cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical unclonable functions with improved robustness based on polar codes

Since physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are considered for various security applications such as authentication and key generation, the robustness of PUFs is vital. In prior works, various error correction codes, such as Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) codes, were used to improve the robustness of PUFs. In this paper, we use polar codes, a new family of error correction codes, to improve the robustness of PUFs. Our results show that when compared with BCH codes, although polar codes have smaller minimum Hamming distances, they are more resistant to severe environmental effects.
Can Over-the-Counter Pain Medications Influence Our Thoughts and Emotions?:

Recent research at the intersection of social psychology and psychopharmacology is raising new questions about some of our favorite over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications. This work suggests that ...
Financial conflict of interest: an unresolved ethical frontier.

Financial conflict of interest has become one of the most contentious issues in medicine today. Several decades ago studies disclosed that physicians who had investments in medical facilities were referring patients for more tests and procedures than physicians who had no such investments. More recently, physicians who forego expensive tests and treatments for patients have been accused of skimping on care for personal financial gain. Physicians who emphatically tout certain treatments have been criticized for possessing hidden financial ties to the manufacturer of the products. Some physicians engaged in clinical trials have been suspected of enrolling patients who do not strictly conform to the research protocols so that they can collect fees from contract research organizations. And in the aftermath of deaths and complications in gene therapy experiments, some scientists and their institutions have been criticized for possessing a financial stake in companies that are involved in the studies.
TERRA-REF Data Processing Infrastructure

The Transportation Energy Resources from Renewable Agriculture Phenotyping Reference Platform (TERRA-REF) provides a data and computation pipeline responsible for collecting, transferring, processing and distributing large volumes of crop sensing and genomic data from genetically informative germplasm sets. The primary source of these data is a field scanner system built over an experimental field at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center. The scanner uses several different sensors to observe the field at a dense collection frequency with high resolution. These sensors include RGB stereo, thermal, pulse-amplitude modulated chlorophyll fluorescence, imaging spectrometer cameras, a 3D laser scanner, and environmental monitors. In addition, data from sensors mounted on tractors, UAVs, an indoor controlled-environment facility, and manually collected measurements are integrated into the pipeline. Up to two TB of data per day are collected and transferred to the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois (NCSA) where they are processed.In this paper we describe the technical architecture for the TERRA-REF data and computing pipeline. This modular and scalable pipeline provides a suite of components to convert raw imagery to standard formats, geospatially subset data, and identify biophysical and physiological plant features related to crop productivity, resource use, and stress tolerance. Derived data products are uploaded to the Clowder content management system and the BETYdb traits and yields database for querying, supporting research at an experimental plot level. All software is open source2 under a BSD 3-clause or similar license and the data products are open access (currently for evaluation with a full release in fall 2019). In addition, we provide computing environments in which users can explore data and develop new tools. The goal of this system is to enable scientists to evaluate and use data, create new algorithms, and advance the science of digital agriculture and crop improvement.
Hydroxyurea as an Alternative to Blood Transfusions for the Prevention of Recurrent Stroke in Children With Sickle Cell Disease

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and stroke receive chronic transfusions to prevent stroke recurrence. Transfusion risks including infection, erythrocyte allosensitization, and iron overload suggest a need for alternative therapies. We previously used hydroxyurea (HU) and phlebotomy in two young adults with SCD and stroke as an alternative to transfusions. We have now prospectively discontinued transfusions in 16 pediatric patients with SCD and stroke. Reasons to discontinue transfusions included erythrocyte alloantibodies or autoantibodies, recurrent stroke on transfusions, iron overload, noncompliance, and deferoxamine allergy. HU was started at 15 mg/kg/d and escalated to 30 mg/kg/d based on hematologic toxicity. Patients with iron overload underwent phlebotomy. The children have been off transfusions 22 months, (range, 3 to 52 months). Their average HU dose is 24.9 ± 4.2 mg/kg/d, hemoglobin concentration is 9.4 ± 1.3 g/dL, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is 112 ± 9 fL. Maximum percentage fetal hemoglobin (%HbF) is 20.6% ± 8.0% and percentage HbF-containing erythrocytes (%F cells) is 79.3% ± 14.7%. Fourteen patients underwent phlebotomy with an average of 8,993 mL (267 mL/kg) removed. Serum ferritin has decreased from 2,630 to 424 ng/mL, and 4 children have normal ferritin values. Three patients (19%) had neurological events considered recurrent stroke, each 3 to 4 months after discontinuing transfusions, but before maximal HU effects. These preliminary data suggest some children with SCD and stroke may discontinue chronic transfusions and use HU therapy to prevent stroke recurrence. Phlebotomy is well-tolerated and significantly reduces iron overload. Modifications in HU therapy to raise HbF more rapidly might increase protection against stroke recurrence.
Psychosocial Factors Promoting Personal Growth Throughout Adulthood

