cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling Over-Dispersion for Network Data Clustering

Over-dispersed network data mining has emerged as a central theme in data science, evident by a sharp increase in the volume of real-world network data with imbalanced clusters.While most of existing clustering methods are designed for discovering the number of clusters and class specific connectivity patterns, few methods are available to uncover the imbalanced clusters,commonly existing in network communities and image segments.In this paper, we propose a generalized probabilistic modeling framework,SizeConnectivity, to estimate over-dispersed cluster size distribution together with class specific connectivity patterns from network data.We performed extensive synthetic and real-world experiments on clustering social network data and image data for detecting network communities and image segments.Our results demonstrate a superior performance of our SizeConnectivity clustering method in recovering the hidden structure of network data via modeling over-dispersion.
Self-Control as the Fuel for Effective Self-Regulation at Work: Antecedents, Consequences, and Boundary Conditions of Employee Self-Control

Abstract In order to perform work tasks successfully and interact effectively with coworkers, it is necessary for employees to exert self-control over their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors while at work. For example, self-control helps employees maintain focus on their current goals and assignments, block out distractions and irrelevant information, align their behaviors and displayed emotions with company norms, and suppress deviant and rude impulses. According to resource allocation theories of self-regulation, exercising self-control is not a resource neutral act—rather, it draws from a finite pool of attentional resources. When these resources are depleted, people tend to show diminished self-control on ensuing activities until they have had opportunities for rest or recovery activities. In this chapter, we summarize our research that has examined work-related causes and consequences of self-control depletion. We also review individual differences that have been found to constrain depletion-based effects, thus verifying that people's skill, motivation, and beliefs feature into self-control processes. Lastly, we highlight research which extends resource allocation theories of self-regulation by considering alternative mechanisms that produce similar patterns as self-control depletion effects, by exploring possible curvilinear effects of depletion, and by shifting attention to self-control recovery (rather than self-control depletion).
Management Strategies for Recurrent Endometrial Cancer

Introduction: Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the developed world, and its incidence is increasing. Mortality from this cancer has not improved in recent decades and...
Modification of Radiosensitivity by Porphyrins: Studies of Tumors and Other Systems

The use of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins to modify the radiosensitivity of tumor and nontumor systems has been investigated intermittently in our laboratory since the early 1950s (1, 2)
CHAPTER 22 – CHITIN

Publisher Summary The chapter focuses on Chitin, which is N-acetyl-2-aminocellulose or more specifically, 2-acetamido-2-deoxycellulose. It is composed of N-acetyl-D-glucosaminyl units linked β-D-(1 → 4). In the same way, D-glucopyranosyl units are linked in the cellulose molecule as a linear array and with a molecular weight of 2–3 million Daltons. Chitin sometimes functions in a manner similar to that of collagen in chordates. Chitin forms the tough, fibrous exoskeletons of insects, crustaceans and other arthropods and, in addition to the presence of chitin in some fungi, it occurs in at least one alga. Chitin is insoluble in almost all solvents. Chitin is converted to the mostly deacetylated form for derivatization or for industrial application. The deacetylated form is chitosan, which is soluble at pH values less than 7, but mainly in dilute acid—preferably below pH 6—and often in formic, acetic, or hydrochloric acid solutions of 0.25–1.0% concentration. Chitosan is a good film former and is recommended for textile finishing, paper sheet formation, glass fiber coating, dye application, shrink proofing of wool, photographic application, and cement setting retardation.
Basic Principles of Drug Delivery and Dosing

Anti-bacterial drugs work by exploiting differences between mammalian and microbial physiologic processes. Since bacteria, unlike mammals, have cell walls, many anti-bacterial agents work by binding to components of the cell wall or inhibiting the synthesis of the cell wall. These agents include the beta-lactam and glycopeptide antibiotics. Other anti-bacterial agents function by exploiting differences in DNA replication (the quinolones inhibit DNA gyrases that are used in bacterial replication) or transcription (rifampicin). Still other agents exploit differences in the translational process, as bacteria use ribosomes that are different from mammalian ribosomes. The macrolides, tetracyclines, and aminoglycoside antibiotics exert their anti-bacterial effects by binding to different components of the bacterial ribosome (see Fig. 2.1). Still other anti-microbial agents such as the sulfonamides function by exploiting differences in the metabolic pathways between mammals and bacteria. Since bacteria are unable to use folic acid but must synthesize it from para-aminobenzoic acid, drugs that inhibit this pathway will selectively inhibit bacterial growth without toxicity to mammalian cells.
Biotechnology in the mining and metal processing industries: challenges and opportunities

