cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polymers containing fluorinated ketone groups. II. NMR studies of the reaction of methylbenzyl trifluoromethyl ketones with alcohols in carbon tetrachloride

Prior to the study of poly(o- and p-vinylbenzyl trifluoromethyl ketone) (PVTFK) polymers and their reaction with alcohols, the reactions of some simple model compounds with alcohols were investigated. The reaction of fluorinated ketones toward alcohols was determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Two fluorinated ketones–p-methylbenzyl trifluoromethyl ketone (p-MTFK) and o-methylbenzyl trifluoromethyl ketone (o-MTFK)–were prepared. Studies of the reaction of p-MTFK and o-MTFK to various alcohols based on NMR produced equilibrium constants (1M in CCl4) at 31°C that ranged from 0.1 to 6.0. The equilibrium constants for p-MTFK with alcohols were larger than those for o-MTFK. In addition, the equilibrium constants for primary alcohols were larger than those for secondary and tertiary alcohols. Steric effects in this reaction could explain the lowered equilibrium constants for o-MTFK and the secondary and tertiary alcohols.
Estimates of Meridional Atmosphere and Ocean Heat Transports

New estimates of the poleward energy transport based on atmospheric reanalyses from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction‐National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP‐NCAR) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts are presented. The analysis focuses on the period from February 1985 to April 1989 when there are reliable top-of-the-atmosphere radiation data from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment. Annual mean poleward transports of atmospheric energy peak at 5.0 6 0.14 PW at 438N and with similar values near 408S, which is much larger than previous estimates. The standard deviation of annual and zonal mean variability from 1979 to 1998 is mostly less than 0.15 PW (1%‐3%). Results are evaluated by computing the implied ocean heat transports, utilizing physical constraints, and comparing them with direct oceanographic estimates and those from successful stable coupled climate models that have been run without artificial flux adjustments for several centuries. Reasonable agreement among ocean transports is obtained with the disparate methods when the results from NCEP‐NCAR reanalyses based upon residually derived (not modelgenerated) methods are used, and this suggests that improvements have occurred and convergence is to the true values. Atmospheric transports adjusted for spurious subterranean transports over land areas are inferred and show that poleward ocean heat transports are dominant only between 08 and 178N. At 358 latitude, at which the peak total poleward transport in each hemisphere occurs, the atmospheric transport accounts for 78% of the total in the Northern Hemisphere and 92% in the Southern Hemisphere. In general, a much greater portion of the required poleward transport is contributed by the atmosphere than the ocean, as compared with previous estimates.
Chemotherapy Extravasation Injuries

NJURY FROM EXTRAVASATION of intravenous chemotherapeutic drugs can lead to severe disability and morbidity. Although the annual incidence of extravasation injury is only 0.1% to 0.7%, it is 4.7% in the chemotherapy patient population and ranges from 11% to 58% in children. 1 These high-risk populations— neutropenic cancer patients and neonates in the intensive care unit— cannot physiologically afford such an injury. Peripheral intravenous devices placed in the upper extremity and used for chemotherapy put the dorsum of the hand and the antecubital fossa at substantial risk for injury. Although intravenous extravasation prevention is paramount, swift treatment in the event of an accident is critical in avoiding morbidity. Appropriate treatment requires knowledge of the nature of the toxic agent extravasated as well as an understanding of the medical and surgical treatment options available.
Towards a Packet-based Control Theory - Part II: Rate Issues

Following our first paper of stabilizing a linear time invariant (LTI) system in a packet-based network, which appeared in ACC 05, this paper further studies various rate issues associated with networked control systems. Specifically, networks with finite bandwidth and packet drops and systems with finite control inputs are studied in detail. Similar to what we did in the previous paper, we assume that the state information is transmitted to the controller over a packet-based network. We also assume that there is a perfect link from the controller to the plant. However, we change the notion of the system being asymptotically stable to almost sure stable which is in a probabilistic framework. This is because packet drops by the network introduce unavoidable randomness. With the notion of almost sure stability, various rate results under different settings are given. Examples and simulations are provided to demonstrate the results
Cerebellar hemispheric activation ipsilateral to the paretic hand correlates with functional recovery after stroke

