cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cooperative Federalism and Fair Housing Enforcement

Objective We investigate how three levels of government have enforced the Fair Housing Act as a cooperative federalism program. Methods Based on data obtained from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), we test a multivariate fixed effects logistic regression model. Results First, the Fair Housing Act's substantial equivalency requirement and HUD's Fair Housing Assistance Program have enabled state and local civil rights agencies to play an essential role in enforcing national fair housing policy. Second, there is little difference in the extent to which federal, state, and local agencies provide outcomes favorable to fair housing complainants. Third, local agencies have been most likely to provide favorable outcomes in recent years. Conclusion Encouraging state and particularly local agencies to participate more actively in fair housing enforcement would strengthen American federalism without significantly affecting complainants’ outcomes. Research involving effectiveness and efficiency in fair housing enforcement reinforces this argument.
The Painting and Its Histories: The Curious Incident of Rembrandt’s Painting Quintus Fabius Maximus

As much as images created the landscapes of fictive history throughout the ages, the images themselves often had greatly mystified histories of their own. However, in certain instances the real history of an image is often far more intricate than the most incredible myth created around it. One such work is a long lost masterpiece – Rembrandt’s “Quint Fabius Maximus” from the State Art Collection of the Royal Compound in Belgrade (SAC). This study intends to research the real history of Rembrandt’s painting, its fate during the war and its reappearance in archival documents. It shows how images create histories themselves, not only through their subject matter or the politics of collecting but also through their incorporation into the public imagination.
You are where you go, the commodification of daily life through ‘location’:

Recent years have seen an explosion in the investment into and valuation of mobile spatial applications. With multiple applications currently valued at well over one billion U.S. dollars, mobile spatial applications and the data they generate have come to play an increasingly significant role in the function of late capitalism. Empirically based upon a series of interviews conducted with mobile application designers and developers, this article details the creation of a digital commodity termed ‘location.’ ‘Location’ is developed through three discursive poles: Its storing of space and time as digital data object manipulable by code, its spatial and temporal immediacy, and its ability to ‘add value’ or ‘tell a story’ to both end-users and marketers. As a commodity it represents the sum total of targeted marking information, including credit profiles, purchase history, and a host of other information available through data mining or sensor information, combined with temporal immediacy, physical location, a...
Effect of pinning particles on grain boundary motion from interface random walk

Impurities can dramatically influence grain boundary migration, thereby impacting material properties. In this letter, we present a theoretical model for grain boundary motion in the presence of embedded particles using the interface random walk approach. Based on the fluctuation-dissipation relation, we derive an analytical expression relating the grain boundary fluctuations to the boundary mobility and key parameters governing the drag effect of the particles. In addition to predicting the modified boundary mobility due to pinning particles, the model provides a way to estimate the force acting on the particle-boundary interface from atomistic simulations. The theory facilitates an enriched analysis of atomistic simulations of a grain boundary with embedded particles, revealing that a pinned grain boundary exhibits a response akin to tethered Brownian motion.
The transcription factor IRF8 regulates natural killer cell development and response to cytomegalovirus infection

Interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) is a transcription factor critical for specifying monocyte and dendritic cell lineage fate and for directing B cell development, yet its function in natural killer (NK) cells is not understood. NK cells are innate lymphocytes that develop in the bone marrow and are capable of antigen-specific clonal proliferation. We observe in mixed bone marrow chimeric mice that despite a prevalent NK progenitor (NKP) population compared to wild-type, peripheral Irf8 −/− NK cells exhibit proper maturation and full functionality. However, using an adoptive transfer system, we demonstrate that IRF8 is indispensable for robust expansion of NK cells in response to mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Consistent with this finding, Ly49H + NK cells upregulate Irf8 transcript during the early stages of MCMV infection. Furthermore, the Irf8 locus is dynamically regulated upon activation, showing extensive STAT4 binding at promoter and enhancer regions, and upregulation of the activating epigenetic marks H3K4me3 and H3K4Ac27. Thus, our work elucidates the functional contribution of IRF8 during NK cell development and antiviral responses.
Teachers’ Conceptions of Technology, School Policy and Teachers’ Roles When Using Technology in Instruction

This case study invested effort in capturing individual teachers’ responses to their conceptions of technology and school policy on technology, and how they actually or intentionally used technology, to clarify what roles teachers played in the use of technology. The study indicates that the teachers’ conceptions of technology and school policy on technology had an impact on how they actually or intentionally use technology. The roles teachers played in the use of technology are Learners, Leaders, Collaborators, and Designers.
Artificial Intelligence in Surgery: Promises and Perils

Objective:The aim of this review was to summarize major topics in artificial intelligence (AI), including their applications and limitations in surgery. This paper reviews the key capabilities of AI to help surgeons understand and critically evaluate new AI applications and to contribute to new deve
The impact of driver distraction in tractor-trailers and motorcoach buses.

