cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mapping the distribution of nodal metastases in papillary thyroid carcinoma: Where exactly are the nodes?

Objective To characterize nodal disease of patients presenting with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) Study Design Retrospective chart review. Methods PTC patients who underwent thyroidectomy and/or neck dissection (revision/primary) from 2004 to 2009 at a tertiary-care hospital were reviewed. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan and ultrasonography were utilized to identify macroscopic, clinically apparent nodal metastasis (cN+). Demographic data, type of surgery, nodal disease, and primary tumor information were recorded. Results Of 416 patients reviewed, 35% had cN+ on initial presentation (IP); of these, 88% and 50% had central (CND) and lateral nodal disease (LND), respectively. The presence of ectopic nodal (END) metastases (nodal disease outside typical CND or LND locations) was absent on IP but occurred in 9% of patients with nodal recurrence. END was typically found in the retropharyngeal area but also was noted in the sublingual region, subcutaneous location, axilla, and chest wall. Extrathyroidal extension (ETE) was found in 8.9% without nodal disease, 33.1% with nodal disease, and 57.1% with END (P < 0.0001). Primary tumor size greater than 4 cm (P = 0.05) was associated with nodal disease. Conclusion This report represents a large series describing characteristics of the primary PTC tumor and associated nodal disease not only in the central and lateral neck but also in the ectopic locations. Our results suggest that a significant proportion of patients will have nodal disease in the central compartment on IP, especially younger patients. ETE and tumor size are associated with macroscopic nodal disease (including END). Nine percent of the patients with nodal recurrence had ectopic nodes occurring in various locations, most commonly in the retropharynx. CT scan can assist with identification and surgical planning of recurrent nodal disease. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 127:1959–1964, 2017
MOLAR ABSORPTIVITY AND A 1 cm 1% VALUES FOR PROTEINS AT SELECTED WAVELENGTHS OF THE ULTRAVIOLET AND VISIBLE REGIONS. XVII

A table of A 1 cm 1% values and molar absorptivity values for more than 150 proteins is given. The conditions used to obtain these values are also given.
Contemporary breast conservation patient outcomes for ductal carcinoma in situ and margins < 2 mm.

559Background: Recent national consensus guidelines regarding optimal margin width for the management of DCIS have been published; however, controversy remains for managing margins <2mm. The relati...
Coagulation Profile as a Risk Factor for 30-day Morbidity Following Cervical Laminectomy and Fusion.

Study design Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the ability of abnormal coagulation profile to predict adverse events following posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion (PCLF). Summary of background data PCLF is an increasingly common procedure used to treat a variety of traumatic and degenerative spinal conditions. Abnormal coagulation profile is associated with postoperative adverse events, including blood transfusion. There is a paucity of literature that specifically addresses the relationship between coagulation profile and complications following PCLF. Methods ACS-NSQIP was utilized to identify patients undergoing PCLF between 2006 and 2013. A total of 3546 patients met inclusion criteria. Multivariate analysis was utilized to identify associations between abnormal coagulation profile and postoperative complications. Results Membership in the low-platelet cohort was an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction (Odds Ratio (OR) = 5.4 [1.0, 29.1], P = 0.049) and bleeding transfusion (OR = 2.0 [1.2, 3.4], P = 0.011). Membership in the high international normalized ratio group was an independent risk factor for pneumonia (OR = 6.3 [2.5, 16.1], P 48 hours (OR = 6.5 [2.3, 18.4], P 48 hours (OR = 4.8 [1.9, 12.4], P = 0.001), cerebrovascular accident/stroke with neurological deficit (OR = 24.8 [2.9, 210.6], P = 0.003), bleeding transfusion (OR = 2.1 [1.1, 4.1], P = 0.032), reoperation (OR = 3.6 [1.4, 9.3], P = 0.008), and sepsis (OR = 3.4 [1.1, 10.4], P = 0.031). Conclusion This is the first large study to document abnormal coagulation profile as an independent predictor of outcomes following PCLF. Abnormal coagulation profile represents a predictor of complications that can be medically mitigated, and is therefore a valuable parameter to assess preoperatively. Coagulation profile should continue to play a role in targeting patients for risk stratification, preoperative optimization, and quality improvement initiatives. Level of evidence 3.
Updating the Family Operating System: A Literature Review of Information Communication Technology and Family Leisure

ABSTRACTThis article examines the ways in which information communication technology (ICT) influences how contemporary families function, build relationships, and enjoy leisure. The literature review focuses on several areas of family life influenced by ICT use, specifically e-leisure, family communication, and family intimacy. A call for future research outlines several areas of exploration, including ICT use and family leisure, changes in perception of healthy and well-functioning families, the influence ICT use has on the development and well-being of individual family members and families with diverse family structures, and characteristics of technology that might be used by family members to improve leisure and relationships.
The role of microparticles in the pathogenesis of SLE: a new look at an old paradigm.

