cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of age and milk production data to improve the ability of enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay test results to predict Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis fecal culture status

Cows from 2 California dairies were tested for paratuberculosis at the end of lactation by using fecal culture and a commercially available serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kit. Individual cow characteristics and production variables were evaluated along with ELISA testing results as predictors of fecal culture status. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, age and a herd-standardized version of 305-day mature equivalent (305 ME) milk production were significant predictors of fecal culture status after adjusting for herd, quarter of the study year, and ELISA sample-to-positive (S/P) ratio. The area under a nonparametric receiver operating characteristic curve was significantly greater for a multivariable model that included age and the level of milk production when compared with a model without these covariates. In conclusion, consideration of cow-level covariates was useful as an aid in predicting Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) fecal culture status. For a given ELISA S/P ratio, older cows and those with lower 305 ME milk production relative to other cows in the herd were significantly more likely to be shedding MAP in their feces at the end of lactation.
Cognitive security management with reputation based cooperation schemes in heterogeneous networks

This paper proposes a Computational Intelligence framework for network security management. The framework uses reinforcement learning and Bayesian methods to achieve cross-layer optimization in heterogeneous, multi-layer wireless and wireline networks. Metrics based on the reputation of a node are used to measure performance. OPNET simulations results indicate that routing algorithms based on the newly proposed framework exhibit nearly four times improved network performance measured in terms of goodput.
Mus81-mediated DNA cleavage resolves replication forks stalled by topoisomerase I-DNA complexes

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) topoisomerases are essential for removing the supercoiling that normally builds up ahead of replication forks. The camptothecin (CPT) Top1 (topoisomerase I) inhibitors exert their anticancer activity by reversibly trapping Top1–DNA cleavage complexes (Top1cc’s) and inducing replication-associated DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). In this paper, we propose a new mechanism by which cells avoid Top1-induced replication-dependent DNA damage. We show that the structure-specific endonuclease Mus81-Eme1 is responsible for generating DSBs in response to Top1 inhibition and for allowing cell survival. We provide evidence that Mus81 cleaves replication forks rather than excises Top1cc’s. DNA combing demonstrated that Mus81 also allows efficient replication fork progression after CPT treatment. We propose that Mus81 cleaves stalled replication forks, which allows dissipation of the excessive supercoiling resulting from Top1 inhibition, spontaneous reversal of Top1cc, and replication fork progression.
The Tritone Paradox: Effects of Pitch Class and Position of the Spectral Envelope

The tritone paradox reveals compelling individual differences in the orientation of the pitch class circle derived from judgments of tritone pairs. Some subjects perceive tones in one half of the pitch class circle as higher than tones in the opposite half, whereas other subjects produce the converse pattern. Because geographical differences in perception of the tritone paradox have been found, an interesting issue concerns how subjects in additional regions of the United States may perceive the tritone paradox. A second issue of interest concerns the extent to which the position of the spectral envelope affects how the pattern is perceived. These issues are here addressed in a study of the tritone paradox in a group of subjects from South Florida. With respect to the first issue, the overall histogram of peak pitch classes produced by the subjects from South Florida was similar to the histogram found among Californian subjects. To address the second issue, tone pairs were generated under four spectral envelopes spaced at half-octave intervals. The majority of subjects evidenced differences in peak pitch class of no more than 2 semitones when judgments under each of the four spectral envelopes were compared.
New programmable expressions for calculating error probability and error bounds for M-ary pulse amplitude modulation systems in the presence of intersymbol interference and Gaussian noise

A new programmable expression for calculating the error probability in the presence of intersymbol interference and Gaussian noise for M -ary pulse amplitude modulation systems is derived by expanding the series method used in the evaluation of the error probability of binary symmetric channels. Error bounds for the expanded method are derived, and evaluation results for systems with Gaussian, Chebyshev, and sinc signaling are provided.
The discoveries of continuations

We give a brief account of the discoveries of continuations and related concepts by A. van Wijngaarden, A. W. Mazurkiewicz, F. L. Morris, C. P. Wadsworth, J. H. Morris, M. J. Fischer, and S. K. Abdali.
Language without communication: a case study*

Two branches of language functioning are now actively being studied: one focuses on language as a system for expressing syntactic-semantic relations, the other as a system of interpersonal communication. In this paper, a case is presented of a child who at 3; 3 showed a marked schism between these two areas. In the former domain he displayed behaviour that in most respects was age appropriate and relatively extensive. In the latter domain, he displayed almost totally ineffective functioning. His difficulties in the use of language for communication were mirrored from infancy by a serious failure either to understand or produce non-verbal communication (e.g. gestures). It is suggested that the structural and communicative aspects of language are based upon different sets of skills which particularly in cases of language disorder may function independently of one another.
Measurement of15N-13C J couplings in staphylococcal nuclease

