cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structure of nanocrystalline GaN from X-ray diffraction, Rietveld and atomic pair distribution function analyses

The three-dimensional structure of nanocrystalline GaN has been studied by X-ray diffraction, Rietveld and atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analyses. The material is of very limited structural coherence, yet possess a well-defined atomic arrangement resembling the wurtzite structure. The study demonstrates the great power of X-ray diffraction and the PDF approach in determining the three-dimensional structure of nanocrystalline materials.
NEO-TRADITIONALISM AND THE LIMITS OF INVENTION IN BRITISH COLONIAL AFRICA

Exploring a range of studies regarding the ‘invention of tradition’, the ‘making of customary law’ and the ‘creation of tribalism’ since the 1980s, this survey article argues that the case for colonial invention has often overstated colonial power and ability to manipulate African institutions to establish hegemony. Rather, tradition was a complex discourse in which people continually reinterpreted the lessons of the past in the context of the present. Colonial power was limited by chiefs' obligation to ensure community well-being to maintain the legitimacy on which colonial authorities depended. And ethnicity reflected longstanding local political, cultural and historical conditions in the changing contexts of colonial rule. None of these institutions were easily fabricated or manipulated, and colonial dependence on them often limited colonial power as much as facilitating it.
Cell Phoning and Texting While Driving: Multitasking Ourselves to Death

A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted on the consequences of cell phone use while operating a vehicle. We discussed why talking and texting on cell phones are so popular through the analysis of our interviews with police officers, driving instructors, and parents of teens and young adults. The participants came from central, northeastern, northwestern, and southeastern Connecticut. All had exposure with respect to the effects of cell phone usage problem. The study reached a point of theoretical saturation or redundancy by which the analysis no longer resulted in new themes. We concluded that the discoveries revealed the necessity for education, expansion of technology, and additional driver education preparation, which may provide a path for leadership to help solve the problem.
Sex and racial differences in bladder cancer presentation and mortality in the US

BACKGROUD: Sex, race, and age at diagnosis have a significant impact on mortality from bladder cancer (BC). Women, African Americans of both sexes, and the elderly, all experience higher mortality rates. Tumor grade, stage, and histologic type at presentation also affect outcome. To determine whether age and tumor characteristics alone explain the excess hazard of death from BC observed in some demographic groups, the authors queried the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) limited-use database for the presentations of and outcomes from BC between 1990 and 2005. METHODS: Tumors were characterized by grade, stage, and histologic type. Hazards rates for BC-specific mortality were compared by race and sex using a piecewise Cox regression model, adjusting for factors (age, stage, grade, and histologic type) that differed significantly between the groups that were compared. RESULTS: Excess hazard of death from BC was present during the first 2 to 3 years of follow-up among women and during the first 4 years of follow-up among African Americans. Adjustment for age and tumor characteristics eliminated approximately 30% of this excess hazard in sex comparison among whites. In sex comparison among blacks and in racial comparisons within each sex, approximately 50% to 70% of excess hazard could be eliminated by adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences in tumor characteristics and age at presentation did not fully account for the excess hazard of death from BC among women and African Americans. Other factors, such as choice and efficacy of therapies, differences within a given tumor characteristic group, and/or host factors, also may play important roles. Cancer 2009. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
Examining the health information-seeking behaviors of Korean Americans.

Many Korean Americans suffer from high levels of cancer incidence and have low cancer screening rates. A significant number of Korean Americans lack adequate information about cancer screening tests. However, little is known about their health behaviors. This article examines exposure to mass media and health information–seeking behaviors for Korean Americans, and their associations with demographic characteristics influencing variations in exposure to the different health information and trust in health information sources. The authors gathered data for this study using a cross-sectional, community-based survey conducted in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area during 2006 and 2007. It was administered to 254 Korean Americans who were 40 years of age or older. This study is part of the first health-related program of research to study exposure to mass media, health and cancer information sources, and seeking preferences and experiences of Korean Americans. Results indicated that Korean ethnic media sourc...
Healthcare as a commodity - a financing mechanism to control costs and ensure access

The US healthcare system is experiencing a funding shortfall that constrains efforts to provide healthcare to our citizens. Patients are no longer sure they will receive adequate healthcare during their senior years. One solution is to create an annuity at birth for each individual. This annuity will mature at age 65, with proceeds used for healthcare for the rest of one's life. The total investment for this annuity programme will come from the Federal government at the rate of $1000 per year for the first 3 years of one's life. The use of annuities, with their interest compounding concept, means that a minor investment by the Federal government results in substantial dollars being available to pay for healthcare at age 65.
Sampled multiserver queues with general arrivals and deterministic service time