Winberg et al 1 present important new information on a story that began with the discovery of the lupus erythematosus (LE) cell phenomenon. As described in a truly landmark paper, Hargraves and colleagues established the existence of the LE cell phenomenon using bone marrow specimens from patients with SLE. The LE cell reflects the unique immune environment in SLE and is basically a cell nucleus that has been opsonised by an ANA and complement and is then engulfed by a neutrophil.2 The key players for this phenomenon (nucleus, ANA, complement, phagocyte) remain at the centre of lupus research today, a rare example of a paradigm that has barely shifted or wobbled during the course of many decades. In the study of the LE cell, the nucleus has received much less attention than the other players which, after all, are usual blood components. In ordinary circumstances, the nucleus resides within the safe confines of the cell; with the exception of physiological enucleation during red blood cell maturation, nuclei do not transit into the extracellular milieu. In contrast, nuclear material including chromatin and its DNA and histone components can readily leave cells during the pounding and crushing of cells as they die.3 In the current model of lupus pathogenesis, excessive cell death or insufficient dead cell clearance leads to a large flux of nuclear material into the blood to form immune complexes (ICs) or drive autoreactivity.4 Despite much peering into microscopes, investigators have produced little decisive evidence for the extracellular translocation of nuclei during cell death. Studies indicate that nuclear material rather than exiting the cell as an intact nucleus, undergoes relocation, rearrangement and repackaging to form apoptotic bodies and microparticles. An apoptotic body is the collapsed remnant of an apoptotic cell or a large fragment that has broken off as apoptotic …
The research of performance testing about watt-hour meter plug

As the important part of new low-voltage metering cabinet, the performance of watt-hour meter plug influences directly the convenience of operation, the stability of smart meter running and the reliability of metering cabinet. For lacking of the uniform technical specification and an effective, reliably and fast testing method for the performance of plug, this paper proposes a new testing method, it includes the important index of insertion and extraction power and temperature rise. The testing results shows that the method of this paper proposed can detect the mechanical and technical parameters accurately and conveniently, it provides reference for the stability and reliability of metering cabinet.
RESULTS FROM THE MICROVASCULAR ASSESSMENT OF RANOLAZINE IN NON-OBSTRUCTIVE ATHEROSCLEROSIS (MARINA): A DOUBLE-BLINDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

We hypothesized that, by inhibiting myocardial late Na+ current, Ranolazine improves angina symptoms, exercise tolerance and coronary microvascular function in patients with microvascular ischemia. In this pilot randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, 24 patients with angina symptoms
Systematic review of the therapeutic roles of adipose tissue in dermatology.

Background Adipose tissue has classically functioned as a filler in restoring facial volume. Adipose tissue is also rich in stem cells, which may have a role in regenerative medicine. Objective To summarize the literature on the clinical uses of adipose tissue in scarring, wound healing, and hair growth and determine whether evidence exists for changes in clinical practice in dermatology. Methods We utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to conduct the review. The PubMed search engine was used to assess the available literature on adipose tissue in scarring, wound healing, and hair growth. Results A total of 13 studies matched our inclusion criteria; 6 of the 7 studies on scar treatment, all 3 studies on wound healing, and all 3 studies on hair growth demonstrated improved outcomes with adipose tissue treatments. Limitations The literature supporting the use of adipose tissue is limited to case series, cohort studies, and small randomized controlled trials, which have an overall low level of evidence. Conclusion The existing evidence for adipose tissue as a treatment option in scarring, wound healing, and hair growth is not strong enough to justify changes to current clinical practice. The literature does provide evidence for future large randomized clinical trials.
Sport as medicine: How F3 is building healthier men and communities

Abstract Given sport has been largely absent from U.S. public health policies and discourse, the author suggests ways that sport can be better managed to promote health. Using a critical perspective and grounded theory approach, the author examined the experiences of 14 men in the grassroots recreational program, F3. Data were collected through observation and semi-structured interviews. Based on the results, a conceptual model that suggests how sport should be managed to address illnesses related to physical inactivity is put forth. The resulting Sport as Medicine model indicates that Creating a Team Structure, Providing a Place to Be Accountable, and Ensuring No One is Left Out, led to meaningful Health Outcomes, including Physical Health, Mental Toughness, and Social Connections. As the distinctiveness of sport continues to emerge, the author provides a framework to consider how sport can be part of public health efforts to address physical inactivity. Thus, this work positions sport as medicine by pinpointing how sport can be managed so that holistic health outcomes are more likely achieved.
Effects of Wind on Boreal Forests