Biological processes for metal solubilization and ore beneficiation are in widespread use today. There are also some promising new applications of biotechnology in the areas of metal concentration and toxic metal cleanup. Recent progress in genetic engineering promises both to revolutionize the existing biological process and to expedite the adoption of the new biological applications. But before it can do so effectively, progress must be made in many areas of fundamental research and in biochemical engineering. These issues are addressed with special reference to the biotechnology of semi-enclosed containers (bioreactors), dumps, heaps, in situ and underground leaching, and with respect to the biotechnology of metal concentration. Finally, certain biological considerations for bacterial strain improvement are discussed.
Overconfidence Across Cultures

Overconfidence is a robust cognitive bias with far-reaching implications, but prior research on cultural differences in overconfidence has been conflicting. We present two studies that measure the three forms of overconfidence across cultures, allowing us to paint a more complete picture of cross-cultural overconfidence than previous studies. In Study 1, we compare overconfidence among participants from cultures traditionally considered individualistic (the US and UK) with participants from cultures traditionally conceptualized as collectivistic (India and China). In Study 2, we employ a new task to compare overconfidence in participants from the US and India. Our first key result is the successful cross-cultural replication, in both studies, of the effect of task difficulty on overestimation and overplacement, which bolsters our faith that our measures operate similarly across cultures. Our second key finding is that, while we find evidence of higher overestimation in our Indian participants, neither overplacement nor overprecision show consistent cross-cultural differences. Taken as a whole, our results suggest that previous findings of increased overconfidence in participants from collectivistic cultures may not be as robust as previously reported.
Changes in symptom burden associated with exposure to outpatient palliative care in an integrated health system.

204Background: Patients with serious illnesses are often referred to palliative care (PC) for symptom management, advance care planning, and goals-of-care discussions. The purpose of this analysis ...
Curriculum Mapping in Nursing Education: A Case Study for Collaborative Curriculum Design and Program Quality Assurance

Abstract The development of nursing program curricula requires an understanding of the fundamentals of curriculum design that is relevant and competency based. Curriculum mapping is an evidence-based approach to curriculum design that promotes faculty collaboration and quality assurance in nursing education. This article describes the application of our large-scale curriculum mapping process. Through this process, faculty members were able to identify gaps, spot redundancies, and improve transparency across the program curricula.
Geochemical evidence for expansion of marine euxinia during an early Silurian (Llandovery-Wenlock boundary) mass extinction

Abstract Repeated biotic crises have become the hallmark for the Silurian with the three most significant marine turnover events being related to dramatic global environmental perturbations. Causal mechanisms linking these marine extinction events with positive carbon isotope ( δ 13 C) excursions, paleoceanographic change, and climate remain poorly constrained. Here, we examine the positive δ 13 C excursion across the Llandovery/Wenlock boundary, and the associated Ireviken extinction event. This positive δ 13 C excursion has been interpreted to reflect a major change in global oceanographic-climate state and enhanced organic carbon burial. New geochemical data from two paleocean basins have been analyzed to determine local and global redox conditions using carbon- and sulfur-isotopes ( δ 34 S), and iodine (I/Ca+Mg) proxies. The high-resolution δ 13 C and δ 34 S data from both sections show positive excursions indicative of global perturbations to each of these elemental cycles, with minimal temporal offsets between the two systems. Numerical box modeling of δ 13 C and δ 34 S data indicates that these isotopic shifts can be generated by significant increases in the burial of organic carbon and pyrite, which are most likely due to enhanced burial under euxinic (anoxic and sulfidic) conditions. Independently, I/(Ca+Mg) values point to locally anoxic bottom waters in the distal and deeper basinal setting in Nevada before, during, and after the Ireviken positive δ 13 C excursion. I/(Ca+Mg) values in the proximal shelf setting in Tennessee show relatively oxic waters during the onset of peak δ 13 C values, after which bottom-water oxygen concentrations dropped throughout the remainder of the excursion. This multiproxy paleoredox dataset provides the first direct evidence for local and global expansion of reducing marine conditions coincident with the Silurian biotic event and positive δ 13 C excursion. Integration of these geochemical data for local- and global-scale changes in marine redox conditions with the paleontological data and evidence for eustatic sea-level rise points toward a shoaling of anoxic and/or euxinic waters onto the shelf as a driver for the Ireviken extinction event.
Resilience-based infrastructure planning and asset management: Study of dual and singular water distribution infrastructure performance using a simulation approach