Queues which arise in certain computer applications and in synchronous communication on a limited number of channels can often be modelled as sampled queues. Sampled G/D/c queues are considered, and simple bounds on the average waiting time are derived when the sampling interval is equal to, and half of, the service time. The asymptotic behaviour of these bounds and comparison with available numerical results for the sampled M/D/c case indicate that they are reasonably tight for moderate and large c.
What Do We Know and Where Do We Go

This article evaluates the merits of the three articles in the major contribution "Revisiting Feminist Identity Development." Two primary questions are at the heart of the critique: Is the feminist identity model still viable? and What are the challenges of measuring its constructs?
A 100-MHz 8-mW ROM-less quadrature direct digital frequency synthesizer

A low-power quadrature direct digital frequency synthesizer (DDFS) is presented. Piecewise linear approximation is used to avoid using a ROM look-up table to store the sine values as in a conventional DDFS. Significant saving in power consumption, due to the elimination of the ROM, renders the design more suitable for portable wireless communication applications. To demonstrate the proposed technique, a quadrature DDFS has been implemented using 0.5-/spl mu/m CMOS process and occupies an active area of 1.4 mm/sup 2/. It consumes 8 mW at 100 MHz and operates from a single 2.7-V supply. The spurious-free dynamic range is better than 59 dBc at low synthesized frequencies and the frequency resolution is 1.5 kHz.
Does the Extent of Democracy, the Degree of Income Inequality, or the Size of the Private Sector Influence National Enviromental Performance?

This paper uses cross country regression analysis on a newly available index that comprehensively measures total national environmental performance to look at the effect of democracy, income inequality, and the size of the private sector on national environmental performance. The evidence tends to indicate, that while democracy has a positive effect on a country’s environmental performance, income inequality and the size of the private sector have a negative effect.
Responding to Overt Displays of Prejudice: A Role-Playing Exercise

Nearly 50 years ago, a program of Lewinian "action research" explored the most effective way to respond to prejudiced comments (Citron, Chein, & Harding, 1950). In this article, I describe a classroom adaptation of that research in which students receive 10 scenarios involving a prejudiced comment and rotate playing 1 of 3 roles (prejudiced speaker, responder, or social observer) in a mock interaction. The result is a dramatic example of "action teaching" in which students learn not only about social psychology but also about ways to address an important social problem.
Teaching the beginning of new life

the introduction into our school some eight years ago of the "Morrison" learning units of the mastery type there began to develop very gradually, but very persistently, a critical, questioning attitude on our part toward both the materials and the techniques which had been formerly taken for granted in the biology course. As long as a basic text was used the interest of the pupils was largely in acquiring and memorizing facts more or less as they were presented chapter by chapter in the chosen textbook, and periodic mastery tests were used as a measure of progress and success. Some additional reading or laboratory activity was frequently motivated by the periodic report cards then in use in the school, which promised higher marks for the work beyond that "required" by the course, and always a few interested pupils could be encouraged to use the "related" materials in the school library. Articles in magazines and newspapers were frequently brought to the teacher by alert pupils. At first the "Morrison" units were based upon the textbook material, but with continued use of work sheets containing more and more material from selected references, there was a gradual increase in the use of references to the growing number of interesting books in the library and to other textbooks besides the basic text which each pupil was required to own. After two or three years of this sort of modification of the teaching materials the basic text had lost its importance as the main source of information to such a degree that the teacher conceived the idea of attempting to teach the course without a basic textbook.
Moving Words: Christian Language and the Modern World

Within the anthropology of Christianity, much attention has been paid to the convergence of Christianity with modern understandings of language. In this essay, I review scholarship that traces the historical connections between modern and Christian views of language, particularly in British colonial attacks on Hindu language practices, and I examine two recent ethnographies that offer different vantage points on the variety of ways in which contemporary Christians use language in a self-consciously modern way.
Acid–base chemistry enables reversible colloid-to-solution transition of asphaltenes in non-polar systems

The conjugated π-bonding in asphaltenes, a naturally occurring member of the polyaromatic hydrocarbon family, provides a unique platform for investigating electrostatics and electronics in non-polar systems, but at the same time causes asphaltenes to be insoluble in all except aromatic liquids. Asphaltenes precipitate from petroleum fluids under a variety of conditions, including depressurization and compositional changes, plaguing both recovery operations and remediation in the case of equipment failure. Aromatic solvents like toluene dissolve asphaltenes, but only at very high concentrations, nearly 50% by weight. Polymeric dispersants can stabilize asphaltene colloids, and in some cases can inhibit asphaltene precipitation entirely. Strong organic acids such as dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) can dissolve precipitated asphaltenes when introduced in concentrations as little as 1 percent by weight. Here we demonstrate for the first time that DBSA enables a reversible transition from unstable to stable colloidal-scale asphaltene suspensions to molecularly stable solutions. A continuum of acid–base reactions explains the apparent dual-action of DBSA. The suspension–solution transition occurs through the protonation of heteroatomic asphaltene components and subsequent strong ion pairing with DBSA sulfonate ions, effectively forming DBSA-doped asphaltene complexes with a solvation shell.
Pericardial Approach for Cardiac Therapies: Old Practice With New Ideas