Abstract Driver distraction has become an increasing concern over the last decade as portable technology has emerged and its presence while driving has become more common. Driver distraction occurs when inattention leads to a delay in recognition of information necessary to accomplish the driving task. Two recent studies were conducted using a naturalistic data collection method and analysis of driver distraction. The Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Distraction study ( Olson et al., 2009 ) was conducted using heavy truck data, and the Distraction and Drowsiness in Motorcoach Drivers study ( Hammond et al., 2016 ) was conducted using motorcoach data. Data were collected continuously every time the instrumented vehicle was turned on and in motion. Data were reduced to identify safety-critical events such as crashes, near-crashes, crash-relevant conflicts, and unintentional lane deviations. Results show that 40% of truck crashes and 56% of motorcoach crashes had some kind of distracting behavior. Odds ratios were calculated on individual secondary tasks and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were calculated on eye-glance data to determine the effects of eyes off the forward roadway. Fewer distractions were identified in the motorcoach data, most notably the use of handheld cell phones. This suggests that the 2010 ban on handheld phones has had a positive effect on decreasing cell phone use while driving.
When Research Regulations and Ethics Conflict.

Many research ethics consultations pertain to whether a study is approvable under existing regulations. Sometimes, studies are ethically appropriate yet still conflict with regulations. Using the P...
Low-Dose Ara-C by Continuous Infusion in the Treatment of Acute Non-Lymphocytic Leukemia (ANLL) and Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)

Thirteen patients with acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) were treated with low-dose cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) 20 mg/m2/day by continuous intravenous infusion for 21 days. Seven patients attained complete remissions (CR) and two patients had partial remissions (PR). Two patients required two courses of treatment before attaining CR. Two of four patients with abnormal cytogenetics also achieved complete response with reversion of cytogenetic abnormalities to normal. All patients who responded showed profound pancytopenia with marked hypoplasia of bone marrow. The universal occurrence of pancytopenia and reversion of cytogenetic abnormalities to normal suggests that low-dose Ara-C is cytotoxic and may not act as a differentiating agent.
Use of Role Play and Interview Modes in Law Clinic Case Rounds to Teach Essential Legal Skills and to Maximize Meaningful Participation

Case rounds are a common feature of the seminar component of clinical programs. This article describes using in the case rounds setting multiple design elements, including role plays and formalized interviews, to enhance student learning and engagement. In the rounds described here, a student presenter is asked to adopt the role of her opponent in her clinic case and to explain succinctly the opponent’s case, followed by an informational session in which the student presenter is allowed only to give short answers in response to questions from her clinic peers; and after the question-and-answer session, students and their professors debrief the role play. The role play aspect – where the clinic student adopts the role of an opponent in her clinic case – compels clinic students to better anticipate the other side’s legal strategy and arguments and to delve into facts that they might overlook without having assumed the other side’s role. Adopting the other side’s position also allows students to explore legal and policy issues deeply. In addition to providing these benefits, the question-and-answer format of the rounds allows students to develop presentation and interrogatory fundamentals. Having the opportunity to practice questioning the “opponent” also provides students with the prospect of learning how best to obtain information through experimenting with different modes of inquiry. For example, students can learn that hyperbole common to stereotyped exchanges between opponents may not be appropriate for gathering facts and exploring nuances in facts and areas of uncertainty. At the same time that students are learning these skills, preserving the essential elements of rounds (involving real cases, with real practice issues, and exchanges between students) means that students have the opportunity to learn to think like lawyers as they do in traditional rounds that do not use role plays or formalized question-and-answer structures. Students, for example, gain insights about professional reasoning, judgment, and values and engage in self reflection in preparing for and participating in the role play. Combining the elements of traditional case rounds – that are so critical in teaching clinic students how to think like lawyers – with opportunities to practice the essential lawyering skills of storytelling, counter-analysis, and interrogatory basics has many benefits worth exploring.
Mean Profiles and Similarity in a Stationary and Horizontally-Uniform ABL

In this chapter the so-called flux-profile relationships are presented for specific humidity, and other relevant quantities such as wind speed and temperature in the different sublayers of the ABL. Because of the above-mentioned difficulties of closure, these relationships are not derived by the solution of the transport equations; rather they are arrived at by invoking similarity, through the application of dimensional analysis. Thus, after the relevant physical quantities are identified from the governing equations or simply by inspection, they are organized into a reduced number of dimensionless quantities. Dimensional analysis only establishes the possible existence of a functional relationship between these dimensionless quantities; however, the function itself must usually be determined by experiment. Still, in some cases the functional form of the relationship may be inferred theoretically by means of a conceptual transport model or by applying a plausible closure assumption to the transport equations, and only some unknown constants need be determined experimentally. Especially in recent years numerous similarity models for the ABL have been proposed in the literature. This chapter does not present an exhaustive review but only the more important schemes that appear applicable in the determination of water vapor transport.
12 – SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS AND DEVICES: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Semiconductors are a unique class of materials that have transformed society and technology in truly revolutionary ways. A reasonably large number of different semiconductor materials are used in assorted electronic and electro-optical devices. They are broadly divided into elemental and compound semiconductors. Semiconductors are more conductive than insulators and, like dielectrics, possess the important attribute of supporting electric fields, especially across junctions. It is the combination of a relatively large number of mobile electron and hole charge carriers, contained within a dielectric-like matrix, that is so unusual. This enables interesting asymmetrical charge transport to occur across junctions of dissimilar semiconductors (or semiconductors and metals) by applying small voltages. It is the important basis for the functioning of many devices. Unlike all other engineering materials, semiconductors must be single crystals and have extreme levels of purity combined with carefully controlled doping levels; otherwise, their wonderful attributes are significantly diminished.
BCL::MolAlign: Three-Dimensional Small Molecule Alignment for Pharmacophore Mapping

