cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mistaken Identity: Frequency and Effects of Gender-Based Professional Misidentification of Resident Physicians.

Purpose Evaluation of the medical profession at all levels has exposed episodes of gender-based role misidentification whereby women physicians are disproportionately misidentified as nonphysicians. The authors of this study investigate this phenomenon and its repercussions, quantifying the frequency with which resident physicians experience role misidentification and the effect this has on their experience and behavior. Method In 2018, the authors conducted a cross-sectional survey study of internal medicine, surgical, and emergency medicine residents at a single, large, urban, tertiary academic medical center. The survey tool captured both the self-reported frequency and effect of professional misidentification. The authors used a t test and linear multivariate regression to analyze the results. Results Of the 260 residents who received the survey, 186 (72%) responded, and the authors analyzed the responses of 182. All 85 of the women respondents (100%) reported being misidentified as nonphysicians at least once in their professional experience by patients or staff members, compared with 49% of the 97 men respondents. Of those 182 residents, 35% of women were misidentified more than 8 times per month by patients compared with 1% of men. Of the 85 women physicians responding to the survey, 38% felt angry and 36% felt less satisfied with their jobs as a result of misidentification compared with, respectively, 7% and 9% of men. In response to role misidentification, 51% of women changed their manner of attire and 81% changed their manner of introduction, compared with, respectively, 7% and 37% of men. Conclusions These survey results demonstrate that women physicians are more likely than men physicians to be misidentified as nonphysicians and that role misidentification provokes gender-polarized psychological and behavioral responses that have potentially important professional ramifications.
Complementary-FET (CFET) Standard Cell Synthesis Framework for Design and System Technology Co-Optimization Using SMT

With the relentless scaling of technology nodes, design technology co-optimization (DTCO) for the conventional (Conv.) cell structure is starting to reach its limitations due to limited routing resources, lateral p-n separations, and performance requirements. As a result, system technology co-optimization (STCO) has been proposed to exploit the benefits of 3-D architectures. Complementary-FET (CFET) technology, which stacks p-FET on n-FET or vice versa, can release the restriction of p-n separation and reduce in-cell routing congestion by enabling p-n direct connections. However, CFET standard cell (SDC) synthesis demands holistic considerations to maximize the area benefit of scaling at the block level due to the extremely limited routability that comes from the stacked structure and reduced cell height. In this article, we propose a satisfiability modulo theory (SMT)-based CFET SDC synthesis framework that simultaneously solves place-and-route to generate optimized layouts. We first demonstrate that the CFET structure achieves 10.94% and 21.27% reduction on average cell area and metal length, respectively, and 15.10% smaller block-level area compared to Conv. structure as scaling down to 3.5T architecture. For routability, the proposed constraint-based minimum pin length/minimum pin opening and objective-based edge-based pin-separation/M2 track use reduce up to 48% #DRVs at the block level compared to the previous work. Then, through extensive DTCO explorations on ground design rules and #BEOLs, 3.5T CFET SDCs achieve up to 6.50% smaller block-level areas than 4.5T CFET SDCs. Finally, with the assistance of STCO and DTCO, 3.5T CFET SDCs achieve 21.0% on average reduced block-level areas compared to 4.5T Conv. SDCs.
Mining Workflows for Anomalous Data Transfers

Modern scientific workflows are data-driven and are often executed on distributed, heterogeneous, high-performance computing infrastructures. Anomalies and failures in the work-flow execution cause loss of scientific productivity and inefficient use of the infrastructure. Hence, detecting, diagnosing, and mitigating these anomalies are immensely important for reliable and performant scientific workflows. Since these workflows rely heavily on high-performance network transfers that require strict QoS constraints, accurately detecting anomalous network performance is crucial to ensure reliable and efficient workflow execution. To address this challenge, we have developed X-FLASH, a network anomaly detection tool for faulty TCP workflow transfers. X-FLASH incorporates novel hyperparameter tuning and data mining approaches for improving the performance of the machine learning algorithms to accurately classify the anomalous TCP packets. X-FLASH leverages XGBoost as an ensemble model and couples XGBoost with a sequential optimizer, FLASH, borrowed from search-based Software Engineering to learn the optimal model parameters. X-FLASH found configurations that outperformed the existing approach up to 28%, 29%, and 40% relatively for F-measure, G-score, and recall in less than 30 evaluations. From (1) large improvement and (2) simple tuning, we recommend future research to have additional tuning study as a new standard, at least in the area of scientific workflow anomaly detection.
A Mechanism for Selling Battery Storage Service in Day-Ahead Electricity Markets

