cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trace metals in southern Californian mussels

Abstract The intertidal mussel Mytilus californianus is a useful indicator of anthropogenic inputs of several trace metals off southern California. Highest metal concentrations were measured in the digestive glands, and no significant differences attibutable to sex were found for this tissue. The distribution of lead appears to be dominated by diffuse inputs, while those of copper, chromium, and silver are most related to urban point sources. No distinct pattern was observed for nickel or zinc.
Bilateral Shoulder and Elbow Arthroscopy in Dogs with Forelimb Lameness: Diagnostic Findings and Treatment Outcomes

Objective— Characterize clinical findings and outcomes in dogs with forelimb lameness. Study Design— Prospective case series. Animals— Dogs (n=19) with forelimb lameness. Methods— Dogs were included when lameness was attributed to shoulder and/or elbow pathology with informed consent for bilateral shoulder and elbow arthroscopy. Historical, clinical examination and diagnostic imaging findings were recorded. Localization of lameness was determined and subjective arthroscopic assessment of shoulders and elbows performed. Outcomes were subjectively assessed by owner survey. Results— Dogs were lame in 1 (n=8) or both (11) forelimbs on admission. Lameness was localized to shoulders (8), elbows (6), or both (5). Preoperative localization was correct in 15 of 19 dogs (78.9%). Arthroscopic pathology was noted in 17 shoulders and 23 elbows. Orthopedic examination, spinatus muscle atrophy, abduction angles, elbow joint effusion, and radiographic assessment were clinically useful for preoperatively determining pathology. Eleven shoulders and 20 elbows were surgically treated. Dogs were significantly (P<.001) less lame at follow-up (mean±SD lameness score, 1.1±1.1) 6–24 months postoperatively compared with admission (4.2±2.8). Dogs with shoulder involvement only were significantly (P=.038) less lame than dogs with shoulder and elbow involvement after treatment. Most dogs (15) had mild to moderate lameness after treatment. Conclusion— Forelimb lameness in dogs may be associated with shoulder or elbow pathology or both. Preoperative localization and diagnosis based on examination, palpation, and radiography will be “correct”∼80% of the time. Clinical Relevance— We recommend comprehensive assessment using history, orthopedic examination, joint-specific palpation, radiography, and arthroscopy, and following outcomes to determine cause of lameness, indications for treatment, optimal treatment, and accurate client communication for forelimb lameness in dogs.
On Relations Between Science And Religion

This article proposes an alternative way of looking at religion to that proposed by Mahner and Bunge, and challenges a claim they make about a presupposition of science. From the alternative perspective there are constructive tensions rather than incompatibilities between science and religion. The article concludes with a proposed set of criteria to be used in critical reflections on faiths, religious or secular. It suggests that education would be enhanced by introducing students to the reflections and dialogues where these criteria are applicable.
The subjective meaning of cognitive architecture: a Marrian analysis.

Marr famously decomposed cognitive theories into three levels. Newell, Pylyshyn, and Anderson offered parallel decompositions of cognitive architectures, which are psychologically plausible computational formalisms for expressing computational models of cognition. These analyses focused on the objective meaning of each level – how it supports computational models that correspond to cognitive phenomena. This paper develops a complementary analysis of the subjective meaning of each level – how it helps cognitive scientists understand cognition. It then argues against calls to eliminatively reduce higher levels to lower levels, for example in the name of parsimony. Finally, it argues that the failure to attend to the multiple meanings and levels of cognitive architecture contributes to the current, disunified state of theoretical cognitive science.
Bile duct injury after laparoscopic cholecystectomy in hospitals with and without surgical residency programs: is there a difference?

Background Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a common surgical procedure performed by surgical residents under the supervision of attending surgeons. There is a perception that performance of LC in a facility with a surgical training program provides a safer environment due to the presence of an assistant surgeon. The aim of this study was to compare the rate of bile duct injury, conversion, and mortality between hospitals with surgical residency programs (Group I) and hospitals without surgical training programs (Group II).
Symptom improvement in women after fecal incontinence treatments: a multicenter cohort study of the pelvic floor disorders network.

