cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EXPRESSION OF SURVIVIN AND APOPTOTIC BIOMARKERS IN BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

ABSTRACT Purpose: We assessed the differential expression of survivin and other apoptotic markers in stromal and epithelial compartments of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and normal prostate tissue. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for survivin, and transforming growth factor-β1 and its receptors was done in normal prostate and BPH areas from 114 consecutive patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. Moreover, staining for survivin, Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3 and Ki-67 was performed in prostate specimens from 23 consecutive patients who underwent open prostatectomy and 4 young patients who underwent cystoprostatectomy and had a normal prostate. Results: Survivin and Bcl-2 expression increased incrementally from normal prostate to epithelial BPH to stromal BPH. Caspase-3 expression was higher in BPH epithelium than in BPH stroma, which in turn was higher than that in normal prostate. Ki-67 was significantly over expressed in BPH stroma and epithelium. Survivin expression in BPH tissue correlated with International Prostate Symptom Score, quality of life, post-void residual urine volume, maximum urine flow rate and transforming growth factor-β1 expression. Conclusions: Survivin is over expressed in BPH and it correlates with BPH parameters. Increases in proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis have a role in BPH.
A two-way interface between limited Systems Biology Markup Language and R

Background Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is gaining broad usage as a standard for representing dynamical systems as data structures. The open source statistical programming environment R is widely used by biostatisticians involved in microarray analyses. An interface between SBML and R does not exist, though one might be useful to R users interested in SBML, and SBML users interested in R.
Regional Mountain Torque Estimates over the Rocky Mountains in Lee Cyclones

Abstract The zonal mountain pressure torque across a portion of the Rocky Mountains is estimated for three lee cyclones simulated with the National Centers for Environmental Prediction’s Eta model. The relative importance of the mountain torque to the regional balance of atmospheric angular momentum is examined through the use of a momentum budget. The magnitude of the regional mountain torque is generally greater than that of the tendency of atmospheric angular momentum, and the torque’s negative sign at all times in all cases examined indicates the transfer of angular momentum from the atmosphere to the earth. The average mountain torque associated with the strongest lee cyclone is found to be the same magnitude and sign as the tendency of global atmospheric angular momentum during the time frame of the simulation, and the cyclone is concurrent with the maximum negative tendency observed during the month. Estimates of the friction torque suggest that this force also transfers momentum to the earth over ...
Arthroscopic removal of painful Bristow hardware.

Abstract Complications of metallic hardware about the shoulder have been well documented in the literature. This case report presents a recreational athlete who presented to our office with a painful shoulder 4 years after a Bristow procedure. Radiographic imaging confirmed contact of the humeral head on the Bristow screw. In these unusual situations, arthroscopic evaluation, as this case suggests, should be considered: The patient's hardware was removed arthroscopically, obviating an open procedure and hospitalization.
A bridging fault model where undetectable faults imply logic redundancy

We define a robust fault model as a model where the existence of an undetectable fault implies the existence of logic redundancy, or more generally, a suboptimality in the synthesis of the circuit. The stuck-at fault model is robust, but other fault models such as certain bridging fault models are not. A robust fault model provides a mechanism to synthesize circuits in which all the target faults are detectable and 100% fault coverage is achievable. The ability to achieve 100% fault coverage, or understand why it is not achievable, is important since the requirement to achieve high test quality translates into a requirement to achieve complete fault coverage for target faults, regardless of the metrics used to measure test quality. We discuss a robust bridging fault model and its use as part of a test generation process for a non-robust bridging fault model (a non-robust bridging fault model may have to be used in order to capture the behavior of bridging defects). We also present experimental results related to the robust bridging fault model.
New product introduction: reducing time to market using Internet and Intranet technology

The rate of technological advances over the past five to ten years has resulted in shortened product life cycles, making it necessary to engage in a continuous and rapid introduction of new products. The ability to anticipate and respond to market pressures makes the timely introduction of new products a crucial competency within many industries. While technological advances have driven the need for a reduced time to market, they also have provided tools to aid in the reduction of product development cycle time. This paper examines how the use of the Internet and Intranet in the new product introduction process can reduce time to market by facilitating increased levels of communication within a company and between a company and its customers, based on literature searches as well as interviews.
The Use of Patient Pictures and Verification Screens to Reduce Computerized Provider Order Entry Errors

