cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Profile of Admission Chemical Data by Multichannel Automation: An Evaluative Experiment

In an experiment comparing the clinical chemical data obtained for incoming hospital patients from samples of blood submitted to the routine laboratory and from samples analyzed automatically, a multichannel analyzer was employed. The constituents determined, chosen on the basis of the frequency with which they were ordinarily requested, were glucose, urea, sodium, potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide content, calcium, phosphorus, total protein, albumin, and uric acid. In a significant fraction of the patients admitted at three different hospitals the profile of admission chemical determinations indicated abnormal values which had not been sought by the physician and which often were of direct help to him and benefit to the patient.
Design of gene circuitry by natural selection: Analysis of the lactose catabolic system in Escherichia coli

264 Reitzer, L. J. (1996) in I~sc./wr-ic.lii~i coli and Sulvionrllr. Cellular and Molecular I3iology (Neidhardt, F. C., Curtiss, 111, R., Ingraham, J. I,., I h , E. C. C., I,ow, K. B., Magasanik, B., Reznikoff, W. S., Riley, M., Schaechter, M. and Umbarger, 11. E., eds.), pp. 391-407, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC van Heeswijk, W. C., Stegeman, B., Iloving, S., Molenaar, D., Kahn, D. and Westerhoff, 11. V. (1995) FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 132, 153-157 9 van I Ieeswijk, W. C., I loving, S., Molcnaar, I)., Stegeman, I L , Kahn, I). and Westerhoff, 11. V. (1996) Mol. Microbiol. 21, 133-146 10 van Ileeswijk, W. C. (1998) Ph.1). ‘I’hesis, University of Amsterdam, ‘I’he Netherlands 11 Kacser, 11. and Burns, J. 12. (1983) Biochem. Soc. ‘I’rans. 7, 1 1491 150
Tracing Social Interaction: Perspectives on Archaic Copper Exchange from the Upper Great Lakes

Compositional analysis of copper is used to explore interaction between the Late Archaic occupants of the Northern Lakes region and their contemporaries in eastern and east-central Wisconsin. Copper artifacts from Burnt Rollways phase sites in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula are compared with the Middle Archaic Reigh and Late Archaic Riverside sites. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis of copper demonstrates differential acquisition of resources between Burnt Rollways and their contemporaries and suggests barriers to social interaction between the Northern Lakes and societies in the Lake Winnebago and western Lake Michigan regions.
Making Things Happen: A Theory of Causal Explanation

Making Things Happen: A Theory of Causal Explanation. James Woodward. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2003, 410 pages, $74.00.Reviewed by Keith A. MarkusDepartment of PsychologyJohn Jay Colleg...
Searching for the M best solutions in graphical models

The paper focuses on finding the m best solutions to combinatorial optimization problems using best-first or depth-first branch and bound search. Specifically, we present a new algorithm m-A*, extending the well-known A* to the m-best task, and for the first time prove that all its desirable properties, including soundness, completeness and optimal efficiency, are maintained. Since best-first algorithms require extensive memory, we also extend the memory-efficient depth-first branch and bound to the m-best task. We adapt both algorithms to optimization tasks over graphical models (e.g., Weighted CSP and MPE in Bayesian networks), provide complexity analysis and an empirical evaluation. Our experiments confirm theory that the best-first approach is largely superior when memory is available, but depth-first branch and bound is more robust. We also show that our algorithms are competitive with related schemes recently developed for the m-best task.
Isogeometric analysis of boundary integral equations: High-order collocation methods for the singular and hyper-singular equations

Isogeometric analysis is applied to boundary integral equations corresponding to boundary-value problems governed by Laplace’s equation. It is shown that the smoothness of geometric parametrizations central to computer-aided design can be exploited for regularizing integral operators to obtain high-order collocation methods involving superior approximation and numerical integration schemes. The regularization is applicable to both singular and hyper-singular integral equations, and as a result one can formulate the governing integral equations so that the corresponding linear algebraic equations are well-conditioned. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach allows one to compute accurate approximate solutions which optimally converge to the exact ones.
Development of CODEHOP RT-PCR to detect Hantavirus

Objective To develop a rapid method of detecting Hantavirus by RT-PCR using consensus degenerate hybrid oligonucleotide primers(CODEHOPs).Methods In accordance with the amino acid sequence of the L genome of different hantaviruses published in GenBank,a pair of primers was designed using CODEHOP.A rapid method of detecting all kinds of hantaviruses was developed by optimizing the reaction conditions,and the specificity and sensitivity of this technique was evaluated using standard virus strains.Results Specificity testing indicated that this technique amplified hantaviruses,and the size of the target fragments and the sequences coincided with the anticipated results.The minimum detection of hantavirus RNA was 10 pg.Conclusion A highly specific and sensitive technique for CODEHOP PCR was established,and this technique can be used to detect Hantavirus.
Analysis of Working Temperature of Coil Used in Electromagnetic Induction Controlled Automatic Steel-Teeming System