OBJECTIVES The study aims were to characterize women with fecal incontinence (FI) and measure changes in FI severity and quality of life 3 and 12 months after treatment. METHODS This study is a secondary analysis of a multicenter study measuring adaptive behaviors among women with FI. Women included had a primary complaint of at least monthly FI over 3 consecutive months and planned FI treatment. Demographic and medical history data were obtained at baseline. Data were collected at baseline, 3 months, and 12 months after clinically selected, nonstandardized treatment. Validated questionnaires were as follows: Fecal Incontinence Severity Index, Modified Manchester Health Questionnaire, Pelvic Floor Disorders Inventory's Colorectal and Anal Distress Inventory, Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire's Colorectal and Anal Impact Questionnaire, and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form. Questionnaire score changes from baseline were compared using paired t tests at 3 and 12 months after treatment. RESULTS Of the 133 women enrolled, 90 women had treatment data at 3 months and 77 at 12 months. Nonsurgical therapies were the most common (78%) with anal sphincter repair in 22%. Fecal Incontinence Severity Index scores and Modified Manchester Health Questionnaire scores significantly improved 3 months after nonsurgical and surgical treatments (-8.8 ± 12.0 and -12.6 ± 19.2, respectively, P < 0.001), as did Colorectal-Anal Distress Inventory and Colorectal-Anal Impact Questionnaire scores (-52.7 ± 70.0 and -60.6 ± 70.0, respectively, P < 0.001) and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form mental health scores (4.2 ± 9.4, P = 0.001). Improvement persisted 12 months posttreatment. CONCLUSIONS In women seeking care for FI, symptom severity and condition-specific quality of life significantly improve within the first 3 months after FI treatment and are maintained up to 12 months.
2d Fourier spectroscopy of disordered quantum wells

We consider the problem of coherent coupling between spatially separated exciton states in disordered quantum wells (QW) from the perspective of two-dimensional (2d) Fourier spectroscopy, which is sensitive to interaction between excitations. We present the basic theory of spectroscopy of QW that demonstrate split exciton resonances in linear spectra, which is characteristic for long interfacial inhomogeneities. We find that the coherent coupling is governed by the relation between the disorder correlation length rc and the characteristic length of Coulomb correlations RI. If rc ≫ RI the coherent coupling is absent and 2d spectra are simply elongated along the diagonal (inhomogeneously broadened). In the opposite limit coupling exists and manifests itself in the form of respective off-diagonal peaks in 2d spectra (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Sex-Role Orientation, Behavioral Adaptability and Personal Adjustment

Bem's Sex-Role Inventory was used to classify 111 college men and women into masculine, feminine, androgynous, and undifferentiated sex-role categories. Subjects were tested for emotional expressivity (feminine task), assertiveness (masculine task), and personal integration. Sex typed and cross-sex typed subjects performed well only on those tasks which were congruent with their measured sex role. Androgynous subjects exhibited the greatest behavioral adaptability, performing well on both masculine and feminine tasks; undifferentiated subjects performed poorly on both tasks, but particularly so on sex-reversed tasks. Thus, behavioral flexibility was shown to derive from strong identifications with both masculine and feminine roles (androgyny) rather than from a simple lack of identification with either role. In addition, contrary to previous findings that masculine-typed women are better adjusted than feminine-typed women, androgynous and sex typed subjects both scored high in personal integration, with cross-sex typed subjects of both sexes scoring as low as undifferentiated subjects.
Dopamine neuron transplants: electrophysiological unit activity of intrastriatal nigral grafts in freely moving cats.

Fetal transplants of substantia nigra dopamine (DA)-containing neurons into the caudate nucleus in cats produced functional synaptic connections, as measured by behavioral analysis. Electrophysiological activity of single units from the intrastriatal nigral grafts revealed that these neurons displayed some of the characteristic electrophysiological parameters of DA neurons, i.e., long duration action potentials and tri-phasic waveform. However, these neurons discharged at a faster rate and never displayed the characteristic decremental burst pattern seen in intact, non-grafted animals. These data are the first electrophysiological recordings of grafted DA neurons in freely moving animals.
Human pharmacokinetics of the antiviral drug DHPG

The pharmacokinetics of the antiviral drug 9-[2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethoxymethyl]guanine (DHPG) were examined in six patients receiving 2.5 or 5.0 mg/kg every 8 or 12 hours for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) pneumonitis or retinitis. Biexponential decay with a mean distribution t1/2 of 0.23 hours and terminal t1/2 of 2.53 hours was observed. Total clearance correlated well with and exceeded creatinine clearance by a factor of 2.4. Mean volume of the central compartment was 15.26 L/1.73 m2 and the volume of distribution at steady state was 32.8 L/1.73 m2. Peak (model predicted) and trough plasma concentrations were 4.75 to 6.20 micrograms/ml and less than 0.25 to 0.63 microgram/ml, respectively, in patients receiving 2.5 mg/kg. Peak concentrations are well above those needed to inhibit HCMV at the 50% level (ID50) and troughs are near this ID50. Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of DHPG indicate a penetration of 24% to 67%. No accumulation of DHPG was apparent in these patients. However, dosage reduction is necessary in renal insufficiency. Neutropenia occurred in one patient. The plasma concentration profile of DHPG suggests potential beneficial activity against HCMV.
Health, functional, and psychological outcomes among older persons with chronic dizziness.

