cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Public-Private Distinction in Organization Theory: A Critique and Research Strategy

Scholars have devoted increasing attention to similarities and differences between public and private organizations. This paper critiques the comparative literature on these organizations in order to assess the usefulness of the public-private distinction in organization theory and concludes that further analysis of this distinction is valuable. Several avenues for improving research are suggested, including clarification of the categories through an extension of previous conceptions, and assessment of a proposed typology of subcategories across the public-private continuum.
Effect of the Maternal Vitamin D Status at Parturition on the Vitamin D Status of the Neonatal Calf

The plasma concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, hydroxyproline, vitamin D, and vitamin D metabolites were determined in cows and their colostrum-deprived calves. At birth, calf plasma calcium, phosphorus, and hydroxyproline concentrations were not correlated (P greater than 0.05) with the maternal plasma concentrations of these substances. There was a high degree of correlation between maternal and neonatal calf plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyergocalciferol (r = 0.733), 25-dydroxycholecalciferol (r = 0.888), 24,25-dihydroxyergocalciferol (r = 0.770), 24,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (r = 0.629), and 25,26-dihydroxycholecalciferol (r = 0.840). Neonatal calf plasma concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were low (41.2 +/- 3.4 pg/ml) and had no correlation with maternal concentrations (r = 0.219, P greater than 0.05). Neonatal plasma calcium and inorganic phosphorus concentrations were correlated (P less than 0.05) with maternal plasma concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (r = 0.559 and 0.525, respectively). Vitamin D status of the dam, therefore, appears to be important in determining neonatal calf plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and 25,26-dihydroxyvitamin D, and, in addition, the plasma calcium and inorganic phosphorus status of the neonatal calf is apparently dependent on maternal concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D.
Selective lesion of cholinergic neurons in the medial septum by 192 IgG-saporin impairs learning in a delayed matching to position T-maze paradigm

Abstract This study examined whether selective destruction of cholinergic neurons in the medial septum impairs acquisition of a delayed matching-to-position (DMP) spatial memory task. Either the selective immunotoxin 192 IgG-saporin (SAP; 0.22 or 1.0 μg) or the non-selective excitatory neurotoxin ibotenate (IBO; 5 μg), was infused directly into the medial septum of rats. Both doses of SAP, but not IBO, significantly impaired acquisition of the DMP task and blunted the initial alternating behavior of the rats in the T-maze. Histochemical staining revealed that both doses of SAP produced a near complete depletion of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-positive neurons in the medial septum. Some loss of parvalbumin staining was observed following administration of the higher dose, but not the lower dose, of SAP. In contrast, IBO produced a nearly complete depletion of parvalbumin-positive staining throughout the medial septum. IBO also produced a loss of ChAT-positive neurons and considerable local damage in the medial septum around the area of injection; however, many ChAT-positive neurons in the medial septum distal to the injection remained. A significant correlation between the number of days to reach criterion and ChAT activity in the frontal cortex and hippocampus was observed. The results suggest that low doses of SAP can be used to selectively destroy cholinergic neurons in the medial septum, and that selective destruction of these neurons significantly impairs acquisition of the DMP task. We propose that acquisition of the DMP task is a sensitive behavioral assay for the selective loss of basal forebrain cholinergic projections.
Editorial: Ganzheitliche Bildung in Zeiten der Spezialisierung und Globalisierung?†

In den letzten zehn Jahren ist das Bewusstsein der ffentlichkeit f r die Vielfalt an grosen Aufgaben, vor denen die Welt steht, und deren Dringlichkeit enorm gewachsen. Nachhaltigkeit ist ein Kernelement vieler dieser Aufgaben, da die Ressourcen auf der Erde eng mit der wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung verkn pft sind und ihre Ausbeutung und Verarbeitung das Weltklima beeinflussen und umgekehrt. Der Zugang zu Ressourcen und deren Verwendung werden immer wieder durch ein dynamisches geopolitisches „Klima“ durcheinandergebracht. Es ist essenziell, dass wir, sowohl als Wissenschaftler als auch als (Welt-) B rger, unabl ssig daran arbeiten, die Komplexit t dieser Aufgaben besser zu verstehen und zu lernen, wie man die effektivsten Lcsungen findet.
An adaptive strategy for vehicle vibration and noise cancellation

The desire for increased comfort in both ride and quietness of passenger vehicles is receiving increased attention. To address this concern we develop an active system for vibration control that reduces vibrations on the body and simultaneously reduces noise inside the passenger cabin. The algorithm development is based upon well known principles from adaptive filter theory. The hardware implementation within a concept vehicle dedicated to noise and vibration research is presented. To gain insight with regard to vibration control, experimental modal vibration data are quantified to derive a forced response prediction model. As part of this work we investigate an approach to positioning cancellation forces on the vehicle structure in order to achieve the best noise and vibration reduction performance. Although the technology to date has limitations primarily due to situational physics, we present representative test results which show promise for the prescribed approach to active control of engine and chassis vibrations.
Randomized path planning for linkages with closed kinematic chains