Treatment of cardiac disease via the epicardium fell under the domain of cardiac surgery due to the need for an open thoracotomy. Since an open thoracotomy is invasive in nature and has the potential for complications, a minimally invasive and percutaneous approach would be more attractive for suitable patients. The recent success of epicardial ablation of refractory arrhythmia via the percutaneous pericardial approach has increased the potential for delivery of epicardial therapies. Epicardial ablation has increased the success and safety since anti-coagulation and transseptal catheterization for left atrial arrhythmias is not required. The pericardial space has also been used to deliver therapy for several cardiac diseases. There are reports on successful delivery of drugs and their efficacy. Even though there was a wide range of efficacies reported in those studies, the reported complication rates are strikingly low, which suggests that direct delivery of drugs to the epicardium via the pericardial space is safe. Furthermore, recent animal studies have supported the feasibility of epicardial delivery of biological agents, including genes, cells, and even genetically engineered tissue for therapeutic purposes. In conclusion, percutaneous pericardial cannulation of closed pericardial space can play a significant role in providing non-surgical therapy for cardiovascular diseases. However, it requires skills and operator experiences. Therefore, there is need to further develop new tools, safer techniques, and effective procedure environment before generalizing this procedure.
Hardware speech recognition for user interfaces in low cost, low power devices

We propose a system architecture for real-time hardware speech recognition on low-cost, power-constrained devices. The system is intended to support real-time speech-based user interfaces as part of an effort to bring information and communication technologies (ICTs) to underdeveloped regions of the world. Our system architecture exploits a shared infrastructure model. The computationally intensive task of speech model training and retraining is performed offline by shared servers, while the actual recognition of speech is conducted on low-cost hand-held devices using custom hardware. The recognizer is extremely flexible and can support multiple languages or dialects with speaker-independent recognition. Dynamic loading of speech models is used for changing language grammar and retraining, while reprogramming is used to support evolution of recognition algorithms. The focus on small sets of words (at one time) reduces the complexity, cost and power consumption. We design the speech decoder, the central component of the recognizer, and we validate it via a prototype FPGA implementation. We then use ASIC synthesis to estimate power and size for the design. Our evaluations demonstrate an order of magnitude improvement in power compared with optimized recognition software running on a low-power embedded general-purpose processor of the same technology and of similar capabilities. The synthesis also estimates the area of the design to be about 2.5mm, showing potential for lower cost. In designing and testing our recognizer we use datasets in both English and Tamil languages.
Vital Systems Security: Reflexive Biopolitics and the Government of Emergency

This article describes the historical emergence of vital systems security, analyzing it as a significant mutation in biopolitical modernity. The story begins in the early 20th century, when planners and policy-makers recognized the increasing dependence of collective life on interlinked systems such as transportation, electricity, and water. Over the following decades, new security mechanisms were invented to mitigate the vulnerability of these vital systems. While these techniques were initially developed as part of Cold War preparedness for nuclear war, they eventually migrated to domains beyond national security to address a range of anticipated emergencies, such as large-scale natural disasters, pandemic disease outbreaks, and disruptions of critical infrastructure. In these various contexts, vital systems security operates as a form of reflexive biopolitics, managing risks that have arisen as the result of modernization processes. This analysis sheds new light on current discussions of the government...
p50α/p55α Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Knockout Mice Exhibit Enhanced Insulin Sensitivity

Class Ia phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinases are heterodimers composed of a regulatory and a catalytic subunit and are essential for the metabolic actions of insulin. In addition to p85alpha and p85beta, insulin-sensitive tissues such as fat, muscle, and liver express the splice variants of the pik3r1 gene, p50alpha and p55alpha. To define the role of these variants, we have created mice with a deletion of p50alpha and p55alpha by using homologous recombination. These mice are viable, grow normally, and maintain normal blood glucose levels but have lower fasting insulin levels. Results of an insulin tolerance test indicate that p50alpha/p55alpha knockout mice have enhanced insulin sensitivity in vivo, and there is an increase in insulin-stimulated glucose transport in isolated extensor digitorum longus muscle tissues and adipocytes. In muscle, loss of p50alpha/p55alpha results in reduced levels of insulin-stimulated insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) and phosphotyrosine-associated PI 3-kinase but enhanced levels of IRS-2-associated PI 3-kinase and Akt activation, whereas in adipocytes levels of both insulin-stimulated PI 3-kinase and Akt are unchanged. Despite this, adipocytes of the knockout mice are smaller and have increased glucose uptake with altered glucose metabolic pathways. When treated with gold thioglucose, p50alpha/p55alpha knockout mice become hyperphagic like their wild-type littermates. However, they accumulate less fat and become mildly less hyperglycemic and markedly less hyperinsulinemic. Taken together, these data indicate that p50alpha and p55alpha play an important role in insulin signaling and action, especially in lipid and glucose metabolism.
Variation in the Relationship Between Mental Illness and Residential Transience by Race-Ethnicity.

