cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Officer of the Neighborhood: A Boston Patrolman on the Beat in 1895

For historians of the American police, the nineteenth-century patrolman has been an elusive figure. Scholars have shown how uniformed, formally organized police forces emerged during the antebellum period in such cities as Boston, New York, and Philadelphia and during the latter second half of the nineteenth century spread across the United States. Historians realize that somehow as he walked his beat alone, the police patrolman was supposed to help forestall crime, recover stolen property, prevent disorder, and provide other services.1 Yet for the most part, they have been unable to describe a crucial aspect of the policing system, the patrolman's everyday relations with the public.2 Knowledge of the patrolman's activities would shed light on important historical issues concerning the role which the uniformed constabulary played in nineteenth-century urban society. Most historians agree that the history of the police reflects the emergence of bureaucratic, centralized modes of state authority which expanded at the expense of individual freedom of behavior. To some historians, this process means that the police acted simply as agents of the upper class in the ongoing struggle to repress the working class.3 Other historians reject this economic class interpretation, but agree that on behalf of the "respectable classes" the police exercised new forms of social control over the "dangerous classes," groups such as criminals, disorderly single men, and vagrants.4 In a recent study, Allen Steinberg examined the transformation of state powers by investigating Philadelphia's criminal justice system in the nineteenth century. He demonstrated that for much of the nineteenth century, the criminal justice system, characterized by private prosecutions and the sitting of local aldermen as magistrates, was localistic, informal, and highly democratic. In the late nineteenth century, reformers replaced the private prosecutors and alderman magistrates with police and elected trial justices. This change, Steinberg concluded, created a centralized and impersonal judicial process which deprived working-class citizens of the immediate access to the legal system which they previously had enjoyed.5 In the context of an expanding state authority, a historical issue closely related to the function of the police is who controlled them. Although their descriptions of the exact means used to control the police tend to be imprecise, most historians assume that centralized downtown command posts in the city government and police department bureaucracies directed the police. Other historians have pointed toward politicians who manipulated the constabulary to benefit themselves and their supporters.6 The limited perspective of the most common sources of information about the patrolman's work has hindered the efforts of historians to resolve these issues. Job descriptions, for example, encoded in police regulation books tend to be vague, especially in regard to actual behavior on the street. Police departments' annual
Dendrite Tip-Shape Characteristics

The assumption that dendrite tips are parabolic bodies of revolution pervades many of the theories and experiments addressing dendritic growth. This assumption, while reasonable, is known to become less valid as regions of interest further from the tip of the dendrite are considered. Experimental measurements were made on pure succinonitrile dendrites at several super coolings. The equation that describes the dendrite tip profile is extended from a second order polynomial (paraboloidal) form to one that includes higher-order terms. The deviation of a dendrite tip from a parabolic body of revolution can be characterized by a parameter obtained from the coefficient of the fourth-order term describing the profile. This dimensionless parameter, Q, is found to be a function of the profile orientation only, independent of supercooling.
Ongoing Software Maintenance: What it Should Mean to System-Level Documentation Artifacts and Why We Should Care

Capabilities demanded from large scale software intensive systems show trends of continually increasing levels of change and complexity. Multiple organizations may be charged with acquiring such complex systems via multiple contracts with independent programmatic boundaries for system development. The overall “system” is more likely to consist of an integration or federation of separately acquired software intensive systems. This not only complicates the specification, acquisition and development of such entities, but also creates increasingly complex issues for ongoing software maintenance. Historically, the development costs of software systems have been observed to be only about 20%-40% of their entire lifecycle amounts. Thus, the majority of the lifecycle costs for software are seen to be consumed by maintenance activities performed throughout the operational lifecycle phase. In part, this trend is due to increasing demand for enhanced software capabilities that goes beyond basic defect repairs and then implementing these enhancements over everlengthening operational periods (in many cases to 10 years or more). There is no reason to believe that these trends will significantly change in a manner which eases the challenges faced by software maintenance organizations. We can therefore anticipate that capabilityenhancing software updates may be made available multiple times per year throughout a software intensive system’s operational period. This paper explores a sampling of thoughts circulating through the software community regarding the kinds of software architecture and design information needed by software maintainers to reduce risks of unanticipated, negative consequences due to software changes and enhancements made during lengthening operational lifecycles. Considering these industry trends, acquisition organizations may want to establish a program-wide view for scope and consistency of software maintainability artifacts, particularly when multiple development contracts or organizations are involved.
An assessment method of viewing angle characteristics of liquid crystal display

液晶ディスプレイの観視角依存特性の評価方法を検討するために主観評価を行うとともに, 光学特性を測定した.今回は評価画像として文字情報だけではなく, アイコンやメニューバー, ボタン等を含むグラフィックス画面と自然画を用いた.主観評価基準としては, 5段階劣化尺度を用い, 正面画像を基準とした時の画質の差の検知限, 許容限, がまん限の評価を行った.また光学測定としてコントラスト比, 階調特性, 色再現範囲に注目して測定を行い, 主観評価結果との対応を検討した.
A Loss of Innocence and a Gain in Vulnerability: Subsequent Pregnancy after a Loss