Abstract Dual water distribution systems have been proposed as a technological infrastructure solution to enhance the sustainability and resilience of urban water systems by improving performance and decreasing energy consumption. The dual system separately distributes non-potable water for outdoor demand and potable water for indoor demand. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term performance of dual water distribution systems versus singular systems under various scenarios of renewal strategies and demand fluctuations. To this end, a dynamic (time-dependent) simulation model was developed to capture long-term dynamics of water distribution infrastructure systems using empirical relationships. The model integrates utility agency’s renewal decision-making processes with the physical infrastructure degradation to simulate the long-term transformation of the pipeline network. Various system performance measures, including breakage, leakage, energy loss, level of service, and life-cycle costs, were simulated over a 50-year horizon. The simulation model was implemented using data from the City of Fort Collins, CO, and used to examine the long-term performance of the dual and singular water distribution systems. The analysis results enabled: (i) understanding the long-term transformation of water distribution systems; (ii) comparing different performance measures of dual and singular systems; and (iii) exploring the sensitivity of both systems to demand fluctuations.
Genomic Profiling Identifies Association of IDH1/IDH2 Mutation with Longer Relapse-Free and Metastasis-Free Survival in High-Grade Chondrosarcoma

Purpose: Chondrosarcomas are the second most common primary malignant bone tumors. Although histologic grade is the most important factor predicting the clinical outcome of chondrosarcoma, it is subject to interobserver variability. Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and IDH2 hotspot mutations were recently found to be frequently mutated in central chondrosarcomas. However, a few published articles have been controversial regarding the association between IDH1/IDH2 mutation status and clinical outcomes in chondrosarcomas. Experimental Design: We performed hotspot sequencing of IDH1 and IDH2 genes in 89 central chondrosarcomas and targeted next-generation sequencing in 54 of them, and then correlated the IDH1/IDH2 mutation status with the patient9s clinical outcome. Results: Although no association was discovered between IDH mutation status and the patient9s overall survival, IDH1/IDH2 mutation was found to be associated with longer relapse-free and metastasis-free survival in high-grade chondrosarcomas. Genomic profiling reveals TERT gene amplification and ATRX mutation, for the first time, in addition to TERT promoter mutation in a subset (6/30, 20%) of high-grade and dedifferentiated chondrosarcomas. These abnormalities in telomere genes are concurrent with IDH1/IDH2 mutation and with CDKN2A/2B deletion or TP53 mutation, suggesting a possible association and synergy among these genes in chondrosarcoma progression. We found 21% of patients with chondrosarcoma also had histories of second malignancies unrelated to cartilaginous tumors, suggesting possible unknown genetic susceptibility to chondrosarcoma. Conclusions: IDH1/IDH2 mutations are associated with longer relapse-free and metastasis-free survival in high-grade chondrosarcomas, and they tend to co-occur with TERT mutations and with CDKN2A/2B and TP53 alterations in a subset of high-grade chondrosarcomas.
Evaluating lurasidone as a treatment option for bipolar disorder

Introduction: Lurasidone has been approved in the United States as a monotherapy and adjunct for acute bipolar I depression, as well as an antipsychotic for patients with schizophrenia.Areas covered: Herein, the authors review the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of lurasidone as well and the major randomized clinical trials. The authors also provide their expert opinion.Expert opinion: Lurasidone has not been studied in patients with mania or bipolar psychosis. It has been studied, both as a monotherapy and adjunctive treatment to lithium or valproate, in acute depression and in prevention of recurrence of any mood episode in patients with bipolar disorder initially treated for bipolar depression or mania. It is approved in the United States for acute bipolar I depression. It has clinically meaningful treatment effect sizes for improvement in depression compared to placebo (0.51 monotherapy, 0.34 adjunct). The number needed to treat (NNT) for response with monotherapy was 5 (for both lower and higher dose groups), and for remission was 6 and 7 (for lower dose and higher dose groups, respectively); the NNT for adjunctive therapy was 7. It has not demonstrated efficacy in relapse prevention when added to a mood stabilizer but is safe in combination with other medications.
Massively Parallel Quantum Chemistry: A high-performance research platform for electronic structure

The Massively Parallel Quantum Chemistry (MPQC) program is a 30-year-old project that enables facile development of electronic structure methods for molecules for efficient deployment to massively parallel computing architectures. Here, we describe the historical evolution of MPQC’s design into its latest (fourth) version, the capabilities and modular architecture of today’s MPQC, and how MPQC facilitates rapid composition of new methods as well as its state-of-the-art performance on a variety of commodity and high-end distributed-memory computer platforms.
Effect of age and testosterone on the vasopressin response to dehydration in F344BNF1 male rats.

Testosterone has been implicated in the dehydration-induced increase in vasopressin (VP) mRNA observed in young rats (1). Since testosterone is diminished in aged rats, and since prior studies have demonstrated a deficit in the dehydration-induced increase in VPmRNA in aged male Fischer 344 rats (2), the hypothesis that aging-associated deficits in testosterone result in a diminished VP response to dehydration was evaluated.
Maintaining High Accuracy General P300 Speller Using the Language Modeling and Dynamic Stopping

