cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Higher-level statecharts for prototyping architectural dynamics

A system-level prototyping method has been developed for modeling the dynamics of concurrent real-time systems. This approach is based on higher-level statecharts, which embody object-based extensions to basic statecharts. To exemplify this method, a global communication mechanism is prototyped for a real-time multicomputer system that executes a single logical multitasking program. Since this prototype is intended to verify real-time concurrency logic, calibrate performance, and ensure safety, it includes a global virtual time base as a statechart subgraph. The prototyping process consists of capturing the system-level communication architecture in a higher-level statechart, and then translating it to an Ada multitasking program. A characteristic software architecture implicit in higher-level statecharts, known as a mutual agents architecture, appears to be suitable for an automated prototyping environment. >
Delayed presentation of perisplenic abscess following arterial embolization.

Abstract INTRODUCTION Splenic abscess formation is a rare but significant complication that may occur after non-operative management (NOM) of a blunt splenic injury (BSI). we describe an unusual case of perisplenic abscess formation nearly 4 months after splenic artery angioembolization for a grade III splenic laceration. PRESENTATION OF CASE A 52-year-old male was transferred to the Emergency Department (ED) of our institution after falling off his bicycle. He was hemodynamically stable but complained of left upper quadrant pain. Computed tomography (CT) was notable for a Grade III splenic laceration. The patient underwent a successful splenic artery embolization on hospital day 1. He had an uneventful post-embolization course and was discharged 3 days later, afebrile, with a stable hematocrit. Four months after his initial presentation, the patient presented to the ED with fever, malaise, and left upper quadrant abdominal pain. A CT scan revealed a multiloculated perisplenic abscess. He underwent a splenectomy and drainage of peri-splenic abscess, received a course of antibiotics, and had an uneventful recovery. DISCUSSION NOM including splenic angioembolization (SAE) is the standard of care for blunt splenic trauma in hemodynamically stable patients. Known complications from SAE include bleeding, missed injuries to the diaphragm and pancreas, and splenic abscess. This report documents a delayed perisplenic abscess following NOM of blunt splenic trauma, a rare but potential complication of SAE. CONCLUSION Formation of a perisplenic abscess may occur several months after NOM of a blunt splenic injury. Prompt surgical management and antibiotic therapy are critical to avoid life-threatening complications.
Combined Immunosuppression for the Treatment of Idiopathic Giant Cell Myocarditis

Giant cell myocarditis (GCM) is a rare and frequently fatal disorder with no proven treatment. Case reports and data from a rat model of GCM suggest that immunosuppressive therapy directed against T lymphocytes may have clinical benefit. We describe a 47-year-old man with severe acute heart failure due to GCM in whom the left ventricular ejection fraction normalized and the myocardial inflammatory infiltrate resolved rapidly after treatment with muromonab-CD3, cyclosporine, azathioprine, and corticosteroids. Three previously published cases with less impressive responses to treatment including muromonab-CD3 and a critical review of the published data on immunosuppressive therapy are included in this report. The response to immunosuppressive therapy is highly variable, and direct comparisons between immunosuppressive regimens do not exist. Therefore, despite individual reports of dramatic improvement after immunosuppressive treatment, firm conclusions cannot be made about the benefit of immunosuppression for GCM. The benefits of immunosuppressive therapy must be confirmed in a prospective, randomized trial.
Convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity of aggressive driving inventories: They drive as they live

The authors hypothesized that aggressive driving is indicative of a more general trait that leads individuals to behave aggressively in different situations. This hypothesis was tested by having 85 male and 237 female undergraduates complete the Aggression Questionnaire, three measures of aggressive driving (the Driver Anger Scale, Driver Vengeance Questionnaire, and Driving Behavior Inventory), and questions about violating traffic laws. High correlations among the aggressive driving inventories provided evidence for the convergent validity, but a confirmatory factor analyses raised questions about the discriminant validity of aggressive driving inventories. The inventories did not attain significance in hierarchical analyses of traffic violations that controlled for gender, driving experience, and measures of trait aggression. It is concluded that there is little unique about aggressive driving and that individuals drive as they live. Aggr. Behav. 32:89–98, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Facial and Speech Relationships to Behavior of Children with Clefts across Three Age Levels

Abstract Objective: This study was conducted to examine relationships of facial and speech ratings to behavior at three ages. Design: Multiple correlations to control for gender, IQ, and socioeconomic status (SES). Partial correlations between speech or facial ratings and behavior. Setting: A university hospital interdisciplinary cleft/craniofacial center. Patients: Sixty-five children with CP or CLP and no other anomalies seen at ages 6,9, and 12 years. Interventions: Speech ratings, facial ratings, hearing assessment, and SES ratings, were collected at ages 6,9, and 12. Main Outcome Measure: The Behavior Problem Checklist was used and internalizing problems were expected. Results: Less severe speech problems associated with behavioral inhibition were noted at age 9 years (p < .01). Greater facial disfigurement was correlated with greater inhibition at age 12 (p < .001). Conclusions: Longitudinal data indicates different associations of speech and facial variables were made to behavior at different ages ...
The Banking Crisis in the U.S.: How Effective Were U.S. Regulators?