Small molecule flexible alignment is a critical component of both ligand- and structure-based methods in computer-aided drug discovery. Despite its importance, the availability of high-quality flexible alignment software packages is limited. Here, we present BCL::MolAlign, a freely available property-based molecular alignment program. BCL::MolAlign accommodates ligand flexibility through a combination of pregenerated conformers and on-the-fly bond rotation. BCL::MolAlign converges on alignment poses by sampling the relative orientations of mutually matching atom pairs between molecules through Monte Carlo Metropolis sampling. Across six diverse ligand data sets, BCL::MolAlign flexible alignment outperforms MOE, ROCS, and FLEXS in recovering native ligand binding poses. Moreover, the BCL::MolAlign alignment score is more predictive of ligand activity than maximum common substructure similarity across 10 data sets. Finally, on a recently published benchmark set of 20 high quality congeneric ligand-protein complexes, BCL::MolAlign is able to recover a larger fraction of native binding poses than maximum common substructure-based alignment and RosettaLigand. BCL::MolAlign can be obtained as part of the Biology and Chemistry Library (BCL) software package freely with an academic license or can be accessed via Web server at http://meilerlab.org/index.php/servers/molalign .
277 IDENTIFICATION OF 5-, 12/15-LIPOXYGENASE AND NADPH OXIDASE AS KEY MEDIATORS OF OXIDIZED LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN-INDUCED APOPTOSIS OF HUMAN AORTIC SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUE DESTABILIZATION.

Apoptosis of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) is a prominent feature of advanced atherosclerotic plaque. We have previously shown that the proatherogenic molecule oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) is associated with apoptotic SMCs in advanced plaques of human aorta and that OxLDL produces marked SMC apoptosis in vitro. In human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs), the antioxidant Tiron (1 mM) suppressed superoxide production (by 18 ± 2%, DHE assay) and peroxide generation (by 88 ± 4%, CDC assay) induced by OxLDL (80 μg/mL, 16 hours) and completely blunted HASMC apoptosis (by 89 ± 2.6%, CELL DEATH ELISA), indicating that OxLDL-induced apoptosis was mediated by a redox-sensitive mechanism. The lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitors AA-861, 5 μM and NDGA, 10 μM decreased OxLDL-induced superoxides (by 15 ± 2% and 25 ± 4%, respectively) and peroxides (by 48 ± 3% and 62 ± 6%, respectively) and NDGA completely blocked HASMC apoptosis (flow cytometry with annexin V staining). AA-861, 10 μM, another LOX inhibitor, Baicalein, 10 μM, and the NADPH oxidase-specific blocker apocynin, 100 μM suppressed OxLDL-induced HASMC apoptosis (by 93.0 ± 7%, 94 ± 0.4%, and 83 ± 3%, respectively) as was measured using cell death ELISA. To identify the oxidases involved in OxLDL-induced apoptosis, we studied the effect of OxLDL on SMC isolated from the aorta of 5-LOX- and 12/15-LOX-deficient and wild-type (WT) mice. 12/15-LOX deficiency markedly reduced OxLDL-induced superoxides and peroxides (by 31 ± 3% and 62 ± 7%, respectively, compared with WT). OxLDL-induced apoptosis was completely inhibited in 5-LOX- or 12/15-LOX-deficient SMC (by 82.6 ± 0.5% and 94.1 ± 0.7%, respectively); however, OxLDL produced 90.8 ± 4.4% apoptosis of WT SMC compared with control (0.5 μM staurosporine). In summary, we have identified 5-, 12/15-lipoxygenase and NADPH oxidase as key mediators of OxLDL-induced oxidative stress and SMC apoptosis. These data establish a novel functional relationship between different oxidases and together with our previous findings have major implications for understanding the mechanism of SMC depletion in advanced atherosclerotic plaque leading to plaque destabilization and acute coronary events.
Manipulation of renal gene expression using oligonucleotides.