We extend randomized path planning algorithms to the case of articulated robots that have closed kinematic chains. This is an important class of problems, which includes applications such as manipulation planning using multiple open-chain manipulators that cooperatively grasp an object and planning for reconfigurable robots in which links might be arranged in a loop to ease manipulation or locomotion. Applications also exist in areas beyond robotics, including computer graphics, computational chemistry, and virtual prototyping. Such applications typically involve high degrees of freedom and a parameterization of the configurations that satisfy closure constraints is usually not available. We show how to implement key primitive operations of randomized path planners for general closed kinematics chains. These primitives include the generation of random free configurations and the generation of local paths. To demonstrate the feasibility of our primitives for general chains, we show their application to recently developed randomized planners and present computed results for high-dimensional problems.
Effects of Chicken Anemia Virus and Infectious Bursal Disease Virus in Commercial Chickens

Abstract The effects of chicken anemia virus (CAV) and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) coinfection in commercial layer-type and meat-type (broiler) chickens with specific maternal immunity were evaluated. In addition, the broiler progeny used had been vaccinated in ovo against IBDV. Layer chickens were inoculated intramuscularly on day 3 of age with CAV and orally on day 7 of age with an IBDV standard strain (APHIS). Broiler chickens were exposed to CAV and/or an IBDV variant strain (AL2) via the drinking water on days 3 and 14 of age. Following CAV and IBDV inoculation neither mortality nor overt clinical disease was observed in any layer or broiler group. In spite of maternal immunity against both IBDV and CAV, mean hematocrits of all layer groups inoculated with CAV (CAV, CAV + APHIS) were lower than uninfected chickens. IBDV APHIS alone or in combination with CAV did not affect the layer weight gain. However, on day 30 of age and concomitantly with maternal antibody decay, bursa lymphocyte depl...
High-order nondissipative staggered schemes for Maxwell's equations

Higher-order schemes, although appealing from the phase error and accuracy points of view, have not been widely accepted by the engineering computational electromagnetics community. The wider spatial stencil of such methods does not allow for a straightforward implementation of the absorbing boundary conditions (ABC) needed to simulate the fact that the problem to be solved is embedded in free-space. We report the results related to the coupling of a PML-type (sometimes referred to as a sponge layer) ABC with staggered schemes using the test problem of a circular scatterer illuminated by a cylindrically spreading wave.
Redefining Boundaries in Families through Social Networking Leisure

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence the use of social networking sites (SNS) for leisure has on boundaries between families and the outside world, as well as boundaries between family members. The family systems theory and the concept of boundaries served as a basis for this study. Seven families (22 individual family members) took part in the study. Group and individual interviews were conducted for this study. The data supported previous research claiming that connection with the outside world was among the major reasons for using SNS. The findings also suggested that families tried to preserve clear boundaries between themselves and the outside world by controlling who can access their accounts, what information can be shared and what is appropriate time to use SNS. The findings also suggested that the boundaries between family members are constantly being redefined to meet the changing realities of technological world.
Disaggregating Political Regime: Conceptual Issues in the Study of Democratization

The increasingly global scope of democratization has challenged comparativists to engage in crossregional research as part of a collective enterprise. The response to such a challenge, however, hinges upon their ability to both base their research on a set of clear concepts, a prerequisite for theory-building, and clarify their method of case selection, a prerequisite for theory-testing. While these conceptual issues have yet to be fully resolved, I show how the work of a group of 'regime analysts' provides the best starting point for scholars interested in this enterprise. For this purpose, I show how the disaggregation of the concept of political regime provides the basis for a distinction among three analytically separable problems, the process of transition, the outcome of this process of transition, and the process of consolidation, and for more nuanced distinctions in terms of modes of transition, regime types and subtypes, and degrees of consolidation. I also show how the problem of conceptual stretching is avoided by regime analysts in the course of case selection through the vertical organization of their concepts along a ladder of generality and the application of a simple rule. Finally, I show how the study of political regimes on the basis of quantitative indices of democracy fails to avoid the problems of conceptual conflation and conceptual stretching.
GEF: a self-programming robot using grammatical evolution