A major impediment to high renewable energy penetration in the power grid is the absence of utility-scale storage capacity. The scenario changes substantially with increased Electric Vehicle (EV) penetration since EVs can provide battery storage as a service to the grid at times when they are parked. Information such as the times at which an EV can lease its battery to the grid, the amount of energy that must be injected into it by the time it disconnects, etc., are encoded in its valuation function, which is private to the EV. Similarly, the knowledge of a generator's production function is private to the generator. In particular, the Independent System Operator (ISO) does not know these quantities, which it requires to operate the grid optimally. Consequently, the ISO requests the generators and the EVs to bid their production and valuation functions respectively in the day-ahead market. However, being strategic, they may not bid them truthfully. Rather, they may bid strategically so as to maximize their own utilities. This in turn could result in inefficient grid operation. We provide a market-based solution to address this issue. Specifically, we present an efficient and incentive-compatible mechanism for day-ahead market operations that allows the ISO to elicit from the EVs and the generators all information that it requires to operate the grid at minimum possible cost while ensuring that the network constraints imposed by Kirchoff's laws and transmission line capacities are satisfied.
Revealing Raman-amplified Power Profile and Raman Gain Spectra with Digital Backpropagation

We demonstrate the acquisition of signal power evolution and Raman gain spectra (RGS) in multi-span Raman-amplified links with digital backpropagation. We successfully identify the individual RGS of each Raman-amplified span separately.
Genetic and morphological characterization of the freshwater mussel clubshell species complex (Pleurobema clava and Pleurobema oviforme) to inform conservation planning.

The shell morphologies of the freshwater mussel species Pleurobema clava (federally endangered) and Pleurobema oviforme (species of concern) are similar, causing considerable taxonomic confusion between the two species over the last 100 years. While P. clava was historically widespread throughout the Ohio River basin and tributaries to the lower Laurentian Great Lakes, P. oviforme was confined to the Tennessee and the upper Cumberland River basins. We used two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes, 13 novel nuclear DNA microsatellite markers, and shell morphometrics to help resolve this taxonomic confusion. Evidence for a single species was apparent in phylogenetic analyses of each mtDNA gene, revealing monophyletic relationships with minimal differentiation and shared haplotypes. Analyses of microsatellites showed significant genetic structuring, with four main genetic clusters detected, respectively, in the upper Ohio River basin, the lower Ohio River and Great Lakes, and upper Tennessee River basin, and a fourth genetic cluster, which included geographically intermediate populations in the Ohio and Tennessee river basins. While principal components analysis (PCA) of morphometric variables (i.e., length, height, width, and weight) showed significant differences in shell shape, only 3% of the variance in shell shape was explained by nominal species. Using Linear Discriminant and Random Forest (RF) analyses, correct classification rates for the two species' shell forms were 65.5% and 83.2%, respectively. Random Forest classification rates for some populations were higher; for example, for North Fork Holston (HOLS), it was >90%. While nuclear DNA and shell morphology indicate that the HOLS population is strongly differentiated, perhaps indicative of cryptic biodiversity, we consider the presence of a single widespread species the most likely biological scenario for many of the investigated populations based on our mtDNA dataset. However, additional sampling of P. oviforme populations at nuclear loci is needed to corroborate this finding.
Combining airborne hyperspectral and LiDAR data across local sites for upscaling shrubland structural information: lessons for HyspIRI.

Abstract Fine-scale variation of vegetation structure in dryland systems, such as the Great Basin in the western US, is critical to understanding ecosystem responses to changing land-use conditions. High resolution airborne hyperspectral (HyMap) and LiDAR datasets acquired across independent collection sites can reduce uncertainty in predictive ecosystem modeling and provide a basis for regional upscaling to satellite observations of structural metrics such as cover and height. In the first part of our study, we combined ground reference and airborne data collected at three sagebrush-steppe locations and used the statistical data mining tool random forests to identify remote sensing variables most relevant to estimating shrub cover. In the second part of our study, we hypothesized that vegetation indices derived from hyperspectral satellite observations would not only reliably predict shrub cover but also be relatable to shrub height; thereby augmenting the collection of vertical structure estimates from future satellite platforms such as ICESAT-2. To test this hypothesis, we simulated HyspIRI observations to derive variables to relate to LiDAR-based estimates of shrub cover and height. We generated the same hyperspectral variables as in the first part of this study but at coarser resolution (60 m) and we again used random forests to model shrub cover and height and identify predictors of greatest importance. Overall, combining LiDAR and HyMap datasets at the airborne scale improved shrub cover model results (r2 = 0.58) compared to LiDAR alone (r2 = 0.49). Primary shrub cover variables of importance were HIQR (the interquartile range of height of all LiDAR vegetation returns), HMAD (median absolute deviation from median height of all LiDAR vegetation returns), a narrowband index sensitive to anthocyanins, the ratio of LiDAR vegetation returns to total returns, and a red to green ratio. In addition, HyspIRI-simulated narrowband vegetation indices were relatable to LiDAR-derived shrub cover and height variables (r2 ranging from 0.63 to 0.71) with relatively low root mean square error.
Recurrent misconceptions in sampled-data/digital-control textbooks. II