OBJECTIVE: The recommended clinical strategy for a health condition should depend both on the known causes of and outcomes associated with the condition. The aim of this study was to determine the range of adverse outcomes associated with chronic dizziness. DESIGN: Population-based prospective cohort study SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A probability sample of 1087 persons, age 72 and older, living in the community. MEASUREMENTS: The following were measured: chronic dizziness, death, hospitalizations, falls, syncope, basic and instrumental activities of daily living, depressive symptoms, self-rated health, falls self-efficacy, and social activities. RESULTS: Of the 1087 participants, 261 (24%) reported chronic dizziness. Over 1 year of follow-up, chronic dizziness was not associated with mortality, hospitalization for any reason, or change in basic or instrumental activities of daily living, but was associated with risk of falling (unadjusted relative risk [RR] 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.72) and with experiencing syncope (RR 2.31; 95% CI 1.24–4.30). After adjustment for baseline level, chronic dizziness also was associated with worsening of depressive symptoms, self-rated health, falls efficacy, and social activities. The relationship remained significant, after adjustment for potential confounding factors, for self-rated health (T-statistic −2.95, P = .003) and falls efficacy (T-statistic −2.68; P = .008), and was of marginal significance for depressive symptoms (T-statistic-1.73; P = .085). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the goals of care for older persons with chronic dizziness should be redirected from solely identifying and treating discrete diseases—an often expensive and unrewarding task—toward reducing the symptoms of chronic dizziness and alleviating the resulting physical, psychological, and social disability. J Am Geriatr Soc 48: 417–421, 2000.
MEAN FIELD THEORY AND THE SU(2) ADJOINT HIGGS MODEL

Abstract Three versions of the mean field approximation are applied to determine the phase diagram of the SU(2) adjoint Higgs model. In two of these, one with gauge fixing and one without, the Higgs action is integrated exactly. In the third version, the Higgs and Wilson parts of the action are treated on equal footing. The results, when compared to those from Monte Carlo simulations, suggest that more accurate simulations are needed in the crossover region.
19.2 A 93.4mm 2 64Gb MLC NAND-flash memory with 16nm CMOS technology

This paper presents a 64Gb MLC NAND-Flash memory fabricated with 16nm CMOS process technology to achieve high density and as small as 93.4mm2 die area. The chip consists of two planes of 1072 blocks each. A block consists of a string with 128 cells and a page size with 16KB and spare area for error-correction coding (ECC), totaling 4MB of capacity. The chip supports negative-level wordline drivability to increase cell Vth margin.
The WAVE2 Complex Regulates Actin Cytoskeletal Reorganization and CRAC-Mediated Calcium Entry during T Cell Activation

Summary Background The engagement of the T cell receptor results in actin cytoskeletal reorganization at the immune synapse (IS) and the triggering of biochemical signaling cascades leading to gene regulation and, ultimately, cellular activation. Recent studies have identified the WAVE family of proteins as critical mediators of Rac1-induced actin reorganization in other cell types. However, whether these proteins participate in actin reorganization at the IS or signaling pathways in T cells has not been investigated. Results By using a combination of biochemical, genetic, and cell biology approaches, we provide evidence that WAVE2 is recruited to the IS, is biochemically modified, and is required for actin reorganization and β-integrin-mediated adhesion after TCR crosslinking. Moreover, we show that WAVE2 regulates calcium entry at a point distal to PLCγ1 activation and IP 3 -mediated store release. Conclusions These data reveal a role for WAVE2 in regulating multiple pathways leading to T cell activation. In particular, this work shows that WAVE2 is a key component of the actin regulatory machinery in T cells and that it also participates in linking intracellular calcium store depletion to calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channel activation.
Saving Babies: The Impact of Public Education Programs on Infant Mortality

We take advantage of unique data on specific activities conducted under the Sheppard-Towner Act from 1924 through 1929 to focus on how public health interventions affected infant mortality. Interventions that provided one-on-one contact and opportunities for follow-up care, such as home visits by nurses and the establishment of health clinics, reduced infant deaths more than did classes and conferences. These interventions were particularly effective for nonwhites, a population with limited access to physicians and medical care. Although limited data on costs prevent us from making systematic cost-benefit calculations, we estimate that one infant death could be avoided for every $1,600 (about $20,400 in 2010 dollars) spent on home nurse visits.
Normalization in point estimation

Abstract When estimating the parameters of a single equation, normalization rules are customarily imposed. By example, it is shown that these rules may introduce arbitrary elements into the estimation procedure, whether classical or Bayesian.
47.4: Invited Paper: Opportunities with LEDs for Increasing the Visual Benefits of Lighting

Reliance on the lumen (lm) as the sole measure of lighting benefits (lm/m2 and lm/W) can unnecessarily waste energy, increase costs, and reduce safety, security and visibility. Utilization of analogous benefit metrics in lighting standards that characterize human visual responses would increase the value of lighting for many applications.
Socioeconomic status and recurrent aphthous ulcers

Students from higher socioeconomic classes had higher susceptibility to recurrent aphthous ulcers than did students from lower socioeconomic classes. The subjects of the study were 1,384 professional school students at the University of Pennsylvania.
Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies reacting with the pro form of proteinase 3 and disease activity in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis.