Bonan and Shugart (1989) provide a conceptual model of many complex environmental interactions that control growth of trees in northern forests. Typical of such process models, the influence of wind on ecosystem dynamics is rather implicit. Wherever wind is strong and persistent, its effect on trees and stands is the most easily recognized of all the physical factors. Unfortunately, the critical wind speeds that control tree growth in northern boreal forests are largely unknown. It is, consequently, difficult to predict how managed forests and plantations will respond to wind and what the most appropriate silviculture options should be.
Reference man and woman more fully characterized

Total body neutron activation analysis, prompt-gamma neutron activation analysis, and whole body counting have been used to determine the elemental composition of the human body. The total body elements measured were potassium, nitrogen, calcium, sodium, chlorine, and phosphorus. Total body water was also determined by the dilution principle using tritiated water. Observations were made in an adult US population that totaled 1374 and ranged in age from 20 to 90 yr. The dataset for the white population consisted of 175 males and 1134 females observations; for the black population, it consisted of 30 male and 35 female observations. The variation in the elemental composition of both males and females in any 5-yr age group was large and ranged up to 20% (SD). Age-, race-, sex-, and size-specific differences were evident. When equations were developed that predicted the elemental composition of the adult on the basis of age, weight, and height, the variation in the age groups was reduced approximately in half. Age-specific mean values for the 20- to 29-yr-old white population were also compared with values for the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)-23 Reference Man. The“average” young adult male was larger than Reference Man; the in vivo data also indicated a larger skeletal mass, more lean tissues and body water, but lower body sodium. When in vivo prediction equations were used to adjust for size differences, good agreement was found between the expected values and those for Reference Man. The ICRP-23 does not contain elemental data for Reference Woman; therefore, the in vivo data in the present study provide the first estimates of body composition for Reference Woman.
Cooperative Consensus Algorithm for Clock Synchronization in Wireless Sensor Networks

We propose a novel time synchronization algorithm based on cooperative-consensus that replaces one- by-one aggregation in a consensus approach with one-shot averaging of many node responses in the physical layer. Through simulation, the algorithm is shown to achieve both skew and offset compensation in a multi-hop wireless sensor network. The proposed algorithm has the capability (a) to significantly improve the convergence rate of consensus-based distributed time synchronization protocols (while keeping the computational complexity low) by employing concurrent cooperative transmission and (b) to reduce the time synchronization error by crossing the network in fewer hops. The proposed algorithm is compared with the Average TimeSynch (ATS) algorithm running a media access control (MAC) protocol based on the IEEE standard 802.15.4 unslotted carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA-CA) for two root locations.
Variations in Criteria and Practices for Heart Transplantation Listing Among Pediatric Transplant Cardiologists

Ethical issues in pediatric heart transplantation (Htx) include resource allocation, benefit, and burden assessment in high-risk recipients, and informed consent. Practice patterns and decision-making was investigated using an internet survey with 47-multiple choice items and vignette-based questions. Of 43 pediatric Htx cardiologists contacted, 28 (65%) responded. Respondents reported that an overall median 1-month survival of 73% (range 50-100%), 1-year survival of 70% (range 50-85%), 5-year survival of 50% (range 40-85%), and 10-year survival of 50% (range 25-85%) was adequate to offer Htx. Based on vignettes presented, 100% of those surveyed would offer Htx to a straightforward 12-year old with end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy and a 7-year old with hypoplastic left heart syndrome with protein losing enteropathy. Thirty percent of physicians would offer Htx to a patient status post a Fontan procedure with mutliple co-morbidities. Seventy-five percent of physicians would offer Htx despite proven non-adherence. Considerable variability exists in the practice patterns of pediatric heart transplant cardiologists with regards to decision-making while evaluating patients for listing. Disagreements among pediatric Htx cardiologists exist when there are concerns for non-adherence and associated multiple co-morbidities. Further work is needed to understand these variations and develop consensus for pediatric Htx organ allocation.
Academic-Community Partnerships for Advanced Information Processing in Low Technology Support Settings

The focus of this research is on knowledge workers in a particular kind of setting: not-for-profit community agencies that have low technology-support, but need to take full advantage of the power of advanced information technologies. Knowledge workers in these settings, given adequate assistance from a neutral agent and/or prototype applications, can successfully develop and use quite sophisticated information systems to enhance their work. The paper draws on case studies of knowledge workers in two community agencies who have partnered with academia, and identifies the specific information technology problems faced by community agencies, the source of these problems, and how the academiccommunity partnership can act to solve the problems.
Different evolution acceptance instruments lead to different research findings