An experimental lesion in the primary motor or sensory cortices in monkeys leads to functional reorganization in areas surrounding the lesion or in contralateral homologous regions. In humans, task-dependent brain activation after motor stroke seems to be multifocal and bilateral. Although many active structures are seen after stroke, their roles are unclear. For instance, the uninjured primary motor cortex may play a significant role in recovery or may be associated with mirror movements. Other motor areas, particularly those outside the affected middle cerebral artery distribution, have also been thought to play such a role, including the medial pre-motor areas and both cerebellar hemispheres. The lateral pre-motor areas might also contribute but the demarcation of primary motor and pre-motor cortices is not trivial. It is not known from existing studies how brain activation relates to behavioural change over the time course of recovery. We used functional MRI (fMRI) to study 12 patients longitudinally over the first 6 months of stroke recovery. All subjects had acute stroke causing unilateral arm weakness and had some ability to move the impaired hand within 1 month. Each patient had both motor testing and fMRI during finger and wrist movements at four points during the observed period. Six of these patients showed good motor recovery, whereas the other six did not. The imaging results support a role for the cerebellum in mediating functional recovery from stroke. The data suggest that patients with good recovery have clear changes in the activation of the cerebellar hemisphere opposite the injured corticospinal tract. Patients with poor recovery do not show such changes in cerebellar activation. No other brain region had a significant correlation with recovery. Interestingly, activation in the cerebellum ipsilateral to the injury increases transiently after stroke, independently of the success of recovery. The present work suggests a possible link between cerebellar activation and behavioural recovery from hand weakness from stroke. The underlying mechanism is not known, but it could relate to haemodynamic changes such as diaschisis or to the postulated role of the cerebellum in motor skill learning.
The Change and Transformation of Indonesian Spatial Planning after Suharto's New Order Regime: The Case of the Jakarta Metropolitan Area

AbstractThe fall of the New Order regime has spurred the process of democratization and marked the transformation of Indonesia from authoritarian rule into a more democratic government. The new system of government also spurred the changes in the spatial planning system of Indonesia. The system of law and procedure which set the ground rules for planning practice in Indonesia during the New Order regime, as stipulated in the Spatial Planning Law 24/1992, reflected the authoritarian rule of the New Order regime. This law was replaced with the Spatial Planning Law 26/2007, a more participatory and accountable spatial planning law enacted in 2007. The paper examines the extent to which the transformation of spatial planning practices has taken place in the Jakarta Metropolitan Area after the fall of the New Order regime.
EFFECTS OF TEXT STRUCTURE INSTRUCTION ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE READERS' RECALL OF A SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL ARTICLE

Intermediate-level college students of French were randomly assigned to a condition in which they received information on the organization of a journal article or to a control condition where they did not receive this training. Half the students from each of these groups were assigned to read a scientific article in French which used canonical organization while the other half read the same article in a coherent form which did not. Afterwards, the students completed a free recall task in English, and the written recalls were scored for number of idea units recalled. Results indicated a significant main effect for instruction in text structure. This effect obtained only, however, when the text was in canonical experimental report order (problem, description of the investigation, results and conclusion). The discussion addresses how knowledge of structure gained through instruction may be used in comprehension and recall in the case of foreign-language readers. A large body of evidence suggests that simple stories and folktales are processed in units larger than sentences (Haberlandt, 1980; Mandler, 1982; PollardGott, McCloskey, & Todres, 1979). These units have often been described as a hierarchy containing the story setting and at least one episode at the top, with the episode further divided into smaller units, which are subordinate in the hierarchy. The smaller episodic units are typically said to consist of an initiating event, followed by a reaction on the part of the story's protagonist, an attempt to alter the situation, an outcome of the attempt and a conclusion containing a moral or the beginning of another episode (Mandler & Johnson, 1979).
The application of certainty factors to neural computing for rule discovery

Discovery of domain principles has been a major long-term goal for scientists. The paper presents a system called DOMRUL for learning such principles in the form of rules. A distinctive feature of the system is the integration of the certainty factor (CF) model and a neural network. These two elements complement each other. The CF model offers the neural network better semantics and generalization advantage, and the neural network overcomes possible limitations such as inaccuracies and overcounting of evidence associated with certainty factors. It is a major contribution of the paper to show mathematically the quantizability nature of the CFNet since previously the quantizability of the CF model was demonstrated only empirically. The rule discovery system can be applied to any domain without restriction on both the rule number and rule size. In a hypothetical domain, DOMRUL discovered complex domain rules at a considerably higher accuracy than a commonly used rule-learning program C4.5 in both normal and noisy conditions. The scalability in a large domain is also shown. On a real data set concerning promoters prediction in molecular biology, DOMRUL learned rules with more complete semantics than C4.5.
Geodetic sensitivity to surface meteorological data: 24-h and 6-h observing sessions

Tests have been performed to assess the utility of surface meteorological measurements for improved geodetic performance. Three types of a priori met data are considered: a default global, seasonal model; local met measurements collected at a subset of the test network; output values from a NOAA Forecast Systems Lab assimilation model. A variety of configurations for handling tropospheric parameters in the geodetic solutions is also considered. We find no geodetic advantage in using the measured met data under any test scenario. Differences among the three types of a priori information are generally insignificant, although biases can be introduced when some troposphere parameters are not adjusted. Even when using only a relatively small network (<100 km) the differences remain minor. When observing sessions are reduced from 24 h to 6 h the increased error due to measurement noise obscures all other effects except for the shortest baselines where some advantage may be achieved by not adjusting troposphere parameters for very close station pairs.
Convergence In State And Local Spending On Education: Are Lotteries Ear Marked For Education The Key?

