cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Delivery Outcomes after Term Induction of Labor in Small-for-Gestational Age Fetuses.

Objective The objective of this study was to estimate the delivery outcomes after induction of labor (IOL) at term in patients with small-for-gestational age (SGA) fetuses. Study Design A secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of all term, singleton deliveries from 2010 to 2014. Patients who underwent an IOL for any indication were included. Delivery outcomes were compared between patients with and without SGA fetuses (defined as birth weight < 10th percentile for gestational age). Analysis was stratified by parity. Indication for cesarean was compared between the two groups for those who did not achieve vaginal delivery. Logistic regression was used to adjust for confounders. Results Of 3,787 patients who underwent an IOL, 644 patients had SGA fetuses and 3,143 were included in the non-SGA group. There was no significant difference in rate of successful vaginal delivery for patients with and without SGA fetuses (77.2 vs. 72.0% [adjusted odds ratio: 1.22, 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.50]). Of the patients who were delivered by cesarean, women with SGA fetuses were more likely to undergo cesarean for nonreassuring fetal status and less likely for arrest disorders than women without an SGA fetus. Conclusion Term patients undergoing IOL with SGA fetuses are as likely to achieve a vaginal delivery as patients with non-SGA fetuses.
Thymectomy for Myathenias Gravis

Perhaps one of the longest unresolved issues in thoracic surgery is the role of thymectomy in the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG). Persistent questions and issues involve not only the surgical approach to thymectomy, but even the role of thymectomy itself in the treatment of myasthenia gravis. Many of these issues remain unclear because there is no high quality data, and even limited moderate quality data, available to compare and analyze comparable study populations. Results of many studies are not reported using appropriate Kaplan–Meier methodology, making analysis of the results even more challenging or ineffective.1 Additionally, myasthenia gravis is an entity with varying degrees of severity, time courses and self remissions. Review of the relevant literature, which dates back to at least the 1930s,2,3 is thus very challenging and open to bias given the intersection of data results presented as crude survival curves, differing patient populations of myathenias gravis (that have differing responses to non-surgical and surgical therapy), and even definitions of treatment success that vary widely. In this chapter defined endpoints and clear data analysis will be offered in a subject that has no prospective randomized studies to define strong recommendations.
EARLY HYDRODYNAMIC ASSESSMENT OF INTESTINAL SUB-MUCOSA BIOSCAFFOLD FOR MITRAL VALVE REPLACEMENT

Background: Infants and children with severe valve lesions have limited surgical options. It has been shown that acellular porcine small intestinal submucosa (PSIS) scaffolds support cell infiltration and tissue remodeling after implantation. Our group has implanted custom-made PSIS valves in 4
Decreasing initial stimulation increases generation of early effector cells that survive the contraction phase in malaria infection (MPF2P.754)

CD4 T cells orchestrate immunity against blood-stage malaria. However, a major challenge in designing malaria vaccines is understanding generation of memory from effector T cells (Teff) in chronic infection. We use a transgenic mouse model with T cells specific for the Merozoite Surface Protein (MSP)-1 of Plasmodium chabaudi to show that activated T cells generate three Teff (CD127 - ) subsets representing progressive activation. The earliest observed subset (CD62L hi CD27 + ) divides first, and maintains memory gene expression. An intermediate (CD62L lo CD27 + ) effector subset has more multi-cytokine producing T cells and a terminal phenotype, including expression of PD-1 and Fas. Fully activated (CD62L lo CD27 - ) late effector cells contain fewer cytokine + and more AnnexinV hi apoptotic cells. Using an adoptive transfer system, we show the ability of CD62L hi Teff to generate the terminal Teff subsets but also to survive the contraction phase better than the CD62L lo subsets. Furthermore, we show that progression towards terminal differentiation increases with duration of infection, but is inhibited by IL-2, which promotes expansion but not progression. Therefore, we have defined markers of progressive activation of CD4 Teff at the peak of malaria infection, and shown that CD127 - CD62L hi Teff survive the contraction phase. Therefore, antigen and cytokine levels during CD4 T cell expansion influence the proportion of activated cells that can survive T cell contraction in malaria infection.
Informal Institutions and Internet-based Equity Crowdfunding

Abstract Equity-based crowdfunding is emerging as an increasingly important source of entrepreneurial financing. This paper examines the effects of informal institutions on entrepreneurs' ability and willingness to engage in efforts to raise equity crowdfunding. It also investigates how informal institutions are linked to investors' response to ECF. Also reviewed are the differences in the effects of informal institutions on equity crowdfunding vis-a-vis other forms of crowdfunding. The paper also delves into factors that are likely to lead to the development of favorable informal institutions from the standpoint of equity crowdfunding. It utilizes inductive theory-building approach.
A Case Study of Dual Language Teaching in Science Class: Implications for Middle Level Teachers

Dual language education programs are highly beneficial for literacy and academic language development with all students, especially those who are English learners. School districts nation-wide are ...
Chitosan as an enabling excipient for drug delivery systems. I. Molecular modifications.

