competitor's stock price and the probability that the competitor will restructure in bankruptcy, while raising the price of its competitor's debt. A sufficiently large decline in the level of information asymmetry can cause these price and bankruptcy probability effects to reverse. Switching from competitive to a customer-supplier relationship also reverses the price and bankruptcy probability spillover effects.
Genomic Analysis of ATP Efflux in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) plays an important role as a primary molecule for the transfer of chemical energy to drive biological processes. ATP also functions as an extracellular signaling molecule in a diverse array of eukaryotic taxa in a conserved process known as purinergic signaling. Given the important roles of extracellular ATP in cell signaling, we sought to comprehensively elucidate the pathways and mechanisms governing ATP efflux from eukaryotic cells. Here, we present results of a genomic analysis of ATP efflux from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by measuring extracellular ATP levels in cultures of 4609 deletion mutants. This screen revealed key cellular processes that regulate extracellular ATP levels, including mitochondrial translation and vesicle sorting in the late endosome, indicating that ATP production and transport through vesicles are required for efflux. We also observed evidence for altered ATP efflux in strains deleted for genes involved in amino acid signaling, and mitochondrial retrograde signaling. Based on these results, we propose a model in which the retrograde signaling pathway potentiates amino acid signaling to promote mitochondrial respiration. This study advances our understanding of the mechanism of ATP secretion in eukaryotes and implicates TOR complex 1 (TORC1) and nutrient signaling pathways in the regulation of ATP efflux. These results will facilitate analysis of ATP efflux mechanisms in higher eukaryotes.
Farmer-Debtor Relief Legislation in the United States and in Switzerland—A Lesson in Agricultural Policy?

HE United States Congress is considering again permanent legislation to replace the temporary Frazier-Lemke Act, which expired in 1949. Passage of legislation dealing with farmer bankruptcies during a period of general and agricultural prosperity is hailed by many as a wise procedure.1 When a depression or a natural catastrophe, such as a prolonged drought, forces farmers off their farms, there is usually no time for clear thinking and preparation of well-balanced measures to minimize the distress.
The Effect of Discrimination and Identity on Latino Attitudes Towards Descriptive Representation

Central to the study of minority representation is the role of the race or ethnicity of the representative. Descriptive representation holds minority members are best represented by people from their own group. This paper seeks to investigate factors that influence Latino attitudes towards descriptive representation. The effect of perceptions of discrimination has been well documented on political participation rates, however, it unclear how it may affect views of representation. Utilizing data from the Latino National Survey (2006), I analyze the effect of discrimination on Latinos' view of descriptive representation and the ways in which identity acts as an intervening variable. Specifically, do Latinos with higher perceptions of discrimination believe it is important for their representatives to be Latino? Furthermore, how does the strength of Latino identity interact with perceptions of discrimination to influence respondents' support for descriptive representation?
The Particle Problem in the General Theory of Relativity

The writers investigate the possibility of an atomistic theory of matter and electricity which, while excluding singularities of the field, makes use of no other variables than the ${g}_{\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\nu}}$ of the general relativity theory and the ${\ensuremath{\phi}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$ of the Maxwell theory. By the consideration of a simple example they are led to modify slightly the gravitational equations which then admit regular solutions for the static spherically symmetric case. These solutions involve the mathematical representation of physical space by a space of two identical sheets, a particle being represented by a "bridge" connecting these sheets. One is able to understand why no neutral particles of negative mass are to be found. The combined system of gravitational and electromagnetic equations are treated similarly and lead to a similar interpretation. The most natural elementary charged particle is found to be one of zero mass. The many-particle system is expected to be represented by a regular solution of the field equations corresponding to a space of two identical sheets joined by many bridges. In this case, because of the absence of singularities, the field equations determine both the field and the motion of the particles. The many-particle problem, which would decide the value of the theory, has not yet been treated.
Burning Fossil Fuels: Impact of Climate Change on Health

A recent, sophisticated granular analysis of climate change in the United States related to burning fossil fuels indicates a high likelihood of dramatic increases in temperature, wet-bulb temperature, and precipitation, which will dramatically impact the health and well-being of many Americans, particularly the young, the elderly, and the poor and marginalized. Other areas of the world, where they lack the resources to remediate these weather impacts, will be even more greatly affected. Too little attention is being paid to the impending health impact of accumulating greenhouse gases.
Techniques for postcolumn derivatization in gas chromatography : mass spectrometry II

In the first part of this series, methods and reactions for further characterizing GC peaks by adding various reagents between gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric analyses were described. Here four additional reactions that provide much useful information are reported, including the reaction of diols with phenylboronic acid, the reaction of amines with nitric oxides, and the reaction of quinones and aldehydes with hydrazine.
Job sharing: two who made it work.

