cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decentralization in France: experience for Ukraine

The article analyzes the processes of decentralization of power in France. France is one of the few European countries that have accumulated considerable experience in the field of decentralization of public administration through the expansion of the powers and responsibilities of local governments.Assessing the vast experience of territorial reforms accumulated in France for almost three and a half decades, it should be noted that, despite the positive results (for example, in the field of local government development, intermunicipal cooperation, etc.), many important problems remained unresolved. Contrary to the expectations of the reformers, the administrative and territorial structure of the country did not become simpler and more understandable.The number of levels and types of territorial units has increased. To three historical levels (communes, departments and state) regions were added.It should be noted and one more direction of reforms in France. It is about increasing the role of cities in local development through the creation of inter-municipal associations, including cities and adjacent territories.Also, after analyzing the process of decentralization in France, it is useful to point out that in our opinion decentralization should be considered as a powerful instrument of public administration, the key task of which is not to redistribute power between the state and the administrative units, but to redistribute the powers between them for the provision of various public services to the population. and different legal entities in the most effective way (convergence of services with simultaneous saving of budget expenditures), in order to create conditions for dynamic the flow of communities and the state as a whole.The construction of a decentralization model in Ukraine may have its own national peculiarities, but the use of examples of foreign good practices is a significant factor in the search for a Ukrainian model of development, therefore, in today’s world, the use of international experience regarding quality and efficient decentralization becomes relevant.
Voluntary Associations, Sociology of

Voluntary organizations have two main subtypes: voluntary associations and voluntary agencies. This article deals with voluntary associations, whereas a different article entitled ‘Voluntary Organizations’ deals with voluntary agencies. This article reviews association governance and leadership, history, prevalence rates and their determinants, purposive, and analytical types of associations, geographic scope, degree of paid staff dependence, targets of benefits (recipients), types of members, formalization and government recognition, misconduct and deviance in and by associations, government control issues, internal democracy, monomorphic and polymorphic associations, collaboration, intensity of activity, personal contact and relationships, membership requirements, prestige and power, and degrees and types of impact.
In vivo imaging of individual islets across the mouse pancreas reveals a heterogeneous insulin secretion response to glucose

While numerous techniques can be used to measure and analyze insulin secretion in isolated islets in culture, assessments of insulin secretion in vivo are typically indirect and only semiquantitative. The CpepSfGFP reporter mouse line allows the in vivo imaging of insulin secretion from individual islets after a glucose challenge, in live, anesthetized mice, addressing secretion from the pancreas as a whole. Imaging the whole pancreas at high resolution in live mice includes numerous technical challenges. Using rapid-fire imaging in high dynamic range and tiling combined with computer-assisted masked morphometry, we have developed a method to overcome motion blur, and the effects of anesthesia, to be able to monitor and quantify insulin (CpepSfGFP) content simultaneously and longitudinally for the first time in hundreds of individual islets, throughout a glucose challenge. Through this approach we demonstrate that while isolated islets respond homogeneously to glucose in culture, their response profile differs significantly in vivo. Independent of size or location, some islets respond sharply to a glucose stimulation while others barely secrete at all. This platform therefore provides a powerful approach to study the impact of disease, diet, surgery or pharmacological treatments on insulin secretion in the intact pancreas in vivo.
The 1H T1 dispersion curve of fentanyl citrate to identify NQR parameters.

Abstract We report the 1H T 1 dispersion curve between 0 and 5 ​MHz for the synthetic opioid fentanyl citrate (C28H36N2O8). The structures in the curve can be used to estimate the 14N nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) frequencies of the material. Density functional theory predictions of the NQR parameters of several fentanyl citrate compounds are also reported. The predictions for the aniline nitrogen are consistent with structures in the observed T 1 data. To help interpret the fentanyl citrate results the T 1 dispersion curve for the explosive ammonium nitrate is also presented.
Cyberinfrastructure for Social Good: Ensuring That No Homeless Individual Stays Behind

Abstract We present a prototype decentralized transactional platform designed to improve the transparency of homeless serving organizations and facilitate their accountability and oversight. In the proposed system, the complete history of transactions between organizations offering homelessness services (e.g., shelters, transitional housing) and individuals seeking such services is stored in a distributed ledger. Using smart contracts, the proposed tamper-proof framework can automate the exchange of information between clients, organizations and government agencies, and allow government agencies audit organizations without violating the privacy of homeless individuals. We begin by describing the goals and concepts, the stakeholders’ requirements and the corresponding desirable system properties, and identified challenges. We continue with an in-depth description of the overall architecture of the proposed system designed to achieve these goals, and lessons learned towards transitioning this system to the real-world.
Patient and physician perspectives on engaging in palliative and healthcare trials: a qualitative descriptive study.