Patients with neuromuscular diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis can have difficulty communicating because neural signals cannot reach effector muscles. Recent advances in brain-computer interfaces have allowed these patients to communicate by converting neurological signals into computer commands. One common brain-computer interface is the P300 speller, a system that allows these patients to spell out text. Because of the electroencephalogram (EEG) signal variability between patients, it is hard to create a classifier applicable to all patients. Therefore, current methods use an arduous training step personalized for each patient. There have been previous attempts to create a general classifier that works for all subjects, but these attempts have generally resulted in poor accuracies that were insufficient for practical use. This paper presents a novel cross-subject approach for the P300 speller. It uses a language model which adjusts the probabilities of each character based on context to improve classifier performance. Additionally, dynamic stopping allows the system to continually obtain EEG signal from the patient until the system is confident in its character selection. By using these two approaches, we can maintain reasonable selection accuracy, allowing subjects to use the system without an individualized training step.
The effect of repeating gamma-ray bursts on V/V(sub max)

I consider the effect of repeating burst sources on the the mean value of V/V(sub max) statistic. I find that if the burst sources are distributed homogeneously in a d-dimensional space, the mean value of V/V(sub max) converges to d/(d+3) as long as the luminosity function is dependent of position. Choosing the brightest event from a cluster of k events shifts the luminosity function to higher luminosities, but if the original luminosity function is position independent, it remains so. Therefore the treatment of repeating events, if applied consistently, will not affect the effectiveness the mean value of V/V(sub max) as a test of burst homogeneity. The calculation of the mean value of V/V(sub max) for apparent repeating and non-repeating source populations will be raised by the incorrect classification of faint bursts. In conclusion, the current practice of calculating the mean value of V/V(sub max) using all bursts, even apparent repeaters, and treating multispike bursts as single bursts, is valid and consistent.
Algorithms predict morbidity and mortality of Saguaro Cacti (Carnegiea gigantea) from sunlight exposures

Abstract Bark coverages on stem surfaces lead to premature death of saguaro cacti (Carnegiea gigantea). Bark coverages have occurred on surfaces of more than 50 species of tall, long-lived cacti throughout the Americas. This study analyzed data of bark coverages on 12 surfaces of C. gigantea. Among 1,149 saguaro cacti, from four sampling periods over 23 years, data of four independent algorithm programs were used to predict bark coverages and cactus death. On saguaros, bark coverage originates on south-facing surfaces and progresses to north-facing surfaces, prior to cactus death. For this population, bark coverages increased over time and 45% of all cacti were dead by the end of the 23-year study period. Validate Model and WEKA 3.8 predicted bark coverages with over 96% accuracy. Random Forest predicted cactus death with 99.6% accuracy and kNN predicted cactus death with 100% accuracy. Since trough surfaces occur after crest surfaces, trough surfaces were better predictors of bark coverages and cactus death. Cactus death was best predicted (above 99%) with north-right troughs with west-facing surfaces. Taken together, the four machine programs gave complimentary results and predicted (above 99%) both increased bark coverages from south-facing surfaces to north-facing surfaces over time and death of individual cacti over an eight-year period when north-facing right troughs had more than 80% bark coverages.
The Interplay of Demographic Variables and Social Distancing Scores in Deep Prediction of U.S. COVID-19 Cases

With the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak, we characterize the nature of the growth trajectories of counties in the United States using a novel combination of spectral clustering and the correlation matrix. As the U.S. and the rest of the world are experiencing a severe second wave of infections, the importance of assigning growth membership to counties and understanding the determinants of the growth are increasingly evident. Subsequently, we select the demographic features that are most statistically significant in distinguishing the communities. Lastly, we effectively predict the future growth of a given county with an LSTM using three social distancing scores. This comprehensive study captures the nature of counties' growth in cases at a very micro-level using growth communities, demographic factors, and social distancing performance to help government agencies utilize known information to make appropriate decisions regarding which potential counties to target resources and funding to.
Empowering or endangering minorities? Facebook, language, and identity in Myanmar

Language policies play a major role in ethnic conflict because they affect the right of speakers to choose and use their preferred language(s), and help determine courses of action to maintain, ass...
Presentation and outcomes of sepsis in the cardiac intensive care unit

Abstract The prevalence of sepsis is increasing in subspecialty intensive care units, including the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). The clinical characteristics and outcomes of CICU patients with sepsis are not well understood. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of sepsis patients in the CICU compared to other ICUs using the PROGRESS registry. CICU-sepsis patients were older with fewer acute organ failures (median 2 v. 3, p
In Praise of Investor Irrationality

How should a market filled with investors who chronically make bad investments, but is nevertheless efficient, be regulated? A growing body of evidence suggests that this is the state of most securities markets; investors rely on cognitive processes that produce systematically bad choices, and yet the market remains largely efficient. In fact, cognitive errors might be essential to their efficient operation. Even investors who make systematic errors also often possess real and unique information that can contribute to accurate pricing of securities. If such investors became mindful of their limited ability to distinguish between real information and erroneous information, they would decline to rely on their beliefs to invest and would thereby withhold private information from the market. Over-confidence on the part of these investors leads them to trade anyway. This over-confidence provides market liquidity, but more importantly, provides the market with the private information that individual investors possess (but should, rationally, withhold). Hence, reforms designed to save investors from the costs of their cognitive errors would reduce market liquidity and deprive the market of valuable information. In short, markets need irrationality.
Mechanism of cellular damage by virus: a study of antihistamine drugs. II. Murine hepatitis virus and mouse macrophages.