Using Barro regression analysis, this paper finds evidence that per capita state spending on education converged from 1977 to 2006 across the U.S. states. Convergence was conditional on a state’s passage of a lottery for education during that time period. Despite evidence that the convergence of state education spending was conditional on the passage of an education lottery, the relative increase in education spending among many states that passed education lotteries was much greater than the revenue from the lotteries themselves. So, education lotteries seemed to be part of a larger bundle of policies in low spending states to increase education funding. Of all the functions of state and local government, education is both the largest and the most important. In 2006, state and local government direct expenditures were $2.12 trillion dollars. Direct expenditures on education were $728 billion, just over one-third of the total spending. No other single category of spending in state and local government finance rivals education in the number of dollars spent. There is clear competition among states over education funding. Legislatures and advocacy groups in states lagging behind their neighbors often will cite this fact as a reason to increase education spending. A popular choice among states recently has been to initiate a state lottery with the proceeds earmarked for education. From 1977 to 2006, sixteen states either started lotteries, which dedicated net proceeds exclusively for education, or redefined their existing lottery to earmark net proceeds to education. In every case, the lottery was hailed as a resounding success, but have these sixteen states that passed lotteries for education recently seen a relative increase in funding verses the other states? This paper addresses that question.
Airborne data processing and analysis software package

The practice of conducting quality control and quality assurance in the construction of data sets is often an overlooked and underestimated task of many research projects in the Earth Sciences. The development of software to effectively process and quickly analyze measurements is a critical aspect of a research project. An evolutionary approach has been used at the University of North Dakota to develop and implement software to process and analyze airborne measurements. Development over the past eight years has resulted in a collection of software named the Airborne Data Processing and Analysis (ADPAA) package which has been published as an open source project on Source Forge. The ADPAA package is intended to fully automate data processing while incorporating the concept of missing value codes and levels of data processing. At each data level, ADPAA utilizes a standard ASCII file format to store measurements from individual instruments into separate files. After all data levels have been processed, a summary file containing parameters of scientific interest for the field project is created for each aircraft flight. All project information is organized into a standard directory structure. ADPAA contains several tools that facilitate quality control procedures conducted on instruments during field projects and laboratory testing. Each quality control procedure is designed to ensure proper instrument performance and hence the validity of the instrument’s measurement. Data processing by ADPAA allows edit files to be created that are automatically used to insert missing value codes into a time period that had instrument problems. The creation of edit files is typically done after the completion of a field project when scientists are performing quality assurance of the data set. Since data processing is automatic, preliminary data can be created and analyzed within hours of an aircraft flight and a complete field project data set can be reprocessed many times during the quality assurance process. Once a final data set has been created, ADPAA provides several tools for visualization and analysis. In addition to aircraft data, ADPAA can be used on any data set that is based on time series measurements. The concepts illustrated by ADPAA and components of ADPAA, such as the Cplot visualization tool, are applicable to areas of Earth Science that work with time series measurements.
End User Programming for Scientists: Modeling Complex Systems

Towards the end of the 20th century, a paradigm shift took place in many scientific labs. Scientists embarked on a new form of scientific inquiry seeking to understand the behavior of complex adaptive systems that increasingly defied traditional reductive analysis. By combining experimental methodology with computer-based simulation tools, scientists gain greater understanding of the behavior of systems such as forest ecologies, global economies, climate modeling, and beach erosion. This improved understanding is already being used to influence policy in critical areas that will affect our nationA¢â‚¬â„¢s future, and the worldA¢â‚¬â„¢s.
Complement-Dependent Lysis of Influenza A Virus-Infected Cells by Broadly Cross-Reactive Human Monoclonal Antibodies

We characterized human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) cloned from influenza virus-infected patients and from influenza vaccine recipients by complement-dependent lysis (CDL) assay. Most MAbs active in CDL were neutralizing, but not all neutralizing MAbs can mediate CDL. Two of the three stalk-specific neutralizing MAbs tested were able to mediate CDL and were more cross-reactive to temporally distant H1N1 strains than the conventional hemagglutination-inhibiting and neutralizing MAbs. One of the stalk-specific MAbs was subtype cross-reactive to H1 and H2 hemagglutinins, suggesting a role for stalk-specific antibodies in protection against influenza illness, especially by a novel viral subtype which can cause pandemics.
Viscometry Constants for 1,4 Polybutadiene in Tetralin at 135C

Abstract : During the course of a research program on blends of crystallizable polybutadiene (PBD) isomers, we needed to determine the molecular weight of a trans 1,4 polybutadiene sample. Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) of the trans 1,4 PBD in 140 C tetralin was unsuccessful due to extensive polymer degradation during testing. Therefore, we obtained Mark-Houwink constants for a series of 1, 4 PBD (mixed cis/trans) standards of known molecular weight and low polydispersities. The constants were determined using solutions of PBD in tetralin at 135 C, and then we obtained the Mv of the trans 1,4 PBD sample.
Long focal length, asymmetric fan beam collimation for transmission acquisition with a triple camera SPECT system