Abstract Oligonucleotides are small molecules 8–50 nucleotides in length that bind via Watson-Crick base pairing to enhance or repress the expression of target RNA. The use of oligonucleotides to manipulate gene expression in the kidney could be a valuable tool to further understand kidney pathophysiology and can serve as an important complement to genetic studies. This chapter serves as a primer on the use of oligonucleotides in the kidney. We provide an overview of the various ways that oligonucleotides can manipulate gene expression. In addition, we describe the advancements in the development of oligonucleotides for laboratory and clinical use. Finally, instruction is provided on the design and implementation of oligonucleotides for in vitro and in vivo laboratory studies.
Therapeutic laparoscopy for pediatric abdominal trauma

Abstract Background For the surgical treatment of traumatic hollow viscus injuries, laparoscopy offers a potentially less morbid approach to open exploration among appropriately selected patients. This study aimed to evaluate utilization trends and efficacy of laparoscopy in the management of pediatric abdominal trauma. Study design To gain both study granularity and power, our institutional trauma registry (2005–2017) and the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB; 2010–2015) identified patients ≤ 18 years who required celiotomy for abdominal trauma. Injury mechanisms, patient characteristics, and hospital courses were compared between open and laparoscopic approaches. Unadjusted and adjusted statistical analyses were performed. Results Overall, data were similar among 393 institutional and 11,399 NTDB patients undergoing laparoscopic (n = 88, 22%; n = 1663, 16%) or open (n = 305, 78%; n = 9736, 85%) surgery for abdominal trauma. In both registries, laparoscopy was more commonly employed in younger (institutional p = 0.026; NTDB p Conclusion For the management of pediatric abdominal trauma, laparoscopy was employed typically in younger, more stable, and female patients sustaining blunt injuries. Appropriately selected patients have similar or better outcomes to patients treated with laparotomy, with no increase in adverse events or missed injuries. Increased utilization of laparoscopy to manage abdominal trauma in children suggests greater acceptance of this approach. Level of evidence Level III.
The Depth of Renal Response Strongly Predicts Overall Surival in Patients with AL Amyloidosis

Abstract Abstract 2868 Introduction: Improvement in renal parameters is fundamental for the assessment of organ response to treatment in immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL). Renal response, defined as a >50% reduction in proteinuria with Methods: Patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation from 1995 to 2010 were eligible for this retrospective analysis if they had > 1 year of follow-up and a baseline 24 hour urine protein > 1 g/d. Those who were dialysis dependent or died before 1 year were excluded as not evaluable for renal response. Results: Of the 435 patients screened, 152 met criteria. On univariate analysis, >50% proteinuria reduction (p 50% (p = 0.002), 50% (0.006), 50% proteinuria reduction (p = 0.0006) were independently associated with OS. In addition, OS was significantly better among patients achieving >85% reduction in proteinuria than those with 50%, p = 0.03 ( Figure 1 ). Patients with >75% reduction in sFLC were more likely to achieve >50% proteinuria reduction (p = 0.009). Most importantly, among those with > 25% increase in Scr, only those patients who had Figure 2 a, p = 0.006). There was no difference in OS among those with >85% proteinuria reduction and a rise in Scr of > 25% ( Figure 2 b, p = 0.77). Conclusion: Renal response is an excellent prognostic marker in patients with AL. This is the first study to show the depth of renal response correlates with OS. Patients who had the highest levels of proteinuria reduction (> 85%) had a significantly better OS than those with >50% but 25% decrease in renal function was only pertinent in those who did not have >85% reduction in proteinuria. These findings should help better refine the definition of renal response criteria in AL patients. Download : Download high-res image (31KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure 1 . The depth of proteinuria reduction was strongly associated with the overall survival (OS) of AL patients. Patients with the highest degree of proteinuria reduction (>85%) had OS that was significantly better than patients with 50% (p = 0.02). Similarly, the OS of patients with 50% was superior to patients with Download : Download high-res image (27KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure 2 . Decrease in renal function as signified by serum creatinine (Scr) elevation of > 25% was associated with inferior overall survival (OS) in AL patients. However, the OS was significantly affected only in patients who did not achieved >85% reduction of proteinuria (p = 0.006). In patients with > 85% reduction of proteinuria, elevation of Scr of > 25% did not affect OS (p = 0.78). Disclosures: Leung: Binding Site: Honoraria.
Commercial Micro-Credit, Neo-Liberal Agriculture and Smallholder Indebtedness: Three Bangladesh Villages

Evidence suggests that smallholders are fast becoming one of the largest micro-credit recipient groups in Bangladesh. However, the literature on the effects of micro-credit use among smallholders i...
Research on Control Measures for Steady-State Power Frequency Overvoltage of Half-Wavelength Transmission Lines

The half-wavelength transmission line (HWTL) is a forward-looking and competitive solution for transcontinental and transnational power transmission. The problem of steady-state power frequency overvoltage of HWTL is serious. It is a matter of great concern in the safety and stability analysis of the power system connected with the HWTL. In this paper, for the problem of steady-state power frequency overvoltage of HWTL, three control measures, i.e. tripping off generating units in the sending system, fast DC modulation, and improving the power factor of the receiving-end of the HWTL, are proposed. The theoretical analysis is given, and the effectiveness of the three control measures is confirmed by an example of a large power system connected with HWTL. The research enriches the theory of HWTL and has great significance in practical guiding.
Conversations on Cancer Chemotherapy Cessation in Patients With Advanced Cancer: Qualitative Findings From a Multi-Institutional Study:

Purpose:As many as 20% of oncology patients receive chemotherapy in the last 14 days of their lives. This study characterized conversations between patients and cancer clinicians on chemotherapy ce...
Risk Factors for Transverse Ligament Disruption and Vertebral Artery Injury Following an Atlas Fracture.