Objective Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) directed against proteinase 3 (PR3) are diagnostic markers for the small vessel vasculitides Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). Correlation of disease activity with PR3 ANCA levels, as determined by standard methods, is not apparent in every patient. PR3 ANCA react with yet to be identified conformational epitopes. We have identified PR3 ANCA subsets that react differentially with mature recombinant PR3 (rPR3; lacking the N-terminal activation dipeptide) and the pro form of this enzyme (pro-rPR3). The present study was performed to determine the association of these PR3 ANCA subsets with disease activity. Methods Sera from 61 PR3 ANCA–positive patients with WG or MPA were assayed by capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using pro-rPR3 and rPR3 as target antigens, and were correlated with disease activity as determined by the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS). Results Median levels of PR3 ANCA reacting with pro-rPR3 were higher during active (n = 32) than during inactive (n = 29) disease (P = 0.016). Reactivity with mature rPR3 was not significantly different (P = 0.71). Serial followup in individual patients also indicated better correlation of PR3 ANCA reactivity with pro-rPR3 than with mature rPR3. Conclusion PR3 ANCA subsets reactive with epitopes accessible on pro-PR3 correlate better with disease activity than do subsets reactive with epitopes accessible only on mature PR3. This observation may explain why ANCA levels determined with current standard methods are suboptimal for monitoring disease activity. It raises new questions about the primary target of the PR3 ANCA immune response in patients with small vessel vasculitis.
Deep sympatric mtDNA divergence in the autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata)

Deep sympatric intraspecific divergence in mtDNA may reflect cryptic species or formerly distinct lineages in the process of remerging. Preliminary results from DNA barcoding of Scandinavian butterflies and moths showed high intraspecific sequence variation in the autumnal moth, Epirrita autumnata. In this study, specimens from different localities in Norway and some samples from Finland and Scotland, with two congeneric species as outgroups, were sequenced with mitochondrial and nuclear markers to resolve the discrepancy found between mtDNA divergence and present species-level taxonomy. We found five COI sub-clades within the E. autumnata complex, most of which were sympatric and with little geographic structure. Nuclear markers (ITS2 and Wingless) showed little variation and gave no indications that E. autumnata comprises more than one species. The samples were screened with primers for Wolbachia outer surface gene (wsp) and 12% of the samples tested positive. Two Wolbachia strains were associated with different mtDNA sub-clades within E. autumnata, which may indicate indirect selection/selective sweeps on haplotypes. Our results demonstrate that deep mtDNA divergences are not synonymous with cryptic speciation and this has important implications for the use of mtDNA in species delimitation, like in DNA barcoding.
Effect of mixing state of raw materials in the preparation of Mg2B2O5 whiskers

We have studied various ways of preparing acicular magnesium pyroborate (Mg2B2O5). We formed acicular Mg2B2O5 from the reaction of an MgO-H3BO3-KCl mixture (2:3:5 mole ratio) at 850°C. The product, however, contained agglomerates derived from large MgO particles. In a variation, finely mixed raw material was prepared by the spray drying of slurry. The slurry was made by dissolving MgCl2, H3BO3 and KCl in hot water and neutralizing it with KOH. The reaction was again driven at 850°C. The product was acicular Mg2B2O5 without agglomerate, but the crystal length did not exceed 10μm. Finally, Mg2B2O5 crystals 20-40 μm long and 1-3 μm thick were obtained by seeding the slurry with small Mg2B2O5 crystals.
Extending the message passing interface (MPI)

MPI is the de facto message passing standard for multicomputers and networks of workstations, established by the MPI Forum, a group of universities, research centers, and national laboratories (from both the United States and Europe), as well as multi-national vendors in the area of high performance computing. MPI has been implemented already by several groups. Worldwide acceptance of MPI has been quite rapid. This paper overviews several areas in which MPI can be extended, discusses the merits of making such extensions, and begins to demonstrate how some of these extensions can be made. In some areas, such as intercommunicator extensions, significant progress has been made by us already. In other areas (such as remote memory access), we are merely proposing extensions to MPI that we have not yet reduced to practice. Furthermore, we point out that other researchers are evidently working in parallel with us on their own extension concepts for MPI. >
Image processing with the MGAP: a cost effective solution

Image processing applications are suitable candidates for parallelism and have at least in part motivated the design and development of some of the pioneering massively parallel processing systems including the CLIP family, the DAP, the MPP and the GAPP. By exploiting design techniques and architectures suitable for VLSI technology one can now build hardware which provides comparable performance at a fraction of the cost it took for these earlier designs. The authors describe the use of a fine-grained, massively parallel VLSI processor array, the Micro-Grained Array Processor (MGAP) for image processing applications. The array and its support systems, in their current configuration, are designed to be used as a co-processor board in a desk-top workstation. The array can be used for applications other than image processing as well. The versatility of the array and the single broad design provide a cost effective solution for a variety of parallelizable tasks. >
The role of graft-versus-host disease in haematopoietic cell transplantation-associated glomerular disease