Abstract The present paper describes the cytopathic effect of murine hepatitis virus 3 (MHV 3) on spleen cell cultures prepared according to Manaker et al. (1960). This effect, which is related to viral multiplication in the cells, is inhibited by immune sera collected from mice which have recovered from a previous infection. The inhibitory effect of immune sera is on the virus itself and not on the cells. A weak cross-reaction of anti-MHV 2 against MHV 3 has been noted. The antihistamine, diphenhydramine, effectively protects spleen cells without interfering with viral multiplication. Two other drugs, not antihistamines, have been shown to protect the cells in the same way. Both these drugs, phenoxybenzamine and promazine, are known to have protective action in vivo . The present results, therefore, suggest a direct effect on cells. The extreme sensitivity of macrophages to MHV 3 suggests that these cells might give rise to foci of virus multiplication from which the virus could spread to destroy parenchymal cells.
Periprostatic adipose tissue from obese prostate cancer patients promotes tumor and endothelial cell proliferation: a functional and MR imaging pilot study.

BACKGROUND Obesity, particularly visceral adiposity, confers a worse prognosis for prostate cancer (PCa) patients, and increasing periprostatic adipose (PPA) tissue thickness or density is positively associated with more aggressive disease. However, the cellular mechanism of this activity remains unclear. Therefore, in this pilot study, we assessed the functional activity of PPA tissue secretions and established a biochemical profile of PPA as compared to subcutaneous adipose (SQA) tissues from lean, overweight and obese PCa patients. METHODS Adipose tissues were collected from PCa patients undergoing surgical prostate removal. Tissues were analyzed by histologic and magnetic resonance (MR) techniques. Explant tissue culture secretions were used in proliferation assays on PCa and endothelial cells. RESULTS PPA secretions obtained from obese patients were significantly more pro-proliferative in both PCa and endothelial cells as compared to PPA obtained from lean or overweight men and SQA tissues. Consistent with this, PPA microvessel density was increased, and the T2 relaxation time was decreased, compared to SQA tissues, and we observed a modest, inverse correlation between the T2 and tumor stage. Moreover, the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids, obtained using MR spectroscopy, showed a modest, inverse correlation with Gleason score. CONCLUSIONS These pilot data show that PPA stimulates PCa cell proliferation and angiogenesis and that obesity intensifies this activity, thus generating a mechanistic hypothesis to explain the worse prognosis observed in obese PCa patients. Our pilot study also shows that MR technology may be useful in further elucidating the relationship between obesity and PCa progression. Prostate 74:326–335, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of protected areas on malaria prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Introduction Despite exponential growth in the number and extent of protected areas globally, their role within disease dynamics remains unclear. Protected areas shape many biophysical and social factors related to malaria prevalence such as land use-land cover, biodiversity, socioeconomic conditions, and human behavior. This work examines the extent to which protected areas influence Plasmodium falciparum malaria prevalence within surrounding human populations throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.. Methods Using malaria prevalence data from 2008 to 2012, we tested for differences in mean malaria prevalence at survey locations according to the IUCN classification of the nearest protected area. We also used dual logistic regression and Random Forest approaches to model malaria burdens at survey locations using a variety of known biophysical determinants of malaria in addition to protected area related covariates. Results We found that malaria prevalence differed by IUCN class, with survey locations near IUCN classes Ia and III exhibiting significantly higher prevalence values than all other classes. Additionally, distance to the nearest protected area emerged as an important predictor of malaria prevalence in the logistic regression model, with lower malaria prevalence at locations closer to protected areas (OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.10–1.17). Distance was of moderate importance in the Random Forest models; however, the relationship between distance and prevalence was nonlinear.. Conclusions We show that, at a continental scale, malaria prevalence was lower for populations closer to protected areas in Africa, compared to farther away. However, we also found evidence of spatially complex relationships, both around individual protected areas, and across protected areas at this geographic extent, reinforcing the need for additional, small-scale case studies. Ultimately, by showing a link between protected areas and disease presence, this work helps improve understanding of the complex, multiscalar drivers of malaria..
Additional Topics in Perfect and Imperfect Competition

A major step in completing a market model is deriving the supply function of a typical firm and the whole market supply function.
Towards Conversation Entailment: An Empirical Investigation