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an order verification screen, including a patient photograph, is an effective strategy for reducing the risk that providers will place orders in an unintended patient’s electronic medical record (EMR). METHODS: We describe several changes to the EMR/provider interface and ordering workflow that were implemented as one part of a hospital-wide quality improvement effort to improve patient identification and verification practices. We measured the impact by comparing the number of reported incidents of care being provided to any patient other than for whom it was intended before the intervention, and directly after the intervention. RESULTS: For the year before the interventions described herein, placement of orders in the incorrect patient’s chart was the second most common cause of care being provided to the wrong patient, comprising 24% of the reported errors. In the 15 months after the implementation of an order verification screen with the patient’s photo centrally placed on the screen, no patient whose picture was in the EMR was reported to have received unintended care based on erroneous order placement in his or her chart. CONCLUSIONS: The incorporation of patient pictures within a computerized order entry verification process is an effective strategy for reducing the risk that erroneous placement of orders in a patient’s EMR will result in unintended care being provided to an incorrect patient. * Abbreviations: EMR — : electronic medical record ID — : identification
Revision of Ephemerellidae Genera (Ephemeroptera)

Abstract The generic classification of Ephemerellidae Klapalek (Ephemeroptera) is reviewed and revised. Taxonomic status quo is maintained for the subfamily Timpanoginae Allen, except that Melanameleus Tiensuu (Ameletidae McCafferty) is not synonymous with Eurylophella Tiensuu. Data from the external morphology of eggs, larvae and adults of Ephemerellinae, s.s., species are coded into a data matrix and analyzed via the parsimony criterion of PAUP* to construct phylogenetic trees. A higher classification of Ephemerellinae is proposed based on the naming of groups from these trees. Two tribes are recognized and redefined: Ephemerellini, s.s., and Hyrtanellini Allen. Ephemerellini contains eleven genera: Drunella Needham [= Eatonella Needham, new synonym; = Myllonella Allen, new synonym; = Tribrochella Allen, new synonym; = Unirhachella Allen, new synonym], Caurinella Allen, Ephemerella Walsh, Matriella, new genus, Tsalia, new genus, Caudatella Edmunds, Notacanthella, new genus, Spinorea, new genus, Adoranex...
Social capital as correlate, antecedent, and consequence of health service demand in China

Amid increasing interest in how social relationships play an important role in health and health behavior, it remains unclear whether social activities and social capital in general benefit individuals' health literacy and in turn affect their health care consumption. More specifically, this article proposes a research hypothesis to address the question: Do individuals who are strongly tied to other individuals within the social networks become more health conscious or literate and hence use more health services? This paper extends prior research on social support, health literacy and health care utilization to investigate the association between social interaction and health service demand. Using the China Health and Nutrition Survey, the paper provides cross-sectional evidence that people who are socially active and connected with their friends made more visits to health care providers. It also finds that people of male gender, being single, having more years of education, and no health insurance coverage tend to avoid seeking health services. The quasi-experimental study, which examines the events that exogenously intensified social interactions in some but not all Chinese provinces, indicates that social capital is more an antecedent than a consequence of health service needs.
Enhancing L2 Reading Comprehension with Hypermedia Texts: Student Perceptions.

This study extends current research about L2 hypermedia texts by investigating the combined use of audiovisual features including: (a) Contextualized images, (b) roll-over translations, (c) cultural information, (d) audio explanations and (e) comprehension check exercises. Specifically, student perceptions of hypermedia readings compared to traditional print texts are investigated in this study to address theoretical concerns that the combined use of multiple audiovisual annotations might split learners’ attention from their reading comprehension. Additionally, student perceptions of the usefulness of the annotation features afforded by the hypermedia texts were investigated. Data were collected from 70 French language learners across four intermediate and advanced French courses at a large Midwestern research university. Participants in each course were assigned hypermedia readings, each of which being paired with an analogous traditional print reading of the same genre, with a similar word count and reading difficulty level, followed by a format preference survey. Results from data analysis of the format preference surveys showed statistically significant differences for user preference of the hypermedia texts and a user belief that the hypermedia format facilitated reading comprehension with less effort than print readings. Research findings about the reported usefulness of the annotation features are situated within Mayer’s (2005) cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Directions for future research into the optimal design of hypermedia texts are discussed.
The acquisition of MSA word formation processes: a case study of English-speaking L2 learners and native speakers

Word formation processes constitute an important part of study in language acquisition since learning and reaching an overall linguistic competence in a language necessitates both a lexicon of well established words and a repertoire of word formation processes through which the lexicon can be expanded. This article deals on how to learn word formation processes in Arabic L1 and L2-teaching.
Salmonellosis in dogs. III. Prevalence in dogs in veterinary hospitals, pounds and boarding kennels.