Abstract Chitosan was physicochemically modified for its potential use as a matrix for an implantable antibiotic delivery system that could sustain bactericidal concentrations in the vicinity of an implant or prosthesis. Deacetylation and depolymerization of chitosan were implemented in order to increase the number or accessibility of the reactive amino groups on the polymer backbone for better polymer–drug interaction. The deacetylation process involved reaction of particulate chitosan/depolymerized chitosan with alkali. The rate of deacetylation of chitosan was directly proportional to the reaction temperature up to 80°C; beyond 80°C, rapid degradation of the polymer occurred. The depolymerization of chitosan involved acid digestion of the polymer followed by application of mechanical agitation. This depolymerized product, although water insoluble, possessed a molecular weight that was one to two orders of magnitude lower than that of commercially available chitosans. These products not only exhibited improved reactivity, but also showed increased crystallinity when compared with the parent chitosan. The reactivity was found to be inversely proportional to chitosan’s molecular weight. The depolymerization and deacetylation treatments afforded formation of chitosan having a greater number of amino groups available for interactions with the anionic actives.
Defects in Ovarian Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis

The ovary secretes steroid hormones that initiate female sexual development, program the secretion of gonadotropins from the hypothalamic–pituitary axis, and regulate the function of the female reproductive tract. The synthesis of bioactive steroid hormones involves a compartmentalized process within steroidogenic cells in which cholesterol is moved through organelles that modify the sterol backbone and side-chain. Collaborative interactions among steroidogenic cell types, particularly theca and granulosa cells and their luteinized forms, govern the secretion of ovarian androgens, progestins and estrogens. Rare mutations in the genes encoding gonadotropin receptors and steroidogenic enzymes impair steroid hormone production and result in disordered gonadotropin secretion and, consequently, defects in follicular growth and development and ovulation. Polycystic ovary syndrome, a common endocrine disease of women in reproductive age, is associated with abnormal expression of steroidogenic enzymes, also leading to abnormal follicular maturation. This chapter reviews the mutations and genetic variants that alter human ovarian steroidogenesis and the resulting phenotypes.
Anomalies in the Fine and Hyperfine Structure of Alkali Isoelectronic Sequences

The magnetic dipole hyperfine structure constant of the \( ^{\text{2}} {\text{P}}_{\frac{3} {2}}^{\rm O} \) state of Li I has attracted much theoretical investigation due to the extreme importance of correlation (the RHF result for \( {\text{A}}_{\frac{{\text{3}}} {{\text{2}}}} I/\mu \) is 2.97 MHz and the experimental result2 −1.42 MHz) and because Li is a few-electron system and thus computationally tractable. The situation differs from other well-investigated anomalies3 (e.g. contact terms in B I 2Po and N I 4So) due to the large cancellation among the various operators, in place of the heavy cancellation of α and β spin densities.
Detection of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) During Nighttime Call-Broadcast Surveys

Evaluating raptor populations is challenging because of their low population densities and secretive breeding behavior. Barn Owls (Tyto alba) are particularly difficult to monitor given their nocturnal nature and irregular vocalization patterns. In an effort to help develop more effective survey protocols for locating breeding Barn Owls and for monitoring Barn Owl populations, we examined factors influencing Barn Owl detections and responses to broadcast surveys. We conducted 288 surveys at 33 different nest locations in 2013 and 2014 in Illinois, USA, and examined the influence of using call broadcasts, breeding stage, day of year, cloud cover, moon phase, time of night, wind speed, ambient noise, temperature, and the number of Barn Owls in proximity on detection rates. We detected Barn Owls on 11.2% of passive surveys and 49.4% of broadcast surveys; 97.6% of the detections during broadcast surveys involved individuals flying within 20 m of observers. Detections were more common earlier in the breeding season and in areas where density of known Barn Owl nests was greater, but these variables affected detections from broadcast and passive surveys similarly; other variables did not have meaningful associations with Barn Owl detections. These results suggest that broadcast surveys may be an effective approach for identifying areas where Barn Owls are breeding or for monitoring population trends.
A Toolset for Detecting Containerized Application's Dependencies in CaaS Clouds

There has been a dramatic increase in the popularity of Container as a Service (CaaS) clouds. The CaaS multi-tier applications could be optimized by using network topology, link or server load knowledge to choose the best endpoints to run in CaaS cloud. However, it is difficult to apply those optimizations to the public datacenter shared by multi-tenants. This is because of the opacity between the tenants and the datacenter providers: Providers have no insight into tenant's container workloads and dependencies, while tenants have no clue about the underlying network topology, link, and load. As a result, containers might be booted at wrong physical nodes that lead to performance degradation due to bi-section bandwidth bottleneck or co-located container interference. We propose 'DocMan', a toolset that adopts a black-box approach to discover container ensembles and collect information about intra-ensemble container interactions. It uses a combination of techniques such as distance identification and hierarchical clustering. The experimental results demonstrate that DocMan enables optimized containers placement to reduce the stress on bi-section bandwidth of the datacenter's network. The method can detect container ensembles at low cost and with 92% accuracy and significantly improve performance for multi-tier applications under the best of circumstances.
“Decide Now, Buy Marlboro”: Examining the influence and appeal of Marlboro’s new brand architecture among Filipino adolescents

