cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social Aspects of the Workplace Among Individuals With Bipolar Disorder.

AbstractObjective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by recurrent mood episodes and profound impairments in psychosocial functioning. Occupational disability is one of the most problematic impairments for individuals with BD due to high rates of unemployment and work impairments. Current evidence indicates that social stressors at work—such as social isolation, conflict with others, and stigmas—are common experiences for employed individuals with BD. Yet, few studies have examined the relationship between social stressors at work and overall occupational functioning, instead focusing on individual clinical features of the disorder. Method: This cross-sectional study employed logistic and linear regressions to determine which demographic variables, mood symptoms, and social aspects of the work environment (exclusion, conflict, social support, stigma) were associated with work status (working vs. not working) and work functioning for individuals with bipolar disorder I and II. Results: Greater stigma a...
Ergodic Properties of Markov Processes

In these notes we discuss Markov processes, in particular stochastic differential equations (SDE) and develop some tools to analyze their long-time behavior. There are several ways to analyze such properties, and our point of view will be to use systematically Liapunov functions which allow a nice characterization of the ergodic properties. In this we follow, at least in spirit, the excellent book of Meyn and Tweedie [7]. In general a Liapunov function W is a positive function which grows at infinity and satisfies an inequality involving the generator of the Markov process L: roughly speaking we have the implications (α and β are positive constants)
The Many Faces of Structure-Based Potentials: From Protein Folding Landscapes to Structural Characterization of Complex Biomolecules

Structural biology techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), x-ray crystallography, and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), have provided extraordinary insights into the details of the functional configurations of biomolecular systems. Recent advances in x-ray crystallography and cryo-EM have allowed for structural characterization of large molecular machines such as the ribosome, proteasome, and spliceosome. This deluge of structural data has been complemented by experimental techniques capable of probing dynamic information, such as Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and stopped flow spectrometry. While these experimental studies have provided tremendous insights into the dynamics of biomolecular systems, it is often difficult to combine the low resolution dynamical data with the high-resolution structural data into a consistent picture. Computer simulation of these biomolecular systems bridges static structural data with dynamic experiments at atomic resolution (Fig. 1).
Transfer and Diffusion — Two Ways to Transmit Technology

(1973). Transfer and Diffusion — Two Ways to Transmit Technology. Research Management: Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 24-27.
Convergence of Stochastic Approximation Algorithms with Non-Additive Dependent Disturbances and Applications

This paper is concerned with the strong convergence of recursive estimators which are generalizations of the Robbins-Monro (1951) stochastic approximation procedure. The Robbins-Monro procedure and its generalizations have been investigated in mаnу contexts, for example recursive nonlinear regression (Albert and Gardner, 1967), recursive maximum likelihood estimation (Fabian, 1978), robust estimation of parameters for autoregressive process (Campbell, 1982), robust estimation of a location parameter (Martin and Masreliez, 1975 and Holst, 1980, 1982), control of physical processes (Comer, 1964 and Ruppert, 1979, 1981), and system identification (Kushner and Clark, 1978, section 2.6). In this paper, we present a rather general convergence theorem which allows the disturbances to be dependent and enter in a non-additive fashion. As examples, the theorem is applied to the nonlinear regression estimator of Albert and Gardner (1967), and to the author’s (Ruppert 1979, 1981) Robbins-Monro type procedures for use where the root of the unknown regression function varies with time.
Energy-Aware Sensing in Data-Intensive Field Systems Using Supercapacitor Energy Buffer

Energy sustainability is important for field data sensing and processing in intelligent transportation, environmental monitoring, and context awareness. Rechargeable batteries in self-sustainable systems suffer from adverse environmental impact, low thermal stability, and fast aging. Advancements in supercapacitor energy density and low-power processors have reached an inflection point, where a data-intensive (e.g., operating on high-frame-rate visual data) field-deployed system can rely solely on supercapacitors for energy buffering. This paper demonstrates the first working prototype of such a system, consisting of eight 3000-Farad supercapacitors, a 70-mW controller/harvester board, and a Nexus tablet. We address the challenges of maintaining quality-of-service (QoS) on a limited energy buffer. We leverage the voltage-to-stored-energy relationship in capacitors to enable precise energy buffer modeling (no more than 3% error in time-to-depletion prediction). To achieve high precision, we find that it is necessary to account for the variation of effective capacitance, particularly lower capacitance at lower voltages nearing energy depletion. Modern mobile processors operate most efficiently at very high load (when most cycles are effectively utilized) or very low load (when fewer cores are active at a lower frequency). We propose delayed bursts—continuous low-power data capture and bursts of data processing at a higher CPU configuration—to improve the power proportionality and realize high QoS at varying energy budget. Our working prototype has been successfully deployed at a campus building rooftop where it analyzes nearby traffic patterns continuously.
Long-Term Potentiation (LTP): Mossy Fiber cAMP-Dependent Presynaptic LTP

