cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of operator experience on the outcome and duration of pulmonary vein isolation procedures for atrial fibrillation.

Abstract Segmental, ostial ablation to isolate the pulmonary veins has been shown to be effective for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of operator experience on the outcome and duration of pulmonary vein isolation procedures for AF. One hundred three consecutive patients with AF underwent segmental, ostial ablation to isolate pulmonary veins. The effect of operator experience on the outcome and duration of the procedure was measured. The mean procedure duration was 232 ± 70 minutes (range 50 to 460). There was an indirect linear relation between the total procedure time and the number of procedures performed (r = −0.68; p 75 cases, segmental ablation to isolate the pulmonary veins using fluoroscopy and conventional radiofrequency ablation usually is feasible in
Using user interface event information in dynamic voltage scaling algorithms

Increasingly, mobile computers use dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) to reduce CPU voltage and speed and thereby increase battery life. To determine how to change voltage and speed when responding to user interface events, we analyze traces of real user workloads. We evaluate a new heuristic for inferring when user interface tasks complete and find it is more efficient and nearly as effective as other approaches. We compare DVS algorithms and find that for a given performance level, the PACE algorithm uses the least energy and the Stepped algorithm uses the second least. We find that different types of user interface event (mouse movements, mouse clicks, and keystrokes) trigger tasks with significantly different CPU use, suggesting one should use different speeds for different event types. We also find differences in CPU use between categories of the same event type, e.g., between pressing spacebar and pressing enter, and between events of different applications. Thus, it is better to predict task CPU use based solely on tasks of the same category and application. However, energy savings from such improved predictions are small.
Generalized expected utility, heteroscedastic error, and path dependence in risky choice

We evaluate the fit of several generalized expected utility models under homoscedasticity and three different heteroscedastic error structures for the data set first reported in Hey and Orme (1994). Standard chi-squared tests are used for nested tests, and both the Akaike (1973) information criterion and its consistent version (Hurvich and Tsai, 1989) are used for non-nested ranking of these models. A testing framework is developed that explicitly accounts for the path-dependent nature of the model selection problem. Not only does the selection of preference models depend on the error structure assumed, but the reverse is also true: the selection of the error structure depends on the preference structure assumed.
On-State Characteristics of SiC power UMOSFETs on 115-/spl mu/m drift Layers

We describe the on-state performance of trench oxide-protected SiC UMOSFETs on 115-/spl mu/m-thick n-type 4H-SiC epilayers designed for blocking voltages up to 14 kV. An on-state current density of 137 A/cm/sup 2/ and specific on-resistance of 228 m/spl Omega//spl middot/cm/sup 2/ are achieved at a gate bias of 40 V (oxide field of 2.67 MV/cm). The effect of current spreading on the specific on-resistance for finite-dimension devices is investigated, and appropriate corrections are made.
MOTIVES FOR PHILOSOPHIZING DEBUNKING AND WITTGENSTEIN'S PHILOSOPHICAL INVESTIGATIONS

: In this article I contest a reading of Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations—a reading of it as debunking philosophy. I concede that such a reading is not groundless, but I show why it is nonetheless mistaken. To do so, I distinguish two different ways of viewing Philosophical Investigations and its concern with philosophical problems, an External View and an Internal View. On the External View, readers of the book are taken to know ahead of time what philosophical problems are. On the Internal View, readers are not taken to know this ahead of time: the task of the book is to disclose what philosophical problems are, to show them coming into being. One thing disclosed is our participatory role in philosophical problems coming to be. Learning about the nature of philosophical problems is thus learning about our own nature; metaphilosophical knowledge is in part self-knowledge. If the Internal View is correct (as I believe it is), then Philosophical Investigations does not debunk philosophy but provides a different conception of philosophy and the philosopher's task.
Simulating health networks: Decisions and performance

This study uses a simulation as a vehicle for social networks research application in healthcare. More than 300 graduating MBA students participated in the creation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), simulating a healthcare industry. Our results suggest that organizations positioning themselves at pivotal points within the ACO's network outperform organizations that do not. The findings show the applicability of network theory and the use of simulations in the study of ACOs.
A Root-Locus Analysis of Quantitative Feedback Theory

This paper examines the effect of the frequency domain Quantitative Feedback Theory (QFT) technique on the root-locus. Examination of a successful QFT design applied to a business jet provides a case study. Comparison to conventional root-locus design methods helps give understanding of the power of the QFT technique. Also, analyzing the QFT design using the root-locus shows why it is effective, and gives insight into a successful root-locus design.
Identifying the Interaction Between Influenza and Pneumococcal Pneumonia Using Incidence Data