Background. Glomerular disease among haematopoietic cell transplantation recipients has been attributed to chronic graft-versus-host disease. Clinical outcomes of this population may be influenced by the haematopoietic cell transplantation conditioning regimen, donor factors and chronic graft-versus-host disease. Methods. In this review, 95 cases of haematopoietic cell transplantation-associated glomerular disease were identified from literature review for analysis. Patient characteristics, the association of chronic graft-versus-host disease with glomerular diseases, and the impact of host and haematopoietic cell transplantation regimen on outcomes were evaluated. Results. The median onset of glomerular disease from haematopoietic cell transplantation and from cessation of immunosuppressive agents was 15.5 and 1 month, respectively. Although chronic graft-versus-host disease was common among haematopoietic cell transplant recipients with glomerulonephritis (72%), this was no different from that observed in the overall haematopoietic cell transplantation population. Membranous nephropathy and minimal change disease are the most prevalent glomerular diseases among haematopoietic cell transplantation recipients. Chronic graft-versus-host disease, donor factors and haematopoietic cell transplant regimen did not significantly impact outcomes in this study population. Conclusions. Pathogenic mechanisms in addition to (or other than) chronic graft-versus-host disease are likely contribute to haematopoietic cell transplantation-associated glomerular disease. Further investigation will be required to delineate clearly the pathogenesis.
Design and Analysis of a Reconfigurable Platform for Frequent Pattern Mining

Frequent pattern mining algorithms are designed to find commonly occurring sets in databases. This class of algorithms is typically very memory intensive, leading to prohibitive runtimes on large databases. A class of reconfigurable architectures has been recently developed that have shown promise in accelerating some data mining applications. In this paper, we propose a new architecture for frequent pattern mining based on a systolic tree structure. The goal of this architecture is to mimic the internal memory layout of the original pattern mining software algorithm while achieving a higher throughput. We provide a detailed analysis of the area and performance requirements of our systolic tree-based architecture, and show that our reconfigurable platform is faster than the original software algorithm for mining long frequent patterns.
Situational construal is related to personality and gender

Abstract Using the Riverside Situational Q-Sort (RSQ), this study investigates the relationship between personality, gender and individual differences in perceptions (or construals) of four situations experienced by undergraduate participants (N = 205) in their daily lives. Results indicate that while people generally agree about the psychological characteristics of situations, they also have reliably distinctive perceptions that are related to personality and gender. Further, lay judges are fairly accurate in predicting the systematic ways in which personality and gender are related to distinctive perceptions, showing that these relationships align with prior theorizing and with common sense. The small but reliable individual differences in situational construal demonstrated by this research may accumulate into large and consequential effects over time.
The Development of Corporate Governance in China

The article reviews the book “The Development of Corporate Governance in China,” by On Kit Tam.
Energy functions and load-induced flutter instability in classical models of electric power networks

The authors study undamped power systems at points of incipient flutter instability, i.e., at equilibria characterized by a conjugate pair of purely imaginary eigenvalues of algebraic multiplicity 2 (the simplest case). They show that such systems can be associated with four nonequivalent energy functions (Hamiltonians). They derive the universal perturbations of these Hamiltonians and show that they are generic in one- or three-parameter families of Hamiltonians. They also show that systems associated with these Hamiltonians behave qualitatively differently from each other under perturbations. In particular, it is possible for systems characterized by three of these Hamiltonians (those of mixed signature) to lose stability under perturbations, while the single Hamiltonian of positive signature is not associated with a system which will lose stability under perturbations. The authors also note that the Hamiltonians of mixed signature associated with perturbations of these systems cannot be used as Liapunov functions (because they are indefinite) even if the system is stable. >
Transcranial Doppler to Evaluate the Effects of Antihypertensive Medication on Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity

The effect of oral nifedipine on cerebral blood flow velocity was studied in six elderly hypertensive patients using transcranial Doppler. Serial measurements of blood pressure (BP), middle cerebral artery (MCA) flow velocity and nifedipine serum concentrations were obtained over an 8-hour period. The authors found a significant inverse relationship between MCA velocities and nifedipine concentrations, independent of BP changes. These results are consistent with a direct vasodilatory effect of nifedipine on cerebral vessels and support the use of TCD in pharmacodynamic investigations of the cerebral vasculature.
Interdiffusion Between Potential Diffusion Barrier Mo and U-Mo Metallic Fuel Alloy for RERTR Applications