For pt.I, see Proc. 17th Southeastern Symposium on System Theory, p.188 (1985). This paper is a continuation of an earlier paper and is concerned with pointing-out, correcting and illustrating by an example, certain recurring misconceptions, errors, oversights, etc. That commonly appear in sampled-data/digital-control textbooks. In the present paper attention is focused on the correction of (i) an incorrect "solution expression" for difference equations having repeated zero-valued characteristic roots, (ii) incomplete discretizations of n/sup th/-order linear plant models, and (iii) inappropriate credit for the Z-Transform idea. >
Prospects for measuring the neutralino mass in Gauge Mediated SUSY decays of a Higgs Boson at CDF

We propose a possible way to measure the neutralino mass in Higgs decays to neutralino pairs in a Gauge Mediated Supersymmetry scenario where the neutralino has a long-lifetime (O(ns)). In h 0 ! e � 1 e � 1 ! ( e G)( e G) production and decay in colliders, events can show up in the exclusive photon plus Missing ET final state where one photon arrives at the detector with a delayed time of arrival and the second neutralino will leave the detector. By measuring the slope of the delayedtime distribution with the full CDF Dataset and the EMTiming system we have the possibility of determining the neutalino mass to approximately 25% of itself if the masses and lifetimes are in a favorable combination.
Review of Sandu Frunză, Dumnezeu şi Holocaustul la Elie Wiesel: O etică a responsabilităţii (God and the Holocaust according to Elie Wiesel: An ethic of responsibility).

In God and the Holocaust according to Elie Wiesel: An ethic of responsibility Sandu Frunza, professor of philosophy at Babes-Bolyai University, explores the philosophy of Elie Wiesel, a Jewish scholar and holocaust survivor. Despite his prison camp experiences, Wiesel retains his faith in God. His experiences lead him to advocate an ethic of memory and alterity. Frunza relates Wiesel’s experiences, his approach to the problem of evil, and his ethic in conversation with contemporary philosophers and Jewish scholarship.
Can Process Theory Constrain Courts

Politics is the most difficult domain for constitutional law. As practiced in the United States, the aim of constitutionalism is both to provide a foundation for democratic governance and a limitation on the scope of such politics. The Constitution is supposed to enable democratic politics and establish its outer bounds. Yet the original Constitution performed this task only inferentially, leaving most of the details to either subsequent amendments or, more centrally, to judicial interpretation. This in turn leads to a fundamental question: what are the bounds of judicial intervention into the political arena? Although this is an old question, it has clearly been revived and sharpened by the Supreme Court's unprecedented emergence as the dispositive actor in a drama which began as Bush versus Gore, but ended as Bush v. Gore.
Some New Extrema of the Scalar Potential of Gauged $N=8$ Supergravity

Five new critical points are found for the scalar potential of gauged N = 8 supergravity. These comprise a complete list of all the extrema which induce a symmetry breaking of SO(8) to some smaller group containing SU(3). Possible relationships between solutions based on these extrema and dimensional reduction schemes are suggested. One of the new extrema may have phenomonological significance since it breaks SO(8) to SU(3) × U(1) and has gauged N = 2 supersymmetry.
All Politics is Psychological: A Review of Political Psychology Syllabi

Browsing the book exhibit room at any major political science conference these days, one notices what seems to be a bonanza of new edited volumes that examine political psychology as a discipline within political science or provide a variety of research essays aimed at introducing the reader to the subfield. Although psychology has always been an important component of political analysis, the prevalence of these books suggests a growing, or renewed, interest among political scientists in using insights from social and cognitive psychology to understand political phenomena—an interest that spurs these scholarly attempts to demarcate the conceptual and methodological structure of political psychology as a subfield. As Wendy Rahn, John Sullivan, and Thomas Rudolph have noted, this interest has emerged over the years partly in response to the rise of rational choice theory in political science. Regardless of the specific topic at hand, political psychology research often challenges the assumptions of rational choice models and adds nuance to the insights of rational choice theory. It offers rigorous empirical demonstrations of how systematic and predictable psychological processes affect whether traditional assumptions of rationality do or do not hold and, conversely, how the structure of political institutions affects psychological processes. These empirical critiques and modifications of rational choice theory make political psychology a compelling line of inquiry to scholars from a variety of methodological and substantive backgrounds.Deborah J. Schildkraut thanks Jennifer Hochschild, the staff at Perspectives on Politics, and three anonymous reviewers for their generous assistance.
Cesium oscillator strengths measured with a multiple-path-length absorption cell