In veterinary hospitals, pounds and boarding kennels there is a rapidly changing animal population. With few exceptions, each dog could be cultured only once, and none were followed for more than short periods. All hospitals in Jacksonville were visited repeatedly. In one instance 22 cultural surveys were obtained in one hospital during a period of 15 months. The initial survey was taken without knowledge or consideration of prevailing illnesses or infection and may be accepted as a random sampling of dogs in veterinary hospitals. Repeat surveys were sought more consistently and repeatedly where the prevalence of salmonellosis was high. It was the practice to culture all animals which could be handled safely, omitting only recent surgical cases and vicious dogs. The same general practices were followed in the examinations in pounds and boarding kennels. All specimens were collected by rectal swab, and the bacteriological procedures were those described in the first paper of this series. The findings on cultures taken in different veterinary hospitals are shown in table 1. On the first and random sampling there were 503 cultures, of which 76 (15.1^) were positive for salmonella. On the 1945 tests in subsequent surveys, 449 (23.^) were positive. From hospital to hospital and within the same hospital, the proportion of positive findings varied markedly. The two hospitals in Jacksonville (no. 10
An Amorphous Silicon Thin Film Transistor Fabricated at 125°C by dc Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

We deposit hydrogenated amorphous silicon-based thin film transistors using de reactive magnetron sputtering at a substrate temperature of 125°C, which is low enough to allow the use of plastic substrates. We characterize the structural properties of the a-Si:H channel and a-SiNx:H dielectric layers using infra-red absorption, thermal hydrogen evolution, and refractive index measurements, and evaluate the electrical quality using capacitance-voltage and leakage current measurements. Inverted staggered thin film transistors made with these layers exhibit a field effect mobility of 0.3 cm2/V-s, a Ion/IOff ratio of 5 x 105, a sub-threshold slope of 0.8 V/decade, and a threshold voltage of 3 V.
Biogeographic history of Miocene calcareous nannoplankton and paleoceanography of the Atlantic Ocean

Biogeographic patterns of Miocene calcareous nannoplankton in the North and South Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico are apparent from a Q-mode factor analysis of census data from 49 DSDP sites. In a total of 444 relatively well-preserved Miocene samples, 5 major and 1 minor (but relatively important) assemblages were recognized, most of which show distinct spatial and temporal distribution patterns. The major assemblages (identified by the dominant taxa) are the Dictyococcites minutus, Cyclicargolithus floridanus, Coccolithus pelagicus, Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilica-R. haqii, and Discoaster-Sphenolithus assemblages. Four of the major assemblages show distinct shifts through latitudes that are interpreted as a response to changing climate. Four warming and cooling cycles of 4 to 4.5 m.y. duration are identified in the Miocene. Both the paleobiogeographic and available isotopic data show the warming episode between 17 and 15.5 Ma and the cooling trend that followed, as well as the warming episode between 9 and 7 Ma, to have been particularly extreme in both Hemispheres, and probably of global extent. The sharp cooling centered at 1 5 Ma and the biogeographic changes at this time suggest this event to have been associated with the development of an extensive ice-cap on Antarctica. Biogeographic history of Miocene calcareous nannoplankton and paleoceanography of the Atlantic Ocean
Epidemiological analysis of severe hand-foot-mouth disease cases in Jinshan district of Shanghai from 2009-2011

[Objective]To study the epidemiological characteristics of severe hand-foot-mouth disease(HFMD) cases in Jinshan district of Shanghai from 2009-2011,provide a theoretical basis for prevention and management of severe HFMD.[Methods]The data of severe HFMD cases reported in Jinshan district of Shanghai from 2009-2011 were analyzed with descriptive epidemiological method.[Results]During 2009-2011,a total of 27 severe HFMD cases were reported in Jinshan district of Shanghai,and rate of severe cases was 0.75%.The peak season of severe cases was May and November.81.48% of severe cases were children under 3 years old.Most of severe cases were scattered children,which accounted for 66.67%.The main pathogen was intestinal virus EV71,accounting for 85.19%.All of the severe cases had rash,and vast majority of severe cases had high fever.[Conclusion]The severe cases in Jinshan district of Shanghai are mainly caused by intestinal virus EV71.The susceptible population is scattered children under 3 years old,and it is essential to implement the HFMD education among their parents.
The seminoma decoy: measurement of serum human chorionic gonadotropin in patients with seminoma.

AbstractSerum human chorionic gonadotropin levels were determined in 20 patients with histologically proved seminoma. The test was positive in 2 of the 20 patients and was predictive of non-seminomatous metastasis in each case. Serum human chorionic gonadotropin is a useful tumor marker in detecting and following non-seminomatous metastases in men with pure seminoma of the testis.
Statin use and uterine fibroid risk in hyperlipidemia patients: a nested case-control study.

