cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corporal punishment and children's wages in nineteenth century Britain☆

Social and economic historians have long deplored the employment of children in 19th century Britain. Although most observers regard child labor as an evil in itself, they believe that the cruel treatment of children compounded the evil. Children worked long hours in unsanitary factories, workshops, and homes. Their work was often tedious or degrading and they were paid less than older workers. In addition to the above disamenities, children suffered physical abuse. Employers whipped, hit, kicked, slapped, and thrashed their child employees. From the standpoint of the 20th century, the corporal punishment of child workers is morally contemptible. In the 19th century, however, it was an accepted way to discipline young workers. In this paper I shall attempt to explain the economic motive for the corporal punishment of children. The historical evidence will be drawn primarily from British Parliamentary Papers. The theory of compensating wage differentials will be employed to show that the historical evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that corporal punishment increased the productivity of child labor.
Integrating Genomics Into Prognostic Models for AML

The use of genomic profiling in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has led to an improved understanding of disease pathogenesis. Genomic profiling has given rise to fundamental observations about the biology of AML and has served to better define clinical outcomes for patients based on somatic mutational status. As additional mutations are identified with a known or postulated role in AML pathogenesis, the challenge ahead will be learning how to integrate these findings into clinical practice in such a way that they have a meaningful impact on patient care and, ultimately, on patient outcomes. Potential goals include using genomic information for refined risk stratification and clinical decision making, and to identify genetic lesions that guide the use of molecularly targeted therapies. The development of next-generation sequencing technologies has made genomic profiling a viable option for use in clinical practice because it can provide robust, high-coverage sequencing data for multiple genes in 1 assay, within a clinically reasonable time frame. The present article discusses recent candidate gene sequencing studies, the development of prognostic models based on these studies, and the current and potential future uses of next-generation sequencing technologies in making treatment decisions for patients with AML.
Mutational analysis of the interactions between U1 small nuclear RNA and pre-mRNA of yeast.

Abstract In recent experiments we have used the power of yeast genetics to study U1 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) : pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) base pairing interactions [Seraphin etal. EMBO J. 7 (1988) 2533–2538]. Here we extend these observations to other potential U1 snRNA : pre-mRNA pairings. We show that several U1 snRNA mutants are viable. Using these Ul mutant strains we demonstrate further a basepairing interaction between U1 snRNA position 3 and intron position 6. However, this interaction is only detected with a poor splicing substrate containing branchpoint mutations. These results provide information on the mechanism of 5′ splice site-branch point interaction. We also propose several models which may explain why the sequence of the 5′ end of the U1 snRNA is conserved among organisms as divergent as man and yeast.
A recording fluorescence polarization photometer

Abstract An instrument is described for the automatic recording of the polarization of fluorescence of solutions as a function of wavelength or time. A splitbeam optical system is employed to measure the intensity of the components of the polarized emission vibrating parallel and perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the exciting light. A small, highly accurate analog computer is used to generate a variety of functions from the two signals, and the results are presented on an XY plotter. The accuracy of the polarization measurements is believed to be of the order of 1% on the basis of comparison with an independent method.
A new many-body solution of the Friedel resonance problem

It is numerically shown that the groundstate of the Friedel problem (consisting of a conduction band and a dresonance), occupied with (n+ 1) electrons, can be written as Ψ = (A a 0 * +Bd*) Π v=1 n a v * Φ0, where a 0 * represents a localized conduction electron state, d* is the Friedel resonance state and Π v=1 n a v 8 Φ0 is a Slater determinant of n single electron states a t * , (Φ0 is the vacuum state). The a * together with a 0 * are part of a full ortho-normalized basis of the conductions band.
Interstitial 9q- deletion in a case of acute myeloid leukemia-M2 arising from a granulocytic sarcoma

Deletion of a portion of the long arm of chromosome 9, as the sole abnormality, has previously been reported in detail in 14 cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We report on the first case of AML-M2 arising from granulocytic sarcoma with this chromosome abnormality as the sole karyotypic abnormality.
Probing the Structure of Influenza B Hemagglutinin Using Site-Directed Mutagenesis

Abstract The crystal structure of the hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza virus A/Aichi/68 (H3N2) from the X-31 reassortant virus was reported in 1981, but as yet there are no X-ray diffraction structures for hemagglutinins of other types or even subtypes of influenza virus. We have used site-directed mutagenesis to probe the structure of the hemagglutinin of influenza B/Hong Kong/8/73. We investigated a region in the globular head domain that is helical in the influenza A HA structure, targeting sidechains that in the H3 HA point toward solvent (Thr196) or into the receptor-binding pocket (Gin197). None of the mutations affected hemagglutination activity, but mutations T196P or Q197I eliminated binding of a monoclonal antibody. The data suggest that this region of the influenza B HA forms a surface structure different from the α-helix of the influenza A HA structure and that it accounts for much of the antigenic activity of influenza B HA.
Anaerobic microbes : Oxygen detoxification without superoxide dismutase