In recent years, Philip Morris International (PMI) launched a global rebranding strategy to expand the reach of Marlboro. Using a mixed-methods design, this study evaluated the appeal and influence of Marlboro advertising among Filipino youth. Six hundred and twenty-three adolescents aged 13-17 years old in Metro Manila participated in a survey, including three advertising conditions: two for Marlboro and one for Mighty, a local cigarette brand. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired t-tests evaluated differences between the three conditions on participants' attitudes toward advertisements [measured as identification, likeability, and perceived effectiveness (PE)]. Compared to Mighty, never-smokers rated Marlboro advertisements as more identifiable and likeable. Comparing by smoking status (never vs. ever), multivariable logistic regression assessed the influence of these attitudes on intention to smoke. Increased likeability was associated with greater intention to smoke among never-smokers, and greater PE increased odds of intention to smoke for both never- and ever-smokers. Additionally, six focus group discussions (FGD) explored responses to campaign messaging. Themes were compared within and across groups. Marlboro was also appealing to FGD participants, who described the ads as attractive to youth and promoting "adventure" and "freedom", whereas the Mighty brand was seen as being for adults and current smokers. Our findings illustrate that Marlboro advertisements are distinctly appealing to youth. Marlboro rhetoric - where consumers are urged to "decide" to "Be Marlboro" - was particularly powerful. These findings support the need for addressing gaps in policies regulating the marketing and promotion of tobacco in the Philippines.
Advances in Understanding Ischemic Stroke Physiology and the Impact of Vasculopathy in Children With Sickle Cell Disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common hemoglobinopathy worldwide, with over 300,000 children born with SCD each year.1 Neurologic consequences of SCD include ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes2 and cognitive deficits.3 SCD accounts for almost ¼ of all stroke-related hospitalizations in African-American children.4 Historically, ischemic stroke in SCD has been separated by symptomatology, including “overt stroke,” referring to radiographic ischemia with associated neurologic deficits detectable on a bedside examination, and “silent stroke” referring to radiographic ischemia without focal neurologic deficits, but associated with cognitive deficits. However this dichotomy is likely false, as the two can be radiographically indistinguishable.5 Strokes may have lifelong devastating consequences, including limited educational attainment and decreased quality of life in children.6, 7 Sickle cell anemia refers to the most severe SCD phenotypes, SS and Sβ0 thalassemia, which have the highest stroke incidence. However, other SCD genotypes are also at risk for cerebral ischemia, with up to 13% of HbSC children having silent ischemia on screening MRI.2, 8 Transcranial Doppler (TCD) screening to identify children with SCD at highest stroke risk combined with primary stroke prevention with chronic transfusion therapy (CTT) revolutionized pediatric sickle cell stroke management in the 1990’s. Despite the dramatic reduction of overt strokes through CTT shown in the Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anemia (STOP), children with SCD remain at a high risk of stroke (Figure 1).2, 9–21 Clinical and translational research in the post-STOP era have increased our understanding of the multi-factorial complexity of stroke in children with SCD (Table 1). Recent work has demonstrated how components of the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen utilization (CMRO2) contribute to ischemia in SCD. CMRO2 is the product of cerebral blood flow (CBF), arterial oxygen content (CaO2) and oxygen extraction fraction (OEF). CBF and CaO2 comprise cerebral oxygen delivery, and OEF quantifies the transfer of available oxygen supply into the brain tissue. Ischemia occurs when CMRO2 does not meet the metabolic demands and falls below the threshold of tissue viability.26 Here, we will review advances in causal pathways of ischemic stroke and therapy options. Open in a separate window Figure 1: Stroke Event Rates as reported in the literature. SCD = Sickle Cell Disease. TCD = Transcranial Doppler CTT = Chronic Transfusion Therapy
Comparison of hyperparathyroidism types and utility of dual radiopharmaceutical acquisition with Tc99m sestamibi and 123I for localization of rapid washout parathyroid adenomas