15N-Cα and15N-C′ J couplings were measured for the backbone of staphylococcal nuclease, uniformly enriched with15N and13C. It is found that theIJC'N coupling is similar for β-sheet, J=14.8 ± 0.5 and for α-helix, J = 14.8 ± 0.4 but tends to be larger for the unstructured N- and C-terminal ends of the protein (J=15.6 ± 0.5). On average,1JNCα are smaller for α-helical residues (J=9.6 ± 0.3 Hz) compared to β-sheet (J=10.9 ± 0.8 Hz) and a substantial difference is observed for2JNCα in α-helices (J=6.4 ± 0.4 Hz) and β-sheets (J=8.3 ± 0.8 Hz).
Identification with modeling uncertainty and reconfigurable control

The problem of obtaining reliable estimates of uncertainty in the parameters identified through a least-squares algorithm is discussed. Estimates based on a stochastic analysis, an analysis assuming bounded noise, and a sensitivity analysis are reviewed. The results are compared and illustrated using experimental data obtained on a DC motor. The need for methods of estimation of uncertainty is justified in the context of adaptive control, where robustness and transient performance are critical. In particular, the application to reconfigurable flight control is considered. Design tradeoffs for this application are discussed in detail and illustrated through simulations using two aircraft models. >
Bathroom injuries in children less than 15 years old

Objective To quantify and describe non-fatal, unintentional bathroom injuries among children less than 15 years of age treated in US hospital emergency departments (EDs). Methods This study used 2008 data from a nationally representative sample of EDs, available from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program. We examined unintentional non-fatal bathroom injuries in any setting (eg, home, school or public place) among children less than 15 years of age and identified types of injuries, major locations within the bathroom and precipitating events. Results Based on 1099 cases, an estimated 51 132 non-fatal bathroom injuries in children less than 15 years of age were treated in US EDs in 2008. Most injuries (73.8%) were caused by falls. The highest rate was for injuries that occurred in or around the shower or bathtub (65.9 per 100 000). Children less than 15 years of age sustained the greatest number of injuries and had the highest injury rate (151 per 100 000 (95% CI 108.7 to 193.3)), while children 10–14 years of age had the lowest rate (28.7 (95% CI 20.6 to 36.8)). The rates differed significantly by age group (p Conclusions Most bathroom injuries in children occurred while they were showering or bathing and were caused by falling or hitting an object. Such injuries might be reduced by improving caregiver supervision for younger children. For older children, a combination of bathroom safety education and environmental modifications, such as installing grab bars inside and outside the shower or tub, may reduce bathroom injuries.
SWAN: service differentiation in stateless wireless ad hoc networks

We propose SWAN, a stateless network model which uses distributed control algorithms to deliver service differentiation in mobile wireless ad hoc networks in a simple, scalable and robust manner. We use rate control for UDP and TCP best-effort traffic, and sender-based admission control for UDP real-time traffic. SWAN uses explicit congestion notification (ECN) to dynamically regulate admitted real-time traffic in the face of network dynamics brought on by mobility or traffic overload conditions. We use the term "soft" real-time services to indicate that real-time sessions could be regulated or dropped due to mobility or excessive traffic overloading at mobile wireless routers. SWAN is designed to limit such conditions, however. A novel aspect of SWAN is that it does not require the support of a QOS-capable MAC. Rather, soft real-time services are built using existing best effort wireless MAC technology. Simulation, analysis, and results from an experimental wireless testbed show that real-time applications experience low and stable delays under various multi-hop, traffic and mobility conditions. The wireless testbed and ns-2 simulator source code are available from the Web (comet.columbia.edu/swan).
Interfacial Study on Solid Electrolyte Interphase at Li Metal Anode: Implication for Li Dendrite Growth

aDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA bDepartment of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA cDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA dGeneral Motors Research and Development Center, Warren, Michigan 48090, USA
PRIMARY CONSTRAINED CONDYLAR TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY WITHOUT INTRAMEDULLARY STEMS

