cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The NOvA power distribution system

We describe the power distribution systems and grounding schemes built for the near and far detectors of the NOvA long-baseline neutrino experiment. They are used to power the avalanche photodiodes and their thermoelectric coolers, the front-end boards that read out, digitize and time stamp the signals from the avalanche photodiodes, and the data concentrator modules used to receive and format the data from the front-end boards before sending them to a farm of computers used to build the events. The system powers 344, 064 readout channels in the far detector and 20, 192 channels in the near detector.
Team Defensiveness: A Neglected Root Cause

This study assessed the presence and impact of team defensiveness in a quality-minded organization. Team defensive routines were defined as mechanisms that team members may initiate to protect themselves against embarrassments or threats and, at the sa..
An Inside Look at Botnets

The continued growth and diversification of the Internet has been accompanied by an increasing prevalence of attacks and intrusions [40]. It can be argued, however, that a significant change in motivation for malicious activity has taken place over the past several years: from vandalism and recognition in the hacker community, to attacks and intrusions for financial gain. This shift has been marked by a growing sophistication in the tools and methods used to conduct attacks, thereby escalating the network security arms race.
Fusing numerical relativity and deep learning to detect higher-order multipole waveforms from eccentric binary black hole mergers

We determine the mass ratio, eccentricity and binary inclination angles that maximize the contribution of the higher-order waveform multipoles $(\ensuremath{\ell},|m|)={(2,2),(2,1),(3,3),(3,2),(3,1),(4,4),(4,3),(4,2),\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}(4,1)}$ for the gravitational wave detection of eccentric binary black hole mergers. We carry out this study using numerical relativity waveforms that describe nonspinning black hole binaries with mass ratios $1\ensuremath{\le}q\ensuremath{\le}10$, and orbital eccentricities as high as ${e}_{0}=0.18$ fifteen cycles before merger. For stellar-mass, asymmetric mass-ratio, binary black hole mergers, and assuming LIGO's zero detuned high power configuration, we find that in regions of parameter space where black hole mergers modeled with $\ensuremath{\ell}=|m|=2$ waveforms have vanishing signal-to-noise ratios, the inclusion of $(\ensuremath{\ell},|m|)$ modes enables the observation of these sources with signal-to-noise ratios that range between 30% and 45% of the signal-to-noise ratio of optimally oriented binary black hole mergers modeled with $\ensuremath{\ell}=|m|=2$ numerical relativity waveforms. Having determined the parameter space where $(\ensuremath{\ell},|m|)$ modes are important for gravitational wave detection, we construct waveform signals that describe these astrophysically motivated scenarios and demonstrate that these topologically complex signals can be detected and characterized in real LIGO noise with deep learning algorithms.
Autonomy in the Age of Autonomous Vehicles

This essay describes intertwined policy challenges related to autonomous vehicle data. The policy goals of promoting privacy, safety, competition, and commerce are all so deeply intertwined, I conclude, that they must be understood and addressed together. This essay does not attempt to solve the problem. Instead, it presents a descriptive snapshot of the current state of play in the industry and closes by raising a set of questions. I hope these questions will prompt useful discussions among policy experts and the public.
Emotional Girls and Rational Boys: The Gendering of Violence Among Urban, African American Youth:

Much scholarship has given primacy to neighborhood context and its effect on youth violence within disadvantaged communities. The structural features of these environments, including various forms ...
Servicescape, positive affect, satisfaction and behavioral intentions: The moderating role of familiarity

Abstract This study is the first to assess the relationships between substantive and communicative servicescape, positive affect, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in a highly substantively staged hotel setting, as well as the moderating effects of brand and architectural familiarity. One hundred fifty online responses were obtained from guests who stayed at a hotel in the Rioja region of Spain, designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, famous for creating architectural landmarks that disrupt the local landscape. Data were analyzed utilizing Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings show that both substantive and communicative servicescape positively influence hotel customers’ positive affect, which has a positive impact on satisfaction, and which in turn significantly increases behavioral intentions. Brand familiarity moderates the relationship between substantive servicescape and positive affect, with the influence being greater for participants with low familiarity than for those with high familiarity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in detail.
Assessing Seasonal Predictability Sources and Windows of High Predictability in the Climate Forecast System, Version 2

AbstractThe representation of ENSO and NAO are examined in the Climate Forecast System, version 2 (CFSv2), reforecasts with a focus on the physical processes related to teleconnections and predicta...
Inoperable Pulmonary Carcinoid Tumors: Local Control Rates With Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy/Hypofractionated RT With Image-Guided Radiotherapy.