Each year in the United States, there are 650,000 miscarriages, 30,000 stillbirths, and 30,000 newborn deaths. Many of the families who suffer these losses will become pregnant again; however, the crisis of loss and grief responses leave the family feeling more vulnerable to the unexpected during the next pregnancy. For most families, the next pregnancy is fraught with anxiety and fear. Health care professionals need to be aware of these families’ responses to loss, concerns, and needs for support during the next pregnancy. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide an understanding of the impact of early pregnancy loss, perinatal loss, and subsequent pregnancy loss, based on research findings. Interventions, based on the research findings, that health care professionals might use in offering anticipatory guidance, information, and support during this time are also offered.
Meeting Report: Microscopy & Microanalysis 2011

Like that nourishing Music City confection, this year's Microscopy & Microanalysis Meeting, held August 7–11 in Nashville, was a GooGoo Cluster of top-notch science and networking. MM the total number of attendees was 2,629. The perennially successful exhibitors' floor was again noteworthy with 113 companies providing the opportunity to wander 362 booths (9% more than the previous year) occupying 36,200 square feet with state-of-the-art instrumentation and publications.
Gendered Social-Networking Organizations: A View of the Sexed Mentorship Relationships

Research has consistently documented that women are disproportionately represented in upper management and in positions of power and still continue to dominate traditionally female occupations. Hence, recognizing that effective efforts needs to be made to assist women in their career development, many organizations have adopted mentoring programs to address gender differences in advancement without having a grounded plan. Organizations often do so out of competing for and achieving organizational longevity, organizational competitive advantage, or for legal accommodations for marketing purposes. Organizations often implement mentoring programs with the goal of having mentors provide mentees with psychosocial support, career development support, sponsorship and coaching, setting up challenging assignments, fostering positive visibility, and protecting the mentee from adverse forces. Hence, the purpose of this article will be on mentorship brief historical coverage and definition, stereotypes of gendered advancement based on gender, and cross-gender mentorship in the U.S.
Fifty Years since the Coleman Report: Rethinking the Relationship between Schools and Inequality

In the half century since the 1966 Coleman Report, scholars have yet to develop a consensus regarding the relationship between schools and inequality. The Coleman Report suggested that schools play...
Diaphragm electromyographic activity following unilateral midcervical contusion injury in rats.

The present study shows that unilateral contusion injury at C4 results in substantial loss of phrenic motoneurons but increased diaphragm muscle activity across a range of ventilatory and higher fo...
The rationalization of mine and preparation-plant output to enhance the exploitation of coal reserves in South Africa

This paper descriptionbes some of the markets for South African coal and their particular coal requirements. It descriptionbes how reserves are being used and suggests new strategies to make possible a synergistic approach that would benefit coal producers and end-users.
Fundamentals of Heat Transfer

(1965). Fundamentals of Heat Transfer. Nuclear Science and Engineering: Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 586-587.
Imaging the Paranasal Sinuses and Nasal Cavity

This chapter reviews the diagnostic imaging findings related to the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity after surgery, including nasal fracture reconstruction, septoplasty, nasal septal button prosthesis, inferior turbinate outfracture and reduction, nasal packing, rhinectomy, sinus lift, Caldwell-Luc procedure, external ethmoidectomy, functional endoscopic sinus surgery and complications, osteoplastic flap with frontal sinus obliteration, frontal sinus cranialization, frontal sinus trephination, decompression, enucleation, and ostectomy, and maxillary swing.
Development of Prescription Drug Information Leaflets: Impact of Cognitive Effort and Patient Involvement on Prescription Medication Information Processing.

Objective:The objective of this study was to develop a one-page (1-page) prescription drug information leaflet (PILs) and assess their impact on the information processing variables, across 2 level...
Abstract P613: Absolute Gene Quantification Of Intrarenal Renin-angiotensin System Components Using Droplet Digital PCR Analysis

The intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been shown to play crucial roles in the development of hypertension and RAS associated kidney injury including diabetic nephropathy. Although some ...
Potential Games and the Tragedy of the Commons

The term tragedy of the commons is widely used to describe the overexploitation of open access common pool resources. Open access allows potential resource users to continue to enter the resource up to the point where rents are exhausted. The resulting level of resource use is higher than the socially optimal level. In extreme cases, unlimited entry can lead to the collapse of the resource and the communities that depend on it. In this paper we use potential games to analyze the relation between costs of entry, costs of production, and the equilibrium number of resource users in open access regimes. We find that costs of access and costs of production determine the equilibrium number of resource users. We also find a natural link between Cournot competition and the tragedy of the commons. We discuss the relation between common pool resource management regimes and cost structure and show that cost structures are sufficient to determine the number of resource users accessing the resource.
Machine learning methods for fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) based automated detection of early stage oral cancer and dysplasia (Conference Presentation)