Absorption-oscillator-strength measurements for the principal series in cesium were measured using a multiple-path-length cell. The optical arrangement included a movable transverse path for checking the uniformity of the alkali density along the length of the cell and which also allowed strength measurements to be made simultaneously on both strong and weak lines. The strengths measured on the first 10 doublets indicate an increasing trend in the doublet ratio. The individual line strengths are in close agreement with the high resolution measurements of Pichler (1974) and with the calculations of Norcross (1973).
Assessment of somaclonal variation in Dieffenbachia plants regenerated through indirect shoot organogenesis

The occurrence of somaclonal variation among regenerants derived through indirect shoot organogenesis from leaf explants of three Dieffenbachia cultivars Camouflage, Camille and Star Bright was evaluated. Three types of somaclonal variants (SV1, SV2, and SV3) were identified from regenerated plants of cv. Camouflage, one type from cv. Camille, but none from cv. Star Bright. The three variants had novel and distinct foliar variegation patterns compared to cv. Camouflage parental plants. Additionally, SV1 was taller with a larger canopy and longer leaves than parental plants and SV2. SV2 and SV3 did not produce basal shoots (single stem) but basal shoot numbers between SV1 and parental plants were similar ranging from three to four. The variant type identified from regenerated cv. Camille had lanceolate leaves compared to the oblong leaves of the parent. This variant type also grew taller and had a larger canopy than parental plants. The rates of somaclonal variation were up to 40.4% among regenerated cv. Camouflage plants and 2.6% for regenerated cv. Camille. The duration of callus culture had no effect on somaclonal variation rates of cv. Camouflage as the rates between plants regenerated from 8 months to 16 months of callus culture were similar. The phenotypes of the identified variants were stable as verified by their progenies after cutting propagation. This study demonstrated the potential for new cultivar development by selecting callus-derived somaclonal variants of Dieffenbachia.
Frequency and Selectivity of Mitochondrial Fusion Are Key to Its Quality Maintenance Function

Turnover of mitochondria by autophagy constitutes an essential quality maintenance mechanism. Recent studies have demonstrated that efficient clearance of damaged mitochondrial components depends on mitochondrial dynamics, a process characterized by frequent fusion and fission events that enable the redistribution of mitochondrial components across a population of hundreds of individual mitochondria. The presented simulation identifies kinetic parameters of fusion and fission that may influence the maintenance of mitochondrial function. The program simulated repetitive cycles of fusion and fission events in which intact and damaged mitochondrial contents were redistributed between fusion mates. Redistribution impacted mitochondrial function, thereby influencing the fate of each mitochondrion, to be either destined for a subsequent fusion or eliminated by autophagy. Our findings indicate that, when paired with fission, fusion events may serve to accelerate the removal of damaged mitochondrial components by autophagy. The model predicts the existence of an optimal frequency of fusion and fission events that can maintain respiratory function at steady-state levels amid the existence of a continuous damaging process that inactivates mitochondrial components. A further elevation of the fusion frequency can increase the clearance efficiency of damaged content. However, this requires fusion to be a selective process in which depolarized mitochondria are excluded from the fusing population. The selectivity of fusion was found to be particularly beneficial in conditions of elevated rate of damage, because it permits the increase of fusion frequency without compromising the removal of damaged content by autophagy.
An electrophoretic analysis of acid phosphatase isozymes in Xenopus laevis

Abstract 1. 1. Acid phosphatase isozymes from Xenopus laevis tadpole and froglet tissues were studied using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. 2. 2. At least six different isozymes could be detected using α-naphthyl acid phosphate as substrate. No single tissue possessed all six, but some tissue specificities were observed as well as the appearance of new isozymes in the same tissue after metamorphosis. Also, substrate specificities could be detected on the gels directly using α- or β-naphthyl acetate, β-glycerophosphate or p -nitrophenylphosphate as substrates. 3. 3. Acid phosphatase activity assayed biochemically was highest in the 20,000 g sedimentable fraction of froglet stomach homogenates and certain of the isozymes were enriched in this fraction. 4. 4. The isozymes resolved from the regressing cement gland had the same electrophoretic mobilities as those found in froglet stomach homogenates, indicating that no unique acid phosphatases detectable with these techniques are utilized during the regression phase of this embryonic structure.
An unusual source of electromagnetic interference: a device-device interaction.

Introduction: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are susceptible to oversensing of extracardiac signals, also known as electromagnetic interference (EMI). We report a case of an unusual source of electrical interference of only the high voltage (HV) impedance measurement in the Teligen™ ICD (Boston Scientific, St. Paul, MN, USA) caused by electrical interference from an electrosurgical generator with an electrocautery patch located in close proximity to the ICD pulse generator. Method and Results: A patient underwent an uneventful implant of a Boston Scientific Teligen™ 100 ICD. Once the device was inserted in a pocket, interrogation of the device repeatedly demonstrated HV electrode impedance measurements between <20 and 40Ωand noise only on the HV electrode. A new lead and generator were implanted without a change in the interrogation results. The erroneous measurements of HV impedance were caused by a combination of the close proximity of the electrocautery patch to the ICD generator. The continuous low-amplitude current emitted by the contact quality monitoring system of the electrosurgical cautery generator interfered with an equally weak current delivered through the lead by the device to measurement HV impedance. The Medtronic Virtuoso™ (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) ICD and the St. Jude Medical Current™ DR (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN, USA) ICD were not affected by the patch due to greater magnitude of current delivered by the device to measure HV electrode impedance. Conclusion: It is important that the operator must be aware of any potential source of EMI, as it may affect the device and require immediate troubleshooting. Failure to recognize this interaction may result in inappropriate and unnecessary pulse generator replacement. (PACE 2010; 994–998)
Cayley digraphs and (1, j,n )-sequencings of the alternating groups A n