Tc99m-sestamibi dual-time imaging is a standard tool for localization of adenomas/hyperplasia in hyperparathyroidism. We investigated the degree and causes of localization failure among different types of hyperparathyroidism. Pre-operative parathyroid hormone levels and size of the gland were major determinants of Tc99m-sestamibi positivity; 123I scan may be helpful in localization failures. Tc99m-sestamibi dual-time imaging is a standard tool for localization of adenomas/hyperplasia in hyperparathyroidism. However, parathyroid adenomas/hyperplasia has been reported to washout as fast as normal thyroid tissue (“rapid washout”) which may lead to diagnostic failure. We aimed to evaluate the determinants of rapid washout and to determine the role of subtraction imaging for detection of parathyroid adenomas/hyperplasia with rapid washout. Retrospective analysis of patients with hyperparathyroidism who have undergone Tc99m-sestamibi dual-time imaging and parathyroid surgery. Rapid washout was correlated to the type of hyperparathyroidism in surgically confirmed cases. Biochemical and pathological data were reviewed. A total of 135 hyperparathyroidism patients met the inclusion criteria. Ninety-six (72%), 29 (21%), and 10 (7%) had primary, secondary, and tertiary hyperparathyroidisms, respectively. Rapid washout was identified in 28/87 glands (32%), 14/53 glands (26%), and 1/16 glands (6%) with primary, secondary, and tertiary hyperparathyroidisms, respectively. Glands that were positive on late-phase Tc99m-sestamibi scans were significantly large being 1.7 (IQR 1.4–2.3) vs. 1.45 (IQR 1–2) cm (p = 0.003). High parathyroid hormone levels (PTH) were associated with early-phase Tc99m-sestamibi positivity in both primary (p = 0.01) and secondary hyperparathyroidism (p = 0.03) but not with last phase (p = 0.11, p = 0.37, respectively). Correlative imaging with subtraction scintigraphy was positive in 14/16 (87.5%) parathyroid adenomas. Pre-operative PTH levels and size of the gland were major determinants of Tc99m-sestamibi positivity on early-phase Tc99m-sestamibi scans, whereas size is an independent predictor of late-phase Tc99m-sestamibi positivity. Subtraction scintigraphy might be a useful tool in suspected cases of rapid washout adenomas/hyperplasia.
A Cost-Benefit Analysis of A Community Free Clinic.

Uninsured patients lacking access to primary and preventive care continues to be an issue. The purpose of this analysis is to describe operating costs surrounding a nurse-driven freestanding commun...
Unlock Your Heart: Next Generation Biometric in Resource-Constrained Healthcare Systems and IoT

With the emergence of the Internet-of-Things, there is a growing need for access control and data protection on low-power, pervasive devices. Key-based biometric cryptosystems are promising for IoT due to its convenient nature and lower susceptibility to attacks. However, the costs associated with biometric processing and template protection are nontrivial for smart cards, and so forth. In this paper, we discuss the cost versus the utility of biometric systems and investigate frameworks for improving them. We propose the noise-aware biometric quantization framework (NA-IOMBA) capable of generating unique, reliable, and high entropy keys with low enrollment times and costs with several experiments. First, we compare its performance with IOMBA and one-class-SVM on multiple biometric modalities, including popular ones (fingerprint and iris) and emerging cardiovascular ones (ECG and PPG). The results show that NA-IOMBA outperforms them all and that ECG provides the best trade-off between reliability, key length, entropy, and implementation cost. Second, we examine the impact on key reliability with ECGs obtained at different sessions and trained with a different number of heartbeats. Finally, implementation results show that incorporating noise models with NA-IOMBA reduces power and utilization overhead by more than 60% by adapting the pre-processing, feature extraction, and post-processing modules.
Determinants of sustainable development: Evidence from 12 Asian countries

This study examines the factors that determine sustainable development, measured by adjusted net saving, using panel data for 12 Asian countries for the 1990–2014 period. A panel data model is estimated using both random‐effect and fixed‐effect approaches. The Hausman test points to the superiority of the random‐effect model over the fixed‐effect model, which is apparent when the results of the two estimations are compared. The results of the random‐effect estimation show a more significant and better overall fit. These results indicate a positive and significant effect of per capita income and financial development on sustainable development and a negative and significant effect of the inflation rate, natural resource rent, and time. The results suggest that maintaining a proper natural resource balance is necessary for sustainable development.
Runoff water quality after low-disturbance manure application in an alfalfa-grass hay crop forage system.

The impacts of low-disturbance manure application (LDMA) on runoff water quality in hay crop forages are not well known. Our objective in this study was to determine surface runoff losses of total nitrogen (TN), ammonium N (NH4 -N), nitrate N (NO3 -N), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved reactive P (DRP), and suspended sediment from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)-grass plots in central Wisconsin after surface broadcasting manure and LDMA compared with no application. Treatments were (a) surface banding (BAND), (b) surface banding with aeration (A/B), (c) shallow disk injection (INJECT), (d) surface broadcast (BCAST), and (e) a no-manure control (CONT). Runoff events were generated (n = 7) from replicated plots following a standardized rainfall simulation protocol. Although runoff was variable across plots and within treatments, mean runoff concentrations of TN (P = .03), NH4 -N (P = .03), TP (P = .001), and DRP (P < .0001) were lower for incorporated (INJECT and A/B) vs. unincorporated (BCAST and BAND) treatments. INJECT had lower mean DRP concentration (P = .02) than A/B and was similar to CONT and had lower cumulative TN (P = .05), TP (P = .07), and DRP (P = .01) loads than A/B. Additionally, TP, TN, DRP, and NH4 -N loads and concentrations were strongly related with soil surface manure coverage extent (R2 = 0.50-0.84; P < .0001), suggesting that manure was a main source of N and P losses. Although INJECT appeared to be the most effective in mitigating nutrient loss in surface runoff, more research is needed to determine LDMA impacts on farm economics, soil properties, and runoff water quality.
Opportunities toward hydrogen production biotechnologies