U-Mo alloys are being developed as low enrichment uranium fuels under the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactor Program. Previous investigation has shown that the interdiffusion between U and Mo in γ(bcc)-U solid solution is very slow. This investigation explored interdiffusional behavior, especially in regions with high Mo concentration, and the potential application of Mo as a barrier material to reduce the interaction between U-Mo fuel and Al alloys matrix. Solid-to-solid U-10wt.%Mo versus Mo diffusion couples were assembled and annealed at 600, 700, 800, 900 and 1000 °C for 960, 720, 480, 240, 96 h, respectively. The interdiffusion microstructures and concentration profiles were examined via scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis, respectively. As the Mo concentration increased from 22 to 32 at.%, the interdiffusion coefficient decreased while the activation energy increased. The growth rate constant of the interdiffusion zone between U-10wt.%Mo versus Mo was also determined and compared to be 104-105 times lower than those of U-10wt.%Mo versus Al and U-10wt.%Mo versus Al-Si systems. Other desirable physical properties of Mo as a barrier material, such as neutron adsorption rate, melting point and thermal conductivity, are also highlighted.
Optimal Peak-to-Average Power Ratio Reduction in MIMO-OFDM Systems

Recent work has used convex optimization to minimize the peak-to-average power ratio (PAR) of OFDM signals subject to a constraint on the constellation error vector magnitude (EVM). This paper extends the PAR optimization technique to multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) OFDM systems with channel precoding. In MIMO systems with a large OFDM symbol size, it is infeasible to solve the optimization problem by direct methods such as Cholesky factorization. Instead, we propose an iterative conjugate-gradient (CG) method to find an approximate solution with far lower memory and latency requirements. Simulation results are presented for a MIMO-OFDM system with 4 antennas and 1024 carriers. The PAR can be reduced from 11.5 dB to 4.3 dB for QPSK with -20 dB EVM, and from 11.5 dB to 5.5 dB for 16-QAM with -30 dB EVM. The tradeoff between PAR reduction and computational complexity is also examined to determine the number of CG iterations needed to reach within 1 dB of the globally optimal solution.
Systematic review: the comparative effectiveness of percutaneous coronary interventions and coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: The comparative effectiveness of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients in whom both procedures are feasible remains poorly understood. Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of PCI and CABG in patients for whom coronary revascularization is clinically indicated. Data Sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases (1966–2006); conference proceedings; and bibliographies of retrieved articles. Study Selection: Randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) reported in any language that compared clinical outcomes of PCI with those of CABG, and selected observational studies. Data Extraction: Information was extracted on study design, sample characteristics, interventions, and clinical outcomes. Data Synthesis: We identified 23 RCTs in which 5019 patients were randomly assigned to PCI and 4944 patients were randomly assigned to CABG. The difference in survival after PCI or CABG was less than 1% over 10 years of follow-up. Survival did not differ between PCI and CABG for patients with diabetes in the 6 trials that reported on this subgroup. Procedural strokes were more common after CABG than after PCI (1.2% vs. 0.6%; risk difference,
Anisotropic fluctuations of amino acids in protein structures

Motivation: A common practice in X-ray crystallographic structure refinement has been to model atomic displacements or thermal fluctuations as isotropic motions. Recent high-resolution data reveal, however, significant departures from isotropy, described by anisotropic displacement parameters (ADPs) modeled for individual atoms. Yet, ADPs are currently reported for a limited set of structures, only. Results: We present a comparative analysis of the experimentally reported ADPs and those theoretically predicted by the anisotropic network model (ANM) for a representative set of structures. The relative sizes of fluctuations along different directions are shown to agree well between experiments and theory, while the cross-correlations between the (x-, y-and z-) components of the fluctuations show considerable deviations. Secondary structure elements and protein cores exhibit more robust anisotropic characteristics compared to disordered or flexible regions. The deviations between experimental and theoretical data are comparable to those between sets of experimental ADPs reported for the same protein in different crystal forms. These results draw attention to the effects of crystal form and refinement procedure on experimental ADPs and highlight the potential utility of ANM calculations for consolidating experimental data or assessing ADPs in the absence of experimental data. Availability: The ANM server at http://www.ccbb.pitt.edu/anm is upgraded to permit users to compute and visualize the theoretical ADPs for any PDB structure, thus providing insights into the anisotropic motions intrinsically preferred by equilibrium structures. Contact: bahar@ccbb.pitt.edu Supplementary information: Two Supplementary Material files can be accessed at the journal website. The first presents the tabulated results from computations (Pearson correlations and KL distances with respect to experimental ADPs) reported for each of the 93 proteins in Set I (the averages over all proteins are presented above in Table 3). The second file consists of three sections: (A) detailed derivation of Equation (7), (B) analysis of the effect of ANM parameters on computed ADPs and identification of parameters that achieve optimal correlation with experiments and (C) description of the method for computing the tangential and radial components of equilibrium fluctuations.
DETERMINATION OF $Sigma$-$lambda$ RELATIVE PARITY