Objective:This study examined the relationship between residential transience (moving frequently) and mental illness.Methods:The analyses used data for approximately 154,400 adults from the 2008–2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds of transience among all adults and by race-ethnicity.Results:Residential transience was more prevalent among adults with mental illness versus adults without mental illness (5.7% versus 1.9%, p<.001). In adjusted models, the odds of transience were twice as high among adults with mental illness (odds ratio=1.99, 95% confidence interval=1.81–2.19) versus those without mental illness. This association differed by race-ethnicity. Among adults reporting multiple races, having a mental illness was associated with a fourfold increase in odds of transience.Conclusions:Residential transience may be a concern for adults with mental illness, particularly those of multiple races. Further studies should examine whether transience is...
Widespread aggregation of mutant VAPB associated with ALS does not cause motor neuron degeneration or modulate mutant SOD1 aggregation and toxicity in mice

A proline-to-serine substitution at position-56 (P56S) of vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein B (VAPB) causes a form of dominantly inherited motor neuron disease (MND), including typical and atypical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a mild late-onset spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). VAPB is an integral endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein and has been implicated in various cellular processes, including ER stress, the unfolded protein response (UPR) and Ca2+ homeostasis. However, it is unclear how the P56S mutation leads to neurodegeneration and muscle atrophy in patients. The formation of abnormal VAPB-positive inclusions by mutant VAPB suggests a possible toxic gain of function as an underlying mechanism. Furthermore, the amount of VAPB protein is reported to be reduced in sporadic ALS patients and mutant SOD1G93A mice, leading to the hypothesis that wild type VAPB plays a role in the pathogenesis of ALS without VAPB mutations. To investigate the pathogenic mechanism in vivo, we generated human wild type (wtVAPB) and mutant VAPB (muVAPB) transgenic mice that expressed the transgenes broadly in the CNS. We observed robust VAPB-positive aggregates in the spinal cord of muVAPB transgenic mice. However, we failed to find an impairment of motor function and motor neuron degeneration. We also did not detect any change in the endogenous VAPB level or evidence for induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR) and coaggregation of VAPA with muVAPB. Furthermore, we crossed these VAPB transgenic mice with mice that express mutant SOD1G93A and develop motor neuron degeneration. Overexpression of neither wtVAPB nor muVAPB modulated the protein aggregation and disease progression in the SOD1G93A mice. Overexpression of VAPBP56S mutant to approximately two-fold of the endogenous VAPB in mouse spinal cord produced abundant VAPB aggregates but was not sufficient to cause motor dysfunction or motor neuron degeneration. Furthermore, overexpression of either muVAPB or wtVAPB does not modulate the course of ALS in SOD1G93A mice. These results suggest that changes in wild type VAPB do not play a significant role in ALS cases that are not caused by VAPB mutations. Furthermore, these results suggest that muVAPB aggregates are innocuous and do not cause motor neuron degeneration by a gain-of-toxicity, and therefore, a loss of function may be the underlying mechanism.
Heteroduplex mobility assay for genotyping infectious bursal disease virus.

Resumen RESUMEN. Genotipificacion del virus de la enfermedad infecciosa de la bolsa mediante analisis de la movilidad de heteroduplos. Se desarrollo un ensayo en la movilidad de heteroduplos (de las siglas en ingles HMA) para genotipificar cepas del virus de Gumboro. Mediante este metodo se analizo un producto obtenido de la reaccion en cadena por la polimerasa (de las siglas en Ingles PCR) con una longitud de 390 pares de bases que incluye la region hipervariable del gen VP2. Se analizaron diferentes cepas del virus de Gumboro de los Estados Unidos y de otros paises. La prueba de HMA fue capaz de clasificar cepas dentro de los tres subtipos principales del virus de Gumboro: Cepas estandar, variantes antigenicas y cepas de alta virulencia. Ademas, la prueba de HMA tambien pudo detectar diferencias menores entre cepas que pertenecian al mismo subtipo. Se detecto una relacion cercana entre las cepas de campo detectadas en tejidos bursales con las vacunas preparadas con la cepa Delaware E. Los resultados obt...
The interaction of fetuin with phosphatidylcholine monolayers. Characterization of a lipoprotein membrane system suitable for the attachment of myxoviruses.