In order to apply the electromagnetic induction controlled automatic steel-teeming system in production,a new insulating method w hich can ensure the normal operation of the induction coil used in the system in high-temperature nozzle brick w as proposed. The numerical simulation method w as employed to investigate the heat flux of the nozzle brick used in 300 t ladle of the electromagnetic steel-teeming system and the w orking temperature of the induction coil implanted in the high temperature nozzle brick w ith and w ithout the insulating layers. The results show ed that the induction coil w as not suitable using in high temperature nozzle brick w ithout the insulating layers,w hile the induction coil w orking temperature decreased w ith the insulating layers on the top and both sides of the induction coils. The thickness and the conductivity of the insulating layer both affected the coil w orking temperature. The coil w orking temperature decreased from 1 187 ℃ to 467 ℃ at the condition of the thickness 40 mm,the conductivity 0. 03 W /( m·℃) and met the coil w orking demands.
Study on sialic acid levels in breast milk collected from early neonate's mother

Objective To study the sialic acid(SA)levels in breast milk collected from early neonate's mother,and provide the scientific basis for early breast-milk feeding in neonate especially in pre-term neonates.Methods A total of284breast milk samples were collected from 122early neonate's mothers at the 1st,4th and 6th days after delivery.The SA levels in breast milk were tested with neuraminidase assay method,the statistical analysis software,SPSS version 17.0was used in the study.Independent sample T test was used to compare SA levels between groups and Pearson correlation analysis method was used to analyze correlation.Results The mean SA levels in the 1st day breast milk was(208.6±71.6)mg/dL,which was significantly higher than that in the 4th day breast milk[(140.4±36.6)mg/dL;t=8.100,P0.001]and the 6th day breast milk[(139.3±37.8)mg/dL;t=8.089,P0.001],however,no difference was found between the 4th day and 6th day breast milk(t=0.197,P=0.844).A strong negative correlation between SA levels in breast milk and days after delivery in women was identified,however,no correlation was found between SA levels and birth weights or gestational ages.Conclusion The SA levels is the highest in the 1st day breast milk and SA levels in brest milk are strongly correlated with the days after delivery in women.
Role of cAMP and neuronal K+ channels on α2-AR-induced inhibition of ACh release in equine trachea

To investigate the effects of changes in intracellular cAMP on α2-adrenoceptor (AR)-induced inhibition of airway acetylcholine (ACh) release, we examined the effects of the α2-AR agonist clonidine ...
Adaptive change point detection of dynamic functional connectivity networks

This study presents a new algorithm to adaptively detect change points of functional connectivity networks in the brain. It uses scans from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) which is one of the major tools to investigate intrinsic brain functionality. Different regions of the resting brain form networks that change states within a few seconds to minutes. The change points of these networks are different in normal and disordered brain functions and their understanding can help in identification of brain disorders. These changes arise from many unknown factors and extraction of these change points is one of the the major challenges in the absence of any ground truth. Our algorithm detects these change points adaptively by computing sum of absolute sign differences of adjacent images in rsfMRI scans using measures from image and video processing. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and show that these change points can be detected reliably in both task-based and resting-state networks. The outcomes also point to new directions for future work.
A Zero-Dimensional Model and Protocol for Simulating Patient-Specific Pulmonary Hemodynamics From Limited Clinical Data

In pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnosis and management, many useful functional markers have been proposed that are unfeasible for clinical implementation. For example, assessing right ventricular (RV) contractile response to a gradual increase in pulmonary arterial (PA) impedance requires simultaneously recording RV pressure and volume, and under different afterload/preload conditions. In addition to clinical applications, many research projects are hampered by limited retrospective clinical data and could greatly benefit from simulations that extrapolate unavailable hemodynamics. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a 0D computational model, along with a numerical implementation protocol, of the RV-PA axis. Model results are qualitatively compared with published clinical data and quantitatively validated against right heart catheterization (RHC) for 115 pediatric PH patients. The RV-PA circuit is represented using a general elastance function for the RV and a three-element Windkessel initial value problem for the PA. The circuit mathematically sits between two reservoirs of constant pressure, which represent the right and left atriums. We compared Pmax, Pmin, mPAP, cardiac output (CO), and stroke volume (SV) between the model and RHC. The model predicted between 96% and 98% of the variability in pressure and 98-99% in volumetric characteristics (CO and SV). However, Bland Altman plots showed the model to have a consistent bias for most pressure and volumetric parameters, and differences between model and RHC to have considerable error. Future studies will address this issue and compare specific waveforms, but these initial results are extremely promising as preliminary proof of concept of the modeling approach.
Mature Sickle and Normal Red Cells Exhibit Regulatory Volume Decrease Activated by Urea and Mediated by KCl Cotransport.