The use of stems with constrained condylar knee (CCK) prosthesis components has been advocated both for primary and revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA). CCK “nonmodular” implants without diaphyseal stems reduce the invasion of the medullary canal, thereby reducing operative time and costs; render a subsequent revision procedure easier, and avoid possible stem pain. The present study is the first report on mid-term results of stemless CCK for primary TKA. This cross-sectional study reviewed the outcome for 248 knees (180 patients) in which primary TKA was performed using the Exactech nonmodular CCK between 1997 and 2001. The patients had an average age of 68 years and the preoperative diagnosis was osteoarthritis in 94%. Preoperative deformity was severe (82% Ahlback grade 4–5). Valgus deformity was present in 59% and averaged 15° (7–33°). Varus deformity, present in 41% of the patients, averaged 13° (5–22°). Fifty-seven percent of the patients had multiple joint involvement (category C). Clinical and radiological follow-up at an average of 47 months (range, 24–72 months) was obtained for 192 TKAs (148 patients). Of the total group, there were 15 deaths and 17 patients were lost to follow-up. The Knee Society score improved from 36 to 89 and the functional score from 42 to 76 postoperatively. Varus-valgus laxity improved from 11° (range: 0–30°) to 2° (range:0–6°). Nonprogressive radiolucent lines were present in 16%. Failure rate, defined as revision, was 3% (two infections, two aseptic loosenings, one broken post, and one supra-condylar femoral fracture). In six knees (3%) patello-femoral complications developed: five patellar clunks and one dislocation. Use of a stemless “nonmodular” CCK for primary severely damaged knees demonstrated reliable mid-term results with a low complication rate.
Case marking and the nature of language

(1981). Case marking and the nature of language. Australian Journal of Linguistics: Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 227-244.
Capitalism and Socialism. Oddly Similar Extremes

Capitalism and socialism tend to be seen as extreme opposites of each other. They seem to produce totally different political, social and economic orders. However, the author challenges this common way of thinking about these two main ideologies that have shaped national and international history since mid 19th century onward. Going against the grain of political imagination, this essay aims to prove that capitalism and socialism have much more in common than meets the eye.
The ASCO Study of Collaborative Practice Arrangements: A Nurse Practitioner's Point of View.

J Adv Pract Oncol 2012;3:47–48 A s a veteran oncology nurse practitioner, the findings presented by Towle et al. (2011) in their article, “Results of the ASCO Study of Collaborative Practice Arrangements,” recently published in the Journal of Oncology Practice, were not astonishing to me. The purpose of their study was to address the workforce shortage of oncologists by exploring collaborative oncology practice models that include nonphysician practitioners (NPPs)— physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The study design consisted of two steps: (1) a national survey of NPP integration into oncology practices and identification of collaborative practice models and services, and (2) a more detailed data and satisfaction survey of selected practices.
Testing Brand - Switching Models:

In most proposed models of consumer behavior, analytical methods of parameter estimation have proven intractable. In this article a computational method for obtaining minimum chi-square estimates i...
Androgen in the Woodchuck Hibernating Gland

SummaryThe hibernating glands of woodchucks killed during the summer contained 1 International Unit of androgen, (100 μg androsterone) in 50 g of tissue, equal to the concentration in bull testis, ...
An Overview of Human Factors Psychology

This chapter presents a contemporary overview of human factors psychology, including its origins, core problems, methodological approaches, and overviews of state-of-the-art research in three key areas likely to be relevant to industrial/organizational psychology. These include: human-automation interaction, or HAI; situation awareness, or SA; and distraction, multitasking, and interruption, or DMI. Each of these areas has arisen as a result of the increased challenges and opportunities provided by ever increasing levels of technological sophistication in the workplace. The chapter concludes by noting that human factors researchers are increasingly drawing on, and contributing to, social, in addition to cognitive, psychological research. This trend, motivated by both increasing levels of technological autonomy and opacity, as well as by the fact that social coordination and teamwork is increasingly mediated by information and communication technologies, bodes well for human factors and industrial/organizational psychology to have an even greater symbiotic and mutually informing relationship in the future.
Participant Privacy in Mobile Crowd Sensing Task Management: A Survey of Methods and Challenges

Mobile crowd sensing enables a broad range of novel applications by leveraging mobile devices and smartphone users worldwide. While this paradigm is immensely useful, it involves the collection of detailed information from sensors and their carriers (i.e. participants) during task management processes including participant recruitment and task distribution. Such information might compromise participant privacy in various regards by identification or disclosure of sensitive attributes -- thereby increasing vulnerability and subsequently reducing participation. In this survey, we identify different task management approaches in mobile crowd sensing, and assess the threats to participant privacy when personal information is disclosed. We also outline how privacy mechanisms are utilized in existing sensing applications to protect the participants against these threats. Finally, we discuss continuing challenges facing participant privacy-preserving approaches during task management.
Can retinal adhesion mechanisms determine cell-sorting patterns: a test of the differential adhesion hypothesis