An experiment has been performed to determine the $\ensuremath{\Sigma}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ relative parity, through a study of the decay mode ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}+{e}^{+}+{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. The ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{0}$ were produced by stopping ${K}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ mesons in the Brookhaven National Laboratory-Columbia 30-in. hydrogen chamber, in the reaction ${K}^{\ensuremath{-}}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{0}+{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$, and 314 events were identified. The experimental distribution of the combined mass of the electron-positron pair was compared to that predicted by Feinberg, by Feldman and Fulton, and by Evans. If it is assumed that the dependence of the form factors on the combined mass of the electron-positron pair can be neglected, and that the ratio of the electric form factor ${F}_{1}$ to the magnetic form factor ${F}_{2}$ is less than 6, then the data show that the $\ensuremath{\Sigma}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ relative parity is even.
Intermediate lesions: retrieving black from shades of gray.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary , the adjective “intermediate” is defined as “coming between 2 things in time, place, order or character.” Appropriately, therefore, in the context of coronary disease, it refers to lesions that come between mild and severe states of stenosis.
Electrophysiological properties of human astrocytic tumor cells In situ: enigma of spiking glial cells.

Bordey, Angelique and Harald Sontheimer. Electrophysiological properties of human astrocytic tumor cells in situ: enigma of spiking glial cells. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 2782–2793, 1998. To better unde...
Mechanical Interpretations for Invariant Imbedding

The Scott method is examined within the context of solid mechanics, with particular emphasis upon interpretations of the various occurring functions. Two alternative approaches arise, as the basic Riccati variable is taken to be: (1) the stiffness matrix at the right end of the member corresponding to zero load on the body and at the left end; or (2) the flexibility matrix at the right end corresponding to zero body load and zero displacements at the left end. In the stiffness matrix approach the other three quantities appearing are a transmission matrix for displacements, a virtual boundary load, and a displacement that would result from this virtual boundary load. Analogous interpretations hold within the flexibility matrix approach. A clarifying analysis is presented of the distinction between the stiffness matrix in approach 1 and that defined as the inverse of the flexibility matrix in approach 2.
Reducing Adverse Polypharmacy in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder: An Empirical Case Study.

OBJECTIVE Polypharmacy is common and especially challenging in the context of borderline personality disorder in light of impulsivity and self-harm associated with the disorder, risk of adverse drug-drug interactions, and financial burden. Reduction in polypharmacy could be conceptualized as a high priority in the treatment of borderline personality disorder. This case aims to demonstrate that potential. METHOD This case report presents outcomes data for an individual with borderline personality disorder during the course of an extended psychiatric hospitalization. Symptomatic change is based on the Patient Health Questionnaire Somatic, Anxiety, and Depression Symptoms scales and World Health Organization 5-Item Well-Being Index. Change in polypharmacy is presented both in terms of absolute number and complexity of the medication regimen. Clinical outcomes data are provided at 2, 12, and 24 weeks postdischarge. RESULTS During a 56-day hospitalization, the patient demonstrated clinical improvement across clinical domains-all occurred within the context of reduced number (43%) and complexity (40%) of her medication regimen. Symptomatic improvement was sustained up to 6 months postdischarge. CONCLUSIONS Despite good intentions, polypharmacy can be associated with iatrogenic harm and contribute to functional impairment, especially in the context of borderline personality disorder, in which symptomatic fluctuations are part of the illness itself. A reduction in the patient's high-risk polypharmacy during treatment represents a noteworthy treatment outcome in and of itself. Additional measures of medication risk and liability have the potential to become markers of clinical effectiveness.
Lo/Ovral® 28 (Wyeth)

This preparation contains 21 active LO/OVRAL tablets and 7 tablets containing inert ingredients so that a tablet is taken every day. The dosage is one LO/OVRAL (white) tablet for 21 consecutive days followed by one inert (pink) tablet for 7 consecutive days. During the first cycle of medication the patient should begin taking the LO/OVRAL (white) tablet on the first Sunday after onset of menstruation. If menstruation begins on a Sunday, the first white tablet is taken that day. (See LO/OVRAL)
PS-267 Changes In Nutritional Management Among Very Low Birth Weight Infants Between 2010 And 2013 – What We Were Be Able To Improve

Background The feeding scheme of premature newborns changed in recent years. The latest recommendations emphasise the intensification both of parenteral and enteral nutrition from the first days of life. Methods We compared two groups of VLBW newborns born in our institution in 2010 and 2013. We analysed how the changes of our nutritional treatment influenced chosen parameters in both groups of newborns. Changes included: more intensive full TPN from first hours of life, earlier enteral nutrition (EN), faster increasing of EN, less restrictive fluid policy during first week of life, supplementation of proteins during EN and more exact growth charts. Results The demographic parameters of both groups were very similar. In 2013 compared to 2010 we found smaller average weight loss after birth (6,4% vs 9,7%; p Conclusions We revealed that our changes caused improvement of nutrition and brought beneficial effect on the growing parameters of our premature newborns without increasing the incidence of NEC.
Physical activity and perceived health status in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Abstract:Regular exercise and physical activity can minimize deconditioning and assist individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) to maintain function at optimal levels. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of physical activity to social, mental and physical health and well-being
Analysis of the relationship between economic measures and Salmonella testing results in young chicken slaughter establishments