The association between influenza virus and the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) has been proposed as a polymicrobial system, whereby transmission and pathogenicity of one pathogen (the bacterium) are affected by interactions with the other (the virus). However, studies focusing on different scales of resolution have painted an inconsistent picture: Individual-scale animal experiments have unequivocally demonstrated an association, whereas epidemiological support in human populations is, at best, inconclusive. We integrate weekly incidence reports and a mechanistic transmission model within a likelihood-based inference framework to characterize the nature, timing, and magnitude of this interaction. We find support for a strong but short-lived interaction, with influenza infection increasing susceptibility to pneumococcal pneumonia ~100-fold. We infer modest population-level impacts arising from strong processes at the level of an individual, thereby resolving the dichotomy in seemingly inconsistent observations across scales. An accurate characterization of the influenza-pneumococcal interaction can form a basis for more effective clinical care and public health measures for pneumococcal pneumonia.
A distinct subset of tenascin/CS-6-PG-rich astrocytes restricts neuronal growth in vitro

Astrocytes provide an optimal surface for attachment, migration, and growth of CNS neurons. Nonetheless, not all astrocytes are alike: our previous work demonstrated a heterogeneity in the ability of cultured astrocyte monolayers to support neuronal growth. Areas displaying a fibrous, uneven surface ( “rocky” astrocytes) were shown to be restrictive substrates, whereas surrounding, flat areas were permissive substrates. However, whether these cell types are in fact different cannot be addressed using mixed cultures. Therefore, in the current study we used morphological criteria to isolate the two subpopulations from mixed astrocyte cultures established from the cerebral cortex of neonatal rats. Following isolation, the purified populations only produced progeny with the same phenotype as the parent cells. We then measured production of several extracellular matrix molecules putatively involved in neuronal guidance during development and quantitatively assessed neuronal behavior on the purified populations. Immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting showed that rocky astrocytes were enriched in tenascin and chondroitin-6- sulfate-containing proteoglycans, but not in laminin or fibronectin. In addition, these astrocytes, as well as their isolated matrix, were a less permissive substrate for neuronal growth than flat astrocytes/matrix. Neurite outgrowth was significantly increased on rocky astrocytes following treatment with chondroitinase ABC or AC, but not heparitinase or hyaluronidase. These data support a critical role for matrix-bound chondroitin-6-sulfate-containing proteoglycans. We hypothesize that rocky astrocytes represent a subtype of cells which form barriers to neuronal growth during cortical development.
Stress Analysis of the Seal in a Sodium-Sulfur Battery Cell

A finite-element stress analysis of the seal in a sodium-sulfur battery cell was performed. Sealing stresses due to thermal expansion mismatch are relatively low but can be further reduced by modifying the counterbore. The effect of ovality can be treated as a seal thickness effect where the stresses increase with seal thickness. The effect of fracture strength, Weibull modulus, and strength degradation parameters on the probability of failure of beta alumina in the cell was demonstrated.
Timing of Initiation of Dialysis in Critically Ill Patients with Acute Kidney Injury

Among critically ill patients, acute kidney injury (AKI) is a relatively common complication that is associated with an increased risk for death and other complications. To date, no treatment has been developed to prevent or attenuate established AKI. Dialysis often is required, but the optimal timing of initiation of dialysis is unknown. Data from the Program to Improve Care in Acute Renal Disease (PICARD), a multicenter observational study of AKI, were analyzed. Among 243 patients who did not have chronic kidney disease and who required dialysis for severe AKI, we examined the risk for death within 60 d from the diagnosis of AKI by the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration at the start of dialysis (BUN 76 mg/dl in the high degree of azotemia group [n = 121]). Standard Kaplan-Meier product limit estimates, proportional hazards (Cox) regression methods, and a propensity score approach were used to account for selection effects. Crude survival rates were slightly lower for patients who started dialysis at higher BUN concentrations, despite a lesser burden of organ system failure. Adjusted for age, hepatic failure, sepsis, thrombocytopenia, and serum creatinine and stratified by site and initial dialysis modality, the relative risk for death that was associated with initiation of dialysis at a higher BUN was 1.85 (95% confidence interval 1.16 to 2.96). Further adjustment for the propensity score did not materially alter the association (relative risk 1.97; 95% confidence interval 1.21 to 3.20). Among critically ill patients with AKI, initiation of dialysis at higher BUN concentrations was associated with an increased risk for death. Although the results could reflect residual confounding by severity of illness, they provide a rationale for prospective testing of alternative dialysis initiation strategies in critically ill patients with severe AKI.
Presidential Support in Congress: Conflict and Consensus on Foreign and Defense Policy

In a recent article appearing in The Journal of Politics, McCormick and Wittkopf (1990) argue that the Vietnam War did not exercise a significant impact on bipartisan presidential support in the U.S. Congress and that a bipartisan Cold War consensus on foreign policy and defense issues in the House and Senate was not as prominent as many had assumed. I develop a comprehensive model of bipartisan congressional support of presidents from 1947-1988 on foreign policy and defense roll-call votes in the House and Senate that test the impact of many factors, such as presidential influence and legislative processes not accounted for in McCormick and Wittkopf's analysis. Using probit analysis of individual roll-call votes, I show that before the Vietnam War, substantial consensus existed in both the House and Senate and after this conflict, such consensus has become much more infrequent. In addition, I find that forces originating in Congress exercise much more influence over the incidence of bipartisan support than presidential resources.
Analysis of Flavonoid-Based Pharmacophores that Inhibit Aggrecanases (ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5) and Matrix Metalloproteinases Through the Use of Topologically Constrained Peptide Substrates