Background Statins are 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors primarily used for treatment of hyperlipidemia. Recently, they have been shown to inhibit proliferation of uterine fibroid cells and inhibit tumor growth in fibroid animal models. Objective We sought to examine the association between statin use and the risk of uterine fibroids and fibroid-related symptoms in a nationally representative sample of commercially insured women diagnosed with hyperlipidemia. Study Design We performed a nested case-control study of >190,000 women enrolled in one of the nation's largest commercial health insurance programs. From a cohort of women aged 18-65 years diagnosed with hyperlipidemia from January 2004 through March 2011, we identified 47,713 cases (women diagnosed with uterine fibroids) and 143,139 controls (women without uterine fibroids) matched at a 1:3 ratio on event/index date (month and year) and age (±1 year). We used conditional and unconditional logistic regression to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the risk of uterine fibroids and fibroid-related symptoms associated with prior use of statins. Results Exposure to statins within 2 years before the event/index date was associated with a decreased risk of uterine fibroids (odds ratio, 0.85; 95% confidence interval, 0.83–0.87). In a separate subanalysis restricted to cases, statin users had a lower likelihood of having menorrhagia (odds ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.84–0.91), anemia (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.79–0.88), or pelvic pain (odds ratio, 0.85; 95% confidence interval, 0.81–0.91) and of undergoing myomectomy (odds ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.66–0.87) compared to nonusers. Conclusion The use of statins was associated with a lower risk of uterine fibroids and fibroid-related symptoms. Further studies, including randomized controlled trials, may be warranted.
HYBRIDS AS FUEL FACTORIES: CUMULATIVE FUEL COMMITMENT FOR LIGHT WATER REACTORS: IS THERE A “URANIUM CRUNCH?” THE FUSION-FISSION FUEL FACTORY CAN HELP

It can cautiously be stated that there is not an imminent U.S. uranium crunch, because the installed capacity of fission reactors to 1990 is less than was anticipated. We have time for careful judgment and deliberation. We probably have until at least the year 2000 before beginning the phasing-in of a new technology to augment or replace the light water reactor. Consequently the fusion-fission hybrid appears to have strong potential as a fuel factory supplying fuel to the LWR industry. The hybrid relaxes some of the physics and engineering constraints on pure fusion and should be available somewhat sooner. The hybrid also integrates into the energy plan by supporting fission rather than replacing it. The hybrid seems like a good interface between the eventual pure fusion reactor and fission. The easing of the fission fuel demand under that which was anticipated, coupled with the high probability that available uranium resources are proportional to the price paid per pound (within limits) are likely, more than currently stated, serving to fusion's advantage by buying time for development.
Why Fetal Alcohol Abuse Syndrome

About three days after a human egg is fertilized, it passes through the fallopian tunnel and reaches the uterus, where it spends about four days floating in the uterus’s fluids, after which it begins to implant itself into the uterine wall. By the 12th day, it is completely embedded. Prior to implantation, the embryo draws on its own reserves and those present in the fluids of the fallopian tube and uterus for sustenance. Other substances, like alcohol, may be present in these fluids, but there is little evidence these foreign substances adversely influence embryonic development.
HYDROGEL DEVICES FOR THE CONTROLLED RELEASE OF STEROID HORMONES

Hydrogels prepared from polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate poly(HEMA) are known as good biocompatible polymers and have potential for use in a wide variety of biomedical applications including controlled release drug delivery systems. In this study, the release of progesterone has been examined from reservoir and combined reservoir-monolithic type controlled release devices as a function of the composition of the polymers used in the preparation of the devices. It has been shown that both reservoir and combined reservoir-monolithic type devices release progesterone at zero-order rates and that the release rates can be varied by changes in the crosslinker content and the copolymer composition. The measured permeabilities obtained from release studies with reservoir devices were in good agreement with results obtained from membrane transport studies. Predicted release rates from combined reservoir-monolithic devices were in only fair agreement with the experimental values.
Student Performance in Online and Face-to-Face Microeconomics: Evidence from Adult Learners:

There have been few studies comparing student performance in online and face-to-face economics courses. Those studies that have been undertaken have concentrated on traditional students (18- to 22-...
Classification Using NNS Clustering Analysis

NNS stands for Nonlinear Nonparametric Statistics, henceforth "NNS". What is NNS clustering analysis? NNS clustering is a method of partitioning the joint distribution into partial moment quadrants (clustering), and assigning identifiers to observations (classification). NNS clustering is very similar to k-means clustering, and we direct the reader to Vinod and Viole [1] for a proof and comparison between the methods. This article is intended to present working examples of several classification problems using NNS clustering analysis.We demonstrate how NNS clustering is quite effective, as well as an alternative method NNS employs for classification tasks. We compare predictions of test sets with NNS, k-means using the "cl.predict" routine offered in R to predict class ids or memberships from R objects representing partitions", and K nearest neighbors classification using the "knn" routine in R-package "class".
Walking in fully immersive virtual environments: an evaluation of potential adverse effects in older adults and individuals with Parkinson’s disease