This study explored the causes of the tremendous spike in U.S. bank failures that occurred during the recent financial crisis of 2009-2010. Specifically, the study tested whether U.S. bank regulators identified early warning signals of the forthcoming crisis and once the industry began to falter significantly in 2008, if they took the appropriate actions. The study examined the hypotheses that regulators may have failed to identify signs of overheating in the residential real estate market well in advance of the crisis, and that they did not take sufficient action against financially weak banks during the crisis. Several recent studies of bank failures have focused on the impact of state-level economic factors in driving the extremely high failure rates during the credit crisis particularly among smaller community and savings banks. I analyzed the recent bank failure phenomenon primarily from a state-level perspective by first isolating only failed banks that did not have a national banking charter and whose banking activities therefore were concentrated mainly at the state level. The results of the Tobit regression model partially supported the hypotheses, as two of the three predictor variables chosen as proxies for regulatory effectiveness, subprime adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) foreclosure rates and the volume of regulatory sanctions issued, both exhibited explanatory power that was statistically significant in relation to state bank failure rates in 2009-2010. These results, while suggesting several areas for further research, may prove useful to regulators as they likely search for new or enhanced methods of ensuring the safety and soundness of the banking sector and avoiding future banking crisis.
A Generalized Iterative Approach to Improve Reduced-Order Model Accuracy for Inverse Problem Applications

AbstractA generally applicable algorithm for the iterative generation of data ensembles to efficiently create accurate computational mechanics reduced-order models (ROMs) for use in computational approaches to approximate inverse problem solutions is presented and numerically evaluated. The ROM approach considered is based on identifying the optimal low-dimensional basis to be used within a Galerkin weak-form finite-element (FE) method to provide substantially reduced computational cost while maintaining accuracy relative to that of a (traditional) full-order FE model. Furthermore, proper orthogonal decomposition is used to derive the ROM basis from a set of response fields (i.e., snapshots) generated a priori with full-order FE analyses. Therefore, the set of full-order FE analyses used to create the ROM directly affects the accuracy/generalization of the ROM. The core hypothesis of the algorithm presented is that maximizing the diversity, as defined in a measurable sense, of the full-order models (FOM) ...
Calibration of the MESSENGER X-Ray Spectrometer

Abstract The X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) that flew on the MESSENGER spacecraft measured X-rays from the surface of Mercury in the energy range ~1–10 keV. Detection of characteristic K α -line emissions from Mg, Al, Si, S, Ca, Ti, and Fe yielded the surface abundances of these geologically important elements. Spatial resolution as fine as ~40 km (across track) was possible at periapsis for those elements for which counting statistics were not a limiting factor. Four years of orbital observations have made it possible to generate from XRS spectra detailed elemental composition maps that cover a majority of Mercury׳s surface. Converting measurements to compositions requires a thorough understanding of the XRS instrument capabilities. The ground and flight calibration measurements presented here are necessary for the reduction and analysis of the X-ray data from the MESSENGER mission.
SUMMARY OF CURRENT THERAPY: Coronary Vasodilators

On the basis of the available evidence, coronary vasodilators do not appear to possess therapeutic value. A careful appraisal of these drugs is long overdue. The use of nitrates in the treatment of coronary atherosclerosis has distorted our basic thinking for many years. We hope our discussion will lead to careful, accurate and statistically valid experimental work to establish a scientific basis for treatment. Denial of the efficacy of nitroglycerin and related vasodilators has wide and important clinical, pharmacologic, and philosophic implications, the full exploration of which is beyond the scope of this article. The most important of these is the growing awareness that coronary vasodilation does not seem to be one of the therapeutic solutions to the problem of angina, or of coronary atherosclerosis in general.
Parenting style, parenting stress, and children's health-related behaviors.

Objective Parental guidance is critical to the development of children's health-related behaviors. The purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between parenting factors, including parenting style and parenting stress, and children's health-related behaviors. Methods In this descriptive, correlational study, 284 parents of preschool children were interviewed using the Child Rearing Questionnaire and the Korean Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. Results Parent distress, authoritative and permissive parenting styles, family income, and mother's education were significantly associated with children's health-related behaviors. Conclusions These findings suggest that higher levels of warmth, characteristics of both parenting styles, may be a critical factor in the development of health-related behaviors.
Holy Rollers: Monasteries, Lamas, and the Unseen Transport of Chinese–Russian Trade, 1850–1911