Abstract The problem of finding a sequencing Π 1 , Π 2 ,… Π | A n | for the elements of the alternating group A n which minimizes the cost function C= ∑ i=1 |A n |−1 c(П i −1 ∘П i+1 ) where c ( Π ) = |{ j : Π ( j ) ≠ j }|, is solved. For n ⩾ 3 the sequencing is constructed by finding a directed Hamiltonian path in the Cayley digraph D n of A n , dtermined by the generating set B n = {(1, j , n ): j ϵ { 2,3,…, n −1}}. We further consider the question of finding a directed Hamiltonian cycle in D n .
Real-time view recognition and event detection for sports video

In this paper, we present a general framework and new effective algorithms to detect the syntactic structures that are at a level higher than shots. In sports video, such high-level structures are often characterized by the specific views (e.g., pitching or serve) and the subsequent temporal transition patterns within each temporal structural segment. We have developed robust statistical models for detecting the domain-specific views with real-time performance and high accuracy. The models combine domain-independent global color filtering method and domain-specific constraints on the spatio-temporal properties of the segmented regions (e.g., locations, shapes, and motion of the objects). The real-time performance was accomplished by using efficient compressed-domain processing at the front end and computational expensive object-level processing on filtered candidates only. High-level events (e.g., strokes, net plays, and baseline plays) are also detected after the view recognition. Results of such structure and event detection allow for efficient browsing and summarization of long sports video programs.
DNA slip-outs cause RNA polymerase II arrest in vitro : potential implications for genetic instability

The abnormal number of repeats found in triplet repeat diseases arises from ‘repeat instability’, in which the repetitive section of DNA is subject to a change in copy number. Recent studies implicate transcription in a mechanism for repeat instability proposed to involve RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) arrest caused by a CTG slip-out, triggering transcription-coupled repair (TCR), futile cycles of which may lead to repeat expansion or contraction. In the present study, we use defined DNA constructs to directly test whether the structures formed by CAG and CTG repeat slip-outs can cause transcription arrest in vitro. We found that a slip-out of (CAG)20 or (CTG)20 repeats on either strand causes RNAPII arrest in HeLa cell nuclear extracts. Perfect hairpins and loops on either strand also cause RNAPII arrest. These findings are consistent with a transcription-induced repeat instability model in which transcription arrest in mammalian cells may initiate a ‘gratuitous’ TCR event leading to a change in repeat copy number. An understanding of the underlying mechanism of repeat instability could lead to intervention to slow down expansion and delay the onset of many neurodegenerative diseases in which triplet repeat expansion is implicated.
ERYTHROPOIESIS DURING AMPHIBIAN METAMORPHOSIS : II. Immunochemical Study of Larval and Adult Hemoglobins of Rana catesbeiana.

Rabbit antibodies were prepared against the major hemoglobin components of the larval and adult stages of R. catesbeiana. The properties of the antisera were studied by double immunodiffusion, precipitation, and complement fixation. The antisera to tadpole and frog hemoglobins did not cross-react with either hemoglobin or apohemoglobin. The anti-serum against frog hemoglobin was used for the detection of frog hemoglobin in tadpoles undergoing either natural or thyroxine-induced metamorphosis. It was shown that frog hemoglobin is detectable first in the liver, indicating that the liver is the site of erythrocyte maturation during metamorphosis.
Stable processes: moving averages versus Fourier transforms

We study the relationship between Fourier transforms and moving averages of stable processes. The two classes have a large intersection, however as soon as the noise is required to be “bounded” they become disjoint.
Microstructure and stress development in magnetron sputtered TiAlCr(N) films