1. An artificial membrane system was formed by spreading at air/water and oil/water interfaces, by using phosphatidylcholine and the glycoprotein fetuin (mol.wt. 48400). 2. The plot of increase of interfacial pressure against amount of protein added beneath a monomolecular film of phosphatidylcholine showed two discontinuities, corresponding to the completion of two distinct layers of protein: (a) largely denatured and closely associated with the polar head groups of phosphatidylcholine, possibly with penetration of non-polar protein groups between the phosphatidylcholine molecules and (b) an additional adsorbed layer of substantially native fetuin in either a close-packed or open-lattice array. A more compactly organized membrane was apparently formed at pH7.4 with 1mm-Mg2+ in the aqueous phase than without Mg2+; at 15mm-Mg2+, more random adsorption of protein appeared to take place. Qualitatively similar results were obtained at pH5.1 with 1mm-Mg2+. Closer initial packing of the phosphatidylcholine layer decreased both the magnitude of the interfacial pressure change and the amounts of protein bound in the two layers. 3. The amount of N-acetylneuraminic acid released by neuraminidase (EC 3.2.1.18) in the subphase was measured at pH5.1; a mean distribution of 9.7×1013 residues/cm2 was calculated for the completed second protein layer.
The role of surgery in epilepsy.

Surgery for the reduction or elimination of seizures in epilepsy is not a new therapeutic technique. The criteria for surgical candidates have evolved over the past 40 years so that individuals with epilepsy are not subjected to surgery unless it is considered beneficial after careful evaluation of the patient’s condition. An intensive work-up by a multifaceted team at the Cleveland Clinic is performed for each patient referred for epilepsy surgery. Various techniques are considered and tailored for the individual. In the literature, the success rate for epilepsy surgery in markedly reducing or eliminating seizures is about 65%.
International Headache Society headache diagnostic patterns in pain facility patients.

Abstract:Objective:Previous studies have indicated that many patients with chronic pain (PWCP) referred to pain facilities for the treatment of neck and/or low back pain complain of associated headaches. The purpose of this study was to characterize the nature of these headaches according to Interna
Randomized Trial of Stent Versus Surgery for Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis

BackgroundPrevious clinical trials have suggested that carotid-artery stenting with a device to capture and remove emboli (“embolic protection”) is an effective alternative to carotid endarterectomy in patients at average or high risk for surgical complications. MethodsIn this trial, we compared carotid-artery stenting with embolic protection and carotid endarterectomy in patients 79 years of age or younger who had severe carotid stenosis and were asymptomatic (i.e., had not had a stroke, transient ischemic attack, or amaurosis fugax in the 180 days before enrollment) and were not considered to be at high risk for surgical complications. The trial was designed to enroll 1658 patients but was halted early, after 1453 patients underwent randomization, because of slow enrollment. Patients were followed for up to 5 years. The primary composite end point of death, stroke, or myocardial infarction within 30 days after the procedure or ipsilateral stroke within 1 year was tested at a noninferiority margin of 3 p...
The Impact of the Discovery of IgE on the Practice of Allergy

The discovery of IgE and the subsequent development of methods to measure IgE protein and specific IgE antibodies to common allergens have opened up a vast new area for research into allergic diseases. The most immediate consequence has been the development of the RAST procedure, which may ultimately supplant diagnostic skin testing.
A Fatal Case of Eczema Herpeticum With Septic Shock Due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

A 62-year-old woman treated with several courses of corticosteroids for an undifferentiated rash came to the emergency department with progressively worsening cutaneous signs and symptoms and generalized weakness. She had scabies, and despite treatment continued to decompensate. Repeat skin biopsies revealed disseminated herpes simplex virus infection, and results of blood cultures were consistent with infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Despite antiviral and antimicrobial therapy, sepsis and multiorgan failure developed, and the patient died. This case illustrates the complications of the rare entity eczema herpeticum, which occurs most often in immunocompromised patients and is associated with a high mortality. Maintaining a high index of suspicion for this disease in decompensating patients with an unidentified rash is essential to avoid catastrophic outcomes.
What Did You Find

Not all research reports explicitly address this question. Nevertheless, this approach is especially helpful when studies involve complex experimental designs incorporating multiple independent variables or sophisticated regression or structural equation models. For example, economists often specify stochastic equations corresponding to the “steps” in logistic multiple regression or time-series analyses used in economic forecasting.
New perspectives on self-similarity for shallow thrust earthquakes