Personal growth is essential in the lives of adults of any age and is associated with a variety of well-being outcomes. Building on previous research on psychosocial factors associated with personal growth, the present study aimed to investigate whether and how psychosocial factors (including working, generativity, positive interpersonal relationships, and spirituality) could affect aging adults’ personal growth longitudinally. Using three waves of Midlife in the United States data from adults with baseline ages of 20–75, two-level hierarchical linear modeling analyses were conducted to examine the effects of psychosocial factors as well as age and gender on levels and trajectories of personal growth over the span of nearly two decades. All the factors predicted levels of personal growth while positive relationships and generativity had larger effects relative to the others. In addition, some of the effects were moderated by baseline age or passage of time (i.e., aging). Particularly, the moderated effects involving positive relations were multifaceted. Among those with less positive relationships, older people’s levels of personal growth remained lower than younger people over time. However, among those with more positive relationships, older people reported lower growth initially but the age difference was no longer confirmed two decades later. In other words, having positive relationships appeared to become increasingly important for aging adults to maintain higher personal growth. These findings suggest shifts in life priorities that could influence personal growth among aging adults, and the implications can be informative for future research and practice.
Implementing a Literature-Based, Problem-Solving Course Bridging Mechanistic Organic Chemistry, Enzyme Transformations, and Biomedical Applications

A chemistry course designed as an elective for chemistry, biochemistry, biology, and pharmaceutical science majors is described. The course is designed for second- through fourth-year undergraduate students. The prerequisite is first-semester, second-year undergraduate organic chemistry with the second semester of the organic sequence as a corequisite. The emphasis is on the mechanistic organic chemistry of enzyme transformations. An inductive approach is utilized in which students are initially taught an array of mechanistic probe experiments and learn how to design and implement these experiments to elucidate mechanisms. The intent of this research/hypothesis-driven approach is to enable students to propose experiments to test premises. After proposing probe experiments, the students will receive data so that, upon their interpretation of the data, they can propose potential mechanism(s) and defend their proposals. The primary chemical literature is emphasized throughout the course. Potential syllabi, a detailed overview of the applicable mechanistic probe experiments, multiple problem sets for distribution to students (with a faculty answer guide), a listing of 40 appropriate primary literature research articles utilized in the course, a listing of additional resources, and an extensive student study guide (reviewing applicable organic chemistry and biochemistry review principles) are all provided in the Supporting Information.
Sweeping Up Guideline Floors: The Misguided Policy of Amendment 767 to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual

Amendment 767 to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual, effective November 1, 2012, significantly modified the calculation of Guidelines ranges for federal defendants convicted of multiple counts where at least one of the counts is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence. The amendment, which altered section 5G1.2 of the Guidelines and its commentary, provides that the minimum statutory sentence for any count in a multicount conviction raises the floor of the Guidelines range for all counts. The U.S. Sentencing Commission set forth two reasons for Amendment 767: to resolve a circuit split and to make it easier for district courts to calculate departures and variances by reducing the likelihood of arriving at multiple Guidelines ranges. The first reason is unsupportable because, as communicated to the Commission in the comments to the proposed amendment, no circuit split actually existed. Moreover, the circuits that had resolved the issue all rejected the position adopted by the amendment. Although the Commission is correct that Amendment 767 will lead to some administrative benefits for district courts by reducing the likelihood that a defendant will have multiple Guidelines ranges, those minimal benefits are strongly outweighed by Amendment 767’s negative consequences. By linking the Guidelines range to a statutory minimum sentence applicable to a different count of conviction, Amendment 767 divorces the punishment determination from the underlying conviction. Such decoupling is counter to both the moral underpinnings of sentencing — an offender’s punishment should not exceed her just deserts — and the statutory directive that district courts should impose a sentence that is no greater than necessary to achieve the goals of sentencing and fix a just punishment. Furthermore, Amendment 767 places additional administrative burdens on the criminal justice system by increasing the need to resentence defendants upon the vacation of a single count of conviction and by incentivizing prisoners to challenge more sentences and convictions through habeas petitions. Therefore, the changes wrought by Amendment 767 are not good sentencing policy and district courts would be well advised to vary from Guidelines ranges calculated through amended section 5G1.2.
Evidence of Concurrent Light Chain and Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis in 2 Patients.

Two distinct types of systemic amyloidosis, light chain (AL) and transthyretin (ATTR), account for >95% of diagnosed cardiac amyloidosis (CA) ([1][1]). AL arises from a clonal population of plasma cells that produce misfolded immunoglobulin light chains that aggregate in organs such as the heart,
Invasive Group A streptococcal postpartum endometritis associated with multi-organ infarctions: an uncommon case presentation and literature review.