Abstract Introduction Surgery is the standard of care for pulmonary carcinoid tumors; however, options for inoperable patients are few. We report the outcomes of inoperable pulmonary carcinoid patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Patients and Methods From an institutional database, we retrospectively identified patients treated with SBRT for pulmonary carcinoid tumors from 2007 to 2017. Additional inclusion criteria were previous histopathologic diagnosis, age older than 18 years and Karnofsky performance status ≥ 70. Results Ten patients were treated for 12 pulmonary carcinoid lesions with 5 to 10 fractions of SBRT. Their median age was 66.5 years (range, 40-83 years) and most presented with nonspecific symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, or hemoptysis. Pathology revealed typical carcinoid for 9 patients, with the 10th with atypical histology. The median prescription dose for all patients was 50 Gy in 5 to 10 fractions (range, 40-60 Gy) with SBRT/hypofractionated radiation with daily image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) delivered using a linear accelerator with respiratory monitoring. Four patients received 10-fraction hypofractionated radiation with daily IGRT and 6 others received 5-fraction SBRT. The follow-up after SBRT/hypofractionated IGRT ranged from 6 to 56 months (median, 25 months). Four patients were alive with stable disease at their last follow-up. Two patients died from disease progression in the mediastinal lymph nodes as well as in the lung. Both opted for palliative treatment. The other 4 patients died from their comorbid medical conditions, but had stable disease at their last follow-up. Median overall survival was 27.1 months (range, 5.5-56 months). Conclusion Pulmonary carcinoid tumors treated with SBRT have a promising tumor control rate and survival.
The impact of country image and destination image on US tourists’ travel intention

Abstract Over the past decades there has been a sustained interest in country image and destination image constructs in two primary streams of literature, including international marketing and tourism. However, limited research in tourism has investigated the differences and interaction between these two constructs and their impacts on intention to visit. The current study addresses this gap by developing and testing a theoretical model that examines the relationships among the country and destination image of Cuba, a country that has continuous political conflicts with the US, and Americans’ intention to visit Cuba as a tourism destination. In addition, the moderating role of destination familiarity on the proposed relationships is examined. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is utilized to test the proposed model using data collected from 353 US residents. The results demonstrate that country image has a positive impact on destination image, and both country image and destination image positively influence intention to visit. A significant moderating effect of destination familiarity is also found on the relationships between country image and destination image, and destination image and intention to visit. This research provides valuable theoretical and practical implications for academics and practitioners in the field of destination marketing and management.
Multichoice Games for Optimizing Task Assignment in Edge Computing

Mobile Edge Computing has quickly become a promising paradigm to meet the ever-increasing data-processing demands imposed by emerging applications, by shifting computations to network edge. In this paper, we address two problems unique in edge computing: How to determine the execution cost contributed by each computing task in an edge environment, and how to distributively assign tasks to heterogeneous edge nodes to minimize total execution cost? Cost accounting is a long-standing hard problem for multiprocessing systems, e.g., when edge nodes jointly process tasks from different users. We propose a new framework that models the problem as a multichoice cooperative game, and use Shapley Value for cost accounting. The result enables us to decouple the cost of concurrent task executions and to efficiently solve the task assignment problem through a distributive Hungarian algorithm. To evaluate the performance, we conduct hybrid experiments by collecting trace from a fully implemented edge testbed and generating cost profiles to drive extensive simulations. Numerical results show that our solution guided by multichoice Shapley value is able to consistently outperform two baseline strategies using oblivious cost accounting policies, for task assignment in heterogeneous edge networks. Our solution's advantages become more significant for edge networks with higher levels of heterogeneity (either computation- or network-wise).
16-micron infrared generation by difference-frequency mixing in diffysion-bonded-stacked GaAs

Currently available nonlinear optical crystals for generating coherent radiation beyond 10 μm have problems such as high optical absorption, low optical damage threshold, and high cost.
Co-viewing Virtually: Social Outcomes of Second Screening with Televised and Streamed Content:

Viewership of traditional television programming has been steadily declining, particularly among younger audiences, who have turned to smartphones, social media, streaming services, and YouTube to ...
VLSI Researches for Machine Learning and Neuromorphic Computing

To accelerate performance per power in demanding machine learning applications in data centers, recently graphics processing units (GPU), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC) are broadly utilized by equipping massively parallel digital multiply-accumulators, where multiply-accumulation is an arithmetic bottleneck in software workloads using neural networks. Some of intelligent edge devices also become equipping ASIC or IP cores including such massively parallel multiply-accumulators optimized for specific machine learning applications at low-power consumption. This presentation introduces our current research activities in analog-based machine learning accelerators and analog-based spiking neural network processors aiming at high performance per power in machine learning applications by taking advantage of high-speed and low-power analog multiply-accumulation arithmetic over densely-packed synaptic non-volatile memory (NVM) resistive device arrays.
Client-Centered Therapy