Grammatical Evolution (GE) is that area of genetic algorithms that evolves computer programs in high-level languages possessing a BNF grammar. In this work, we present GEF ("Grammatical Evolution for the Finch"), a system that employs grammatical evolution to create a Finch robot controller program in Java. The system uses both the traditional GE model as well as employing extensions and augmentations that push the boundaries of goal-oriented contexts in which robots typically act including a meta-level handler that fosters a level of self-awareness in the robot. To handle contingencies, the GEF system has been endowed with the ability to perform meta-level jumps. When confronted with unplanned events and dynamic changes in the environment, our robot will automatically transition to pursue another goal, changing fitness functions, and generate and invoke operating system level scripting to facilitate the change. The robot houses a raspberry pi controller that is capable of executing one (evolved) program while wirelessly receiving another over an asynchronous client. This work is part of an overall project that involves planning for contingencies. In this poster, we present the development framework and system architecture of GEF, including the newly discovered meta-level handler, as well as some other system successes, failures, and insights.
Pope Benedict XVI's Legal Thought: A Dialogue on the Foundation of Law

Joseph Ratzinger is a theologian and not a lawyer by training. But during his papacy Ratzinger repeatedly turned to the place of law in understanding contemporary society and the Church's relations...
Winter Management of the Southwestern Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), Using Several Cultural Practices on Different Dates

Southwestern corn borer winter management was evaluated in the southern High Plains. Discing, shredding, and knifing were assessed on four dates: 1 November, 15 December, 29 January, and 15 March. Borer survival was reduced significantly by all cultivation practices, although there were some implementation problems with knifing. Most dependable winter management was attained if cultivation occurred before early February. Surface residue measurements of cultivated and no-tillage plots demonstrated that these cultural practices were compatible with good soil conservation. Also, the cultural practices are flexible with other fall farming operations.
Aqueous Organometallic Chemistry of mer-Ir(H)2(PMe3)3X Complexes

A series of Ir(H)2(PMe3)3X compounds where X = various anionic ligands has been synthesized. The most studied of this group with X = Cl has been characterized fully, including by X-ray crystallography. For X = Cl, PhCO2–, dissolution in water results in the establishment of the equilibrium Ir(H)2(PMe3)3X + H2O ⇌ [Ir(H)2(PMe3)3(H2O)]+X–, which is responsible for the reaction of these compounds with unsaturated organic compounds. Reactions between the dihydrides and alkynes in water as well as the thermodynamics of the aqueous equilibrium are discussed.
Effects of implied attitude similarity on stereotype of aging: a pilot study.

A negative stereotype about the aged has been found in many studies using the Attitudes Toward Old People Scale (Tuckman & Lorge, 1952). Only recently has this stereotype been investigated experimentally. In a study by Bell and Stanfield (1973) two college groups heard a tape-recorded lecture on ecology by a stimulus person described as being either 25 or 65 yr. old. Differential ratings of the stimulus person showed no significant effects as a result of age designation. Bell and Stanfield concluded that age designation is not sufficient to condition stereotyped judgments about old people, but rather some external characteristics of old people themselves probably influence these judgments, such as gray hair, wrinkles, etc. The present authors believe that implied similarity in attitudes and interests may have operated as an independent variable in the Bell and Stanfield study, since ecology is popular with college groups. In a direct test of this interpretation, it was hypothesized that a photograph of a 65-yr.-old man which portrayed him with contemporary dress style and artistic interests would elicit more positive evaluations by college students than would a stereotype photograph of the same man. Forty graduate students in psychology at Catholic University (mean age, 29) were randomly divided into two experimental groups (ns = 14 and 15) and one control ( n = 11) . The experimental groups were each given only one of a pair of photographs of the same man whose age was given as 65 yr. N o other information was provided. In the stereotypic photograph the man wore checked shirt, hair parted in the middle, and sat at a checker board with traditional pictures on the background wall. In the other, he wore turtleneck shirt and contemporary hair style, and sat at an art easel with contemporary prints on the wall. All other variables were held as constant as possible across rhc two conditions, including facial expression and posture, and the total cost of the props used. The control group simply rated "men approximately 65 yr. old." Ratings were made on 88 Tuckman-Lorge (1952) stereotyped items converted to a 4-choice Likert-type format ("is grouchy," "meddles in other people's affairs," etc.). As hypothesized, the contemporary photograph influenced more positive evaluations (less acceptance of the stereotype) than the stereotype photograph (M = 212.20 2 23.37; M = 243.42 2 28.44; tn = 3.23, p < .01) and the control rating scale ( M = 240.81 k 35.09; 124 = 2.49, p < .05). Apparently neither age designation nor age specific characteristics (such as wrinkles) are sufficient determinants of the stereotype of aging. Young people may generally infer conservative or rigid attitudes and interests contrary to their own from out-dated clothing and modest social activ~t~es of older persons, many of whom must live on a reduced income, contributing to a ncgatlve response set toward them.
A novel regimen of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist plus pulsatile GnRH: controlled restoration of gonadotropin secretion and ovulation induction.