Background Researchers are encountering increasing challenges in recruiting participants for palliative and healthcare research. This paper aims to understand challenges to and methods for engaging physicians and seriously ill patients and their caregivers in research studies. Methods Between October 2019 to July 2020, we conducted qualitative interviews with 25 patients, proxies, and caregivers participants who were eligible for a randomized controlled trial of home-based palliative care and 31 physicians from participating accountable care organizations. Using thematic analysis, we analyzed participants' responses to identify concepts and key ideas within the text. From these initial concepts, core themes around barriers to research and preferred research recruitment approaches were generated. Results Themes from patient and caregiver interviews included time constraints, privacy concerns, lack of research familiarity, disconnect with research institution, self-perceived health status, and concerns with study randomization. Physician-identified barriers focused on time constraints and study randomization. Patient and caregiver recommendations for study recruitment included in-person recruitment, recruitment at healthcare providers' offices, recruitment via mail, additional study information, and frequent calls. Physician recommendations were related to placement of flyers at clinics, financial incentives, and formal events. Conclusions Findings demonstrated that although patients and caregivers prefer that their physicians recruit them for health-related research studies, physicians identified time constraints as a consistent barrier to research involvement.
A Novel Structure of Fully Soft-switched DC-DC Converter with Frequency Doubling Feature for High-Density Power Conversion

This paper presents a novel structure of a dual full bridge LLC resonant converter topology with a frequency doubling feature utilizing a novel modulation strategy for high step-down power conversion in data center application. The operational modes of the converter with the proposed PWM commutation strategy are analyzed in detail. A comparative study with the traditional 50% duty commutation scheme in PWM-controlled full-bridges shows the benefits of using the proposed 75% duty commutation at the second bridge switches. The criteria for soft switching at all the primary side devices at different loading conditions are also thoroughly investigated. For concept verification of the converter, a 400V to 1V DC, 500W conversion with the proposed topology is carried out in LTSpice simulation environment. The simulation results confirm the advantages of the converter: a) reduced magnetics size due to frequency doubling feature; b) zero-voltage switching (ZVS) with reduced switching frequency ($f_{\mathbf{sw}}$) at all the primary side devices.
Nonlinear Deformation Analyses of Liquefaction Effects on Embankment Dams

Nonlinear deformation analyses (NDAs) are used for evaluating the potential effects of liquefaction on the seismic performance of embankment dams. NDAs provide insights on potential failure modes and serve as a basis for generating fragility curves for risk analyses. Confidence in these applications of NDAs may be significantly improved by establishing calibration and analysis protocols that reduce undesirable sources of variability between analysis results obtained by different analysts or different models. A key protocol for improving the quality of NDAs is the calibration and validation of a constitutive model using single-element simulations with the types of loading paths potentially important to the structure's response. These simulations provide a basis for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the constitutive models and for identifying likely causes of differences between different modeling approaches. Examples of single-element simulations are presented for several constitutive models and loading paths to illustrate some of the important features for NDAs of embankment dams affected by liquefaction. The benefits of NDA studies also depend on the numerical procedures and results being sufficiently documented so that knowledgeable users can critique and interpret the results. Insights from parametric analyses should be adequately demonstrated so that members of the project team can exercise judgments regarding their practical implications. Recommendations on NDA documentation requirements are presented, along with an example of how such documentation can be important for the interpretation of NDA results. Critical examinations of NDA models and modeling procedures are necessary for identifying weaknesses, fostering improvements, and increasing confidence in their use for evaluating the seismic performance of embankment dams affected by liquefaction.
Expressing Computational Complexity in Constructive Type Theory

It is notoriously hard to express computational complexity properties of programs in programming logics based on a semantics which respects extensional function equality. This is a serious impediment to certain key applications of programming logics, even those which apply very well otherwise.
Military Policy as an Arena of Public Policy

This paper continues and builds on efforts to center the study of national security policy as a field in American and comparative politics and public policy. The traditional division of labor that kept national security policy predominantly the province and concern of IR has eroded, especially since the end of the Cold War, but remains a significant barrier to scholarship and new insights. In some ways the aftermath of 9/11 has reinforced the old separations. In general Americanists and comparativists do not study military policy and IR scholars rarely build their studies of national security around theories of public policy. This paper draws from the various literatures on public policy to explicate the characteristics of national security/military policy as a policy arena. Looking at such things as the distribution of costs and benefits, organization of interests and social forces, issue structure, bureaucratic formation, constitutional status, spatial policy effects, and national position, I show that military policy is both more similar to the politics of domestic policies than some theories from IR imagine and yet also critically different from some arenas of domestic policy in the ways that can inform and refine comparative/Americanist theories of public policy. This paper refines and expands the theoretical argument from my book, “Irrational Security: The Politics of Defense from Reagan to Obama” (Johns Hopkins, 2010).
Cocaine, Race, and Equal Protection