At that time, I suggested the possibility of job sharing to my colleagues at a staff meeting at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. I had difficulty convincing the group that job sharing could work, especially in an intensive-care unit. I had no data to support my view, nor did literature exist on the subject. To make matters worse, the staff consisted mainly of young, single women who needed full-time jobs and couldn't even relate to my dilemma. Before I realized it, my idea had been dismissed and the staff was addressing the next item on the agenda. Feeling defeated, I cut back to parttime hours to better accommodate the demands of career and home. But since
Indomethacin does not influence natural cell-mediated cytotoxic response to endurance exercise.

Natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity (NCMC) has been shown to be attenuated during recovery from high-intensity or prolonged exercise. Two theories have been proposed to explain the transient suppres...
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN STANDING BROAD JUMP AND VARIOUS MATURATIONAL, ANTHROPOMETRIC, AND STRENGTH TESTS OF 12-YEAR-OLD BOYS.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the standing broad jump as a test of leg power and the maturational, anthropometric, and strength characteristics of 12-year-old boys. The subjects were tested within two months of their birthdays. This had the effect of largely partially out chronological age in the correlations. Seven of the 16 correlations with the jump, all experimental variables being strength tests, were significant at the .05 level. The highest multiple correlation obtained was .694; the independent variables were elbow flexion strength, body weight, hip extension strength, ankle plantar flexion strength, and leg length. As a consequence, it may be concluded that leg power as evaluated in this study is dependent in part upon the body size and muscular strength; however, this trait is also distinctive inasmuch as the coefficient of multiple determination was .482.
Grape Polyphenols in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

The consumption of grapes has been considered part of a prudent diet and a healthy lifestyle for many years. It contributes toward compliance with the recommendation of consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Compliance with this recommendation has been associated with cardioprotective effects and low levels of cardiovascular disease mortality and morbidity. The association of grape intake with low cardiovascular disease risk is supported by various epidemiologic, clinical, and experimental studies. In particular, grapes contain numerous compounds with bioactivities relevant to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Grapes contain simple phenols, simple phenolic acids, cinnamic acids, stilbenes, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, flavonoids, flavans, anthocyanins, resveratrol, and carotenoids. Many of the compounds have multiple bioactivities. For instance, resveratrol has numerous bioactivities and is a potent cardioprotective agent. The bioactivities of resveratrol and other grape components include antioxidative, lipid-lowering, and anti-inflammatory effects. Clinically, grapes and grape products have anti-atherosclerotic, anti-arrhythmic, vasorelaxation activities, and possibly anti-hyperglycemic effects. In addition, grapes and its products have been associated with low platelet activity and low thrombosis, promoting normal endothelial function, blocking cellular adhesion molecule activity, and preventing the oxidation of LDL particles. We describe the association of grapes, its products, and compounds with specified bioactivities, pinpointing their sites of action. In addition, it is recognized that the bioactivity of several flavonoids in grapes may depend upon the context of their consumption, food versus supplement, and overall dietary composition. Diets high in fruits and vegetables are also generally low in saturated fat, low in calories, and high in omega-3 fatty acids: characteristics associated with low body weight and blood pressure. Many of these effects will require additional detailed studies for their recognition. Thus, understanding the effects of grape intake and the interactions of its components and overall dietary composition will require extensive additional research.
Diagnosis of Midwestern Endemic Mycoses