Background Atlas fracture occurs in 3%–13% of all cervical spinal injuries and is often associated with other injuries. The factors associated with concomitant transverse ligament disruption and vertebral artery injury remain underexamined. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 97 consecutive cases of atlas fractures. We analyzed demographic and clinic characteristics, including mechanism of injury, fracture type, and associated injuries. We identified factors independently associated with vertebral artery injury and/or transverse ligament disruption. Results On multivariable analysis, vertebral artery injury was independently, positively associated with injury to the transverse ligament (odds ratio [OR], 8.51 [1.17, 61.72], P = 0.034), associated facial injury (OR, 7.78 [1.05, 57.50]; P = 0.045), intoxication at presentation (OR, 51.42 [1.10, 2408.82]; P = 0.045), and negatively associated with type 3 fractures (OR, 0.081 [0.0081, 0.814]; P = 0.033). There was a trend toward a positive association with a violence mechanism of injury (OR, 33.47 [0.75, 1487.89]; P = 0.070). Transverse ligament injury was independently associated with other injuries to the spine (OR, 13.07362 [2.43, 70.28]; P = 0.003), atlantodental interval (OR, 2.63 [1.02, 6.75]; P = 0.045), lateral mass displacement (OR, 1.78 [1.32, 2.39]; P Conclusions Among patients with atlas fractures, vertebral artery injury and transverse ligament disruption are associated with each other. Mechanism of injury, fracture type, and intoxication at the time of injury were associated with vertebral artery injury, and atlantodental interval and lateral mass displacement are associated with magnetic resonance imaging–confirmed injury to the transverse ligament.
Androgen deprivation therapy and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in men with prostate cancer: A University of California (UC) Health System registry study

37Background: SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells is facilitated by the transmembrane protease TMPRSS2. TMPRSS2 expression can be modulated by the androgen receptor. It is unclear whether androgen dep...
A Benkei for Every Age: Musashibō Benkei as Palimpsest

This article traces the history of Benkei production—the production of texts concerning Musashibō Benkei—to show that the image of Benkei is not stable, but rather has been adapted and modified repeatedly since the fourteenth century according to the social, economic, political, and cultural climate, as well as the narrative needs, of various eras. Each new instance of Benkei production does not erase or overwrite the previous instances, but rather adds another layer to the cultural construct “Benkei.” This article is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of Benkei works, nor is it particularly an attempt to unearth obscure Benkei works. Instead, the article shows how literature and literary characters can be adapted and transformed over a long time frame. It addresses relatively well-known texts, but examines them in the context of a history of Benkei texts that reveal a shifting, changing image of Benkei responsive to historicized cultural environments.
“Wrap-Around Sign” in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma of the Spine: A Common yet Overlooked Imaging Feature?

Background Anecdotal cases of the so-called “wrap-around” appearance in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) of the spine exist in the medical literature. In this paper, we looked at the prevalence of this imaging feature in our institutional cases. Materials and Methods We screened our institutional database for biopsy-proven NHL. Our inclusion criteria were the histologically confirmed diagnosis of NHL involving any vertebra, available magnetic resonance imaging of the affected site, and a positive wrap-around sign. Exclusion criteria included lymphoma cases without the wrap-around sign and/or histology other than NHL. We subdivided the cases into 3 groups: 1) lymphoma wrapped around the vertebral body; 2) the posterior elements alone; or 3) both the vertebral body and posterior elements. Results Our search identified 147 cases of NHL in which a confirmatory biopsy at the primary tumor site was available. Of those, 23 cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria (16 men and 7 women with average age at diagnosis of 63.3 years), yielding prevalence of 15.6% in our series. Most commonly the lymphoma involved the vertebral body with or without some involvement of the posterior vertebral elements (n = 20, 86.9%), followed by posterior vertebral elements (n = 2, 8.7%). One remaining case (4.4%) had lymphoma involving the anterior vertebral body and posterior elements. Conclusions Findings of our pilot study indicated that the wrap-around sign in cases of NHL could be helpful diagnostically. This sign may be frequently under-recognized, leading to potential for a diagnostic dilemma on imaging. Larger studies are necessary to obtain more precise information about the prevalence of the wrap-around sign.
The effect of a D2-specific dopamine agonist (Pramipexole) on response time in early Parkinson’s disease patients