Superoxide reductase from the hyperthermophilic anaerobe Pyrococcus furiosus uses electrons from reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, by way of rubredoxin and an oxidoreductase, to reduce superoxide to hydrogen peroxide, which is then reduced to water by peroxidases. Unlike superoxide dismutase, the enzyme that protects aerobes from the toxic effects of oxygen, SOR does not catalyze the production of oxygen from superoxide and therefore confers a selective advantage on anaerobes. Superoxide reductase and associated proteins are catalytically active 80°C below the optimum growth temperature (100°C) of P. furiosus , conditions under which the organism is likely to be exposed to oxygen.
Lattice imaging of the B19 ordering transformation and interfacial structures in Mg3Cd

Abstract The later stages of B19 ordering in Mg3Cd have been investigated by direct lattice imaging. Unit cell high steps (5.3 A) have been clearly resolved in the following interfaces: the order-disorder interface; translational antiphase boundaries and rotational domain boundaries. These observations are thought to indicate a ledge mechanism for ordering and domain growth. Lattice imaging and corresponding optical diffraction have also been used for phase identification and determination of unit cell dimensions. In addition, the characteristic domain structure of the B19 phase has been studied in detail, and the unusual multiple domain junctions are explained in terms of the orthorhombic lattice distortion upon transformation. Considerably more information has been discovered by lattice imaging than is possible by conventional electron microscopy.
Aerodynamic Analysis of Male-to-Female Transgender Voice

The attainment of a feminine-sounding voice is a highly desirable goal among male-to-female transgender (MFT) persons, but this goal may be difficult for many to accomplish. The characteristics associated with a feminine vocal quality include increases in fundamental frequency and in vocal breathiness. In this study, we used inverse-filtering of the airflow signal to indirectly assess vocal fold function in 13 MFT persons. Each participant was asked to sustain the vowel /a/ first in her biological male voice and then again in her female voice. In addition, these vowel productions were compared with vowels produced by age-matched biologic women and men. The results of the study revealed a significant increase in maximum flow declination rate during female voice production. Perceptual ratings of a feminine voice were associated with a fundamental frequency (F0) of 180 Hz or greater, although F0 did not differ significantly between male and female voice production. These results are discussed relative to the mechanisms that obtained a feminine-sounding voice.
Internal marsupialization of lymphoceles after renal transplantation

A technique of internal marsupialization of lymphoceles after renal transplantation in selected cases is described. This technique allows complete marsupialization of retrorenal lymphoceles not amenable to external marsupialization. It also can be carried out during concomitant intraperitoneal surgical procedures.
Closed loop properties of constrained robots using position, velocity and force feedback

A mathematical model for constrained robot dynamics, incorporating the effects of contact forces required to maintain satisfaction of the constraints, is used to develop explicit conditions for stabilization and tracking using feedback control of displacements, velocities and the contact forces. Properties of the resulting closed loop system are presented. Specifically, effects of external force disturbances, effects of dynamics in the contact force feedback loops and effects of uncertainty in the constraint functions on the closed loop are studied. These closed loop properties clearly demonstrate the advantages to be gained by feedback of the contact force. In this work, the simplifying assumption is made that the constraint functions are linear; and only local closed loop properties are studied.
Oxygen reduction on adsorbed iron tetrapyridinoporphyrazine

Abstract The electrocatalytic properties of iron tetrapyridino porphyrazine FeTPyPz for the reduction on O2 in alkaline media have been examined with cyclic voltammetry and rotating ring disk techniques. Four distinct redox peaks are observed in the absence of O2 in solution for this material adsorbed at monolayer coverages on ordinary pyrolytic graphite surfaces. The onset for O2 reduction appears to coincide with the voltammetric peak associated with the metal centered Fe(II)TPyPz/Fe(III)TPyPz transition. No hydrogen peroxide is detected at the ring in this potential range indicating that the reaction takes place by a four electron pathway. This is in contrast with the behavior observed at more negative potentials for which sizable currents for H2O2 oxidation are observed. This change in the mechanism has been attributed to the further reduction of the iron center in the macrocycle rendering an Fe(I)TPyPz species. If the electrode is polarized at potentials more negative than −0.8 V vs SCE, however, the reduction proceeds once again without generation of H2O2 in the solution phase. Quantum mechanical arguments involving orbital symmetry and overlap indicate that the activation could involve a simultaneous bonding of O2 to the iron center and a bridge nitrogen in the macrocycle ring. Such a potential dependent mechanism is similar to that reported earlier for iron tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine for which theoretically predicted electronic properties are essentially the same as those of FeTPyPz.
Reinforced piezoresistive pressure sensor for ocean depth measurements