Polyphenolic natural products from green tea and red wine have been identified as metalloproteinase inhibitors. Members from the flavonoid and stilbene families found to possess metalloproteinase inhibitory activities include (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin gallate and piceatannol, but their minimally active pharmacophores have not been evaluated. The present study has examined compounds that are structural components of or structurally related to (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin gallate and piceatannol for inhibition of aggrecanases and four representative matrix metalloproteinases. Piceatannol and pyrogallol were found to inhibit all aggrecanases and matrix metalloproteinases studied, indicating a crucial reliance on multiple hydroxyl groups for (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin gallate and piceatannol activity. Differences in K(i) values for pyrogallol as determined with two structurally distinct substrates indicated the likelihood that this compound binds in a non-competitive modality. Further analysis showed that pyrogallol acts as an exosite inhibitor, consistent with the action of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate. In contrast, piceatannol was shown to be a competitive binding inhibitor and showed no differences in apparent K(i) values as determined by distinct substrates, illustrating the benefits of using two structurally distinct substrates to assist the analysis of protease inhibitors. The compounds identified here could be utilized to develop novel metalloproteinase probes or as fragment components of more active inhibitors.
Teacher Knowledge, Instructional Expertise, and the Development of Reading Proficiency

Teacher knowledge and instructional expertise have been found in correlational and pre- and posttest studies to be related to student reading achievement. This article summarizes data presented in this special issue and additional research to address four questions: (a) What do expert reading teachers know? (b) Why do teachers need to acquire this knowledge? (c) Do teachers believe they have this knowledge? and (d) Are teachers being adequately prepared to teach reading? Well-designed studies relevant to this topic have been sparse with a noticeable lack of attention given to identifying specific causal links between teacher knowledge, teaching expertise, and student reading achievement. Until the appropriate research designs and methodologies are applied to address the question of causal effects, conclusions about the specific content that teachers must know and the instructional practices that are most beneficial in presenting this content are preliminary at best. Future studies of the effect of essenti...
Global attractivity of the equilibrium of for q<p

We investigate the global attractivity of the equilibrium of second-order difference equation where the parameters p, q, q < p and initial conditions x − 1, x 0 are nonnegative for all n. We prove that the unique equilibrium of this equation is global attractor which gives the affirmative answer to a conjecture of Kulenovic and Ladas. The method of proof is innovative, and it has the potential to be used in the proof of global attractivity of equilibria of many similar equations.
Paramutation and Development

Paramutation describes a heritable change of gene expression that is brought about through interactions between homologous chromosomes. Genetic analyses in plants and, more recently, in mouse indicate that genomic sequences related to transcriptional control and molecules related to small RNA biology are necessary for specific examples of paramutation. Some of the molecules identified in maize are also required for normal plant development. These observations indicate a functional relationship between the nuclear mechanisms responsible for paramutation and modes of developmental gene control.
A Primer on Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis and Diagnostic Efficiency Statistics for Pediatric Psychology: We Are Ready to ROC

OBJECTIVE: To offer a practical demonstration of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses, diagnostic efficiency statistics, and their application to clinical decision making using a popular parent checklist to assess for potential mood disorder. METHOD: Secondary analyses of data from 589 families seeking outpatient mental health services, completing the Child Behavior Checklist and semi-structured diagnostic interviews. RESULTS: Internalizing Problems raw scores discriminated mood disorders significantly better than did age- and gender-normed T scores, or an Affective Problems score. Internalizing scores 30 had a diagnostic likelihood ratio of 7.4. CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrates a series of steps in defining a clinical problem, operationalizing it, selecting a valid study design, and using ROC analyses to generate statistics that support clinical decisions. The ROC framework offers important advantages for clinical interpretation. Appendices include sample scripts using SPSS and R to check assumptions and conduct ROC analyses. Language: en
Tramadol dependence: treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone.