Mossy fiber synapses in the hippocampus are formed by the axons of the granule cells and their postsynaptic targets in the hilar and CA3 regions of the hippocampus. The excitatory synapses formed with the principal pyramidal neurons exhibit a number of unique structural and functional properties, including a distinctive form of long-term potentiation that is expressed in the presynaptic terminal and is dependent on cyclic adenosine monophosphate signaling. Here the current state of our understanding of this form of synaptic plasticity is reviewed.
Three-dimensional shape optimization utilizing a learning classifier system

A methodology to perform generalized zeroth-order two- and three-dimensional shape optimization utilizing a learning classifier system is presented and applied. Specifically, the methodology has the objective of determining the optimal boundary to minimize mass while satisfying constraints on stress and geometry. Even with the enormous advances in shape optimization no method has proven to be satisfactory across the broad spectrum of optimization problems facing the modern engineer. The shape optimization via hypothesizing inductive classifier system complex (SPHINcsX) instantiates the methodology in a software package overcoming many of the limitations of today's conventional shape optimization techniques. From environmental input, and a population of initially randomly generated rules, SPHINcsX is expected to learn to make the appropriate component shape modifications to reach a minimum mass design while satisfying all stress constraints. SPHINcsX not only learns from a clean slate, but confronts the additional challenge of learning without sensitivity information that most other shape optimization algorithms deem essential. SPHINcsX has proven adept at solving both two- and three-dimensional shape optimization problems.
Tragedy of anticommons in digital right management of medical records

The challenge of moving a decentralized, fragmented, paper-based healthcare system to an interconnected, automated, networked world is not merely technological. Digital right management (DRM) technologies can be leveraged as a tool to protect the privacy of electronic health records (EHRs) via encryption, access control, etc. However, the deployment of DRM technology needs to address special requirements for the healthcare system. One of the critical issues is that there is no clearly defined data ownership, and multiple parties own different pieces of a patient's medical history. The fractured ownership of medical information among medical service providers and insurers has created the tragedy of anticommons for implementation of DRMs. In this work, we investigate DRM under multiple ownerships of medical data, and employ game-theoretic tools to study and understand the strategic behaviors of different owners in the healthcare system. Our approach aims to address the underutilization of EHR resources, and provides a theoretical basis for mechanism design of economic policies to improve social welfare and efficiency of the electronic healthcare system.
Observed Response of the Raindrop Size Distribution to Changes in the Melting Layer

Vertical variability in the raindrop size distribution (RSD) can disrupt the basic assumption of a constant rain profile that is customarily parameterized in radar-based quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) techniques. This study investigates the utility of melting layer (ML) characteristics to help prescribe the RSD, in particular the mass-weighted mean diameter (Dm), of stratiform rainfall. We utilize ground-based polarimetric radar to map the ML and compare it with Dm observations from the ground upwards to the bottom of the ML. The results show definitive proof that a thickening, and to a lesser extent a lowering, of the ML causes an increase in raindrop diameter below the ML that extends to the surface. The connection between rainfall at the ground and the overlying microphysics in the column provide a means for improving radar QPE at far distances from a ground-based radar or close to the ground where satellite-based radar rainfall retrievals can be ill-defined.
Frontiers in the Economics of Widespread, Long-Duration Power Interruptions: Proceedings from an Expert Workshop

Author(s): Larsen, P; Kristina S. H., Kristina SH; Eto, Joseph; Sanstad, Alan | Abstract: The costs to electric utility customers from short-term, limited geographic-scale power disruptions have been studied for many years. However, there is increasing interest among regulators, policy-makers, and utilities in developing and implementing methods for analyzing interruptions that are of longer duration (days, weeks, or longer) and of a larger geographic scope (entire metropolitan areas or regions which may extend across multiple service territories). A 2017 report from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine indicated the importance of “develop[ing] comprehensive studies to assess the value to customers of improved reliability and resilience…during large-area, long-duration blackouts.” As a contribution toward fulfilling this recommendation, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity’s Transmission Permitting and Technical Assistance Division, in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), convened a workshop to identify research needs and discuss potential avenues for methodological advances in the economics of widespread, long-duration power interruptions. The workshop was organized around six key themes in the economics of widespread, long-duration interruptions. LBNL conducted a competitive solicitation for white papers on these themes, and the authors selected were leading experts in academia, industry, and the non-profit sector. They were tasked with assessing the state of knowledge on particular topics, and identifying research needs and promising directions to expand it. These topics included definitions of resilience and reliability; regional economic modeling approaches; uncertainty quantification; data challenges and opportunities; contingent valuation survey techniques; and reduced-form analytical tools for assessing the impacts of power interruptions of this scale. The authors of the six white papers presented their findings at the workshop, titled “Frontiers in the Economics of Widespread, Long-Duration Power Interruptions,” and held in Washington, D.C., on March 6, 2018. Each paper was the subject of its own session, with the presentations followed by comments by assigned discussants, and in turn a general discussion of the papers, their findings, and the issues they raised. In addition to the authors, discussants, and LBNL and DOE staff, the workshop participants comprised government, industry, and academic thought leaders from across the country.
Successional Dynamics and Seascape-Level Patterns of Microbial Communities on the Canopy-Forming Kelps Nereocystis luetkeana and Macrocystis pyrifera