This article examines the roles of Mongolian monasteries and lamas in transportation between the Qing Chinese (1636–1911) and Russian Romanov (1613–1917) empires during the latter half of the nineteenth century. A series of treaties between 1858 and 1882 granted Russian subjects the right to trade in Mongolian territories under Qing sovereignty, and the resultant increase of Russian trade across Mongolia provided new wage-earning opportunities. Larger monasteries, with their access to pack animals and laborers, acted as brokers, while for poorer lamas haulage was one of the few sources of paid labor available in Mongolian territories, making working in transportation a strategy of survival for many Mongolian lamas. Mongolian porters provide a window on to how the broad processes of nineteenth-century imperialism in the Qing empire affected labor on the Sino–Russian frontier, and on to how imperialism was experienced in one of the most remote corners of the Qing empire.
Use of a Multirule Control Chart for the Quality Control of PT and aPTT Analyses

While acceptance of the multirule quality control procedure is widespread in clinical chemistry, its use is minimal in the coagulation laboratory. We have applied the multirule control chart to the quality control of prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time assays. Approximately 5 months were required to optimize and teach a multirule control procedure to three shifts of ST AT laboratory employees. The controlprocedure consists of the 12s control rule for screening control observations and the l3s and the 22s control rules for rejection of analytical runs. We have found that the multirule control chart is an excellent device for demonstrating the need for system maintenance and reconstitution of coagulation controls and reagents.
Oxygen uptake of human erythrocytes in fresh and stored blood.

SummaryThe oxygen uptake of human whole blood is essentially the same whether sodium citrate or heparin is used as an anticoagulant. There is a significant difference between the oxygen uptake of the blood of men and women. A significant fluctuation was noted in the oxygen uptake of fresh blood from one person from day to day. The oxygen uptake of human blood stored in ACD solution rapidly decreases for 20 days then fluctuates for at least 60 more days in an erratic fashion.
Conformational Requirements for Vascular α-Adrenergic Activity:

SummarySemi-rigid analogs of trans α-and β-rotameric conformations of dopamine and epinine were studied for their β-adrenergic activity on isolated rabbit aortic strips. 2-Amino-6,7-dihydroxytetrahydronaphthalene and its N-methyl derivative (analogous to the trans β-rotamer of dopamine) were 30- to 50-fold more potent than 2-amino-5,6-dihydrox-ytetrahydronaphthalene and its N-methyl derivatives, respectively, indicating that the trans β-rotamer, rather than the trans α-rotamer, is the preferred conformation for action on the α-adrenergic receptors.
Analysis of a Hinge-Connected Flapping Plate with an Implemented Torsional Spring Model

Hovering hinged plates are used to study the effects of passive deflection on aerodynamic performance using two-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) at low Reynolds numbers (Re). The hinge is modeled as a torsional spring at the leading edge, where the prescribed motion is applied. The influence of forced-to-natural frequency ratio (hinge stiffness) is studied, concluding that averaged glide ratio (lift-to-drag) improved as the hinge became stiffer, with a peak performance occurring for ! f ! n = 1 4 . The influences of stroketo-chord ratio on a hovering hinged plate are also investigated, concluding that glide ratio improved as the ratio increased for the frequency ratio that we studied.
The "Mirroring" of Gallstones: Description of a Novel Silvering Method to Determine the Surface Area of an Irregular Object In Vitro Demonstration That Multiple Gallstones From the Same Gallbladder Dissolve in Unsaturated "Bile" at the Same Rate

Abstract We describe a novel "silvering" method to determine the surface area of nonspherical objects and have applied this method to human cholesterol gallstones. A standard curve is first constructed, using data obtained from the dissolution rates of silver-coated plastic spheres of known dimensions in unstirred thiosulfate—ferricyanide solutions. Silver dissolution rates of silver-coated gallstones are then correlated with the standard curve so that the equivalent spherical surface area of the gallstones may be estimated. The technique has been applied to cholesterol dissolution rates of gallstones from the same patient and from different patients in unstirred bile salt (sodium chenodeoxycholate) solutions. The results demonstrate that cholesterol dissolution rates per unit surface area are identical for small stones as well as large ones, are identical for all stones from the same gallbladder, but are somewhat dissimilar for those originating from different gallbladders. The experimental results are in agreement with a priori theoretical predictions of mass transfer from spherical objects, and correlate satisfactorily with experimental dissolution rates of pure cholesterol monohydrate disks in unstirred bile salt solutions.
The Status of Legionella Infection in Patients with Pulmonary Diseases in Nanjing