Despite widespread concern about the differential measurement of evolution acceptance among researchers, no one has systematically explored how instrument choice can impact research results and conclusions in evolution education studies. In this study, we administered six evolution acceptance instruments in a single survey to students in undergraduate biology courses at universities in Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. We conducted separate analyses with the same students for the six different evolution acceptance instruments to understand how different results and conclusions may arise based on different evolution acceptance instruments used. We found statistically significant differences in levels of evolution acceptance across the three student populations when using a human evolution acceptance instrument, but not when using a microevolution acceptance instrument. Further, significance/effect sizes of variables associated with evolution acceptance differed beyond sampling variation depending on the evolution acceptance instrument used. The results of analyses using different evolution acceptance instruments were most often dissimilar when examining the effect of evolution understanding and identifying as Protestant/Mormon on evolution acceptance. We found that different instruments used to measure evolution acceptance sometimes led to different research results and conclusions. The extent to which variables predicted evolution acceptance was dependent on the instrument used to measure acceptance, which has the potential to explain over 30 years of conflicting research on the relationship between evolution acceptance and understanding. These results indicate that before researchers may be able to determine how to best improve evolution acceptance, the evolution education community may need to articulate a consistent definition of evolution acceptance and identify a singular valid and reliable instrument to quantify evolution acceptance so results can be compared across studies.
Disruptive Technology and the Ethical Lawyer

Technology is changing both the substance of lawyers’ work and the modes of delivering legal services. Lawyers, as facilitators of their clients’ innovations, help propel new technology into the mainstream. At the same time, the practice of law itself is subject to myriad rules and regulations. Innovation in the legal profession, such as advancements in the tools for delivering legal services, directly impacts lawyers and the way they work. The legal ethics rules and substantive law dictating lawyer conduct now expressly require a duty of technological competence. This duty of technological competence has come about at a time when innovation, often fueled by artificial intelligence, has produced new legal technology, or “lawtech.” Lawtech developments require lawyers to adapt the very tools of their trade in order to stay competent. This Article first defines disruptive technology, both as to innovation relevant to clients who may be tech disruptors and as to lawtech that lawyers may be using in their own practice. It defines the ethical pitfalls of both aspects of disruptive technology, starting with the potential pitfalls of representing tech disruptor clients, including the risk of over-association with the client or engaging in illegal or extra-legal activity in the name of innovation. It then shifts to discussing the ethical pitfalls tech-averse lawyers face and urges lawyers to allow new technology to augment and improve the practice of law itself. New technology is good for the legal profession, on the whole, and lawyers can be a part of the disruption while remaining within their ethical bounds.
Another Form of American Exceptionalism? A Comparative Analysis of Terrorism Sting Operations in the US and Abroad

ABSTRACTSting operations can potentially thwart terrorist plots, but could also threaten civil liberties and alienate communities, making them a critical subject for counterterrorism research. Yet ...
Assessment of third-year medical students' comfort and preparedness for navigating challenging clinical scenarios with patients, peers, and supervisors.

Medical training focuses heavily on clinical skills but lacks in training for navigating challenging clinical scenarios especially with regard to diversity issues. Our objective was to assess third-year medical students’ preparedness to navigate such scenarios. A 24-item survey was administered electronically to third-year medical students describing a range of specific interactions with patients, peers, and “upper-levels” or superiors including residents and attendings, spanning subjects including gender, race/ethnicity, politics, age, sexual orientation/identity, disability, and religion. Students rated their level of comfort via a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (“Very Uncomfortable”) to 5 (“Very Comfortable”). Basic demographics were collected and data were summarized for trends. Data were analyzed from 120 students (67% response rate, 54.2% female, 60.8% non-Hispanic white). Students reported lower comfort with peer and superiors compared to patient interactions (p < 0.0001). Students reported the highest comfort with sexual orientation/identity- and religion-related interactions (median (IQR): 3.3 (1.3) and 3.4 (10.0), respectively) and the lowest comfort with gender-, race/ethnicity-, and disability- related interactions (median (IQR): 2.3 (1.3), 2.0 (1.0), 2.5 (1.5), respectively). Males reported significantly higher median comfort levels for scenarios with upper-level, gender, and religion related interactions. Males were more likely to be completely comfortable versus females across the 24 scenarios, although multiple male response patterns showed evidence of a bimodal distribution. Third-year medical students report generally inadequate comfort with navigating complex clinical scenarios, particularly with peers and supervisors and relating to gender-, race/ethnicity-, and disability-specific conflicts. There are differences across gender with regards to median comfort and distribution of scores suggesting that there is a subgroup of males report high/very high comfort with challenging clinical scenarios. Students may benefit from enhanced training modules and personalized toolkits for navigating these scenarios.
ICU Management: Extended Resuscitation Considerations

In this chapter, we review extended resuscitation considerations for patients who have suffered from a blast injury. The main focus of the body of literature on blast injury concerns the early management of these patients. While this information is valuable, it is also important to understand how to continue critical care for these patients after the initiation of resuscitation. Knowledge of the mechanism of the blast injury, and whether the patient sustained the injury in an enclosed space, informs the clinician of what clinical challenges to anticipate. Extended resuscitation issues include impact of resuscitation on the evolution of central nervous system, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and burn injuries. Clinicians should also be aware of the common infections that can complicate the further care of their patients based on the geographic region where they were injured.
Cardiac tamponade from appendiceal adenocarcinoma