Virtual reality (VR) has recently been explored as a tool for neurorehabilitation to enable individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) to practice challenging skills in a safe environment. Current technological advances have enabled the use of affordable, fully immersive head-mounted displays (HMDs) for potential therapeutic applications. However, while previous studies have used HMDs in individuals with PD, these were only used for short bouts of walking. Clinical applications of VR for gait training would likely involve an extended exposure to the virtual environment, which has the potential to cause individuals with PD to experience simulator-related adverse effects due to their age or pathology. Thus, our objective was to evaluate the safety of using an HMD for longer bouts of walking in fully immersive VR for older adults and individuals with PD. Thirty-three participants (11 healthy young, 11 healthy older adults, and 11 individuals with PD) were recruited for this study. Participants walked for 20 min while viewing a virtual city scene through an HMD (Oculus Rift DK2). Safety was evaluated using the mini-BESTest, measures of center of pressure (CoP) excursion, and questionnaires addressing symptoms of simulator sickness (SSQ) and measures of stress and arousal. Most participants successfully completed all trials without any discomfort. There were no significant changes for any of our groups in symptoms of simulator sickness or measures of static and dynamic balance after exposure to the virtual environment. Surprisingly, measures of stress decreased in all groups while the PD group also increased the level of arousal after exposure. Older adults and individuals with PD were able to successfully use immersive VR during walking without adverse effects. This provides systematic evidence supporting the safety of immersive VR for gait training in these populations.
Propagation of unit location uncertainty in dense storage environments

Dense storage systems provide high-space utilisation; however, because not all units are immediately accessible, selectively offloading units can require shifting of other stored units in order to ...
A cell-free testing platform to screen chemicals of potential neurotoxic concern across twenty vertebrate species

There is global demand for new in vitro testing tools for ecological risk assessment. The objective of this study was to apply a set of cell-free neurochemical assays to screen many chemicals across many species in a relatively high-throughput manner. The platform assessed seven receptors and enzymes that mediate neurotransmission of GABA, dopamine, glutamate, and acetylcholine. Each assay was optimized to work across 20 vertebrate species (5 fish, 5 birds, 7 mammalian wildlife, 3 biomedical species including humans). We tested the screening assay platform against 80 chemicals (23 pharmaceuticals and personal care products; 20 metal(loid)s; 22 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and halogenated organic compounds; 15 pesticides). In total, 10,800 species-chemical-assay combinations were tested and significant differences were found in 4,041 cases. All 7 assays were significantly affected by at least one chemical in each species tested. Among the 80 chemicals tested, nearly all of them resulted in a significant impact on at least one species and one assay. The five most active chemicals were prochloraz, HgCl2, Sn, benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) and vinclozolin. Clustering analyses revealed groupings according to chemicals, species, and chemical-assay combinations. The results show that cell-free assays can screen a large number of samples in a short period of time in a cost-effective manner in a range of animals not easily studied using traditional approaches. Strengths and limitations of this approach are discussed, as well as next steps. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Use of the Community Assessment for Public Health Response (CASPER) Method by Public Health Agencies in Texas, 2001-2015.

ObjectivesThe use of the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) method in disaster and non-disaster settings continues to grow. While CASPERs flexibility has been well demonstrated, the documentation of specific actions that have resulted from the utilization of CASPER data has been limited. We attempted to document changes in emergency preparedness planning and policy based on CASPER data.MethodsWritten reports from 19 CASPERs conducted in Texas between 2001 and 2015 were collected. Key informant interviews were conducted with 9 public health staff knowledgeable about the CASPERs. Written reports and interview transcripts were coded and analyzed for themes.ResultsFew specific outcomes could be documented beyond a single successful grant application. Respondents felt CASPER data was not duplicative and was useful for improving existing plans. CASPER is seen as an effective way to enhance relationships with communities and partnerships with agencies including Emergency Management.ConclusionAs the use of CASPER grows, it is increasingly important to document any specific and measurable benefits, actions, and changes to planning or policy taken as the result of data collected using the CASPER method. Without measurable outputs and outcomes, support for the use of CASPER from decision-makers may begin to wane. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:680-684)
A photoacoustic imaging approach using food grade contrast agent for pocket depth measurements (Conference Presentation)

Periodontal probing is a useful diagnostic tool to estimate the periodontal pocket depth and assess the status of periodontal disease, but is limited by systematic and random errors. Here, we used photoacoustic imaging in tandem with a food grade cuttlefish ink contrast agent to specifically measure pocket depths in swine models (n=27 teeth) and then compared this to Williams probe. Photoacoustic imaging used a Vevo LAZR imaging system (Visualsonics) at 40 MHz. Spectral data was collected at both 680 and 800 nm to discriminate between the photoacoustic signal from stains and contrast agent. The pocket depths were measured on the sagittal view of the 3D images as well as with a Williams probe before photoacoustic imaging. The Bland-Altman plots show that 97% of our samples fell within ± 1.96 standard deviations of the differences between the depths measured by photoacoustic imaging and the probe (95% confidence interval) at mesial, lingual and buccal, and distal locations. Small bias values of -0.04, +0.17, and -0.2 mm were identified at mesial, lingual and buccal, and distal locations, respectively; the 95% confidence intervals are plotted as well and all are < 1.0 mm. The photoacoustic imaging approach also offered 0.01 mm precision and could cover the entire pocket versus the probe-based approach that is limited to only a few sites.
Variation in Pupil Diameter by Day and Time of Day