Background: Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS) is a serious condition that can arise from streptococcal postpartum endometritis. It is associated with a substantial increase in mortality rat...
Opportunities and challenges of high energy lithium metal batteries for electrical vehicle applications

Lithium metal batteries have great advantages over state-of-the-art lithium ion batteries in term of energy density and cost, which bring huge opportunity for long-range and low-cost electrical veh...
Micromechanical poroelastic and viscoelastic properties of ex-vivo soft tissues.

Abstract Soft biological tissues demonstrate strong time-dependent mechanical behavior, arising from their intrinsic viscoelasticity and fluid flow-induced poroelasticity. It is increasingly recognized that time-dependent mechanical properties of soft tissues influence their physiological functions and are linked to several pathological processes. Nevertheless, soft tissue time-dependent characteristics, especially their micromechanical variation with tissue composition and location, remain poorly understood. Nanoindentation is a well-established technique to measure local elastic properties but has not been fully explored to determine micro-scale time-dependent properties of soft tissues. Here, a nanoindentation-based experimental strategy is implemented to characterize the micro-scale poroelastic and viscoelastic behavior of mouse heart, kidney, and liver tissues. It is demonstrated that heart tissue exhibits substantial mechanical heterogeneity where the elastic modulus varies spatially from 1 to 30 kPa. In contrast, both kidney and liver tissues show relatively homogeneous response with elastic modulus 0.5–3 kPa. All three tissues demonstrate marked load relaxation under constant indentation, where the relaxation behavior is observed to be largely dominated by tissue viscoelasticity. Intrinsic permeability varies among different tissues, where heart tissue is found to be less permeable compared to kidney and liver tissues. Overall, the results presented herein provide key insights into the time-dependent micromechanical behavior of different tissues and can therefore contribute to studies of tissue pathology and tissue engineering applications.
On-site Drying Technology of Disassembly-transportated UHV AC Transformer

UHV AC transformer is one of the most difficult equipment in the transportation of electric power large equipment. Its transportation weight and dimension have reached the limit of highway transportation. At present, it is impossible to transport by railway, and it is very difficult to coordinate highway transportation. It is often necessary to reconstruct roads, strengthen bridges and so on. There are many factors that affect transportation, not only the transportation period and safety risk control are difficult, but also the transportation cost is very high. Limited by transportation conditions in some areas, the location of substation is directly affected. In order to solve the transportation problem, the large power transformer usually adopts the disassembly transportation and site assembly scheme, that is, the overall transportation of transformer is transformed into the transportation of its components, so as to avoid the problem of overall transportation overweight and large size. A single UHV Transformer is assembled on site. The assembly process is basically the same as that in the factory, which takes nearly 50 days. It is inevitable that the insulation parts of the transformer body will be damped. Therefore, the product must be dried on site. In this paper, several effective on-site drying methods are compared and analyzed. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are evaluated by comprehensive comparison, and then an ideal and practical on-site drying method is sought or selected. Finally, it is concluded that the mobile gas phase drying technology has a good drying effect on the spot, which is very suitable for the field drying of special and large-scale field assembled transformers. This paper focuses on the key technologies of mobile vacuum vapor phase drying method, including drying process, temperature control measures, moisture content control of transformer insulation and evaluation methods.
Anomalous Gluon Self-Interactions and $t \bar{t}$ Production

Strong-interaction physics that lies beyond the standard model may conveniently be described by an effective Lagrangian. The only genuinely gluonic CP-conserving term at dimension six is the three-gluon-field-strength operator $G^3$. This operator, which alters the 3-gluon and 4-gluon vertices form their standard model forms, turns out to be difficult to detect in final states containing light jets. Its effects on top quark pair production hold the greatest promise of visibility.
A One-Step Twin-Screw Melt Granulation with Gelucire 48/16 and Surface Adsorbent to Improve the Solubility of Poorly Soluble Drugs: Effect of Formulation Variables on Dissolution and Stability

Fenofibrate is an effective lipid-lowering drug; however, its poor solubility and high log p (5.2) result in insufficient absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, leading to poor bioavailability. In this study, a one-step continuous twin-screw melt granulation process was investigated to improve the solubility and dissolution of fenofibrate using Gelucire® 48/16 and Neusilin® US2 as the solubilizer and surface adsorbent, respectively. The formulations (granules) were prepared at different ratios of fenofibrate, Gelucire® 48/16, and Neusilin® US2 based on phase-solubility studies and characterized using dissolution, differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy analyses and studies on flow properties. In the phase-solubility studies, a linear relation was observed between Gelucire® 48/16 concentration and the amount of fenofibrate dissolved. In contrast, the dissolution rate of the prepared formulations was independent of the fenofibrate: Gelucire® 48/16 ratio and dependent on the Neusilin® US2 levels in the formulation. Increasing Neusilin® US2 levels decreased the rate of dissolution of the granules but improved the stability of the tablets under storage at accelerated stability conditions. Interestingly, higher Gelucire® 48/16 levels in the granules resulted in tablets with a hard matrix, which slowed disintegration and dissolution. All formulations exhibited improved dissolution compared to pure fenofibrate.
Sex and Gender Differences in the Susceptibility to Environmental Exposures