Canopy-forming kelps create underwater forests that are among the most productive marine ecosystems. On the Pacific coast of North America, two canopy-forming kelps with contrasting life histories co-occur; Macrocystis pyrifera, a perennial species, and Nereocystis luetkeana, an annual species. Kelp blade-associated microbes were sampled from 12 locations across a spatial gradient in Washington, United States, from the outer Pacific Coast to Puget Sound. Microbial communities were characterized using next-generation Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. At higher taxonomic levels (bacterial phylum and class), canopy-forming kelps hosted remarkably similar microbial communities, but at the amplicon sequence variant level, microbial communities on M. pyrifera and N. luetkeana were host-specific and distinct from free-living bacteria in the surrounding seawater. Microbial communities associated with blades of each kelp species displayed significant geographic variation. The microbiome of N. luetkeana changed along the spatial gradient and was significantly correlated to salinity, with outer Pacific coast sites enriched in Bacteroidetes (family Saprospiraceae) and Gammaproteobacteria (Granulosicoccus sp.), and southern Puget Sound sites enriched in Alphaproteobacteria (family Hyphomonadaceae). We also examined microbial community development and succession on meristematic and apical N. luetkeana blade tissues throughout the summer growing season on Tatoosh Island, WA. Across all dates, microbial communities were less diverse on younger, meristematic blade tissue compared to the older, apical tissues. In addition, phylogenetic relatedness among microbial taxa increased from meristematic to apical blade tissues, suggesting that the addition of microbial taxa to the community was a non-random process that selected for certain phylogenetic groups of microbes. Microbial communities on older, apical tissues displayed significant temporal variation throughout the summer and microbial taxa that were differentially abundant over time displayed clear patterns of community succession. Overall, we report that host species identity, geographic location, and blade tissue age shape the microbial communities on canopy-forming kelps.
T Cell Reconstitution in First 200 Days Post Transplantation Predicts Long Term Survival in Allogeneic Hematopoetic Progenitor Cell Transplantation (HPCT).

Abstract Background: Successful reconstitution of cellular immunity following allogeneic HPCT reduces the risk of relapse and confers protection against opportunistic infections. We performed an IRB-approved retrospective analysis of patients who underwent allogeneic HPCT and in whom the content of immune cells were measured in the graft and in post-transplant blood samples. Methods: The study population consisted of 122 patients with hematologic disorders (71 acute leukemia; 14 chronic leukemia; 18 lymphoma, 12 MDS; 3 aplastic anemia; and 4 other) who underwent HPCT with a non-T cell depleted graft from an HLA matched related (73) or unrelated (49) donor. 47 patients had low risk disease (AA, ALL CR1, AML CR1, CML CP1), while 75 had high risk disease (all others). The conditioning regimen was non-myeloablative in 38 (31%), included ATG in 18 (15%), and included TBI in 54 (44%). Peripheral blood was drawn at a median of 101 days post-HPCT and analyzed for T-cell subsets, B-cells, NK cells, and dendritic cells. Subjects were divided into three strata based upon the maximal value for the content of each cell subset in the blood. Univariate and multi-variable stepwise logistic regression analyses were performed to test the association of pre-transplant clinical factors, the cells in the graft, and the numbers of immune cells in the blood post-transplant with overall survival. Results: The estimated three-year survival for all subjects was 53%, with death in 49/122 patients (40%) due to progressive disease (37%), infection (29%), GVHD (20%), and other causes (14%). Univariate factors associated with death included high risk, age, the use of reduced intensity conditioning regimen, the use of TBI, the use of ATG during conditioning and the measurement of lower numbers of total T-cells, CD4+ T-cells, CD8+ T-cells, γδ T-cells, DC1 and DC2 in the peripheral blood during the first 200 days post-transplant. A multi-variable Cox model identified non-myeloablative conditioning (HR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2–3.9), TBI (HR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1–3.3), transplant risk strata (HR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0–3.6), and a blood CD3+ T-cell count of less than 600 cells/mcL (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2–2.5) as independent risk factors for post-transplant death. The presence of acute GVHD (all grades) or graft constituents was not significantly associated with survival. Limiting the study population to those subjects who survived at least 100 days showed that blood CD3+ T-cells, non-myeloablative conditioning, the use of TBI remained significantly associated with survival. Conclusions: Higher CD3+ counts in the early post-transplant period predict better survival. Patients who fail to achieve a blood CD3+ T-cell count of >600/mcL in the first 200 days post-transplant may be appropriate subjects for adoptive cellular immunotherapy. Download : Download high-res image (78KB) Download : Download full-size image Download : Download high-res image (87KB) Download : Download full-size image
Covid-19 and the Need for Health Care Reform.