Abstract TiAlCr(N) coatings were reactively magnetron-sputtered from a Ti-51Al-12Cr alloy target in this study by changing the nitrogen partial pressure over the range of 0–25% of the total pressure. The influence of nitrogen addition on the microstructure and stress development in the TiAlCr(N) films was investigated. With the increase of nitrogen partial pressure, the film microstructure undergoes a transition from amorphous-like metallic to crystalline nitride films. The crystalline phases are cubic Ti 1− x Al x N and Cr 1− x Al x N. The intrinsic stresses are compressive and become more so with nitrogen addition over most of the partial pressure range, while the stress–temperature curves during annealing vary significantly among the films. Nitrogen additions were found to increase the hardness of the films.
Fungal Speciation Using Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (QPCR) in Patients With and Without Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Author(s): Murr, Andrew H; Goldberg, Andrew N; Vesper, Stephen | Abstract: Objectives/hypothesisThe objectives of this study were to determine the mycology of the middle meatus using an endoscopically guided brush sampling technique and polymerase chain reaction laboratory processing of nasal mucous; to compare the mycology of the middle meatus in patients with sinus disease with subjects without sinus disease; to compare the responses on two standardized quality-of-life survey forms between patients with and without sinusitis; and to determine whether the presence of fungi in the middle meatus correlates with responses on these data sets.Study designThe authors conducted a single-blind, prospective, cross-sectional study.MethodsPatients with sinus disease and a control group without sinus disease were enrolled in the study. A disease-specific, validated Sinonasal Outcomes Test survey (SNOT-20) was completed by the subjects and a generalized validated Medical Outcomes Short Form 36 Survey (SF-36) was also completed. An endoscopically guided brush sampling of nasal mucous was obtained from the middle meatus. Fungal specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) was performed on the obtained sample to identify one of 82 different species of fungus in the laboratory. Statistical analysis was used to categorize the recovered fungal DNA and to crossreference this information with the outcomes surveys.ResultsThe fungal recovery rate in the study was 45.9% in patients with sinus disease and 45.9% in control subjects. Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis had a mean SNOT-20 score of 1.80 versus the control group mean score of 0.77 (P l .0001). SF-36 data similarly showed a statistically significant difference between diseased and control populations with controls scoring a mean of 80.37 and patients with chronic rhinosinusitis scoring a mean of 69.35 for a P value of .02. However, no statistical significance could be ascribed to the presence or absence of fungi recovered, the type of fungi recovered, or the possible impact of fungi on the quality-of-life survey results.ConclusionThe recovery rate of fungi from the middle meatus of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and a control population without chronic rhinosinusitis is 45.9% using QPCR techniques. No direct causation with regard to fungal species or presence was proven; however, a species grouping for future studies is proposed based on trends in this data and other reports. Disease-specific outcomes surveys revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups.
A PROTECTIONIST BIAS IN MAJORITARIAN POLITICS: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

Do politics affect trade policy? Despite an extensive literature examining the relationship between trade policy and some political factors, relatively few studies have explored the role of a country's electoral system, arguably one of the most fundamental characteristics of a nation's political landscape. This paper examines the empirical relationship between tariffs and electoral systems across countries and over time. The broad theoretical framework is provided by Grossman and Helpman, which predicts a bias towards a non-zero average tariff, i.e. a “protectionist bias”, in countries with majoritarian systems, since politicians in a majoritarian system aim to maximize the welfare of their home districts, as opposed to the welfare of the nation as a whole. I compare average tariffs of countries with majoritarian systems to those with proportional systems, using methods that address the omitted variables/sample selection problem inherent to this analysis. I find that countries with majoritarian systems do indeed appear to have higher average tariffs than do countries with proportional systems. This result holds after controlling for other country-specific characteristics, such as a country's legal origins, colonial history, and geographic location.
Laser velocimeter for large wind tunnels

The measurement of velocity in large wind tunnels is normally performed using mechanical probes. This practice can entail considerable complexity in connection with the structure often required for probe support. The use of laser velocimetry for the flowfield measurements in large wind tunnels is, therefore, far more desirable since it can be implemented with minimal mechanical complexity and with minimal modifications to the test section structure. A description is provided of a velocimeter which is intended for use in investigations which include V/STOL vehicle flowfield mapping for location and sizing of wakes and plumes, wing-loading distribution determination without the need for pressure taps, the aerodynamics of high-lift airfoils as well as rotating rotor blades, and vehicle wake studies. Use is made of a single-color dual-beam backscatter system which is capable of sensing two orthogonal components of velocity.
Dysfunctional monocytes from a patient with disseminated Mycobacterium kansasii infection are activated in vitro and in vivo by GM-CSF.