Despite of the ease accessibility of the oral cavity, only ~30% of oral cancer patients are diagnosed at early stages. Some of the factors that contribute to this low rate of early detection are: asymptomatic oral cancer lesions, similarity to benign lesions, and sampling error during biopsy procedures. Progression of oral cancer is accompanied by alterations in the intrinsic fluorescence properties of the oral tissue, making fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) suitable for the diagnosis of oral cancer. In this study, in vivo human oral lesions from 70 patients were imaged using a multispectral FLIM endoscopy system. The collected database consisted of 50 benign lesions, and 20 dysplastic and early stage cancerous lesions, as determined by histopathological diagnosis. For each pixel, three fluorescence decays were collected corresponding to three emission bands (390 nm, 450 nm, 500 nm), and analyzed using a biexponential decay model. Selected parameters of this fitting algorithm along with the normalized intensities at each emission band were used as features for a quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) classifier. The classification performance was estimated using a 10 fold cross-validation approach, resulting on levels of sensitivity and specificity >85%, and an ROC AUC of 0.9 for detecting dysplastic and cancerous oral lesions from benign lesions. These results demonstrate the potential of endogenous FLIM endoscopy for automated early detection of oral cancer.
The Relevance of Relevance: Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and the NSA Metadata Collection Program

In June 2013, a National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, Edward Snowden, leaked classified documents exposing a number of secret government programs. Among these programs was the “telephony metadata” collection program under which the government collects records from phone companies containing call record data for nearly every American. News of this program created considerable controversy and led to a wave of litigation contesting the validity of the program. The legality of the metadata collection program has been challenged on both constitutional and statutory grounds. The program derives its authority from Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, codified as 50 U.S.C. § 1861. The statute requires that there be reasonable grounds to believe the data collected is “relevant to an authorized investigation.” The government deems all these records “relevant” based on the fact that they are used to find patterns and connections in preventing terrorist activity. Critics of the program, however, assert that billions of records cannot possibly be relevant when a negligible portion of those records are actually linked to terrorist activity. This Note examines the conflicting interpretations of “relevant,” and concludes that while the current state of the law permits bulk data collection, the power of the NSA to collect records on such a large scale must be reined in.
Diagnosis Using Quiescent Signal Analysis on a Commercial Power Grid

Quiescent Signal Analysis (QSA) is a novel electrical-test-based diagnostic technique that uses IDDQ measurements made at multiple chip supply pads as a means of locating shorting defects in the layout. The use of multiple supply pads reduces the adverse effects of leakage current by scaling the total leakage current over multiple measurements. In previous work, a resistance model for QSA was developed and demonstrated on a small circuit. In this paper, the weaknesses of the original QSA model are identified, in the context of a production power grid (PPG) and probe card model, and a new model is described. The new QSA algorithm is developed from the analysis of IDDQ contour plots. A “family” of hyperbola curves is shown to be a good fit to the contour curves. The parameters to the hyperbola equations are derived with the help of inserted calibration transistors. Simulation experiments are used to demonstrate the prediction accuracy of the method on a PPG.
Diagnostics for Additive Spline Models

Recent developments of multivariate smoothing methods provide a rich collection of feasible models for non-parametric multivariate data analysis. Among the most popular are additive models. Here we interpret additive models as \(f(t)=\sum_{i=0}^{p}f_i(t)\) where the fi’s are individually interpretable but not necessarily univariate functions. Definitions of various models and algorithms for computing the models have been the main concern of existing literature in this area. Few results are available on the validation of computed fits, and many applications of nonparametric methods unfortunately end up interpreting the noise. In this article I propose and illustrate some simple geometric diagnostics to help data analysts in detecting possible aliasing effects in computed nonparametric fits and in building parsimonious models in an interactive fashion. For their ready availability, interaction splines are used in the illustrations.
Von der Nahrung und ihrem Erwerb

Richten wir nun wieder den Blick auf unseren alten Freund Ascaris, der fein sauberlich aufgeschnitten in der Sezierschale vor uns liegt. Da sehen wir ein flaches Band durch die ganze Lange des Tieres hindurchziehen. Nur am Vorder- und Hinterende erscheint es auf eine kurze Strecke etwas verandert (Abb. 77). Genauere Untersuchung zeigt uns bald, das das scheinbare Band ein flach zusammengedruckter Schlauch ist und wir werden uns nicht zu sehr wundern, zu erfahren, das wir den Darm des Spulwurms vor uns haben. Eine genaue Untersuchung, bei der Open image in new window Abb. 77 Ascaris aufgeschnitten, um den Dram zu zeigen. Open image in new window Abb. 78 a u. b. Ein Stuck der Speiserohre von Ascaris. a bei geoffnetem, b bei geschlossenem Hohlraum. wir uns auch des Mikroskops bedienen, lehrt bald, das er aus drei Abschnitten besteht. Vorn am Korperende, zwischen den fruher erwahnten Lippen liegt die Mundoffnung. Sie fuhrt in ein kurzes, etwa ein Zentimeter langes, kreisrundes Rohr, das wir den Schlund nennen. Daran schliest sich der bandformige Hauptteil des Darms an, der schlieslich wieder in ein kurzes Endstuck, den Mastdarm, ubergeht, der mit der Afteroffnung nach ausen mundet.
A monoclonal antibody to alpha-tubulin: purification of functionally active alpha-tubulin isoforms.