Most agree that equal protection should guard against laws that disproportionately burden members of a disempowered minority group because of majority prejudice. In this essay, Professor Sklansky argues that equal protection doctrine in its current form fails to achieve this objective. Professor Sklansky reaches this conclusion through an examination of the manner in which courts have upheld the constitutionality of the mandatory federal sentences for trafficking in crack cocaine. Those sentences are far harsher than the penalties federal law prescribes for trafficking in powder cocaine, the precursor of crack cocaine. Professor Sklansky argues that current equal protection doctrine leads courts to ignore troubling evidence that the crack cocaine sentences are so severe at least in part because, unlike the powder cocaine penalties, they are imposed almost exclusively on black defendants. He suggests that an excessive insistence on doctrinal consistency and simplicity has blinded equal protection law to important issues of racial injustice, including the danger that the crack cocaine penalties are the product of unconscious racism. In order to foster a gradual, case-by-case improvement of equal protection law, Professor Sklansky calls for greater toleration of doctrinal disorder.
Semi-automated Image Processing for Preclinical Bioluminescent Imaging.

Semi-automated Image Processing for Preclinical Bioluminescent Imaging Small animal bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is used to observe noninvasively and in real time the presence or activation of specific biological process at the molecular level. With a multi-camera BLI device capable of tomographic studies, the 3D spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of luciferase expressing cells within the animal can be measured in great detail.
Economic Systems and Economic History

What is the relationship of economic history to the study of comparative economic systems? Perhaps the major contribution to thought on this subject has been made by Walter Eucken, whose ideas may be taken as the starting point for our discussion.
Assessment of spatial memory using the T maze.

This unit describes the use of the T maze to assess spatial memory, and takes into account the alternating behavior of rats in searching for food. The task is based on the premise that animals have evolved an optimal strategy to explore their environment and obtain food with a minimum amount of effort. The T maze has been most extensively used to investigate specific aspects of spatial working memory, which is operationally defined as information that is only useful to a rat during the current experience with the task. A modification of the maze allows for the assessment of reference memory, defined as information that is useful across all exposures to the task (i.e., on any day of testing). Finally, in the absence of food-deprivation, a simple T maze can be used as described to assess spontaneous alternation.
Monte Carlo study of a high resolution gamma ray telescope used as a polarimeter

Abstract Recent results of computer modeling show how the UCLA-UTD High Resolution Gamma Ray Telescope could potentially be used to detect the polarization states of incoming gammas to learn more about the nature of their source. The High Resolution Gamma Ray Telescope is operated as a Compton telescope consisting of a Liquid Argon Converter, a Gas Drift Chamber and a Liquid Argon Calorimeter. Through slight modifications of the telescope, we show that it may be possible to ascertain the linear polarization states of the gamma rays if a large enough number of events can be analyzed.
Cell permeability: a factor in the biotin-oleate relationship in Lactobacillus arabinosus.

Abstract The results of this study suggest that cells of L. arabinosus are relatively impermeable to biotin. Oleic acid appears to function in permitting the more efficient entry of this vitamin into the bacterial cell.
sequestial estimation of a tail probabality of an unknown distribution

This paper is concerned with sequential estimation of the probability of a random variable falling a specified number of standard deviations away from the mean, when the mean, the standard deviation and the underlying distribution are unknown. We consider both point and interval estimation of tail probability under some broad assumptions on the underlying distribution,we establish asymptotic collsistency of the sequential fixed-width interval procedure and risk-efficiency of the sequential point-estimation procedure. We also carry out a simulation study for the fixed-width interval estimation when the underlying distribution is normal or exponential.
Self-inclusion and paraffin intercalation of the p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene host: a neutral organic clay mimic

Two newly identified structures arise upon the crystallisation of the p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene host molecule from tetradecane: the guest-free, self-included host structure, and a 1:1 host–guest structure in which the paraffin guest is anchored in the bowl-shaped host cavity and intercalates layers of host molecules in a lamellar structure reminiscent of clays.
Breathhold cine MRI of left ventricular function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: work-in-progress.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related breathing disorder that can cause left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. In patients with OSA, the LV dysfunction is usually evaluated by echocardiography. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the use of breathhold cine MRI for the study of LV dysfunction would be feasible and well tolerated by patients with OSA. Six volunteers and five patients underwent a breathhold cine MRI study of the LV using a 1.5 Tesla MR imager. Cine MRI was performed using a breathhold k-space segmented TurboFLASH technique during end-expiration. Systolic thickening of the LV septal wall was 49% ± 16% in normals vs. 25% ± 10.5% in patients (p < 0.05). Systolic thickening of the LV free wall was 42% ± 12% in normals vs. 22% ± 9% in patients (p < 0.05). There was a significant difference in end-diastolic wall thickness between the two groups. All patients tolerated the procedure well. The total duration of each study was relatively short (less than 11 min). Breathhold MRI techniques can be used to study LV dysfunction in patients with respiratory disability such as OSA.
Probabilistic High Cycle Fatigue Assessment Process for Integrally Bladed Rotors