In the past 50 years, the number of publications on air pollution and lung disease has increased considerably, although the number of studies considering sex (a biologic factor), or gender (a social construct), has remained low and stagnant. Accumulating data from studies assessing the effects of the environment on lung health have shown direct associations of air pollution exposures with lung inflammation. Sex-specific disaggregation of data has indicated that substantial – but frequently overlooked – differences exist between men and women, highlighting the importance of sex- and gender-stratified analyses to guide the deployment of safe and effective therapeutics options for males and females. In this chapter, we present an overview of the scientific evidence on differential effects of environmental exposures in men and women. We summarize clinical studies and research using animal models aiming to elucidate sex-specific mechanisms of inflammation and toxicity from a wide range of air pollutants. Understanding these mechanisms can lead to the development of more personalized prevention efforts and better-informed environmental policies accounting for sex, gender, and hormonal status.
A Cautionary Note on Micro-credentialing in Entrepreneurship Education

A recent trend in entrepreneurship education has been the emergence of microcredentials. This note provides some cautionary thoughts on the current state of microcredentials in entrepreneurship and provides some recommendations for the future development of the field. One recommendation is the introduction of self-regulation. Credibility is also shown to be an important factor in developing a user base, but legitimacy and relevance are equally, if not more, important. As a result, any microcredential should only be developed after a careful strategic analysis of the stakeholders and a sound understanding of the underlying dynamics.
Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound treatment for essential tremor shows sustained efficacy: a meta-analysis.

Although magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a viable treatment option for essential tremor, some studies note a diminished treatment benefit over time. A PubMed search was performed adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies were included if hand tremor scores (HTS), total Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (CRST) scores, or Quality of Life in Essential Tremor Questionnaire (QUEST) scores at regular intervals following MRgFUS treatment for essential tremor were documented. Data analyses included a random effects model of meta-analysis and mixed-effects model of meta-regression. Twenty-one articles reporting HTS for 395 patients were included. Mean pre-operative HTS was 19.2 ± 5.0. Mean HTS at 3 months post-treatment was 7.4 ± 5.0 (61.5% improvement, p < 0.001). Treatment effect was mildly decreased at 36 months at 9.1 ± 5.4 (8.8% reduction). Meta-regression of time since treatment as a modifier of HTS revealed a downward trend in effect size, though this was not statistically significant (p = 0.208). Only 4 studies included follow-up ≥ 24 months. Thirteen included articles reported total CRST scores with standardized follow-up for 250 patients. Mean pre-operative total CRST score decreased by 46.2% at 3 months post-treatment (p < 0.001). Additionally, mean QUEST scores at 3 months post-treatment significantly improved compared to baseline (p < 0.001). HTS is significantly improved from baseline ≥ 24 months post-treatment and possibly ≥ 48 months post-treatment. There is a current paucity of long-term CRST and QUEST score reporting in the literature.
INCIDENCE OF THROMBOTIC EVENTS IN A COMMERCIALLY-INSURED US POPULATION

ABSTRACT Objective To estimate the US incidence of thrombotic events and related rare diagnoses. Design Claims-based retrospective cohort study of incidence. Setting US commercial health insurance administrative claims database. Participants Adults 25-65 years of age between 2015 and 2019 with a minimum of 12 consecutive thrombosis-free months of continuous enrollment beginning 2014 were selected. Main Outcomes Age (10 year intervals) and sex stratum specific incidence rates per 100,000 person-years were determined for: venous thromboembolism (VTE), cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), and any major thrombosis. Incidence also was estimated for immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Results Among approximately 15 million enrollees per year (half female/male), incidence of any thrombotic event (DVT, PE, CVT, or other thrombosis) was 247.89 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI: 245.96, 249.84). Incidence of VTE was 213.79 with ICD codes alone (95% CI: 211.99, 215.59) and 127.18 (95% CI: 125.80, 128.58) when also requiring a filled anticoagulation prescription. Incidence rates were 6.37 for CVT (95% CI: 6.07, 6.69), 26.06 for ITP (95% CI: 25.44, 26.78), 0.94 for HUS (95% CI: 0.82, 1.06), and 4.82 for HIT (95% CI: 4.56, 5.10). The co-occurrence of CVT with either ITP or HIT (diagnoses within 14 days of one another) was 0.090 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.13). Incidence tended to increase with age and was higher for women under 55. Incidence for CVT, HUS, and CVT with ITP or HIT was higher for women in all age groups. Conclusions These results are the first US estimates for incidence of thrombotic and rare events in a large, commercially-insured US population. Findings provide a critically important reference for determining excess morbidity associated with COVID-19 and more generally for vaccine pharmacovigilance. BOX POINTS What is already known on this topic? Incidence of thrombosis diagnoses vary by country and date. There have been improvements in the past decade in thromboprophylaxis (e.g., deep vein thrombosis) and detection (e.g., cerebral venous thrombosis), but there are no recent comprehensive estimates for the United States. What this study adds Our results document the US incidence of thrombotic and related rare diagnoses for the most recent five-year pre-pandemic period (2015-2019) using a health insurance administrative claims database with approximately 15 million enrollees per year.
Narrating normalcy: a critical autoethnographic analysis of the impact racial ideology can have on teaching