Hydrogen is already a major commodity and process intermediate for fertilizer production, petroleum processing, and chemical synthesis. It also offers unrealized potential for energy storage. While biological production offers an expandable and sustainable source, enthusiasm has been dampened by slow research progress. Also, the very low cost of natural gas (the major current hydrogen source) imposes severe economic challenges. This discussion describes process, metabolic, and protein engineering opportunities toward cost-effective biohydrogen production. Recent progress in hydrogenase engineering and photosynthetic bacterial research now suggests a favorable risk versus reward opportunity. Although the risks are still significant, successful technologies would provide important components in an integrated energy portfolio that enables global sustainability.
Effects of Two Approaches to Rhythmic Dictation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two listening strategies on rhythmic dictation scores. In a within-subjects design, 54 undergraduate music majors completed two-measure r...
Kinetic Evidence for an Induced-Fit Mechanism in the Binding of the Substrate Camphor by Cytochrome P450cam

Bacterial cytochrome P450 (P450) 101A1 (P450cam) has served as a prototype among the P450 enzymes and has high catalytic activity toward its cognate substrate, camphor. X-ray crystallography and NM...
Changes in Functional Status Among Kidney Transplant Recipients: Data From the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND With stressors of dialysis prekidney transplantation (KT) and restoration of kidney function post-KT, it is likely that KT recipients experience a decline in functional status while on the waitlist and improvements post-KT. METHODS We leveraged 224 832 KT recipients from the national registry (SRTR, February 1990-May 2019) with measured Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS, 0%-100%) at listing, KT admission, and post-KT. We quantified the change in KPS from listing to KT using generalized linear models. We described post-KT KPS trajectories using adjusted mixed-effects models and tested whether those trajectories differed by age, sex, race, and diabetes status using a Wald test among all KT recipients. We then quantified risk adverse post-KT outcomes (mortality and all-cause graft loss [ACGL]) by preoperative KPS and time-varying KPS. RESULTS Mean KPS declined from listing (83.7%) to admission (78.9%) (mean = 4.76%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -4.82, -4.70). After adjustment, mean KPS improved post-KT (slope = 0.89%/y, 95% CI: 0.87, 0.91); younger, female, non-Black, and diabetic recipients experienced greater post-KT improvements (Pinteractions < 0.001). Lower KPS (per 10% decrease) at admission was associated with greater mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.11) and ACGL (aHR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.09) risk. Lower post-KT KPS (per 10% decrease; time-varying) were more strongly associated with mortality (aHR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.92, 1.94) and ACGL (aHR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.83, 1.85). CONCLUSIONS Functional status declines pre-KT and improves post-KT in the national registry. Despite post-KT improvements, poorer functional status at KT and post-KT are associated with greater mortality and ACGL risk. Because of its dynamic nature, clinicians should repeatedly screen for lower functional status pre-KT to refer vulnerable patients to prehabilitation in hopes of reducing risk of adverse post-KT outcomes.
Gender-Affirming Facial Surgery: Experiences and Outcomes at an Academic Center.

Background: Gender-affirming facial surgery (GFS) is becoming more widely available for transgender individuals, but data on surgical approaches and outcomes remain limited. Methods: Retrospective ...
Pondering paradigms: tracing the development of accounting thought with taxonomic and citation analysis

This project employs various analytical techniques developed in the accounting information systems and econometrics fields to depict the paradigmatic structure of accounting research literature. In this study, the Rutgers Accounting Research Database, a proprietary database summarizing the taxonomic and citation characteristics of major accounting research journals, is used to ascertain the existence of distinct accounting research paradigms, characterize the paradigms according to their topical and methodological characteristics, determine the role each paradigm plays in disseminating accounting knowledge through citation references, and evaluates the intellectual influence of each paradigm. An evaluative metric (optimal taxonomic diversity) is also developed to gauge the contribution of each paradigm to accounting research. The study concludes that the accounting research network is comprised of several significantly different paradigms, but that these paradigms co-exist in a symbiotic network of citations. The study also finds that accounting researchers value diversity in topical and methodological approaches, as demonstrated by their citation preferences. These findings contrast with the traditional Kuhnian depiction of mutually exclusive and non-communicating paradigms which use narrow sets of research bases and methodologies.
A Comparative Study of Symptom Clustering On Clinical and Social Media Data