This paper defines a probabilistic High Cycle Fatigue (HCF) assessment process for a fan or compressor Integrally Bladed Rotor (IBR). It identifies key design variables, how they are statistically modeled, the probabilistic integration technique, and the physics-based modeling process. It defines how previous eigensensitivity based reduced order models cannot be used for IBR assessment and validates an alternate approach. An autoregressive model accounts for correlation between IBR blade-to-blade variabilities. An approach is also defined to combine sector tuned stress variation and mistuning amplifications. Predicted stress variations integrate with a probabilistic Goodman Diagram to allow an IBR risk assessment. The paper concludes by summarizing several remaining areas that are necessary for a practical assessment process. These areas are probabilistic fluid dynamic prediction, probabilistic mission analysis, propagating model error, and the need for an effective validation strategy.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
The simulated effects of timber harvest on suitable habitat for Indiana and northern long-eared bats

Bat conservation in the eastern United States following the onset of white-nose syndrome necessitates the conservation and production of important summer habitat required by bats for both diurnal roosting and nocturnal foraging and commuting. Forest management via silvicultural applications can purposely direct forest succession so important habitat features are retained and developed. The effects of timber harvest on habitat at large spatiotemporal scales for a species are not always readily apparent but can be investigated with spatially explicit forest dynamic modeling. Here we used a forest succession model (LANDIS-II) to simulate future forest conditions under different harvest regimes. We simulated nine harvest scenarios on Indiana State Forests that ranged from a complete cessation of timber harvest to intensive timber extraction. We then applied previously created models of nocturnal and diurnal habitat occupancy for both Indiana and northern long-eared bats. We found that suitable nocturnal habit...
Using electron beam radiation to simulate the dose distribution for whole body solar particle event proton exposure

As a part of the near solar system exploration program, astronauts may receive significant total body proton radiation exposures during a solar particle event (SPE). In the Center for Acute Radiation Research (CARR), symptoms of the acute radiation sickness syndrome induced by conventional radiation are being compared to those induced by SPE-like proton radiation, to determine the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of SPE protons. In an SPE, the astronaut’s whole body will be exposed to radiation consisting mainly of protons with energies below 50 MeV. In addition to providing for a potentially higher RBE than conventional radiation, the energy distribution for an SPE will produce a relatively inhomogeneous total body dose distribution, with a significantly higher dose delivered to the skin and subcutaneous tissues than to the internal organs. These factors make it difficult to use a 60Co standard for RBE comparisons in our experiments. Here, the novel concept of using megavoltage electron beam radiation to more accurately reproduce both the total dose and the dose distribution of SPE protons and make meaningful RBE comparisons between protons and conventional radiation is described. In these studies, Monte Carlo simulation was used to determine the dose distribution of electron beam radiation in small mammals such as mice and ferrets as well as large mammals such as pigs. These studies will help to better define the topography of the time-dose-fractionation versus biological response landscape for astronaut exposure to an SPE.
Sticky Thermals: Evidence for a Dominant Balance between Buoyancy and Drag in Cloud Updrafts

AbstractThe vertical velocities of convective clouds are of great practical interest because of their influence on many phenomena, including severe weather and stratospheric moistening. However, the magnitudes of forces giving rise to these vertical velocities are poorly understood, and the dominant balance is in dispute. Here, an algorithm is used to extract thousands of cloud thermals from a large-eddy simulation of deep and tropical maritime convection. Using a streamfunction to define natural boundaries for these thermals, the dominant balance in the vertical momentum equation is revealed. Cloud thermals rise with a nearly constant speed determined by their buoyancy and the standard drag law with a drag coefficient of 0.6. Contrary to suggestions that cloud thermals might be slippery, with a dominant balance between buoyancy and acceleration, cloud thermals are found here to be sticky, with a dominant balance between buoyancy and drag.
Priestley, the furious free thinker of the enlightenment, and Scheele, the taciturn apothecary of Uppsala

‘The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate’. Joseph Priestley
Transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization is an alternative to operative hemorrhoidectomy.