A 69-year-old woman presented with worsening dyspnoea for a month. She had a history of moderately differentiated non-mucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma, diagnosed 10 months prior based on pathology from an emergent appendectomy for acute appendicitis. Mesenteric margins had been indeterminate but
Reduced urban green cover and daytime cooling capacity during the 2012–2016 California drought

Abstract Urban vegetation mitigates elevated temperatures in cities. Drought presents an important challenge to urban heat mitigation as prolonged dry periods cause reduced evapotranspiration and losses of green vegetation cover. To measure drought impacts on the urban environment and climate, we used visible short-wave infrared satellite imagery acquired throughout the 2012–16 drought in California to quantify effects on fractional vegetation cover in the Los Angeles urbanized region. We then used satellite thermal imagery with repeat high-resolution airborne thermal imagery to measure how drought-induced reductions of green vegetation cover affected urban land surface temperature (LST) and the cooling effect of urban vegetation. Green vegetation cover declined from 29.3% in 2011 to 24.6% in 2016 in urban Los Angeles County. Over the drought, the annual mean daytime LST increased from 34.4 °C in 2010 to 37.1 °C in 2014. Despite the large-scale homogenization of LST, tree- and grass-dominated areas differed in how they were affected by the drought, with larger losses of vegetation fractional cover and stronger reductions in cooling effect for grass compared to tree-covered areas due to different plant physiological responses and irrigation changes. Results suggest that drought presents a challenge to urban resiliency, as vegetation is often a main component of heat mitigation plans.
Use of Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) and Cancellous Graft for Porous-Surfaced Interface Voids

It is known that bony ingrowth implants without intimate apposition results in diminished ingrowth. In this study the use of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and cancellous bone graft to augment ingrowth in interface voids is investigated in the canine. Eight CoCr surface replacement hip implants of chamfered cylinder design with beaded CoCr porous layer were implanted in four adult canines and followed from 23 to 56 days. Prior to implantation, cylindrical defects 4mm diameter by 3mm deep were created in the femoral head and acetabular surfaces and filled with 10mg of BMP in one hip and cancellous bone graft in the contralateral hip. Animals were followed with serial radiographs to sacrifice after which microradiographs of ground sections and histologic specimens were analyzed. All defects were 100% filled with viable new bone without differences in density, organization, or ingrowth in the BMP and cancellous specimens. Femoral specimens uniformly showed unexpected seating gaps which were bridged to varying degrees with viable new organized bone. In five femoral cases seating defects of 2mm or more were completely bridged with ingrowth at the porous layer. In one acetabular case a 6mm gap was 90% bridged. No correlation of results was noted with time to sacrifice. It was concluded that new bone present in the seating gaps was most likely due to spillage of material from the cylindrical defects. Although the amount of ingrowth required for durable fixation is unknown, incongruencies of implant fit are common. As BMP showed no discernible advantage over cancellous graft in results of this study we advocate liberal use of readily available cancellous graft (from reamings or femoral head) to fill interface voids.
Cone Beam Computerized Tomography Imaging for Orthodontic Diagnosis

CBCT imaging has the potential to increase the scope and accuracy of orthodontic diagnosis in several ways. The convergence of digital technologies makes this possible. Intraoral scanners generate digital models that, when merged with CBCT, allow the orthodontic diagnostician to generate virtual treatment objectives which not only target the position of dental crowns but also dental roots. Tooth movement decisions become periodontally driven. CBCT images change orthodontic diagnosis, from a two-dimensional process to a more comprehensive three-dimensional process, potentially identifying maxillary transverse deficiencies. CBCT imaging enhances the diagnosis of dento-skeletal asymmetry. CBCT imaging allows the orthodontist to render a diagnosis on the status of the temporomandibular joints. CBCT imaging is a screening tool for impaired airways.
Method for characterization of dynamic ankle stiffness in patients with spasticity.

Abstract Background Dynamic ankle stiffness has been quantified as the slope of the ankle joint moment-angle curve over the gait interval of the second rocker, defined explicitly as the period of the gait cycle from the first relative maximum plantar flexion in early stance to maximum dorsiflexion in midstance. However, gastrocnemius spasticity may interfere with the second ankle rocker in patients with spasticity. This gait disruption results in stiffness calculations which are misleading. Current dynamic stiffness metrics need to be modified. Research Question The main goal of this study was to develop and test a new method to better evaluate dynamic ankle stiffness in individuals with pathologic gait who lack a second rocker interval. Methods Twenty unimpaired ambulators (10/20 female, 26.7 ± 5.0 years, BMI: 23.2 ± 2.2) and 9 individuals with cerebral palsy (5/9 female, 5.7 ± 1.7 years, BMI: 14.6 ± 2.1, GMFCS Levels: I – 2, II – 5, III - 2) participated in this study. Dynamic ankle stiffness was evaluated using the previous kinematic method, defined by the interval of maximum plantar flexion to maximum dorsiflexion angle in midstance, and the proposed kinetic method, defined by the interval from the maximum dorsiflexion moment to first peak plantar flexion moment. Stiffness was quantified as the linear slope between the sagittal plane ankle angle and moment. Method differences were explored using an equivalence test (α = 0.05). Results and Significance There was equivalence between the methods for unimpaired ambulators (p = 0.000) and a lack of equivalence for patients with spasticity (p = 0.958). The new method was successfully applied to all 9 pediatric ambulators with CP and demonstrated increased stiffness in patients with spasticity as compared to the previous method. The ability to objectively calculate ankle stiffness in pathologic gait is critical for determining change associated with clinical intervention.
Clustering a Mixture of Gaussians with Unknown Covariance