Patient A, a 34-year-old female, presented for treatment because tramadol withdrawal (restless pain, muscle stiffness, joint soreness, and lethargy) interfered with her work, and she had made unsuc...
Inuksuk: Icon of the Inuit of Nunavut

Les Inuit de l’Arctique canadien ont longtemps ete connus par le biais des rapports ecrits par les explorateurs, les baleiniers, les commercants, ainsi que les missionnaires. Celebres pour leurs igloos, traineaux a chiens, kayaks et vetements de peau, ils sont devenus les principaux «durs» de l’Arctique americain comme l’a montre le film «Nanook of the North». Maintenant qu’ils apparaissent sur la scene mondiale dotes de leurs moyens propres, leur singularite allegorique est aujourd’hui menacee. Ces dernieres annees, pares de leur fier heritage, les Inuit se representent aux etrangers en mettant en exergue quelques items, tels que l’inuksuk, la qulliq et l’amautik qui sont ainsi passes de l’ordinaire a l’extraordinaire. Cet article explore l’apparition de l’inuksuk comme icone des Inuit au Canada et considere son developpement, sa reintegration, sa commercialisation et sa diaspora.
Transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms in uncoupling protein mRNA response to cold

Three mechanisms account for the rapid elevation and maintenance of uncoupling protein (UCP) mRNA levels in cold-exposed rats, namely, an increase in the rate of transcription initiation, an increase in the fraction of nascent UCP transcripts undergoing elongation, and stabilization of the mature UCP mRNA. The second mechanism precedes and outlasts the increase in the rate of UCP gene transcription, which is brisk but short lived. After 48 h of cold exposure, mature UCP mRNA levels are maintained elevated solely on the basis of stabilization, since the levels of both transcription initiation and fifth intron-containing transcripts (precursors) have returned to basal. Results in hypothyroid rats given 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) and in dispersed brown adipocytes show that T3 is involved both in the increase in UCP mRNA precursor level and stabilization of mature UCP mRNA. These mechanisms are rapidly reversed when the rats are returned to thermoneutrality. These coordinated transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms modulating UCP gene expression ensure a rapid increase in the concentration of UCP and prevent further accumulation of the protein as physiologically adequate levels are attained.
Lean Six Sigma and Big Data: Continuing to Innovate and Optimize Business Processes

Lean Six Sigma is widely used in many areas such as government, industry, healthcare and education. BIG DATA which is being collected in ever-increasing amounts due to digital commerce is viewed by futurists as holding many promises to solve some of our greatest problems in society and create new commercial ventures.┬a This paper explores how Lean Six Sigma can be applied to accelerate the process of extracting key insights from BIG DATA and also how BIG DATA can bring new light and innovation to projects requiring the use of Lean Six Sigma.┬a ┬aA case study approach using examples from both manufacturing and the service sector will be used in this research.
Nonlinear System Identification of Aeroelastic Systems: A Structure-detection Approach

Identification methods for NARMAX models are applied to aeroelastic dynamics and its properties demonstrated via continuous-time simulations and experimental conditions. Identification of parametric nonlinear models involves estimating unknown parameters and detecting its underlying structure. Structure computation is concerned with selecting a subset of parameters to give a parsimonious description of the system that may afford greater insight into the functionality of the system or a simpler controller design. Structure-detection methods applicable to NARMAX modeling are applied to aeroelastic dynamics. Among other methods, a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) technique is investigated for computing efficient model descriptions of nonlinear systems. Simulation results from a nonlinear dynamic aircraft model demonstrate that methods developed for NARMAX structure computation provide good accuracy for selection of the exact model structure from an over-parameterized model description. Applicability of the method to more complex systems such as those encountered in aerospace applications is shown by identifying parsimonious system descriptions of the F/A-18 active aeroelastic wing (AAW) using flight-test data.
The Case for Eye Rubbing as the Major Cause of Keratoconus

Eye rubbing has been implicated as a cause of keratoconus for 35 years. Over that period of time there has been a growing body of information confirming that hypothesis. This paper presents examples and arguments supporting eye rubbing as an etiology for keratoconus.
Efficient wide-range calculation of free energies in solids and liquids using reversible-scaling molecular dynamics

We elaborate a novel and efficient method to obtain multiphase Helmholtz free energies from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations over wide ranges of volume and temperature in materials that can be described by temperature-independent ion forces, with both higher accuracy and order-of-magnitude cost savings compared to direct thermodynamic-integration techniques. Our method leverages and significantly extends the technique of reversible-scaling molecular dynamics (RSMD) proposed by de Koning et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 3973 (1999)], which allows a free-energy difference in a given phase at constant volume to be calculated as a function of temperature from a single MD simulation. In mechanically stable solid phases, our approach carefully combines quasiharmonic lattice dynamics at low temperatures with an accurate and fully isolated RSMD simulation of the anharmonic vibrational free energy at high temperatures to produce a seamless free energy from zero temperature to above melt along constant-volume isochores. In the liquid, we combine a unique calculation of the free energy along a high-temperature reference isotherm with isochoric RSMD simulations from that temperature to below melt. In metastable solid phases that are mechanically unstable at low temperature, we use two-phase MD melt simulations together with the liquid free energy to obtain the solid free energy along the solidus melt line and then perform isochoric RSMD simulations to temperatures above and below that point. While our free-energy method is general, we have specifically adapted it here to the case of metals in which the ion forces are well described by model generalized pseudopotential theory (MGPT) multi-ion interatomic potentials, and additive electron-thermal free-energy contributions can be included. Then using refined Ta6.8$x$ MGPT potentials, we have converged total free energies and their components to very high and unprecedented sub-milli-Rydberg (mRy) numerical accuracy in the stable-bcc, liquid, and metastable-fcc phases of tantalum for volumes ranging from up to 26% expansion to nearly twofold compression and for temperatures to 25 000 K. In turn, we have successfully used the free energies so obtained to calculate physically accurate thermodynamic properties and gain new insight into their behavior, including sensitive thermodynamic derivatives, bcc and fcc melt curves, and a multiphase equation of state for tantalum (Ta) over the same temperature range and for pressures as high as 600 GPa. We show that the anharmonic free-energy component in the bcc solid, although only 1--5 mRy in magnitude for Ta, can have a significant (15%--20%) effect on thermal expansivity, the Gr\"uneisen parameter, and melt temperatures. We further show that the electron-thermal free-energy component can similarly impact the specific heat and thermal expansivity in both the solid and the liquid, while only minimally affecting (to$\ensuremath{\le}3$%) the bcc and fcc melt curves.
A polyphasic approach for the taxonomy of cyanobacteria: principles and applications