Histoplasmosis and blastomycosis are the two most common midwestern endemic mycoses. A history of exposure to the geographic areas in which these organisms occur is central to raising suspicion for an endemic fungal infection. For infection with these organisms, the diagnosis is definitively established by recovery of the organism in tissue or body fluids, which may take weeks. A rapid diagnosis can be made by finding the distinctive yeasts in tissues or body fluids. Antigen testing allows a presumptive diagnosis of these endemic fungal infections while awaiting culture results, but cross-reactivity between assays for Histoplasma and Blastomyces is routinely seen. Antibody tests provide supportive evidence for infection with either of these endemic mycoses but are less useful in immunosuppressed patients.
Pathways of the Chemical Reaction of Carbon Dioxide with Ionic Liquids and Amines in Ionic Liquid Solution

This paper focuses specifically on certain ionic liquids that are capable of acting as chemisorbents for CO2 at ambient pressure and temperature. This low-pressure approach based on chemical reactivity is more effective than traditional physical absorption/solubility approaches for CO2 capture in ionic liquids for higher pressure carbon capture. We describe a class of imidazolium ionic liquids bearing a relatively acidic hydrogen atom at C-2, which upon initial abstraction develops a nucleophilic carbon atom that is carboxylated by CO2. Basicity of the anion plays a role in the ability to remove the acidic hydrogen to generate the nucleophilic carbon. The yield of carboxylated ionic liquid is not affected by non-aqueous co-solvents but changes as a function of the CO2 partial pressure, solution temperature, and presence of H2O in solution. CO2 chemisorption by ionic liquids is particularly efficient in the presence of a non-nucleophilic nitrogenous base that serves to promote ionic liquid carboxylation an...
Detection of clinically important colorectal surgical site infection using Bayesian network

Abstract Background Despite extensive efforts to monitor and prevent surgical site infections (SSIs), real-time surveillance of clinical practice has been sparse and expensive or nonexistent. However, natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (i.e., Bayesian network analysis) may provide the methodology necessary to approach this issue in a new way. We investigated the ability to identify SSIs after colorectal surgery (CRS) through an automated detection system using a Bayesian network. Materials and methods Patients who underwent CRS from 2010 to 2012 and were captured in our institutional American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) comprised our cohort. A Bayesian network was applied to detect SSIs using risk factors from ACS-NSQIP data and keywords extracted from clinical notes by NLP. Two surgeons provided expertise informing the Bayesian network to identify clinically meaningful SSIs (CM-SSIs) occurring within 30 d after surgery. Results We used data from 751 CRS cases experiencing 67 (8.9%) SSIs and 78 (10.4%) CM-SSIs. Our Bayesian network detected ACS-NSQIP-captured SSIs with a receiver operating characteristic area under the curve of 0.827, but this value increased to 0.892 when using surgeon-identified CM-SSIs. Conclusions A Bayesian network coupled with NLP has the potential to be used in real-time SSI surveillance. Moreover, surgeons identified CM-SSI not captured under current NSQIP definitions. Future efforts to expand CM-SSI identification may lead to improved and potentially automated approaches to survey for postoperative SSI in clinical practice.
Culture Change and Digital Technology: The NYPD under Commissioner William Bratton, 2014-2016.

New Yorkers are now safer in the city than they have been in years. Yet tensions between police officers and the communities in which they work have continued to mount in New York, as in other cities across the country. Just this past summer, racial violence erupted in Milwaukee and Baton Rouge in response to the fatal shooting of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling. Milwaukee joined other cities like Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo., in which police killings have been seen as brutal evidence of the disrespect that many African Americans say the police show them. The challenge facing the NYPD today is to maintain safe streets while ushering in a new era of mutual respect between officers and local communities. At this early stage of digital technology adoption, the NYPD’s attempt under Commr. William Bratton (2014-2016) to change the culture of policing by enriching communications between police and neighborhoods holds lessons for public agencies across the U.S. during a period of intense volatility. This white paper explores NYPD’s adoption of Twitter and an ideation platform called IdeaScale that was aimed at allowing community members to nominate “quality of life” issues for resolution by the police. It examines the department's pivot to Facebook as an interactive communications platform following its experience with IdeaScale. It connects these initiatives to the NYPD’s overall push for Neighborhood Coordination Officers throughout the city. Finally, it pulls together information about NYPD’s revisions to its training and recruitment programs and the department’s ongoing efforts to upgrade its basic digital assets, from precinct Internet access to smartphones. These programs, all made possible by Commr. Bratton’s strong leadership, were designed to create a virtuous cycle: The NYPD’s social media, neighborhood policing, and new recruiting and training programs aimed to increase mutual respect by helping officers understand and enhance their responsibility to serve and protect New York City communities — and help community members see police officers as human beings. Stronger community relations may, in turn, support crime prevention. Shifting from a confrontational to a collaborative approach may encourage community members to come forward when they learn about crime. And all of these steps are designed to lead policing away from an exclusive focus on crime reduction and towards a balanced strategy of crime prevention and community outreach — an effort, in Commr. Bratton’s words, to move from a “warrior” to a “guardian” policing mindset.
Boy Cries Wolf: Warnings About a Strategic Adversary

