cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A partition-based heuristic for translational box covering

Geometric covering problems are found in application domains such as sensor coverage and repairing of materials. This paper considers covering problems in which a target shape to be covered is specified and a set of covering shapes is supplied. The goal is to find translational positions of the covering shapes that allow them to collectively cover the target. All the shapes are orthotopes (convex boxes). The approach provides the best known results for translational, two-dimensional orthotope covering and the first results in three and four dimensions. Experiments suggest why the strategy succeeds in certain regions of the problem domain in spite of the NP-hardness of translational orthotope covering. This leads to a novel, dimension-independent measure that significantly improves the speed of the method. Orthotopes can form enclosures for nonconvex shapes, so progress for orthotope covering is beneficial in a more general context.
Does ischemia cause pancreatitis

To evaluate the in vivo effects of ischemia on the pancreas, 13 dogs had all blood vessels to the pancreas divided at laparotomy, except for the pancreatical duodenal artery and vein. In seven of the 13 dogs, ischemia was induced by clamping the pancreaticoduodenal artery for 5 h. In six dogs, pancreatitis was induced by injection of autologous bile (1 mL/kg body wt) into the pancreatic duct. Following ischemia or bile injection, the gland was reperfused and pancreatic blood flow was measured for the subsequent 4 h. Serum amylase was measured in all animals prior to operation, before arterial occlusion or bile injection, and after pancreatic perfusion. Pancreatic exudate was collected for trypsin assay. Gross and histologic examination of the pancreas and measurement of pancreatic water content was done on all specimens. Mean pancreaticoduodenal artery blood flow in ischemic animals showed reperfusion hyperemia immediately after removal of the arterial clamp, followed by a gradual return to baseline flow. Bile injection caused pancreatic blood flow to gradually decline to levels approximately one-half of baseline. Serum amylase rose significantly from baseline levels following bile injection (p<.05), but there was no significant change in serum amylase following 5 h of total ischemia and 4 h of reperfusion. Pancreatic water content increased with both ischemia and bile injection, but this increase reached statistical significance only with ischemia. Microscopically, edema was seen in the ischemic pancreas, but cellular architecture was preserved. Bile injection regularly revealed hemorrhage, necrosis, and disruption of acinar architecture. Trypsin activity was present in the exudate of four of six bile-injected dogs, but only one of seven ischemic dogs (p<.05). In conclusion, ischemia did not elevate amylase, active trypsin, or cause hemorrhage and disruption of acinar architecture. Ischemia, unlike bile injection, did not initiate a process similar to severe clinical pancreatitis.
Real Time Air Quality Monitoring

In this paper, a real-time crowd sensing based air quality monitoring system is presented. The proposed system uses low cost and low power devices with gas sensors to capture the air quality index from the atmosphere. Raw sensor data collected from the gas sensors sent to the cloud using an android application. In cloud, the data is stored and processed. The processed data is visualized in real time on a map using an opensource geospatial data visualization framework such as Leaflet using R programming.
Roles for Ena/VASP proteins in FMNL3-mediated filopodial assembly

Filopodia are actin-dependent finger-like structures that protrude from the plasma membrane. Actin filament barbed-end-binding proteins localized to filopodial tips are key to filopodial assembly. Two classes of barbed-end-binding proteins are formins and Ena/VASP proteins, and both classes have been localized to filopodial tips in specific cellular contexts. Here, we examine the filopodial roles of the FMNL formins and Ena/VASP proteins in U2OS cells. FMNL3 suppression reduces filopodial assembly by 90%, and FMNL3 is enriched at >95% of filopodial tips. Suppression of VASP or Mena (also known as ENAH) reduces filopodial assembly by >75%. However, VASP and Mena do not display consistent filopodial tip localization, but are enriched in focal adhesions (FAs). Interestingly, >85% of FMNL3-containing filopodia are associated with FAs. Two situations increase Ena/VASP filopodial localization: (1) expression of myosin-X, and (2) actively spreading cells. In spreading cells, filopodia often mark sites of nascent adhesions. Interestingly, VASP suppression in spreading cells causes a significant increase in adhesion assembly at filopodial tips. This work demonstrates that, in U2OS cells, Ena/VASP proteins play roles in filopodia beyond those at filopodial tips.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Source Connectivity Analysis Can Assess Recovery of Acute Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

In this study we investigated whether source connectivity analysis of resting-state Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) activity could separate mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) patients from age-and sex-matched controls. For each subject, we used artifact-free data recorded on three sessions to estimate intracranial sources which were then projected onto a standardized brain atlas for common reference. The statistical and topological properties of functional brain networks, estimated using Granger causality, were analyzed using MANOVA, with group and recording session as the independent variables and number of in-going and out-going connections in each atlas region as dependent variables. Overall, mTBI subjects showed a larger number of stronger connections compared to controls. The number and topology of in-going and out-going connections were significantly different across the two groups in areas involved with spatial memory, perception of visual space, emotion formation and processing, learning, and memory. Additionally, differences between patients and controls were decreasing across the three sessions indicating patient improvement. Our results suggest that connectivity analysis may be used as a reliable biomarker of mTBI and can also help with the diagnosis and assessment of patient recovery.
The human rights foundations of an EKC with a minimum consumption requirement: theory, implications, and quantitative findings