Using a primate model, we have tested a novel regimen of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist plus pulsatile GnRH for the achievement of controlled restoration of gonadotropin secretion and ovulation induction. As a prelude, ovariectomized cynomolgus monkeys (n=3) were treated with Antide ([N-Ac- D -Nal(2) 1 , D -pCl-Phe 2 , D -Pal(3) 3 , Lys(Nic) 5 , D -Lys(Nic) 6 , Lys(iPr) 8 , D -Ala 10 ]-GnRH) (3mg/kg per day) for 6 consecutive days. On the 7th day, pulsatile GnRH therapy was initiated in a 7day-on:7day-off regimen for a total of four exposures. Next, four intact monkeys were given Antide to suppress ovarian function (estradiol
A visão cosmológica de Ivone Gebara

O artigo discute as contribuicoes de Ivone Gebara para com a teologia eco-feminista, em especial, ao articular seus conceitos teologicos desde uma perspectiva chinesa e budista. Com sua proposta de reciclagem do cristianismo em direcao a uma consciencia cosmologica, Gebara alcanca, ao longo do artigo, as duas qualidades espirituais principais no budismo, a saber, a sabedoria e a compaixao.
The Cuban Experience in the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of Congenital Syphilis.

The article focuses on efforts by Cuba to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of congenital syphilis (CS). It states Cuba's public health program for preventing and controlling syphilis has existed since 1972 and reduced the incidence of CS to under 0.5 cases for every 1,000 live births. It mentions the Cuban Ministry of Public Health seeks to expand and strengthen free access to medical and reproductive services to prevent sexually transmitted infections and HIV and promote health behaviors.
MRI of Placenta Accreta, Placenta Increta, and Placenta Percreta: Pearls and Pitfalls.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to provide a primer for radiologists performing MRI for suspected placenta accreta, illustrating normal and abnormal findings and diagnostic pitfalls. Appropriate examination indications and recommendations for optimizing image acquisition and interpretation are summarized. CONCLUSION. MRI increases the accuracy of the workup of high-risk patients and aids in multidisciplinary delivery planning to improve maternal outcome. Reader accuracy and confidence require adherence to examination performance, image interpretation criteria, and awareness of common pitfalls.
Big Data and cloud computing: innovation opportunities and challenges

ABSTRACTBig Data has emerged in the past few years as a new paradigm providing abundant data and opportunities to improve and/or enable research and decision-support applications with unprecedented value for digital earth applications including business, sciences and engineering. At the same time, Big Data presents challenges for digital earth to store, transport, process, mine and serve the data. Cloud computing provides fundamental support to address the challenges with shared computing resources including computing, storage, networking and analytical software; the application of these resources has fostered impressive Big Data advancements. This paper surveys the two frontiers – Big Data and cloud computing – and reviews the advantages and consequences of utilizing cloud computing to tackling Big Data in the digital earth and relevant science domains. From the aspects of a general introduction, sources, challenges, technology status and research opportunities, the following observations are offered: (i...
The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Multitasking Throughput Capacity

Background: Multitasking has become an integral attribute associated with military operations within the past several decades. As the amount of information that needs to be processed during these high level multitasking environments exceeds the human operators’ capabilities, the information throughput capacity reaches an asymptotic limit. At this point, the human operator can no longer effectively process and respond to the incoming information resulting in a plateau or decline in performance. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique known as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to a scalp location over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) to improve information processing capabilities during a multitasking environment. Methods: The study consisted of 20 participants from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (16 male and 4 female) with an average age of 31.1 (SD = 4.5). Participants were randomly assigned into two groups, each consisting of eight males and two females. Group one received 2mA of anodal tDCS and group two received sham tDCS over the lDLPFC on their testing day. Results: The findings indicate that anodal tDCS significantly improves the participants’ information processing capability resulting in improved performance compared to sham tDCS. For example, the multitasking throughput capacity for the sham tDCS group plateaued near 1.0 bits/s at the higher baud input (2.0 bits/s) whereas the anodal tDCS group plateaued near 1.3 bits/s. Conclusion: The findings provided new evidence that tDCS has the ability to augment and enhance multitasking capability in a human operator. Future research should be conducted to determine the longevity of the enhancement of transcranial direct current stimulation on multitasking performance, which has yet to be accomplished.
Data Science and Political Economy: Application to Financial Regulatory Structure

The development of computational data science techniques in natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to analyze large and complex textual information opens new avenues for studying the interaction between economics and politics. We apply these techniques to analyze the design of financial regulatory structure in the United States since 1950. The analysis focuses on the delegation of discretionary authority to regulatory agencies in promulgating, implementing, and enforcing financial sector laws and overseeing compliance with them. Combining traditional studies with the new machine learning approaches enables us to go beyond the limitations of both methods and offer a more precise interpretation of the determinants of financial regulatory structure.
Modification of Hydrogel Scaffolds for the Modulation of Corneal Epithelial Cell Responses