While a significant amount of research has been devoted to textual entailment, automated entailment from conversational scripts has received less attention. To address this limitation, this paper investigates the problem of conversation entailment: automated inference of hypotheses from conversation scripts. We examine two levels of semantic representations: a basic representation based on syntactic parsing from conversation utterances and an augmented representation taking into consideration of conversation structures. For each of these levels, we further explore two ways of capturing long distance relations between language constituents: implicit modeling based on the length of distance and explicit modeling based on actual patterns of relations. Our empirical findings have shown that the augmented representation with conversation structures is important, which achieves the best performance when combined with explicit modeling of long distance relations.
Inflammatory blood laboratory levels as markers of prosthetic joint infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The preoperative diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection in patients with a total hip or knee arthroplasty may rely in part on the use of systemic inflammation markers. These markers have unclear accuracy. The objective of this review was to summarize the evidence on the accuracy of the peripheral white blood-cell count, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum C-reactive protein levels, and serum interleukin-6 levels for the diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection. Methods: We searched electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus) from 1950 through 2009. Eligible studies evaluated the accuracy of white blood-cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum C-reactive protein level, and serum interleukin-6 level for the intraoperative diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection at the time of revision arthroplasty. Two reviewers working independently extracted study characteristics and data to estimate the diagnostic odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for each result. Results: We included thirty eligible studies that included 3909 revision total hip or knee arthroplasties. The prevalence of prosthetic joint infection was 32.5% (1270 of 3909). The accuracy of assessed inflammation markers, represented with a diagnostic odds ratio, was 314.7 (95% confidence interval, 113.0 to 876.8) for interleukin-6 (three studies), 13.1 (95% confidence interval, 7.9 to 21.7) for C-reactive protein level (twenty-three studies), 7.2 (95% confidence interval, 4.7 to 10.9) for erythrocyte sedimentation rate (twenty-five studies), and 4.4 (95% confidence interval, 2.9 to 6.6) for white blood-cell count (fifteen studies). Conclusions: The diagnostic accuracy for prosthetic joint infection was best for interleukin-6, followed by C-reactive protein level, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and white blood-cell count. Given the limited numbers of studies assessing interleukin-6 levels, further investigations assessing the accuracy of interleukin-6 for the diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection are warranted. Level of Evidence: Diagnostic Level II. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Chip/package co-analysis of thermo-mechanical stress and reliability in TSV-based 3D ICs

In this work, we propose a fast and accurate chip/package thermo-mechanical stress and reliability co-analysis tool for TSV-based 3D ICs. We also present a design optimization methodology to alleviate mechanical reliability issues in 3D IC. First, we analyze the stress induced by chip/package interconnect elements, i.e., TSV, μ-bump, and package bump. Second, we explore and validate the principle of lateral and vertical linear superposition of stress tensors (LVLS), considering all chip/package elements. This linear superposition principle is utilized to perform full-chip/package-scale stress simulations and reliability analysis. Finally, we study the mechanical reliability issues in practical 3D chip/package designs including wide-I/O and block-level 3D ICs.
Evaluation of the Acute Respiratory Effects of Aerosolized Machining Fluids in Mice

Abstract Using a previously developed bioassay, the sensory and pulmonary irritating properties of a group of 10 aerosolized machining fluids were evaluated in mice. Single, 3-hr inhalation exposures were conducted with the fluids at exposure concentrations ranging from 20 to 2000 mg/m3. The results have shown that all 10 were capable of inducing sensory and pulmonary irritation, with little or no change in pulmonary histopathology. A concentration-response relationship was developed for each fluid which revealed that, for the 10 fluids studied here, the synthetic/semisynthetic and soluble fluids were more potent irritants than the straight oils. Also, 3 of the 10 fluids which had been collected from workplace operations (i.e., “in use” fluids) were found to be similar in potency to the same fluids prior to their introduction into the workplace (i.e., “neat” fluids). From concentration-response relationships, the RD50 value (i.e., concentration inducing a 50% response) was obtained for each of the 10 fluids. The RD50 values ranged from 100 to 1000 mg/m3 for all fluids except the straight oils whose RD50 values were over 100,000 mg/m3. Using these values, exposure limits were then suggested for workers in industry to prevent irritation. This bioassay may be a good first step in evaluating new machining fluids whose formulations may change depending upon the current industrial needs.
A multi-agent system with reinforcement learning agents for biomedical text mining

Due to the expanding growth of information in the biomedical literature and biomedical databases, researchers and practitioners in the biomedical field require efficient methods of handling and extracting useful information. We present a novel framework for biomedical text mining based on a learning multi-agent system. Our distributed system comprises of several software agents, where each agent uses a reinforcement learning method to update the sentiment of a relevant text from a particular set of research articles related to specific keywords. Our system was tested on the biomedical research articles from PubMed, where the goal of each agent is to accrue utility by correctly determining the relevant information that is communicated with other agents. Our results tested on the abstracts collected from PubMed related to muscular atrophy, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes show that our system is able to appropriately learn the sentiment score related to specific keywords by parallel and distributed analysis of the documents by multiple software agents.
Effects of digitoxin on exchangeable and tissue contents of magnesium.