The long-term use of dopamine replacement therapy leads to dyskinesias in some Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, which may be specific to the D1 subtype of dopamine (DA) receptor. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a D2-specific DA agonist, Pramipexole, in PD patients. In a double-blind design, 6 patients took increasing doses of Pramipexole over the course of 24 weeks, and were tested in a total of 15 sessions on four measures of movement efficacy: tapping speed, simple response time, choice response time, and sequencing. Compared with 3 placebo control patients, those on active medication showed faster tapping speeds and simple response times. Choice response time and sequencing were not affected by medication status. The D2 subtype of DA receptor may be especially important in movement speed, and may contribute less to more cognitive aspects of movement.
Infinite Series Identities, Transformations, and Evaluations

Chapter 9 fully illustrates Hardy’s declaration in Ramanujan’s Collected Papers [15, p. xxxv], “It was his insight into algebraical formulae, transformations of infinite series, and so forth, that was most amazing.” This chapter has 35 sections containing 139 formulas of which many are, indeed, very beautiful and elegant. Ramanujan gives several transformations of power series leading to many striking series relations and attractive series evaluations. Most of Ramanujan’s initial efforts in this direction pertain to the dilogarithm and related functions. As is to be expected, these results are not new and can be traced back to Euler, Landen, Abel, and others. However, most of Ramanujan’s remaining findings on transformations of power series appear to be new.
Diminishing Marginal Utility and Egalitarian Redistribution

Thomas Nagel believes that individuals inhabit both personal and impersonal standpoints. What he means, roughly, is that while we often see things in terms of how they affect our own goals, we are also capable of distancing ourselves from our own goals and seeing things in a more detached, impartial, and impersonal way. Nagel believes that from the impersonal standpoint, to be impartial is to be in favor of radical egalitarianism.1 At the same time, Nagel realizes that egalitarianism is only one among many stances we might adopt if we were to consider matters impartially. Utilitarianism, for example, embodies its own brand of impartiality, and some people doubt that equality really can be valued more highly than considerations of efficiency.
HORNSAT, Model Checking, Verification and games (Extended Abstract)

We develop a HORNSAT-based methodology for verification of finite state systems. This general methodology leads naturally to algorithms, that are local [25, 19], on the fly [28, 11, 13, 5] and incremental [24]. It also leads naturally to diagnostic behavioral relation checking
Log-Space Constructible Universal Traversal Sequences for Cycles of Length O(n4.03)

The paper presents a simple construction ofp olynomial length universal traversal sequences for cycles. These universal traversal sequences are log-space (even NC1) constructible and are oflength O(n4.03). Our result improves the previously known upper-bound O(n4.76) for log-space constructible universal traversal sequences for cycles.
Radiation Noise Effects at Jupiter’s Moon Europa: In-Situ and Laboratory Measurements and Radiation Transport Calculations

There is great scientific interest of Jupiter’s moon Europa and in performing further spacecraft investigations. However, successful measurements at this satellite are difficult because transient charge pulses produced by Jupiter’s magnetospheric radiation can significantly degrade signals. In order to develop shielding and mitigation approaches for future Europa missions, we investigated the radiation noise produced in the Galileo spacecraft’s Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) in the jovian magnetosphere. We then analyzed the radiation-transport characteristics of the NIMS shield and calculated the shielding efficiencies for thicker shields. Major findings are (1) NIMS data obtained at the orbital radius of Europa yield a rate of transient charge pulses (“hits”) of $1.5 \times 10^6~\hbox{cm}^{-2} ~\hbox{s}^{-1}$ behind 5 mm of Ta shielding, (2) radiation transport calculations indicate a decrease in the hit rate with increased shielding, achieving a factor of 10 reduction for 30 mm thick walls, (3) $\gamma $ -ray photons produced in the shield (and possibly the surrounding instrument and the spacecraft itself) are equally or more important in generating radiation noise, and (4) $\gamma$ -rays, with their mean-free-paths greater than the range of electrons with the same energy, are difficult to shield so heavier shielding is less beneficial than previously predicted.
SU-E-T-41: A Method for Performing An In-House Batch Assay of I-125 Seeds Used for Prostate Implants

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to evaluate a method for confirming source strength of I-125 seeds in a bulk assay while maintaining sterility and time efficiency. Methods: The I-125 seeds used in this study (STM 1251, Bard Brachytherapy, Inc.) were available as loose seeds or linked in 3, 4, or 5 seed configurations. A third party 10% assay (NIST traceable) is provided. Source strengths ranging from 0.395 to 0.504 U were available for this study. A stand was built out of aluminum to hold an exposure meter (Inovision (Fluke) 451P) at 25 cm above the I-125 sources to measure the exposure rate. Three different seed configurations were measured: loose, linked, and loaded needles (Bard FastFil Seed Implant Needle). The measurements were made in an operating room, and a sterile sheet was used under the non-sterile aluminum stand. Seeds and needles were placed in a sterile tray. Results: One hundred forty-two loose seeds in 5 batches (0.395, 0.395, 0.409, 0.444, 0.444 U/seed) and 902 seeds in 7 batches containing various strands (0.444, 0.444,.0444, 0.466, 0.466, 0.504, 0.504 U/seed) were measured. The average exposure rate per unit activity was measured to be 0.593 mR per hr per U with a standard deviation of 0.016. The Result for loaded needles was 0.261 mR per hr per U with a standard deviation of 0.014. Once the apparatus is set up, measurements of 180 linked sources as supplied in the Bard package requires only a few minutes. Conclusion: The proposed method can confirm the activity of a batch of loose or stranded I-125 seeds within a range of 5%.
Frequency and Type of Prosthetic Complications Associated with Interim, Immediately Loaded Full-Arch Prostheses: A 2-Year Retrospective Chart Review.