In this study, we present the results of fabricating novel methacrylate-containing hydrogel scaffolds to be used as corneal replacement and augmentation. The materials properties of the hydrogel scaffolds and the responses of human corneal epithelial cells towards the hydrogel scaffolds were examined. The hydrogel scaffold is based on polyallylamine (PAH), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The solution mixture of PAH, GMA and PEG was subjected to ultraviolet irradiation to form hydrogel. Hydrogels with different compositions of PEG were fabricated and examined for the materials properties as well as the responses following the deposition of human corneal epithelial cells. Materials properties of the hydrogels were examined including viscoelastic properties using rheometry, pore size by mercury intrusion porosimetry, physical stability at different pH, swelling ratio when immersed in phosphate-buffered saline, and surface wettability through contact angle goniometry. In addition, the morphologies of the hydrogels were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Proteins including collagen type I, fibronectin and bovine serum albumin were incorporated, both individually and in a mixture, into some of the hydorgels. Human corneal epithelial cells, in either serum-free medium or in serum-rich medium, were allowed to deposit onto the hydrogels, after which their responses were examined in terms of adhesion, spreading and morphology. Tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) was used for comparison purpose. Only when proteins were present in either the hydrogels or serum-rich medium did adhesion of cells on hydrogel occur, although no noticeable spreading was observed. Cells only adhered and spread on TCPS in the presence of proteins. In comparison, cells neither adhered nor spread on hydrogel in the absence of proteins. The results suggest that both the presence of proteins and substrate stiffness are important factors that affect the responses of corneal epithelial cells.
Design of HIV Coreceptor Derived Peptides That Inhibit Viral Entry at Submicromolar Concentrations.

HIV/AIDS continues to pose an enormous burden on global health. Current HIV therapeutics include inhibitors that target the enzymes HIV protease, reverse transcriptase, and integrase, along with viral entry inhibitors that block the initial steps of HIV infection by preventing membrane fusion or virus–coreceptor interactions. With regard to the latter, peptides derived from the HIV coreceptor CCR5 were previously shown to modestly inhibit entry of CCR5-tropic HIV strains, with a peptide containing residues 178–191 of the second extracellular loop (peptide 2C) showing the strongest inhibition. Here we use an iterative approach of amino acid scanning at positions shown to be important for binding the HIV envelope, and recombining favorable substitutions to greatly improve the potency of 2C. The most potent candidate peptides gain neutralization breadth and inhibit CXCR4 and CXCR4/CCR5-using viruses, rather than CCR5-tropic strains only. We found that gains in potency in the absence of toxicity were highly d...
Hope for Cities or Hope for People: Neighborhood Development and Demographic Change

This study, recognizing the longstanding criticisms of HOPE VI as a vehicle for gentrification, compares the goals of local officials with the stated goals of HOPE VI in order to investigate the ex...
The next wave of hepatitis C virus: The epidemic of intravenous drug use

The epidemic of hepatitis C virus (HCV) began in the 1960s when transmission was primarily the result of blood transfusions. By 1990, when HCV was identified and a serologic test for screening donated blood was implemented, 123 million persons had already become infected worldwide and HCV was the most common cause of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and the most common indication for liver transplantation. Approximately 75% of persons with HCV are "baby boomers" born between the years 1945 and 1965. The number of new cases of HCV declined precipitously between 1990 and 2005. The next wave of HCV began in 2005, and transmission is primarily the result of an epidemic of intravenous drug use. New cases of HCV have increased three-fold between 2005 and 2015. Approximately 50% of persons who inject drugs (PWID) have been exposed to HCV, and 25% of these persons are under the age of 25 years. The treatment of chronic HCV in PWID has two goals; treating HCV and preventing the patient from returning to drug use and becoming reinfected. Highly effective oral antiviral agents are now available and can cure HCV in virtually all patients. Treatment can be highly effective in PWID with sustained virologic response rates similar to that observed in a non-drug-using population. Preventing the patient from returning to drug use and becoming reinfected with HCV is more difficult and will require that the medical and social problems associated with intravenous drug use be addressed and resolved.
Engineering of microstructures of protonic ceramics by a novel rapid laser reactive sintering for ceramic energy conversion devices

Abstract The solid state reactive sintering (SSRS) characteristic with the assistance of sintering aids (e.g., NiO) has been proven to be an effective method for achieving high-quality proton conducting oxide electrolytes at relatively low sintering temperatures (e.g., 10 h) SSRS in a conventional high-temperature furnace, a novel rapid laser heating process was used to perform SSRS, which was named as rapid laser reactive sintering (RLRS). This RLRS method was confirmed to be able to sinter protonic ceramics with well-engineered microstructures within a short time (e.g.,
A Molecular Orbital Approach to Organic Chemistry