Embryonic chick neural retina cells possess two classes of adhesion mechanism, one Ca2+-independent, one Ca2+-dependent, responsible for short-term cell aggregation. This study investigates the role of these mechanisms in the long-term cell sorting potentially relevant to in vivo histogenesis. Retina cells are prepared either with both (E cells) or with only one mechanism (TC cells, CD; LTE cells, CI), respectively. The two types of cell preparations are differentially labelled using fluorescein or rhodamine isothiocyanate, mixed and allowed to aggregate in the presence or absence of cycloheximide at 0.5 microgram ml-1 to retard metabolic recovery of the removed adhesive mechanism. When observed by fluorescence and phase-contrast microscopy, the aggregates formed in cycloheximide show cell sorting, the cells with both mechanisms assuming a more interior position relative to those with a single adhesion mechanism. In parallel hanging-drop experiments, preformed aggregates of cells with a single adhesion mechanism are seen to spread upon aggregates of cells with both mechanisms. No sorting occurs amongst cells from a given stage prepared using any single dissociation protocol. The observed cell sorting would thus seem to derive exclusively from differential cell adhesiveness dependent upon the different dissociation conditions and maintained in the presence of cycloheximide. The experiments support the hypothesis that the dual CI and CD adhesion mechanisms in question can play a central role in governing cell-sorting behaviour during normal histogenesis.
The route to a national health policy lies through the states.

Abstract National health program legislation has been becalmed in the Congress for almost 80 years. Despite periodic cries of "crisis," legislation never emerges from committee. Periodically, campaigns have been mounted without success. Tactical efforts to circumvent direct action by legislating bits and pieces of related programs, Medicare and Medicaid, health maintenance organization support, and pre-budgeting, have complicated operation of the medical care system and stimulated intractable cost inflation. For the first 150 years of American history, responsibility for public health and welfare legislation rested with the states. Most public health policies originated in a state or a few states and then later became national legislation. The state efforts were, in effect, natural experiments. After the Depression and the flood of funding from the federal government in subsequent years, the states faded as innovators. It is proposed that funding a few state models to restimulate state initiative in this regard will provide a more effective route to a national health program.
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Neurologic Complications

The neurologic complications of HSV-2 infection are reviewed by researchers at University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington.
Red Tides and Whatever Happened to the Red Squirrel

Red, brown, and green splotches in coastal waters are dense accumulations of microscopic algae that in one way or other are toxic to the marine life around them. These algae blooms find conditions propitious for unimpeded and rapid growth until their large numbers begin to act as a brake and millions die off, leaving in their wake oxygen-starved waters.
Dynamic, infrared bandpass filters prepared from polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals.

We report on the formulation and electrical control of the position and bandwidth of reflective bandpass filters prepared from cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) in the infrared (3–5 μm). These filters are prepared from alignment cells employing infrared transparent electrodes and substrates. The optical nature of the electrodes is shown to strongly influence the resulting transmission of the bandpass filters outside of the spectral reflection.
The independence of letter identity and letter doubling in reading

The ability to read requires processing the letter identities in the word and their order, but it is by no means obvious that our long-term memory representations of words spellings consist of only these dimensions of information. The current investigation focuses on whether we process information about another dimension-letter doubling (i.e., that there is a double letter in WEED)-independently of the identity of the letter being doubled. Two experiments that use the illusory word paradigm are reported to test this question. In both experiments, participants are more likely to misperceive a target word with only singleton letters (e.g., WED) as a word with a double (e.g., WEED) when the target is presented with a distractor that contains a different double letter (e.g., WOOD) than when the distractor does not contain a double letter (e.g., WORD). This pattern of results is not predicted by existing computational models of word reading but is consistent with the hypothesis that written language separately represents letter identity and letter doubling information, as previously shown in written language production. These results support a view that the orthographic representations that underlie our ability to read are internally complex and suggest that reading and writing rely on a common level of orthographic representation.
Abstract B37: Mesothelin-targeted immunotoxin RG7787 (LMB-100) preferentially depletes secreted proteins and short-lived intracellular proteins to augment tumor cell killing by taxanes