Over 60 years of prior work has shown that an individual’s pupil diameter increases as the cognitive demands of a task increase. Recent work has also shown that resting pupil size is significantly correlated with an individual’s working memory capacity, suggesting that between subjects variation in pupil size is important. Given the importance of both within and between variations in pupil size, the present study sought to examine the reliability of pupil diameter measurements across multiple days. A longitudinal, within subjects design was used to study pupil diameter to determine if it is possible to find stable estimates of pupil diameter across several days and across time of day. This study collected pupil data using a low-cost Gazepoint GP3 HD desktop eye tracking system. Seven participants engaged in a resting luminance change task twice per day for a total of 10 days. The participants sat in a completely dark room for two minutes prior to the start of the experiment to allow their eyes to acclimate to the darkness. They then performed the resting luminance change task, as well as two other tasks omitted from analysis. This paper presents an analysis demonstrating that there are stable estimates of pupil diameter across days, as well as across time of day. These results suggest that pupil diameter is a reliable measure within individuals. The ability to reliably capture pupil diameter using low-cost eye trackers suggests that these new low cost systems may be incorporated into a broader range of cognitive research.
In Search of Nascent Musks… Or Not!

1 ABSTRACT The musk aroma has been valued by perfumers for what seems an eternity. Its characteristic odor is one of the few that can stand alone, unadorned by supportive scents that are required to round out the wide variety of other odor types. In addition, the substantivity and stability of most musks have made them a sought after material for performance based products. In the past one hundred years, a veritable army of researchers from all of the major fragrance houses have attempted to identify the structural sub-units required to provide the ultimate musk aroma chemical. These studies have encompassed everything from the strictly empirical to the QSAR approach and everything in between. The on-going requirement for even higher level performance based aroma chemicals has made the family of musks the most studied of all aroma chemicals, as customers continue to push for better cost performance in finished fragrances. Early and serendipitous empirical studies provided the nitro musks, a cost effective and powerful group of musks. The discovery of these materials fuelled research in the 1960's and 1970's which led to a new class of synthetic musks, the polycyclics. As nitro musks fell into disfavor, polycyclics became the cost effective workhorse in performance based products, and made inroads into the fine fragrance market as well. While an extensive effort was carried out in macrocyclic musks, their high cost of manufacture predicated their only significant use within fine fragrances. With the advent of molecular modeling software and more powerful computers, structure activity and conformational analysis were blended with empirical methods to identify the latest round of super musks. This presentation will focus on the tradition of musk manufacture at BBA and its commitment to be a premier musk aroma chemical manufacturer. After a long history in the manufacture of musk xylene, BBA turned its process chemists and engineers loose in the field of polycyclics and first identified patented technology for the manufacture of Abbalide® and then Tetralide®. Based on the accumulated understanding from these successfil projects, they began a search for a polycyclic ‘supermusk’. Combining empirical and computer based methodologies, they discovered a novel potent musk aroma chemical. Its improved odor performance compared to existing polycyclics sparked process research related to the formylation of aromatic ring systems, a key structural sub unit. From this investigation arose a number of novel and commercially applicable technologies to carry out this transformation.
Quality Comes with the (Anatomic) Territory: Evaluating the Impact of Surgeon Operative Mix on Patient Outcomes After Pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Recent support for centralization of complex operations, such as pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), is based on surgeon-specific volume–outcome relationships. This study examined whether volume of anatomically related operations (operative mix), besides PD, is also independently associated with postoperative outcomes after PD. The study queried the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2004–2009) for surgeons performing PD. Operative mix (OM) was defined as the year-specific number of other pancreatic, hepatic, biliary, and gastric operations performed by individual surgeons. Regression models included surgeon and hospital PD volume, adjusted for other hospital- and patient-specific factors. Among 1747 surgeons, 88.3% had low PD volume (≤ 5 cases/year), 8.9% had moderate PD volume (6–16 cases/year), and 2.8% had high PD volume (≥ 17 cases/year). Low-PD-volume surgeons with high OM (≥ 21 cases/year) (4.4%), moderate-PD-volume surgeons with high OM (3.4%), and high-PD-volume surgeons with high OM (2.7%) each had lower mortality than low-PD-volume surgeons with low OM (9.3%; all p ≤ 0.02). The frequency of prolonged hospitalization among low-PD/high-OM surgeons (45.3%) was lower than among low-PD/low-OM surgeons (61.6%; p < 0.001). Increasing OM volume was associated with decreased inpatient mortality, shorter hospital stay, and lower likelihood of any postoperative complication, using unadjusted regression (all p < 0.001). Adjusted regression results indicated that increasing OM volume is a significant predictor of decreased odds of a prolonged hospital stay (odds ratio [OR] 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.73–0.90; p < 0.001). Surgeon PD volume is an important predictor of outcomes after PD. However, surgeon OM volume identifies a subset of lower-PD-volume surgeons with more favorable outcomes.
A provable key destruction scheme based on memristive crossbar arrays