A system design has been proposed for fast sequential SPECT/transmission CT on a three-headed SPECT camera. The design consists of a long focal length (114 cm) asymmetric fan beam collimator and a stationary transmission line source. The advantages of this system include: increased field-of-view, high sensitivity to the transmission line source, low sensitivity to radionuclide within the patient (reduced cross-talk effects), high spatial resolution, easy transition between SPECT and transmission acquisition, and no moving line source. An iterative ML-EM reconstruction algorithm for transmission data was implemented and adapted to the proposed acquisition geometry. Evaluations were performed using Monte Carlo simulated data. With a 40 cm detector width, transmission reconstructions of a 38/spl times/26 cm elliptical body were effectively artifact-free. Reconstructions of a 46/spl times/31 cm body contained only minor truncation artifacts that did not substantially affect the attenuation compensated SPECT image. Contamination of the transmission data from radionuclide within the patient can be substantially reduced with this system by increasing the resolution of the fan beam collimator. We conclude that long focal length, asymmetric fan beam collimation, combined with iterative reconstruction, offers a promising approach for fast sequential SPECT/TCT acquisition on a three-headed SPECT camera.
Effect of mowing on perennial sedges

Abstract Field studies were conducted in 1996 and 1997 to determine the response of Cyperus rotundus and Cyperus esculentus, Kyllinga brevifolia, and Kyllinga gracillima to mowing regimens common to recreational turfgrass. Treatments were selected to simulate Cynodon dactylon golf course management and included mowing at 1.3 and 3.8 cm with mowing frequencies of three times per week and once a week, respectively. A nonmowed check was included for comparison. Reductions in C. rotundus shoot number were observed beginning 6 wk after initial treatment (WAIT) in 1996 and 9 WAIT in 1997 for the 1.3-cm mowing regime. The 3.8-cm mowing regime did not reduce C. rotundus shoot number until the final evaluation of each year. Reductions in C. rotundus rhizome length, tuber number, and tuber size were observed for both mowing regimes in both years. Cyperus esculentus shoot number was reduced by the 1.3-cm treatment at each evaluation date in 1996 and 1997. Cyperus esculentus shoot number reductions in the 3.8-cm regi...
Civilization and War. By Brett Bowden. (Cheltenham, England: Edward Elgar, 2013. Pp. vi, 209. $110.00.)

The author of this book questions a central assumption of both scholarship and public opinion, namely that civilization and war have been and continue to be diametrically opposed to each other. Ins...
Turbulence Structure in Plane Couette Flow

Turbulent flow between two plane surfaces in relative shearing motion has been studied with air in a belt-type apparatus with one fixed surface. Mean velocities, turbulence intensities, scales and energy spectra measured in this flow indicate two regions of appreciably different characteristics. A wall region near the plane surfaces is found to occur with flow characteristics close to those found near walls of other turbulent shear flows when these are expressed in terms of the wall similarity parameters. A core region, of width at least three-eights the distance between the planes, appears away from these evidencing the characteristics of the homogeneous turbulence predicted by von Karman. The mean velocity has a linear gradient in this region and the turbulence intensity and scales are essentially constant; in fact, homogeneity is strongly suggested. For a more than two-fold range in flow Reynolds numbers (center line velocity 15 fps to 35 fps) the microscale is found to be constant, the macroscale increases linearly and the relative intensity is constant.
Data indicating temperature response of Ti-6Al-4V thin-walled structure during its additive manufacture via Laser Engineered Net Shaping.

An OPTOMEC Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS™) 750 system was retrofitted with a melt pool pyrometer and in-chamber infrared (IR) camera for nondestructive thermal inspection of the blown-powder, direct laser deposition (DLD) process. Data indicative of temperature and heat transfer within the melt pool and heat affected zone atop a thin-walled structure of Ti–6Al–4V during its additive manufacture are provided. Melt pool temperature data were collected via the dual-wavelength pyrometer while the dynamic, bulk part temperature distribution was collected using the IR camera. Such data are provided in Comma Separated Values (CSV) file format, containing a 752×480 matrix and a 320×240 matrix of temperatures corresponding to individual pixels of the pyrometer and IR camera, respectively. The IR camera and pyrometer temperature data are provided in blackbody-calibrated, raw forms. Provided thermal data can aid in generating and refining process-property-performance relationships between laser manufacturing and its fabricated materials.
Dilution and Suppression of Partially Premixed Flames in Normal and Microgravity for Different Fuels