Abstract Depth/pressure measurements in the ocean are of utmost importance to better understand the ocean processes, for maritime security and for tsunami wave detection. In this work, a reinforced piezoresistive pressure sensor with double diaphragms and Wheatstone bridges is proposed to achieve higher sensitivity, wider operating range and temperature compensation in ocean depth measurements. The reinforced design showed higher sensitivity (by 10–15%) and wider operating pressure capability (by 2–2.2 times) compared to the conventional single diaphragm piezoresistive design. The reinforced sensor design was validated by measuring the performance of a two-element pressure sensor, which showed sensitivity between 0.13 and 0.74 mV/(V psi) and a full scale span increased by approximately two times.
Sustainable development of forest resources in industrialized countries

Abstract There is no general consensus about what sustainable development means. We seek to clarify the meaning and utility of the concept by focusing on forest resources in countries possessing higher levels of per capita incomes. The meaning of sustainable development becomes complex when one asks what social goals are being pursued, what types of stability are permitted, whether amenities and commodities should receive equal consideration, and to what landbase the concept should be applied. A simulation/linear programming model of California's private forest resource is used to demonstrate that strict decade-to-decade ‘even-flow’ stability of production may result in lower aggregate levels of output over a prolonged planning period, with ending levels of the stock resource that are scarcely greater than when output is permitted to vary over the planning period. The model was also used to show that greater levels of output and ending stocks are possible when the land base for sustainability assessment is not a restrictively small geographical area or a single class of ownership. In the case of National Forests and other public lands, the application of the sustainable development concept is significantly more complex because of the importance of amenity values and because of the inherent conflict between development and the preservation of ecosystems in a pristine state.
Validation of the Risk Estimator Decision Aid for Atrial Fibrillation (RED-AF) for Predicting 30-Day Adverse Events in Emergency Department Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Study objective In the United States, nearly 70% of emergency department (ED) visits for atrial fibrillation result in hospitalization. The incidence of serious 30-day adverse events after an ED evaluation for atrial fibrillation remains low. This study's goal was to prospectively validate our previously reported Risk Estimator Decision Aid for Atrial Fibrillation (RED-AF) model for estimating a patient's risk of experiencing a 30-day adverse event. Methods This was a prospective cohort study, which enrolled a convenience sample of ED patients presenting with atrial fibrillation. RED-AF, previously derived from a retrospective cohort of 832 patients, assigns points according to age, sex, coexisting disease (eg, heart failure, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), smoking, home medications (eg, β-blocker, diuretic), physical examination findings (eg, dyspnea, palpitations, peripheral edema), and adequacy of ED ventricular rate control. Primary outcome was occurrence of greater than or equal to 1 atrial fibrillation–related adverse outcome (ED visits, rehospitalization, cardiovascular complications, death) within 30 days. We identified a clinically relevant threshold and measured RED-AF's performance in this prospective cohort, assessing its calibration, discrimination, and diagnostic accuracy. Results The study enrolled 497 patients between June 2010 and February 2013. Of these, 120 (24%) had greater than or equal to 1 adverse event within 30 days. A RED-AF score of 87 was identified as an optimal threshold, resulting in sensitivity and specificity of 96% (95% confidence interval [CI] 91% to 98%) and 19% (95% CI 15% to 23%), respectively. Positive and negative predictive values were 27% (95% CI 23% to 32%) and 93% (95% CI 85% to 97%), respectively. The c statistic for RED-AF was 0.65 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.71). Conclusion In this separate validation cohort, RED-AF performed moderately well and similar to the original derivation cohort for identifying the risk of short-term atrial fibrillation–related adverse events in ED patients receiving a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.
Income Redistributive Effects of State and Local Fiscs: Connecticut, a Case Study

Regardless of the alternative assumptions used to allocate taxes and benefits from expenditures of Connecticut state and local governments in 1967, this study shows that the incidence of taxes is regressive while that of expenditures is progressive. The regressivity of the tax structure is overwhelmingly due to the regressivity of the property tax. Progressivity of expenditures stems chiefly from transfer payments, housing, and hospitals which benefit primarily low-income families. On the basis of reasonable assumptions, it is shown that the state and local fiscs bring about, on the average a net redistribution of a mere two percent of income from families with annual incomes of $12,000 and above to those below that level.
The triple helix of Plantago lanceolata: Genetics and the environment interact to determine population dynamics

The theory of evolution via natural selection predicts that the genetic composition of wild populations changes over time in response to the environment. Different genotypes should exhibit different demographic patterns, but genetic variation in demography is often impossible to separate from environmental variation. Here, we asked if genetic variation is important in determining demographic patterns. We answer this question using a long-term field experiment combined with general linear modeling of deterministic population growth rates (λ), deterministic life table response experiment (LTRE) analysis, and stochastic simulation of demography by paternal lineage in a short-lived perennial plant, Plantago lanceolata, in which we replicated genotypes across four cohorts using a standard breeding design. General linear modeling showed that growth rate varied significantly with year, spatial block, and sire. In LTRE analysis of all cohorts, the strongest influences on growth rate were from year × spatial block...
Sequential changes in coagulation and platelet function following femorotibial bypass