Purpose The purpose of this report was to retrospectively evaluate implant and immediate full-arch prosthesis survival rates over a 24-month period; patients were consecutively treated with immediate occlusal loading. Dental arch, gender, and implant orientation (vertical vs. tilted) were also noted. Materials and Methods All Branemark System implants (Nobel Active) and interim, all-acrylic resin prostheses placed in patients following an All-on-Four™ protocol, in a single private practice were assessed by retrospective patient chart review. The amount of space provided surgically for implant restorative components and prostheses was determined from measurements of the vertical heights of the interim prostheses in the right/left anterior and posterior segments. These measurements were made in the laboratory. Interim prosthetic repairs (type, frequency, length of time from insertion) were analyzed by type, arch, gender, and implant orientation. Implant survival and insertion torque values were also measured. Inclusion criteria consisted of all Branemark System implants placed with the All-on-Four protocol from September 1, 2011, until August 31, 2013. Specific dietary instructions were given for the first 7 days immediately postoperatively and for the weeks prior to insertion of the definitive prostheses. Results One hundred twenty-nine patients, comprising 191 arches (766 implants) from September 1, 2011, until August 31, 2013, were included in the study. One patient experienced implant failure yielding an overall implant survival rate (SR) of 99.5% (762 of 766). Four hundred twenty-six of 430 maxillary implants and 336 of 336 mandibular implants survived for SRs of 99.1% and 100%, respectively. Regarding implant orientation, 415 of 417 tilted implants (SR 99.5%) and 343 of 345 (CSR 95.6%) vertical implants were noted to be clinically stable. Interim, all-acrylic resin prostheses were in place for a mean of 199.2 days; mandibular prostheses were in place for an average of 195.4 days; maxillary prostheses were in place for an average of 202.0 days. Thirty four of the 191 interim prostheses (17.8%) warranted at least one repair during the treatment period. The average overall implant insertion torque value was 60.74 Ncm; mandibular torque values averaged 63.08 Ncm; maxillary torque values averaged 59.00 Ncm. Conclusions The results from this study suggest that dental arch, gender, and implant orientation for implants placed and immediately restored with interim, all-acrylic resin, full-arch prostheses per the All-on-Four protocol did not have significant statistical or clinical effects on prosthetic complications of the interim prostheses or implant survival. Only one of the 129 patients experienced implant failures, indicating that the All-on-Four treatment protocol used in this study is a viable alternative to other protocols for rehabilitating edentulous patients.
Postoperative management of cesarean patients: The effect of immediate feeding on the incidence of ileus

Objective To evaluate the effect of immediate feeding on gastrointestinal function in patients undergoing cesarean delivery. Methods A prospective study was conducted in which patients were randomized to one of two groups, either early feeding or delayed feeding, ie, feeding according to the institution's current protocol. Questionnaires were filled out by the subjects on the day of discharge. Fisher exact test was used to compare the two groups with respect to the type of anesthetic used and to compare the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms. A one-sided exact binomial confidence interval was used to determine the upper bound of the likelihood of paralytic ileus. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the presence of ileus symptoms when controlling for the type of anesthetic used. Results There were no significant differences between the control and study groups. There was no significant difference in the number of gastrointestinal symptoms between the two groups. The incidence of postoperative paralytic ileus was zero in both the study and control groups. Conclusion Routine early feeding of subjects undergoing cesarean delivery can be implemented without an increase in gastrointestinal symptoms or paralytic ileus.
Self-avoiding walks on diluted networks.

It is shown that, contrary to recent suggestions, the exponent ν, characterizing self-avoiding walks in a diluted lattice at the percolation threshold is determined by a fixed point, different from the pure-lattice one. The full phase diagram of this system is obtained by a real-space renormalization-group treatment and five nontrivial fixed points are identified. A field-theoretical treatment yields ν=1/2+e/42, with e=6-d. All these results are supported by exact enumeration analysis.
Fifty-three-year experience with pediatric umbilical hernia repairs.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term surgical and patient-reported outcomes of pediatric umbilical hernia (UH) repairs. Methods A retrospective review of all children ( Results From 1956 to 2009, 489 children (boys, 251; girls, 238) underwent a primary UH repair. The mean age was 3.9 years (range, 0.01-17.8 years). Complicated UHs that required emergent repair (n = 34, or 7%) included recurrent incarceration (22), enteric fistula (7), strangulation (4), and evisceration (1). Mean UH size was 1.3 cm (range, 0.2-7.0 cm), varying by operative indication (1.0 cm emergent vs 1.5 cm elective repairs, P = .008) and decade of repair (2.2 cm, 1950s-60s vs 1.3 cm, 1990s-2000s; P = .001). Postoperative morbidity (2%) consisted of superficial wound infection (7), hematoma (3), and seroma (1). With a 66% survey response rate and mean follow-up of 13.0 years (range, 0-53.8 years), 8 (2%) patients experienced a recurrence. Most patients reported satisfaction (90%) with the cosmetic appearance of their umbilicus and are pain free (96%). Conclusion Pediatric UH repairs have low morbidity and recurrence rates. Most patients are satisfied and pain free. Importantly, complicated UHs were more likely to be associated with smaller defects; therefore, parental counseling for signs of incarceration is recommended even in small defects.
Enhanced Efficacy of Beauveria bassiana for Red Flour Beetle with Reduced Moisture