Scaling of dynamic rupture processes from small to large earthquakes is critical to seismic hazard assessment. Large subduction earthquakes are typically remote, and we mostly rely on teleseismic body waves to extract information on their slip rate functions. We estimate the P wave source spectra of 942 thrust earthquakes of magnitude Mw 5.5 and above by carefully removing wave propagation effects (geometrical spreading, attenuation, and free surface effects). The conventional spectral model of a single-corner frequency and high-frequency falloff rate does not explain our data, and we instead introduce a double-corner-frequency model, modified from the Haskell propagating source model, with an intermediate falloff of f−1. The first corner frequency f1 relates closely to the source duration T1, its scaling follows M0∝T13 for Mw<7.5, and changes to M0∝T12 for larger earthquakes. An elliptical rupture geometry better explains the observed scaling than circular crack models. The second time scale T2 varies more weakly with moment, M0∝T25, varies weakly with depth, and can be interpreted either as expressions of starting and stopping phases, as a pulse-like rupture, or a dynamic weakening process. Estimated stress drops and scaled energy (ratio of radiated energy over seismic moment) are both invariant with seismic moment. However, the observed earthquakes are not self-similar because their source geometry and spectral shapes vary with earthquake size. We find and map global variations of these source parameters.
Hooglandia, a newly discovered genus of cunoniaceae from New Caledonia

Hooglandia McPherson & Lowry (Cunoniaceae) is described from New Caledonia and recognized as distinct from other Cunoniaceae on the basis of its unique unicarpellate (or perhaps pseudomonomerous) gynoecium, and the combination of dioecy and drupaceous fruit, inter alia. The single species, H. ignambiensis, known only from primary rain forest on the upper slopes of Mt. Ignambi in northeastern New Caledonia, is assigned a provisional threat status of Critically Endangered.
Approximate Lock: Trading off Accuracy for Performance by Skipping Critical Sections

Approximate computing is gaining a lot of traction due to its potential for improving performance and consequently, energy efficiency. This project explores the potential for approximating locks. We start out with the observation that many applications can tolerate occasional skipping of computations done inside a critical section protected by a lock. This means that for certain critical sections, when the enclosed computation is occasionally skipped, the application suffers from quality degradation in the final outcome but it never crashes/deadlocks. To exploit this opportunity, we propose Approximate Lock (ALock). The thread executing ALock checks if a certain condition (e.g., high contention, long waiting time) is met and if so, the thread returns without acquiring the lock. We modify some selected critical sections using ALock so that those sections are skipped when ALock returns without acquiring the lock. We experimented with 14 programs from PARSEC, SPLASH2, and STAMP benchmarks. We found a total of 37 locks that can be transformed into ALock. ALock provides performance improvement for 10 applications, ranging from 1.8% to 164.4%, with at least 80% accuracy.
Correct communication in multi-core processors

Computer chips, the most complex artifacts ever made by man, are susceptible to problems with correct functionality due to their intricacy. Incorrect operation of silicon chips has lasting, and sometimes devastating, effects on computer systems and their manufacturers: from incorrect computation results, to security vulnerabilities affecting end users, to financial impact on the vendors. Furthermore, new chips are increasingly fragile, liable to break as the transistors that comprise them become small enough to be measured in atoms. A typical modem computer usually includes a single chip where many processors are connected by a communication medium. This communication medium, a new feature in modem chips, provides many opportunities for catastrophic errors, as it is a complex, unpredictable, unique component. The goal of this dissertation is to provide a new solution to ensure the correct operation of the communication medium in multicore processors, from the early stages of design to the end user. It addresses failures in several modes, and operates across the different phases of the verification process, integrating them into a cohesive framework. A key finding of this work is the synergy among verification phases, connected by a novel abstraction technique and multipurpose hardware and software. Simply put, it ensures that the design operates as intended. This approach to the development cycle accelerates, automates and extends the reach of the verification process, providing decreased occurrence of — and increased resilience to — failures. With this solution, the communication system of multi-core chips can operate free from errors.
Knee Internal Forces in Moderate Squat Exercise

This paper deals with internal forces of human knee during moderate squat exercise. The moderate squat exercise consists of a descending phase from standing to the lowest position (largest flexion angle) in which no significant contact between thigh and calf occurs, and an ascending phase back to standing position. This research predicts the internal forces such as muscle forces, contact forces, and ligamentous forces. The ligamentous structures in this research consist of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL), Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL), and Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL). The ligaments are modeled as nonlinear elastic strips (they do not carry compression forces). An optimization technique was used to determine the muscle and contact forces present in the knee during the squat exercise.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Gastric Cancer: Background and Clinical Evidence

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. This chapter reviews the epidemiology, prognostic factors, molecular biology, patterns of failure, and multidisciplinary treatment for gastric cancer. Surgery is the primary treatment for localized gastric cancer. Multiple clinical trials have shown roles for postoperative, perioperative, and preoperative chemotherapy and chemoradiation.
Powering the next Billion devices with wi-fi