SummaryIn a test group of 8 rabbits, administration of digitoxin by intravenous injections of 0.1 mg/kg, given daily for 8 days, produced no significant changes in the external balance of magnesium. On the day following the last injection the exchangeable body content of magnesium, measured with Mg28, was significantly increased. The results suggest that digitoxin produces subtle changes in the dynamics of magnesium metabolism which are not reflected in the external balance data.
Protein phosphorylation in plants: enzymes, substrates and regulators

IOMMENT construction of stocks and markers by Xu and Rubin 13. They first con- structed genes encoding chimeric proteins that serve as gratuitous cell- autonomous markers for all tissues. The 7tM marker encodes a fusion between a peptide (MYC) that derives from the human C-MYCgene and part of the Drosophila P-element transposase. The marker is targeted to nuclei, and cells expressing xM can be recognized by a commercially available monoclonal antibody. A membrane marker was also con- structed that encodes the MYC pep- tide and the signal peptide and trans- membrane domain of the Notch protein. These genetic markers have been placed on all major chromo- some arms together with FRT sequences that are located near the centromere. All that remains for the individual is to meiotically recombine his or her favourite mutation onto the distal part of the FRT-carrying chromosome arm (the chromosomes are cleverly constructed to facilitate screening o~" such recombinants) and to perfom~ appropriate crosses to introduce the FLP onto a different chromosome (Fig. 1). Xu and Rubin 13 also demon- strated that the frequency of mosaicism is sufficiently high to permit screening for new mutations that affect deve!opmen.t and function of various tissues. One can thus look at the phenotype of homozygous clones in heterozygous flies and hence isolate mutations in first- generation screens, a device that saves a considerable amount of time. The stocks have generously been made available to the entire com- munity and so we can now look forward to the undoubtedly success- ful application of this superb new tool.
Quasimolecular modeling of cavity flow

Abstract A quasimolecular, particle model is developed for and applied to the simulation of cavity flow. The approach is formalized as an n -body problem which incorporates classical molecular type forces. Large systems of second order, ordinary differential equations are generated and solved numerically. Vector computer examples are described and discussed.
Theoretical feasibility of vasodilator-enhanced local tumor heating.

Abstract Normal arterioles, in contrast to the abnormal microvasculature of many solid tumors, provide a target for selective drug action which can enhance local heat treatment of the tumors. Measurements of tissue blood flow with radioactive microspheres and estimates of changes in blood flow with thermal clearance methods revealed that vasodilator drugs either decreased or did not alter blood flow in hamster melanoma, rat hepatoma and canine transmissible venereal tumor while increasing perfusion in adjacent normal tissues 2 to 4-fold. Solutions of the bio-heat transfer equation, which take into account such selective effects of vasodilators on blood flow in normal tissues, clearly demonstrate improved selective heating for spheroidal tumors over 2 cm in diameter. In the presence of vasodilator drug effect, steady-state center tumor temperatures of 45–50°C can be achieved by increased power input, while surrounding normal tissues remain below 42°C.
The Business of Soil Fertility: A Convergence of Urban-Agrarian Concern in the Early 20th Century

During the Progressive era, an urban-agrarian wing of the conservation movement made soil fertility a highly salient issue in the press. This article examines the extent and causes of a convergence of urban-agrarian concern between 1907 and 1916, which was one of the first sustainable agriculture policy networks in United States history. Businessmen and journalists helped put soil fertility on the national policy agenda. Existing institutions, such as the United States Department of Agriculture, were not considered adequate guardians of the food supply for an expanding industrial nation. Urban agrarians financed and managed soil fertility propaganda and agrarian legislative campaigns based on the recognition that existing institutions lacked the resources necessary to convert traditional farmers to the emerging scientific, soil-preserving paradigm. In an era punctuated by debate over the rising cost of living, the new agriculture was known to many in the movement simply as “businesslike” farming.
T Lymphocyte Density and Distribution in Human Colorectal Mucosa, and Inefficiency of Current Cell Isolation Protocols