KCl Cotransport (KCC) is active in normal (AA) reticulocytes and overly active in sickle (SS) reticulocytes. Cell swelling activates KCC and induces a powerful regulatory volume decrease (RVD) in reticulocytes, which increases cellular hemoglobin concentration (CHC) to new steady state values that are higher in SS than AA cells (Blood2004;104(9):2954–60). We recently showed that urea (300–900 mM), which strongly activates KCC, also induces an intense RVD with even higher final CHC values (SS>AA) (Blood2004; 104 (11): 976a). Because KCC activity is high in reticulocyte-rich samples in both SS and AA blood, KCC activity has been assumed to be minimal in mature cells. We now report that mature RBC exhibit RVD stimulated by urea and mediated by KCC. AA and SS RBC were washed in HBS and treated with nystatin to increase cation content and decrease CHC to 22–24 gm/dl. During incubation at 37 o in HBS (145 mM NaCl, 5 KCl, 1 MgCl 2 , 10 glucose, 20 HEPES, pH 7.4) ± 600 mM urea, timed samples were taken into iced HBS, washed, and kept on ice until analyzed later that day on an Advia 120 automated cell counter, which reports frequency distributions for CHC of both mature RBC and reticulocytes. As previously reported, within 30 min reticulocytes achieved a new steady state CHC which was higher for SS than AA cells, though the speed of RVD was similar. Surprisingly, mean CHC of mature (non-reticulocyte) RBC in both AA and SS blood also increased upon incubation with urea. RVD in mature cells was slower than in reticulocytes and was apparently incomplete after 2 hours. RVD in mature RBC was completely abrogated (CHC was stable) in the absence of Cl- (sulfamate substitution) or in the presence of 100 uM DIOA (dihydro-indenyl-oxy-alkanoic acid), both of which inhibit KCC activity. Whereas reticulocyte CHC frequency distributions after urea-stimulated KCC-mediated RVD showed a single population, CHC distributions for mature RBC revealed two distinct sub-populations: One in which CHC changed little during incubation and a second which achieved a CHC similar to that achieved by reticulocytes after RVD. The relative size of the volume regulating (high CHC) sub-population increased steadily throughout the incubation, which was responsible for the progressive increase in mean CHC values. The high CHC sub-population was not apparent when cells were incubated in Cl- free media or with DIOA, indicating that RVD was mediated by KCC. After 2 hours incubation, 67 ± 8 % of SS RBC had shifted to higher CHC, compared to 37 ± 11 % of mature AA RBC (p
Radiation from a strike-slip fault

abstract Huygens9 principle for elastodynamics has been applied to the problem of the radiation resulting from the introduction of a tear fault of finite length into an otherwise homogeneous medium. The fault has the following properties: (1) it is a surface across which the normal stresses vanish; (2) it has a rectangular shape with one dimension increasing at a constant rate in the direction of faulting; (3) the times of initiation and termination of the fault are both finite. The relative displacement on opposite sides of the fault is prescribed to be a step function of time. This configuration may be imaged in the earth9s surface by symmetry, so that the problem is reducible to that of a propagating strike-slip fault of finite length in an infinite elastic medium. The observed events are the P and S waves from the two ends of the fault. Simplified “first motion” responses are computed and compared with solutions derived from the usual theory of force couples.
Characterization of zein assemblies by ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering

Zein, a major corn protein, has an amphiphilic molecule capable of self-assembling into distinctly different structures, i.e., rods, sheets, and spheres. In this work, ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) was applied to investigate the formation of self-assembled zein structures in binary solvent systems of ethanol and water. The study included observing structural changes due to aging. Three distinctive regions, each corresponding to different co-existing structures having a hierarchical organization, were observed in zein-solvent systems. Rod shaped (Rg = 1.5–2.5 nm, P = 1) primary structural units were identified, believed to be molecular zein. Two-dimensional sheet-like structures (Rg = 80–200 nm, 2 1000 nm, P = 4), believed to have assembled from two-dimensional sheet structures. Aging did not change the size or the shape of the primary units, but USAXS detected changes in Rg and P values of the intermediate structures, pointing to a further level of self-assembly where proteins develop a more regular and organized structure. The viscoelastic moduli (G′ and G′′), the consistency index (K) and the flow behavior index (n), were also measured to investigate the effect of zein structural development by self-assembly on rheological behavior. Samples became more solid-like with aging. Raman spectra suggested that zein underwent secondary structure transformations from α-helix to β-sheets, which influenced the size and morphology of molecular assemblies and ultimately the rheological properties of zein solutions.
Endogenous Retroviruses: With Us and against Us