We investigate a clustering problem with data from a mixture of Gaussians that share a common but unknown, and potentially ill-conditioned, covariance matrix. We start by considering Gaussian mixtures with two equally-sized components and derive a Max-Cut integer program based on maximum likelihood estimation. We prove its solutions achieve the optimal misclassification rate when the number of samples grows linearly in the dimension, up to a logarithmic factor. However, solving the Max-cut problem appears to be computationally intractable. To overcome this, we develop an efficient spectral algorithm that attains the optimal rate but requires a quadratic sample size. Although this sample complexity is worse than that of the Max-cut problem, we conjecture that no polynomial-time method can perform better. Furthermore, we gather numerical and theoretical evidence that supports the existence of a statistical-computational gap. Finally, we generalize the Max-Cut program to a $k$-means program that handles multi-component mixtures with possibly unequal weights. It enjoys similar optimality guarantees for mixtures of distributions that satisfy a transportation-cost inequality, encompassing Gaussian and strongly log-concave distributions.
The Gendered Division of Housework and Couples' Sexual Relationships: A Reexamination

Although contemporary couples increasingly express preferences for egalitarian unions, previous research has suggested that sexual intimacy decreases when routine housework is shared. Yet this research was conducted on data that are decades old. To update this work, the authors compared data from the 2006 Marital and Relationship Survey (MARS) and Wave 2 of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH2), collected in 1992–1994. The results indicated change in the association between housework arrangements and sexual intimacy across surveys. Although egalitarian arrangements were associated with lower sexual frequency compared to conventional arrangements in the NSFH2, no such difference was found in the MARS. In fact, reported sexual frequency increased across surveys among egalitarian couples only. In addition, how housework was arranged mattered more for sexual satisfaction among MARS couples than NSFH2 couples. These changes appear to result from the increasing role of perceived equity as a mechanism linking the division of housework to sex.
Environmental metabolomics: Analytical strategies

Abstract Microbial metabolism plays a primary role in shaping the marine carbon cycle through processes of carbon fixation and remineralization. Many metabolic intermediates pass through the reservoir of marine dissolved organic matter (DOM), as compounds move among microbes as part of complex ecological networks of interactions. Environmental metabolomics can be used to identify and quantify these compounds, and thus will provide insight into the chemical underpinnings of microbial networks at the foundation of global biogeochemical cycles. Here we present methods for metabolite profiling (untargeted metabolomics) and for relative quantification (targeted metabolomics) of intracellular and extracellular metabolites from marine microbes. We describe our approach to method development with regard to metabolite extraction and instrumental analysis, culminating in the methods currently in use in our laboratory.
Radiation and regeneration: behavioral improvement and GDNF expression after Gamma Knife radiosurgery in the 6-OHDA rodent model of hemi-parkinsonism.

Background. Recent research has demostrated that the adult mammalian CNS is capable of regeneration. This regeneration is often initiated as a response to thermal, chemical or mechanical injury. The effects of radiation on the mammalian CNS have also been found to aid in certain regeneration processes.
THE LAPLACIAN QUADRATIC FORM AND EDGE CONNECTIVITY OF A GRAPH

Let G be a simple connected graph with associated positive semidefinite integral quadratic form Q(x) = \sum (x(i) â x(j))^2, where the sum is taken over all edges ij of G. It is showed that the minimum positive value of Q(x) for x â Z_n equals the edge connectivity of G. By restricting Q(x) to x â Z_{nâ1} A {0}, the quadratic form becomes positive definite. It is also showed that the number of minimal disconnecting sets of edges of G equals twice the number of vectors x â Z_{nâ1} A{0} for which the form Q attains its minimum positive value.
Blue Laws, DUIs and Alcohol-Related Accidents: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Colorado