Abstract Twenty-four patients who received no antiplatelet medications and underwent femorotibial bypass grafting (nine vein, 12 polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE], and three composite PTFE-vein) had serial measurements taken of their platelet function and coagulation. The concentration of collagen required to produce half-maximal platelet aggregation (Kd), the platelet aggregation ratio, antithrombin III, factor VIII—related antigen, and fibrinolytic activity (platelet-rich plasma) was measured preoperatively and 3 and 7 days after surgery. Before surgery eight patients exhibited an increase of platelet reactivity to collagen. Following femorotibial bypass grafting, the mean preoperative Kd of 0.52 ± 0.37 μg/ml fell to 0.34 ± 0.35 μg/ml on the third postoperative day (P
Staff Drift A Problem in Program Integrity

Data from an evaluation of the effectiveness of a therapeutic community program in reducing tension in a pretrial detention center demonstrated that the nature of staff-inmate interaction tended to...
On the design of robotic hands for brain-machine interface.

✓ Brain–machine interface (BMI) is the latest solution to a lack of control for paralyzed or prosthetic limbs. In this paper the authors focus on the design of anatomical robotic hands that use BMI as a critical intervention in restorative neurosurgery and they justify the requirement for lower-level neuromusculoskeletal details (relating to biomechanics, muscles, peripheral nerves, and some aspects of the spinal cord) in both mechanical and control systems. A person uses his or her hands for intimate contact and dexterous interactions with objects that require the user to control not only the finger endpoint locations but also the forces and the stiffness of the fingers. To recreate all of these human properties in a robotic hand, the most direct and perhaps the optimal approach is to duplicate the anatomical musculoskeletal structure. When a prosthetic hand is anatomically correct, the input to the device can come from the same neural signals that used to arrive at the muscles in the original hand. The ...
The Concept Concept: The Wayward Path of Cognitive Science

When one says ‘dog’, or ‘yawl’, or ‘junta’, there is the strong impression that discrete ideas correspond to each of those words. Cognitive science, following common sense, calls such ideas ‘concepts’. Typically at least, we reflective common folk think of a word as the expression of a concept, of concepts as the constituents of larger mental units, such as thoughts, and thus of concepts as central to our mental life. The general directions that the study of concepts has taken within cognitive science are clear, and a sweeping critique of those directions is the focus of this most recent book from Jerry Fodor. As the title suggests, Fodor thinks that not all is well in the House of Concepts. In essence, cognitive science has assumed that (a) there is a rich internal structure to concepts that can be used to predict how concepts function in our mental activities and overt behavior; and (b) there are rich external structures in which concepts are embedded, structures often called intuitive theories, that are needed to explain concept acquisition and use. Fodor rejects both (a) and (b), focusing largely on the various ways in which (a) has been articulated in linguistics, philosophy, and psychology (with glancing blows at artificial intelligence along the way). At the core of Fodor’s diagnosis of what has gone wrong is inferential role semantics (IRS), the view that concepts are individuated in part by the inferential relations they participate in. IRS implies that at least part of what makes something in the head, the concept DOG, say, is that it is typically/ideally/always inferred from other mental particulars (e.g. ROVER, MAN’S BEST FRIEND), and typically/ideally/always leads one to infer still other
Association between gastro-intestinal symptoms and menstruation in patients with ileal pouches

Background and aims: Gastro-intestinal (GI) symptoms are often experienced by healthy women during menstruation. An increased frequency of GI symptoms during menses has also been reported in women with irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, IBD patients with restorative proctocolectomy and ileal pouch-anal anastomoses (IPAA) have not been studied. We aimed to examine the association between GI symptoms before and during menses in patients with IPAA, and to assess factors for exacerbation of GI symptoms in those patients. Methods: Adult women recorded in the Pouchitis Registry were invited to participate in a mailed survey. Participants reported on GI symptoms 1–5 days prior to- (pre-menses) and during the days of their menses in recent months. Demographic and clinical variables were obtained through the survey and chart review. Results: One hundred and twenty-eight (21.3%) out of 600 women with IPAA responded to the survey questionnaire. Forty-three (33.5%) were excluded for reasons including post-menopausal (n = 25), hysterectomy (n = 14) and use of contraceptives (n = 4). Abdominal pain (P = 0.001), diarrhea (P = 0.021), and urgency (P = 0.031) were more commonly reported during menses than pre-menses by the participants. Only a history of painful menses was significantly associated with increased GI symptoms during menses for patients with ileal pouch (odds ratio = 5.67; 95% confidence interval: 1.41–22.88; P = 0.015). Conclusion: GI symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and urgency are commonly associated with menses in patients with ileo-anal pouch. Painful menses may be associated with worsening of GI symptoms.
What companies are(n't) doing about Web site assurance