Mammalian genomes are scattered with thousands of copies of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), mobile genetic elements that are relics of ancient retroviral infections. After inserting copies into the germ line of a host, most ERVs accumulate mutations that prevent the normal assembly of infectious viral particles, becoming trapped in host genomes and unable to leave to infect other cells. While most copies of ERVs are inactive, some are transcribed and encode the proteins needed to generate new insertions at novel loci. In some cases, old copies are removed via recombination and other mechanisms. This creates a shifting landscape of ERV copies within host genomes. New insertions can disrupt normal expression of nearby genes via directly inserting into key regulatory elements or by containing regulatory motifs within their sequences. Further, the transcriptional silencing of ERVs via epigenetic modification may result in changes to the epigenetic regulation of adjacent genes. In these ways, ERVs can be potent sources of regulatory disruption as well as genetic innovation. Here, we provide a brief review of the association between ERVs and gene expression, especially as observed in pre-implantation development and placentation. Moreover, we will describe how disruption of the regulated mechanisms of ERVs may impact somatic tissues, mostly in the context of human disease, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia. Lastly, we discuss the recent discovery that some ERVs may have been pressed into the service of their host genomes to aid in the innate immune response to exogenous viral infections.
Effective doses and standardised risk factors from paediatric diagnostic medical radiation exposures: Information for radiation risk communication.

Introduction In the paediatric medical radiation setting, there is no consistency on the radiation risk information conveyed to the consumer (patient/carer). Each communicator may convey different information about the level of risk for the same radiation procedure, leaving the consumer confused and frustrated. There is a need to standardise risks resulting from medical radiation exposures. In this study, paediatric radiographic, fluoroscopic, CT and nuclear medicine examination data have been analysed to provide (i) effective doses and radiation induced cancer risk factors from common radiological and nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures in standardised formats, (ii) awareness of the difficulties that may be encountered in communicating risks to the layperson, and (iii) an overview of the deleterious effects of ionising radiation so that the risk communicator can convey with confidence the risks resulting from medical radiation exposures. Methods Paediatric patient dose data from general radiographic, computed tomography, fluoroscopic and nuclear medicine databases have been analysed in age groups 0 to <5 years, 5 to <10 years, 10 to <15 years and 15 to <18 years to determine standardised risk factors. Results Mean, minimum and maximum effective doses and the corresponding mean lifetime risks for general radiographic, fluoroscopic, CT and nuclear medicine examinations for different age groups have been calculated. For all examinations, the mean lifetime cancer induction risk is provided in three formats: statistical, fraction and category. Conclusion Standardised risk factors for different radiological and nuclear medicine examinations and an overview of the deleterious effects of ionising radiation and the difficulties encountered in communicating the risks should facilitate risk communication to the patient/carer.
Light, Optics, and Imaging

Digital cameras capture images; we need to understand how to form and control images before we can fully understand how digital cameras work. This chapter sets the stage by identifying several key photographic problems that we will solve in the succeeding chapters. We will start with a basic understanding of image formation based on pinhole cameras. We will then survey the human visual system in Sect. 2.3 and then study color more deeply in Sect. 2.4. The next sections concentrate on the basics of imaging, both lenses proper and a simpler model of the camera. The final section integrates this material into a practical view of image capture. We will discuss previsualization as a technique to help people figure out how to take the image they want. That discussion will set us up to understand autoprevisualization methods in the next two chapters. Nothing in this chapter is specific to digital cameras—a camera is a camera.
Innovation-Based Fusion of Multiple Satellite Positioning Systems for Minimizing Uncertainty

Redundant outputs from multiple positioning systems are not typically fused together on moving vehicles, resulting in unrealized opportunities in minimizing any combined position error and uncertainty. Satellite navigation is commonly used in timing and positioning applications, and combined with complementary inertial information to generate a more complete solution. However, the use of multiple Global Positioning System (GPS) outputs has not been thoroughly explored within a decentralized fusion context for reducing the uncertainty and position error. To prospect any such improvements, a federated architecture using the position outputs of multiple GPS with an inertial measurement unit is considered for a ground vehicle. The innovations are derived from extended Kalman filters and used in weighting the combination of outputs, under conditions of independence, estimated correlations, and unknown cross covariance. The methods of averaging, maximum likelihood estimation, covariance trace optimization, and covariance intersection are compared. As the number of systems grows, simulations show that the root mean squared (horizontal) position error decreases. The methods that account for nonzero correlations provide the most improved fused mean position error. As redundant position data become more ubiquitous, it can be used to improve the fused estimate over any single system alone, while further increasing overall robustness.
The hidden benefits of helping students with systematic reviews

Helping students with systematic reviews goes against the instinct of many librarians, who see it as their duty to talk researchers out of these projects rather than to assist them. My perspective on helping students with systematic reviews changed after meeting with one student a few years ago. However, the question of whether the finished product will be publication worthy or entirely free of error is secondary, in my view, to other potential benefits to the student in completing the assignment.
The ideological nationalization of partisan subconstituencies in the American States