AbstractTaxonomic classification is the only method for understanding and exploring knowledge about organismal diversity. However, it is complicated in prokaryotic, phylogenetically old, phototrophic cyanobacteria, which contain very simple unicellular forms up to multicellular types with a differentiated and diversified thallus. Their cells are cytologically relatively simple, but variable in shape. Various genotypes are adaptable to various specialized ecosystems. The introduction and combination of modern molecular, cytomorphological and ecological methods in the taxonomy of cyanobacteria is necessary and should be accepted as the only method for the elaboration of their modern systematics. The combination of different methods should be based on molecular sequencing as the basic approach, to which must be added other criteria (morphological, ecological) if they are available and which are distinct and recognizable in cyanobacterial populations. The use of such characteristics is necessary and must be o...
Efficacy of 24-week treatment with compound aspirin on platelet aggregation in patients with cardiovascular disease

Objective: To evaluate the inhibition of platelet aggregation after 24-week therapy of compound aspirin(dihydroxyaluminum aminoacetate-heavy magnesium carbonate-aspirin) in cardiovascular patients.Methods: A total of 103 cardiovascular patients with high platelet aggregation rate were enrolled,who needed the treatment of aspirin.They were treated with oral doses of dihydroxyaluminum aminoacetate-heavy magnesium carbonate-aspirin(contain 162 mg aspirin) daily for 24 weeks.Platelet aggregation was measured before and 6,12,24 weeks after administration.Results: The platelet aggregation was significantly inhibited 6,12 and 24 weeks after administration.There were significant differences in the platelet aggregation between baseline and post-treatment.The inhibition rate of platelet aggregation at 6,12,24 weeks after administration were-(20.49±22.35)%,-(28.10±22.88)%,and-(23.23±22.68)%,respectively.The platelet aggregation was inhibited at 12 weeks more than at 6 weeks follow-up,but less at 24 weeks than at 12 weeks follow-up(P0.05).Conclusion: The inhibitive effect of dihydroxyaluminum aminoacetate-heavy magnesium carbonate-aspirin tablet on platelet aggregation is conclusive;however,this effect is lower at 24 weeks than at 12 weeks.
Gain-of-Function Mutations in SHP-2 Tyrosine Phosphatase(SHP-2~(D61G/+)) Induce Leukocyte Infiltration and Multi-Organ Impairment

Objective To investigate the effects of SHP-2D61G/+ mutations on leukocyte infiltration,cytokines secretion and multi-organ impairment.Methods The SHP-2D61G/+ gain-of-function mutant gene knock-in model mice and wild-type 57BL/6 mice(WT) were used in this study.Serum level of IL-2 and TNF-α and the cytokines concentration in the supernatant of cultured WBC were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Leukocyte infiltration in the lung,spleen and heart tissues was observed by histopathology,and serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and cardiac troponin I(cTnI) were studied by radioimmunoassay.Results Compared with the WT control,leukocyte infiltration in the lung and spleen tissues were significantly increased and myocardial hypertrophy was observed in the SHP-2D61G/+ mutant mice.The serum levels of IL-2 and TNF-α were significantly increased in SHP-2D61G/+ mutant mice(P0.01,compared with the WT control),and so were the cytokines concentrations in the supernatant of cultured WBC(P0.01,compared with the WT control).The serum levels of ALT and cTnI were significantly higher in the SHP-2D61G/+ mutant mice than that of the WT controls(P0.01).Conclusions Gain-of-function mutations in SHP-2 tyrosine phosphatase(SHP-2D61G/+) greatly induce leukocyte infiltration in tissues,IL-2 and TNF-α secretion and multi-organ impairment,which may lead to multiple organ failure.
Using Previewing to Stimulate Optimal Development