While the so called Big Social Data – a generic term referring to the massive amount of data automatically collected from various sources such as search queries and text generated from social media – have emerged as an important theme in computational sciences for purposes such as predicting the movement of stock prices, trends in diseases, and rates of adverse drug effects, studies that directly compares results from such analyses and those derived from formal studies such as surveillance and clinical trials are rare and far-between. Some studies have seemed to suggest that the results from the analysis of Big Social Data may not entirely agree with observed results or results from structured surveys. For example, the rate of influenza as predicted from Google-based search data was found to overestimate the actual rate. However, the number of such important comparative studies is still very limited. In this paper, we compare findings derived from data collected from a medical forum on the Internet and those derived from a formal clinical study. Specifically, we examine the co-occurrence of keywords in symptoms from participants on a breast cancer online forum and directly compare the symptom cluster patterns to data obtained from a clinical study of breast cancer survivors. The clinical study used data from a highly structured symptom checklist collected from N = 653 breast cancer-survivors. Our findings suggest that the symptom clusters obtained from the two studies have substantial overlap, but inconsistencies do remain, especially for context-sensitive symptom items. In summary, the study demonstrates the potential of mining unstructured, text-based, online forum data for supplementing and validating structured quantitative data collected from clinical studies.
Design and Analysis Methods for Cluster Randomized Trials with Pair-Matching on Baseline Outcome: Reduction of Treatment Effect Variance

DESIGN AND ANALYSIS METHODS FOR CLUSTER RANDOMIZED TRIALS WITH PAIR-MATCHING ON BASELINE OUTCOME: REDUCTION OF TREATMENT EFFECT VARIANCE
Delay Discounting Mediates Parent–Adolescent Relationship Quality and Risky Sexual Behavior for Low Self-Control Adolescents

Parent–adolescent relationship quality and delay discounting may play important roles in adolescents’ sexual decision making processes, and levels of self-control during adolescence could act as a buffer within these factors. This longitudinal study included 219 adolescent (55 % male; mean age = 12.66 years at Wave 1; mean age = 15.10 years at Wave 2) and primary caregiver dyads. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to determine whether delay discounting mediated the association between parent–adolescent relationship quality and adolescents’ risky sexual behavior and how this mediated association may differ between those with high versus low self-control. The results revealed parent–adolescent relationship quality plays a role in the development of risky sexual behavior indirectly through levels of delay discounting, but only for adolescents with low self-control. These findings could inform sex education policies and health prevention programs that address adolescent risky sexual behavior.
Abstract T MP28: Rigorous Anesthetic Management Protocol for Prevention of Perioperative Stroke in Patients with Intracranial Arterial Stenosis

Introduction: Perioperative ischemic stroke results in increased morbidity and mortality. As part of the ongoing EDAS Revascularization for Symptomatic Intracranial Arterial Stenosis (ERSIAS) Trial we have developed a strict anesthesia protocol to prevent fluctuations in patient parameters affecting cerebral perfusion: systolic blood pressure (SBP) and end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2). The hypothesis of this study is that the ERSIAS Anesthesia Management protocol reduces the variability of SBP and ETCO2 compared with a control group of non-stenosis-related vascular neurosurgical interventions. Methods: This is a prospective matched controlled cohort study of patients undergoing EDAS surgery vs. standard neurovascular interventions. ERSIAS patients had strict perioperative management including intentional hypertension and normorcarbia, meticulous fluid balance management, and antiplatelets use. Control patients received routine anesthetic standard of care. Minute-by-minute intra-operative vitals were electronically c...
National and International Copyright Liability for Electronic System Operators

There is a revolution in progress that is creating unprecedented global access to information, literature, and software over electronic media collectively referred to as the "information superhighway." Today, individuals, corporations, and institutions have instant access to resources from around the world at the touch of a button. From electronic bulletin boards, to software archives and online libraries, a person with a minimal computer setup can see and use the creations of others around the world. Many of these creations are protected by copyright, but the laws in this area are imprecise and difficult to enforce. The United States and other countries have domestic laws to govern copyright, but copyright infringement is a problem of international scope. In order to provide for and protect copyrights, there needs to be a uniform international system of rules and standards by which people around the world can operate. The need of users for access must be balanced against the need to protect creators' rights in order to maximize the benefits of creation and access for society.
Software Packages for Data Mining

The term data mining refers to the identification—within a typically large database—of new, valid, and interesting patterns. While data mining has become most popular in the context of, for example, database marketing, most of the methods under the data mining umbrella have been widely applied in biostatistics. We describe which main applications of data mining have arisen in biostatistics, and introduce the reader to some of the available data mining software packages with a reference to biostatistical needs. Keywords: association analysis; CART ; data mining; Kohonen maps; MARS ; microarray data; neural nets; pharmacovigilance; SAS Enterprise Miner; XLMiner
Disposition of firocoxib in late pregnant and early postpartum mares

Pregnancy induces several physiologic changes that might impact the bioavailability, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of pregnancy on the disposition of oral firocoxib in mares. Seven pony mares received oral firocoxib paste at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg during late pregnancy and again 12 to 33 days postpartum. Firocoxib concentrations were measured in plasma by HPLC with ultraviolet detection. Maximum plasma concentrations were significantly lower in pregnant (50.0 ± 21.8 ng/mL) than in postpartum (73.7 ± 25.6 ng/mL) mares. Plasma concentrations 24 h after administration, time to maximum plasma concentrations, and area under the plasma concentration versus time curve were not significantly different between late pregnancy and the postpartum period in mares.
Sex or candy? Neuroendocrine regulation of the seasonal transition from courtship to feeding behavior in male red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis)