Andreoni and Levinson’s (J Public Econ 80:269–286, 2001) EKC model is modified to include Stone (Econ J 63:511–527, 1954) and Geary (Rev Econ Stud 18(99):65–66, 1950) preferences where the economic agent has a minimum consumption requirement (MCR). We show that at each level of income, an increase in the MCR is associated with higher levels of pollution, and the threshold level of income at which the EKC inverts changes with a change in the MCR. A numerical exercise further supports these findings. We offer a policy discussion within the context of the environmental impacts of meeting a MCR noting that doing so is costly in terms of the impact on pollution and the resources required to mitigate pollution in its presence.
Synthesis of poly(1-methyl-1-phenyl-1-silapentane) by chemical reduction of poly)1-methyl-1-phenyl-1-sila-cis-pent-3-ene with diimide

Poly(1-methyl-1-phenyl-1-silapentane) (I) has been prepared by the chemical reduction of the carbon-carbon double bonds of poly(1-methyl-1-phenyl-1-sila-cis-pent-3-ene (cis-II) with diimide, which was generatedin-situ by the thermal decomposition ofp-toluenesulfonhydrazide in refluxing toluene. At lower temperature (100°C),cis-II is isomerized byp-toluenesulfinic acid to lower molecular weight poly(1-methyl-1-phenyl-1-sila-cis andtrans-pent-3-ene) (cis/trans-II). Protodesilation of I with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid yields poly(1-methyl-1-trifluoromethanesulfonyl-1-silapentane) (III). The structures of I andcis/trans-II have been characterized by1H,13C and29Si NMR, GPC, TGA and elemental analysis. The structure of I has been characterized spectroscopically by1H,13C,19F and29Si NMR.
Gender Differences in the Global Music Industry: Evidence from MusicBrainz and The Echo Nest

With digital music consumption being at an all-time high, online music encyclopedia like MusicBrainz and music intelligence platforms like The Echo Nest are becoming increasingly important in identifying, organizing, and recommending music for listeners around the globe. As a byproduct, such sites collect comprehensive information about a vast amount of artists, their recorded songs, institutional support, and the collaborations between them. Using a unique mash-up of crowdsourced, curated, and algorithmically augmented data, this paper unpacks an unsolved problem that is key to promoting artistic innovation, i.e., how gender penetrates into artistic context leading to the globally perceived gender gap in the music industry. Specifically, we investigate gender-related differences in the sonic features of artists’ work, artists’ tagging by listeners, their record label affiliations, and collaboration networks. We find statistically significant disparities along all these dimensions. Moreover, the differences allow models to reliably identify the gender of songs’ creators and help elucidate the role of cultural and structural factors in sustaining inequality. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of gender differences in music production and inspire strategies that could improve the recognition of female artists and advance gender equity in artistic leadership and innovation.
Laparoscopic Single-Port Transgastric Underrunning of a Dieulafoy Lesion

Abstract Introduction: A Dieulafoy lesion is a large tortuous submucosal arteriole protruding through a small mucosal defect.1 It is uncommon but potentially life threatening.2 Endoscopic hemostasi...
How Do I Design a Chemical Reaction To Do Useful Work? Reinvigorating General Chemistry by Connecting Chemistry and Society

Insights and methods from the chemical sciences are directly relevant to global challenges such as climate change, renewable energy generation and storage, water purification, and food production. ...
Transportation, technology, and adolescent health

Abstract This chapter introduces the issues surrounding the positive and negative effects of technologies on the safety of adolescent transportation. Pedestrian travel is the first mode of independent transit for adolescents. The cognitive processes required for safe pedestrian behaviors are attention, information processing, and decision making. These processes can be compromised by the usage of technology during transit, especially for adolescent pedestrians. To combat the negative effects of technology on pedestrian safety, interventions, such as policies, awareness campaigns, community programs for young pedestrian safety, and traditional and technology-based safe-pedestrian training education, have been developed and are reviewed in this chapter. Next, as adolescents become teen drivers, distracted driving becomes a clear risk in safe transportation. This issue of distracted teen driving is highlighted and the different models used to understand the effect of distraction on driving performance are discussed. Many factors contribute to the heightened risk of distracted driving among adolescents. These factors include less driving experience, increased use of smartphones, and increased social pressure. Due to the pervasive nature of this problem, many technological and nontechnological interventions are being studied and applied to address distracted driving. This chapter concludes by highlighting interventions that are aimed at improving the safety of driving. These include policy changes, smartphone applications, and vehicle-mediated technologies.
Point-of-care ultrasound in pediatric anesthesia: perioperative considerations.