Research has linked consumers' willingness to buy from e-commerce Web sites with assurance seals, but so far companies seem lukewarm about having third parties provide them.
Laforin and malin knockout mice have normal glucose disposal and insulin sensitivity

Lafora disease is a fatal, progressive myoclonus epilepsy caused in ~90% of cases by mutations in the EPM2A or EPM2B genes. Characteristic of the disease is the formation of Lafora bodies, insoluble deposits containing abnormal glycogen-like material in many tissues, including neurons, muscle, heart and liver. Because glycogen is important for glucose homeostasis, the aberrant glycogen metabolism in Lafora disease might disturb whole-body glucose handling. Indeed, Vernia et al. [Vernia, S., Heredia, M., Criado, O., Rodriguez de Cordoba, S., Garcia-Roves, P.M., Cansell, C., Denis, R., Luquet, S., Foufelle, F., Ferre, P. et al. (2011) Laforin, a dual-specificity phosphatase involved in Lafora disease, regulates insulin response and whole-body energy balance in mice. Hum. Mol. Genet., 20, 2571-2584] reported that Epm2a-/- mice had enhanced glucose disposal and insulin sensitivity, leading them to suggest that laforin, the Epm2a gene product, is involved in insulin signaling. We analyzed 3-month- and 6-7-month-old Epm2a-/- mice and observed no differences in glucose tolerance tests (GTTs) or insulin tolerance tests (ITTs) compared with wild-type mice of matched genetic background. At 3 months, Epm2b-/- mice also showed no differences in GTTs and ITTs. In the 6-7-month-old Epm2a-/- mice, there was no evidence for increased insulin stimulation of the phosphorylation of Akt, GSK-3 or S6 in skeletal muscle, liver and heart. From metabolic analyses, these animals were normal with regard to food intake, oxygen consumption, energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio. By dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, body composition was unaltered at 3 or 6-7 months of age. Echocardiography showed no defects of cardiac function in Epm2a-/- or Epm2b-/- mice. We conclude that laforin and malin have no effect on whole-body glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, and that laforin is not involved in insulin signaling.
Editorial: Understanding the Pathophysiology of Stress Urinary Incontinence

Historically, the diagnosis of incontinence has been ignored by patients and physicians alike. Many patients were too embarrassed to discuss this topic with their physicians, many of whom were often not trained in the diagnosis and treatment. However, problems related to incontinence result in an estimated direct cost of $15 billion per year in the United States alone and, given the cost-conscious medical environment we now live in, this can no longer be ignored.' In this issue of the Journal 2 groups of investigators study the etiology of incontinence and 2 others report on the results of therapy. Each report contributes to the total understanding of stress urinary incontinence. Together, they highlight the fact that we still lack a clear comprehension of the pathophysiology behind stress incontinence. In the long term we will only be able to improve our treatment outcomes if we continue to conduct research in this area. Wagg et al (page 1984) appropriately noted that urethral profile has been reported to be useful in the diagnosis of stress incontinence. However, due mainly to the inconsistencies in methodologies, these reports have been criticized. Using a large cohort of patients the authors investigate the changes in urethral profile with aging, and compare women with and without stress urinary incontinence and detrusor instability. The decrease in detrusor pressures at urethral opening and closing provides insight into the phenomenon of an aging bladder. Lower detrusor pressures with aging may reflect increasing incidence of neurological disorders affecting the detrusor or perhaps lower urethral resistance. At the same time they note no changes in urethral compliance. When comparing women with different lower urinary tract symptoms, they showed a predictable trend in bladder pressures given the diagnosis of stress incontinence and detrusor instability, and concluded that there is greater urethral compliance in women with stress incontinence. A weakness of the results reported lies in the high variability in the measurements, and one cannot conclude that urethral compliance is ready for general use as a diagnostic test.
Regulation of intestinal serotonin transporter expression via epigenetic mechanisms: role of HDAC2

The serotonin (5-HT) transporter (SERT) facilitates clearance of extracellular 5-HT by its uptake and internalization. Decreased expression of SERT and consequent high 5-HT levels have been implica...
SUPERNOVA SHOCK-WAVE-INDUCED CO-FORMATION OF GLASSY CARBON AND NANODIAMOND

Nanodiamond (ND) was thefirst extrasolar dust phase to be identified in meteorites. However, the 2 nm average size of the NDs precludes isotopic analysis of individual particles, and thus their origin(s) remains controversial. Using electron microscopy with subnanometer resolution, we show that ND separates from the Allende and Murchison meteorites are actually a two-phase mixture of ND and glassy carbon. This phase mixture is likely the product of supernova shock-wave transformation of pre-formed organics in the interstellar medium (ISM). The glassy carbon‐ND mixture is also a plausible contributor to the 2175A extinction feature in the diffuse ISM.
Musical chairs mortality functions: density-dependent deaths caused by competition for unguarded refuges

Structural refuges within which prey can escape from predators can be an important limiting resource for the prey. In a manner that resembles the childhood game of musical chairs, many prey species rapidly retreat to shared, unguarded refuges whenever a predator threatens, and only when refuges are relatively abundant do all prey individuals actually escape. The key feature of this process is that the per capita prey mortality rate depends on the ratio of prey individuals to refuges. We introduce a new class of mortality functions with this feature and then demonstrate statistically that they describe field mortality data from a well-studied coral reef fish species, the Caribbean bridled goby Coryphopterus glaucofraenum, substantially better than do several mortality functions of more conventional form.
Type Ia endoleaks after fenestrated and branched endografts may lead to component instability and increased aortic mortality.