To study the status of Legionella infection in different populations,912 serum samples were collected from healthy people or patients suffering pulmonary disease in Nanjing.The antibody dilution was detected by micro-agglutination test with antigens of Lp type1-8 and Lm.The results showed that the positive rate of Legionella infection in patients suffering pulmonary disease(46.3%,265/572) was statistically higher than that of healthy control(39.4%,134/340)(P0.05).The positive rate in female(45%)was slightly higher than that of in male(42.9%),but there was no statistical difference between them(P0.05).The positive rate of Lp1(14.2 %) was highest in patients suffering pulmonary disease,followed by Lp 6(8.9 %),and Lp 10 was the lowest one(0.17 %).In healthy people,the highest infection type was Lp 1(14.2%),followed by Lp 3(7.1%),Lp 6(6.2%) and Lm(5.0%) in turn.The Lp9 was not detected.The results indicate that infection of Legionella may be one of the important factors for patients suffering pulmonary disease in Nanjing and the healthy populations were in risk of infection by Legionella.
Research and improvement of HWMP sequence number scheme in Linux kernel

To improve the robustness of hybrid wireless mesh protocol(HWMP) in engineering applications,the sequence number mechanism of HWMP in Linux kernel is studied.The dead-lock loop of path request(PREQ) caused by the improper processing of the SN_VALID field in the routing update process is discovered,and a solution is proposed to delete the SN_VALID field.The solution changes the routing update process of HWMP,eliminating the wrong forwarding of PREQ,thereby eliminating the dead-lock loop of PREQ.The solution is implemented in Linux kernel and tested for a significant period of time,which demonstrated its feasibility and effectiveness.
Neutrino: revisiting memory caching for iterative data analytics

In-memory analytics frameworks such as Apache Spark are rapidly gaining popularity as they provide order of magnitude performance speedup over disk-based systems for iterative workloads. For example, Spark uses the Resilient Distributed Dataset (RDD) abstraction to cache data in memory and iteratively compute on it in a distributed cluster. In this paper, we make the case that existing abtractions such as RDD are coarse-grained and only allow discrete cache levels to be used for caching data. This results in inefficient memory utilization and lower than optimal performance. In addition, relying on the programmer to enforce caching decisions for an RDD makes it infeasible for the system to adapt to runtime changes. To overcome these challenges, we propose Neutrino that employs fine-grained memory caching of RDD partitions and adapts to the use of different in-memory cache levels based on runtime characteristics of the cluster. First, it extracts a data flow graph to capture the data access dependencies between RDDs across different stages of a Spark application without relying on cache enforcement decisions from the programmer. Second, it uses a dynamic-programming based algorithm to guide caching decisions across the cluster and adaptively convert or discard the RDD partitions from the different cache levels. We have implemented a prototype of Neutrino as an extension to Spark and use four different machine-learning workloads for performance evaluation. Neutrino improves the average job execution time by up to 70% over the use of Spark's native memory cache levels.
Autentyczny resentyment. Cięcia gatunkowe i ideologemy w „eksperymentalnych” powieściach George’a Gissinga

Polish translation of fourth chapter of Fredric Jameson's The Political Unconsciouss . Narrative as a Socially Symbolic Act (1981). The author analyzes the role of resentment in the novels of George Gissing, poinitng to the process whereby resentment ceases to produce ideological images and forces the reader to grasp the historical and social reality and to acknowledge the class consciousness.
SU-D-BRC-07: System Design for a 3D Volumetric Scintillation Detector Using SCMOS Cameras

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to build a volumetric scintillation detector for quantitative imaging of 3D dose distributions of proton beams accurately in near real-time. Methods: The liquid scintillator (LS) detector consists of a transparent acrylic tank (20×20×20 cm3) filled with a liquid scintillator that when irradiated with protons generates scintillation light. To track rapid spatial and dose variations in spot scanning proton beams we used three scientific-complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (sCMOS) imagers (2560×2160 pixels). The cameras collect optical signal from three orthogonal projections. To reduce system footprint two mirrors oriented at 45° to the tank surfaces redirect scintillation light to cameras for capturing top and right views. Selection of fixed focal length objective lenses for these cameras was based on their ability to provide large depth of field (DoF) and required field of view (FoV). Multiple cross-hairs imprinted on the tank surfaces allow for image corrections arising from camera perspective and refraction. Results: We determined that by setting sCMOS to 16-bit dynamic range, truncating its FoV (1100×1100 pixels) to image the entire volume of the LS detector, and using 5.6 msec integration time imaging rate can be ramped up to 88 frames per second (fps). 20 mm focal length lens provides a 20 cm imaging DoF and 0.24 mm/pixel resolution. Master-slave camera configuration enable the slaves to initiate image acquisition instantly (within 2 µsec) after receiving a trigger signal. A computer with 128 GB RAM was used for spooling images from the cameras and can sustain a maximum recording time of 2 min per camera at 75 fps. Conclusion: The three sCMOS cameras are capable of high speed imaging. They can therefore be used for quick, high-resolution, and precise mapping of dose distributions from scanned spot proton beams in three dimensions.
Love’s Vision

In Love’s Vision, Troy Jollimore seeks to develop a philosophy of love out of two alternatives, “rationalism” and “anti-rationalism.” The rationalist claim is that lovers love because of properties...
Pifithrin-μ Prevents Cisplatin-Induced Chemobrain by Preserving Neuronal Mitochondrial Function