Client-centered therapy, also called the person-centered approach, describes Carl R. Rogers’ way of working with persons experiencing all types of personal disturbances or problems in living (Rogers, 1959; 1961; 1969; 1970; 1972; 1980a; 1986a). As early as 1939, Rogers developed his theory of psychotherapy with troubled children, and went on to expand his theoretical approach to include work with couples, families, and groups. His most comprehensive theoretical statement was published as a chapter in Sigmund Koch’s Psychology: A Study of a Science (Vol. III) in 1959, and includes his theory of motivation and personality development, as well as theory of group interaction and interpersonal relationships (Koch, 1959, 184–256). Over his long career, Rogers extrapolated client-centered values to the education, marriage, group encounter, personal power, and conflict resolution (Rogers, 1969, 1970, 1972). Today, the person-centered approach is practiced in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Greece, Portugal, Demark, Poland, Hungary, The Netherlands, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, and South Africa, as well as here in the United States and Canada. A world association, which can be contacted online, was founded in Lisbon in 1997 that reflects the growth and vitality of the approach entitled the World Association for Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy and Counseling (WAPCEPC). Another international organization comprised of a diversemembership—laypersons, educators, business consultants, therapists, artists, psychologists—theAssociation for the Development of the Person-Centered Approach (ADPCA), is also accessible on the internet.
GUANGALA HUMAN REMAINS FROM THE TORRE MARINA SITE, COASTAL ECUADOR

espanolResumen: La comparacion de datos esqueleticos y dentales que comprenden el Ecuador pre- y post-colombino revelan tendencias en la salud de las poblaciones a traves de tiempo y a lo largo de las regiones geograficas. Este articulo presenta nuevos datos del sitio de Torre Marina, ubicado en la tardia Guangala cerca de La Libertad en la costa Ecuatoriana. La muestra esta com- puesta por 79 individuos, de todas las edades, de 57 rasgos (caracteristicas). Aunque fragmentados, los restos recuperados proporcionan informacion sobre la composicion demografica de esta poblacion costera, asi como sobre la prevalencia de traumatismos y enfermedades. Los nuevos datos se presentan para su comparacion con las estadisticas previamente descritas sobre el Ecuador antiguo. EnglishAbstract: Comparative skeletal and dental data from periods spanning pre- and post-contact Ecuador reveal trends in the health of populations through time and across geographic regions. This paper presents new data from the Late Guangala site of Torre Marina near La Libertad on the Ecuadorean coast. The sample is comprised of 79 individuals, of all ages, from 57 rasgos (features). Although fragmentary, the recovered remains provide information about the demographic composition of this coastal population as well as the prevalence of trauma and disease. The new data are presented for comparison alongside previously reported statistics from early Ecuador.
From concrete walls to digital walls: transmedia construction of place myth in Ihwa Mural Village, South Korea:

Media representation is not a neutral site for reflection of reality, but a process through which discourses are constructed and circulated. When presented in media, urban space is re-mediated and ...
Language and emotions: Emotional Sapir―Whorf hypothesis

An emotional version of Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that differences in language emotionalities influence differences among cultures no less than conceptual differences. Conceptual contents of languages and cultures to significant extent are determined by words and their semantic differences; these could be borrowed among languages and exchanged among cultures. Emotional differences, as suggested in the paper, are related to grammar and mostly cannot be borrowed. The paper considers conceptual and emotional mechanisms of language along with their role in the mind and cultural evolution. Language evolution from primordial undifferentiated animal cries is discussed: while conceptual contents increase, emotional reduced. Neural mechanisms of these processes are suggested as well as their mathematical models: the knowledge instinct, the dual model connecting language and cognition, neural modeling fields. Mathematical results are related to cognitive science, linguistics, and psychology. Experimental evidence and theoretical arguments are discussed. Dynamics of the hierarchy-heterarchy of human minds and cultures is formulated using mean-field approach and approximate equations are obtained. The knowledge instinct operating in the mind heterarchy leads to mechanisms of differentiation and synthesis determining ontological development and cultural evolution. These mathematical models identify three types of cultures: "conceptual" pragmatic cultures in which emotionality of language is reduced and differentiation overtakes synthesis resulting in fast evolution at the price of uncertainty of values, self doubts, and internal crises; "traditional-emotional" cultures where differentiation lags behind synthesis, resulting in cultural stability at the price of stagnation; and "multi-cultural" societies combining fast cultural evolution and stability. Unsolved problems and future theoretical and experimental directions are discussed.
Patient Perception of Medical Student Professionalism: Does Attire Matter?

Introduction Patient compliance and outcomes have been shown to be influenced by the quality of the doctor-patient relationship. In addition, the effect of physician attire on the patient's perception of the physician has been long appreciated. Data shows that professional attire is preferred by patients. Whereas treating physicians are the backbone of patient management, medical students are often a patient's first encounter in a teaching clinic. Patient perception of the student may impact their rating of the attending physician. Despite this, medical students are often dressed wearing scrubs in surgery clinic. The purpose of this study was to determine if patient perception of medical students would be affected by the students’ attire. Methods A 7-item, validated professionalism scale was used to survey surgery clinic patients whose initial examinations were performed by a medical student. Students were blinded and randomly assigned to wear professional attire versus scrubs. Patients’ responses of ‘strongly agree’ were compared to lower ratings for each item. Results One hundred twenty-three patients completed our survey, 63 (51.2%) wearing scrubs and 60 (48.8%) in professional attire. The average age was 49.7 ± 15.8 years. In the professional attire group, there was no significant association for any of the 7 items. However, in the scrubs group, all 7 items were significant such that a higher proportion of patients under the age of 60 rated medical students wearing scrubs higher than did patients aged 60 and above. Conclusion Students in scrubs were perceived to be less knowledgeable, competent, and professional by older patients. In contrast, younger patients seemed unaffected by the dress of medical students in clinic. Older patients may judge the medical community's growing acceptance of more casual attire in the workplace as less professional, potentially affecting patient satisfaction. Surgical educators should require a standard of professional attire for students in clinic.
Optimal Stress Tests and Liquidation Cost