Mesothelin (MSLN) is a cell surface antigen expressed by a number of solid tumors including most pancreatic adenocarcinomas. RG7787 is a MSLN-targeted immunotoxin that is entering clinical testing for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. RG7787 binds to MSLN on the cancer cell surface through a high affinity Fab and delivers a modified Pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE) payload into the cell cytosol. PE induces apoptosis by catalyzing the irreversible modification and inactivation of elongation factor-2 (EF-2), halting protein synthesis. This is a novel mechanism of action which produces synergistic tumor killing in combination with nab-paclitaxel in preclinical mouse models and in cell culture. Our goal is to understand the mechanism of this interaction. We have previously demonstrated that taxane does not increase delivery of RG7787 to tumors grown in mice and that taxane does not augment protein synthesis inhibition caused by RG7787. We hypothesized that RG7787 should deplete levels of secreted proteins and short-lived intracellular proteins and that insufficiencies of these factors may enhance taxane-mediated killing. To examine the effect of RG7787 on the pancreatic cancer secretome, we treated pancreatic cancer cells grown in culture or mice bearing tumor xenografts with RG7787 and used ELISA to examine levels of secreted proteins in conditioned medium and interstitial tumor fluid. We found that RG7787 treatment causes dose-dependent decreases in secreted proteins even at non-lethal doses. To demonstrate proof of principle that short-lived proteins are preferentially depleted, we created a reporter cell line co-expressing both GFP and a destabilized fluorescent Cherry protein (Cherry-PEST). We found that treatment with RG7787 reduced the levels of Cherry-PEST but not GFP in a dose-dependent fashion confirming our hypothesis. Consistent with this, we found that levels of the short-lived Bcl-2 family survival factor Mcl-1 are reduced in cells treated with the combination of RG7787 and taxane compared to taxane treatment alone. We conclude that RG7787 depletion of Mcl-1 primes cells for killing by taxane. We are now testing the combination of RG7787 (LMB-100) with nab-paclitaxel in a Phase IB/II trial for patients with pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: Christine Alewine, Rebekah Landsman, Michael Rudloff, Emily Kolyvas, Jinqiu Chen, Ira Pastan.{Authors}. Mesothelin-targeted immunotoxin RG7787 (LMB-100) preferentially depletes secreted proteins and short-lived intracellular proteins to augment tumor cell killing by taxanes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Advances in Science and Clinical Care; 2016 May 12-15; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(24 Suppl):Abstract nr B37.
Patients Mobilizing Large Numbers of CD34+ Cells (Super-Mobilizers) Have Improved Survival in Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Lymphoid Malignancies.

We have anecdotally observed that many patients mobilized with Etoposide (VP) + filgrastim (G) collect very high numbers of CD34+ cells for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Some BMT centers have suggested that the cellular composition of an autologous graft may influence ASCT outcome. We therefore queried whether patients collecting high numbers of PBPCs (“super-mobilizers”) have a better outcome than other patients. We retrospectively reviewed 693 consecutive adult patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) or Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) receiving an ASCT from 1/1994 through 12/2005 treated with a uniform preparative regimen of Busulfan, Cyclophosphamide and Etoposide (Bu/Cy/VP). Of these 693 patients, 350 were mobilized with VP (2 gm/m2) + G and comprised the study population. After receiving VP+G, patients were collected for a minimum of 2 days with a collection goal of 7 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg. A minimum collection of 2.0 × 106 cells was required to proceed to ASCT. Super-mobilizers were defined as collecting, and infusing, greater than 8 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg. 203 patients were super-mobilizers, while 147 collected between 2.0 and 7.95 CD34+ cells/kg. Pre-transplant performance status, LVEF, and DLCO were similar between the two groups. Super-mobilizers were slightly younger (mean 47 years old vs. 51 years old, p=0.003) and more likely to have received 2 or fewer prior chemotherapy regimens, (80% vs. 63%, p A multivariable analysis was performed, and revealed three variables associated with improved survival: disease status at transplant (comparing patients in remission vs. those with refractory disease, p=0.004), younger age at transplant (p=0.033), and CD34+ cell dose (>8 vs.
Antigenic and Biological Characterization of ORF2–6 Variants at Early Times Following PRRSV Infection

Genetic diversity of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) challenges efforts to develop effective and broadly acting vaccines. Although genetic variation in PRRSV has been extensively documented, the effects of this variation on virus phenotype are less well understood. In the present study, PRRSV open reading frame (ORF)2–6 variants predominant during the first six weeks following experimental infection were characterized for antigenic and replication phenotype. There was limited genetic variation during these early times after infection; however, distinct ORF2–6 haplotypes that differed from the NVSL97-7895 inoculum were identified in each of the five pigs examined. Chimeric viruses containing all or part of predominant ORF2–6 haplotypes were constructed and tested in virus neutralization and in vitro replication assays. In two pigs, genetic variation in ORF2–6 resulted in increased resistance to neutralization by autologous sera. Mapping studies indicated that variation in either ORF2–4 or ORF5–6 could confer increased neutralization resistance, but there was no single amino acid substitution that was predictive of neutralization phenotype. Detailed analyses of the early steps in PRRSV replication in the presence and absence of neutralizing antibody revealed both significant inhibition of virion attachment and, independently, a significant delay in the appearance of newly synthesized viral RNA. In all pigs, genetic variation in ORF2–6 also resulted in significant reduction in infectivity on MARC-145 cells, suggesting variation in ORF2–6 may also be important for virus replication in vivo. Together, these data reveal that variation appearing early after infection, though limited, alters important virus phenotypes and contributes to antigenic and biologic diversity of PRRSV.
Detecting Dependency Parse Errors with Minimal Resources