Purpose of review To review the perioperative applications of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). Recent findings The role of point-of-care ultrasonography for perioperative care is expanding with respect to perioperative application. The imaging approach can complement the physical exam and provide additional information for decision-making in pediatric perioperative medicine. This review will focus on applications in the following organ systems: airway, cardiac, pulmonary and gastric. Specifically, POCUS of the airway has been used to optimize endotracheal tube depth, aid in tube size selection and predict difficulty with laryngoscopy and intubation. Lung POCUS has been used to assess for causes hypoxemia as well as to optimize ventilatory mechanics. Cardiac POCUS has been used for assessment of hemodynamics, valvular and ventricular function. Gastric ultrasound has emerged as an evaluative mechanism of gastric content in the setting of fasting as well as to confirm placement of gastric tubes. The applications of POCUS in the perioperative setting continue to evolve as a reliable diagnostic tool that can assist in timely diagnosis, improve procedural safety and has the potential to improve patient outcomes. Summary The utility of perioperative POCUS has been well demonstrated, specifically for examination of the airway, stomach and cardiopulmonary system. It is advisable for the novice sonographer to perform POCUS within the guidelines set by the American Society of Echocardiography regarding basic POCUS. As with all diagnostic modalities, understanding the limitations of ultrasound and POCUS as well as continuous self-assessment is crucial.
How efficacious must a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine be to prevent or stop an epidemic by itself

Abstract Background Given the continuing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and much of the U.S. implementing social distancing due to the lack of alternatives, there has been a push to develop a vaccine to eliminate the need for social distancing. Methods In 2020, we developed a computational model of the U.S. simulating the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus and vaccination. Results Simulation experiments revealed that when vaccine efficacy exceeded 70%, coverage exceeded 60%, and vaccination occurred on day 1, the attack rate dropped to 22% with daily cases not exceeding 3.2 million (reproductive rate, R0, 2.5). When R0 was 3.5, the attack rate dropped to 41% with daily cases not exceeding 14.4 million. Increasing coverage to 75% when vaccination occurred by day 90 resulted in 5% attack rate and daily cases not exceeding 258,029when R0 was 2.5 and a 26% attack rate and maximum daily cases of 22.6 million when R0 was 3.5. When vaccination did not occur until day 180, coverage (i.e., those vaccinated plus those otherwise immune) had to reach 100%. A vaccine with an efficacy between 40% and 70% could still obviate the need for other measures under certain circumstances such as much higher, and in some cases, potentially unachievable, vaccination coverages. Conclusion Our study found that to either prevent or largely extinguish an epidemic without any other measures (e.g., social distancing), the vaccine has to have an efficacy of at least 70%.
Characteristics and Long-Term Outcomes of Patients with Prior Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Limited data are available on characteristics and long-term outcomes of patients with coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Between January 2000 to December 2014, we identified STEMI patients with prior CABG undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention from 3 sites. Kaplan-Meier methods to estimate survival and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were employed and compared to a propensity matched cohort of non-CABG STEMI patients. Independent predictors of outcomes were analyzed with Cox modeling. Of the 3,212 STEMI patients identified, there were 296 (9.2%) CABG STEMI patients, having nearly similar frequencies of culprit graft (47.6%) versus culprit native (52.4%) as the infarct-related artery (IRA). At 10 years, the adjusted survival was 44% in CABG STEMI versus 55% in non-CABG STEMI (HR 1.26; 95%CI 0.86 to 1.87; p = 0.72). Survival free of MACE was lower for CABG STEMI (graft IRA, 37%; native IRA, 46%) as compared to non-CABG STEMI controls (63%) (p = 0.02). Neither CABG history nor IRA (native vs graft) was independently associated with death or MACE in multivariable analysis. Temporal trends showed no significant change in death or MACE rates of CABG STEMI patients over time. In conclusion, long term survival of CABG STEMI patients is not significantly different than matched STEMI patients without prior CABG; however, CABG STEMI patients were at significantly higher risk for MACE events.
Thermal coupling-decoupling mechanism of heat transfer across van der Waals interfaces in n-eicosane

Abstract Progress toward improving thermal transport properties of n-eicosane, a promising phase change material for thermal energy storage near human body temperature, is hindered by lack of a general theoretical framework to model thermal interfacial conductance (TIC) of the van der Waals (vdW) force bonded molecular interfaces, which have little compositional/structural mismatch. Combining molecular dynamics simulations at temperatures up to the melting point and a time-domain analysis of interfacial heat currents in individual molecules, we unveil that (1) the heat flux across a molecular vdW interface has an alternating coupling-decoupling pattern at the single molecule level due to thermal fluctuations, and (2) the net heat transfer during the thermally coupled periods is orders of magnitude larger than that during the thermally decoupled periods. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a vdW interface's TIC correlates almost linearly with two atomistic-scale coupling-decoupling parameters: αc and σc, that represent the duration and strength of the thermal coupling, respectively. This thermal coupling-decoupling mechanism proposes a new paradigm that explicitly accounts for the effects of structural flexibility and dynamical fluctuation on heat transfer across molecular interfaces, and will likely provide new insights into modeling thermal transport properties in a wide-ranging soft materials, including self-assembled monolayers, paraffins or lipids.
Path-dependent Equilibria Induced by Genuinely Sticky Expectations