We study stress tests as Bayesian persuasion within the fundamental bank run framework. This paper shows that the optimal disclosure policy depends on the liquidation cost of the long-term asset. In particular, when the liquidation cost is high, the optimal stress test partially discloses information about banks' asset: it reduces the likelihood of bank runs. When the liquidation cost is low, the optimal stress test fully discloses information: it increases the likelihood of enjoying the high asset return. The central trade-off in the design of a stress test is between the bank run cost and the high asset return. The theory suggests regulatory policy coordination - joint design of the stress test and other policies that affect asset market liquidity.
Latinx Youths' "Testimonios" of Racist Nativism: Poetry and Acompañamiento to Bridge Past and Present Experiences.

This article focuses on Latinx youth’s testimonios or “stories of marginalization” tied to immigration. I drew from Anzaldua’s conceptualizations of nepantla [unfamiliar in-between spaces] and Sepu...
Posthospitalization follow-up recommendations after pediatric critical illness due to respiratory failure.

Objectives To characterize the recommended posthospitalization follow-up by provider type and location after a pediatric critical illness due to respiratory failure. Working hypothesis After pediatric critical illness due to respiratory failure, patients will not have a standard follow-up pattern with regard to provider type or follow-up location. Study design A retrospective cohort study. Subject selection Children, 18 years or younger, admitted to a quaternary care pediatric intensive care unit with respiratory failure between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014. Methodology For eligible patients, recommendations for posthospitalization follow-up including provider type (primary care and specialty care) and location (community care center vs. tertiary care center) were characterized from medical chart review. Recommendations were examined for all patients and two patient subgroups (patients who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and patients with tracheostomy). Results Of 155 patients alive at hospital discharge, the median age was 2.1 (interquartile range, 0.7-10.6) years. Eighty percent of patients were instructed to follow-up with a primary care provider but only 52.9% with a pulmonologist. We found 10 unique follow-up patterns between provider location (community care center, tertiary care center, or both) and global provider type (primary care versus specialty care). Primary care follow-up was recommended more often at community locations (74.2%), whereas specialty care was more often recommended at tertiary care centers (68.6%). Conclusions Our study findings demonstrate significant variability in the recommendations for follow-up by provider type and location after hospitalization for acute respiratory failure and highlight areas for improvement in follow-up care after pediatric critical illness.
Management of severe frostbite with iloprost, alteplase and heparin: a Yukon case series

Background We identified the need to modernize frostbite management in our northern centre and implemented a treatment protocol in 2015. Our aim was to describe the clinical course of patients presenting to the hospital since the implementation of the protocol. Methods This was a retrospective case series from Whitehorse General Hospital, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. We reviewed the charts of patients who presented to the hospital with grade 2-4 frostbite and were treated as per our protocol between Feb. 9, 2015, and Feb. 8, 2020. Patients with grade 2-4 frostbite received iloprost; in addition, those with grade 4 frostbite received alteplase and heparin. We determined the number of digits affected and salvaged, and the time from presentation to the emergency department to treatment initiation. We also examined patients' demographic characteristics, predisposing events, frostbite severity and adverse drug reactions. Results In 22 patients treated for grade 2-4 frostbite, 142 digits were affected: 59 with grade 2 frostbite, 25 with grade 3 frostbite and 58 with grade 4 frostbite; of the 142, 113 (79.6%) were salvaged. All 29 digits amputated had grade 4 frostbite. The mean time from presentation to iloprost initiation was reduced from 32.9 hours in 2015 to 3.0 hours in 2020. Sports (10 cases [45%]) and alcohol use (6 [27%]) were the most common precipitating events, with alcohol use tending to result in more severe injury (grade 4 in 5 of 6 cases). Adverse reactions with iloprost (e.g., headache) were common but mild. Adverse reactions with alteplase (e.g., bleeding) were less common but of greater clinical significance. Interpretation Over the study period, our protocol contributed to improvement in frostbite care at our institution, resulting in a digit salvage rate comparable to other published results. Our 5-year experience shows that advanced medical care of frostbite can be achieved, even at a rural centre.
Cross sections for H 3 ( 7 Li, n 0 ) 9 Be and H 3 ( 7 Li, n tot )