Digital keys are commonly used in today’s hardware security systems. However, the provable destruction of these keys after use remains a challenging problem. Most security primitives built using traditional complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor transistors are not well suited to address this issue because of their volatility and unreliability at small scales. Here we show that the unique physical fingerprint of a 128 × 64 hafnium oxide memristor crossbar array integrated with transistors is capable of provable key destruction. The fingerprint is extracted by comparing the conductance of neighbouring memristors, and it can be revealed only if a digital key stored on the same array is erased. On the basis of this provable key destruction technique, we propose a protocol for logic locking/unlocking that can support secure outsourcing of integrated circuit manufacturing. By leveraging the unique properties of memristors, including reconfigurability and variability, our chip demonstrates the integration of security, memory and computing functionalities into the same circuits, and could be used to develop more secure, compact and efficient memristive hardware systems. A hafnium oxide memristor crossbar array integrated with transistors can provide a provable key destruction scheme in which unique physical fingerprints are extracted by comparing the conductance of neighbouring memristors, and can only be revealed if a digital key stored on the same array is erased.
Does stricter immigration policy affect college enrollment and public-private school choice of natives?

In recent decades, the USA has admitted a large number of foreign-born students into its educational system, raising concerns that the presence of foreign-born students would adversely impact the educational achievement of US-born students and incentivize them to move to private schools where there are fewer immigrant students. In this article, I attempt to extend our understanding of how stricter immigration policy, such as the Legal Arizona Workers Act (LAWA), may affect college enrollment and the public-private school choice of US-born individuals. The analysis shows that the share of immigrant students across Arizona’s educational system declined significantly by the passage of LAWA: the share of foreign-born students in elementary and secondary schools in Arizona would be higher by approximately 1.1 and 1.7 percentage points, respectively, in the absence of LAWA. Similarly, the share of foreign-born college students in Arizona declined significantly by 1.5 percentage points due to LAWA. Despite this decline, there is no evidence that LAWA has statistically significantly affected natives’ college enrollment rates. However, there is evidence that LAWA reduces the proportion of US-born white non-Hispanic student in higher education attending private colleges.
Non-invasive vascular screening test to diagnose peripheral vascular disease

One of the biggest unmet needs in diabetic limb salvage is an effective tool to identify peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in diabetic foot ulcers to predict wound healing and amputation level survival. PAD in diabetes is characterized by multiple segmental occlusions below the trifurcation and microvascular disease. Many methods have been used to assess PAD but there is not a consensus (1,2) regarding the best method.
Updates in Human-AI Teams: Understanding and Addressing the Performance/Compatibility Tradeoff.

AI systems are being deployed to support human decision making in high-stakes domains such as healthcare and criminal justice. In many cases, the human and AI form a team, in which the human makes decisions after reviewing the AI’s inferences. A successful partnership requires that the human develops insights into the performance of the AI system, including its failures. We study the influence of updates to an AI system in this setting. While updates can increase the AI’s predictive performance, they may also lead to behavioral changes that are at odds with the user’s prior experiences and confidence in the AI’s inferences. We show that updates that increase AI performance may actually hurt team performance. We introduce the notion of the compatibility of an AI update with prior user experience and present methods for studying the role of compatibility in human-AI teams. Empirical results on three high-stakes classification tasks show that current machine learning algorithms do not produce compatible updates. We propose a re-training objective to improve the compatibility of an update by penalizing new errors. The objective offers full leverage of the performance/compatibility tradeoff across different datasets, enabling more compatible yet accurate updates.
Modeling Nanoparticle Transport in Porous Media in the Presence of a Foam