The suppression of fires and flames is an important area of interest for both terrestrial and space based applications. In this investigation we elucidate the relative efficacy of fuel and air stream inert diluents for suppressing laminar partially premixed flames. A comparison of the effects of fuel and air stream dilution are also made with other fuels. Both counterflow and coflow flames are investigated, with both normal and zerogravity conditions considered for coflow flames. Simulations are conducted for both the counterflow and coflow flames, while experimental observations are made on the coflowing flames. With fuel or air stream dilution, coflow flames are observed to move downstream from the burner after overcoming initial heat transfer coupling. Further increases in diluent result in increases in the flame liftoff height until blow off occurs. The flame liftoff height and the critical volume fraction of extinguishing agent at blow out vary with both equivalence ratio and with the stream in which diluents are introduced. Nonpremixed methane-air flames are more difficult to extinguish than partially premixed flames with fuel stream dilution; whereas, partially premixed methane-air flames are more resistant to extinction than nonpremixed flames with air stream dilution. This difference in efficacy of the fuel and air stream dilution is attributed to the action of the diluent. In leaner partially premixed flames with fuel stream dilution and richer partially premixed flames with air stream dilution the effect of the diluent is to replace the deficient reactant in the system, thus starving the flame. In leaner partially premixed flames with air stream dilution and richer partially premixed flames with fuel stream dilution the effect of the diluent is purely thermal in that it absorbs heat from the flame, until combustion may no longer be sustained. The dilution effect is more effective than the thermal effect. When gravity is eliminated from the 2-D flame the liftoff height decreases and the critical volume fraction of diluent for blow off is also decreased.© 2006 ASME
Justifying Justice: Problems of Psychology, Measurement, and Politics in Rawls

The intention of this essay is to raise certain questions about A Theory of Justice in Rawls's own termsâ€”accepting his premises but examining his reasoning by his own stated criteria. I believe that such an examination will show that the abstract justificatory appeal to an â€œoriginal positionâ€ is unsatisfactory in certain vital psychological and philosophical ways; that the Rawlsian analysis raises problems of comparison and measurement not adequately disposed of by the doctrine of justice as fairness and its corollary strategy of â€œmaximinâ€ ; and that the appeal to congruence on which the latter part of Rawls's argument depends is founded on an inadequate political and historical sociologyâ€”which in turn creates further problems for the argument from the original position. In sum, I wish to show that while Rawls has lit his candle at both ends, he has got neither end to burn.
Comprehensive evaluation on service capacity of village clinics in Jiangxi province

Objective To evaluate the service capacity of village clinics in Jiangxi province.Methods All village clinics in 11 cities of Jiangxi province were investigated and their service capacity was evaluated with analytic hierarchy process(AHP),technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution(TOPSIS),and rank-sum ratio(RSR) method.Results The weight of service function,health resources,fund,equipments,and houses were 0.509 4,0.234 3,0.131 8,0.084 9,and 0.039 6,respectively.According to the results of TOPSIS,the service capacity of village clinics of Yingtan municipality was the best(Ci value=0.806 7) and the last one was Xinyu city(Ci value= 0.337 7).The top two rank of service capacity for the 11 cities was Yingtan and Ji'an with the RSR of≥0.634,followed by Pingxiang,Yichun,Jingdezhen,Jiujiang,Fuzhou,Nanchang,and Shangrao with RR value of ≥0.366 and 0.634,and Ganzhou and Xinyu with the RR values of﹤0.366.Conclusion The overall service capacity of village clinics in 11 cities in Jiangxi was at an acceptable level but needs to be improved further.
Heavy Alcohol Use Is Associated With Worse Retention in HIV Care.

Background Poor retention in HIV care is associated with worse clinical outcomes and increased HIV transmission. We examined the relationship between self-reported alcohol use, a potentially modifiable behavior, and retention. Methods A total of 9694 people living with HIV from 7 participating US HIV clinical sites (the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems) contributed 23,225 observations from January 2011 to June 2014. The retention outcomes were (1) Institute of Medicine (IOM) retention: 2 visits within 1 year at least 90 days apart and (2) visit adherence [proportion of kept visits/(scheduled + kept visits)]. Alcohol use was measured with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C, generating drinking (never, moderate, and heavy) and binge frequency (never, monthly/less than monthly, weekly/daily) categories. Adjusted multivariable logistic models, accounting for repeat measures, were generated. Results Of our sample, 82% was men, 46% white, 35% black, and 14% Hispanic. At first assessment, 37% of participants reported never drinking, 38% moderate, and 25% heavy, and 89% of the patients were retained (IOM retention measure). Participants' mean (SD) visit adherence was 84% (25%). Heavy alcohol use was associated with inferior IOM-defined retention (adjusted odds ratio 0.78, 95% confidence interval: 0.69 to 0.88), and daily/weekly binge drinking was associated with lower visit adherence (adjusted odds ratio = 0.90, 95% confidence interval: 0.82 to 0.98). Conclusions Both heavy drinking and frequent binge drinking were associated with worse retention in HIV care. Increased identification and treatment of heavy and binge drinking in HIV clinical care settings may improve retention in HIV care, with downstream effects of improved clinical outcomes and decreased HIV transmission.
Imitation Framework for Percussion