The $^{3}\mathrm{H}$${(}^{7}$Li,${\mathit{n}}_{0}$${)}^{9}$Be cross section was measured for 0.15${\mathit{E}}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}$1.24 MeV at ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{\mathrm{lab}}$=0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, 45\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, and 135\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} using Si(Li) diodes as neutron spectrometers. The $^{3}\mathrm{H}$${(}^{7}$Li,${\mathit{n}}_{\mathrm{tot}}$) cross section was measured for 0.05${\mathit{E}}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}$1.5 MeV using a 4\ensuremath{\pi} neutron detector. The cross section for $^{3}\mathrm{H}$${(}^{7}$Li,${\mathit{n}}_{0}$${)}^{9}$Be was used to calculate the thermonuclear reaction rate for the temperature range 0.3--10 GK. The results support predictions that $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$ may be produced in quantities near spectroscopic limits of observation according to some models of inhomogeneous primordial nucleosynthesis.
Zip Code-Related Income Disparities in Patients with Colorectal Cancer:

IntroductionScreening and early detection reduce morbidity and mortality in colorectal cancer. Our aim is to study the effect of income disparities on the clinical characteristics of patients with ...
Nonlinear Tracking on the Infinite Horizon: Optimal Robust State Feedback

Abstract Optimal robust state-feedback controllers that minimize tracking errors over all times t ≥ 0 are considered. It is shown that such controllers exist for nonlinear input-affine systems that satisfy a certain controllability condition. Easy-to-implement controllers that approximate optimal performance are presented.
Guaranteed globally injective 3D deformation processing

We extend recent advances in the numerical time-integration of contacting elastodynamics [Li et al. 2020] to build a new framework, called Injective Deformation Processing (IDP), for the robust solution of a wide range of mesh deformation problems requiring injectivity. IDP solves challenging 3D (and 2D) geometry processing and animation tasks on meshes, via artificial time integration, with guarantees of both non-inversion and non-overlap. To our knowledge IDP is the first framework for 3D deformation processing that can efficiently guarantee globally injective deformation without geometric locking. We demonstrate its application on a diverse set of problems and show its significant improvement over state-of-the-art for globally injective 3D deformation.
Back-up System

An alternate system which can be used in cases of hardware or software failure is absolutely essential in developing a well-integrated program. It is inappropriate for a hospital to rely upon computer equipment even if it is 100% redundant, since a time will come when this is not enough. It is much more reassuring to know that a system exists which can handle the hospital in case of failure. It is also appropriate in the development of a reserve system to provide a military (SAC)-like testing phase for the hospital such that each individual is aware of the necessary requirements for manual systems success. After many months of working with our system, it has been possible to develop several levels of back-up which we hope will never be used, but which are always ready for action.
Galaxies and Cosmology

The article contains sections titled: 1 Introduction 2 Ancient and Classical Cosmology 2.1 Greek Cosmology 2.2 The Revival of Greek Cosmology 2.3 Newton's Cosmology 2.4 Kant and Laplace 2.5 Cosmology in the 19th Century 3 the Milky Way and Other Galaxies 3.1 Cepheids as Distance Indicators 3.2 Shapley's Galaxy 3.3 The Role of Dust 3.4 Galactic Rotation 3.5 The Nature of Spiral Nebulae 3.6 Composition of Galaxies 3.7 Galaxy Types 3.8 Chemical Composition and Age 4 “THE REALM OF THE NEBULAE” 4.1 The Cosmological Principle 4.2 The Cosmic Expansion 4.3 The Spatial Distribution of Galaxies 4.4 Prevalence of Dark Matter 4.5 The Cosmic Microwave Background 4.6 The Age of the Universe 5 Modern Cosmology 5.1 Relativistic Cosmology 5.2 The Primordial Fireball 5.3 Origin of Helium and Other Light Elements 5.4 The Primordial Fireball and Particle Physics 5.5 Phase Transitions, Domain Walls, and Magnetic Monopoles 5.6 Inflationary Cosmology 5.7 Origin and Growth of Density Fluctuations in the Fireball 5.8 The Vacuum–Energy Problem 5.9 A Cold Universe? 5.10 The Cold Universe and Particle Physics
Intraoperative fiducial-less patient registration using volumetric 3D ultrasound: a prospective series of 32 neurosurgical cases

OBJECT Fiducial-based registration (FBR) is used widely for patient registration in image-guided neurosurgery. The authors of this study have developed an automatic fiducial-less registration (FLR) technique to find the patient-to-image transformation by directly registering 3D ultrasound (3DUS) with MR images without incorporating prior information. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the performance of the FLR technique when used prospectively in the operating room and to compare it with conventional FBR. METHODS In 32 surgical patients who underwent conventional FBR, preoperative T1-weighted MR images (pMR) with attached fiducial markers were acquired prior to surgery. After craniotomy but before dural opening, a set of 3DUS images of the brain volume was acquired. A 2-step registration process was executed immediately after image acquisition: 1) the cortical surfaces from pMR and 3DUS were segmented, and a multistart sum-of-squared-intensity-difference registration was executed to find an initial...
The paradox of the antibody response to streptodornase: the usefulness of antidesoxyribonuclease B as an indication of streptococcal infection in patients with acute rheumatic fever.