Several years ago, I had the occasion to interview the mother of an eightmonth-old infant who cried incessantly. The infant had been examined repeatedly by a pediatrician who discerned no organic abnormality that could be responsible for the episodes of crying. In fact, this physician had attempted to reassure the caregiver by telling her that the baby was “colicky”, a catch-all phrase used to describe infants who are irritable for a variety of reasons during the first few months of life. In most instances, this irritability gradually subsides by the second year of life. But the caregiver refused to accept these reassurances. Instead, she was convinced that the infant’s behavior was her fault, that she was lacking some key quality as a caregiver. Somehow her skills in soothing the infant were inadequate, and the fact that the infant wailed uncontrollably for four hours each day was attributable to some failure of nurturance on her part. “Sometimes I get so angry at him,” she said in frustration, “But then I realize he’s only a baby and it can’t be his fault.” This last comment was punctuated by cuddling the infant in her arms, as if to eradicate any ambivalence she may have felt toward her son. Then the mother sighed and said, “My neighbor tells me to use mother’s intuition when the baby gets upset, but I don’t know what she means. Sometimes I wonder if there is such a thing as ‘intuition’ when it comes to being a mother.”
Complexities of Natural Selection Dynamics

In this chapter natural evolution, based on selection and adaptation, is compared with social and economic systems, evolving under the pressure of human decision making. These complex adaptive processes lead to emergence of global hierarchies that emerge from local interactions leading to self-organizing dynamics. The analysis starts with the evaluation of the degree to which evolutionary processes operate at levels higher than the gene or organism, and proposes a parallel with the search for satisfactory and realistic microfoundations to macroeconomics rather than a mere assumption that the macro simply mimics what goes on at the micro level. The question is how multiple levels can emerge in a self-organizing way from the lower levels and the role of adaptation and natural selection in this emergence. While advocates of self-organization argue that natural selection plays a central role in these processes, doubters see an invocation of mystical or even theological processes that stand aside from a proper understanding of the operation of natural selection. These debates remain unresolved, even as the trend may be favoring the advocates of a carefully developed multi-level selection approach in conjunction with a carefully formulated version of dynamic self-organization may be gaining more favor over time. However, it is a matter of fact that many recent economic models where economic agents are assumed to be boundedly rational and heterogeneous are often represented as myopic, interacting, adaptive and evolving systems, leading to long-run emerging structures which are difficult to be forecasted on the basis of local interactions among agents.
Non-Leading Eigenvalue Distributions, RMT, and Correlations

We showed that Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) applied to time series yields better correlations for risk simulations. This involved comparing SSA-based correlations with standard correlations and to noise, a zero correlation Wishart random matrix (WRM). We complete this testing here. We also present tractable analytic approximate WRM results that we used in the analysis: (1) leading and non-leading eigenvalue distributions of a WRM, (2) eigenvalue spacing of WRMs, and (3) eigenvector components of WRMs.
Comparing the Foreign Economic Strategies of Market and Centrally Planned Economies

Comparative economics should go beyond the simplistic classification of countries as capitalist vs. socialist, or as market economies vs. centrally planned economies (CPEs), because those terms veil important similarities between countries belonging to different groups as well as significant differences within them.
Hydrodechlorination of trichloroethylene over Pd supported on swellable organically-modified silica (SOMS)

Abstract The catalytic activity and resistance to poisoning of Pd catalysts supported on swellable organically-modified silica (SOMS) were investigated for hydrodechlorination (HDC) of trichloroethylene (TCE). The promising catalytic activity of 1% Pd/SOMS sample was attributed to the high affinity of SOMS for organics and its high hydrophobicity. While latter characteristic repels water, the adsorptive capacity for organics allows TCE dissolved in aqueous media to concentrate inside the pores, in the vicinity of the active sites, thus helping the kinetics. In the liquid phase, using a continuous flow reactor, higher TCE conversion was obtained over the 1% Pd/SOMS compared to the commercial 1% Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. When the pores of 1% Pd/SOMS sample were fully opened by pre-treating it with ethanol prior to the reaction, HDC activity was seen to significantly increase. In the gas phase, the extent of adsorption was less, reducing the concentration of reactants near the active sites. As a result, 1% Pd/SOMS was less active than 1% Pd/Al 2 O 3 for HDC of TCE. To determine their resistance to poisoning, 1% Pd/SOMS and 1% Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalysts were poisoned ex-situ with Li 2 S. The ex-situ poisoned Pd/SOMS sample maintained its catalytic activity for HDC of TCE. However, a significant loss in catalytic activity of the Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalyst was observed after poisoning. Protection from aqueous phase sulfide poisoning was attributed to the hydrophobicity of the Pd/SOMS, which would exclude anionic species from the embedded Pd particles. The XPS, STEM and ICP-OES results indicated that when Pd/Al 2 O 3 and Pd/SOMS were treated with 1 M HCl, most of the Pd metal was leached from the Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalyst in contrast to Pd/SOMS, which had negligible leaching. Overall, due to hydrophobicity and high affinity for organics, SOMS has potential as a catalyst scaffold for different reactions in groundwater remediation applications.
Communication, Coping, and Connections: Campers’ and Parents’ Perspectives of Self-Efficacy and Benefits of Participation in Deployment Support Camps

