cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Annals Understanding Clinical Research: Implications of Missing Data Due to Dropout

This article aims to help clinicians understand the implications of missing data due to dropout, a common problem that can affect the validity of clinical trial findings. Several analytic methods e...
Short-Term Complications of Anterior Fixation of Odontoid Fractures.

Study Design:Retrospective study.Objective:Anterior fixation of odontoid fracture has been associated with high morbidity and mortality in small, single institution series. Identifying risk factors...
Walking, talking, remembering: an Afro-Swedish critique of being-in-the-world

This article examines the existential grounds and experiential limits of an embodied and intersubjective being-in-the-world, in walking dialogue with the remembrances of Afro-Swedish subjects. To w...
Alpha-helix nucleation between peptides using a covalent hydrogen bond mimic

Elena Z. Dovalsantos, Edelmira Cabezas and Arnold C. Satterthwait Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA Constraining peptides to the conformations they occupy in native proteins provides a means for converting biologically inactive peptides to bioactive peptides. We have shown that a peptide can be induced to form a full length α-helix in water by attaching its carboxyl terminus to an nucleation site (NucSite) [1]. A NucSite constitutes one turn of an stabilized by a covalent hydrogen bond mimic. In the initial NucSite, a hydrazone link was used to replace a hydrogen bond formed between a main-chain amide proton on one amino acid and an amide carbonyl oxygen of a second amino acid. In this work, we extend the utility of the NucSite by adding an α-amino group to the linker that allows its insertion between two peptides. In this case, the hydrazone link replaces a hydrogen bond that forms between the side chain of asparagine and the main chain amide proton of an (i, i +3) amino acid (Fig. 1). This design satisfies complex steric and stereochemical demands by building on a natural mechanism for a-helix nucleation used in proteins [2].
Alternative Approaches and Solutions to the Debt of Developing Countries

It is more than five years since that fateful Friday the Thirteenth of August when the Mexican Minister of Finance visited Washington to announce that his country could no longer continue to meet its debt service obligations. Other countries soon followed. Since 1982 that rescheduling experience has been repeated for more than 30 countries involving close to $200 billion of debt (IMF, 1986, p. 123). There have also been a variety of other actions to shore up a vulnerable international financial system and to promote debtor adjustment.
A brief history of the emergence of digital government in the United States

Digital government may be regarded as the most recent development in the evolving application of electronic information technology to the performance of governmental functions. In the United States, that evolutionary progression is rooted in the Federal, state, and local government use of such information technologies as the telegraph and the telephone. This history, however, considers more than the mere introduction and adaptation of such technologies by governmental entities. Other important aspects include the development and migration of the technologies, as well as imaginative applications of information technology in support of government operations. Also, new policies have been fashioned to ensure the proper management of these technologies and the systems they serve, their protection from physical harm, and the security and privacy of their information. These matters are concisely explored in this overview.
Summary and Afterthoughts

Most of the chapters in this book are related to the theme that early privation or damage will usually produce reduced behavioral abilities later in life. Some of these reductions may be permanent. However, in many cases the premise must be altered to say that the privation or damage will usually produce altered abilities. It is not clear whether or not the alteration in abilities is always the same from one individual or species to the next. Too often the behavioral changes are considered relative to an assumed “standard” individual or “representative” species, raised and tested under “usual conditions.” The range of treatments presumed to result in altered behavioral abilities include food deprivation, hypoxia, reduced opportunities for movement or for receiving organized sensory input, trauma, surgical damage to the brain, and endocrine imbalance. All of these conditions are presumed to overcome the brain’s surprisingly effective insulation and resiliency so as to produce the altered behavioral consequences.
Inversions are bigger on the X chromosome.

In many insects, X‐linked inversions fix at a higher rate and are much less polymorphic than autosomal inversions. Here, we report that in Drosophila, X‐linked inversions also capture 67% more genes. We estimated the number of genes captured through an approximate Bayesian computational analysis of gene orders in nine species of Drosophila. X‐linked inversions fixed with a significantly larger gene content. Further, X‐linked inversions of intermediate size enjoy highest fixation rate, while the fixation rate of autosomal inversions decreases with size. A less detailed analysis in Anopheles suggests a similar pattern holds in mosquitoes. We develop a population genetic model that assumes the fitness effects of inversions scale with the number of genes captured. We show that the same conditions that lead to a higher fixation rate also produce a larger size for inversions on the X.
Los pobres están invitados a la mesa. Debates y proyectos transnacionales de alimentación popular en América del Sur, 1930-1950❧

Objetivo/contexto: El articulo analiza los debates sobre alimentacion popular de los anos 1930 y 1950 en America del Sur, ofreciendo un marco comparativo de las experiencias de comedores o restaura...
Improving target localization during trans-oral surgery with use of intraoperative imaging