We present the first power over Wi-Fi system that delivers power to low-power sensors and devices and works with existing Wi-Fi chipsets. We show that a ubiquitous part of wireless communication infrastructure, the Wi-Fi router, can provide far field wireless power without significantly compromising the network's communication performance. Building on our design, we prototype battery-free temperature and camera sensors that we power with Wi-Fi at ranges of 20 and 17 ft, respectively. We also demonstrate the ability to wirelessly trickle-charge nickel--metal hydride and lithium-ion coin-cell batteries at distances of up to 28 ft. We deploy our system in six homes in a metropolitan area and show that it can successfully deliver power via Wi-Fi under real-world network conditions without significantly degrading network performance.
Impulsive-antisocial psychopathic traits linked to increased volume and functional connectivity within prefrontal cortex.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by callous lack of empathy, impulsive antisocial behavior, and criminal recidivism. Studies of brain structure and function in psychopathy have frequently identified abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex. However, findings have not yet converged to yield a clear relationship between specific subregions of prefrontal cortex and particular psychopathic traits. We performed a multimodal neuroimaging study of prefrontal cortex volume and functional connectivity in psychopathy, using a sample of adult male prison inmates (N = 124). We conducted volumetric analyses in prefrontal subregions, and subsequently assessed resting-state functional connectivity in areas where volume was related to psychopathy severity. We found that overall psychopathy severity and Factor 2 scores (which index the impulsive/antisocial traits of psychopathy) were associated with larger prefrontal subregion volumes, particularly in the medial orbitofrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, Factor 2 scores were also positively correlated with functional connectivity between several areas of the prefrontal cortex. The results were not attributable to age, race, IQ, substance use history, or brain volume. Collectively, these findings provide evidence for co-localized increases in prefrontal cortex volume and intra-prefrontal functional connectivity in relation to impulsive/antisocial psychopathic traits.
Targeting CDK4/6 to oppose hypoxia-mediated therapeutic resistance.

Mounting evidence demonstrates that there is considerable integration between cell cycle progression and the cellular response to hypoxia. As a tumor expands, it quickly outgrows its existing vascu...
A cohort study of a general surgery electronic consultation system: safety implications and impact on surgical yield

Electronic consultation (eConsult) systems have enhanced access to specialty expertise and enhanced care coordination among primary care and specialty care providers, while maintaining high primary care provider (PCP), specialist and patient satisfaction. Little is known about their impact on the efficiency of specialty care delivery, in particular surgical yield (percent of ambulatory visits resulting in a scheduled surgical case). Retrospective cohort of a random selection of 150 electronic consults from PCPs to a safety-net general surgery clinic for the three most common general surgery procedures (herniorrhaphy, cholecystectomy, anorectal procedures) in 2014. Electronic consultation requests were reviewed for the presence/absence of consult domains: symptom acuity/severity, diagnostic evaluation, concurrent medical conditions, and attempted diagnosis. Logic regression was used to examine the association between completeness of consult requests and scheduling an ambulatory clinic visit. Surgical yield was also calculated, as was the percentage of patients requiring unanticipated healthcare visits. In 2014, 1743 electronic consultations were submitted to general surgery. Among the 150 abstracted, the presence of consult domains ranged from 49% to 99%. Consult completeness was not associated with greater likelihood of scheduling an ambulatory visit. Seventy-six percent of consult requests (114/150) were scheduled for a clinic appointment and surgical yield was 46%; without an eConsult system, surgical yield would have been 35% (p=0.07). Among patients not scheduled for a clinic visit (n=36), 4 had related unanticipated emergency department visits. Econsult systems can be used to safely optimize the surgical yield of a safety-net general surgery service.
Tubeless outpatient robotic upper urinary tract reconstruction in the pediatric population: short-term assessment of safety

Robotic upper urinary tract reconstruction (UUTR) has been widely utilized for surgical management of congenital obstruction. To further reduce morbidity and simplify postoperative care, outpatient robotic pyeloplasty (RP) and robotic ureteroureterostomy (RUU) were performed without ureteral stents, drains, or urethral catheters. The aim of the study was to assess the safety of performing tubeless robotic UUTR as an outpatient procedure. A retrospective review was performed for patients who underwent outpatient tubeless RP and RUU between July 2015 and January 2017. All procedures were primary interventions. No ureteral stents, drains, or urethral catheters were utilized. No regional blocks were utilized. Patients were discharged from the post anesthesia care unit as a scheduled outpatient procedure without an extended stay. Primary outcomes included 30-day complications, emergency room (ER) visits, and readmissions. A total of 19 patients (14 male, 5 female) were identified (RP = 17, RUU = 3), including one patient who underwent staged bilateral RP. Median age was 21.5 months (range 3–220). Median weight was 11.5 kg (range 6–89). Median operative time was 167 min (range 108–249), defined as skin incision to closure. No 30-day complications, ER visits, or readmissions were observed for any patient. The study concludes that pediatric tubeless outpatient robotic UUTR is safe. Further evaluation is needed to assess this approach on a larger scale, as well as assessing the long-term outcomes of tubeless reconstruction.
Adapting to Climate Change: Perceptions of Maple Producers in New York and Vermont