Both α- and β-tubulin exist as numerous isotypic forms that originate from different primary sequences as well as a variety of posttranslational modifications. Recent studies show that tubulin dimers differing in the β-subunit differ significantly in their subcellular distribution as well as in their functional properties such as assembly, dynamics, conformation, and interaction with antimitotic drugs; however, very little is known about the functional significance of the different α-tubulin isoforms and their posttranslational modifications. In an effort to get a better understanding about the α-tubulin isoforms, a monoclonal antibody, AYN.6D10, was prepared against the mammalian α-tubulin C-terminal sequence Glu-Glu-Gly-Glu-Glu-Tyr. Using an immunoaffinity column, bovine brain tubulin was fractionated into three functionally active αβ heterodimers which were identified by immunoblotting with α-tubulin-specific antibodies and sequence analysis. Assembly studies in the presence of glycerol and Mg2+ show t...
The Responsibility of Fast-Food Companies for Obesity: A Capability Deprivation Approach

Since 1980 obesity rates have significantly increased worldwide. Obesity has become a global health epidemic, and a vivid debate about who bears responsibility has emerged: Consumers, governments, corporations…. Using a capability approach to obesity, I investigate the responsibility attributions to the different actors. First, I show that the consumer is not able to take responsibility because he is deprived of his capability to make informed and conscious food decisions. Second, I argue that corporations and governments have the responsibility to restore and secure consumer capabilities to make rational and responsible food choices. Once consumer capability is restored, consumers take full responsibility for their food choices.
Hip exercises improve intravaginal squeeze pressure in older women

Objective: Pelvic Floor Muscle Training (PFMT), an accepted treatment for incontinence and pelvic floor dysfunction, has good evidence, though it is unknown if adjunct therapies can be useful. Stre...
Pigment Unmixing of Hyperspectral Images of Paintings Using Deep Neural Networks

In this paper, the problem of automatic nonlinear unmixing of hyperspectral reflectance data using works of art as test cases is described. We use a deep neural network to decompose a given spectrum quantitatively to the abundance values of pure pigments. We show that adding another step to identify the constituent pigments of a given spectrum leads to more accurate unmixing results. Towards this, we use another deep neural network to identify pigments first and integrate this information to different layers of the network used for pigment unmixing. As a test set, the hyperspectral images of a set of mock-up paintings consisting of a broad palette of pigment mixtures, and pure pigment exemplars, were measured. The results of the algorithm on the mock-up test set are reported and analyzed.
Comparative analyses of the in vivo induction and transmission of α-synuclein pathology in transgenic mice by MSA brain lysate and recombinant α-synuclein fibrils

α-synuclein (αS) is the major component of several types of brain pathological inclusions that define neurodegenerative diseases termed synucleinopathies. Central nervous system (CNS) inoculation studies using either in vitro polymerized αS fibrils or in vivo derived lysates containing αS aggregates to induce the progressive spread of αS inclusion pathology in animal disease models have supported the notion that αS mediated progressive neurodegeneration can occur by a prion-like mechanism. We have previously shown that neonatal brain inoculation with preformed αS fibrils in hemizygous M20+/− transgenic mice expressing wild type human αS and to a lesser extent in non-transgenic mice can result in a concentration-dependent progressive induction of CNS αS pathology. Recent studies using brain lysates from patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), characterized by αS inclusion pathology in oligodendrocytes, indicate that these may be uniquely potent at inducing αS pathology with prion-like strain specificity. We demonstrate here that brain lysates from MSA patients, but not control individuals, can induce αS pathology following neonatal brain inoculation in transgenic mice expressing A53T human αS (M83 line), but not in transgenic expressing wild type human αS (M20 line) or non-transgenic mice within the timeframe of the study design. Further, we show that neuroanatomical and immunohistochemical properties of the pathology induced by MSA brain lysates is very similar to what is produced by the neonatal brain injection of preformed human αS fibrils in hemizygous M83+/− transgenic mice. Collectively, these findings reinforce the idea that the intrinsic traits of the M83 mouse model dominates over any putative prion-like strain properties of MSA αS seeds that can induce pathology.
Post-Traumatic Cerebral Microhemorrhages and their Effects Upon White Matter Connectivity in the Aging Human Brain

Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), a common manifestation of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), have been sporadically implicated in the neurocognitive deficits of mTBI victims but their clinical significance has not been established adequately. Here we investigate the longitudinal effects of post-mTBI CMBs upon the fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter (WM) in 21 older mTBI patients across the first ~6 months post-injury. CMBs were segmented automatically from susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) by leveraging the intensity gradient properties of SWI to identify CMB-related hypointensities using gradient-based edge detection. A detailed diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) atlas of WM was used to segment and cluster tractography streamlines whose prototypes were then identified. The correlation coefficient was calculated between (A) FA values at vertices along streamline prototypes and (B) topological (along-streamline) distances between these vertices and the nearest CMB. Across subjects, the CMB identification approach achieved a sensitivity of 97.1% ± 4.7% and a precision of 72.4% ± 11.0% across subjects. The correlation coefficient was found to be negative and, additionally, statistically significant for 12.3% ± 3.5% of WM clusters (p < 0.05, corrected), whose FA was found to decrease, on average, by 11.8% ± 5.3% across the first 6 months post-injury. These results suggest that CMBs can be associated with deleterious effects upon peri-lesional WM and highlight the vulnerability of older mTBI patients to neurovascular injury.
Revenue implications of trade liberalization under imperfect competition

Abstract This paper shows that only where the industry in question is a monopoly can we unequivocally assert that exclusive reliance by the government on the less distortionary profit tax is sufficient to make up any shortfall in tariff revenue and ensure higher welfare for both consumers and producers.
Serial ctDNA Monitoring to Predict Response to Systemic Therapy in Metastatic Gastrointestinal Cancers.

Purpose: ctDNA offers a promising, noninvasive approach to monitor therapeutic efficacy in real-time. We explored whether the quantitative percent change in ctDNA early after therapy initiation can predict treatment response and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal cancer. Experimental Design: A total of 138 patients with metastatic gastrointestinal cancers and tumor profiling by next-generation sequencing had serial blood draws pretreatment and at scheduled intervals during therapy. ctDNA was assessed using individualized droplet digital PCR measuring the mutant allele fraction in plasma of mutations identified in tumor biopsies. ctDNA changes were correlated with tumor markers and radiographic response. Results: A total of 138 patients enrolled. A total of 101 patients were evaluable for ctDNA and 68 for tumor markers at 4 weeks. Percent change of ctDNA by 4 weeks predicted partial response (PR, P 30% for all PR patients. ctDNA change at 8 weeks, but not 2 weeks, also predicted CB (P Conclusions: Serial ctDNA monitoring may provide early indication of response to systemic therapy in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal cancer prior to radiographic assessments and may outperform standard tumor markers, warranting further evaluation.
TELEmedicine for Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease (TELE-IBD) Does Not Improve Depressive Symptoms or General Quality of Life Compared With Standard Care at Tertiary Referral Centers.

Background Depression is common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and contributes to poor quality of life (QoL). The use of information technology for the remote management of patients with IBD is growing, but little is known about its impact on depressive symptoms (DS) and QoL. We aimed to evaluate the impact of telemedicine on DS and generic QoL in IBD patients. Methods We analyzed data from the Telemedicine for Patients with IBD (TELE-IBD) study. During this 12-month clinical trial, patients were randomized to receive text message-based telemedicine weekly (TELE-IBD W), every other week (TELE-IBD EOW), or to standard care. Depressive symptoms and QoL were assessed over time with the Mental Health Inventory 5 (MHI-5) and the Short Form 12 (SF-12), respectively. We compared the change in MHI-5 and SF-12 (with separate physical (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores) between the study arms. Results A total of 217 participants were included in this analysis. After 1 year, there was no significant difference in the change in MHI-5 (TELE-IBD W +3.0 vs TELE-IBD EOW +0.7 vs standard care +3.4; P = 0.70), MCS (TELE-IBD W +1.4 vs TELE-IBD EOW +1.0 vs standard care +2.5; P = 0.89), and PCS scores (TELE-IBD W +0.4 vs TELE-IBD EOW +0.6 vs standard care +3.7; P = 0.06) between the groups. Conclusions Text message-based telemedicine does not improve DS or QoL when compared with standard care in IBD patients treated at tertiary referral centers. Further studies are needed to determine whether telemedicine improves DS or QoL in settings with few resources.
Emergent Warfare in Our Evolutionary Past: by Nam C. Kim and Marc Kissel, New York, Routledge, 2018, 217 pp., US $41.95 (paperback), ISBN (paperback) 978-1-62958-267-2, ISBN (hardback) 978-1-62958-266-5, ISBN (ebook) 978-1-31515-102-1

Kim and Kissel’s hypothesis in this excellent book on emergent warfare is that “organized violence” has deep – likely biological – roots but “war is a cultural invention” (p205). This seemingly par...
Mechanical properties of ESM-UBT: An ultra-low cost uterine balloon tamponade device

Uncontrolled postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the most common cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, with most cases of death and disability mainly in resource poor settings. Placement of a uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) is a recognized life-saving intervention in these circumstances. A UBT device is a balloon attached to a semi-rigid large bore catheter that acts as both an introducer and as a channel to rapidly inflate the balloon once it is placed into the uterine cavity. Reports on patient outcomes associated with commercial UBT devices are encouraging, however, their high cost (up to$400 USD) is a barrier to implementation across resource-poor settings. The ESM-UBT device is an ultra-low-cost condom-catheter UBT designed to be a quality and affordable device for scale in resource poor areas (Figure 1). The purpose of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the mechanical properties of this device, in advance of Regulatory evaluation. The evaluated mechanical properties are expected to be effective on the function of the device in clinic.
Novel modification to leaded eyewear results in significant operator eye radiation dose reduction.