Abstract The paradoxical infrequency with which an antibody response to streptococcal desoxyribonuclease (streptodornase, Dnase) has been noted to develop following streptococcal infection can be explained by the demonstration of three immunologically distinct desoxyribonucleases, designated streptococcal Dnases A, B and C. Antibody responses to Dnases A and C occur rarely, whereas antibody responses to the more common antigen, Dnase B, occur regularly following streptococcal infection. The frequency and magnitude of the antibody response to Dnase B make it comparable to the antistreptolysin O test as a reliable indicator of recent streptococcal infection in patients in whom the diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever is being considered. The anti-Dnase B test is particularly useful in patients with acute rheumatic fever who present with low or borderline antistreptolysin O titers. In such patients the anti-Dnase B titer is often unquestionably elevated.
Death by a Thousand Cuts: The Rule Against Perpetuities

This article suggests the policy and social justifications against dead hand control far outweigh transfer tax advantages provided to wealthy settlors and the potential revenue expected to be generated by the abolishment legislation. The abolishment legislation may be readily adopted by other jurisdictions in light of the legislatures' failure to recognize the consequences of unlimited dead hand control.This article recognizes that the Rule is complicated, and Rule violations present harsh consequences for practitioners and their clients. In fact, violations of the Rule, due to its complexity, have been held as an attorney error, not subject to a malpractice claim. The complexities of the Rule and the harsh consequences for the violations thereof, initiated and resulted in the variations of reform.A brief discussion of the origin of the Rule, basic elements and the modern reform, are useful for a fuller understanding of this article's critique of the abolishment legislation. After the brief discussion of the Rule and reform, this article categorizes the abolishment legislation as the 1998 abolishment legislation; the additional-incentive jurisdictions and the forerunners of abolishment. After categorizing the abolishment legislation, this article compares the arguments against the abolishment legislation to its advantages. Furthermore, this article emphasizes that the abolishment legislation has ignored dead hand control in favor of providing wealthy settlors with an estate planning tool to minimize federal transfer taxes. In conclusion, this article suggests that in light of the consequences of dead hand control the abolishment legislation should be stopped. Failure to stop the trend among jurisdictions could result in the Federal government curtailing dead hand control.
IsomiR expression profiles in human lymphoblastoid cell lines exhibit population and gender dependencies.

// Phillipe Loher 1 , Eric R. Londin 1 , and Isidore Rigoutsos 1 1 Computational Medicine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA Correspondence: Isidore Rigoutsos, email: // Keywords : microRNAs, miRNAs, isomiRs, 1000 Genomes Received : July 16, 2014 Accepted : August 22, 2014 Published : August 27, 2014 Abstract For many years it was believed that each mature microRNA (miRNA) existed as a single entity with fixed endpoints and a ‘static’ and unchangeable primary sequence. However, recent evidence suggests that mature miRNAs are more ‘dynamic’ and that each miRNA precursor arm gives rise to multiple isoforms, the isomiRs. Here we report on our identification of numerous and abundant isomiRs in the lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) of 452 men and women from five different population groups. Unexpectedly, we find that these isomiRs exhibit an expression profile that is population-dependent and gender-dependent. This is important as it indicates that the LCLs of each gender/population combination have their own unique collection of mature miRNA transcripts. Moreover, each identified isomiR has its own characteristic abundance that remains consistent across biological replicates indicating that these are not degradation products. The primary sequences of identified isomiRs differ from the known miRBase miRNA either at their 5´-endpoint (leads to a different ‘seed’ sequence and suggests a different targetome), their 3´-endpoint, or both simultaneously. Our analysis of Argonaute PAR-CLIP data from LCLs supports the association of many of these newly identified isomiRs with the Argonaute silencing complex and thus their functional roles through participation in the RNA interference pathway.
Outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention of chronic total saphenous vein graft occlusions in the contemporary era.