Food processing establishments incur costs to install, maintain, and operate equipment and implement specific food safety practices. During times of economic recession, establishments might reduce their food safety efforts to conserve resources and reduce costs of operation. This study was conducted to determine whether financial performance measures are systematically associated with Salmonella test results. The association between Salmonella test results from 182 federally inspected young chicken slaughter establishments from 2007 to 2009 and financial performance was examined while controlling for other establishment characteristics. Results indicated that the smallest establishments, which slaughtered fewer than 0.2 million chickens per year, had three times as many positive test results as did the largest establishments, which slaughtered more than 86.0 million chickens per year (P < 0.01). Establishments that slaughtered more than 0.2 million but fewer than 18.5 million chickens had 1.5 times as man...
Concurrent plan recognition and execution for human-robot teams

There is a strong demand for robots to work in environments, such as aircraft manufacturing, where they share tasks with humans and must quickly adapt to each other's needs. To do so, a robot must both infer the intent of humans, and must adapt accordingly. The literature to date has made great progress on these two tasks - recognition and adaptation - but largely as separate research activities. In this paper, we present a unified approach to these two problems, in which recognition and adaptation occur concurrently and holistically. Key to our approach is a task representation that uses choice to represent alternative plans for both the human and robot, allowing a single set of algorithms to simultaneously achieve recognition and adaptation. To achieve such fluidity, a labeled propagation mechanism is used where decisions made by the human and robot during execution are propagated to relevant future open choices, as determined by causal link analysis, narrowing the possible options that the human would reasonably take (hence achieving intent recognition) as well as the possible actions the robot could consistently take (adaptation). This paper introduces Pike, an executive for human-robot teamwork that quickly adapts and infers intent based on the preconditions of actions in the plan, temporal constraints, unanticipated disturbances, and choices made previously (by either robot or human). We evaluate Pike's performance and demonstrate it on a household task in a human-robot team testbed.
Notes on Finance, Risk and Investment Spending

Ordinary macroeconomics presents three essentially incompatible theories of investment spending, each corresponding to a separate branch of the subject. When dealing with short-run questions, investment is held to depend on the level of income and the rate of interest, in accordance with the marginal efficiency calculation. It is this function which enters into the construction of the celebrated IS curve. But when the matter of the cycle is broached, investment is suddenly seen to depend not on the level, but on the rate of change of income, appropriately lagged, while the influence of the interest rate quietly evaporates. The crucial parameters are the saving ratio, the capital-output ratio, and the time lags. However, the cycle cannot really be studied without consideration of the trend, which, of course, depends on investment. So to explain the trend we have a third theory of investment. The form of the function is the same, with the same parameters — the saving and capital-output ratios, and time lags — but now the parameters must assume different values. For one range of values will produce cycles, while another is required for exponential growth. So the textbook explanations of growth and the cycle are inconsistent with one another. They both draw on the accelerator mechanism, but they assume different ranges of values for the parameters. And both are inconsistent with the theory used in short-run analysis.
The Modern Republic

Modern politics demands philosophical completion just as originary philosophy demanded a political correlate. The political complement that guaranteed philosophical completeness was made necessary by the move beyond traditional transcendental to originary modem philosophy. Politics articulates an object or ‘world’ that demands philosophical thematisation. The political functions as the genetic complement to normative philosophy. Politics expresses the necessary involvement of philosophy with the world. This interdependence of philosophy and politics maintains the structure of immanence. The political relation is determined by the structure of objective Geschichtlichkeit. The ‘real’ content of this Geschichtlichkeit remains open to continual debate. This interrogative debate explains why philosophy and the political emerge simultaneously and imply one another mutually. The immanence of change that this debate entails means that political and theoretical representation cannot aim at the tabular goal of the adequation of thought to thing. The object to be represented is right or justice (Recht). Its content is transformed by its public articulation. Specification of the political depends on the translation of concept to institution. Philosophy showed the possibility and necessity of the political engagement. The political has to demonstrate how engaged philosophy can institutionally structure its world. Philosophy is necessary to the legitimation of this systematic political project. A politics has to be able to show why its version of the Good Life is better than the one represented by immediate popular sovereignty, enlightened despotism, or other contemporary experiences. As the normative complement to the genetic political project, philosophy completes the modern political structure. Systematic symmetry is necessary from both sides of the project.