Since the mid-twentieth century, elite political behavior in the United States has become much more nationalized. In Congress, for example, within-party geographic cleavages have declined, roll-call voting has become more one-dimensional, and Democrats and Republicans have diverged along this main dimension of national partisan conflict. The existing literature finds that citizens have only weakly and belatedly mimicked elite trends. We show, however, that a different picture emerges if we focus not on individual citizens, but on the aggregate characteristics of geographic constituencies. Using biennial estimates of the economic, racial, and social policy liberalism of the average Democrat and Republican in each state over the past six decades, we demonstrate a surprisingly close correspondence between mass and elite trends. Specifically, we find that: (1) ideological divergence between Democrats and Republicans has widened dramatically within each domain, just as it has in Congress; (2) ideological variation across senators’ partisan subconstituencies is now explained almost completely by party rather than state, closely tracking trends in the Senate; and (3) economic, racial, and social liberalism have become highly correlated across partisan subconstituencies, just as they have across members of Congress. Overall, our findings contradict the reigning consensus that polarization in Congress has proceeded much more rapidly and extensively than polarization in the mass public.
The Core Expressivist Manoeuvre

Critical engagements with expressivism exhibit a familiar pattern. A critic presses an objection against the view, while those sympathetic with expressivism respond that the critic has fundamentally misunderstood the view. Some philosophers, myself included, have contended that epistemic expressivism is vulnerable to some important objections with which expressivists must grapple. Predictably, those sympathetic with expressivism have responded that these objections miss the mark because they work with a mistaken understanding of the expressivist project. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the contention that a methodological strategy—what J. Adam Carter and Matthew Chrisman call the core expressivist manoeuvre—enables expressivism to sidestep a host of objections levelled against the view. I contend that extant versions of expressivism are poorly situated to execute this manoeuvre and, so, expressivists are presently not well-situated to appeal to the core manoeuvre in order to avoid certain types of theoretical burdens and deflect various types of criticisms of their view.
Protective effect of docosahexaenoic acid on lipotoxicity-mediated cell death in Schwann cells: Implication of PI3K/AKT and mTORC2 pathways.

Background and aim Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) exhibits neuroprotective properties and has been shown to preserve nerve cells following trauma and ischemic injury. Recently, we showed that DHA pretreatment improved locomotion and reduced neuropathic pain after acute spinal cord injury in adult rats. These improvements were associated with an increase in the levels of AKT in spinal cord injury neurons. In this study, we investigate the implication of PI3K/AKT and mTOR pathway in DHA-mediated protection of primary cultured Schwann cells (pSC) undergoing palmitic acid-induced lipotoxicity (PA-LTx). Methods Primary cultured Schwann cells were treated with PA (PA:BSA, 2:1) in the presence or absence of DHA (1-200 µM) for 24-48 hr. Cell viability was determined by crystal violet staining and nuclear morphology was examined using Hoechst staining. Results We found that pSC cultures exposed to palmitic acid (PA) overload showed chromatin condensation, a decrease in cell viability and an inhibition of AKT phosphorylation in a time-dependent manner. Next, pSC exposed to PA overload were treated with DHA. The data show that co-treatment with DHA inhibited the loss of cell viability and apoptosis caused by PA. Moreover, treatment with DHA inhibited chromatin condensation, significantly stimulated p-AKT phosphorylation under PA-LTx condition, and DHA alone increased AKT phosphorylation. Additionally, when these pSC cultures were treated with PI3K inhibitors LY294002 and, BKM120 and mTOR inhibitors Torin 1 (mTORC1/mTORC2), but not rapamycin (mTORC1), the protective effects of DHA were not observed. Conclusion These findings suggest PI3K/AKT and mTORC2 kinase pathways are involved in the protective function (s) of DHA in PA-induced Schwann cell death.
Tools-Я-us

Our methods of inquiry predetermine most of what we are able to know. While our modes of understanding ought to correspond to the complexities confronting us in our modern technological society, they do not. “Soft” systems methodology helps us focus on what is problematic and how it can be approached — and offers direction to exert moral control over our tools and technologies. [Powerful new technologies] pose basic threats to people and to life on Earth . . . Unless we learn to live with them in safety, our future is likely to be both exciting and short. We cannot hope to foresee all the problems ahead, yet by paying attention to the big, basic issues, we can perhaps foresee the greatest challenges and get some idea of how to deal with them (K. Erik Drexler, 1986).
Chapter 6 – Uncertainty Quantification

The focus of this chapter is uncertainty quantification, which involves translating the uncertainty in the inputs of a model into the corresponding uncertainty in model outputs. To this end, we present a systematic approach regarding how to characterize the uncertainties, propagate them through the system model of interest into uncertainties in model predictions, and analyze the relative importance of various sources of uncertainty.
A consistent organizational structure across multiple functional subnetworks of the human brain.