Covid-19 and the Need for Health Care Reform The patchwork way we govern and pay for health care in the United States is unraveling in this time of crisis, leaving millions of people vulnerable and...
Peter Biella, director. The Chairman and the Lions. 2012. 46 minutes. Maa and Swahili, with English subtitles. Tanzania. Documentary Educational Resources. $19.95.

DOCUMENTARIESPeter Biella, director. The Chairman and the Lions. 2012. 46 minutes. Maa and Swahili, with English subtitles. Tanzania. Documentary Educational Resources. $ 19.95."Men don't know much about lions anymore or how to kill them," laments a Maasai elder in The Chairman and the Lions. The documentary, directed by Peter Biella, an anthropology professor at San Francisco State University, finds inspiration in the research of its producer, Kelly Askew, a fellow anthropology professor at the University of Michigan. It follows the trajectory of Askew's article "Of Land and Legitimacy: A Tale of Two Lawsuits" (co-authored with Faustin Maganga and Rie Odgaard; Africa 83 [1], 2013), which examines poverty, property rights, and land conflicts in the Lesoit village. It also reflects, to a lesser extent, Askew and Odgaard's "The Lions of Lesoit: Shifting Frames of Parakyo Maasai Indigeneity" (in The Politics of Identity: Emerging Indigeneity, edited by Michelle Harris, Martin Nakata, and Bronwyn Carlson, UTS ePress, 2013), an exploration of song and ritual among the Maasai. The Chairman and the Lions has already received numerous accolades, most notably the 2013 Jury Award at the Zanzibar International Film Festival and the 2013 First Prize at the ETNO Film Festival for Ethnographic and Anthropological Film, and it was screened at a number of other prestigious film festivals.Framed by the training of young Maasai warriors in the technique of lion hunting, the film gives voice to Frank Kaipai Ikoyo, who, at thirty-three, is the chairman of the Tanzanian village of Lesoit. He was elected at the unusually young age of twenty-six, due to his completion of primary school; however, his nuanced understanding of the nation-state, paired with his appreciation for community processes, has made him successful in combating both the real and figurative lions that plague his people, including land grabbers, "bush" lawyers, unemployment, outmigration, and poverty. Within the confines of the film, Ikoyo faces land disputes over village property and an exploitative legal contract, along with the arduous job of persuading mothers to send their daughters to school.Reflecting these subnarratives, The Chairman and the Lions is most successful in its deconstruction of the dichotomy between traditionalism and modernism. Indeed, the film convincingly demonstrates that these factors coexist in compelling and often contradictory ways. For instance, Ikoyo's voice-over contextualizes the Maasai as a migrant people, and their permanent housing as a new development enforced by the national government. As encroaching farmers attempt to steal their land, however, the ensuing lawsuit calls into question the validity of Lesoit as a village. …
Identification of a delta-TIP cDNA clone and determination of related A and D genome subfamilies in Gossypium species.

Tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs) have been implicated in the process of cell elongation, such as occurs in the developing cotton fiber. We have isolated a cDNA clone (997 bp in length) from a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) library which putatively encodes a protein of 248 residues (Mr 25079) with 85% identity to Arabidopsis δ-TIP. The derived amino acid sequence included two conserved sequences associated with major intrinsic proteins (SGxHxNPA at residues 78 to 85, NPA residues at 197 to 199) and a cysteine residue at 116 which is reported to bind mercury in Arabidopsis δ-TIP. The polymerase chain reaction was used to generate partial genomic clones of the cotton δ-TIP. In comparison to other genomic TIP sequences, the number (two) and position of the introns were conserved in cotton. Comparing the TIP sequences from cotton revealed two subfamilies, which were consistently distinguished by a Tsp45I restriction site polymorphism. This polymorphism was used to demonstrate that TIP subfamilies were specific to either the A or D genomes of Gossypium. When δ-TIP DNA fragments were amplified from cDNA of fiber 14 days after anthesis, the A and D were found, indicating the presence of δ-TIP transcripts in these elongating cells.
ER Use among Older Adult RHC Medicare Beneficiaries in the Southeastern United States.