We present a framework for imitation of percussion performances with parameter-based learning for accurate reproduction. We constructed a robotic setup involving pull-solenoids attached to drum sticks which communicate with a computer through a microcontroller. The imitation framework allows for parameter adaptation to different mechanical constructions by learning the capabilities of the overall system being used. For the rhythmic vocabulary, we have considered regular stroke, flam and drag styles. A learning and calibration system was developed to perform grace notes for the drag rudiment as well as single strokes and the flam rudiment. A second pre-performance process was introduced to minimize the latency difference between individual drum sticks. We also developed an off-line onset detection method to recognize onsets from the microphone input. Once these pre-performance steps are taken, our setup will then listen to a human drummer’s performance, analyze for onsets, loudness, and rudiment pattern, and then play back using the learned parameters for the particular system. We conducted three different evaluations of our constructed system.
Neural stem cell heterogeneity through time and space in the ventricular-subventricular zone

The origin and classification of neural stem cells (NSCs) has been a subject of intense investigation for the past two decades. Efforts to categorize NSCs based on their location, function and expression have established that these cells are a heterogeneous pool in both the embryonic and adult brain. The discovery and additional characterization of adult NSCs has introduced the possibility of using these cells as a source for neuronal and glial replacement following injury or disease. To understand how one could manipulate NSC developmental programs for therapeutic use, additional work is needed to elucidate how NSCs are programmed and how signals during development are interpreted to determine cell fate. This review describes the identification, classification and characterization of NSCs within the large neurogenic niche of the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ). A literature search was conducted using Pubmed including the keywords “ventricular-subventricular zone,” “neural stem cell,” “heterogeneity,” “identity” and/or “single cell” to find relevant manuscripts to include within the review. A special focus was placed on more recent findings using single-cell level analyses on neural stem cells within their niche(s). This review discusses over 20 research articles detailing findings on V-SVZ NSC heterogeneity, over 25 articles describing fate determinants of NSCs, and focuses on 8 recent publications using distinct single-cell analyses of neural stem cells including flow cytometry and RNA-seq. Additionally, over 60 manuscripts highlighting the markers expressed on cells within the NSC lineage are included in a chart divided by cell type. Investigation of NSC heterogeneity and fate decisions is ongoing. Thus far, much research has been conducted in mice however, findings in human and other mammalian species are also discussed here. Implications of NSC heterogeneity established in the embryo for the properties of NSCs in the adult brain are explored, including how these cells may be redirected after injury or genetic manipulation.
Maritime Hegemony and the Fiction of the Free Sea: Explaining States’ Claims to Maritime Jurisdiction

Why do states claim limited, moderate, or expansive jurisdiction over the waters adjacent to their coasts? I argue that because of the unique role of the maritime hegemon in shaping the law of the sea to conform to its interests, the primary variable determining a state’s positions on coastal state jurisdiction is the nature of its relationship to the maritime hegemon — allied, adversarial, or neutral. Other variables that exert important influence on the state’s claim include its perceptions of threat from regional maritime powers and its own capability to project power to other states’ coasts. This theory not only enables deductive prediction of states’ maritime jurisdictional claims, but also provides insights into the process of hegemonic order-building in international relations. After developing this theory, I test it with initial plausibility probes, including an analysis of the contemporary maritime claims of the United States as the maritime hegemon, as well as two controlled comparisons of the current maritime claims of Japan and China, ally and adversary of the United States, and Chile and Peru, states with neutral relationships to the maritime hegemon. The theory’s explanatory variables accurately correlate with the outcomes in these studies, with the United States claiming limited jurisdiction over the activities of foreign militaries in its exclusive economic zone, Japan and Chile claiming limited jurisdiction (with caveats), China claiming moderate jurisdiction, and Peru claiming expansive jurisdiction.
Joint source-channel decoding of speech spectrum parameters over erasure channels using Gaussian mixture models

A joint source-channel decoding scheme that improves the performance of conventional channel decoders over erasure channels by exploiting the cross-correlation between successive speech frames is presented. Speech spectrum parameters are quantized using the scheme presented in Subramaniam and Rao (2001). The joint probability density function (PDF) of the spectrum parameters of successive speech frames is modelled using a Gaussian mixture model (GMM). This model is then used to process the channel decoder output over erasure channels. The performance of two decoding strategies, namely, maximum likelihood decoding (ML) and minimum mean squared error decoding (MMSE) is shown to provide significantly better performance than prediction based schemes.
Centimeter-Scale Surface Interactions Using Hydrodynamic Flow Confinements