Abstract Background: Transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization (THD), a new approach for patients who would otherwise require an operative hemorrhoidectomy, accomplishes hemorrhoidal symptom relief with far less postoperative pain than an operative hemorrhoidectomy. Methods: THD, an ambulatory procedure, employs a specially designed proctoscope coupled with a Doppler transducer to allow identification and suture ligation of the hemorrhoidal arteries. Results: Sixty patients between ages 22 and 87 were treated. Bleeding was fully corrected in 88%, protrusion in 92%, and pain in 71%. Two patients (3%) failed to improve with THD. Complications included pain resulting in greater than 2 days loss of work in 5 patients, postoperative perirectal thromboses developed in 4 patients, and an anal fissure developed in 1 patient. Conclusions: THD was an effective alternative to operative hemorrhoidectomy. It may be the only option for patients where an operative hemorrhoidectomy is contraindicated because of incontinence.
Blood lead concentration and children's anthropometric dimensions in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES III), 1988-1994

Abstract Objective: To assess the association between lead exposure and children's physical growth. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Participants: A total of 4391 non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Mexican-American children age 1 to 7 years. Measurements and Results: We investigated the association between blood lead concentration and stature, head circumference, weight, and body mass index with multiple regression analysis adjusting for sex, ethnic group, iron status, dietary intake, medical history, sociodemographic factors, and household characteristics. Blood lead concentration was significantly negatively associated with stature and head circumference. Regression models predicted reductions of 1.57 cm in stature and 0.52 cm in head circumference for each 0.48 μmol/L (10 μg/dL) increase in blood lead concentration. We did not find significant associations between blood lead concentration and weight or body mass index. Conclusions: The significant negative associations between blood lead concentration and stature and head circumference among children age 1 through 7 years, similar in magnitude to those reported for the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1976-1980, suggest that although mean blood lead concentrations of children have been declining in the United States for 2 decades, lead exposure may continue to affect the growth of some children. (J Pediatr 1999;134:623-30)
NEGOTIATION AND PLEA BARGAINING MODELS: An Organizational Perspective

This article assesses the contributions to our understanding of plea bargaining made by economic and decision-theory models of criminal justice decision-making. The author introduces an organizational interpretation of plea bargaining and critiques two of the more prominent attempts at formal modeling of the criminal process. Empirical evidence, gathered by others, is reanalyzed to compare the relative explanatory power of these formal models in determining patterns of choice among negotiative and adversary dispositions in two urban felony jurisdictions. The article concludes with the assertion that economic and decision-theory models present an insightful but essentially distorted view of criminal justice decision-making. An appreciation for contextual factors, emphasized in organization theory, is necessary for grasping the reality of the criminal process and for shaping meaningful reform.
Relevance of a dilute instanton ensemble to light hadrons.

We investigate the relevance of a dilute instanton ensemble to the masses and structure of light hadrons by using the lattice-cooling method to suppress all short-wavelength modes in the quenched QCD vacuum while leaving the well-separated instantons more or less intact. Our hadron model-independent results indicate that the masses and sizes of the pion, {rho}, and nucleon are dominated by dilute-instanton configurations and insensitive to perturbative gluon exchange and confinement.
Influence of microstructural features on the dynamic fracture behavior of some iron-base materials

Abstract An exploding wire system has been used to examine the effects of microstructure on the dynamic fracture behavior of high purity iron, 0.2% C steel and free machining steels. Optical and scanning electron microscopy studies of the fractured specimens indicate that the dynamic loading response is strongly material dependent, being inlfuenced by the grain size and the presence of brittle second phase particles. Predominantly intergranular microcracks are observed in pure iron specimens having grain sizes ranging from 40 to 200 microns, whereas transgranular microcracks are observed to initiate the fracture process in 0.2% C steel of varying microstructures. The degree of dynamic fracture increases with increasing grain size in 0.2% C steel containing ferrite - pearlite microstructures. A detailed study of dynamically loaded specimens indicates that the occurrence of microfractures in 0.2% C steel is associated with second phase particles in the form of inclusions and carbides, and that the predominance of intergranular cracking in pure iron is due to its relatively low carbon content and coarse grain size. The fracture characteristics of the various materials are compared and discussed in relation to the dynamic fracture behavior of steel subjected to other methods of loading.
INTEGRATING PRODUCTION AND TRANSPORTATION SCHEDULING DECISIONS BETWEEN TWO GEOGRAPHICALLY SEPARATED PLANTS