We investigate a simple macroeconomic model where rational inflation expectations is replaced by a boundedly rational, sticky, response to changes in the actual inflation rate. Our expectations rule differs from standard sticky models and incorporates truly 'stuck' behavior as opposed to delayed rationality. The model can be rigorously analyzed and we prove that the unique equilibrium of the rational expectations model is replaced by a continuum of potential equilibria. The equilibrium that exists at any given time depends, in a deterministic way, upon previous extreme states of the system. The agents are sufficiently far-removed from the rational expectations paradigm that indeterminacy issues do not arise. The response to exogenous noise is far more subtle than in a unique equilibrium model. After sufficiently small shocks the system will indeed revert to the same equilibrium but larger shocks will change the equilibrium value (without changing the model parameters). The path to this new equilibrium may be very long with a highly unpredictable, sometimes counter-intuitive, endpoint. At certain model parameters exogenously-triggered runaway inflation can even occur. Finally, we analyze a variant model in which the same form of sticky response is introduced into the interest rate rule instead.
French Roast: Consumer Response to International Conflict—Evidence from Supermarket Scanner Data

Abstract Do consumers boycott in response to international conflict? We show that during the 2003 U.S.–France dispute over the Iraq War, the market share of French-sounding, U.S. supermarket brands declined. The dispute was a negative shock to U.S. consumers’ associations with France. French-sounding brands, which consumers perceive to be French imports but are not, allow us to isolate the dispute’s effect on economic behavior, as these brands’ only link to France is through consumers’ associations. Our estimates, derived from a nationwide sample of weekly supermarket sales for over 8,000 brands, are robust to a variety of alternate explanations. We also show that supermarkets with a higher proportion of customers who are U.S. citizens (i.e., who more strongly identify with the U.S. national identity) exhibited sharper boycotts.
Osteoblasts Generate Testosterone From DHEA and Activate Androgen Signaling in Prostate Cancer Cells.

Bone metastasis is a complication of prostate cancer in up to 90% of men afflicted with advanced disease. Therapies that reduce androgen exposure remain at the forefront of treatment. However, most prostate cancers transition to a state whereby reducing testicular androgen action becomes ineffective. A common mechanism of this transition is intratumoral production of testosterone (T) using the adrenal androgen precursor dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) through enzymatic conversion by 3β- and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (3βHSD and 17βHSD). Given the ability of prostate cancer to form blastic metastases in bone, we hypothesized that osteoblasts might be a source of androgen synthesis. RNA expression analyses of murine osteoblasts and human bone confirmed that at least one 3βHSD and 17βHSD enzyme isoform was expressed, suggesting that osteoblasts are capable of generating androgens from adrenal DHEA. Murine osteoblasts were treated with 100 nM and 1 μM DHEA or vehicle control. Conditioned media from these osteoblasts were assayed for intermediate and active androgens by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. As DHEA was consumed, the androgen intermediates androstenediol and androstenedione were generated and subsequently converted to T. Conditioned media of DHEA-treated osteoblasts increased androgen receptor (AR) signaling, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) production, and cell numbers of the androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cell lines C4-2B and LNCaP. DHEA did not induce AR signaling in osteoblasts despite AR expression in this cell type. We describe an unreported function of osteoblasts as a source of T that is especially relevant during androgen-responsive metastatic prostate cancer invasion into bone. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
Attorneys as Escrow Agents

This article details the conflicts of interest that can arise when an attorney representing a buyer also acts as escrow agent for both parties.
Mental Health Court Jail Diversion Programs in Ohio and Kentucky

Currently, there are approximately 169 mental health courts in the US. At least 15 mental health courts reside in Ohio while there is only one in Kentucky. There are 25 mental health courts in Idaho and about 21 in California. Meanwhile, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, Wyoming, Connecticut, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, Arkansas and Mississippi do not have any mental health courts. North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, and Wyoming have no pre-booking or post-booking jail diversion programs at all (GAINS 2007). Why is there such disparity in mental health courts in the United States? What does it take to start a mental health court? How are participants screened into mental health court? This article compares the 9 of the 16 mental health courts in Ohio and Kentucky, as well as the conditions present in Northern Kentucky where a regional mental health court is currently forming. This article focuses on mental health courts as opposed to pre-booking and post-booking programs, the target population for mental health courts, the conditions that support a mental health court program, and the elements of mental health courts.
Self-consistent approach for calculations of exciton binding energy in quantum wells