Abstract Objective Ocular radiation exposure from fluoroscopically guided interventions (FGIs) can cause cataracts. Standard lead eyewear may not significantly reduce eye radiation dose as the majority of scattered radiation penetrates the operator's eye obliquely. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of standard leaded eyewear and a customized eyewear design in lowering eye radiation dose to vascular surgeons. Methods The attenuating efficacy of three forms of leaded eyewear (standard eyewear, eyewear with built-in leaded side shields, and our modified eyewear) was tested in both a simulated setting and clinical practice. The modified design consisted of safety eyewear with 0.75 mm of added lead shielding attached to the lateral and inferior borders of the eyewear frame to attenuate oblique radiation. We performed simulated experiments using an anthropomorphic head phantom (ATOM model 701; CIRS, Norfolk, Va) positioned to represent a primary operator performing right femoral access. Optically stimulated, luminescent nanoDot detectors (Landauer, Glenwood, Ill) were placed inside the phantom's ocular spaces and at the surface of the left eye within and outside the leaded glasses to measure the eye radiation dose reduction provided by each eyewear type. All three eyewear types were also tested during clinical FGIs by placing nanoDots below the operator's left eye, inside and outside of the eyewear coverage. Means and standard errors were calculated using a pooled linear mixed model with repeated measurements. Results This prospective, single-center study included 60 FGIs, 30 with traditional eyewear and 30 with our modified design. There was no significant eye radiation dose reduction (P > .05) with the standard eyewear or leaded side shield eyewear in both the simulated and clinical settings. In the simulated environment, our modified design resulted in an 86% radiation dose reduction to the surface of the left eye and an 80% reduction in left lens radiation dose (P Conclusions Standard lead-equivalent glasses are ineffective at reducing ocular radiation dose during FGIs. Eyewear modification with lateral and inferior lead shielding molded to the operator's face significantly decreases radiation exposure to the eye closest to the X-ray source.
58 – Vibrio cholerae

Publisher Summary Vibrio cholerae is the aetiological agent of epidemic cholera, which in its most severe manifestation causes profuse, watery diarrhoea that can result in rapid dehydration and death. V. cholcrae is also a member of the estuarine environment and, along with cholera, may be associated with occasional extra-intestinal for mild diarrhoeal illnesses. This chapter discusses infections due to V. cholerae, although they are of primal, importance in developing countries where epidemic cholera remains a serious health threat. Although public-health reforms have lead to a near-eradication of cholera in industrialized nations, the disease remains endemic in many developing countries. Additionally, outbreaks of cholera have escalated in the past several years, as dramatically demonstrated by the re-emergence of epidemic cholera. Many facets of the pathogenesis of V. cholerae are still poorly understood. Ongoing and future research on this organism can provide insights on pathogenicity and provides a basis for the development of new vaccines.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of replacing the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in Brazil infants

Brazil currently has a 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) pediatric national immunization program (NIP). However, in recent years, there has been significant progressive increases in pneumococcal disease attributed to serotypes 3, 6A, and 19A, which are covered by the 13-valent PCV (PCV13). We sought to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of switching from PCV10 to PCV13 for Brazilian infants from a payer perspective. A decision-analytic model was adapted to evaluate the clinical and economic outcomes of continuing PCV10 or switching to PCV13. The analysis estimated future costs ($BRL), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and health outcomes for PCV10 and PCV13 over 5 y. Input parameters were from published sources. Future serotype dynamics were predicted using Brazilian and global historical trends. Over 5 y, PCV13 could prevent 12,342 bacteremia, 15,330 meningitis, 170,191 hospitalized pneumonia, and 25,872 otitis media cases, avert 13,709 pneumococcal disease deaths, gain 20,317 QALYs, and save 172 million direct costs compared with PCV10. The use of PCV13 in the Brazilian NIP could reduce pneumococcal disease, improve population health, and save substantial health-care costs. Results are reliable even when considering uncertainty for possible serotype dynamics with different underlying assumptions.
Robust Physician Gaze Prediction Using a Deep Learning Approach

The patient-physician relationship is an integral part of primary care visits. To build a better relationship, understanding the communication between patient and physician is the key. This study focused on analyzing the gaze, one of the most important non-verbal behaviors found to influence patient outcomes. Gaze analysis often needs a manual rating process which might be time-consuming, costly, and unreliable. This research aimed to support automated analysis of physician-patient interaction using a deep convolutional neural network with transfer learning to a build robust model for physician gaze prediction. Utilizing only 3 minutes of 15 videos capturing 3 physicians interacting with different patients in a clinical setting, the model achieved over 98% accuracy for train, test, and validation sets. By visualizing the convolutional layers and comparing sample frames from different interactions, results highlighted several patterns shared across frames predicted correctly from both seen and unseen video sequences. The proposed work has the potential to informed the future design of technologies used to capture the clinical interaction and provide real-time feedback for physicians, which will contribute to the improvement of care quality.
Distributed Ledgers in Developing Large-Scale Integrated Systems