Purpose This study analyzed individual factors of race and dual eligibility on emergency room (ER) utilization of older adult Medicare patients treated by RHCs in CMS Region 4. Methodology/approach A prospective, longitudinal design was employed to analyze health disparities that potentially exist among RHC Medicare beneficiary patients (+65) in terms of ER use. The years of investigation were 2010 through 2012, using mixed multilevel, binary logistic regression. Findings This study found that dual eligible RHC patients utilized ER services at higher rates than non-dual eligible, Medicare only RHC patients at: 77%, 80%, and 66%, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively; and above the White reference group, Black RHC Medicare patients utilized ER services at higher rates of: 18%, 20%, and 34%, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively. Research limitations/implications Regarding limitations, cohort data observations within the window of 3 years were only analyzed; regarding generalizability, in different CMS regions, results will likely vary; and linking other variables together in the study was limited by the accessible data. Future research should consider these limitations, and attempt to refine. The findings support that dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility, as a proxy measure of socio-economic status, and race continue to influence higher rates of ER utilization in CMS Region 4. Originality/value In terms of ER utilization disparities, persistently, as recent as 2012, Black, dual eligible RHC Medicare beneficiary patients age 65 and over may be twice as likely to utilize ER services for care than their counterparts in the Southeastern United States.
A QTL analysis of main agronomic characters in rice,Oryza sativa

【Objective】To identify excellent main effect QTLs conferring high yield,high quality in rice.【Method】A genetic linkage map consisting of 142 simple sequence repeat(SSR) markers was constructed based on a recombinant inbred line(RIL) population derived from a cross between Japonica Zhongye1211 and Indica Zhongda 304 in rice,Oryza sativa. Through an interval mapping method,a genome-wide quantitative trait loci(QTL) analysis was carried out for 13 agronomic traits of rice in the early and late seasons in 2012,including heading period,effective tillers per plant,plant height,panicle length,filled grains per plant,grains per panicle,seed setting rate,grain density per panicle,grain length,grain width,grain shape,1000-grain mass,grain mass per plant. 【Result and conclusion】The number of QTLs related with the traits except that plant height was 2-15. A total of 73 QTLs for 12 traits were identified and mapped on all of the 12 rice chromosomes. Among all the 73 QTLs,there were 34 QTLs identified in the early season rice,23 QTLs in the late season rice,and 16 QTLs in both of the early andlate season rices. Each of the QTLs individually explained 5. 3%-28. 4% of the phenotypic variations,among which 10 QTLs were more than 20%. In both cropping seasons,many QTLs closely linked each other were detected in multiple sections of most chromosomes. Twelve new QTL loci are discovered,and16 QTLs are identified in both cropping seasons can be used in marker-assistant-selected method.
Domestic Workers and the Employer-Employee Relationship in Delhi: Personal Connection and Dissonance

There are currently approximately four to five million domestic workers in India today. Most of these workers are women and migrants of lower castes or socioeconomic status and lack formal education. Domestic workers are not guaranteed social security, welfare, or basic rights in the workplace in India because domestic labor is part of the unorganized and therefore unregulated sector of industry. Workers make little money and are often overworked, abused, malnourished, and suffer psychologically in the workplace. The employer-employee relationship is critical to understanding the workplace environment, and control of the relationship can make it more or less professional, either benefiting or hurting workers. Two interviews with advocates for domestic workers from Nirmana, an NGO in Delhi, and five interviews with female employers of domestic workers in Delhi were conducted over Whatsapp. Employers often referred to their employees as family members, did favors for them, and understood some of their daily struggles while receiving emotional support. Blame for poor conditions was placed externally of the workplace, especially when applied to salary rates; employers claimed feeling helpless to improve conditions. Although the employers do speak about and in some ways care about domestic workers as family, they likely function at a level of dissonance, both being partially aware of and benefiting from the same system that oppresses their workers.
Stress and force measurement uncertainties in 3D granular materials

We have developed and employed a 3D particle stress tensor and contact force inference technique that employs synchrotron X-ray tomography and diffraction with an optimization algorithm. We have used this technique to study stress and force heterogeneity, particle fracture mechanics, contact-level energy dissipation, and the origin of wave phenomena in 3D granular media for the past five years. Here, we review the technique, describe experimental and numerical sources of uncertainty, and use experimental data and discrete element method simulations to study the method’s accuracy. We find that inferred forces in the strong force network of a 3D granular material are accurately determined even in the presence of noisy stress measurements.
Simulation-Based Observability Analysis Tools for Experimental Aerospace Applications

The focus of this work is the development of sensor selection and placement tools to enable high-performance commercial aircraft ride quality with regard to gust load alleviation. We aim to improve the alignment of control theoretic models with physical test results. Specifically, we will be addressing the comparison of sufficient and optimal sensor selection and placement to characterize the response of airframes to wind gusts. We allow for the use of a suite of airplane sensors and expand on previous work done using a single measurement type by incorporating measurements across unit scales and balancing the empirical observability Gramian accordingly. Our work is part of a larger objective of wind tunnel testing to improve ride quality and decrease airframe fatigue.
Platinum refractory advanced stage ovarian clear cell carcinoma: time to reconsider primary therapy?