We present a device and method for selective chemical interactions with immersed substrates at the centimeter-scale. Our implementations enable both, sequential and simultaneous delivery of multiple reagents to a substrate, as well as the creation of gradients of reagents on surfaces. The method is based on localizing submicroliter volumes of liquids on an immersed surface with a microfluidic probe (MFP) using a principle termed hydrodynamic flow confinement (HFC). We here show spatially defined, multiplexed surface interactions while benefiting from the probe capabilities such as non-contact scanning operation and convection-enhanced reaction kinetics. Three-layer glass-Si-glass probes were developed to implement slit-aperture and aperture-array designs. Analytical and numerical analysis helped to establish probe designs and operating parameters. Using these probes, we performed immunohistochemical analysis on individual cores of a human breast-cancer tissue microarray. We applied α-p53 antibodies on a 2...
From Property to Structure: Exploring Contemporary Third-Way Conceptions of the Ontology of Space

In the search for alternative conceptions of space that transcend the traditional substantivalist and relationist dichotomy, a host of different strategies stand out in the recent literature: the positivist-inspired definitional approach favored by Stein and DiSalle; the various formulations of a property theory defended by Sklar and Teller, to name only a few; and the structural realist conception of space put forward by Dorato, Rickles, and several others. While some of these third-way approaches have been previously discussed, this chapter will provide an examination of their content and overall viability in greater detail, in particular, the property theory, §5.1, and the structural realist conceptions of space (spacetime), §5.2. In keeping with the stated goals of our inquiry, the emphasis will be placed on exploring aspects of these alternative hypotheses that both correlate with the key elements of Newton and Leibniz’ views as well as improve upon the standard substantivalist and relationist categories that they seek to replace. However, the relationship between these contemporary alternative spatial ontologies and seventeenth century spatial ontologies will not be taken up until later in Part II (Chap. 7, in particular) and Part III.
Development of the Blastocyst: Role of Cell Polarity in Cavitation and Cell Differentiation

Blastocyst formation entails two interrelated events: 1) cavitation, whereby the embryo develops a blastocoele, and 2) differentiation of the first two cell types to appear in the mammalian embryo, i. e., trophectoderm and inner cell mass (ICM). The trophectoderm, which forms the wall of the blastocoele, is the only tissue that can implant the embryo in the uterus and protect the fetus against maternal immunological rejection. The ICM, which is a cluster of 3 to 10 cells that adheres to the luminal surface of the trophectoderm, is the sole cellular source of the entire embryo (Gardner, 1975; Gardner and Rossant, 1976). The blastocoele is thought to be essential for the normal development and function of the trophectoderm and ICM, since there has never been a recorded case of both these two cell types developing in the absence of cavitation.
Dance, Sound, Word: The “Hundred-Jointed Body” in Zurich Dada Performance

It is well known that choreographer and dance theorist Rudolf von Laban attended several Zurich Dada evenings with his students, several of whom—including Sophie Taeuber and Suzanne Perrottet—danced on Dada stages, often alongside the recitation of Hugo Ball's Lautgedichte (sound poems). Yet scholarly conceptions of Laban's choreographic work and Zurich Dada performance have remained seemingly irreconcilable. Charting the interanimation of bodily movement and oral declamation, this article shows how the interplay of dance, sound, and word was central to the work of both groups. Connecting them, I argue, was the dissemination of Wilhelm Wundt's theories of nervous transformation, which have been linked to Ball's sound poems and which Perrottet, after studying under Emile Jacques-Dalcroze, shared with Laban and others at his school in Monte Verita. Attention to the wider Lebensreform (life reform) context of specific performance techniques also necessitates, as the article aims to show, a reevaluation of th...
Is It Appropriate for Complicated Pediatric Surgical Patients to Receive Care Outside of Specialized Pediatric Centers

The annual American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) meeting is a great place to assemble with colleagues and reacquaint with friends from the past. Sherry and I hadn’t seen each other since we graduated medical school 20 years ago. We walked to the Ether Pub, est. 1846, in the French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, hoping to reminisce over 2 Moscow Mules. They were closed for renovations so we went to Cafe Du Monde, est. 1862, instead. We then began to chat over cafe au lait with chicory. Little did I know that she was a practicing anesthesiologist at St. Elsewhere, 60 miles from the Children’s Hospital where I practice in Ohio. She elaborated on how she loves living near the Amish countryside. “My son and daughter ride our horses on 10 acres of land,” she commented with a smile. Thinking of a quick retort I said, “My kids practice their unicycle riding in the hallway of our penthouse.”
The Pooled Cohort Equations 3 Years On: Building a Stronger Foundation.