Large-scale development and maintenance projects involve numerous dependencies across multiple disparate organizations, and these projects are subject to contractual stipulations, customer requirements, stakeholder expectations, and compliance/regulatory issues. Because these dependencies and constraints can change over time, mechanisms must exist to absorb, propagate, and implement perturbations to the original scope of work. Such mechanisms are generally human-oriented, involving significant effort to confirm successful modification while avoiding systemic regression. Distributed Ledger Technology alleviates concerns of regression while providing costeffective, actionable business insight during the development of large-scale, integrated systems. Fine-grained insights benefit all parties involved in the system’s development, allowing for the incorporation of necessary systemic changes in an economical and informed manner. The system described in this work provides users of varying business roles with a single, clear, and concise view of their collaborative, large-scale development projects. This approach provides needed flexibility and functionality, allowing its users to maintain rigorous traceability while minimizing the time and attention needed to maintain valid project records. Further, practitioners are more well-informed regarding change impact and need not rely solely on subject-matter experts’ insights and judgments; instead, they rely on artifact provenance to reliably view the past and present of the project and reliably predict future impacts. Combining distributed ledgers and distributed storage creates a scalable, flexible platform for enterprise-grade project management.
Machine Learning for Communications.

Due to the proliferation of applications and services that run over communication networks, ranging from video streaming and data analytics to robotics and augmented reality, tomorrow’s networks will be faced with increasing challenges resulting from the explosive growth of data traffic demand with significantly varying performance requirements [...]
The Effect of Mandatory Disclosure Dissemination on Information Asymmetry: Evidence from the Implementation of the EDGAR System

I study the effect of the implementation of the SEC’s EDGAR system on two unique forms of information asymmetry: (1) asymmetry between managers and investors, and (2) asymmetry among different groups of investors. Information asymmetry theory suggests that firms’ adoption of the EDGAR system can have two effects — one that benefits investors and one that is detrimental to at least some investors. I find that the implementation of EDGAR lowered information asymmetry between managers and investors but had the unintended consequence of increasing information asymmetry (i.e., widening the information gap) between more- and less-sophisticated investors. I also validate Kim and Verrecchia’s (1997) measure of information asymmetry among investors. Taken together, my results suggest that while EDGAR was beneficial to investors, it also benefited some investors at the expense of others. Moreover, employing only traditional information asymmetry measures (e.g., bid-ask spreads) does not provide a complete picture of the consequences of disclosure.
Effects of a Labyrinth Weir with Outlet Ramps on Downstream Steep-Stepped Chute Sidewall Height Requirements

AbstractLabyrinth weirs are commonly used to increase spillway discharge capacity. Stepped chutes represent a common spillway element used to help dissipate kinetic energy, thus reducing the size r...
In vitro synergistic activity of imatinib and topotecan on epithelial ovarian carcinoma cell lines

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 4939 Of the 25,580 cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed in 2004, 70% will present at an advanced stage and 16,090 are expected to die. Standard treatment entails optimal debulking followed by platinum/taxane-based chemotherapy. While response rates exceed 70%, 50% of patients will relapse within 5 years necessitating second-line chemotherapy. For platinum resistant patients who fail first line chemotherapy within 6 months, response rates to second line treatment are ≤ 20% regardless of agents used. Drug resistance in ovarian cancer may result in part from overexpression of oncogene growth factors such as cKIT and PDGFR that activate Akt kinase, ultimately leading to apoptosis suppression. It has been shown that a significant number of epithelial ovarian cancer cases overexpress cKIT and cABL. PDGFRs have also been implicated in proliferation and migration responses. Ovarian cancer patients with PDGFRα positive tumors have significantly shorter survival. Combining chemotherapy with TK inhibitors may offer a new approach for these patients. We therefore set out to determine if imatinib mediated inhibition of cKIT, cABL and PDGFR could sensitize ovarian cancer to topotecan, a standard second line chemotherapy agent. Materials and Methods ES2 epithelial ovarian carcinoma cells were maintained in AMEM with glutamine, penn/strep and 3% FBS at 37°C in a humidified 5% CO2 atmosphere. Dose response was determined after 4-day drug exposures in 96-well plates using the XTT assay. Cells were first incubated overnight in 100μL media in each well. The next day, drug(s) were added in 25μL media. For single drug trials, the final volume was brought to 150μL with media. Dose response curves and median doses (Dm = IC50) were calculated using Chou’s CalcuSyn software. CalcuSyn was also used to determine if topotecan and imatinib were synergistic in the combination trial by calculating the combination index (CI). Results and Conclusions The median doses for imatinib and topotecan were 68.2 μM and 2.07 μM, respectively. Using fixed ratios ranging from 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4X the median doses, the combination of imatinib and topotecan produced a CI<1, demonstrating an in vitro synergistic effect on the ES-2 cell line. Imatinib mediated inhibition of cKit, cAbl, or PDGFR TK activity may potentiate the efficacy of topotecan on this ovarian cancer cell line. In order to determine if the synergism between imatinib and topotecan resulted from imatinib mediated TK inhibition, we plan to assay ES-2 cells for these TK targets and to employ FACS to isolate and culture subpopulations of ES-2 cells with high or low cell surface levels of cKIT and PDGFR. We will repeat the topotecan/imatinib synergy experiment on the resultant subsets. Furthermore, we will determine if the synergism between imatinib and topotecan on ES-2 cell line can be duplicated on other ovarian epithelial carcinoma cell lines.
HOLOCENE HUNTER-GATHERERS OF THE LOWER OHIO RIVER VALLEY