We analyze cheap talk warnings about a strategic adversary, with applications to cybersecurity and national security. Each period an expert receives a noisy private signal about whether an attack by the adversary is feasible. The expert wants to warn a decision maker while also maintaining credibility for future warnings, but unlike in a standard cheap talk game, the adversary can undermine the expert's credibility by delaying attack. While such delays increase "warning fatigue," they also make the expert less tempted to exaggerate so as to avoid too many false alarms. We show that the net effect of a strategic adversary can be better incentive alignment between the expert and decision maker that benefits them both. Moreover, we show that sometimes the expert and decision maker benefit from the expert's ability to exaggerate, as this can induce more defensive action and more strategic delay.
White Paper on Nuclear Data Needs and Capabilities for Basic Science

The Workshop on Nuclear Data Needs and Capabilities for Basic Science was held at the University of Notre Dame on 10-11 August 2016. The purpose of this targeted workshop was to assemble and prioritize the needs of the nuclear physics research community for data sets, services and capabilities in areas including nuclear structure, nuclear reactions, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions, neutrino physics and nuclear theory. An overview of nuclear data needs and capabilities identified at this meeting are summarized in the present document.
Could Pervasive Computing Influence Democracy

Many believe that social media helped create a bubble during the last presidential election in the US, in which people only saw opinions similar to their own. Could technology help pop that bubble for the next election and beyond? Could it be used to improve dialogues across different social circles to facilitate the exchange of different views? Here, Maria Ebling asks these and other questions related to how pervasive computing technologies might influence our democracy.
Reverse Transcription Past Products of Guanine Oxidation in RNA Leads to Insertion of A and C opposite 8-Oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine and A and G opposite 5-Guanidinohydantoin and Spiroiminodihydantoin Diastereomers

Reactive oxygen species, both endogenous and exogenous, can damage nucleobases of RNA and DNA. Among the nucleobases, guanine has the lowest redox potential, making it a major target of oxidation. Although RNA is more prone to oxidation than DNA is, oxidation of guanine in RNA has been studied to a significantly lesser extent. One of the reasons for this is that many tools that were previously developed to study oxidation of DNA cannot be used on RNA. In the study presented here, the lack of a method for seeking sites of modification in RNA where oxidation occurs is addressed. For this purpose, reverse transcription of RNA containing major products of guanine oxidation was used. Extension of a DNA primer annealed to an RNA template containing 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (OG), 5-guanidinohydantoin (Gh), or the R and S diastereomers of spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) was studied under standing start conditions. SuperScript III reverse transcriptase is capable of bypassing these lesions in RNA inserting predominantl...
Probabilistic Threat Detection for Risk Management in Cyber-physical Medical Systems

Medical devices are complex cyber-physical systems incorporating emergent hardware and software components. However, this complexity leads to a wide attack surface posing security risks and vulnerabilities. Mitigation and management of such risks during premarket design and postmarket deployment are required. Dynamically mitigating threat potential in the presence of unknown vulnerabilities requires an adaptive risk-based scheme to assess the system’s state, a secure system architecture that can isolate hardware and software components, and design methods that can adaptively adjust the system’s topology based on risk changes. The essential complementary aspects during deployment are detecting, characterizing, and quantifying security threats. This article presents a dynamic risk management and mitigation approach based on probabilistic threat estimation. A smart-connected-pacemaker case study illustrates the approach. This article is part of a special issue on Software Safety and Security Risk Mitigation in Cyber-physical Systems.
TYPE II BRUGADA SYNDROME SYNCOPAL SEIZURE: A DIAGNOSTIC DILEMMA