Cognitive impairment, termed chemobrain, is a common neurotoxicity associated with chemotherapy treatment, affecting an estimated 78% of patients. Prompted by the hypothesis that neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction underlies chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI), we explored the efficacy of administering the small-molecule pifithrin (PFT)-μ, an inhibitor of mitochondrial p53 accumulation, in preventing CICI. Male C57BL/6J mice injected with cisplatin ± PFT-μ for two 5-day cycles were assessed for cognitive function using novel object/place recognition and alternation in a Y-maze. Cisplatin impaired performance in the novel object/place recognition and Y-maze tests. PFT-μ treatment prevented CICI and associated cisplatin-induced changes in coherency of myelin basic protein fibers in the cingular cortex and loss of doublecortin+ cells in the subventricular zone and hippocampal dentate gyrus. Mechanistically, cisplatin decreased spare respirator capacity of brain synaptosomes and caused abnormal mitochondrial morphology, which was counteracted by PFT-μ administration. Notably, increased mitochondrial p53 did not lead to cerebral caspase-3 activation or cytochrome-c release. Furthermore, PFT-μ administration did not impair the anticancer efficacy of cisplatin and radiotherapy in tumor-bearing mice. Our results supported the hypothesis that neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction induced by mitochondrial p53 accumulation is an underlying cause of CICI and that PFT-μ may offer a tractable therapeutic strategy to limit this common side-effect of many types of chemotherapy. Cancer Res; 77(3); 742-52. ©2016 AACR.
Safely interruptible agents

Reinforcement learning agents interacting with a complex environment like the real world are unlikely to behave optimally all the time. If such an agent is operating in real-time under human supervision, now and then it may be necessary for a human operator to press the big red button to prevent the agent from continuing a harmful sequence of actions—harmful either for the agent or for the environment—and lead the agent into a safer situation. However, if the learning agent expects to receive rewards from this sequence, it may learn in the long run to avoid such interruptions, for example by disabling the red button— which is an undesirable outcome. This paper explores a way to make sure a learning agent will not learn to prevent (or seek!) being interrupted by the environment or a human operator. We provide a formal definition of safe interruptibility and exploit the off-policy learning property to prove that either some agents are already safely interruptible, like Q-learning, or can easily be made so, like Sarsa. We show that even ideal, uncomputable reinforcement learning agents for (deterministic) general computable environments can be made safely interruptible.
Scientific Discoveries as Historical Artifacts

In his recent book Wonderful Life (Gould 1989, pp. 277–291), Steven Jay Gould notes that Harvard now organizes the sciences “according to procedural style rather than conventional discipline [into] the experimental-predictive and the historical” (ibid.,p. 279). While the former, such as physics and chemistry, have often been taken as prototypes for all sciences, Gould emphasizes that: Historical explanations are distinct from conventional experimental results in many ways. The issue of verification by repetition does not arise because we are trying to account for the uniqueness of detail that cannot, both by the laws of probability and time’s arrow of irreversibility, occur together again. We do not attempt to interpret the complex events of narrative by reducing them to simple consequences of natural law; historical events do not, of course, violate any general principles of matter and motion, but their occurrence lies in a realm of contingent detail. (The law of gravity tells us how an apple falls, but not why the apple fell at that moment, and why Newton happened to be sitting there, ripe for inspiration.) And the issue of prediction, a central ingredient in the stereotype, does not enter into a historical narrative. We can explain the event after it occurs, but contingency precludes its repetition, even from an identical starting point (ibid., p. 278).
TURNING POINTS IN DIAGNOSTIC ULTRASOUND

From the tables chronicling ultrasound imaging developments and enabling technologies, it is evident that there is often a time lag between the appearance of a technology and its effect. The most dramatic changes have been through the continual miniaturization of electronics in accordance with Moore’s law. Smaller size components led to the first commercially available phased array imaging systems as well as new portable imaging systems which weigh only a few pounds. Moore’s law is apparently approaching physical limits, and a second Moore’s law predicts rapidly increasing production costs with reduced chip size. Because of the time lag of technology implementation, the full effect of the latest devel opments have not had their full effect on ultrasound imaging.
The Other End of the Stethoscope

A medical student receives a call from his physician father, whose voice is heavy and calm. There is news, unfortunately. A mass. He speaks with the same quiet reserve and scientific openness to fact that have made him a good physician.
Editorial Commentary: Put Down Your Saw and Pick Up Your Scope! Or, Why Burn Down the Bridge When the Road Ahead Is Full of Potholes? Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement Versus Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair.