The integration of scheduling transportation between an intermediate plant and a finishing plant with the simultaneous scheduling of short-run production at these plants represents a challenging problem. This paper proposes a multi-echelon plant-scheduling model to deal with this problem. The proposed optimization model considers all the cost and production capacity issues involved while developing a cost minimizing integrated schedule. Logistics trade-offs requiring consideration are examined, regardless of whether a firm models them explicitly, or simply weighs them implicitly. Managerial implications of both the proposed model and the logistics trade-offs inherent in this scheduling problem are then considered.
RELATIONAL DIMENSIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS: INSIGHTS FROM BOSZORMENYI-NAGY'S CONTEXTUAL THERAPY

The role of systems-oriented therapists in addressing personal and interpersonal correlates of global climate change and environmental degradation has yet to be elucidated. As an initial offering in this area, this article explores the relational and psychological significance of safeguarding the environment for future generations, or failing to do so, in light of family systems and existential theory. Drawing primarily on key points from Boszormenyi-Nagy’s contextual family therapy, I demonstrate that denying accountability to future generations contributes to existential guilt, self-alienation, and relational stagnation. Therapeutic conversations that illuminate personal responsibility and foster dialogue about interpersonal justice are proposed as a step toward diminishing environment-related suffering and promoting well-being.
Physician Practice Patterns: Why and How We Should Use Them

The author presents an historical overview of the development of physician practice pattern data. The value of this data, correctly presented, for comparing physician practice activity across geographical areas and for the same presenting clinical problems is dis cussed. In addition, variations in practice patterns have been used to probe questions of quality. The article argues for the use of practice pattern varia tions by utilization review physicians. The immense value of physician to physician interaction and its resultant value in motivating physician change are documented from recent literature.
Effectiveness of Functionalized Nanosystems for Multimodal Molecular Sensing and Imaging in Medicine

Successful employment of multimodal molecular imaging for cancer targeting entails the development of safe nanoparticle contrast agents (NPCAs), detects at least by two nonionizing imaging techniques. This paper presents a quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of both pure silica nanospheres (SiNSs) and composite silica/superparamagnetic NPCAs as scatterers for low-frequency diagnostic ultrasound (US) (3 MHz) in very low range of concentrations (1.5–5 mg/mL). Iron oxide (IO) and FePt-IO nanocrystals are employed for SiNS magnetic coating. Different samples of NPCA-containing agarose gel are US imaged through a commercially available system and acquired data are processed through a dedicated prototypal platform to extract image backscatter information and perform evaluation of the image gray level. The pure silica NPCAs confirms recent reports for higher concentrations at higher frequencies. The FePt-IO-coated NPCAs show similar behavior, although with lower values of image backscatter, with a marked effectiveness peak for 330-nm SiNSs, particularly useful for tumor targeting purposes. Finally, the IO-coated SiNSs presented a marked lowering of US enhancement potential and a peak efficiency for a particle diameter of 660 nm. The extent of US backscatter reduction is found to be a function of the number of magnetic nanoparticles per mL of NPCA-containing gel and decreased with increasing NPCA concentrations. These results broadened our knowledge of dual-mode molecular imaging of deep tumors, employing US, and magnetic resonance techniques for the accurate, safe and early detection of cancer cells located in internal organs.
Adaptive Modulation for multiantenna transmissions with channel mean feedback

Adaptive modulation has the potential to increase the system throughput significantly by matching transmitter parameters to time-varying channel conditions. However, adaptive modulation schemes that rely on perfect channel state information (CSI) are sensitive to CSI imperfections induced by estimation errors and feedback delays. In this paper, we design adaptive modulation schemes for multiantenna transmissions based on partial CSI, that models the spatial fading channels as Gaussian random variables with nonzero mean and white covariance, conditioned on feedback information. Based on a two-dimensional beamformer, our proposed transmitter optimally adapts the basis beams, the power allocation between two beams, and the signal constellation, to maximize the transmission rate, while maintaining a target bit-error rate. Adaptive trellis-coded multiantenna modulation is also investigated. Numerical results demonstrate the rate improvement, and illustrate an interesting tradeoff that emerges between feedback quality and hardware complexity.
Cerebral blood flow does not mediate the effect of brain temperature on recovery of extracellular potassium ion activity after transient focal ischemia in the rat.