Military youth have unique challenges, particularly when a parent is deployed. Camp participation has been linked to multiple positive outcomes, thus camps have become popular as a setting for addressing these youth’s unique needs. With limited existing research on outcomes related to participation, this study explored to what extent participation in OMK camps affected military youth’s self-efficacy for communication, coping, and social skills. Participants responded to an online instrument three months after camp. Both campers and parents reported the largest increase in self-efficacy for communication skills, followed by social skills, and then coping skills. Open-ended responses overwhelmingly supported that developing friendships was one of the greatest benefits of attending a camp. The results are consistent with the literature regarding the importance of connectedness. Recommendations for conducting camps are offered. These finding may also be useful to those working with other special populations in the camp setting.
Matching habitat choice in nomadic crossbills appears most pronounced when food is most limiting

Of the various forms of nonrandom dispersal, matching habitat choice, whereby individuals preferentially reside in habitats where they are best adapted, has relatively little empirical support. Here, I use mark-recapture data to test for matching habitat choice in two nomadic ecotypes of North American Red Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra complex) that exist in the lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests in the South Hills, Idaho, every summer. Crossbills are adapted for foraging on seeds in conifer cones, and in the South Hills the cones are distinctive, favoring a relatively large bill. During a period when seed was most limiting, only the largest individuals approximating the average size of the locally adapted ecotype remained for a year or more. During a period when seed was less limiting, proportionately more individuals remained and the trend for larger individuals to remain was weaker. Although matching habitat choice is difficult to demonstrate, it likely contributed to the observed patterns. Otherwise, nearly unprecedented intensities of natural selection would be needed. Given the nomadic behavior of most crossbill ecotypes and the heterogeneous nature of conifer seed crops, matching habitat choice should be favored and likely contributes to their adaptation to alternative conifers and rapid diversification.
Study for new hardmask process scheme

Hardmask processes are a key technique to enable low-k semiconductors, but they can have an impact on patterning control, influencing defectivity, alignment, and overlay. Specifically, amorphous carbon layer (ACL) hardmask schemes can negatively affect overlay by creating distorted alignment signals. A new scheme needs to be developed that can be inserted where amorphous carbon is used but provide better alignment performance. Typical spin-on carbon (SOC) materials used in other hardmask schemes have issues with DCD-FCD skew. In this paper we will evaluate new spin-on carbon material with a higher carbon content that could be a candidate to replace amorphous carbon.
Abstract 444: Angiotensinogen Influences Metabolic Rate and Metabolome in Plasma and Hepatic Tissue

Background and Objective: Angiotensinogen(AGT) is the only known substrate of the renin-angiotensin system. We have reported previously that mice with whole body reduction of AGT (hypomorphic AGT mice) resists diet-induced weight gain. We have subsequently demonstrated that hepatocyte-derived AGT is primarily responsible for the observed phenotype. In order to define the potential mechanism, we determined the effects of AGT deficiency on metabolic rate in hepatocyte-specific AGT deficient mice ( Agt hpt-/- ) and the metabolome of both plasma and liver in hypomorphic AGT mice. Methods and Results: Agt hpt-/- mice were generated by breeding AGT floxed mice with transgenic mice expressing Cre under the control of albumin promoter. Male Agt hpt-/- mice and the littermates were fed a saturated fat-enriched diet (21% wt/wt milk fat) for 3 months. Agt hpt-/- mice had significantly lower body weight than their littermates (30.9 ± 1.6 versus 41.1 ± 1.9 g, p Agt hpt-/- mice had 40% less fat mass compared to their littermates (6.2 ± 1.1 versus 11.9 ± 1.6 g, p Agt hpt-/- mice were single-housed for 5 consecutive days after 3 days of acclimation in a metabolic phenotyping system (TSE Systems, MO). The following parameters were recorded every 30 minutes: food intake, water consumption, O 2 consumption, CO 2 production and locomotion. Data were normalized to lean mass. Food intake and locomotion were not different between two groups. However, we found that Agt hpt-/- mice had significantly increased O 2 consumption (by 21% at day cycle and 15% at night cycle) and CO 2 production (by 23% at day cycle and 14% at night cycle). While mice with whole body reduction of AGT exhibited a similar lean phenotype, mass spectrometric analyses of the metabolome showed that approximately one third of the 300 metabolites analyzed had significant changes in the liver and plasma in hypomorphic AGT mice when compared to their wild type littermates. These changes ranged from bile acid production to free fatty acid metabolism. Conclusion: Angiotensinogen contributes to metabolic rate and influences metabolome in plasma and hepatic tissue in mice.
The Deterrent Effects of SEC Enforcement and Class Action Litigation