Type II Brugada syndrome is a rare entity that can present as syncope, sudden cardiac death, palpitations and nocturnal agonal respiration as a manifestation of ventricular tachyarrythmia. Although patients can experience a syncopal seizure, the dilemma between epileptic seizure and syncopal seizure
Safety and efficacy of black iris diaphragm intraocular lens implantation in eyes with large iris defects: Report 4

Purpose To assess the safety and efficacy of Morcher 67B black iris diaphragm intraocular lens (IOL) implantation for managing large iris defects and aphakia. Setting Stein Eye Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA. Design Prospective case series. Methods The demographic, preoperative, and postoperative data on patients implanted with a black iris diaphragm IOL and followed to 1 year were reviewed. Safety measures included loss of corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), perioperative complications, adverse events, and secondary surgical interventions. Efficacy measures included CDVA with glare, daytime and nighttime glare symptom scores, and subjective cosmesis scores. Results Thirty-one eyes of 31 patients were implanted. There was a 7-line improvement in median Snellen CDVA (P Conclusion Black iris diaphragm IOL implantation in aphakic eyes with large iris defects and significant ocular comorbidity was found to be relatively safe and very effective at improving CDVA and reducing light and glare sensitivity.
Carnitine acylcarnitine translocase in ischemia

The role of fatty acid oxidation as a major source of energy to the contractile, working heart is well-established. However, the mechanism(s) by which the rates of long-chain fatty acid oxidation are controlled in the heart is (are) not as well understood as in the liver where the lipogenic substrate, malonyl-CoA, acts as a switch to partition fatty acids between synthesis and degradation [1]. Early studies in the working heart concluded that, at low levels of pressure development, rates of β-oxidation are limited by the disposal of acetyl-CoA through the citric acid cycle [2]. Recent evidence from the perfused, working rat heart [3] suggests that, similar to liver, the level of fatty acid oxidation directly reflects changes in activity of the tissue-specific acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity present in the cardiac myocyte. These results support the view that in the heart, the primary role for malonyl-CoA is the regulation of fatty acid flux through β-oxidation by inhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT-I) on the outer mitochondrial membrane [4]. This situation may vary, however, depending upon the work load to the heart. When levels of cardiac work are increased, increases in fatty acylcarnitine and decreases in fatty acyl-CoA are observed concomittent with an acceleration of β-oxidation [2]. Since the long-chain acylcarnitine produced by CPT-I must be transported across the mitochondrial membrane to CPT-II in exchange for one molecule of carnitine from the matrix, these authors suggested that the increase in acylcarnitine accumulation observed at high work loads reflects a limitation in the carnitine-dependent pathway at the carnitine acylcarnitine translocase (CAT). The speculation that CAT may exert rate-limitation on fatty acylcarnitine oxidation under certain conditions has drawn support from observations that diabetic ketosis [5], and substrate-dependent activation [6] can up-regulate the rate of acylcarnitine translocation in liver and heart mitochondria, respectively. In the majority of these studies, it is likely that the expression of CAT activity is greatly influenced by variations in the matrix content of carnitine, the latter present at concentrations which are subsaturating under normal transport conditions [5, 7]. A decrement in matrix carnitine with aging [8,9] has been proposed to account for the decreased rates of CAT activity and palmitoylcarnitine oxidation in heart mitochondria from 24–30 month-old rats (Table 1). A related inability of palmitate to depress glucose extraction in the perfused working old rat heart suggests a direct physiological consequence of diminished acylcarnitine exchange on cardiac energy metabolism in aging [9]. The physiological importance of CAT has been further emphasized in clinical cases of genetic deficiencies reported in the translocase (see below). The functional ramifications of decreased or limiting CAT activity will be discussed below in relation to cardiac-specific effects.
How SES May Figure in Perceptions of Zika Risks and in Preventive Action