This article is part of a Special Issue "Energy Balance". Seasonal modulation of glucocorticoids plays an important role in supporting critical life-history events, and probably facilitates transitions between different life-history stages. In a well-studied population of red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis), glucocorticoids are elevated during the mating season, but males dispersing to summer feeding grounds have significantly lower baseline glucocorticoids than courting males at the den. We tested the hypothesis that decreased plasma glucocorticoids mediate the behavioral switch between reproduction and foraging in this species. Using a two-choice Y-maze paradigm, we demonstrate that males treated with the glucocorticoid synthesis inhibitor metyrapone (1 and 3mg implants) prefer feeding cues (worm trail) over reproductive cues (female pheromone trail) significantly earlier than control-treated snakes. The metyrapone-induced changes in appetitive feeding behavior were independent of changes in plasma androgens and body mass loss. Metyrapone-treated males continued to court females at levels similar to those of control-treated snakes, suggesting that appetitive reproductive and ingestive behaviors are not mutually exclusive during this life-history transition. Consistent with this hypothesis, metyrapone treatment did not alter the number of arginine vasotocin-immunoreactive cells in any brain region, while it significantly increased neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive cell number in both the cortex and nucleus sphericus (homologues of the mammalian hippocampus and amygdala, respectively). Our results suggest that male red-sided garter snakes have the potential to maximize reproductive opportunities by continuing to court females they encounter even as they disperse from the den in search of food. Taken together, these data have important implications for understanding the neuroecology of seasonal life-history transitions.
EXPERIMENTAL CONTROL, SUBJECT SELECTION, AND PROBLEMS OF GENERALIZATION IN RESEARCH WITH SCHIZOPHRENIC SS

This report focuses on the severe reduction in sample size caused by the introduction of experimental controls in research with schizophrenic Ss and the limitations which this places on the general...
Performance enhancement methods for unstable bank-to-turn (BTT) missiles with saturating actuators

In this paper, three methods are presented to enhance the performance of an unstable missile system in the presence of multiple saturating actuators. Each method involves the design of a saturation detection system, which modifies a nominal autopilot via online optimization and maintains, to the extent possible, the multivariable properties of the nominal design. To prevent saturation due to exogenous signals, disturbances and noises, in particular, an error governor is proposed. This system processes the error signals within the feedback loop and the state of the compensator, so that appropriately co-ordinated control surface deflections may be generated. Traditionally, such a system has been applied only to stable plants. In this paper, it is shown how to design such a system for unstable plants. To prevent saturation due to reference (acceleration) commands from the guidance system, a reference governor is proposed. Such a system has traditionally required access to the entire state of the plant as wel...
HVOF-Sprayed Coatings Engineered from Mixtures of Nanostructured and Submicron Al2O3-TiO2 Powders: An Enhanced Wear Performance

In previous studies, it has been demonstrated that nanostructured Al2O3-13 wt.%TiO2 coatings deposited via air plasma spray (APS) exhibit higher wear resistance when compared to that of conventional coatings. This study aimed to verify if high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF)-sprayed Al2O3-13 wt.%TiO2 coatings produced using hybrid (nano + submicron) powders could improve even further the already recognized good wear properties of the APS nanostructured coatings. According to the abrasion test results (ASTM G 64), there was an improvement in wear performance by a factor of 8 for the HVOF-sprayed hybrid coating as compared to the best performing APS conventional coating. When comparing both hybrid and conventional HVOF-sprayed coatings, there was an improvement in wear performance by a factor of 4 when using the hybrid material. The results show a significant antiwear improvement provided by the hybrid material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at low/high magnifications showed the distinctive microstructure of the HVOF-sprayed hybrid coating, which helps to explain its excellent wear performance.
Dreaming as a Spiritual Practice

This essay gives an overview of the various roles that dreams have played in the world's religious traditions, and describes the major findings of 20th century dream psychology. It then offers different models for integrating traditional religious and modern psychological views of dreams. Three specific areas of integration are discussed: 1) The felt experience of numinosity; 2) Archetypal structures; 3) Existential questions. The essay concludes with reflections on the place of contemporary dream studies in the sociohistorical context of the "war" between religion and science in modern Western culture.
Multifunctional ToF-SIMS: combinatorial mapping of gradient energy substrates

Abstract We present a simple method for chemical modification of chlorosilane self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on Si surfaces by exposure to a gradient of UV-ozone radiation to create stable substrates with a range of contact angles ( θ H 2 O ≈5–95°) and surface energies on a single substrate. These gradient energy substrates are developed to potentially generate libraries for combinatorial studies of thin film phenomenology, where a systematic variation of interfacial surface energy represents one of the significant parameters along one axis. The graded oxidation process presents a systematic variation of surface chemical composition. We have utilized contact angle measurements and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to investigate this variation for a series of ions, among which are SiCH 3 + , SiOH + and COOH − . We show that the macroscopic measurements of surface free energy/contact angle correlate with the detailed analysis of surface chemistry (as assessed by ToF-SIMS) on these test substrates.
A developmentally regulated Caulobacter flagellar promoter is activated by 3' enhancer and IHF binding elements.