Mucosal tissues are critical immune effector sites containing complex populations of leukocytes in a tissue microenvironment that remains incompletely understood. We identify and quantify in human distal colorectal tissue absolute mucosal CD3+ lymphocytes, including CD4+ and CD8+ subsets, by direct visualization using immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), and an automated counting protocol (r2=0.90). Sigmoid and rectal mucosal tissues are both densely packed with T lymphocytes in the mucosal compartment. Both compartments had similar densities of CD3+ T lymphocytes with 37,400 ± 2,801 cells/mm3 and 33,700 ± 4,324 cell/mm3, respectively. Sigmoid mucosa contained 57% CD3+CD4+ and 40% CD3+CD8+ T lymphocytes which calculates to 21,300 ± 1,476/mm3 and 15,000 ± 275/mm3 T lymphocytes, respectively. Rectal mucosa had 57% CD3+CD4+ and 42% CD3+CD8+ or 21,577 ± 332, and 17,090 ± 1,206 cells/mm3, respectively. By comparison, sigmoid mucosal biopsies subjected to conventional collagenase digestion, mononuclear cell (MMC) isolation and staining for flow cytometry yielded 4,549 ± 381/mm3 and 2,708 ± 245/mm3 CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. These data suggest only ~20.7% recovery compared to IHC results for these markers. Further studies will determine if this reflects a selective bias in only CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells or can be generalized to all flow-analyzed cells from mucosal tissues for phenotyping and functional testing.
Cyber terrorism and the collective responsibility of states to secure the global information society

The increasing interconnectedness of countries and national critical infrastructures in today's global network society has ushered the world into what has been aptly described as “an age of interdependence where each nation's security is also dependent on the actions of the other nations of the world”[1]. This state of affairs emphasizes the need for the collective responsibility of states for global cybersecurity. This paper examines some strategies towards enhancing the collective responsibility of states to address the challenge of cyber terrorism. It particularly suggests the need for a state to be held accountable where its failure to establish regulatory measures to deter or prosecute cybercrimes or cyber terrorism within it territories has allowed the perpetration of such acts that produced trans-boundary effects in other states.
ERROR VECTOR MEASUREMENTS OF BST COUPLED MICROSTRIPLINE PHASE SHIFTERS (CMPS) USING DIFFERENT TYPES OF MODULATION

ABSTRACT Error vector measurements (EVM) are used to investigate whether the nonlinear properties of a ferroelectric coupled microstrip phase shifter (CMPS) impact the quality of a radio frequency (RF) signal that is modulated, transmitted through the ferroelectric CMPS, and demodulated. Measurements were performed using a variety of phase shift key (PSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) formats. At RF power levels up to +6 dBm and symbol rates up to 7 megasamples per second (Msps), we observed no degradation in EVM that could be associated with the ferroelectric phase shifter. These preliminary results are encouraging for the suitability of these devices to perform in high power, high bandwidth space communication applications.
MILLIMETER WAVE TO TERAHERTZ IN CMOS

The feasibility of CMOS circuits operating at frequencies in the upper millimeter wave and low sub-millimeter frequency regions has been demonstrated. A 140-GHz fundamental mode VCO in 90-nm CMOS, a 410-GHz push-push VCO in 45-nm CMOS, and a 180-GHz detector circuit in 130-nm CMOS have been demonstrated. With the continued scaling of MOS transistors, 1-THz CMOS circuits will be possible. Though these results are significant, output power of signal generators must be increased and acceptable noise performance of detectors must be achieved in order to demonstrate the applicability of CMOS for implementing practical terahertz systems.
Palaeontology: beyond the age of fishes.

Discovery of an unusually intact and ancient fossil fish provides further evidence that the search for modern vertebrate origins requires breaking out of the Devonian and into the preceding period.
Similarity of matrices over local rings

Abstract Wasow investigated the problem of when, for a pair of matrices of analytic functions, pointwise similarity implies analytic similarity. By using the topology of Spec R , this is studied for an arbitrary commutative ring. Results of Wasow, Ohm, Schneider, and Friedland are generalized in this setting. A canonical form is determined for matrices satisfying the Wasow condition.
The Full-length Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sgs1 Protein Is a Vigorous DNA Helicase That Preferentially Unwinds Holliday Junctions

The highly conserved RecQ family of DNA helicases has multiple roles in the maintenance of genome stability. Sgs1, the single RecQ homologue in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, acts both early and late during homologous recombination. Here we present the expression, purification, and biochemical analysis of full-length Sgs1. Unlike the truncated form of Sgs1 characterized previously, full-length Sgs1 binds diverse single-stranded and double-stranded DNA substrates, including DNA duplexes with 5′- and 3′-single-stranded DNA overhangs. Similarly, Sgs1 unwinds a variety of DNA substrates, including blunt-ended duplex DNA. Significantly, a substrate containing a Holliday junction is unwound most efficiently. DNA unwinding is catalytic, requires ATP, and is stimulated by replication protein A. Unlike RecQ homologues from multicellular organisms, Sgs1 is remarkably active at picomolar concentrations and can efficiently unwind duplex DNA molecules as long as 23,000 base pairs. Our analysis shows that Sgs1 resembles Escherichia coli RecQ protein more than any of the human RecQ homologues with regard to its helicase activity. The full-length recombinant protein will be invaluable for further investigation of Sgs1 biochemistry.