Abstract We introduce a computationally efficient approach to calculating characteristics of excitons in quantum wells. In this approach we derive a system of self-consistent equations describing the motion of an electron–hole pair. The motion in the growth direction of the quantum well in this approach is separated from the in-plane motion, but each of them occurs in modified potentials found self-consistently. The approach is applied to shallow quantum wells, for which we obtained an analytical expression for the exciton binding energy and the ground state eigenfunction. Our numerical results yield lower exciton binding energies in comparison to standard variational calculations, while require reduced computational effort.
Filament-assisted impulsive Raman spectroscopy for spectroscopy and detection

Laser filamentation provides a convenient source of broadband, intrinsically short radiation that is an ideal source for impulsive vibrational and rotational excitation of polyatomic molecules. Here we present experimental and theoretical results achieved to date.
Fractional Area Whitecap Coverage and Air‐Sea Gas Transfer Velocities Measured During GasEx‐98

GasEx-98 was an air-sea exchange process cruise conducted aboard the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown in the North Atlantic during May and June of 1998. During the cruise, air-sea gas transfer velocities for carbon dioxide were measured using the direct-covariance method. Because the sampling times for the covariance method are on the same order as the timescales of changes in meteorological forcing, the GasEx-98 results provide a unique data set for investigating whether changes in different forcing mechanisms correlate with changes in gas transfer. In particular, fractional area whitecap coverage, W C , was measured during daylight hours using a dual-camera video system mounted on a bow tower. Several high wind speed events occurred during the cruise, and the resulting correlation between wind speed and W C is consistent with previous oceanic measurements. The whitecap coverage data were combined with the wind speed records and these data were used in a parameterization of whitecap-mediated gas transfer to predict transfer velocities. These predicted transfer velocities are in good agreement with the transfer velocities derived from the direct-covariance data.
Negotiating with Gang Members

ABSTRACT The presence of gang members and their involvement in crime has been documented and debated by researchers and practitioners for years. In 1998, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reported there were 28,700 gangs and 780,200 gang members in the United States (National Institute of Justice, 2000). These findings represent a 7% decrease in the number of gangs and an 8% decrease in the number of gang members since 1996. These decreases, however, are not recognized by society, as the presence of gangs is portrayed by the media with visual images and graphic descriptions of drug sales, turf wars, drive by shootings and drug-related murders. Most law enforcement agencies cite 1994 as the beginning of the gang problem (National Institute of Justice, 1997). Although the yearly reports vary regarding the number of gangs and gang members and their involvement in criminal activity, their presence and influence remains.
Ketorolac versus Aspirin for Postpartum Uterine Pain

Ketorolac tromethamine, a new nonsteroidal antiinflammatory analgesic, was evaluated for relative efficacy, safety and time course of analgesia in a stratified, randomized, parallel, double-blind trial. The study involved 120 hospitalized women (4 groups of 30) with moderate or severe postpartum uterine pain treated with single oral doses of ketorolac 5 mg and 10 mg, aspirin 650 mg or placebo. At regular interviews for 6 hours patients rated pain intensity, pain relief and side effects. Significant differences (p less than or equal to 0.05, two-tailed) occurred among the 4 treatments for various measurements of summed and peak analgesia. Ketorolac 10 mg was significantly superior to placebo in 5 of 5 major efficacy measurements, and aspirin was significantly superior in 3 of 5. Ketorolac 10 mg gave the highest mean rating for summed pain intensity differences (13.6, p = 0.0002 versus placebo), followed by aspirin (11.9, p = 0.012), ketorolac 5 mg (10.9, p = 0.072) and placebo (8.6). With ketorolac 10 mg and 5 mg and aspirin, analgesia lasted 6 hours, with peak efficacy at 3 hours. Side effects were not significant. Our results suggested a positive dose-response relationship for ketorolac. Compared to aspirin, ketorolac 10 mg induced equal or more analgesia, whereas ketorolac 5 mg was near the minimum effective dose and seemed less effective than aspirin.
Immune Memory–Boosting Dose of Rapamycin Impairs Macrophage Vesicle Acidification and Curtails Glycolysis in Effector CD8 Cells, Impairing Defense against Acute Infections

Direct mammalian target of rapamycin (Rapa) complex 1 inhibition by short-term low-dose Rapa treatment has recently been shown to improve CD8 T cell immunological memory. Whereas these studies focused on memory development, the impact of low-dose Rapa on the primary immune response, particularly as it relates to functional effector immunity, is far less clear. In this study, we investigated the impact of acute Rapa treatment on immune effector cell function during the primary immune response to several acute infections. We found that functional CD8 T cell and macrophage responses to both viral and intracellular bacterial pathogens were depressed in mice in vivo and in humans to phorbol ester and calcium ionophore stimulation in vitro in the face of low-dose Rapa treatment. Mechanistically, the CD8 defect was linked to impaired glycolytic switch in stimulated naive cells and the reduced formation of short-lived effector cells. Therefore, more than one cell type required for a protective effector immune response is impaired by Rapa in both mice and humans, at the dose shown to improve immune memory and extend lifespan. This urges caution with regard to the relative therapeutic costs and benefits of Rapa treatment as means to improve immune memory.
The Rhetoric Hits the Road: State Resistance to Affordable Care Act Implementation