Abstract Are we doing too many reverse total shoulder replacements and not fixing enough repairable rotator cuff tears? A convincing argument can be made for attempting to repair most, not all, very large rotator cuff tears in patients who do not have a significant arthritic change in the shoulder. My experience over more than 25 years of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) is that the only good way to know if it is repairable is to try. But some patients really do not pass my "eyeball test" as to whether they can rehabilitate and heal enough to make an ARCR reasonable. Magnetic resonance imaging scans are useful, mostly to help me with tear pattern recognition, how much time and skill I might need for the repair, and to help me council my patients as to their ultimate functional recovery. I have had surprises both ways: some ARCRs that I thought would be easy turned out to be very challenging and others that I thought would be "mission impossible" turned out to be "mission accomplished"! The rationale for jumping ahead primarily to reverse total shoulder replacements reminds me of certain tax cut plans I have heard talk of lately. Sounds great now (well, maybe the complication rate is a little high) but there might be a price to pay down the road.
Ballin’ the Pinball Way: Conceptualizing the WALLIN Framework for Transitioning from Linear to Collaborative Social Media Advertising

This research examines the transition from a linear advertising approach (also known as “the bowling alley” approach) to a much more collaborative approach known as “pinball advertising.” We provide significant background information regarding the effectiveness of “the bowling alley,” and explore the benefits and risks associated with switching to the collaborative pinball approach for social media advertising. We developed our own framework for analysis, called the WALLIN framework. Included in the WALLIN framework is the impact of word-of-mouth (WOM), active consumers, leadership, lane shifting, implications, and networks in terms of moving away from the ‘old’ approach and toward the ‘new.’ We utilize case research to develop our findings, with the prospect of highlighting the biggest benefit of pinball advertising based WALLIN framework: giving the power back to the people. The notion of paying attention to what consumers have to say is one that may seem essential to the success of a business, but surprisingly, not one that all businesses follow. Through our paper, we focus on the importance of paying attention to electronic WOM through utilization of the pinball advertising approach. The research addresses questions of how switching to a collaborative pinball advertising driven WALLIN advertising approach positively impact organizational success; what are the pros and cons of moving toward the new advertising approach; and how does WALLIN framework impact social media driven learning and educational needs of organizational employees and individual consumers in business-to-business and business-to-consumer settings.
Early Impact of Medicare Accountable Care Organizations on Inpatient Surgical Spending.

Objective:To evaluate whether hospital participation in accountable care organizations (ACOs) is associated with reduced Medicare spending for inpatient surgery.Background:ACOs have proliferated rapidly and now cover more than 32 million Americans. Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACOs have sh
The Surface of Section

The trajectories in phase space often have very involved global features which are in apparent contradiction to the locally smooth flow. Poincare proposed to deal with this problem by intercepting the flow at discrete times, rather than by following up on every little shift and displacement. His method, known as the surface of section, has become the main tool for studying chaotic systems, and will be discussed in this chapter for the special case of Hamiltonian systems. The main ideas are all of geometrical origin and will be presented in this light.
Useful Procedures in Multibody Dynamics

This paper discusses four concepts expected to lead to advances in numerical simulation of multibody system dynamics. They are: 1) Body connection arrays; 2) Euler parameters; 3) Kane’s equations; and 4) Orthogonal complement arrays.
Comprehensive Modeling of the Middle Atmosphere: The Influence of Horizontal Resolution

Results are presented from the GFDL “SKYHI” general circulation model that illuminate the effects of increasing horizontal grid resolution. The model experiments reveal a very pronounced improvement of simulation skill at the highest resolution tested (1° latitude grid size). The zonal wind climatology is particularly affected with dramatic improvements in the stratospheric winter westerlies and the positions of the tropospheric subtropical jet streams. These improvements are apparently related to increases in tropospheric wave forcing, specifically the Eliassen-Palm flux. The 1° resolution model has successfully simulated a major mid-stratospheric sudden warming event. Some preliminary analysis and insights on the causes and character of the sudden warming event are presented.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors as a Treatment for Sexual Compulsivity

Since the discovery of the sexually transmitted virus HIV as the cause of AIDS and related illnesses twenty years ago, prevention efforts have encouraged the adoption of safe sexual behaviors. Abstinence, condom use and mutual monogamy are ways to prevent HIV transmission. Having unprotected sex with multiple partners-particularly among populations with elevated HIV prevalence–carries substantial risk for HIV infection and transmission. While many individuals have changed their sexual practices in order to avoid exposure to HIV, many others have not. It is important to identify subgroups of individuals less likely to respond to conventional HIV prevention messages and interventions, and to develop prevention approaches more likely to be effective with each particular subgroup. One psychosocial factor that is associated with HIV-risk behavior is sexual compulsivity (SC). Because self-identification of SC is far more common
Crystal Structure and Ion Conducting Properties of La5NbMo2O16.