Maple production is an important part of local food systems in the Northeastern U.S. and Canada, where producers rely on maple as a source of income and as the basis for longstanding family and community traditions. Like many other sectors of the food system, maple production is vulnerable to climate change because of its potential impacts on forest type, tree health and vigor, and timing of sap flow. Since maple producers depend on the health of sugar maples for their livelihood and cultural traditions, adapting to changes in maple production will likely be necessary in the future and will require planning. The goal of this study is to assess the perceptions of maple producers and engage them in the development of strategies for adapting to the potential impacts of climate change. The mixed methods research approach for this study included interviews and a survey of maple producers in the Northern Forest region of New York and Vermont. Results indicate that more than half of the maple producers who responded to the survey expressed concerns about climate change, and more than two-thirds had already made or were planning to make modifica­tions to their businesses. Two factors that were identified as most important to respondents when assessing adaptability to climate change are resili­ency of the maple producers’ sugar bush and the producers’ ability to adopt new technologies. These findings are not just relevant for maple production; they have important implications for climate change adaptation of food systems.
Shared decision-making in spine surgery

Abstract Although relatively new, the concept of shared decision-making (SDM) has become extremely popular over the past few years, yielding a rapid rise in the development of incorporative tools. The value of the SDM process lies in the creation of an open dialog between the surgeon and patient and has been shown to demonstrate usefulness with regard to enhancing the patient experience as well as their understanding of a proposed procedure.
Patient perceptions of receiving test results via online portals: a mixed-methods study

Objective Online portals provide patients with access to their test results, but it is unknown how patients use these tools to manage results and what information is available to promote understanding. We conducted a mixed-methods study to explore patients' experiences and preferences when accessing their test results via portals. Materials and methods We conducted 95 interviews (13 semistructured and 82 structured) with adults who viewed a test result in their portal between April 2015 and September 2016 at 4 large outpatient clinics in Houston, Texas. Semistructured interviews were coded using content analysis and transformed into quantitative data and integrated with the structured interview data. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the structured data. Results Nearly two-thirds (63%) did not receive any explanatory information or test result interpretation at the time they received the result, and 46% conducted online searches for further information about their result. Patients who received an abnormal result were more likely to experience negative emotions (56% vs 21%; P = .003) and more likely to call their physician (44% vs 15%; P = .002) compared with those who received normal results. Discussion Study findings suggest that online portals are not currently designed to present test results to patients in a meaningful way. Patients experienced negative emotions often with abnormal results, but sometimes even with normal results. Simply providing access via portals is insufficient; additional strategies are needed to help patients interpret and manage their online test results. Conclusion Given the absence of national guidance, our findings could help strengthen policy and practice in this area and inform innovations that promote patient understanding of test results.
Reducing Contingent Self-Worth: A Defensive Response to Self-Threats

Previous research shows that people with high self-esteem cope with threats to the self by reducing the extent to which their self-worth is contingent on the threatened domain (Buckingham, Weber, &...
The Power of Myths and Storytelling in Nation Building: The Campaign for the Independence of Catalonia from Spain (2012-2015)

Background There is no nation without its origin story. The recent success of the Catalan campaign for independence (2012–2015) can be explained by a strong capacity to build and convey a story capable of informing, persuading, and eliciting emotional responses from Catalans and other Spaniards. Analysis The recent Catalan nationalism narrative has been forged by updating the foundational myths of Catalan nationalism through four main plots—quest, escape, revenge, and transformation—that with a pragmatic character have been able to integrate current affairs into the old myths. Conclusion and implications This article explores the elements of the new Catalan nationalism narrative by analyzing the interaction of foundational myths, the use of master plots, current affairs, and the means of dissemination. RESUME Contexte Sans histoire d’origine, il n’y a pas de nation. Le succes recent de la campagne catalane pour l’independance (2012-2015) s’explique par une forte capacite a imaginer et diffuser une histoire propice a informer, persuader et toucher les Catalans et autres Espagnols. Analyse Le recit recent sur le nationalisme catalan resulte de la mise a jour de mythes fondateurs par l’entremise de quatre intrigues cles—quete, fuite, vengeance et transformation—qui de maniere pragmatique ont reussi a resituer les vieux mythes dans l’actualite. Conclusion et implications Cet article explore les elements du nouveau recit sous-tendant le nationalisme catalan en analysant les correspondances entre les mythes fondateurs, le recours a des intrigues cles, l’actualite et les modes de diffusion.