Simplicity is one of the main attributes of “electron pushing.” Using a relatively small number of basic rules, one can rationalize a vast number of organic reactions, predict the products of reactions on new systems, and design new reactions. It does not really matter if electron pushing has little physical reality. What does matter is that the method works and that it is fast and simple. Sophisticated theoretical approaches, often requiring prodigious amounts of computer time, can also predict organic chemical behavior, but they are often not useful in the day-to-day routine of most organic chemists.
On the Relationship between Physical Metrics and Numerical Observer Studies for the Evaluation of Image Reconstruction Algorithms

Physical metrics, such as the root mean squared distance, are simple to calculate, but we do not have a great confidence in their medical relevance. We have a greater confidence in numerical observer studies, but they are more complicated to carry out. Suppose that a claim is made that a particular physical metric yields similar results to a particular numerical observer study. How can we evaluate the validity of such a claim? In this paper we introduce the notion of “rank ordering similarity” to measure the relationship (closeness, similarity) between algorithm performance measures. We use this notion to study the relationship between a particular physical metric (relative clipped error) and a particular numerical observer method (ROC on threshold). We also investigate the role of contrast in this context.
Hoberman's Sphere, Euler Parameters and Lagrange's Equations

In this classroom note, we explore how the Euler parameters can be used to represent a particular homogeneous deformation of a continuum. One possible application is Hoberman's sphere. With the assistance of the theory of a pseudo-rigid body, we show how the motion of the continuum can be determined. We also present a new derivation of Lagrange's equations for the rotational dynamics of a rigid body where the rotation tensor is parameterized using Euler parameters.
Reputation and Regulatory Effects on Director Turnover and Directorships

I examine the reputation and regulatory effects on the directors’ turnover and their directorships when firms are accused of fraudulent financial reporting (FR). The results show that the directors at FR firms incur reputation costs from abnormal turnover in relation to the directors at non-FR firms. The regulatory effect of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) has no significant impact on director turnover and the percentage of losses in directorships, although directors lose a significant number of directorships. But, the directors at FR firms bear the reputation costs of abnormal turnovers and high percentages of losses in directorship in relation to the directors at non-FR firms in the post-SOX era. I also find that the directors at firms that are caught backdating options have an abnormal number of turnovers and a high percentage of losses in directorships in the post-SOX era. Furthermore, directors are more likely to leave when firms perform poorly.
BETA-ADRENERGIC REGULATION OF INDOLE METABOLISM IN THE PINEAL GLAND

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a study investigating beta-adrenergic regulation of indole metabolism in the pineal gland. Pineal glands contain about 250 pmol of serotonin after 24 h of organ culture in medium containing 0.2 mM tryptophan. Treatment with L-norepinephrine for 6 h results in a reduction of serotonin to about 40% of control values. This effect clearly takes place in postsynaptic sites because the effects are also seen in chronically denervated pineal glands. The fact that effects of L-norepinephrine are not mimicked by d -norepinephrine or by dopamine indicates that a highly specific receptor is involved. To examine whether the effects of norepinephrine on serotonin were mediated by a beta-adrenergic receptor, glands were treated with the beta-adrenergic protagonist, isoproterenol or the alpha-adrenergic protagonist, phenylephrine. The former produced a large decrease in the serotonin content, but the latter was without effect. Similarly, the effects of L-norepinephrine were blocked by propranolol, a beta-adrenergic antagonist, but neither by phentolamine nor phenoxybenzamine, two beta-adrenergic antagonists. These findings indicate that a beta-adreneric receptor is involved in the regulation of pineal serotonin.
Impact of a lung ultrasound course for rheumatology specialists (IMPACT-2).

OBJECTIVES Lung ultrasound (LUS) plays an increasing role in diagnosis and monitoring of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Connective tissue disorders (CTD) frequently cause ILD, and often presents symptomatically after irreversible fibrosis has ensued. As point-of-care musculoskeletal ultrasound (US) is commonly utilised by rheumatologists, translating this US expertise towards LUS places the rheumatologist in a position to screen for ILD. However, a standardised curriculum for the rheumatology community is lacking. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a formalised lung US training course for rheumatologists. METHODS Four rheumatology fellows and four board-certified rheumatologists participated in a 4-hour training session. Pre-course, post-course and 6-month follow-up surveys evaluated perceptions towards previous US experience, training, clinical utility and attitudes toward lung US. Didactics explained the protocols utilised in ILD evaluation. Evaluation of knowledge in US physiology, lung anatomy, artifact and pathology recognition were done through written exams before, after training, and at 6 months and through a practical exam using live models and simulation. RESULTS Temporally there was overall improvement in written test scores. Improvement was noted in overall practical skill score following training course (17.4% vs. 92.9%, p<0.001), in written test scores 49.3% vs. 72.5% p<0.001), and pathology identification (26.5% vs. 79.6%, p<0.001). Six-month follow assessments were similar to post-test results revealing similar written scores (70.6%) and practical scores (89.7%). CONCLUSIONS This formalised lung ultrasound training course was effective in improving skills and knowledge of rheumatology specialists.
Characterization and Identification of Driver Distraction During Naturalistic Driving: An Analysis of ECG Dynamics.