The transcription of a group of flagellar genes is temporally and spatially regulated during the Caulobacter crescentus cell cycle. These genes all share the same 5' cis-regulatory elements: a sigm...
Finding the Evidence in CAM: a Student's Perspective

This commentary offers a future health care provider's perspective on the role of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Western (namely, in US) medical education and practice. As a student of both public health and medicine in the United States, Jeffrey Ghassemi is interested in CAM's contribution to improving medical practice and teaching. The commentary highlights the ambiguous definitions of CAM to Westerners despite the rising popularity of and expenditures for alternative modalities of care. It then argues for collaboration between alternative and established medical communities to ascertain the scientific merits of CAM. It concludes by calling for a new medical paradigm that embraces the philosophies of both communities to advance education and patient care.
The spectral connection matrix for classical orthogonal polynomials of a single parameter

Abstract In this paper we study the so-called connection problem of, given a polynomial expressed in the basis of one set of orthogonal polynomials, computing the coefficients with respect to a different set of orthogonal polynomials. We restrict our current study to the classical real orthogonal polynomials of the Hermite, Laguerre, and Gegenbauer (including Legendre) families. The computational tool for this work is the class of quasiseparable matrices. While the relationships between orthogonal polynomials and rank-structured matrices such as quasiseparable matrices are very well-known, in this paper we investigate a more recently considered relationship. We prove that, while the matrix that implements the desired connection is not itself quasiseparable, it is an eigenvector matrix of one that is quasiseparable. We suggest to refer to this structured matrix as the spectral connection matrix. Finally, we present a simple algorithm exploiting the computationally favorable properties of quasiseparable matrices to implement the desired change of basis. By exploiting the quasiseparable structure, this algorithm enjoys an order of magnitude reduction of complexity as compared to the simple method of inverting the connection matrix directly. While not the focus of the paper, some very preliminary numerical experimentation shows some positive indications that even with this reduction in complexity the accuracy of the resulting change of basis algorithm is comparable to that of inverting the connection matrix directly.
Examining instructional assumptions: The child as informant

Jerome C. Harste Carolyn L. Burke Indiana University A great deal can be learned about the validity of language activities in a classroom by looking at the assumptions that lie behind those activities. While the activities may appear on the surface to be varied and creative, a closer examination often reveals that they reflect unfounded assumptions about language growth and development, which may in fact debilitate rather than facilitate the process of language literacy. A case in point is the first grade classroom of Alison, age 6. As we will illustrate later in this article, Alison had already had a variety of experiences with written language when she began first grade. While her teacher was well intentioned, the reading and writing activities which she provided did not build upon Alison's range of experience. We would like to share with the reader some examples of these activities, as we think they are typical of the language activities found in first grades. They may even be better than those found in many classrooms, though we wish to argue that they are not good enough, because of the unfounded assumptions that lie behind them.
Hans Loeschcke, Robert Mitchell and the medullary CO2 chemoreceptors: a brief historical review

Abstract In the late 1950s, stimulated by reports from Leusen in Belgium and Winterstein in Germany on ventilatory responses to spinal fluid acid, Hans Loeschcke from Gottingen, and Robert Mitchell of the University of California in San Francisco were independently seeking the site of respiratory chemosensitivity to CO 2 which they presumed to be mediated by cerebro–spinal fluid hydrogen ions. In 1960 Loeschcke came to San Francisco to join Mitchell for 3 months of intensive hunting for the site of action. This essay describes the events surrounding the localization of ventral medullary superficial (VMS) chemosensitivity to topical acidification, and some of their subsequent and largely independent work on the location, nature and function of this structure. The discovery led to a vast literature on all aspects of the regulation of respiration.
Speech Discrimination by Sensorineural Hearing-Impaired Persons Using a Transposer Hearing Aid

Nine students with moderate to profound, long—term, sensorineural hearing loss were trained and tested in conditions of “listen”, “look” and “look and listen” with the transposer hearing aid. Results with the Modified Rhyme Test and PB—50 word lists indicate that some Ss can receive additional benefit (6—10%) from transposition. Since as a group all Ss did not perform uniformly, it appears that the potential benefits of the transposer hearing aid should be assessed individually. Benefit from transposition does not appear to be limited to those people having only low frequency hearing. Some Ss with residual hearing through 4 kHz showed improvement in discrimination. Training is of utmost importance when evaluating this particular aid, as most Ss need time to adjust to listening to the transposed signal. Therefore conventional hearing aid evaluation procedures should be modified when evaluating this aid.Ni studerende med langvarige, perceptive horetab fra middel til svœr grad er blevet trœnet og undersogt m...