I, like many White people, have been complicit in perpetuating a normalization of Whiteness. My early adherence to an ideology of colorblindness manifested in racial insensitivities that affected m...
Observations on Soviet Government

Observations on Soviet Government . Over a year and a half has passed since soviet government was declared in Russia. That is not a long period of time in the history of a great revolutionary movement. Developments which loom large during these years and which impress even thoughtful men and women may prove to be of little consequence in the final determination of things, while the still small voices which are often unheard and usually unheeded by contemporaries swell into the chorus of decisive opinion which settles the course of affairs. It is a matter for trepidation, therefore, when one ventures to search mid the political and institutional debris for the foundation stones upon which a new democracy is to rest, or to attempt to appraise the undried, rough-hewn timbers hastily thrown into the erection of a temporary political superstructure. Only the hope that the tentative observations of one who was there may assist others to interpret this titanic movement justifies the present note.
Increased-discharge-burnup method for multicycle reload design

A new concept for the fuel cycle analysis of a multicycle design is introduced. This new concept has been applied to the boiling water reactor of the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station. A linear programming method is used to determine the optimum reload pattern for a given set of reload fuel assemblies for each cycle. The optimum reload pattern maximizes the cycle length and provides a target core pattern. Sensitivity functions are computed using the HUDDLE code, which depletes the core using the Haling power distribution. The linear programming convergence characteristics are greatly enhanced by incorporating total programming.
Prediction of coronary artery calcium progression in individuals with low Framingham Risk Score: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Objectives This study sought to determine whether novel markers not involving ionizing radiation could predict coronary artery calcium (CAC) progression in a low-risk population. Background Increase in CAC scores over time (CAC progression) improves prediction of coronary heart disease (CHD) events. Due to radiation exposure, CAC measurement represents an undesirable method for repeated risk assessment, particularly in individuals with low predicted risk (Framingham Risk Score [FRS] Methods From 6,814 participants in MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis), 2,620 individuals were classified as low risk for CHD events (FRS Results Mean follow-up was 2.5 years. CAC progression occurred in 574 participants (22% overall; 214 of 1,830 with baseline CAC = 0 and 360 of 790 with baseline CAC >0). Addition of various combinations of novel markers to the base model (c statistic = 0.711) revealed improvements in discrimination of approximately only 0.005 each (c statistics 0.7158, 0.7160, and 0.7164) for the best-fit models. All 3 best-fit novel marker models calibrated well but were similar to the base model in predicting individual risk probabilities for CAC progression. The highest prevalence of CAC progression occurred in the highest compared with the lowest probability quartile groups (39.2% to 40.3% vs. 6.4% to 7.1%). Conclusions In individuals at low predicted risk according to FRS, traditional risk factors predicted CAC progression in the short term with good discrimination and calibration. Prediction improved minimally when various novel markers were added to the model.
LIPID CLEARING IN PREMATURE INFANTS|[period]| RESPONSE TO INCREASING DOSES OF INTRALIPID|[lpar]|IL|[rpar]|: II-FREE FATTY ACIDS|[lpar]|FFA|[rpar]|, TRIGLYCERIDES|[lpar]|TG|[rpar]| AND CHOLESTEROL|[lpar]|CHOL|[rpar]|

Plasma levels of FFA, TG and CHOL were measured in 21 premature infants (gest. age 26-35 wks.), aged 1-8 days, maintained on total parenteral nutrition with heparin (1 U/ml) and given 1, 2 and 3 g IL/kg/day (over 15 h) on day 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Blood samples were drawn before and at the end of IL administration.
Security Price Reactions to Changes in Foreign Currency Translation Standards

This paper examines security price reactions to the early adoption of FASB Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 52. Abnormal returns of a group of multinational enterprises that adopted the standard as of December 31, 1981, were compared with the abnormal returns of a control group of multinationals that postponed adoption. Differences between the two groups began two weeks prior to year-end and continued for five months. This raises questions about both market efficiency and investors' abilities to distinguish between economic changes and accounting changes.
The Obama Victory: How Media, Money and Message Shaped the 2008 Election, by Kate Kenski, Bruce W. Hardy, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson

Many view the campaign that got Barack Obama elected 44th president of the United States as one of the best-executed campaigns in modern political history, while the consensus is that the campaign ...
Evidence for a Second Chemotactic System in the Cellular Slime Mold, Dictyostelium discoideum

Abstract An unknown substance found in bacteria (Escherichia coli) is especially effective in attracting the vegetative amoebae of the cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum. However, the aggregating amoebae are not attracted to it at all. On the other hand, the vegetative amoebae show very little chemotactic response to cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP), whereas the aggregating amoebae are exceptionally responsive to it. It is suggested that the new factor may be used in food seeking, whereas cyclic AMP, the chemotactic substance responsible for aggregation, is the acrasin of this species. The important point is that the amoebae are differentially stage-specific in their responses to these two chemotactic agents.
Human tremor analysis using particle swarm optimization

The paper presents methods for the analysis of human tremor using particle swarm optimization. Two forms of human tremor are addressed: essential tremor and Parkinson's disease. Particle swarm optimization is used to evolve a neural network that distinguishes between normal subjects and those with tremor. Inputs to the neural network are normalized movement amplitudes obtained from an actigraph system. The results from this preliminary investigation are quite promising, and work is continuing.
Expert panel assessment of appropriateness of abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery: global judgement versus probability estimation.

OBJECTIVE To compare an expert panel's global assessment of appropriateness of elective surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with their assessment of the effect of surgery on the probability of 5-year mortality. METHODS Nine expert panel members rated the appropriateness of 120 scenarios for elective AAA repair on a nine-point scale, and also estimated the 5-year probability of AAA-related death and of non-AAA related death among 30-day survivors of AAA surgery and among patients with unoperated AAA. These probabilities were used to determine differences in 5-year probability of mortality of surgery vs. no surgery for each scenario. Three categories of appropriateness were defined based on these differences: inappropriate ( 5%). RESULTS The distribution of scenarios was inappropriate (39%), equivocal (12%), and appropriate (49%) based on probability estimates and inappropriate (43%), equivocal (22%), and appropriate (36%) based on global assessment. There was poor agreement between the two methods, with a Kappa coefficient = 0.28 (95% CI: 0.23 to 0.32). Although a higher proportion of scenarios were rated as appropriate using probability estimation rather than global judgment, the level of agreement among members of the panel was similar, Kappa coefficient = 0.07 (95% CI: -0.07 to 0.72). CONCLUSIONS Experts disagree about the appropriate indications for elective surgery for AAA. Explicit estimates used in a decision analysis may provide a better assessment of appropriate indications than the global judgment of experts. Global assessment of the appropriateness of AAA surgery based on panel members' review of research evidence for increased survival appears to include implicitly their valuation of outcomes.
Charismatic Mammalian Megafauna: Public Empathy and Marketing Strategy

Les AA. analysent la frequence avec laquelle les differents groupes de mammiferes (taxa) apparaissent sur les etiquettes de bouteilles de biere ou de cidre a travers le monde, afin de determiner les tendances des taxa representes. L'analyse montre que les frequences constatees pour les ordres et familles de mammiferes ne correspondent pas aux proportions des especes qu'ils contiennent ou de leur distribution geographique, mais a la perception des differents types de mammiferes par le public. Les images de mammiferes qui projettent les attributs de la force, du pouvoir, ou de la tenacite sont preferees comme symboles de commercialisation. Selon les AA., cette preference pour les attributs generalement associes avec la megafaune charismatique reflete la perception generale de la faune mammifere. Les rongeurs et les chauves souris, malgre leur distribution mondiale et le fait qu'ils soient facilement reconnaissables, sont souvent connotes negativement. De la meme maniere, les especes disparues vehiculent en general une image negative. La perception culturelle et l'empathie publique associee envers la megafaune mammifere se retrouvent clairement dans la publicite et les strategies marketing des brasseries.
Enantiomeric Separation of Adrenergic Amines in Citrus Species, Related Genera and Dietary Supplements by Capillary Electrophoresis

Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae) fruit extracts have recently been used for weight loss. Among the adrenergic amines the most important active constituent is the sympathomimetic compound synephrine and commercially available extracts are standardized for their content of this active principle. A capillary electrophoresis method was developed for the quantitative and qualitative determination of d-synephrine, l-synephrine, d-octopamine, l-octopamine, tyramine, n-methyl tyramine and hordenine. The electrophoretic separation was performed using a 75 cm × 50 µm ID (66.5 cm effective length) fused silica capillary. The samples were injected by pressure for 5s at 50 mbar and the running voltage was 30 kV at the injector end of the capillary. The method developed was successively applied to the determination of the adrenergic amines in dietary supplements, in various Citrus species including Citrus aurantium, jams and juices. Synephrine was the main component and present in the levels from 0.02–0.17% in various Citrus species and 0.42–69.28 mg in dietary supplements claiming to contain Citrus aurantium. Parameters affecting the resolution between (+) and (−)-enantiomers, such as pH, cyclodextrin concentration, temperature, organic modifier, buffer concentration and capillary dimensions were reported.
Thermodynamic properties for (3,3-dimethylbutan-1-ol+n-hexane) at 298.15 K