Abstract A recurrent theme of both cognitive and network neuroscience is that the brain has a consistent subnetwork structure that maps onto functional specialization for different cognitive tasks, such as vision, motor skills, and attention. Understanding how regions in these subnetworks relate is thus crucial to understanding the emergence of cognitive processes. However, the organizing principles that guide how regions within subnetworks communicate, and whether there is a common set of principles across subnetworks, remains unclear. This is partly due to available tools not being suited to precisely quantify the role that different organizational principles play in the organization of a subnetwork. Here, we apply a joint modeling technique – the correlation generalized exponential random graph model (cGERGM) – to more completely quantify subnetwork structure. The cGERGM models a correlation network, such as those given in functional connectivity, as a function of activation motifs – consistent patterns of coactivation (i.e., connectivity) between collections of nodes that describe how the regions within a network are organized (e.g., clustering) – and anatomical properties – relationships between the regions that are dictated by anatomy (e.g., Euclidean distance). By jointly modeling all features simultaneously, the cGERGM models the unique variance accounted for by each feature, as well as a point estimate and standard error for each, allowing for significance tests against a random graph and between graphs. Across eight functional subnetworks, we find remarkably consistent organizational properties guiding subnetwork architecture, suggesting a fundamental organizational basis for subnetwork communication. Specifically, all subnetworks displayed greater clustering than would be expected by chance, but lower preferential attachment (i.e., hub use). These findings suggest that human functional subnetworks follow a segregated highway structure, in which tightly clustered subcommunities develop their own channels of communication rather than relying on hubs.
A Half Century of Occupation: Israel, Palestine, and the World’s Most Intractable Conflict

Drawing upon the special significance of the Jubilee—the fiftieth anniversary in Judaism—Shafir’s A Half Century of Occupation, sets the tone from the start as one of moral urgency to “reconsider t...
Timeline for Promotion/Overview of an Academic Career

Promotion simply defined focuses on (1) the concept of advancement, but more broadly includes (2) the encouragement of progress, growth, or acceptance of something, and (3) advertisement for that advancement. This three-tiered definition is consistent with the concept of promotion in the realm of academic surgery. For us, promotion is not only the primary metric of recognition for professional advancement, but also the very enticement for the hard work and accomplishment along the way. Ultimately, the advertisement or publicity comes with the use of your professional title on your CV, your business cards, and in other business interactions within the medical field. Promotion, by way of advancement of this professional title from instructor to assistant professor, to associate professor, and eventually to full professor, then serves as the gauge of progress along the time continuum that makes up one’s academic surgical career (Fig. 2.1).
Salvage Focal Cryotherapy Offers Similar Short-term Oncologic Control and Improved Urinary Function Compared With Salvage Whole Gland Cryotherapy for Radiation-resistant or Recurrent Prostate Cancer.

Abstract Background We compared the short-term oncologic and functional outcomes of salvage focal cryotherapy (SFC) with those of salvage total cryotherapy (STC) for radiotherapy (RT)-persistent/recurrent prostate cancer. Materials and Methods We queried the Cryo On-Line Database registry for men who had undergone SFC and STC of the prostate for RT-persistent or recurrent disease. Propensity score weighting was used to match age at treatment, presalvage therapy prostate-specific antigen level, Gleason sum, and presalvage cryotherapy androgen deprivation therapy status. The primary outcome was progression-free survival. Results A total of 385 men with biopsy-proven persistent or recurrent prostate cancer after primary RT were included in the present study. The median follow-up, age, prostate-specific antigen, and Gleason sum before salvage cryotherapy was 24.4 months (first and third quartile, 9.8 and 60.3), 70 years (first and third quartile, 66 and 74 years), 4 ng/dL (first and third quartile, 2.7 and 5.6 ng/dL), and 7 (first and third quartile, 6 and 8), respectively. After propensity score weighting, the difference in progression-free survival was not statistically significant between the patients who had undergone STC and those who had undergone SFC (79.8% vs. 76.98%; P = .11 on weighted log-rank test). SFC was associated with a lower probability of post-treatment transient urinary retention (5.6% vs. 22.4%; P Conclusions STC resulted in similar 2-year oncologic outcomes compared with SFC in the RT-persistent/recurrent disease population. However, the patients who had undergone SFC had a lower urinary retention rate compared with those who had undergone STC.
Abstractions are good for brains and machines: A commentary on Ambridge (2020):

In ‘Against Stored Abstractions,’ Ambridge uses neural and computational evidence to make his case against abstract representations. He argues that storing only exemplars is more parsimonious – why...
A 2.5d Yolo-Based Fusion Algorithm for 3d Localization Of Cells

Advances in microscopy techniques such as lattice-light-sheet, confocal, two-photon, and electron microscopy have enabled the visualization of 3D image volumes of tightly packed cells, extracellular structures in tissues, organelles, and subcellular components inside cells. These images sampled by 2D projections are often not accurately interpreted even by human experts. As a use case we focus on 3D image volumes of tightly packed nuclei in brain tissue. Due to out-of-plane excitation and low resolution in the z-axis, non-overlapping cells appear as overlapping 3D volumes and make detecting individual cells challenging. On the other hand, running 3D detection algorithms is computationally expensive and infeasible for large datasets. In addition, most existing 3D algorithms are designed to extract 3D objects by identifying the depth in the 2D images. In this work, we propose a YOLO-based 2.5D fusion algorithm for 3D localization of individual cells in densely packed volumes of nuclei. The proposed method fuses 2D detection of nuclei in sagittal, coronal, and axial planes and predicts six coordinates of the 3D bounding cubes around the detected 3D cells. Promising results were obtained on multiple examples of synthetic dense volumes of nuclei imitating confocal microscopy experimental datasets.
Non-invasive trial testing for trigeminal branch stimulation to treat refractory trigeminal neuropathic pain: A technical note