To detect errors in automatically-obtained dependency parses, we take a grammar-based approach. In particular, we develop methods that incorporate n-grams of different lengths and use information about possible parse revisions. Using our methods allows annotators to focus on problematic parses, with the potential to find over half the parse errors by examining only 20% of the data, as we demonstrate. A key result is that methods using a small gold grammar outperform methods using much larger grammars containing noise. To perform annotation error detection on newly-parsed data, one only needs a small grammar.
What Are They Really Selling? A Content Analysis of Advertisements During Religious Television Programming

This study quantitatively analyzed the content of television commercials aired during religious programs to determine the categories of products being promoted and the primary method used by advert...
Struggle for Power and Pay: Board Power and Pay-for-Performance in Low vs. High-Performing Firms

Boards of directors monitor and incentivize CEOs to make decisions maximizing shareholder value; however, research is inconclusive in identifying the relationship between board composition (outside...
Control fligth of a UAV type tricopter with fuzzy logic controller

The article is devoted to the movement study of the unmanned aerial vehicle, type tricopter, with three controllable drives, all the propellers of which are rotary. The UAV is equipped with swept wings that allow it to provide aerodynamic stability. During take-off and landing the rotors work as lifting rotors, and while moving in the horizontal plane they work as the traction ones, shifting the plane of rotation by turning the rotary propellers. For the study of convertiplane basic flight modes and stability of its movement along a predetermined path the design and mathematical models that describe spatial motion of the UAV are proposed, the differential equations of motion that describe the interconnected electromagnetic and mechanical processes in tricopter propeller drives electromechanical system are formulated. The resulting nonlinear differential equations are solved together with the kinematic relations that express the body angular velocity projection on the axis of movable coordinate system using the angular velocities of roll ϕ pitch ψ and yaw θ angles. The solution of nonlinear differential equations is found analytically, the simulation of the convertiplane take-off (landing) modes and its movement along a predetermined path are accomplished numerically. The method of controlling the tricopter movements using fuzzy logic controller is offered, the control system comparative analysis using proportional-integral-differential (PID) and odd controllers is done. It is found out that the use of fuzzy logic controller allows providing the aerial vehicle movements of better quality along a predetermined path in comparison with the PID controller.
Inhibitory Action of Citrate on Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate Crystal Nucleation and Growth

Because calcium oxalate monohydrate is an important urinary stone salt, considerable attention has been devoted to the analysis of COM crystallization in an attempt to understand the associated processes of nucleation, crystal growth, aggregation, and breakup. Considering the paracrystalline dendritic nature of oxalate stones, many urinary agents may bind to and thereby alter crystal growth and/or adhesion to other components in the stone lamina. In addition to calcium oxalate hydrates, other carboxylic ligands that may interact with COM crystals include citrate1, phosphocitrate2, the aspartate-rich uropontin3, γ-carboxyglutamate-containing nephrocalcin4, and the cytoplasmic membrane component phosphatidylserine (F Novin, CM Brown, and DL Purich, unpublished findings). These agents each contain one or more carboxyl groups which potentially could substitute for oxalate carboxyls within the crystal lattice. Recently, our laboratory conducted crystal growth and nucleation rate measurements to investigate how agents might promote or inhibit COM crystallization5. Our work has centered on the inhibitory action of citrate, a prominent urinary metabolite that can sequester calcium ions and thereby reduce the relative supersaturation of urine with respect to calcium oxalate monohydrate1. In the present study we describe nucleation and growth kinetics in experiments for which we used the EQUIL speciation software to maintain the free, uncomplexed calcium ion concentration and hence avoid effects of changes in relative supersaturation. We also explored the relationship of these kinetic data to crystal morphology changes arising in the presence of citrate, and we have rationalized structural changes in terms of crystal face-specific interactions with citrate and/or calcium citrate complex. This has required the application of molecular recognition theory6, 7 to calculate the electrostatic surface potential of stable calcium oxalate monohydrate crystal surfaces and to characterize stereochemical interactions of carboxylic ligands with COM crystal faces. Our work supports the conclusion that citrate binds selectively to the (010) face, thereby blocking further crystal growth on that face.
The bipolar prodrome

Abstract Converging evidence suggests that the onset of bipolar disorder is usually preceded by a prodromal period lasting months to years. In this chapter, we review studies that point to this prodrome, including family risk studies, studies of individuals with depression or cyclothymia, community studies, and retrospective studies. We review assessments used to predict bipolar disorder, as well as a risk calculator for predicting new-onset bipolar disorder. While each study design has its limitations, taken together, the literature begins to point to an initial nonspecific prodrome, including symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and mood lability. Closer to disorder onset, subthreshold manic symptoms become more prominent, and characterize a more specific prodrome. A better understanding of a staged prodrome is crucial to inform clinical management of individuals at familial or symptomatic risk of bipolar disorder, and aid in the selection of an “ultra-high-risk” population for future studies of biomarkers and therapeutics.
How Not to Invent a Patent Crisis

This short essay written for a broad audience addresses the problems that are at the center of current debates in academic and policy circles about the patent system. Most current patent reform proposals are designed to give officials and courts more power to weaken or eliminate ‘‘unworthy’’ patents and take primary aim at so-called patent trolls. This essay argues that in light of the rapid, and excessive, changes that have already occurred in the courts, what patent law needs is a tweaking of existing safety valves and processes - not opening the floodgates to more discretion and uncertainty.
Unexpected Pregnancy Test Results.