The new title compound is prepared by solid state reaction of La2O3, Nb2O5, and MoO3 employing five annealing states (1200—1300 °C, 30—88 h, heating and cooling rates of 6 °C/min).
Diagnosogenic thinking in speech-language pathology and some viable alternatives

Diagnosis has long played a central role in the field of speech-language pathology. It governs how clinicians define what they do, who they work with, and how they carry out their practice. Diagnosis also impacts individual clients, often negatively. In this sense, our field can be characterized as diagnosogenetic. This article describes the historical role diagnosis has played in the field since the late nineteenth century, argues how diagnosogenic thinking can be probematic, and offers alternative ways of construing and executing our clinical practices.
Adaptive Control of Dynamical Systems with Unstructured Uncertainty and Unmodeled Dynamics

Model reference adaptive control of dynamical systems with unstructured system uncertainties and unmodeled dynamics is considered in this paper. Specifically, a stability tradeoff for this class of dynamical systems is shown first. With the goal of relaxing the resulting stability tradeoff, adaptive robustifying terms are designed next. The key aspect of the proposed relaxation procedure is that the proposed terms guarantee closed-loop system stability even with respect to significant system uncertainties, subject to unmodeled dynamics satisfying a condition. An illustrative numerical example is further given to demonstrate our theoretical findings.
ShinyOmics: collaborative exploration of omics-data

Omics-profiling is a collection of increasingly prominent approaches that result in large-scale biological datasets, for instance capturing an organism’s behavior and response in an environment. It can be daunting to manually analyze and interpret such large datasets without some programming experience. Additionally, with increasing amounts of data; management, storage and sharing challenges arise. Here, we present ShinyOmics, a web-based application that allows rapid collaborative exploration of omics-data. By using Tn-Seq, RNA-Seq, microarray and proteomics datasets from two human pathogens, we exemplify several conclusions that can be drawn from a rich dataset. We identify a protease and several chaperone proteins upregulated under aminoglycoside stress, show that antibiotics with the same mechanism of action trigger similar transcriptomic responses, point out the dissimilarity in different omics-profiles, and overlay the transcriptional response on a metabolic network. ShinyOmics is easy to set up and customize, and can utilize user supplied metadata. It offers several visualization and comparison options that are designed to assist in novel hypothesis generation, as well as data management, online sharing and exploration. Moreover, ShinyOmics can be used as an interactive supplement accompanying research articles or presentations.
Legal Education and Professional Development – An Educational Continuum

The Report (that this is a Preface for) is known familiarly as the MacCrate Report, after the Task Force’s revered chairperson, Robert MacCrate, a leader of the bar in New York City and a former president of the American Bar Association. The Report was the result of almost three years of research, study and reflection by a group of twenty-seven of the most distinguished and experienced law school deans and faculty members, judges and practicing attorneys in the United States.The MacCrate Report not only was hugely ambitious, it also has been tremendously influential, particularly on legal education in the United States.
Financing climate-related resettlements in uneven geographies of risk: Lessons from Bogota Humana

With the growing prominence of climate change in development discourse, the practice of resettling households vulnerable to disasters is increasingly promoted as a strategy for climate adaptation. ...
Cortical Representations of Conspecific Sex Shape Social Behavior

A central question related to virtually all social decisions is how animals integrate sex-specific cues from conspecifics. Using microendoscopic calcium imaging in mice, we find that sex information is represented in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) across excitatory and inhibitory neurons. These cells form a distributed code that differentiates the sex of conspecifics and is strengthened with social experience. While males and females both represent sex in the dmPFC, male mice show stronger encoding of female cues, and the relative strength of these sex representations predicts sex preference behavior. Using activity-dependent optogenetic manipulations of natively active ensembles, we further show that these specific representations modulate preference behavior toward males and females. Together, these results define a functional role for native representations of sex in shaping social behavior and reveal a neural mechanism underlying male- versus female-directed sociality.
Enteral iron absorption in patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.

Background/objectives To determine whether iron was being enterally absorbed in anemic patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). Methods Anemic patients with RDEB who were refractory or had poor adherence to oral or gastrostomy-given iron underwent enteral iron absorption challenges. Subjects were given 2 mg/kg of elemental iron. Successful iron absorption was defined as a two- to threefold increase of serum iron or a rise to above 100 µg/dL. Results Nine of 12 iron challenges did not show increased iron absorption. Only three of the ten subjects demonstrated elevated iron absorption. All patients had elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), low serum albumin, and hemoglobin levels. Eight challenges were in patients with elevated soluble transferrin receptor (STFR)/log ferritin levels, indicating iron deficiency. The three challenges with elevated iron absorption also had elevated STFR/log ferritin as well as elevated ESR and CRP, but these inflammatory markers were, in general, less elevated than those in non-absorbers. Conclusions Enteral iron is routinely prescribed for anemic patients with RDEB assuming a component of iron deficiency. Adherence to enteral iron tends to be unreliable due to unpalatable taste and gastrointestinal complaints. Enteral iron absorption tests are relatively noninvasive and appear to be well tolerated. Poor gastrointestinal iron absorption may be an important factor in failure to improve anemia in RDEB enterally. It may be prudent to test patients with RDEB who are anemic and not responding well to conventional iron supplements with iron absorption tests and to consider replacement with intravenous iron in iron-deficient patients.
The Inflammasome Signaling Proteins ASC and IL-18 as Biomarkers of Psoriasis