Background Percutaneous coronary intervention of a chronic total occlusion to a saphenous vein graft is currently not recommended because the benefit/risk ratio is considered unfavorable. However, there is a patient subset with clinical ischemia, and PCI of the native chronic total occlusion (CTO) is unfavorable. In this setting, PCI to the saphenous vein graft (SVG) may have utility. We reviewed our experience to determine its value in the modern era. Methods and Results This was a single-center retrospective study of all patients undergoing PCI to SVG CTO. Of 161 patients undergoing SVG PCI during the study period, 27 patients underwent 28 SVG CTO PCI, which was technically successful in 79% (22/28). There were 2 intra-procedural Q wave myocardial infarctions. At 30 days there were no adverse events after hospital discharge. Angina relief was significantly better at 30 days in successful (n = 21) vs. unsuccessful (n = 6) PCI(90% vs. 33% P < 0.01). At the last available follow-up (591 ± 407 days), angina improvement persisted (80.1% vs. 33%, P < 0.01). Long-term adverse events were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion PCI to SVG CTO is feasible with a reasonable success rate, safety profile, and improvement in angina in contemporary practice. This approach may be considered in highly selected patients where revascularization to the ischemic territory is appropriate and the native CTO is technically difficult to recanalize. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A net-based approach to the synthesis of nondeterministic robot plans

A technique is discussed for both representing and automatically synthesizing high-level multirobot plans through the use of generalized condition/event (GC/E) nets. An example is given of the functionality of the approach for representing and solving problems of resource allocation in environments containing more than one agent. An important property of nets called persistence, which is essential to multiagent plans, is identified. Persistence, of allowed suborderings of events must be preserved by any net-growing algorithm that produces a plan involving nondeterministic mutual exclusion. >
Explicit Factorizations of Cyclotomic and Dickson Polynomials over Finite Fields

We give, over a finite field F q , explicit factorizations into a product of irreducible polynomials, of the cyclotomic polynomials of order 3·2n, the Dickson polynomials of the first kind of order 3·2nand the Dickson polynomials of the second kind of order 3·2ni¾? 1.
Generalized Debye model for PCB dielectrics and conductors

Electromagnetic (EM) simulators are commonly used for electromagnetic compatibility and signal integrity (SI) analysis of printed circuit boards (PCB). The accuracy of such analysis depends on the models used for PCB dielectrics and conductors. These models should be broadband and preserve the physical properties of the materials, such as causality and passivity. One such model for dielectrics is the Debye model. Conductors have typically been modeled using a simple surface impedance formula, which is accurate for smooth conductors and small skin depth. With the evolution of high-speed designs, surface roughness loss has also become increasingly important for signal integrity of PCB interconnects. In this paper, we propose a Debye-like model for conductors possibly having rough surfaces. The advantages of a Debye model are its flexibility for arbitrary variation of surface roughness; guaranteed passivity in SI analysis; and availability of an equivalent circuit representation.
SNP Genotyping Using the Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX Platform

The method for SNP genotyping described in this unit is based on the commercially available Sequenom MassARRAY platform. The assay consists of an initial locus-specific PCR reaction, followed by single base extension using mass-modified dideoxynucleotide terminators of an oligonucleotide primer which anneals immediately upstream of the polymorphic site of interest. Using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, the distinct mass of the extended primer identifies the SNP allele.
Influence of procetofen on lipid metabolism in normocholesteremic rats.

Summary Procetofen was administered to rats at a dose level of 10 mg/kg/day. The drug, suspended in gum tragacanth, was given by gavage. For comparison, clofibrate was administered at a dose of 30 mg/kg/day. Control rats were dosed with vehicle. Both substances were hepatomegalic, but procetofen was 10–15% less hepatomegalic than clofibrate. Procetofen administration lowered serum and liver cholesterol levels but raised liver triglyceride levels. Procetofen inhibited the conversion of acetate and mevalonate to cholesterol by suitably fortified rat liver slices; it also inhibited fatty acid synthesis. Cholesterol absorption was similar in the control and procetofen groups and somewhat (17–23%) lower in rats fed clofibrate. The serum plus liver cholesterol pool was of similar size in all three groups of rats. The serum plus liver triglyceride pool was 40–48% smaller in control rats than in the two test groups.
Hazard-rate analysis and patterns of recurrence in early stage melanoma: moving towards a rationally designed surveillance strategy.

Background While curable at early stages, few treatment options exist for advanced melanoma. Currently, no consensus exists regarding the optimal surveillance strategy for patients after resection. The objectives of this study were to identify patterns of metastatic recurrence, to determine the influence of metastatic site on survival, and to identify high-risk periods for recurrence. Methods A retrospective review of the Duke Melanoma Database from 1970 to 2004 was conducted that focused on patients who were initially diagnosed without metastatic disease. The time to first recurrence was computed from the date of diagnosis, and the associated hazard function was examined to determine the peak risk period of recurrence. Metastatic sites were coded by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) system including local skin, distant skin and nodes (M1a), lung (M1b), and other distant (M1c). Results Of 11,615 patients initially diagnosed without metastatic disease, 4616 (40%) had at least one recurrence. Overall the risk of initial recurrence peaked at 12 months. The risk of initial recurrence at the local skin, distant skin, and nodes peaked at 8 months, and the risk at lung and other distant sites peaked at 24 months. Patients with a cutaneous or nodal recurrence had improved survival compared to other recurrence types. Conclusions The risk of developing recurrent melanoma peaked at one year, and the site of first recurrence had a significant impact on survival. Defining the timing and expected patterns of recurrence will be important in creating an optimized surveillance strategy for this patient population.
The scaling of nucleation rates