In November 2013, a 10-year risk prediction tool known as the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) was released as the foundational basis for cardiovascular prevention guidelines in the United States.1 However, the PCE calculator was soon found to overestimate cardiovascular risk in 3 major contemporary US cohorts: the Physicians’ Health Study, the Women’s Health Study, and the Women’s Health Initiative-Observational Cohort.2 Similar overestimation of risk had already been observed in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) and the REGARDS study (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke), 2 contemporary US cohorts used for external validation by the guideline creators. The poor calibration observed in these 5 contemporary external cohorts suggested that overreliance on older data occurred during the guideline modeling process (Figure). Indeed, the PCE were derived from studies that enrolled between 1968 and 1990. These older data do not reflect the lower current rates of cardiovascular disease that largely result from secular shifts in smoking, diet, exercise, and blood pressure control, issues of which the prevention community and professional societies should rightly be proud. Figure. US death rates per 100 000 from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD). The Pooled Cohort Equations were developed with data from studies that enrolled between 1968 and 1990. However, cardiovascular event rates have significantly declined over the past 40 years, which may explain why overestimation of risk has been seen when these equations are evaluated in contemporary external validation cohorts. The issue of overestimation with the PCE risk calculator …
Prognostic Significance of Beta-2 Microglobulin (B2M) in Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Abstract 4679 Beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) is 12-kDa light chain protein that binds to the alpha chain of class 1 MHC molecules, dissociated into extracellular fluids after degradation of HLA. Elevated levels of serum B2M have historically been associated with a poor prognosis in several lymphoproliferative disorders. The prognostic relevance of B2M in myeloid disorders such as acute myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome has also been noted, in some cases providing further refinement of existing prognostic models. The significance of pretreatment serum B2M levels has not been extensively studied in adult ALL. In our historical experience with the conventional VAD (vincristine, doxorubicin, dexamethasone) regimen, elevated levels of B2M were associated with a lower complete remission (CR) rate, worse survival (OS), and higher propensity for development of CNS leukemia, after adjusting for renal dysfunction and older age [Kantarjian, Am J Med 93:599, 1992]. The analysis was somewhat limited by the strong negative impact of the mature B-cell ALL subset were the significantly high levels of B2M were associated with poor prognosis in the era prior to intensive multi-agent chemotherapy regimens. We assessed the associations of pretreatment B2M levels with outcome in 320 adolescents and adults with de novo ALL (Burkitt leukemia/lymphoma, Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL, and lymphoblastic lymphoma subtypes were excluded from the analysis) treated with the more intensive hyper-CVAD regimen (fractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, dexamethasone alternating with methotrexate and cytarabine) and its variants (modified hyper-CVAD with or without anthracycline intensification and with or without rituximab). Median serum B2M level was 3 mg/L (range 0-14.7). As observed previously, the CR rate was lower for patients (pts) with elevated levels of B2M, an effect which persisted after excluding the elderly subset and accounting for renal dysfunction (93% versus 98%, p=.02). The 3-yr rates for CRD and OS were also worse if B2M was elevated above the median, 55% vs 70% (p=0.09) and 60% vs 70% (p=.01), respectively. These findings confirm the prior observations in a larger more homogenous population of de novo ALL treated with intensive chemotherapy. A limited multivariate analysis identified the independent prognostic influence of B2M on survival. Additional analyses will be conducted to determine how these observations can be best incorporated into clinical practice. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Hodges' Scout: A Lost Patrol of the French and Indian War: Travers, Len, Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press 303 pp., $29.95, ISBN 1-4214-1805-3 Publication Date: October 2015

In September 1756, some fifty Massachusetts soldiers under Captain Joseph Hodges left Fort William Henry at the southern end of Lake George on a routine patrol, or “scout.” Hours later, the first b...
Omega-3 fatty acids and non-melanoma skin cancer

Considerable experimental evidence has accrued from animal studies that implicate dietary fats as important modulators of ultraviolet (UVR)-carcinogenic expression. These fats are composed of essential fatty acids (EFA) and are grouped into two families of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), omega (ω)-6 and omega (ω)-3 fatty acids (FA). They are essential in that they are precursors of a group of highly active hormones, eicosanoids, that are necessary for normal growth and maintenance of health. Relatively minor differences in molecular structure of these FA not only cause them to act differently in the body, but also to produce diverse effects in modulation of carcinogenic expression. Dietary ω-6 FA has been shown to exacerbate UVR carcinogenic expression (tumor latent period and tumor multiplicity) in a manner that is directly related to level of FA intake. Dietary ω-3 FA inhibits UVR carcinogenic expression. Pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive eicosanoids, e.g. prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels increase in a linear fashion with the concentration of ω-6 FA intake. These levels are dramatically reduced with ω-3 FA intake. ω-6 FA intake suppresses the immunologic pathways manifested in delayed hypersensitivity (DTH) and the responses involved in tumor transplant rejection. ω-3 FA sustains the DTH response in UVR-irradiated animals. Clinical studies have found that supplementary ω-3 FA significantly raise the UVR-mediated erythema threshold and reduce the level of pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive PGE2 in UVR-irradiated human skin. Taken in toto, these studies suggest that ω-3 supplementation could be beneficial in reducing the occurrence of non-melanoma skin cancer, particularly in those individuals who are at highest risk.