A 39-year-old woman with non–small cell lung cancer underwent preprocedural pregnancy testing. Results showed increased levels of human chorionic gonadotropin, but she reported not being sexually active. Repeat testing after treatment with antibody-blocking agent was similar. View this table: Table 1. Quantitative hCG assays. 1. What forms of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are measured in most quantitative hCG …
Abstract 158: A Learning Health System Approach to Reduce Time to Treatment for Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Background: Rapid treatment is critical to improve survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and is directly affected by bystanders’ abilities to immediately recognize cardiac arrest, cal...
A detailed study of the course, branching pattern and dimensions of the uterine and vaginal arteries and their branches

Introduction Despite the critical role of the uterine artery UA and vaginal artery VA in the blood supply to the pelvic organs and cavity there is a paucity of descriptions of their origin course and dimensions Aim The aim of the study was to present a detailed account based on a cadaveric study on pelvic halves of female embalmed cadavers belonging an Indian population Methods A total of female cadavers pelvic halves in the age group of years belonging an Indian population were dissected Results There were no variations in the origin course distribution and length of the UA and VA and their branches However in a significant number of cadavers the diameter of the UA was smaller than normal while the corresponding VA in these same cadavers was larger than normal Additionally in other cadavers where the diameter of the UA was larger than normal the diameters of the VA was smaller than normal Conclusion Thus uterus received complementary blood supply from the UA and VA However a more definitive pattern of blood supply to the uterus could not be established due to a limited number of cadavers Further since adequate studies from different population groups were not available a more detailed description of the branching patterns and dimensions of the UA and VA and their branches in different population groups could not be formulated
Searching for rare and secretive snakes: are camera-trap and box-trap methods interchangeable?

Abstract Context Advancements in camera-trap technology have provided wildlife researchers with a new technique to better understand their study species. This improved method may be especially useful for many conservation-reliant snake species that can be difficult to detect because of rarity and life histories with secretive behaviours. Aims Here, we report the results of a 6-month camera-trapping study using time lapse-triggered camera traps to detect snakes, in particular the federally listed Louisiana pinesnake (Pituophis ruthveni) in eastern Texas upland forests in the USA. Methods So as to evaluate the efficacy of this method of snake detection, we compared camera-trap data with traditional box-trapping data collected over the same time period across a similar habitat type, and with the same goal of detecting P. ruthveni. Key results No differences in focal snake species richness were detected across the trap methods, although the snake-detection rate was nearly three times higher with camera traps than with the box traps. Detection rates of individual snake species varied with the trapping method for all but two species, but temporal trends in detection rates were similar across the trap methods for all but two species. Neither trap method detected P. ruthveni in the present study, but the species has been detected with both trap methods at other sites. Conclusions The higher snake-detection rate of the camera-trap method suggests that pairing this method with traditional box traps could increase the detection of P. ruthveni where it occurs. For future monitoring and research on P. ruthveni, and other similarly rare and secretive species of conservation concern, we believe these methods could be used interchangeably by saturating potentially occupied habitats with camera traps initially and then replacing cameras with box traps when the target species is detected. Implications There are financial and logistical limits to monitoring and researching rare and secretive species with box traps, and those limits are far less restrictive with camera traps. The ability to use camera-trap technologies interchangeably with box-trap methods to collect similar data more efficiently and effectively will have a significant impact on snake conservation.
Studies of the Delayed Response of Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) Stimulated Lymphocytes in 25 Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia Patients Before and During Therapy

Comparative studies of in vitro responses to PHA stimulation between normal lymphoctyes and lymphocytes of CLL have shown significant functional differences. Lymphocytes from 25 normal subjects showed maximum response at three days, while the leukemic cells did not reach a maximum degree of transformation until seven days. Moreover, the maximum transformation of the leukemic lymphocytes was significantly less than that of the normal lymphocytes. After therapy, the lymphoctyes of the leukemic patients showed a gradual return to the levels and rates of lymphocyte transformation of the normal controls. This generally followed hematologic and clinical remission by several months. This in vitro system demonstrates functional differences between normal lymphocytes and the lymphoctyes of CLL. It could also be used as one method for judging the therapeutic efficacy of agents used in the treatment of CLL.
A Short Form of the Financial Exploitation Vulnerability Scale.