Temperature plays an important role in determining outcome following both global and focal brain ischemia. After focal ischemia, the degree of infarction decreases with mild hypothermia and increases with mild hyperthermia. In this study, brain extracellular potassium ion activity and local cerebral blood flow were measured in cerebral cortex during 60 min of middle cerebral artery occlusion and 60 min of re-perfusion. Brain temperature was maintained at 32-34 degrees C (mild hypothermia), 35.5-36.5 degrees C (normothermia), or 37.5-38.5 degrees C (mild hyperthermia) throughout ischemia and re-perfusion. In normothermic animals and to a greater degree in hyperthermic animals, extracellular potassium ion activity showed delayed secondary elevation above pre-ischemia values within 40-60 min after re-perfusion. No secondary elevation of extracellular potassium ion activity was observed in hypothermic animals. There was no difference in cortical blood flow among groups with varying brain temperature, indicating that delayed deterioration of brain potassium ion homeostasis was not caused by temperature dependent alteration of cerebral blood flow. The data suggest that loss of potassium ion homeostasis during re-perfusion after focal cerebral ischemia is caused by cellular rather than vascular dysfunction and may reflect secondary inhibition of energy metabolism.
Laser-Assisted Low-Dose Retinoic Acid in Oral Cancer Chemoprevention†

Objectives: Systemic retinoic acid (RA) treatment for chemoprevention of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is limited by RA's toxic side effects at therapeutic doses. The pulsed-dye laser (PDL), through a mechanism of selective vascular targeting, may allow reduction of the RA dose to one that is better tolerated when these treatments are used in combination. This study tests our hypothesis that combination therapy of PDL irradiation and low-dose systemic RA is as effective as high-dose RA therapy alone in the chemoprevention of HNSCC. Study Design: Randomized, prospective study in a hamster model. Methods: Dysplastic lesions were induced in the cheek pouches of 48 hamsters by painting with topical 9,10-dimethl-1,2-benzanthrancene (DMBA). The hamsters were randomly divided into four treatment groups: 1) control (no treatment); 2) PDL irradiation only; 3) 5.0 mg RA (all-trans retinoid, 5.0 mg/kg per day, intraperitoneally [IP]); and (4) PDL + 0.5 mg RA (0.5 mg/kg per day, IP). The PDL irradiation was conducted at day 0 and 15, whereas the RA treatment was continued for 27 days. Tumor burden was measured over time. Results: The lesions in all of three treatment groups grow more slowly than the untreated controls. The combination treatment of PDL and RA had the greatest inhibitory effect on tumors. Conclusion: This study suggests that combination treatment of PDL and low-dose RA is more effective than high-dose RA alone in the chemoprevention of HNSCC in a hamster cheek-pouch model, so that it should allow greatly improved tolerance of this regimen.
Stochastic analysis of the relationship between topography and the spatial distribution of soil moisture

This paper deals with the issue of the spatial horizontal variability of soil moisture in the root zone of a shallow soil at the large scale. The problem of water flow in the unsaturated zone is formulated so that topography appears explicitly as a forcing for the movement and redistribution of soil moisture. This formulation emphasizes the role of the lateral redistribution of water that is induced by topography. A stochastic theory is developed to relate the statistical distribution of soil moisture to that of elevation. This approach will ultimately facilitate the use of the readily available data sets describing topography for the purpose of defining the large-scale distribution of soil moisture. The steady state horizontal distribution of soil moisture under homogeneous bare soil conditions is regulated by three distinct factors: topography, climate, and soil properties. First, topography, forces a distribution of soil moisture that tends to mimic the elevation field at large scales. The other two factors are the vertical divergence of water in response to the climate forcing (evaporation) and the capillary resistance to water movement. The climate forcing tends to smooth the spatial distribution of soil moisture. However, the capillary forces exerted by the soil matrix tend to resist displacement of water and hence exert adverse effects against the topography and climate forcings. The variance of the soil moisture distribution increases with the variance of the elevation field and decreases with the correlation scale of the elevation field and the magnitude of the climate forcing. The impact of capillary forces on the vertical fluxes of water is more significant than their impact on the topographically induced horizontal fluxes, owing to the larger hydraulic gradient in the vertical direction resulting from the disparity in scale between the vertical and horizontal directions.
The transition path in a growth model: The sato controversy revisited

Abstract What transition path is generated when a nation permanently raises its saving rate? The papers of R. Sato (1963) and K. Sato (1966) continue to be the seminal references for this question in the economics literature. We show that many of their results are dependent on the choice of their measure of adjustment time. Our three alternative measures—the sacrifice time, the T -year gain, and the saving rate return—provide a more complete characterization of the transition path and give a more optimistic impression of the impact of raising the saving rate. Finally, in contrast to their measure, our three measures are applicable to models without steady-states.
Action-selection and crossover strategies for self-modeling machines

In previous work [7] a computational framework was demonstrated that employs evolutionary algorithms to automatically model a given system. This is accomplished by alternating the evolution of models with the evolutionary search for new training data. Theory predicts [23] that the best new training data is that which induces maximum disagreement across the current model set. Here it is demonstrated that in a robot application this is not the case, and alternative fitness functions are developed that seek other, better training data. Also, it is shown that although crossover successfully reduces the mean error of the model set, it compromises the ability of the framework to find new, informative training data. This has implications for how to create adaptive, self-modeling machines, and suggests how competitive processes in the brain underlie the generation of intelligent behavior.
SOME COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE OUTCOMES OF SAME-SEX VERSUS COEDUCATIONAL GROUPING IN FIRST GRADE