On July 1st, 2008, Colorado Blue Laws banning Sunday packaged liquor salewere repealed. We estimate the effect of this policy change on alcohol-related accidentsand traffic citations in a regression discontinuity design. Across specifications, we find noevidence that the repeal of Colorado Blue Laws increased or decreased alcohol-relatedaccidents and alcohol-related traffic citations. This stands in sharp contrast with previousstudies that found a 30% increase or more in alcohol-related accidents on Sundaysfollowing the repeal of similar laws in New Mexico ( I18, C22, R41)
Research Spotlight: Improving estimates of water volume in mountain snowfall

[1] Spring snowmelt can sustain life, power hydroelectric energy generation, or be a source of devastating floods. A major issue for those trying to prepare for the melt season is that what is easiest to measure—the area of land covered in snow—does not necessarily yield a good estimate of how much water is locked up in the powder: Snow does not fall evenly across landscapes, and the low-resolution microwave images that give water volume estimates miss important spatial variations.Kolberg and Gottschalk sought a new approach for estimating the volume of water locked up in their study area, a mountainous region in the south of Norway. Snowfall in the mountains is highly influenced by the terrain, so the distribution tends to be similar from one year to the next. This consistency allowed the authors to use moderate-resolution satellite images showing the area covered in snow to calibrate a model that uses precipitation distribution observations to calculate runoff patterns for the region. The authors used the average from 5 years of observations of snowmelt patterns to predict when, where, and how much snow would melt and run off in a sixth year. (Water Resources Research, doi:10.1029/2008WR007617, 2010)
Does Indeterminacy Matter

Derek Parfit has offered numerous arguments in an attempt to establish that identity is not what matters. Jens Johannson has recently argued that Parfit's various arguments for the claim that identity is not what matters fail to establish what Parfit takes such arguments to establish. Johannson contends that this is due in part to the invalidity of one of Parfit's key arguments, and the fact that Parfit ignores a position that is compatible with the conclusions of his successful arguments and the claim that identity is in fact what matters, namely, that I survive fission as either one of the fission products or the other, but it is indeterminate which one I survive as. I aim to establish here that both of Johannson's assertions are problematic. As a corollary of this task, I hope to shed some light on the relationship between indeterminacy and fission-based arguments for the claim that identity is not what matters.
A General Theory of Normativity

In general, we lack objective foundations for our normative assertions. Some legal scholars - Kaplow and Shavell, for example - argue that aggregate preference satisfaction utilitarianism provides such foundations. Outside the law and economics movement, however, the utilitarian model has largely failed to persuade. The present paper offers a new approach to anchoring normative analysis in objective foundations. It begins with a relatively noncontroversial observation - that our normative world consists of our internalized learned behaviors and their associated memes. Using evolutionary theory, it then explores why our normative world exists at all. The function of internalization, it concludes, is to permit the evolution of learned behaviors whose adaptivity may not be obvious. Sharing, for example, is not self-evidently "rational." Over time, however, individuals motivated to share have tended to survive and reproduce more successfully than those not so motivated. As a result, the population has come to be dominated by individuals motivated to share. Similar stories can be told about goodness, commitment to the rule of law, respect for equality, regard for the liberties of others, and, to some extent, democracy. Whether and why behaviors are adaptive are objective questions to which there exist - at least in theory - objective answers. Thus, if I am right, when someone asserts that we "ought" to do this or that, we should be able to explore her assertion productively by asking whether the proposed behavior is adaptive, and if so, why. Stated another way, an understanding of why we value, for example, equality, should permit us to define better what equality means. Of more immediate concern to legal scholars, if I am right then much of the U.S. Constitution can also be justified in terms of adaptivity: a society that protects adaptive rules from short-term popular challenge is more likely, in the long run, to survive and reproduce. Although this portion of my paper is still a work-in-progress, my theory appears to offer a relatively straightforward justification of judicial review in the protection of constitutional values and, in the process, allows a more objective delineation of those values themselves.
Pragmatism, Pluralism, and Psychotherapy Relationships: An Interview with John C. Norcross, Ph.D.

John C. Norcross has made significant contributions in the areas of the transtheoretical model of change, psychotherapy integration, and empirically supported psychotherapy relationships. This interview explores the contributions of pragmatic philosophy and his personal upbringing to his work as a psychotherapy researcher and practitioner. Dr. Norcross discusses the status of the psychotherapy integration movement, the work of the Task Force on Empirically Supported Psychotherapy Relationships, and future trends in psychotherapy over the next 25 years. He emphasizes the importance of a methodological rigor that recognizes the unique characteristics of the psychotherapy relationship. He describes his current interest in the psychotherapy of psychotherapists, illustrating it with his personal challenges in balancing work and home.
The Cosmology of nothing