Objectives Fenestrated and branched endografts allow for proximal sealing zone extension into or above the visceral aorta to optimize landing in healthy aorta. We describe the incidence, causes, and implications of proximal endoleak development in patients undergoing complex endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. Methods All patients undergoing a fenestrated/branched repair were entered onto a prospective database, and this analysis included all those with at least one postoperative contrast computed tomography scan. Preoperative and postoperative three-dimensional imaging was reanalyzed to characterize morphology and identify endoleak. A blinded assessor used the preoperative imaging to resize the repairs in the endoleak group and a matched cohort of patients without endoleak. The outcome measures were proximal endoleak development, mortality, and component stability, and a comparison was made with all patients undergoing complex aortic repair. Results From 2001 to July 2013, 969 patients underwent repair in a physician-sponsored investigational device exemption trial. Excluded were 24 emergency patients and 21 patients without requisite imaging, leaving 924 available for analysis. A proximal type Ia endoleak developed in 26 patients (2.8%). Poor choice of landing zone was implicated in most cases, with an area of sealing in the visceral aorta, compared with the thoracic aorta, being significantly associated with endoleak development ( P P = .001). These patients also experienced a higher incidence of component instability of 30.8% compared with 9.6% in patients without type Ia endoleak ( P Conclusions Fenestrated/branched endovascular repair has a low incidence of sealing zone failure despite the increased complexity. However, development of a proximal endoleak destabilizes the repair and leads to increased mortality. Increasing complexity of design seems to improve the long-term outcome for patients requiring complex aortic repair.
Online Music Piracy: Are Lawsuits The Best Approach?

In the age of digital technology, perfect copies of sound recordings may be easily made and shared in violation of copyright law. Music piracy in the form of illegal downloading is a worldwide phenomenon that has a significant impact on the music industry. In response to the perceived threat to the music industry, lawsuits have been filed in the United States and abroad based on copyright infringement for illegally downloading music. This paper examines copyright law, case law, and recent litigation. In the wake of legal efforts to curtail illegal downloading, a survey of 112 undergraduate students was conducted in an effort to determine whether the lawsuits filed by the music industry are a deterrent to downloading music. Potential solutions are proposed and economic consequences discussed.
Symmetric and Asymmetric Bilayers of Retinal

Asymmetric and symmetric bilayer membrane were formed from monolayers of egg lecithin and various retinal isomers. Capacitance of the asymmetric all-trans retinal/lecithin bilayer is 1.2 ± 0.1 µF/cm². Asymmetrically formed membranes of 13-cis retinal/lecithin and 9-cis retinal lecithin were found to be 0.83 ± 0.06 and 0.56 ± 0.05 µF/cm², respectively. Formation of bilayers of the various cis isomers appears to require the presence of solvent. Irradiation of the various retinal/lecithin films, under the proper conditions, leads to bilayers with marked changes in capacitance and conductance.
Evaluation Questions for Assessing Postmerger Integration Consultants

How does one assess which consulting firm to hire when planning for the postacquisition activities? This technical note lists the questions to ask presenters from consulting firms who are competing for the assignment. Excerpt UVA-BP-0527 Rev. Nov. 18, 2014 Evaluation Questions for assessing POstmerger integration Consultants The following questions were organized to assist executives in choosing among postmerger integration consultants when various firms pitch their services to a company planning a significant acquisition. 1.Type of acquisition: Do they recognize the different types of acquisitions and have different integration approaches for each (e.g., a vertical integration acquisition is very different from an industry-consolidating, geography-expanding, or product-line-extending acquisition)? The point is to avoid hiring a firm that employs a one-size-fits-all approach. 2.Time lapse: Does their approach recognize the time value of money and have an aggressive schedule for completing the integration? 3.Strategic results: How do their integration efforts enhance your company’s competitive position? (This is not a question regarding the strategic logic of the acquisition—it refers to how that strategic potential will get realized through the integration.) How do they plan for the transfer of strategic capabilities between the two parties? . . .
Empowering Leaders Through Inquiry in Burundi and the DR Congo