Coeducational grouping in classrooms was instituted a century ago as an economical way of assuring good schooling for girls. The justification for coeducation was summarized by Thomas Woody (15) as “realistic, economically advantageous, and a wholesome socializing experience for both sexes, as well as the best way of providing equal educational opportunity for women.” However, coeducational classroom organization may have a deterring effect on some children’s early school progress, considering present knowledge of developmental growth patterns which indicate that young boys mature more slowly than girls of the same chronological age. The child’s initial school experience in the first grade learning environment can set the stage for later learning progress. Attitudes about self and others, as well as early learning styles can affect children’s performance in school. There is little definitive research to support coeducational grouping as the optimal grouping pattern for first grade boys and girls.
Practical Aspects of Risk Assessment in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

Introduction Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, which are characterized in the majority of cases by activating mutations in KIT and platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA). The introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors has revolutionized the management of patients with metastatic GIST. However, complete surgical resection remains the mainstay of management for those with localized disease. Recently, three large trials have confirmed the benefit of adjuvant imatinib therapy in patients who were at high risk of recurrence following complete resection. In this setting, it is critical that oncologists understand the various GIST risk assessment criteria and be able to apply these methods to accurately assess the risk of recurrence and the need for adjuvant imatinib therapy.
Effect of Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding on Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Extremely Obese Adolescents

Recently, surgical intervention has gained increasing support in adolescents with extreme obesity. This study summarizes the analysis into the effect of laparoscopic adjustable gastric bands (LAGB) on cardiovascular risk factors in 14 extremely obese Portuguese adolescent patients. Data collected both pre- and postoperatively included age, gender, body mass index (BMI), percentage of excess weight loss, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular outcomes. Ten girls and four boys aged from 13.5 to 17.5 years underwent LABG. The mean preoperative weight and BMI were 127.4 kg and 46.1 kg/m2, respectively. The average percentage of weight loss calculated was 32 % at 1 year, 38.8 % at 2 years, and 48.1 % at 3 years of follow-up. Simultaneously, blood pressure and insulin resistance index returned to normal, and there was an increase in high-density lipoprotein levels, 3 years after the LABG was fitted. LABG fitting is a safe and effective treatment strategy for the improvement of cardiovascular status following weight loss.
‘Derivative’ firms, agency and economic integration

This paper proposes a ‘derivative’ firm model that emphasizes the decisions to invest in productive assets and to contract with firm managers. Contemporary examples of derivative firms include joint ventures and LBOs. The traditional joint venture is recast as a derivative firm with the model pointing out why managerial contracts and asset investment decisions should be made simultaneously for optimal shareholder wealth.
Development of transverse cracking in cross-ply laminates during fatigue tests

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the progressive development of transverse cracking in cross-ply laminates subjected to uniaxial fatigue tests. First, a finite-element analysis shows how an analytical model which considers a progressive shear through the thickness of the 0° layers can be used for evaluating the stress field in the case of progressive cracking across the specimen width. The paper then presents a simulation of the progression of the transverse cracking, based on statistical distributions along the specimen length for crack initiation and across the specimen width for crack growth across the specimen width. The simulation process is applied to glass-fibre/epoxy cross-ply laminates and the results obtained are compared with experimental results.
Calculation of Relativistic Transition Probabilities and Form Factors from Noncompact Groups

Relativistic transition probabilities and form factors have been evaluated in closed form (in terms of hypergeometric functions) for a model of fundamental particles constructed on the unitary irreducible representation space of a noncompact dynamical group. Majorana-type equations have been used to project out irreducible subspaces of the Poincar\'e group and to specify the transformation properties of the electromagnetic current. The magnetic moment of the spin-\textonehalf{} ground state in the simplest representation is -\textonehalf{}, and one obtains the observed symmetry ${G}_{E}(t)=\frac{{G}_{M}(t)}{\ensuremath{\mu}}$.
Facing the diversity crisis in climate science

The climate movement is failing to engage a diverse set of stakeholders in efforts to address climate change, and a lack of diversity within the climate community itself may be, in part, to blame. Research-informed solutions are urgently needed to address the problem and help build a more inclusive and influential movement.
An Experiment in the Teaching of Graded Readings

Author's Summary.— Evidence is presented to prove that students taught by means of a direct-reading approach, and with graded materials, learn to read more efficiently and sooner than those taught by other methods and using ungraded reading materials.)