Objectives: Clear Cell Ovarian Carcinoma (CCOC) is known for its chemoresistance, high rates of relapse, and poor overall survival. Despite this, upfront treatment has remained relatively unchanged for decades. The objective of this study was to compare demographic and pathologic characteristics of patients with rapidly progressive versus chemo-sensitive advanced stage (III or IV) CCOC in order to better identify a cohort of patients who may benefit from innovative upfront treatment strategies. Methods: After IRB approval, patients diagnosed with CCOC between 2008 and 2020 at our University were identified and reviewed. Demographic information including age, parity, and menopausal status at time of diagnosis was collected in addition to tumor data such as percent clear cell and the presence or absence of coexisting endometriosis. Those diagnosed with stage I or II disease and those who have not yet completed adjuvant therapy were excluded. Progression-free survival (time from chemotherapy completion to progression or death) was estimated with a Kaplan-Meier curve. Patients were divided into one of two cohorts: chemo-sensitive (lack of progression or death at one year from chemotherapy completion) or rapidly progressive (evidence of progression or death within one year) and cohorts were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and Fisher's exact tests. Results: Thirty-four patients met inclusion criteria. All subjects underwent surgical staging or debulking and adjuvant platinum/taxane chemotherapy. Median progression-free survival was 6.1 months (95% confidence interval: 3.3-24.3 months). Thirteen patients (43.3%) were identified as chemo-sensitive, and seventeen (56.7%) as rapid progressors. Four patients did not have enough follow-up to be classified. All rapid progressors recurred or progressed within seven months of primary chemotherapy completion. The cohort of patients with rapidly progressive disease were younger (median age 53 vs 64, p=0.048) and more likely to be premenopausal (41% vs 7.7%, p=0.11). Rates of endometriosis, pure clear cell histology and residual disease after surgery were also higher in this group (53% vs 31%, p=0.34, 65% vs 46%, p=0.5 and 65% vs 46%, p=0.5 respectively), although these differences did not reach statistical significance. Download : Download high-res image (53KB) Download : Download full-size image Conclusions: Over half of patients with advanced clear cell ovarian carcinoma demonstrated rapid progression following or during platinum based chemotherapy. Further characterization of this cohort is indicated and molecular studies are underway to better identify patients that will experience no benefit from the current standard of care. Targeting this cohort of women with innovative, upfront clinical trials is warranted.
Aspects of Optimal Estimation Control Strategies in Econometrics

Abstract In this paper we investigate the class of control strategies that are optimal for estimation in the context of an econometric model where attention is limited to & admissible sample points which have been chosen so that the relevant region is adequately covered. A new sequential procedure for handling nonlinear restrictions on reduced form coefficients implied by the structural form is suggested. This procedure is shown to resolve the conceptual difficulties inherent in alternative formulations. The maximum accuracy problem considered in this paper can also be treated as an initial phase of a stochastic control problem. This will avoid solution to a difficult dual control problem.
Chapter 10 – Safety Pharmacology

The main aim of safety pharmacology is to define the optimal way in which potentially valuable drugs can be utilized without causing harm. An important difference between testing for primary activity and safety is that, in the former, what to look for is defined; in safety testing it is not known what should be looked for. Under these circumstances, a great many tests must be undertaken to produce confidence that harmful effects will not be seen. This chapter discusses the breadth of assays and testing procedures available to assess the safety of a new drug entity and their use in determining potentially serious toxicity in molecules at a very early stage. In addition, the important difference between toxicity due to elevated drug exposure (intrinsic toxicity) and that due to stochastic opportunity (idiosyncratic toxicity) is considered. This latter toxicity is difficult to predict in drug testing and thus poses a serious risk in the drug development process, since even with exhaustive testing, once a drug enters the greater population, very rare negative events (the probability of which may be infinitesimal in drug development testing) may still be found. Some common in vitro simple tests to quickly detect chemical scaffolds that interact with autonomic receptors, block the hERG channel, are cytotoxic, or are mutagenic are discussed. In addition, hepatotoxicity, a very common toxic drug effect due to the fact that high concentrations of drugs reach the liver (and the fact that the liver is designed to chemically interact with drugs) is considered.
Environmental Valuation of Unlabeled Technology Adoption: Theory and Application to Tomato Production and Consumption

The adoption of new technologies by farmers may impact the environment, and hence affect consumer welfare. This channel of impact is seldom assessed in the literature, especially when the production technologies adopted are not labeled on the consumption goods, and as a result are not directly observed by the consumers. We propose a novel theoretical framework where the supply of and demand for an agricultural good are incorporated to estimate consumers’ general and partial equilibrium willingness to pay (WTP) for producers’ unlabeled technology adoption choices. The framework is applied to a sample of 219 tomato farms and a sample of 498 consumers in Maryland, New York and Ohio. Results show that the consumer’s average partial equilibrium marginal WTPs for the tomato grower’s adoption of single-species cover crops, mixed-species cover crops, and environmentally-sound greenhouses range from -1.28 to -1.78 $/lb, 1.36 to 1.76 $/lb, and 1.63 to 1.94 $/lb, respectively, compared to the baseline scenario where cover crops and greenhouses are not adopted. In contrast, the corresponding general equilibrium marginal WTPs are between -1.15 and -0.98 $/lb, between 1.30 and 1.67 $/lb, and between 0.24 and 0.32 $/lb, respectively.
Unsupervised Learning of Visual Representations Using Videos