Training programs can facilitate responsible leadership, when they are anchored in inquiry. Whether we talk about Burundi in 2005 or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2006, a democratic process took place, which built upon strong local and international leaders’ empowerment. The efforts in these two countries to ask leaders to raise tough questions and to seek solutions themselves were multifold to ensure a transition as smooth and inclusive as possible; they bear worthwhile lessons for today. Our specific focus is on the work of two local organizations: the Burundi Leadership Training Program and the Initiative for Inclusive Leadership in the DRC. What can we learn from these initiatives that activated soft questioning to strengthen responsible leadership at troubled times and helped transform a fragile armed truce into a relative peace? Can the principles of inquiry that were mobilized a decade ago and thereafter serve again there or elsewhere? This article articulates six inquiry principles which contributed to a peaceful transition process: asking the local and international authorities to orient leadership programs; asking top leaders to designate participants to involve; asking them to identify a locally recognized third party; asking key leaders to address tough problems through facilitative mediation methods; questioning participating leaders to guide the sequence of national sectors to cover; and pushing the inquiry further for progressive reinforcement of impact. In brief, these leadership programs came as a complementary step to consolidate the political mediation (between top leaders and diplomats) and constituted a second-tier facilitative mediation campaign (between key leaders and professional facilitators) to ensure follow-up of official diplomacy. This leader-centered soft questioning approach can accompany political agreements and reduce the risks of return to violence.
Strong Local-Nonlocal Coupling for Integrated Fracture Modeling

Peridynamics, a nonlocal extension of continuum mechanics, is unique in its ability to capture pervasive material failure. Its use in the majority of system-level analyses carried out at Sandia, however, is severely limited, due in large part to computational expense and the challenge posed by the imposition of nonlocal boundary conditions. Combined analyses in which peridynamics is em- ployed only in regions susceptible to material failure are therefore highly desirable, yet available coupling strategies have remained severely limited. This report is a summary of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project "Strong Local-Nonlocal Coupling for Inte- grated Fracture Modeling," completed within the Computing and Information Sciences (CIS) In- vestment Area at Sandia National Laboratories. A number of challenges inherent to coupling local and nonlocal models are addressed. A primary result is the extension of peridynamics to facilitate a variable nonlocal length scale. This approach, termed the peridynamic partial stress, can greatly reduce the mathematical incompatibility between local and nonlocal equations through reduction of the peridynamic horizon in the vicinity of a model interface. A second result is the formulation of a blending-based coupling approach that may be applied either as the primary coupling strategy, or in combination with themore » peridynamic partial stress. This blending-based approach is distinct from general blending methods, such as the Arlequin approach, in that it is specific to the coupling of peridynamics and classical continuum mechanics. Facilitating the coupling of peridynamics and classical continuum mechanics has also required innovations aimed directly at peridynamic models. Specifically, the properties of peridynamic constitutive models near domain boundaries and shortcomings in available discretization strategies have been addressed. The results are a class of position-aware peridynamic constitutive laws for dramatically improved consistency at domain boundaries, and an enhancement to the meshfree discretization applied to peridynamic models that removes irregularities at the limit of the nonlocal length scale and dramatically improves conver- gence behavior. Finally, a novel approach for modeling ductile failure has been developed, moti- vated by the desire to apply coupled local-nonlocal models to a wide variety of materials, including ductile metals, which have received minimal attention in the peridynamic literature. Software im- plementation of the partial-stress coupling strategy, the position-aware peridynamic constitutive models, and the strategies for improving the convergence behavior of peridynamic models was completed within the Peridigm and Albany codes, developed at Sandia National Laboratories and made publicly available under the open-source 3-clause BSD license.« less
Analysis of Posture and Gait Selection During Locomotion in the Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

The pelvic and hindlimb posture and the gaits of Mephitis mephitis are described using cinematography (to 64 f.p.s.) and cineradiography (to 200 f.p.s.) of captive adult animals. M. mephitis preferentially selects a symmetrical, single-foot gait within the lateral sequence, which apparently provides maximum stability and, on the basis of comparative studies (Hilde-brand, 1976), is primitive. At speeds faster than the walk, the striped skunk seldom selects the trot; rather, it moves directly into a slow transverse gallop with little or no gathered suspension phase. This asymmetrical gait maximizes stability and is considered primitive. Several aspects of hindlimb posture of M. mephitis during walking reflect the pattern thought to be primitive for mammals (Jenkins, 1971; Jenkins and Camazine, 1977). In contrast to patterns of the more specialized carnivores, these aspects include: 1) upon contact of a foot the long axis of the femur intersects the sagittal plane at a relatively large angle (25° to 40°); 2) relatively greater adduction of the femur occurs just after foot contact (E2) followed by abduction in the late stance phase (E3) of the step cycle; and 3) the pelvis in E3 experiences a relatively greater contralateral shift. These features confer a wide and stable stance. Unlike those mammals thought to be primitive, however, M. mephitis positions its femur such that the distal end is always below the level of the acetabulum. Either we have misinterpreted the primitive condition in this regard, or the depression of the entire femur relative to the acetabulum was an adaptation among carnivores and related to an ambulatory way of life. The evidence leads us to conclude that in its gait selection and posture, M. mephitis represents the primitive condition for the Order Carnivora.
In search of best practice for postpartum depression screening: is once enough?