The purpose of the present study was to develop a short form of the Financial Exploitation Vulnerability Scale (FEVS) with good psychometric properties to detect contextual risk exploitation. The s...
Ureteral Neocystotomy with Psoas Hitch

Study Objective This video demonstrates the key steps in performing a ureteral reimplantation with psoas hitch. Design N/A Setting A single surgical center within a large integrated healthcare system. Patients or Participants The patient is a 40-year-old G0 woman with stage IV endometriosis who was found to have acute left hydroureteronephrosis secondary to an endometriosis implant compressing the left distal ureter. Her past medical history is otherwise notable for stage IV metastatic breast cancer status post a bilateral mastectomy with no evidence of residual disease for the past 3 years. Her past surgical history is notable for an exploratory laparotomy for a small bowel obstruction due to endometriosis. She opted for surgical management with robot-assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy, unilateral oophorectomy, ureteral resection with ureteral reimplantation and psoas hitch. Interventions The patient underwent an uncomplicated robot-assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy, unilateral oophorectomy. As expected, narrowing of the left ureter was noted and a planned ureteral resection with ureteral reimplantation and psoas hitch was performed in conjunction with urology. Measurements and Main Results N/A Conclusion Ureteral resection and reimplantation can alleviate endometriosis-related urinary tract obstruction.
Queering intimate emotions: Trans/nonbinary people negotiating emotional expectations in intimate relationships:

I analyze the ways in which trans/nonbinary participants queered gender labor and emotion work in intimate relationships by negotiating expectations to feel “proper” ways for intimates and to educa...
Entropy-Based Modeling for Estimating Adversarial Bit-flip Attack Impact on Binarized Neural Network

Over past years, the high demand to efficiently process deep learning (DL) models has driven the market of the chip design companies. However, the new Deep Chip architectures, a common term to refer to DL hardware accelerator, have slightly paid attention to the security requirements in quantized neural networks (QNNs), while the black/white -box adversarial attacks can jeopardize the integrity of the inference accelerator. Therefore in this paper, a comprehensive study of the resiliency of QNN topologies to black-box attacks is examined. Herein, different attack scenarios are performed on an FPGA-processor co-design, and the collected results are extensively analyzed to give an estimation of the impact’s degree of different types of attacks on the QNN topology. To be specific, we evaluated the sensitivity of the QNN accelerator to a range number of bit-flip attacks (BFAs) that might occur in the operational lifetime of the device. The BFAs are injected at uniformly distributed times either across the entire QNN or per individual layer during the image classification. The acquired results are utilized to build the entropy-based model that can be leveraged to construct resilient QNN architectures to bit-flip attacks.
Cross-national attitudes about paid parental leave offerings for fathers

Abstract Using cross-national data from the 2012 International Social Survey Programme (N = 33,273), this study considers institutional, self-interest, and ideational factors in analyzing public opinions about the provision, length, and source of paid parental leave offerings for fathers. We find substantial support for generous leave offerings. Multilevel regression results reveal that being a woman, supporting dual-earning expectations, and realizing more family strains lead to support for more generous leave offerings. Endorsing separate spheres and intensive mothering attitudes reduces support for more generous leave offerings; although, gendered attitudes interact with one another in predicting leave preferences, too. Finally, country-level indicators of female empowerment and father-specific leave offerings are positively associated with preferences for more generous leave offerings. Overall, public opinions about fathers’ leave offerings across OECD countries largely support policies that provide opportunities for more involved fathering, but preferences continue to be gendered and linked to family strains and country-level contexts.
The Effect of Network Formation on Cooperation in the Finitely Repeated Prisoner's Dilemma

We study the effect of network formation on cooperation in the finitely repeated prisoner’s dilemma based on the game-theoretical model approach. We suggest the model explaining the effect of endogenous network formation on cooperation. We find a subgame perfect strongly pairwise-Nash equilibrium in which cooperation is achieved by the trigger strategy based on non-random partner selection. Also, in the subgame perfect strongly pairwise-Nash equilibrium, cooperators are completely connected with other cooperators, and defectors are isolated in the network. These results imply “full separation” of cooperators and defectors in the network and “marginalization” of defectors in the network.
Prolonged coagulopathy following repeated diphacinone ingestion.

Dear Editor, Diphacinone (2-Diphenylacetyl-1,3-Indandione) is an inandione vitamin-K antagonist. Like coumarins, diphacinone inhibits the enzyme vitamin K epoxide reductase resulting in a deficienc...
Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans with antecedent Lyme disease in a California. Case report.

Summary We present a case of Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans following California acquired Lyme disease. The U.S.A. literature on ACA is briefly reviewed.