Abstract Flow-calorimetric measurements of the excess molar enthalpy and excess molar isobaric heat capacity, dilatometric measurements of the excess molar volume, and determinations of the isentropic pressure derivative of the excess molar volume from pulse-echo-overlap measurements of the speed of sound were carried out over the whole composition range for (3,3-dimethylbutan-1-ol + n -hexane) at 298.15 K. The results are compared with those published previously for other (C 6 -alkanol + n -hexane) mixtures.
Micro and Nano Particle Manipulation Using Optically Modulated Electrokinetic Flows

Recently, we have demonstrated an optically induced AC electrokinetic technique that rapidly, continuously and selectively concentrates colloids on an electrode surface [1–3]. This is demonstrated with a highly focused near-infrared (1,064 nm) laser beam applied to parallel plate electrodes separated by 50 μm without any additional surface modification or patterning of the electrodes. This dynamic optically-induced technique can be applied towards a variety of lab-on-a-chip applications. This paper will explain its physical mechanisms and showcase recent results regarding its particle sorting capabilities. This dynamic, optically induced fluid and particle manipulation technique could be used for a variety of lab-on-a-chip applications.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Agency costs, ownership structure and corporate governance mechanisms

Abstract In this paper, we extend the work of Ang et al. [J. Finance 55 (1999) 81] to large firms. We find that managerial ownership is positively related to asset utilization but does not serve as a significant deterrent to excessive discretionary expenses. Outside block ownership may only have a limited effect on reducing agency costs. Furthermore, smaller boards serve the same role, but independent outsiders on a board do not appear to protect the firm from agency costs. Thus, this paper reports complementary evidence to Ang, Cole and Lin. In large publicly traded corporations, managerial ownership significantly alleviates principal–agent conflicts even in the presence of other agency deterrent mechanisms.
What Collusion? Unilateral Market Power as a Catalyst for Countercyclical Markups

This paper presents and tests a simple model of competitive and unilateral market power regimes that yields countercyclical markups. Following a decrease in demand in the short run, capacity-constrained firms may have a strong incentivenot to lower their prices to the new competitive price. Demand shocks may introduce market power into a previously competitive market. Experimental posted offer markets support this conjecture with complete information on the market structure. With only private information, there appears to be a hysteresis effect concerning supracompetitive prices, i.e., markets with a history of supracompetitive pricing continue to generate supracompetitive prices following demand shocks. However, competitive markets also remain competitive following demand shocks when firms only have private information on costs and capacities.
Hypernatremia secondary to homemade play dough ingestion in dogs: a review of 14 cases from 1998 to 2001

Objective: To correlate the sodium chloride dosage and the serum sodium concentration to clinical signs, to determine if the dosage of homemade play dough (and, therefore, sodium chloride) is the most reliable way to predict clinical signs and prognosis, and to review previously reported treatment options. Design: Retrospective case series. Animals: Fourteen dogs with a history of homemade play dough ingestion. Procedure: Cases were examined for each animal's signalment including body weight, age, approximate amount of play dough ingested, the estimated sodium chloride dosage, clinical signs, serum sodium concentration, and outcome when available. The literature was reviewed to determine pathophysiology and treatment regimens. Results: Twelve of 14 dogs (86%) that ingested homemade play dough showed clinical signs. Vomiting (9 of 14, 64%), polydipsia, and seizures (4 of 14 each, 29%) were the most common signs followed by polyuria, tremors (3 of 14 each, 21%), and hyperthermia (2 of 14, 14%). The lowest calculated dosage associated with objective clinical signs was 1.9 g/kg. Seizures were reported in all animals with serum sodium levels greater than 180 mEq/L. Conclusions and clinical relevance: Homemade play dough ingestion can be a serious and life-threatening problem. Many factors can contribute to the toxicity of homemade play dough. This study indicates that the serum sodium concentration is a more reliable indicator of the clinical course of the toxicity rather than the amount of play dough and, therefore, the dosage of sodium chloride ingested. Treatment should be based on a clinical evaluation of the patient and laboratory results, and consists of controlling seizures, reducing serum sodium concentrations slowly, and supportive care.
Home lighting assessment for clients with low vision.