The homogeneous nucleation rate,J, forT → T c can be cast into a “corresponding states” form by exploiting scaled expressions for the vapor pressure and for the surface tension, δ. In the vapor-to-liquid case with δ= δ0[T c -T], the classical cluster energy of formation /kT = [16π/3] • Ώ3 [T c -1]3/(lnS)2 = [x0/x]2, where Ώ ≡ δ0/[k n2/3] and n is liquid number density. [1] The Ώ≈ 2 for normal liquids. (A similar approach can be applied to homogeneous liquid to solid nucleation and to heterogeneous nucleation formalisms using appropriate modifications ofσ and Ώ.[2]) The above [x0/x]2 is sufficiently tenable that in some cases, one can use it to extract approximate critical temperatures from experimental data.[3,4] In this work, we point out that expansion cloud chamber data (for nonane, toluene, and water) are in excellent agreement with lnJ ≈ const. -[x0/x]2 [centimeter-gram-second (cgs) units], and that the constant term is well approximated by ln (Γc), whereT c is the inverse thermal wavelength cubed per second atT =T c . The ln (Γc) is ≈ 60 in cgs units (74 in SI units) for most materials. A physical basis for the latter form, which includes the behavior at smalln, the discrete integer behavior ofn, and a configurational entropy term, τ ln (n), is presented.
Some constraints on soot particle inception in premixed ethylene flames

We examined the effects of incremental amounts of fuel on soot formation in premixed ethylene flames. The incremental fuel was either ethylene or toluene, and to the extent possible the flames were otherwise kept similar. We found that increments of carbon introduced as ethylene were just as effective at increasing soot formation as increments of carbon introduced as toluene. We interpret this result to mean that the soot formation process in our ethylene flames is not limited by the concentration of benzene or toluene and that flame environment rather than fuel structure dominates in determining sooting propensity in our flames.
The use of 3H and tritiogenic 3He to determine CFC degradation and vertical mixing rates in Framvaren Fjord, Norway

Concentrations of CFC-11 and CFC-12, as well as tritium and helium isotopes were measured in the super-anoxic, sub-surface waters of Framvaren Fjord in Norway to assess the stability of CFCs in reducing environments. This fjord provides an ideal environment to study the degradation of CFCs because of its relatively simple dynamics and the narrow zone in which chemical reactions and biological activity, relevant to CFC degradation, occur in the water column. CFCs and tritium enter the fjord at the surface and are transported into the deep water primarily by turbulent vertical mixing. The turbulent vertical mixing rate was determined by fitting a 1D model to the vertical distributions of [3H] and [3H] + [3Hetrit], and found to be 0.006–0.008 cm2 s−1. Using these values, the degradation rates for CFC-11 and CFC-12 were obtained by comparing model simulations incorporating first-order degradation rates to the observed CFC profiles. CFC-11 is degraded at a rate of 6–9 yr−1 below 19 m depth where oxygen concentrations are zero. CFC-12 is found to have a maximum degradation rate of 0.01 to 0.03 yr−1.
Characterization of polypropylene according to steady‐state flow behavior

Commercial samples of polypropylene were characterized in respect to their molecular weight and molecular weight distribution on the basis of quantitative information gained from their steady-state flow behavior. The information obtained from this analysis was used to interpret the results of extrudate swelling, reinforcement of impact strength, and lowering of brittleness temperature. Manners of thermal and shear degradation were also studied.
Automotive engines and fuels: A review of future options

Abstract This paper reviews the current status and development potential of automotive heat engines: various types of internal combustion engines, the gas turbine, Stirling and Rankine cycle engines, and compound engine systems. Expected changes in transportation fuels from natural petroleum, and the likely impact of alternative fuels are also examined. Emphasis is placed on the general structure of the issues to be faced in making choices about where to put research and development resources, rather than on technical detail, to provide an overview of this broad area.
Family caregivers' monitoring of medication usage: a qualitative study of Mexican-origin families with serious mental illness.

Despite the high level of involvement of many family caregivers of adults with serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, little is known about their experiences with and beliefs about monitoring the psychiatric medication usage of their relatives. We used consensual qualitative research methods to analyze narratives on this topic by 12 Mexican-descent caregivers (160 pages of transcripts). The caregivers predominantly represented parent (mother) caregivers with levels of psychological distress and burden that were similar to those of larger samples of Mexican-descent caregivers. They represented equally high and low Expressed Emotion. We found that (a) caregivers’ high knowledge (awareness) of medication usage was either tied to a hands-on monitoring approach or inferred by either the absence or the presence of their relatives’ symptoms, (b) caregivers struggled with reconciling the symptom stabilization benefits of medication with the medications’ side effects and limitations, and (c) most caregivers received little to no assistance from other available family members. Theory development and possible interventions involving family-assisted support of psychiatric medication usage should assess and possibly address caregivers’ struggles with medications’ side effects and low levels of support from available family.