HOLOCENE HUNTER-GATHERERS OF THE LOWER OHIO RIVER VALLEY, edited by Richard W. Jefferies. The University of Alabama Press, 2008, 346 pp. (Paperback), $33.97. ISBN-10: 0817355413.This book is a welc...
The prevalence of Earth-like planets: (Pesek Lecture, Beijing, China: October 1996)

Abstract The discovery of giant planets in orbit around nearby stars has increased general interest in Earth-like planets. In the context of SETI, an Earth-like planet must have liquid water exposed on its surface, an appropriate abundance of biogenic elements, an early history allowing chemical evolution that leads to life, and subsequent climatic stability for at least 4.5 billion years. In our solar system, only Earth satisfies these criteria. However, an examination of the atmospheres of Mars and Venus as we know them today suggests that all three inner planets began with very similar endowments of volatiles. Icy planetesimals (comets) are strongly implicated as the major carriers of these volatiles, suggesting that proper starting conditions should be relatively common throughout the galaxy. Long-term stability requires a planet of the right size at the right distance from its star. Mars offers an enlightening example of an apparently Earth-like planet that is not Earth-like today. Satellites of these new giant planets also offer interesting opportunities but must satisfy the same criteria.
Rapid acquisition of discriminative responding in monkey locus coeruleus neurons.

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes several studies that investigate the hypothesis that locus coeruleus (LC) activity can influence the acquisition of a new task contingency. Three adult Cynomolgus monkeys have been overtrained for several months on one stimulus contingency in the task. Subsequently, reversal has been instituted unexpectedly by abruptly reversing the meaning of the target and nontarget stimuli. In this task, LC neurons have been selectively and phasically activated by CS+ stimuli. The studies indicate that phasic responses to CS+ stimuli are specifically related to their meaning and not driven by their sensory characteristics. After reversal of the stimulus-response contingency, all LC neurons tested reversed their stimulus-response profile and became selectively responsive to the new target (old nontarget) stimuli and have been unresponsive to the old target stimuli (new nontarget). To analyze the temporal relationship between LC and behavioral responses during acquisition of a new stimulus contingency, the rate of reversal of LC phasic responses has been compared with the rate of behavioral reversal for the same task epochs. In particular, by this point after reversal, LC neurons exhibited very little response to old target (new nontarget) stimuli. The early changes that occur in LC tonic and stimulus-evoked activity after task reversal indicate that the LC may play an active role in acquisition of stimulus significance. The widespread efferent anatomy of the norepinephrine (NE)-LC system indicates that it may be involved in a very general aspect of learning rather than for learning one type of task only. Specifically, LC could play a role in acquisition of a new contingency by altering the relative salience of target and nontarget stimuli.
Variance modeling for nonstationary spatial processes with temporal replications

[1] We have previously formulated a Bayesian approach to the Sampson and Guttorp model for the nonstationary correlation function r(x, x′) of a Gaussian spatial process [Damian et al., 2001]. This model assumes that the nonstationarity can be encoded through a bijective space deformation, f, that defines a new coordinate system in which the spatial correlation function can be considered isotropic, namely r(x, x′) = ρ(∥f(x) − f(x′)∥), where ρ belongs to a known parametric family. We extend this model to incorporate spatial heterogeneity in site-specific temporal variances. In our Bayesian framework the variances are considered (hidden) realizations of another spatial process, which we model as log-Gaussian, with correlation structure expressed in terms of the same spatial deformation function underlying that of the observed process. We demonstrate the method in simulations and in an application.
The P(φ)2 Model

The model for which the most complete results have been obtained is the P (φ)2 model describing self-interacting massive scalar bosons in two space-time dimensions. It is known that this model satisfies all of the Haag-Kastler axioms and many of the Wightman axioms. In terms of the program outlined by Arthur Wightman in the previous talk, progress on P(φ)2 has been carried forward to about item 7 and thus provides a good laboratory for investigating the questions of a physical nature contained in items 8–10.