Nano-remediation is a promising in situ remediation technology. It consists in injecting reactive nanoparticles (NPs) into the subsurface for the displacement or the degradation of contaminants. However, due to the poor mobility control of the reactive nanoparticle suspension, the application of nano-remediation has some major challenges, such as high mobility of the particles, which may favor override of the contamination, and particle aggregation, which can lead to a limited distance of influence. Previous experimental studies show the potential of combining nano-remediation with foam flooding to overcome these issues. However, in order to design and optimize the process, a model which couples nanoparticle and foam transport is necessary. In this paper, a mechanistic model to describe the transport of NPs with and by a foam is presented. The model considers the delivery of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and accounts for the processes of aggregation, attachment/detachment, and generation/destruction. Simulations show that when NPs are dispersed in the liquid phase, even in the presence of a foam, they may travel much slower than the NPs carried by the foam bubbles. This is because the nanoparticles in suspension are affected by the attachment onto the rock walls and straining at the pore throats. When the nanoparticle surface is, instead, modified in order to favor their adsorption onto the gas bubbles, NPs are carried by the foam without retardation, except for the small fraction suspended in the liquid phase. Moreover, very stable high-quality foam ($$f_\mathrm{g}$$), i.e., 80–90 vol% of gas, can be attained using properly surface-modified nZVI (i.e., a nanoparticle-stabilized foam), allowing a significant reduction of water for the operation, while increasing the efficiency of nZVI delivery, even in a low-permeability medium within the shallow subsurface.
Real-Time Monitoring of Temperature Rises of Energized Transformer Cores With Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors

Real-time temperature mapping that solves local overheating problems is important for obtaining an optimized thermal design for high-efficiency power transformers. Internal temperature monitoring of operating power transformers can also be leveraged for asset monitoring applications targeting at fault detection enabling condition-based maintenance. Transformers present a variety of challenging sensing environments such as high levels of electromagnetic interference and limited space for conventional sensors to operate. Immersion of power transformers in insulation oils for thermal management during operation and the presence of relatively large and time-varying electrical and occasional magnetic fields make sensing technologies requiring electrical wires or active power at sensing locations highly undesirable. In this work, we investigate thermal response of a standard telecom fiber instrumented on compact transformer cores by using an optical frequency-domain reflectometry scheme. Correlation between conventional temperature sensing methods and fiber-optic sensing results as well as tradeoffs between spatial resolution and temperature measurement accuracy is discussed and spatially resolved real-time monitoring of temperatures in energized transformers is experimentally demonstrated.
Similarities and differences between western cultures: Toddler temperament and parent-child interactions in the United States (US) and Germany

Parents play a critical role in shaping social-emotional development, particularly in early childhood; however, children's influence on their own development is equally important. Parent-child interactions, fundamental to secure attachment and social schemes, represent a critical area of social-emotional development subject to child effects associated with temperament. The present study explores these effects through a cross-cultural lens via comparisons of dyads from the United States (US) and Germany. Specifically, cross-cultural differences in toddler temperament were evaluated via the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ; Putnam et al., 2006), with cross-cultural variability in parent-child interactions examined as well, along with differences in child temperament effects on the quality of these interactions. Ratings of temperament were generally similar between the two cultures; however, US toddlers were rated higher in attention shifting, whereas German children were rated higher on soothability and perceptual sensitivity. Additionally, dyadic interactions in the US were rated as more stimulating and demonstrating greater partner engagement than those in Germany. Differential contributions of temperament to interaction quality and complexity were also observed. Higher ratings of toddler discomfort and perceptual sensitivity predicted more stimulating interactions overall in the US but not Germany. In contrast, higher ratings of toddler low-intensity pleasure predicted more stimulating interactions in Germany but not the US. Overall, the present study identifies many similarities between US and German toddlers and supports theories describing children as active agents in shaping their own development, in what appears to be a different manner across cultures.
Klippel Trenaunay syndrome in the context of work-related injury: Case report and review of the literature.

Background: Uncommon diseases are usually not suspected at initial presentation, and the diagnosis might be challenging. Here we present a rare disease diagnosed in a work-related injury setting, highlighting the importance of further investigation by means of a more detail physical exam, imaging studies and involvement of other specialties. Case Presentation: A 21-year-old Hispanic male, who is a food service worker, presented following a work-related right elbow contusion with severe pain to his right elbow associated with swelling and purplish-red bruising/discoloration on its medial side and forearm. Physical exam demonstrated swelling, tenderness, and conspicuous dilated blood vessels across the right arm and forearm; additionally, multiple red-purplish scattered patches were found on the right arm, anterior and posterior right upper chest. His past medical history was significant for Capillary Hemangioma. He was initially treated conservatively and with work restriction; however, the pain in the forearm persisted. CT angiogram showed multiple interweaving vascular structures on the forearm, and further imaging by MR angiography depicted multiple vascular malformations in the right upper extremity and chest. Vascular surgery was consulted, and the diagnosis of Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome was made. Conclusions: Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome is a rare congenital disorder that could present in a wide-range of signs and symptoms. Thorough history taking and clinical examination is warranted in any work-related injuries. Further work up and referral to specialist should always be considered when diagnosis is unclear, or when initial symptoms do not resolve with treatment.