Abstract Objective Trigeminal neuropathic pain can be debilitating and extremely difficult to treat. Trigeminal branch stimulation is a minimally invasive treatment that has shown benefit in earlier series. However, there is currently no widely accepted method to predict response. We propose an office-based, non-invasive trial to assess potential pain relief before the final decision for electrode implantation in patients with refractory trigeminal neuropathic pain. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients undergoing transcutaneous trigeminal branch nerve stimulation testing before moving on to electrode implantation between 2009 and 2017. Testing was done using an Ojeman Cortical Stimulator (OCS1) or a Grass S-88 Nerve/Muscle Stimulator via two SIU-7 CC isolators over the painful area. Frequency, pulse width and amplitude were set at values consistent with implanted electrode settings. Patients reporting more than 50% relief after up to 2 h of stimulation, and loss of relief after stimulation was discontinued, were deemed appropriate candidates and subsequently underwent implantation. Results We identified 7 patients undergoing testing and subsequent implantation. Follow-up ranged from 2 months to 8 years. During last follow-up, 4 patients were still using their systems. Electrode removal was necessary because of loss of efficacy or infection. Three patients still using their systems required revision. Initial visual analogue pain score (VAS) ranged between 8 and 10. Patients with systems still in use reported VAS 1–4 on last follow-up, with pain relief of about 70%. Conclusions Transcutaneous office-based testing is a simple and cost-effective method to gauge response to trigeminal branch stimulation in patients with refractory trigeminal neuropathic pain.
Targeted Muscle Reinnervation in the Oncologic Population: A Literature Review and Current Practice

The goal of this review is to discuss the surgical technique of Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR) in the oncologic population. The technique not only improves myoelectric prosthetic control, but is a method to relieve post-amputation chronic residual and phantom limb pain. TMR is a surgical procedure that effectively amplifies neural control signals on surface musculature. Fortuitously, TMR has also been shown to also reduce chronic residual and phantom limb pain when performed in a delayed or immediate manner. While most data exists in traumatic or orthopedic amputees, TMR is an emerging technique in the oncologic population. Although important for prosthetic control, it is arguably most beneficial for the oncologic population due to the ability to reduce pain without opioids. TMR improves myoelectric prosthesis control and early results demonstrate marked improvement in post-amputation chronic pain and quality of life within the oncologic population.
Women in the POSCH trial: Effects of aggressive cholesterol modification in women with coronary heart disease

The Program on the Surgical Control of the Hyperlipidemias (POSCH) provided the clearest and the most convincing evidence supporting the beneficial effects of cholesterol lowering in hypercholesterolemic survivors of a myocardial infarction. In POSCH, 78 of the 838 patients (9.3%) were women, with 32 randomized to the diet-control group and 46 to the diet plus partial ileal bypass surgery-intervention group. At 5 years, the mean per cent change from baseline was -23.9% for total plasma cholesterol (p < 0.0001), -36.1% for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.0001), and +8.5% for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = not significant). Because of the small number of women, no statistically significant changes in clinical event rates were observed between the control and the surgery groups. A comparison of 162 coronary arteriography film pairs in the POSCH women, between baseline and 3, 5, 7, and 10 years, consistently showed less disease progression in the surgery group (p = 0.013 for combined assessments of the baseline to the longest follow-up film). Because the lipid and coronary arteriography findings in the POSCH women paralleled these findings in the total POSCH population and in the POSCH men, and because the arteriography changes in POSCH have previously been demonstrated to be statistically significant surrogate end points for certain clinical events and predictors of overall and atherosclerotic coronary heart disease mortality rates, we conclude that the lipid modification achieved in the POSCH women by partial ileal bypass reduced their atherosclerosis progression. The POSCH findings in women support the aggressive treatment of hyperlipidemia in the general management of atherosclerosis in women.
Reported COVID-19 Incidence in Wisconsin High School Athletes in Fall 2020.