Is strong supervision necessary for learning a good visual representation? Do we really need millions of semantically-labeled images to train a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)? In this paper, we present a simple yet surprisingly powerful approach for unsupervised learning of CNN. Specifically, we use hundreds of thousands of unlabeled videos from the web to learn visual representations. Our key idea is that visual tracking provides the supervision. That is, two patches connected by a track should have similar visual representation in deep feature space since they probably belong to same object or object part. We design a Siamese-triplet network with a ranking loss function to train this CNN representation. Without using a single image from ImageNet, just using 100K unlabeled videos and the VOC 2012 dataset, we train an ensemble of unsupervised networks that achieves 52% mAP (no bounding box regression). This performance comes tantalizingly close to its ImageNet-supervised counterpart, an ensemble which achieves a mAP of 54.4%. We also show that our unsupervised network can perform competitively in other tasks such as surface-normal estimation.
Regulation of Private Logging in California

The first California Board of Forestry, created in 1885, was charged "to do any and all things within their power to encourage the preservation and planting of forests, and the consequent maintenance of the water resources of the State."' Its initial two-year operating budget was $5,000, but the allocation was increased to $29,500 for the following two-year period, and the members of the board and their assistants were made peace officers." The only laws available for enforcing those against fire-setters and timber trespassers (pilferers)-were poorly enforced.
Model-checking multi-threaded distributed Java programs

State-space exploration is a powerful technique for verification of concurrent software systems. Applying it to software systems written in standard programming languages requires powerful abstractions (of data) and reductions (of atomicity), which focus on simplifying the data and control, respectively, by aggregation. We propose a reduction that exploits a common pattern of synchronization, namely, the use of locks to protect shared data structures. This pattern of synchronization is particularly common in concurrent Java programs, because Java provides built-in locks. We describe the design of a new tool for state-less state-space exploration of Java programs that incorporates this reduction. We also describe an implementation of the reduction in Java PathFinder, a more traditional state-space exploration tool for Java programs.
Proof Generation in the Touchstone Theorem Prover

The ability of a theorem prover to generate explicit derivations for the theorems it proves has major benefits for the testing and maintenance of the prover. It also eliminates the need to trust the correctness of the prover at the expense of trusting a much simpler proof checker. However, it is not always obvious how to generate explicit proofs in a theorem prover that uses decision procedures whose operation does not directly model the axiomatization of the underlying theories. In this paper we describe the modifications that are necessary to support proof generation in a congruence-closure decision procedure for equality and in a Simplex-based decision procedure for linear arithmetic. Both of these decision procedures have been integrated using a modified Nelson-Oppen cooperation mechanism in the Touchstone theorem prover, which we use to produce proof-carrying code. Our experience with designing and implementing Touchstone is that proof generation has a relatively low cost in terms of design complexity and proving time and we conclude that the software-engineering benefits of proof generation clearly outweighs these costs.
How Much Do Employers Learn from Referrals

This paper tests the hypothesis that referrals from various sources provide employers with more information about job applicants than they would have without a referral. I use data that contain information on two workers in the same job, allowing me to cancel out differences in job and firm characteristics and control for the possibility that workers with referrals from different sources (or no referral at all) sort into jobs that put different weights on individual performance. The estimation results are consistent with referrals from current employees providing employers with more information than they would have otherwise. Additionally, it appears as though hiring through friends or relatives of the employer may involve some favoritism that results in employers either collecting less information than they would otherwise or ignoring information when setting wages. I also find weak evidence consistent with referrals from other firms or labor unions providing useful information, and no evidence that referrals from community organizations or other sources have any effect.
Roughness-Induced Vehicle Energy Dissipation: Statistical Analysis and Scaling

AbstractThe energy dissipated in a vehicle suspension system due to road roughness affects rolling resistance and the resulting fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emission. The key parameters driving this dissipation mechanism are identified via dimensional analysis. A mechanistic model is proposed that relates vehicle dynamic properties and road roughness statistics to vehicle dissipated energy and thus fuel consumption. A scaling relationship between the dissipated energy and the most commonly used road roughness index, the International Roughness Index (IRI), is also established. It is shown that the dissipated energy scales with IRI squared and scaling of dissipation with vehicle speed V depends on road waviness number w in the form of Vw−2. The effect of marginal probability distribution of the road roughness profile on dissipated energy is examined. It is shown that although the marginal distribution of the road profile does not affect the identified scaling relationships, the multiplicative factor...
Ophthalmic Manifestations of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis and Relation to SCORTEN