This paper provides an update and reanalysis of my previously published article, Rhetorical Federalism: The Value of State-Based Dissent to Federal Health Reform, 93 Hofstra Law Review 111 (2010). In Rhetorical Federalism, I made an affirmative case for the widespread trend of state resistance to the then-recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA). Before and immediately after ACA’s enactment, a significant number of states engaged in various forms of objection to the new federal Act, including but not limited to lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the individual insurance mandate. My article focused on five targets of state resistance: Medicaid expansion, high-risk insurance pools, health insurance exchanges, federal insurance market regulations, and the individual mandate. I identified reasons why state-based dissent should not be disregarded simply as Tea Party antics but instead should be considered valuable to the health care decisionmaking process and federal-state relations. For this Symposium, I revisit the five previously identified targets of state resistance to Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation, providing a one-year score-card of states’ successes and failures on those fronts. I also discuss states’ new strategies, including interstate compacts, Medicaid waivers, ACA § 1332 waivers, implementation moratoria, return of federal grants, and Tenth Amendment standing claims. In conclusion, I suggest that states’ federalism rhetoric, while still not always well-grounded in law, has better traction than I and other commentators predicted.
Molecular Morphogenesis of the Z-Disc in Muscle Cells

Perhaps one of the most fascinating visual impressions of skeletal and cardiac muscle cells is their striated appearance. It has been long suspected that in these cells there is a cytoskeleton present responsible for holding the constituent myofibrils in place. The presence of structural elements transverse to a muscle fiber’s long axis is suggested by the tendency for the Z-discs, M lines and other sarcomeric units of neighboring myofibrils to be in axial register across the fiber, thereby giving rise to the striking cross-striated appearance of the muscle cell. In addition, the ability of the membranous organelles such as mitochondria, the transverse tubular system (T system) and the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) to maintain an invariant topology during the contraction-relaxation cycle of muscle cells also attests to the presence of a cytoskeletal system, independent of the sarcomeric actin and myosin filaments, which is responsible for integrating these organelles with the sarcomere.
Disability Is a Feminist Issue: Bringing Together Women’s and Gender Studies and Disability Studies

This paper tracks a series of conversations between a women's and gender studies professor and two of her undergraduate students, all of whom are interested in disability studies. We explore the links between disability and feminism, and to think through the possibilities of having disability studies become part of the academy. Our primarily positive interactions with the academic institution and our interest in disability studies has led to our argument that disability is in fact a feminist issue. Disability studies has allowed each of us to re-conceptualize our own relationships to feminist theory, and shaped our ability to envision a better academic environment for all students. Keywords: feminist disability studies, intersectionality, pedagogy, mental disability
Local circuit synaptic interactions in hippocampal brain slices

The hypothesis that recurrent inhibition in the hippocampus is mediated by interneurons was tested with simultaneous intracellular recordings from the CA1 region of guinea pig hippocampal slices in vitro. In recordings from 101 pairs of pyramidal cells, no interactions were detected in 87% of the pairs. In 13% of the pyramidal cell pairs, spike trains induced in one cell caused inhibitor postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in the second cell. No excitatory interactions were detected. In recordings from 43 pairs of cells, where one cell was a pyramidal cell and the other cell was an interneuron, no interactions were detected in 53% of the pairs. In 30% of the interneuron-pyramidal cell pairs, spike trains elicited from the interneuron caused IPSPs in the pyramidal cell. In 28% of the pairs, spike trains elicited from the pyramidal cell caused excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in the interneurons. In 4% of these pairs, reciprocal interactions were seen, with the pyramidal cell exciting the interneuron and the interneuron inhibiting the pyramidal cell. These results support the hypothesis that inhibitory mediate recurrent inhibition in the hippocampus. However, the data also suggest that the interneurons from which these results were recorded were a subset of inhibitory interneurons distinct from the classical basket cell. These interneurons may mediate both feed-forward and recurrent inhibition in the hippocampus.
A Bianchi type III cosmology: Matter content’s effect on isotropic expansion

A radiation-filled, cosmological solution to the Einstein equations, which expands isotropically, is given for a type III metric. To effect this expansion, the radiation gas must exert negative pressures in two directions. This solution high lights the importance of specifying the behavior of matter when addressing the issue of the tendency of metrics belonging to a specific Bianchi type to become isotropic.
Fuzzy system identification using rule-based models