The present study intended to determine how the socioeconomic status (SES) of citizens and public health communications help explain citizens’ risk perception and actions taken during Zika virus ou...
The Skin as a Window into Primary Immune Deficiency Diseases: Atopic Dermatitis and Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis

Primary immune deficiency diseases characteristically present with recurrent, severe, or unusual infections. These infections may often involve the skin, with mucocutaneous candidal infections seen in a variety of different primary immune deficiencies. Primary immune deficiencies may also present with noninfectious cutaneous complications, of which eczema is the most common. In a patient with suspected primary immune deficiency, the presence of eczema or candidal skin infections offers critical information about the underlying immune defect, either the presence of atopy or defect in the TH17 pathway, respectively. These skin manifestations also are often early or heralding findings of the underlying immunologic disease. Therefore, awareness of associations between these skin findings and specific immune deficiencies may aide in the early detection and treatment of serious or life-threatening immunologic defects. This review specifically will focus on the primary immune deficiencies commonly associated with eczema or mucocutaneous candidiasis.
Brick: A Synchronous Multiplayer Augmented Reality Game for Mobile Phones

Multiplayer augmented reality (AR) games allow players to inhabit a shared physical environment populated with interactive digital objects. However, currently available games fall short because of either limited synchronicity or limited opportunities for player movement. Here, we present Brick, a synchronous multiplayer AR game at the room scale. Brick's players collaborate to fill in a pattern of empty slots using digital "bricks" scattered about the room. This paper provides an overview of Brick from a design and technical perspective. It also discusses how Brick extends the current scope of AR games to include collaborative gameplay.
How We Learn About Teacher Learning

This chapter examines research on professional development, or PD, focusing specifically on underlying assumptions about the nature of teaching and the nature of teacher learning. It examines PD pr...
The Evaluation of a Serious Game to Improve Cross-Cultural Competence

Despite the growth in the use of serious games to train and evaluate cross-cultural competence, few studies have examined the content & dialogue development methods associated with these training systems. This study presents a framework for generating content for serious games targeting culturally appropriate communication and an evaluation of a game designed with the framework showing improved performance. This framework provides a means for game developers to leverage existing Cultural Dimension Theory to target training objectives tailored to specific participant types. A study experiment with 25 participants compares the effects a training system using this framework has on participants’ in-game score versus no training. Results show significant differences in game score when controlling for Cultural Intelligence. Additionally, the results show significant differences in variance between the trained group and the control group. These findings contribute to the current understanding of content development methods with respect to Cultural Training Serious Games. These findings warrant further investigation to understand the significance to other cultural training applications.
Binarized Gerchberg Saxton Algorithm for Hologram Generation Using a Digital Micromirror Device

In this paper, a modified Gerchberg Saxton algorithm for generating improved robust binary hologram is presented.
Protein composition of cornified cell envelopes of epidermal keratinocytes

Terminally differentiated mammalian epidermal cells are lined with a 15 nm thick layer of proteins cross-linked by isodipeptide and disulfide bonds, called the cornified cell envelope (CE). A number of proteins, including involucrin, loricrin, cystatin A, filaggrin, a cysteine-rich protein (CRP) and the ‘small proline-rich’ proteins (SPRRs) have been reported to be components of this complex, but little information has been obtained as to their relative abundances because the acute insolubility of the CEs has precluded direct methods of analysis. To address this question, we have determined the amino acid compositions of isolated CEs, and then modelled them in terms of linear combinations of the candidate proteins. The results show that stratum corneum CEs have a loricrin content of 65–70% (w/w) in human, and 80–85% in mouse. In human epidermal CEs, the secondary contributors are filaggrin and CRP (each approximately 10%), with smaller amounts of involucrin, SPRR and cystatin A (2-5% each) also present. Mouse epidermal CEs have about the same amount of filaggrin and somewhat more SPRR, but only trace amounts of the other proteins. In marked contrast, the major constituents of the CEs of cultured keratinocytes induced to terminal differentiation in vitro are cystatin A, involucrin and CRP (each approximately 30%). No significant amount of loricrin was detected except in sloughed mouse cells, which represent a more advanced state of terminal differentiation than attached cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)