Inflammasome activation in the innate immune response plays a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis largely due to the increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, the precise role of inflammasomes in psoriasis (Ps) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is largely undefined. To establish the reliability of inflammasome signaling proteins as diagnostics and predictive biomarkers of clinical severity in this disease population, serum from healthy donors and patients with Ps/PsA were analyzed for the protein expression of caspase-1, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain (ASC), interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-18 levels to determine cut-off points, positive and negative predictive values, and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves. Our data revealed that ASC and IL-18 proteins were significantly higher in the Ps group when compared to healthy controls. The area under the curve (AUC) for ASC was 0.9224 with a cut-off point of 321.8 pg/ml, while IL-18 had an AUC of 0.7818 and a cut-off point of 232.1 pg/ml. In addition, levels of IL-18 had a statistically significant linear correlation with that of ASC with an adjusted R squared of 0.2566, indicating that approximately 25% of IL-18 levels could be explained by ASC levels in serum. Our findings indicate that ASC and IL-18 play a significant role in the inflammatory response associated with the pathology of Ps. These inflammasome proteins appear to be key biomarkers in determining diagnoses in this patient population.
HRT-associated increases in mammographic percent density and side effects of therapy

1092 Purpose: Studies consistently report increases in mammographic percent density (PD) with use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), with greater increases seen among users of combination therapy. However, there is heterogeneity in PD response to the use of these exogenous hormones; only 20-35% of women experience an increase in PD upon initiation and continuation of HRT. These increases in PD may result from increases in circulating hormones and/or growth factors in the breast. We hypothesize that women experiencing HRT-associated increases in PD also experience side effects when using this therapy. Methods: Participants were recruited between December 2000-March 2001 from a large mammography screening practice at the Mayo Clinic. 2238 women (85% of those approached) completed a questionnaire including HRT history, reason for starting HRT and side effects of therapy; 825 (37%) were currently on HRT and had no prior breast cancer. Of these, 235 women (28%) were currently using HRT for 6 years or less, had a mammogram available prior to HRT use and provided a blood sample. The right and left mediolateral oblique mammogram views before HRT use and at the time of current visit were retrieved and digitized. Weight was abstracted from medical records. PD and dense area were estimated using a semi-automated computer-assisted thresholding program (Cumulus); the average PD or dense area from both views were used in statistical analyses. Repeated measures analyses were conducted to analyze the association between side effects (any/none and specific types) and HRT-associated change in PD, accounting for age and weight at both mammogram dates. Analyses were also performed stratified by type of HRT. Results: Mean age at current visit was 64 years (SD=10.5) and 91% were postmenopausal. 43% of women were on estrogen alone, 56% on combination therapy and 1% on progesterone. Pre HRT mean PD was 22.5% (SD=15.6); mean change in PD with HRT use was 8.2% (SD=13.0%). 60% of women experienced any side effect while on current therapy. The most common side effects were breast tenderness (23%), weight changes (14%), vaginal bleeding (17%) and reduced sex drive (11%). There was no association between experiencing any side effect and change in PD (p=0.15). However, examining specific side effects separately, women experiencing breast tenderness had a greater HRT-associated increase in PD (adjusted mean increase, 11.3%) than women not reporting breast tenderness (adjusted mean increase, 7.2%)(p=0.02). There was no association between vaginal bleeding, weight change or reduced sex drive with change in PD. Similar associations were seen with absolute dense area. When stratified by estrogen or combination therapy, associations were stronger among users of estrogen alone. Conclusion: This study suggests that increases in PD with HRT use may be associated with breast tenderness.
An autonomous wearable system for diurnal sweat biomarker data acquisition

To track dynamically varying and physiologically relevant biomarker profiles in sweat, autonomous wearable platforms are required to periodically sample and analyze sweat with minimal or no user intervention. Previously reported sweat sensors are functionally limited to capturing biomarker information at one time-point/period, thereby necessitating repeated user intervention to increase the temporal granularity of biomarker data. Accordingly, we present a compact multi-compartment wearable system, where each compartment can be activated to autonomously induce/modulate sweat secretion (via iontophoretic actuation) and analyze sweat at set time points. This system was developed following a hybrid-flex design and a vertical integration scheme-integrating the required functional modules: miniaturized iontophoresis interfaces, adhesive thin film microfluidic-sensing module, and control/readout electronics. The system was deployed in a human subject study to track the diurnal variation of sweat glucose levels in relation to the daily food intake. The demonstrated autonomous operation for diurnal sweat biomarker data acquisition illustrates the system's suitability for large-scale and longitudinal personal health monitoring applications.