The purpose of the paper was to examine the methods used to develop fuzzy models of SISO systems which may be thought of as "rule-based" using non-recursive techniques. First, we look at the mathematical concepts used to develop the models. Second, special constraints used in the creation of the fuzzy models are specified. Third, fuzzy models of a simple linear system are developed. The models are used to determine the effects of incorrect or overparameterization on the effects of the model performance. Finally, fuzzy models of a simple non-linear system are developed and their performance examined. >
Rapid Estimation of Fibrinogen in Fibrinolytic and Nonfibrinolytic States

Anticoagulated whole blood is serially diluted in a fibrinolytic inhibitor, then clotted with thrombin after adding calcium chloride. The clotting end point, visualized by addition of saline, is related to the concentration of clottable protein present. Protection of the forming clot against lysis is afforded by the inhibitor, by calcium chloride, and by the brief incubation at room temperature, and enables blood fibrinogen concentration to be readily discernible, even if it is less than 25 mg/100 ml. Fibrinogen in the blood is quickly estimated irrespective of the patient’s clinical status.
Abdellah Hammoudi. The Victim and its Masks.

The Victim and its Masks, an Essay on Sacrifice and Masquerade in the Maghreb, ABDELLAH HAMMOUDI. Translated by Paula Wissing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. 199 pp. 15 halftones, notes, index. $39.95 (cloth); $16.95 (paper).
Measurements of control stability characteristics of a wind-tunnel model using a transfer function method

Recent state-of-the-art techniques in rotor systems include the use of active feedback to augment the dynamic control characteristics of an aircraft system. A recent test of a stoppable rotor with blade circulation blowing was conducted in the Ames Research Center's 40by 80-ft wind tunnel. A major part of the test schedule was dedicated to the acquisition of data to determine the stability of a closed-loop hub-moment feedback control system. Therefore, the open-loop control response was measured at several flight conditions to ascertain the stability of the system prior to the final closed-loop feedback control test. Measurements were made during both the stopped and rotating rotor modes, and open-loop Bode plots were obtained for the control loops associated with the moments about the longitudinal and lateral axis.
Finite-Dimensional Sturm–Liouville Vessels and Their Tau Functions

We introduce a theory of a class of finite-dimensional vessels, a concept originating from the pioneering work of Livsic (Soobshch Akad Nauk Gruzin SSSR 91(2):281–284, 1978). Our work may be considered as a first step toward analyzing and constructing Lax Phillips scattering theory for Sturm–Liouville differentiable equations on the half axis (0,∞) with singularity at 0. We also develop a rich and interesting theory of vessels with deep connections to the notion of the τ function, arising in non linear differential equations (LDE), and to the Galois differential theory for LDEs.
Sometimes it's hard to be a woman: Reinterpreting a country music classic

(1992). Sometimes it's hard to be a woman: Reinterpreting a country music classic. Popular Music and Society: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 1-11.
Observation of a laserlike transition in a microcavity exciton polariton system.

We present experimental evidence of spontaneous buildup of coherent exciton polariton population in a microcavity, i.e., an exciton polariton laser. The laser phase transition was confirmed by the increased differential quantum efficiency and decreased linewidth of the lasing polariton mode due to onset of final-state stimulations and the decreased differential quantum efficiency of a nonlasing polariton due to onset of gain clamping at threshold. The exciton polariton laser is distinctly different from an optical laser because of its density-dependent scattering mechanism. The rate equations, taking into account phonon-assisted polariton emission and the polariton-reservoir exciton scattering rate, explain the measurement results well.
Radiation and reception with buried and submerged antennas

The paper is intended as a link between the abstruse boundary value problem solutions and the systems engineer. A brief bibliographic review of the boundary problem is given, followed by a discussion of the several approximate solutions and their regions of validity. The propagation path, for almost all practical applications, consists of an evanescent wave from the transmitting antenna to the surface where a conventional Norton surface wave is excited. Part of the wave energy leaks into the lossy medium, thus reaching the receiving antenna. Merit factors are given for three types of antennas: loops and dipoles in insulating radomes, and an insulated long wire with end electrodes. A particularly useful merit factor, relative gain, which relates vertically polarized power per unit solid angle over the surface to total input power, is defined. The long wire is shown to be appreciably superior to loops or dipoles. Among the latter two, superiority depends on the relative sizes of radome, skin depth and wavelength. A simplified physical model is presented wherein the fields of the long wire are derived from a vertical quadripole of conduction current. Due to the low mutual impedance between antennas in lossy media, some array gain can be realized without concomitant beam sharpening.
Health behavior change among women with recent familial diagnosis of breast cancer.