The United States’ (U.S.) Congress specifically requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to deter potential miscreants via its enforcement actions against firms that engage in fraudulent financial reporting. The U.S. is also unique in allowing private enforcement against miscreants via class action lawsuits. In this paper, we investigate whether SEC enforcement actions and class action lawsuits, over the years 1996-2006, deter aggressive financial reporting behavior among the peers of fraudulent firms. We find significant deterrence associated with both SEC enforcement actions and class action lawsuits. The average peer firm, subject to SEC action or litigation, reduces discretionary accruals equivalent to 14% to 22% of the median return on assets (ROA) in the aftermath of such enforcement. The results also inform target selection criteria associated with greater deterrence. Moreover, repeated and sustained enforcement in an industry, as opposed to isolated investigations, provides more effective deterrence.
Efficient crop model parameter estimation and site characterization using large breeding trial data sets

Abstract Scientists have estimated that global crop production needs to double by 2050 to supply the demand for food, feed, and fuel. To reach this goal, novel methods are needed to increase breeding potential yield rates of gain as well as on-farm yields through enhanced management strategies. Both of these tasks require the ability to predict plant performance in multiple, dynamic environments based on a knowledge of cultivar characteristics (critical short day lengths, maximum leaf photosynthetic rates, pod fill durations, etc.) that are ultimately linked to genetics. Because of this linkage, we refer to such traits as genotype-specific parameters (GSP's). Using industry-provided yield and weather data from 353 site-years, we estimated seven primary CROPGRO-Soybean GSP's for each of 182 varieties. The data set had two shortcomings. First, no planting dates were supplied, rendering unknowable the environment actually experienced by the crop. Second, soil data were provided only for the top 20 cm, which is inadequate to specify the root environment and water supply availability. Therefore, additional edaphic information was acquired. A novel optimization algorithm was developed that simultaneously estimates GSP's and planting dates, while tuning layered soil water-holding properties. The optimizer, which we have named the holographic genetic algorithm (HGA), uses both externally supplied constraints and its own analysis of data structure to reduce what would otherwise be a search over 2000 dimensions to a much smaller number of overlapping 1- to 3-D problems. Two types of runs were performed. The first was preceded by an independent component analysis (ICA) of published GSP's. The subsequent training sought good component scores rather than the GSP's themselves. The second, separate factor (SF) approach allowed all GSP's to vary separately. This makes parameters unconstrained and more evenly distributed. Results showed that HGA works quite well with the CROPGRO-Soybean model to estimate the cultivar and site-specific parameters from breeding trial data. The quality of the calibrations and evaluations were similar across both run types with RMSE values being ca. 5.6% of the maximum yields. Moreover, the GSP's for a variety can be used to predict its yield in trials not used in that cultivar's calibration. Finally, despite high dimensionality, the GSP's, planting dates, and soil properties for all lines and sites converged concurrently in
Comparison of three models of saccade disconjugacy in strabismus.

Over the past several decades, numerous control systems models have been devised to simulate the known kinematic features of saccades in normal primates. These models have proven valuable to neurop...
Atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism: evidence of bidirectionality in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Essentials Atrial fibrillation (AF) may increase risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), and vice versa. Bidirectionality was assessed prospectively via data from 15 129 black and white individuals. AF was associated with greater risk of developing VTE, and VTE with greater risk of AF. Associations were strongest among blacks and in the first 6 months after initial diagnosis. Summary Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) frequently co-occur. These conditions have shared risk factors and are accompanied by coagulation abnormalities. Furthermore, mechanistic pathways may directly link the disorders. Objectives To test the hypothesis that individuals with incident AF are at greater risk of developing VTE, and those with VTE are at elevated risk of AF. We also tested whether associations were stronger in the first 6 months after the initial diagnosis, and explored race differences. Patients/Methods A total of 15 129 ARIC study participants (45-64 years, 55% female, 26% Black) were followed from 1987 to 2011 for incident AF and VTE (median follow-up 19.8 years). Multivariable-adjusted Cox regression was used, with AF and VTE modeled as time-dependent exposures. Results Incident AF was associated with greater risk of subsequent incident VTE (hazard ratio [95% CI], 1.71 [1.32-2.22]); the association was stronger in Black people (2.30 [1.48-3.58]) and during the first 6 months after AF diagnosis (5.08 [3.08-8.38]). Similarly, incident VTE was associated with increased risk of incident AF (1.73 [1.34-2.24]), especially in Black people (2.40 [1.55-3.74]) and in the first 6 months after VTE diagnosis (4.50 [2.61-7.77]). Conclusions The occurrence of AF was associated with increased risk of incident VTE, and occurrence of VTE was associated with greater risk of incident AF. Associations were particularly strong among Black people and during the first 6 months after the initial diagnosis, although they remained elevated even after 6 months. These findings highlight patient populations that may be at increased risk of AF and VTE, and perhaps should be targeted with preventive strategies.