Abstract Background Postpartum depression (PPD) causes significant morbidity in postpartum women and their newborns. Universal screening is mandated in many states despite little information on optimal interval and frequency of screening. Objective The objective of this study was to determine whether the early Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score (done within 96 h after delivery) is predictive of the late EPDS score (done at outpatient postpartum visit). Study design This retrospective cohort study selected 256 women delivered at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ in 2013. All patients who presented to the office during the postpartum period completed the EPDS questionnaire, in accordance to our usual practice. The delivery and outpatient records were reviewed for demographic data, EPDS scores and outcomes. Three groups of EPDS scoring were analyzed: Results EPDS scores remained the same or improved in 92.2% (189/205) of women. The 16 women whose scores worsened were more likely to have had a diagnosis of prior psychiatric illness (50% vs 16.4%, p = 0.003) and/or a diagnosis of fetal anomaly (12.5 vs 1.6%, p = 0.05). An early EPDS score of Conclusions In low risk women, there is good correlation between early and late EPDS scores and so these women may not need to be rescreened. Therefore, we should redirect the limited available resources from screening low risk women multiple times, towards provision of follow-up care for the smaller number of women at highest risk. We propose that “women know your number” (EPDS prior to discharge); and providers re-screen only those women who score positive on PAP10, which stands for P sychiatry history, A nomaly, P reterm delivery, and EPDS score of 10 or more.
Design Considerations for RNA Spherical Nucleic Acids(SNAs)

Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) are key components in many cellular processes such as cell division, differentiation, growth, aging, and death. RNA spherical nucleic acids (RNA-SNAs), which consist of dense shells of double-stranded RNA on nanoparticle surfaces, are powerful and promising therapeutic modalities because they confer advantages over linear RNA such as high cellular uptake and enhanced stability. Due to their three-dimensional shell of oligonucleotides, SNAs, in comparison to linear nucleic acids, interact with the biological environment in unique ways. Herein, the modularity of the RNA-SNA is used to systematically study structure–function relationships in order to understand how the oligonucleotide shell affects interactions with a specific type of biological environment, namely, one that contains serum nucleases. We use a combination of experiment and theory to determine the key architectural properties (i.e., sequence, density, spacer moiety, and backfill molecule) that affect how RNA-SNAs inter...
Using semidefinite programming to calculate bounds on particle size distributions

Abstract Many chemical engineering processes involve a population of particles with a distribution of sizes that changes over time. Because calculating the time evolution of the full particle size distribution (PSD) is computationally expensive, it is common to instead calculate the time evolution of only finitely many moments of the distribution. The problem with moments is that they provide only a summary description of the PSD. In particular, they do not contain enough information to answer industrially relevant questions such as: How many particles are there in the size range [ a , b ] ? What is the shape of the distribution? What is its D10? While these questions cannot be answered exactly, in this paper, we demonstrate that one can efficiently calculate rigorous bounds on the answers by solving semidefinite programs. To the best of the authors’ knowledge this natural application of semidefinite programming to PSDs has, until now, gone unnoticed.
Development of Fusarium crown-rot in alfalfa stressed by multiple defoliations by the yellowstriped armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants (var ‘Florida 77’ and ‘Cimarron’) were injected with Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht., and stressed for four consecutive harvests by yellowstriped armyworms, Spodoptera ornithogalli (Guenee), under greenhouse conditions. No significant interactions existed between insect defoliation and inoculation with F. oxysporum. Insect defoliation alone had significant effects on dry matter yield, stem height, and maturity, but forage quality, root weight, and root carbohydrate levels were not significantly affected. In vitro digestible dry matter (IVDDM) concentration in Cimarron was the only forage parameter affected by F. oxysporum.
Fast Link Configuration for mmWave Multiuser MIMO Downlink Using Spatial AoD Angular Supports

Wireless communication is now moving to automotive systems. In the near future, vehicles and road side units (RSUs) will be equipped with various sensors such as radars, LIDARs, cameras, and GPSs to generate enormous sensor information. To enhance the safety and efficiency, they will share this raw sensor information each other through Gbps data rates using millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications. To realize this vision, two unfavorable attributes of mmWave communications should be addressed: 1) Overcoming blockage and 2) fast link configuration. One viable approach to addressing these issues is to exploit RSU equipped with many sensors. At a higher position such as at the top of the RSU, LoS links between vehicles and the RSU are more likely to be guaranteed as well as it facilitates the extraction of useful information for the fast link configuration such as the distances or the angles between vehicles and the RSU using the sensors. In this paper, we assume that from the sensors (aside from the relevant technology) the angular support information for the LoS link of each vehicle is known to the RSU in prior and we propose a fast link configuration method using the angular support information.