Red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), is a major pest of stored and processed grains that is tolerant of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin under most conditions. Laboratory assays demonstrated that desiccating conditions improved the efficacy of the fungus. For T. castaneum larvae exposed to B. bassiana at different vapor pressure deficits (VPDs), the LC50 potency ratios were 2.3 for 2.42 kPa and 3.9 for 3.31 kPa compared with 1.06 kPa. There were significant effects of moisture on B. bassiana-associated mortality even with brief exposure to low VPD before or at the beginning of exposure to fungus. When T. castaneum larvae were held at 3.31 kPa 1 d before exposure to B. bassiana and/or in the first 1 or 2 d of exposure to the fungus, there was significantly greater mortality for all of the low moisture treatments than occurred with continuous incubation at 1.06 kPa. B. bassiana efficacy for adult T. castaneum was significantly better for VPDs of 3.56 or 3.78 than 1.06 kPa. Weight gain over 4 d of incubation with moisture held constant was significantly less at a VDP of 3.31 kPa than at 1.87 or 1.06 kPa. Treatment with fungus did not affect weight gain significantly. There was no significant difference in larval water content among treatments.
User-in-the-loop continuous and proportional control of a virtual prosthesis in a posture matching task

As the development of dexterous prosthetic hand and wrist units continues, there is a need for command interfaces that will enable a user to operate these multi-joint devices in a natural, coordinated manner. In previous work, we have demonstrated that it is possible to simultaneously decode hand and wrist kinematics from myoelectric signals recorded from the forearm in an offline manner. The goal of this study was to quantify the performance of this command interface during real-time control of a kinematic prosthesis. One subject with intact limbs controlled a virtual prosthesis and attempted to match a series of target postures using the proposed control scheme as well as using the movements of the intact limb. Initial results indicate that subjects can complete these target matching tasks in the virtual environment. Future work will evaluate the controllability of the proposed strategy relative to traditional control schemes.
Measurement of residual isopropyl alcohol in loracarbef by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy

A near-infrared reflectance spectroscopic (NIRS) method was developed and validated for the measurement of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) in loracarbef. A partial least-squares calibration was established for a set of 30 samples by correlation to the gas chromatographic reference method. The NIRS method was validated for selectivity, accuracy, precision, and robustness. The intermediate precision of the method was estimated to be 0.17%, comparing favorably to the precision of the GC reference method. During validation of the robustness of the method, sample analysis technique was found to be responsible for a statistically significant analyst bias. The bias was eliminated by standardization of the technique. Additionally, samples were found to lose IPA when opened to the laboratory atmosphere.
Population dynamics and energy budget for a population of Donax variabilis (Say) on an exposed South Carolina beach

Abstract Donax variabilis is widely distributed over the lower half of the shore at Waites island on the South Carolina coast. Densities peaked at almost 12 000 individuals m−2 at spawning, which also coincided with a concentration of the population in a narrow strip at mid-tide level. Following this, the population almost disappeared from the shore until late in the year, when numbers of small individuals started to appear. Evidence for a second, autumn spawning was equivocal. Mean annual biomass over the lower part of the beach was low (6.45 kj m−2) but P:B very high (6.74) and in addition, gamete output accounted for another 86.6 kj m−2 y−1, equivalent to 64% of total production. The evidence also suggested that the majority of the population was effectively semelparous, but the population reproductive strategy was classified as one of restraint rather than reckless. The productivity makes a significant contribution to neighbouring land and nearshore systems.
Multivariate pattern recognition of seismic data for exploitation

When s discovery well has been drilled into a new hydrocarbon reservoir, seismic reflection data can be used to determine the reservoir’ s lateral extent only when reflection character changes can be correlated with changes in lithology at the edge of the reservoir. In cases where the reservoir rocks are vertically thin however, reflection character changes that indicate the lateral reservoir limits may be too subtle for interpreters to reliably detect. In such cases, specialized data processing techniques can be used to increase the information that can be extracted from the data. We applied multivariate Pattern Recognition techniques to seismic reflection data recorded over Eartzog Draw oil field in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming. The field produces oil from a sand ridge sequence that averages less than 10 m in thickness. The multivariate method was able to predict the location of the field’ s edge even though the reservoir sand was less than 10 m thick at the edge.