Objective The goal was to develop an objective, comprehensive, near-task home lighting assessment for older adults with low vision. Method A home lighting assessment was developed and tested with older adults with low vision. Interrater and test-retest reliability studies were conducted. Clinical utility was assessed by occupational therapists with expertise in low vision rehabilitation. Results Interrater reliability was high (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = .83-1.0). Test-retest reliability was moderate (ICC = .67). Responses to a Clinical Utility Feedback Form developed for this study indicated that the Home Environment Lighting Assessment (HELA) has strong clinical utility. Conclusion The HELA provides a structured tool to describe the quantitative and qualitative aspects of home lighting environments where near tasks are performed and can be used to plan lighting interventions. The HELA has the potential to affect assessment and intervention practices of rehabilitation professionals in the area of low vision and improve near-task performance of people with low vision.
Holliday Junction Crossover Topology

The Holliday junction is a key intermediate in genetic recombination. It consists of four strands of DNA that associate to form four double-helical arms. Studies over the past decade with asymmetric analogs of Holliday junctions have shown that the four arms stack to generate two stacking domains. This arrangement of arms results in two strands with a roughly helical structure, and two that contain a crossover structure connecting the domains. Both parallel and antiparallel orientations of the helical strands are possible, although the antiparallel orientation is favored. In principle, there are two possible isomers of the Holliday junction, depending on which pairs of strands contain the crossover structure; isomerization between these two structures is key to many molecular models of recombination. Isomerization of parallel domain structures entails large end-to-end helical rotations if braiding of the crossover strands is to be avoided. We have examined the ability of the crossover strands to braid. This has been done by employing a double crossover molecule, whose termini are all hairpin loops. Such a molecule is a catenane of two single strands of DNA, whose linking number is a function of the sign of the node at the crossover. We have prepared linking standards by means of topological protection techniques, and have compared them to the catenane formed by the double crossover molecule. We find no evidence for braiding of the strands. Furthermore, no braided structures can be detected when the double crossover molecule is treated with Escherichia coli DNA topoisomerase I in the presence of varying amounts of Mg2+ cations.
Harbour of Ravenna: The contribution of harbour traffic to air quality

Abstract Ravenna is one of the main Italian ports and has assumed a leadership position in Italy for some products and markets. The commercial harbour and the adjacent industrial area are very important for the economic system of Ravenna but, at the same time, they are highly critical areas. In particular, on average 8000 ships per year pass through the harbour of Ravenna, influencing air quality in harbour environment. The paper originates from a study about the contribution of different sources of air pollution in Ravenna and its aim is to evaluate the maritime traffic contribution to the air quality in the port area and to determine the suitability of an urban air quality model to support the air quality management in Ravenna. NOx and PM are selected as modelled pollutants. The study is made up of two parts. The first deals with the evaluation of annual emission of PM10 and NOx coming from ships through a standard European methodology while in the second we simulated the diffusion of these pollutants in the whole area. In order to evaluate the capability of the model to treat maritime traffic emissions, we compared hour-by-hour simulated concentrations with data collected by a fixed monitoring station located near the Candiano Canal. NOx concentrations obtained by short- and long-term simulations show a good match with the values measured by the fixed monitoring station, located in the centre of harbour area, and these results are also supported by FA2 performance index. Instead the omission of the secondary particulate and the contribution of other sources of particulate matter in the port area are probably the most important causes of the PM10 underestimation. The worse results obtained according to the performance indexes indicate the need to consider the formation and transport of secondary particulate matter in order to obtain more reliable predictions.
John Stuart Mill, Determinism, and the Problem of Induction

Auguste Comte's doctrine of the three phases through which sciences pass (the theological, the metaphysical, and the positive) allows us to explain what John Stuart Mill was attempting in his magnum opus, the System of Logic: namely, to move the science of logic to its terminal and ‘positive’ stage. Both Mill's startling account of deduction and his unremarked solution to the Humean problem of induction eliminate the notions of necessity or force—in this case, the ‘logical must’—characteristic of a science's metaphysical stage. Mill's treatment had a further surprising payoff: his solution to the Problem of Necessity (what today we call the problem of determinism and freedom of the will).
Occupational Social Work for the 21st Century

Economic restructuring and radical changes in welfare policy are causing increasingly severe employment dislocation and disadvantage among many urban residents, particularly women, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, and youths. Despite the profession's historic commitment to poor people, little advanced social work practice is reported in work-enhancement programs. This article outlines employment-related needs among poor people in the context of economic and policy change. A brief discussion of successful work programs and traditional occupational practice frames the reformulation suggested in the article. Role definitions, settings, and skills needed for expanded occupational social work practice are followed by implications for social work.
Reform and resistance to royal authority in fourteenth‐century France: The leagues of 1314–1315∗

(1981). Reform and resistance to royal authority in fourteenth‐century France: The leagues of 1314–1315. Parliaments, Estates and Representation: Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 109-137.