Trans-oral surgery provides a less invasive means for the surgical management of upper aerodigestive tract malignancies but is limited in its ability to readily assess submucosal tumor extent and location of critical structures intraoperatively. We sought to determine surgeons’ baseline target localization accuracy during operative laryngoscopy with preoperative imaging alone and then assess for improvement in localization accuracy when presented with intraoperative CT imaging capturing soft tissue deformation. Fiducial beads were placed submucosally in four cadaver heads. “Preoperative” (PO) and “intraoperative” (IO) neck CTs were acquired before and during suspension laryngoscopy using a CT-compatible laryngoscopy system. Surgeons attempted to localize submucosal fiducials beads using pins based on sequential review of PO and IO images. Mean total error (TE) decreased from 12.8 ± 9.9 to 10 ± 7.5 mm from PO to IO (P < 0.001), respectively. TE for base of tongue and vallecula decreased by 1.7 ± 6.7 mm (P = 0.015). Right-sided structures were most exposed by scope positioning and experienced a TE reduction of 4.8 ± 9.3 mm (P < 0.001). Task completion time decreased from PO to IO by 26% (P < 0.001). Intraoperative imaging significantly improves localization accuracy and task efficiency when targeting submucosal beads in cadaver heads during operative laryngoscopy.
Obstructive sleep apnea and electrocardiographic P-wave morphology.

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent sleep disorder with important cardiovascular implications. Left atrial abnormality can be identified by electrocardiographic P-wave morphology and is considered an important risk for atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke, both of which have been associated with OSA. We hypothesized that severity of OSA would be associated with more abnormal electrocardiographic P-wave morphology as indicated by P-wave terminal force in V1 (PTFV1 ) and P-wave area in V1 (PWAV1 ). Methods Patients who underwent clinically indicated polysomnography and had 12-lead ECG were identified through medical record review. Logistic regression was used to determine the associations between the measures of OSA severity (apnea hypopnea index [AHI] and mean nocturnal oxygen [O2 ] saturation) and abnormal PTFV1 and PWAV1 (defined by >75% percentile value of the studied cohort) adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and hypertension. Results A total of 261 patients (mean age: 57 years old, male: 52%) were included in the study. Multivariate analysis showed that AHI was associated with abnormal PTFV1 (>7,280 µV ms) and PWAV1 (>1,000 µV ms; OR: 1.5; 95% CI [1.1, 2.0], p = 0.008; OR: 1.5 [1.1, 2.1], p = 0.005 per 1 SD increase in AHI, respectively). Mean O2 saturation was associated with abnormal PWAV1 (OR: 0.72 [0.54, 0.98], p = 0.03). Results remained unchanged after excluding patients taking AV nodal blocking agents. Conclusion In a sleep clinic cohort, there was significant association between OSA severity and ECG-defined left atrial abnormality.
TOWARDS A BETTER CHARACTERIZATION OF CORONARY BIFURCATION LESIONS: A COMPREHENSIVE SINGLE-INSTITUTION STUDY

Coronary bifurcation lesions account for approximately 20% of PCIs, but their treatment remains challenging with lower procedural success rate. More studies are needed to characterize these subset of lesions, in particular their distribution by demographics and by coronary artery locations.
Experimental Studies in Mice on the Vasculopathy of Fabry Disease

Understanding the basis for the vasculopathy associated with Fabry disease is an important challenge. The α-galactosidase A (Gla) knockout mouse has provided an important tool for the identification of experimental models that may phenocopy the human disease. Specifically, three in vivo models of vascular disease have been identified in the Gla null mouse. These models include oxidant induced thrombosis, accelerated atherogenesis, and impaired vascular reactivity. Aberrant endothelial cell function underlies the basis for these abnormalities. The characterization of these models has led to the identification of the uncoupling of endothelial nitric oxide synthase within the endothelium with the subsequent generation of reactive oxidant species as a likely mechanism underlying the vasculopathy of Fabry disease. More recent work in the exploration of the nexus between Gla deficiency and vasculopathy has followed from the establishment of an in vitro model of Fabry disease. In this chapter the development and characterization of these models is discussed and a model tying glycosphingolipid accumulation to eNOS uncoupling is proposed.
Dueling nationalisms in North and South Korea

Are frequent appeals to autonomy and self-reliance by political leaders indicative of strong North and South Korean nationalism? As divided nations that have experienced colonization and Cold War intervention, North and South Korea are described as having particularly nationalistic tendencies, exemplified by the extreme ideology of self-reliance in North Korea and episodes of anti-Japanism and anti-Americanism in South Korea. But often ignored in existing structural or cultural deterministic accounts is the other side of “Great Power” nationalism in both Koreas—that is, the desire to become advanced nations themselves by emulating the success of Great Powers. The argument presented here is that such an outward-looking nationalism is also a shared source of Korean foreign policy and has become a source of domestic legitimacy battles, during which weakened leaders turn to greater autonomy to bolster their political positions. Through a comparative examination of the evolution of juche in North Korea, which began as a reaction to perceived Soviet interference in the mid-1950s, and the development of anti-sadae (Great-Power revering) thought in postwar South Korea, this article attempts to explain the role of Great Powers in, as well as identify the patterns of, domestic legitimacy contestation in Korean foreign policy.
Public Libraries and Walkable Neighborhoods