One of the most contributing factors to the accidents on the roadways is distracted driving. While in-vehicle, driver may get distracted by variety of ways such as talking on the cellphone, conversing with the accompanying passengers, texting while driving, etc. In order to reduce potential chances of road-accidents, it is highly essential to characterize and identify distracted situations in real-time. In this paper, we investigate Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals as the physiological measure to characterize driver distraction. We aim to provide an empirical guideline for accurate and in real-time analysis irrespective of the body physic. ECG-based driver distraction identification has significant advantages in practice such as being easy to capture, minimally intrusive, and reliable in biometric patterns. ECG dynamics encompass multiple descriptors that we examine in this investigation for efficient characterization of driver state toward real-time identification of distracted driving. In this effort, six drivers were actively participated in our naturalistic driving experiments, where the distraction is introduced by the cellphone conversation and the conversation with the passenger. Our study mainly focuses on the efficient characterization of distraction by localizing R-R interval based on temporal features as well as spectral features. In addition to this, we further investigated the real-time predictive ability of the extracted features through state of the art predictive algorithms. Our experimental results demonstrated ∼83% average predictive accuracy of driver distraction identification in near real-time.
Women in national legislatures

This study tests macrostructural theories of gender stratification by examining women's representation in national legislatures. Political structural variables are combined with the variables suggested by the propositions of Janet Chafetz and Rae Blumberg. Both developed and developing nations are represented in the data set of 73 countries. The most important finding for theory is that women's rate of labor force participation is a powerful predictor of women's political status.
Reduced focal fiber collinearity in the cingulum bundle in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling condition, often associated with a chronic course. Given its role in attentional control, decision-making, and emotional regulation, the anterior cingulate cortex is considered to have a key role in the pathophysiology of the disorder. Notably, the cingulum bundle, being the major white matter tract connecting to this region, has been historically a target for the surgical treatment of intractable OCD. In this study, we aimed to identify the extent to which focal—more than diffuse—abnormalities in fiber collinearity of the cingulum bundle could distinguish 48 adults with OCD (mean age [SD] = 23.3 [4.5] years; F/M = 30/18) from 45 age- and sex-matched healthy control adults (CONT; mean age [SD] = 23.2 [3.8] years; F/M = 28/17) and further examine if these abnormalities correlated with symptom severity. Use of tract-profiles rather than a conventional diffusion imaging approach allowed us to characterize white matter microstructural properties along (100 segments), as opposed to averaging these measures across, the entire tract. To account for these 100 different segments of the cingulum bundle, a repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a main effect of group (OCD < CONT; F[1,87] = 5.3; P = 0.024) upon fractional anisotropy (FA, a measure of fiber collinearity and/or white matter integrity), in the cingulum bundle, bilaterally. Further analyses revealed that these abnormalities were focal (middle portion) within the left and right cingulum bundle, although did not correlate with symptom severity in OCD. Findings indicate that focal abnormalities in connectivity between the anterior cingulate cortex and other prefrontal cortical regions may represent neural mechanisms of OCD.
Race-associated expression of MHC class I polypeptide-related sequence A (MICA) in prostate cancer.

Abstract Despite the lack of a complete understanding of the disparities involved, prostate cancer (PCa) has both higher incidence and death rates in African American Men (AAM) relative to those of Caucasian American Men (CAM). MHC class I polypeptide related sequence A (MICA) is an innate immunity protein involved in tumor immunoevasion. Due to a lack of reports of race-specific expression of MICA in PCa, we evaluated MICA expression in patients' tumors and in cell lines from a racially diverse origin. Immunohistochemistry was done on a tissue microarray (TMA) with antibodies against MICA. Tumor MICA mRNA was assessed by data mining using Oncomine and PROGeneV2. Surface MICA and release rate of soluble (s) MICA was evaluated in PCa cell lines originally derived from African American (MDA-PCa-2b) or Caucasian (LNCaP and DU-145) PCa patients. Prostate tumor tissue had a 1.7-fold higher MICA expression relative to normal tissue (p These results suggest that MICA expression may be related to the aggressive nature of PCa. Our findings also demonstrate for the first time that there are variations in MICA expression in the context of racial differences. This study establishes a rationale for further investigation of MICA as a potential race-specific prognostic marker in PCa.
Speech-based Automatic Recognition Technology for Major Depression Disorder