For more seventy years physicists have appreciated that Nature's vacuum is far from empty. The discovery of the Lamb shift in Hydrogen provided dramatic verification of the reality of the quantum vacuum. The advent of gauge theories has led us to believe that the physics of the vacuum is even richer, with the possibility of instantons, vacuum phase transitions, vacuum defects (monopoles, domain walls, cosmic strings and nontopological solitons), vacuum energy, and degenerate vacua states (with different local realizations of the laws of physics). Cosmology offers a unique laboratory for exploring the ``physics of nothing.'' In this lecture I focus on the implications of vacuum energy for cosmology -- in particular, inflation -- and discuss the flood of observations that are testing the inflationary paradigm and in process probing the physics of nothing. I also discuss the possibility that today vacuum energy plays a dynamically important role (as a cosmological constant).
The subspecific characters and distribution of the New World Skimmers - Rynchops nigra

The distribution of the forms of the New World rayador, or skimmer, Rynchops nigra, and the characters that mark the geographic races, have been matters of interest to me for a number of years, an interest heightened by recent discussions in current literature of the identity of the birds found on the Pacific coast of Mexico, and far to the south in Chile. Investigation into these matters with the material available in the National Museum not being conclusive, specimens from Mexico and the West Indies southward to Argentina and Chile in other large collections in the United states have been assembled through the courtesy of Dr. Robert Cushman Murphy of the American Museum of Natural History, James l.. Peters of the Museum of Comparative Zoology,W. E. C. Todd of the Carnegie Museum, and Dr. Karl P. Schmidt of the Field Museum of Natural History. I have also to thank Dr. Alden H. Miller for the use of one specimen from Chubut in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and Dean Amadon for certain notes on this group of birds that he had assembled .
Thoracic Duct Embolization: Technique and Applications

Thoracic duct embolization (TDE) is an image-guided, minimally invasive alternative to surgical ligation for the treatment of chylothorax and chylopericardium. Chylothorax is a pleural effusion containing chyle. Thoracentesis commonly demonstrates a milky, lymphocytic predominate exudate. Laboratory assessment will reveal chylomicrons and often demonstrate elevated triglyceride levels (>110 mg/dL). Chylothorax can result from trauma, commonly iatrogenic, as well as a variety of nontraumatic causes including malignancy, congenital lymphatic disorders, lymphatic obstruction, increased venous pressure, and transdiaphragmatic passage of chylous ascites. Surgery in the chest, especially esophagectomy and aortic repair, is a common cause of iatrogenic chylothorax. In this chapter, we describe our approach to evaluating and treating chylothorax with TDE.
Persistent People Tracking and Face Capture over a Wide Area

Persistent people tracking over a wide area is important for many applications and has received much attention in recent years. For real-time and forensic applications, it is very helpful to capture the facial images of people tracked. In this paper, we address the problem of people tracking and face capture over a wide area. First, we propose a people tracking and face capture system using a single PTZ camera. The availability of high resolution facial images opens up new opportunities for further biometric analysis. Then, we present a new solution to persistent people tracking across multiple cameras with non-overlapping fields of view. The development of these methods should provide new insights into long-term people tracking over a wide area.
Carbon combustion synthesis of complex oxides: Process demonstration and features

Carbon combustion synthesis of oxides (CCSO) is a novel process to rapidly produce high-purity, submicron, and porous powders of complex oxides. It is a modified form of self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS) that uses carbon as the fuel instead of a pure metal. The CO2 release increases the porosity and friability of the products. Like SHS, it is much faster (order of minutes) than the calcination processes (order of hours). CCSO has several advantages over SHS (the initial components are less expensive, porosity of the products is up to 70%). CCSO can produce complex oxides, such as LaGaO3, which cannot be produced by SHS. The feasibility and features of CCSO are illustrated by its use in producing barium titanate, lithium manganese, and lanthanum gallium oxides. The carbon concentration enabled control of the moving front temperature and average velocity and the particle size and surface area. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2005
Self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols on copper provide corrosion resistance in aqueous environments

Alkanethiols adsorb onto copper surfaces and form densely packed monolayer films that inhibit corrosion of the underlying copper substrate. The performance of these self-assembled monolayers are insensitive to the presence of water as they provide equal levels of protection in both dry and humid oxygen-containing atmospheres. This observation suggests that the monolayer films provide a barrier against water penetration, as the corrosion of untreated copper samples is much more rapid in the presence of water. In these applications, longer-chained adsorbates — C18H37SH and C22H45SH — provided the greatest levels of protection. Monolayers formed from these adsorbates were also effective as barrier layers toward oxidation when the samples were immersed in oxygen-saturated water for over 1 week. These densely packed, chemisorbed layers maintained their level of performance during the weeklong exposure without the need for adding corrosion inhibitor molecules to the contacting water phase. Preliminary experiments show that bilayer assemblies formed from the sequential adsorption of HS(CH2)22OH and CH3(CH2)17SiCl3 provide a stable molecular architecture for forming thicker, robust coatings on the copper surface; however, the use of chlorine-containing reagents in the formation of this assembly results in defects that seriously impede the inhibition properties of the layers.