Purpose To evaluate the severity of ocular involvement of patients with Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and SJS/TEN overlap, and to investigate the relationship of the SCORTEN (a severity-of-illness score for SJS and TEN based on a minimal set of well-defined variables calculated within 24 hours of admission) with eye disease in this patient population. Design Retrospective observational case series. Methods Charts of all patients admitted to the Parkland Memorial Hospital Burn Center with a preliminary diagnosis of SJS, SJS/TEN overlap, or TEN between 1998 and 2008 were reviewed. Patients were included for study if they met clinical criteria, had positive diagnostic skin biopsy, and had dermatologic and ophthalmologic consultations. Eighty-two patients with a diagnosis of SJS, SJS/TEN overlap, or TEN met inclusion criteria. Ocular manifestations were classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Admission data were used to calculate the SCORTEN. Main outcome measure was the severity of ocular involvement with respect to diagnosis and SCORTEN. Results Overall, 84% of patients had ocular involvement (71% SJS, 90% TEN, 100% SJS/TEN overlap). There was no difference in the severity of acute ocular complications among groups. While the SCORTEN value did correlate well with mortality rate (correlation coefficient 0.97, P = .005), there was no correlation between the SCORTEN value and severity of eye involvement in the acute setting. There was also no association of any individual diagnosis of SJS/overlap/TEN with the severity of eye involvement, although eye findings are more common in TEN ( P = .03). Conclusions Ocular damage in the acute setting was more frequent in patients with epidermal detachment >10% of the total body surface area. The SCORTEN value did not correlate with the severity of eye involvement in the acute setting.
Topological data analysis and cosheaves

This paper contains an expository account of persistent homology and its usefulness for topological data analysis. An alternative foundation for level set persistence is presented using sheaves and cosheaves.
Influence in classification via cooperative game theory

A dataset has been classified by some unknown classifier into two types of points. What were the most important factors in determining the classification outcome? In this work, we employ an axiomatic approach in order to uniquely characterize an influence measure: a function that, given a set of classified points, outputs a value for each feature corresponding to its influence in determining the classification outcome. We show that our influence measure takes on an intuitive form when the unknown classifier is linear. Finally, we employ our influence measure in order to analyze the effects of user profiling on Google's online display advertising.
Hormonal profile in patients with gonadal dysgenesis

Abstract The profiles of serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and plasma estradiol-17β, estrone, testosterone, and Δ4-androstenedione in 7 patients with gonadal dysgenesis were studied. Compared to gonadotropin levels during the early follicular phase of normal menstual cycles, the concentrations of FSH were more markedly elevated than those of LH in all subjects. Estradiol concentrations were
Performance Analysis of a Civilian GPS Position Authentication System

A position authentication method utilizing the white-noise-like GPS spreading codes as tamper proof watermarks is described. In this method a segment of the GPS signal collected by a trusted user (the authenticator) is used as a template. Another user whose position and time report needs to be verified (the supplicant) sends a sample of its signal. The supplicant's sample is compared with the authenticator's template. The absence of a correlation peak between the two signals indicates that the supplicant is using a non-authentic GPS signal. A correlation peak having a delay that is inconsistent with relative range between supplicant and authenticator indicates a falsification of the position or time report. Analysis, simulation and experimental results documenting the system's performance are presented. These results show that this approach can detect a deceptive position report with a resolution of 15 meters (1-sigma) or better. Copyright © 2013 Institute of Navigation.
Trading regret for efficiency: online convex optimization with long term constraints

In this paper we propose efficient algorithms for solving constrained online convex optimization problems. Our motivation stems from the observation that most algorithms proposed for online convex optimization require a projection onto the convex set Κ from which the decisions are made. While the projection is straightforward for simple shapes (e.g., Euclidean ball), for arbitrary complex sets it is the main computational challenge and may be inefficient in practice. In this paper, we consider an alternative online convex optimization problem. Instead of requiring that decisions belong to Κ for all rounds, we only require that the constraints, which define the set Κ, be satisfied in the long run. By turning the problem into an online convex-concave optimization problem, we propose an efficient algorithm which achieves O(√T) regret bound and O(T3/4) bound on the violation of constraints. Then, we modify the algorithm in order to guarantee that the constraints are satisfied in the long run. This gain is achieved at the price of getting O(T3/4) regret bound. Our second algorithm is based on the mirror prox method (Nemirovski, 2005) to solve variational inequalities which achieves O(T2/3) bound for both regret and the violation of constraints when the domain Κ can be described by a finite number of linear constraints. Finally, we extend the results to the setting where we only have partial access to the convex set Κ and propose a multipoint bandit feedback algorithm with the same bounds in expectation as our first algorithm.