Depression is one of the common mental illnesses nowadays. It can greatly harm the physical and mental health of patients and cause huge losses to individuals, families and society. Because of the lack of hardware and social prejudice against depression, there are a large number of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis in hospitals. It is necessary to find an objective and efficient way to help the identification of depression. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential value of speech in this area. The model based on speech can distinguish patients from normal people to a great extent. On this basis, we hope to further predict the severity of depression through speech. In this paper, a total of 240 subjects were recruited to participate in the experiment. Their depression scores were measured using the PHQ9 scale, and their corresponding speech data were recorded under the self-introduction situation. Then, the effective voice features were extracted and the PCA was conducted for feature dimensionality reduction. Finally, utilizing several classical machine learning method, the depression degree classification models were constructed. This study is an attempt of the interdisciplinary study of psychology and computer science. It is hoped that it will provide new ideas for the related work of mental health monitoring.
CrowdZIP: A System to Improve Reverse ZIP Code Geocoding using Spatial and Crowdsourced Data (Demo Paper)

Zoning Improvement Plan (ZIP) Codes provide a sub-division of space. Interestingly, the ZIP code area polygons for different data sources do not match, resulting in uncertainty for a range of services that rely on such data. This paper presents a system that employs traditional classification methods to map a given spatial coordinate to a distribution of ZIP-codes using various public available ZIP-code maps as predictors, and using the (not publicly available) United States Postal Service (USPS) map as an authoritative ground truth. We show that large sets of microblog data, from which we extract potential ZIP-codes, can significantly improve classification accuracy despite the noise of such data. The demonstrator allows users to select locations on a map of Orlando, FL, view the resulting distribution of ZIP-codes predicted for this location, compare the results to the ground-truth, and view the microblogs that have enriched the result. A focus will be on showing that the signal present in large, noisy, and 99.99% unrelated microblog data can indeed be used to improve reverse ZIP code geo-coding.
Abstract 15102: Benign Cardiac Neoplasms in the United States - A Thirteen-year Review

Introduction: Benign cardiac neoplasms (BCN) are rare; with varying reported incidence and a paucity of epidemiologic studies. The purpose of our review was to add to the small body of literature d...
Objecting at the Altar: Why the Herring Good Faith Principle and the Harlow Qualified Immunity Doctrine Should Not Be Married

Response to: Jennifer E. Laurin, Trawling for Herring: Lessons in Doctrinal Borrowing and Convergence, 111 Colum. L. Rev. 670 (2011) Critics of the curtailment of the exclusionary rule worked by Herring v. United States have denounced the decision as Supreme Court activism posing as derivation from settled law. Professor Jennifer Laurin agrees that Herring breaks with exclusionary rule doctrine but disputes that it lacks any grounding in Court precedent. She says that Herring consummates a long courtship between the Leon good faith exception to the exclusionary rule and the Harlow standard for qualified immunity. Laurin premises her argument on an admittedly unorthodox depiction of qualified immunity that overstates the doctrine’s protective scope. Ironically, one effect of this overstatement could be to enable a doctrinal distortion of precisely the type Laurin cautions against. For by positing a substantive equivalence between Harlow rule and the significantly more protective Herring principle, Laurin invites judges to borrow from Herring to further restrict the availability of constitutional tort remedies. Part I of this response highlights some potential problems posed by Laurin’s heterodox characterization of the qualified immunity doctrine. Part II defends the conventional description of the doctrine as more accurate and normatively desirable. Part III shifts gears and amplifies Laurin’s warnings about the trans-substantive application of constitutional tort doctrine.
Delocalization and quantum diffusion of random band matrices in high dimensions I: Self-energy renormalization

We consider Hermitian random band matrices $H=(h_{xy})$ on the $d$-dimensional lattice $(\mathbb Z/L\mathbb Z)^d$. The entries $h_{xy}$ are independent (up to Hermitian conditions) centered complex Gaussian random variables with variances $s_{xy}=\mathbb E|h_{xy}|^2$. The variance matrix $S=(s_{xy})$ has a banded structure so that $s_{xy}$ is negligible if $|x-y|$ exceeds the band width $W$. In dimensions $d\ge 8$, we prove that, as long as $W\ge L^\epsilon$ for a small constant $\epsilon>0$, with high probability most bulk eigenvectors of $H$ are delocalized in the sense that their localization lengths are comparable to $L$. Denote by $G(z)=(H-z)^{-1}$ the Green's function of the band matrix. For ${\mathrm Im}\, z\gg W^2/L^2$, we also prove a widely used criterion in physics for quantum diffusion of this model, namely, the leading term in the Fourier transform of $\mathbb E|G_{xy}(z)|^2$ with respect to $x-y$ is of the form $({\mathrm Im}\, z + a(p))^{-1}$ for some $a(p)$ quadratic in $p$, where $p$ is the Fourier variable. Our method is based on an expansion of $T_{xy}=|m|^2 \sum_{\alpha}s_{x\alpha}|G_{\alpha y}|^2$ and it requires a self-energy renormalization up to error $W^{-K}$ for any large constant $K$ independent of $W$ and $L$. We expect that this method can be extended to non-Gaussian band matrices.