(STATE-XXX = Wisconsin). Abstract Objective: To describe the incidence of COVID-19 in STATE-XXX high school athletes, and to investigate the relationship of COVID-19 incidence with sport and face mask use.Design: Retrospective survey.Setting: High schools across STATE-XXX during September, 2020.Participants: Athletic directors representing 30,074 high school athletes with and without SARS-CoV-2.Independent Variables: COVID-19 rates among athletes, counties, and STATE-XXX, school instruction type (virtual vs in-person), sport type, face mask use.Main Outcome Measurements: Reported athlete case rates compared to their county's general population. Associations between COVID-19 incidence and sport type and face mask use, adjusting for each school's county incidence using multivariable negative binomial regression models.Results: COVID-19 incidence rates for 207 of 244 responding schools were 32.6 cases per 100,000 player-days. Reported case rates for athletes in each county were positively correlated with the county's general population case rates (β=1.14±0.20, r=0.60, p 0.05 for all).Conclusions: Incidence of reported COVID-19 among high school athletes was related to county incidence and most cases were attributed to non-sport contact. A lower COVID-19 incidence in outdoor sports approached statistical significance. The lack of a significant benefit of face mask use may be due to relatively low rates of COVID-19 in STATE-XXX during September 2020. Further research is needed to better define COVID-19 transmission risk factors during adolescent sport participation.
The Randomness and Robustness of Triadic, Tetradic, and Pentadic Evolution Patterns in a Large-Scale Mobile Phone Network

Network evolution study has been one of the hottest topics in social network analysis in recent years. The paper investigates the randomness and robustness of triadic, tetradic, and pentadic evolution patterns in a communication network of over 10 million subscribers from a Spanish mobile phone company over a 65-day period in 2008. The data set is split into two time periods covering 28 days, or 4 weeks each. By fixing key parameters at the nodal and dyadic levels as in the observed network transition, randomly simulated networks are generated from the observed network at the first time period to examine how random the real transition was at the triadic level. We find that neither triangle (a ring of 3 nodes) decay nor formation followed a random process. In other words, they might be explained by some factors other than the nodal and dyadic evolution processes. Moreover, by fixing key parameters at the triadic level as well, randomly simulated networks are generated from the observed network at the first time period to examine how random the configuration decay and formation patterns were at the tetradic and pentadic levels. We find that the decay of square (a ring of 4 nodes) and pentagon (a ring of 5 nodes) followed a stochastic random process, but the formation of these two configurations did not.
Examining Batch Effect in Histopathology as a Distributionally Robust Optimization Problem

Abstract Computer vision (CV) approaches applied to digital pathology have informed biological discovery and development of tools to help inform clinical decision-making. However, batch effects in the images represent a major challenge to effective analysis and interpretation of these data. The standard methods to circumvent learning such confounders include (i) application of image augmentation techniques and (ii) examination of the learning process by evaluating through external validation (e.g., unseen data coming from a comparable dataset collected at another hospital). Here, we show that the source site of a histopathology slide can be learned from the image using CV algorithms in spite of image augmentation, and we explore these source site predictions using interpretability tools. A CV model trained using Empirical Risk Minimization (ERM) risks learning this signal as a spurious correlate in the weak-label regime, which we abate by using a Distributionally Robust Optimization (DRO) method with abstention. We find that the model trained using DRO outperforms a model trained using ERM by 9.9, 13 and 15% in identifying tumor versus normal tissue in Lung Adenocarcinoma, Gleason score in Prostate Adenocarcinoma, and tumor tissue grade in clear cell Renal Cell Carcinoma. Further, by examining the areas abstained by the model, we find that the model trained using a DRO method is more robust to heterogeneity and artifacts in the tissue. We believe that a DRO method trained with abstention may offer novel insights into relevant areas of the tissue contributing to a particular phenotype. Together, we suggest using data augmentation methods that help mitigate a digital pathology model’s reliance on spurious visual features, as well as selecting models that are more robust to spurious features for translational discovery and clinical decision support.
A Hybrid Static and Dynamic Model Updating Technique for Structures Exhibiting Geometric Nonlinearity

Finite element methods (FEM) are commonly used to analyze the behavior of various dynamic systems. Several model updating techniques are available that can be used for linear or nonlinear dynamic systems and help reduce discrepancies between characteristics obtained from the FE models and their experimental counterparts. Linear model updating techniques employ eigen solutions or the frequency response functions (FRF) to reduce errors between the discretized mass [M], damping [C], and stiffness [K] terms or FRF terms directly. However, model updating of structures exhibiting nonlinear behavior is seldom straightforward and requires special consideration of various terms contributing to the nonlinear responses when modeling the system. This paper investigates a hybrid static and dynamic model updating technique for structures exhibiting geometric nonlinearity. The static model updating minimizes errors in stiffness modeling and the dynamic model updating minimizes errors in modeling non-stiffness terms of the FE model.
Keeping Business Education Relevant: A Contextual Curriculum to Sustain Secondary Business Education Programs

The future of secondary business education is being threatened by increased educational reform and changes in student interests that coincide with changes in the labor market. From 1982 to 1998 the percentage of high school students earning three credits or more in business education has decreased by nearly 60%. It is clear that students are not interested in the courses that make up traditional business education. High school students have shown a dramatic interest in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship has also been recognized as an excellent contextual framework from which business academic subject matter can be learned. Contextual learning increases academic achievement which is a focal point of reform in vocational and career education. A tremendous opportunity exists for secondary business education curriculum developers to design an integrated contextual curriculum that addresses reform challenges and revitalizes student interests.