Abstract Background . Although first-degree female relatives (FDFR) of women with breast cancer are at increased risk for the disease, little is understood about how familial diagnosis impacts health behaviors and what personal factors predict such changes. Methods . Six hundred women, ages 18 and over with a FDFR recently diagnosed with breast cancer, were interviewed after the diagnosis and again in 6 months. Participants self-reported changes in physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, fat consumption, alcohol and tobacco use. The effect of baseline demographics, health status, perceptions of relative's disease severity, personal risk, control over the disease and the effect of lifestyle behaviors on risk was assessed in relation to behavior changes. Results . Forty-two percent reported improving one or more behaviors. Perception that the behavior was a risk factor for breast cancer was positively associated with change for all behaviors except smoking. Poor health status, obesity and perception of control over breast cancer were associated with improvements in physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption and fat consumption. Conclusions . Diagnosis of breast cancer in a first-degree relative can provide motivation to improve health behavior. Educational interventions highlighting the importance of these behaviors in reducing breast cancer risk and promoting health in general may be effective in this population.
Industrial process control with array spectroscopy

A survey of the industrial process control applications using array spectrometers. Includes discussion of desirable features of an industrial spectrometer system.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Récepteurs gustatifs des molécules sucrantes et antisucrantes - Un rôle métabolique insoupçonné

Les recepteurs gustatifs de type T1R (taste receptor 1 ), qui relaient la sensation du gout sucre, sont en fait impliques dans des systemes integres de chemodetection des produits sucrants circulant dans l’organisme entier. La recherche de leurs roles dans l’absorption intestinale, la regulation metabolique et l’homeostasie glucidique, notamment, est en plein essor. L’impact biologique, en dehors du systeme gustatif, des sucrants naturels, des edulcorants mais aussi des molecules antisucrantes moins connues, est l’objet de discussions. La notion de sucrant inverse est introduite et illustree par la decouverte recente que deux classes majeures de composes appartenant respectivement a la medecine (fibrates) et a l’agriculture (phenoxyherbicides), sont en fait des inhibiteurs des recepteurs T1R specifiques a l’homme.
Assessment of semantic similarity between land use/land cover classification systems

One difficulty in sharing datasets between research projects and research teams is variation in the semantic content of the data expressed as differences in categorization. One step towards achieving semantic interoperability is to have means to measure the degree of semantic similarity between existing datasets and the target categorization of the new study. A variety of environmental and urban analyses use land use/land cover data to describe the natural environment. This paper focuses on measuring semantic similarity between categories in different land use/land cover classification systems. A modified feature-based approach is employed. Semantic components of a category are weighted to emphasize critical features in the categories definition. A case study is presented to demonstrate how semantic similarity is measured between target categories in a specific study and categories already in use in existing land use/land cover classification systems.
Alkaloids of young ponderosa pine seedlings and late steps in the biosynthesis of pinidine

Abstract The pattern of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) piperidine alkaloid accumulation from seeds to 28-day-old seedlings was assessed. Seeds were devoid of alkaloids but eight-day-old seedlings contained several alkaloids whose concentrations remained low with continued growth, while the concentration of pinidine [cis-2-methyl-6-(2-propenyl)-piperidine] steadily increased. 13C-Labelled cis-pinidinone [cis-2-methyl-6-(2-oxopropyl)-piperidine] was taken up through seedling roots and was incorporated into pinidine.
Artificial Urinary Sphincter Placement in Compromised Urethras and Survival: A Comparison of Virgin, Radiated and Reoperative Cases

Purpose: Although long-term outcomes after initial placement of artificial urinary sphincters are established, limited data exist comparing sphincter survival in patients with compromised urethras (prior radiation, artificial urinary sphincter placement or urethroplasty). We evaluated artificial urinary sphincter failure in patients with compromised and noncompromised urethras.Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 86 sphincters placed at a single institution between December 1997 and September 2012. We assessed patient demographic, comorbid disease and surgical characteristics. All nonfunctioning, eroded or infected devices were considered failures.Results: Of the 86 patients reviewed 67 (78%) had compromised urethras and had higher failure rates than the noncompromised group (34% vs 21%, p=0.02). Compared to the noncompromised group, cases of prior radiation therapy (HR 4.78; 95% CI 1.27, 18.04), urethroplasty (HR 8.61; 95% CI 1.27, 58.51) and previous artificial urinary sphinct...
THE FINDING OF PLEISTOCENE MATERIAL IN AN ASPHALT PIT AT CARPINTERIA, CALIFORNIA.

In February, 1927, on the Lucien Higgins ranch in Carpinteria in southern Santa Barbara County, California, a steam-shovel which was taking out road material over a deposit of asphalt disclosed some bones. These were brought to the attention of Mr. Norton Stuart, curator of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Mr. Stuart at once began an investigation of the field and after several attempts to locate the source of the earlier finds, at last discovered a mass of material which extends to a depth that has not yet been measured. Here, Mr. Stuart found a great number of bones of birds, mammals and rodents, together with pine cones, leaves and other plant material.
PCSK9 inhibition to reduce cardiovascular disease risk: recent findings from the biology of PCSK9.

Purpose of review Review novel insights into the biology of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) that may explain the extreme efficiency of PCSK9 inhibition and the unexpected metabolic effects resulting from PCSK9 monoclonal antibody therapy, and may identify additional patients as target of therapy.