A 27 year-old woman presented with disseminated infection due toMycobacterium kansasii. Signs and symptoms of disseminated infection persisted despite the administration of multiple antimycobacterial agents to which her organism was sensitive for 15 months. She was seronegative for HIV-1 and functional studies of T and B lymphocytes and granulocytes failed to demonstrate any abnormality. Peripheral blood monocytes proved abnormally permissive to the intracellular growth ofMycobacterium avium andM. kansasii, and expressed normal number of receptors to interferon-gamma, but reduced numbers of receptors to granulocyte monocyte colony stimulating factor and tumor necrosis factor. These defects were partially reversed within vitro exposure of her cells to recombinant GM-CSF. In addition, administration of recombinant human GM-CSFin vivo (250 mg/M2 per day) for 10 days armed her circulating monocytes as evidenced by increased production of O2− in response to phorbol esther and, when infectedex vivo withM. kansasii, enhanced inhibition of intracellular growth compared with pre-therapy monocytes. These defects reappeared with discontinuation of GM-CSF and resolved with its re-administration. While a salutary clinical and microbiologic effect was difficult to assess, administration of GM-CSFin vivo was associated within vitro activation of monocytes and enhanced mycobactericidal activity in this patient with a defect in monocyte function.
OMEGA upgrade laser for direct-drive target experiments

Validation of the direct-drive approach to inertial confinement fusion requires the development of a 351-nm wavelength, 30-kJ, 50-TW laser system with flexible pulse shaping and irradiation uniformity approaching 1%. An upgrade of the existing OMEGA direct-drive facility at Rochester is planned to meet these objectives. In this article, we review the design rationale and specifications of the OMEGA Upgrade laser with particular emphasis on techniques planned to achieve the required degree of beam smoothing, temporal pulse shape, and beam-to-beam power balance.
Noise behavior of GaAs field-effect transistors with short gate lengths

The noise behavior of the GaAs Schottky-barrier gate field-effect transistor has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. It has been found that an additional noise source has to be taken into account in GaAs FET's biased in the pinchoff region: the intervalley scattering noise. This noise source has been investigated and a new transistor noise model is proposed. Measured and calculated noise figures show good agreement in the frequency range 2-10 GHz. It is shown that the influence of the intervalley scattering noise can be reduced by reducing the channel thickness, and that such devices show excellent gain and noise properties in the X band.
Locally most powerful tests for spatial interactions in the simultaneous SAR Tobit model

Abstract The simultaneous SAR Tobit model is useful to analyze censored data in a spatial or social interaction setting. This paper focuses on three classical tests of spatial interactions in the simultaneous SAR Tobit model. We derive the asymptotic distributions of those three tests under the null and the local alternative hypotheses, establish their asymptotic equivalence and local efficiency, and study finite sample properties by the Monte Carlo simulation. The tests are applied to an empirical example on the presence of competition among school districts on school district income tax in Iowa.
Population structure of Candida albicans, a member of the human flora, as determined by microsatellite loci

This study examines the macrogeographic population structure of Candida albicans, a yeast commensal of humans, through a population genetic analysis of 5 microsatellite loci in 13 cities. The populations were predominantly clonal with some recombination. About 5% of the genetic variation is between populations and the overall pattern is one of intermediate differentiation. We did not find a single widespread genotype but instead found high, macrogeographic gene flow in these clinical populations; the most common genotype was limited to Atlanta and San Francisco. Homogeneity is evident within large geographic regions, such as Europe, Asia, and the USA, and isolation by distance accounted for 39% of the variation observed. Overall gene flow for a member of the human flora is variable but can be extensive, with an average of 4.5 migrants per generation (N(m)). Eastern hemisphere populations were less divergent than those of the Americas and Caribbean, consistent with the expansion of humans out of the eastern hemisphere.
Adamantyl Cannabinoids: A Novel Class of Cannabinergic Ligands

Structure−activity relationship studies have established that the aliphatic side chain plays a pivotal role in determining the cannabinergic potency of tricyclic classical cannabinoids. We have now synthesized a series of analogues in which a variety of adamantyl substituents were introduced at the C3 position of Δ8-THC. Our lead compound, (−)-3-(1-adamantyl)-Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol (1a, AM411), was found to have robust affinity and selectivity for the CB1 receptor as well as high in vivo potency. The X-ray crystal structure of 1a was determined. Exploration of the side chain conformational space using molecular modeling approaches has allowed us to develop cannabinoid side chain pharmacophore models for the CB1 and CB2 receptors. Our results suggest that although a bulky group at the C3 position of classical cannabinoids could be tolerated by both CB1 and CB2 binding sites, the relative orientation of that group with respect to the tricyclic component can lead to receptor subtype selectivity.
High-Efficiency Transfection of Primary Human and Mouse T Lymphocytes Using RNA Electroporation

The use of nonviral gene transfer methods in primary lymphocytes has been hampered by low gene transfer efficiency and high transfection-related toxicity. In this report, high gene transfection efficiency with low transfection-related toxicity was achieved by electroporation using in vitro-transcribed mRNA. Using these methods, >90% transgene expression with >80% viable cells was observed in stimulated primary human and murine T lymphocytes transfected with GFP or mCD62L. Electroporation of unstimulated human PBMCs or murine splenocytes with GFP RNA yielded 95 and 56% GFP+ cells, respectively. Electroporation of mRNA for NY-ESO-1, MART-1, and p53 antigen-specific TCRs into human T lymphocytes redirected these lymphocytes to recognize melanoma cell lines in an MHC-restricted manner. The onset of gene expression was rapid (within 30 min) and durable (up to 7 days postelectroporation) using both GFP and TCR-mediated recognition of target cells. There was no adverse effect observed on the T lymphocytes subjected to RNA electroporation evaluated by cell growth rate, annexin-V staining of apoptotic cells, BrdU incorporation, tumor antigen-specific recognition or antigen-specific TCR affinity. The results of this study indicate that mRNA electroporation provides a powerful tool to introduce genes into both human and murine primary T lymphocytes.
Optical memory using resonant Raman pulse excited spin echoes

We report a new technique for high-density, high-speed optical memory based on two-photon coherence excited spin echoes in solids. Unlike conventional echo-based optical memory techniques, a two-photon coherence excited spin echo memory has potential for Tbits/cm2 in memory density and THz in data processing speed at high temperatures.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Homelessness in Dublin: An Irish Urban Disorder

. Urban homelessness in Dublin has emerged as one of Ireland's most serious socioeconomic problems. Etiological explanations for the estimated 1,200 homeless individuals in the capital range from personal problems to the structure of Irish society. Empirical examination reveals that many Irish are drawn into the homeless network through personal crises such as poor health, alcoholism, economic deprivation, and psychiatric disturbances. However, it is the inequitable social, economic, political, and legislative system which ordinarily entraps them in this deprived state. Thus the causes of Irish homelessness are fundamentally structural. The Irish Government has no policy or program for assisting the urban homeless. Consequently, they have become wards of charitable agencies ill-equipped to care properly for them. Reform legislation seems to be needed. But public apathy and prejudice suggests that it will not be enacted soon.
Imaging of short ocean wind waves: a critical theoretical review

Optical techniques to measure the small-scale shape of the ocean surface, i.e., the short wind waves, are theoretically reviewed. The well-known shape-from-shading and shape-from-stereo paradigms from computer vision are applied to a specular reflecting surface such as the ocean surface and are used to study a variety of techniques. The analysis shows that most techniques for the imaging of short wind waves, such as Stilwell photography and various stereo techniques, have significant deficiencies. Stereophotography is plagued by insufficient height resolution for small waves and by the problem that, because of the specular nature of reflection at the water surface, features seen in one image are not necessarily found in the other (correspondence problem). Techniques based on light reflection (shape from reflection) are useful only for deriving wave-slope statistics, and techniques based on light refraction (shape from refraction) are found to be most suitable for wave slope imaging.
Optimal siting and sizing of distributed generation through power losses and voltage deviation

This work aims at the optimal siting and sizing of distributed generation (DG) in distribution feeders. It is used an objective function which computes a penalty for voltage deviation in each bus coupled with the active power losses of the system. In this way, it is considered the equality and inequality constraints concerning the power flow, total apparent power of DG, number of installed DGs, fixed or variable power factor and voltage limits. To this end, it is implemented a nonlinear programming model with discontinuous derivatives, which employs binary variables to define the location of the generation through a classical optimization approach.
The weighted region problem

We present an algorithm for determining the shortest path between a source and a destination through a planar subdivision in which each region has an associated weight. Distances are measured according to a weighted Euclidean metric: Each region of the subdivision has associated with it a weight, and the weighted distance between two points in a convex region is the product of the corresponding weight and the Euclidean distance between them. Our algorithm runs in time O(n7L) and requires O(n3) space, where n is the number of edges of the subdivision, and L is the precision of the problem instance (including the number of bits in a user-specified tolerance ∈, which is the percentage the solution is allowed to differ from an optimal solution). The algorithm uses the fact that shortest paths obey Snell's Law of Refraction at region boundaries, a local optimality property of shortest paths that is well-known from the analogous optics model.
Review suggests that cleft lip and palate patients have more caries

The Cochrane library, Medline, Embase, CINAHL and Scopus databases were searched. Cross-sectional or longitudinal studies evaluating caries prevalence in CLP patients against a suitable matched control were included. Study selection, data extraction and quality assessment were carried out independently by two reviewers. Meta-analysis was carried out using a random effects model. Seven studies (total 474 patients) met the inclusion criteria. All of the studies were cross-sectional in nature, and used the decayed, missing and filled (DMF/dmf) indices as the final outcomes. Five studies involving permanent teeth suggested that CLP patients have a higher number of DMF teeth than the controls (mean difference 1.38; p = 0.003). Four studies of primary teeth suggest that CLP patients have a higher number of dmf teeth than the controls (mean difference 1.51; p = 0.03). Individuals with CLP, when compared with matched non-CLP controls, tend to have a higher prevalence of dental caries, as detected using the decayed, missing and filled index. This holds true both for permanent and for deciduous teeth. One must keep in mind, however, that relatively few studies were included in the present meta-analysis, and the reporting on the methods in the individual studies was not always transparent.