Public libraries constitute a ubiquitous social infrastructure found in nearly every community in the United States and Canada. The hypothesis of this study is that public libraries can be understood as important supports of walking in neighborhoods, not only as walkable destinations, but also as providers of programs that increase walking in communities. Recent work by public health scholars has analyzed how libraries contribute to community health. This particular topic has not previously been researched. As such, a qualitative, exploratory approach guides this study. Grounded theory techniques are used in a content analysis of a corpus of 94 online articles documenting this phenomenon. Results show that across North America public librarians endeavor to support walking through programs oriented around stories, books, and local history, as well as through walking groups and community partnerships. While this exploratory study has many limitations, it does set the stage for future, more rigorous research on the contributions public libraries and public librarians make to walking in neighborhoods. The principal conclusion of this study is that additional research is needed to comprehensively understand the intersection between public librarianship and public health.
Hitting the Target but Missing the Mark: Unintended Environmental Consequences of the Paris Climate Agreement

Meeting climate mitigation and sustainable development goals requires rapid increases in both renewable energy development and carbon storage in ecosystems. If sited with the sole goal of maximizing production, renewable energy may negatively impact biodiversity and carbon storage. Here, we evaluated the potential unintended environmental consequences of this type of business-as-usual development scenario. We spatially allocated land-based, utility-scaled wind and solar energy needed to achieve emission reduction goals from nationally determined contributions under the Paris Climate Agreement. Siting was conducted at 1-km resolution and followed a scenario where on-shore wind, concentrated solar power, and photovoltaic solar renewable energy developments were located where wind and solar resources were highest. Once sited, we evaluated the potential losses of natural lands, Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), threatened and endangered species, and carbon emissions. Over 11 million ha of natural lands can be lost (>1/4 in KBAs), releasing almost 415 million tons of carbon storage, which equals 8.6% of overall Paris Agreement emission reduction goals. Globally we found that the ranges of 1,574 threatened and endanger species could be impacted, with the highest numbers in the tropical countries of Indonesia (282), Malaysia (273) and Thailand (253). Avoiding land-based emissions through improved renewable energy siting can reduce these losses, potentially saving $47.5-$155.9 billion USD based on social carbon costs. Consideration of these impacts will help reduce investor risk to facilitate a timely transition to a low-carbon economy.
Magnetic field impact on the laser heating in MagLIF

Prior to implosion in Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF), the fuel is heated to temperatures on the order of several hundred eV with a multi-kJ, multi-ns laser pulse. We present two laser heated plasma experiments, relevant to the MagLIF preheat stage, performed at Z with beryllium liners filled with deuterium and a trace amount of argon. In one experiment, there is no magnetic field and, in the other, the liner and fuel are magnetized with an 8.5 T axial magnetic field. The recorded time integrated, spatially resolved spectra of the Ar K-shell emission are sensitive to electron temperature Te. Individual analysis of the spatially resolved spectra produces electron temperature distributions Te(z) that are resolved along the axis of laser propagation. In the experiment with magnetic field, the plasma reaches higher temperatures and the heated region extends deeper within the liner than in the unmagnetized case. Radiation magnetohydrodynamics simulations of the experiments are presented and post-processed. A comparison of the results from experimental and simulated data reveals that the simulations underpredict Te in both cases but the differences are larger in the case with magnetic field.
Calorimeter probes for measuring high thermal flux

The paper describes expendable, slug-type calorimeter probes developed for measuring high heat-flux levels of 10-30 kW/sq cm in electric-arc jet facilities. The probes are constructed with thin tungsten caps mounted on Teflon bodies; the temperature of the back surface of the tungsten cap is measured, and its rate of change gives the steady-state, absorbed heat flux as the calorimeter probe heats to destruction when inserted into the arc jet. It is concluded that the simple construction of these probes allows them to be expendable and heated to destruction to obtain a measurable temperature slope at high heating rates.
Looking up at the curious personality: individual differences in curiosity and openness to experience

The study of trait curiosity — individual differences in curious thoughts, feelings, and actions — sorts into two approaches. One looks downward by unpacking and differentiating trait curiosity, with an emphasis on curiosity’s facets, kinds, and parts. Another looks upward by locating trait curiosity within the larger structure of global personality traits. This article reviews research that looks upward by locating curiosity within modern models of Openness to Experience. Our review indicates (1) that most — but not all — models of Openness to Experience explicitly include curiosity-related facets, and (2) that they tend to favor curiosity’s academic and intellectual forms. In accordance with recent network-psychometric analyses, we propose that a broader sense of curiosity — captured by intellectual curiosity, intellectual interests, and variety seeking — emerges from a large pool of Openness to Experience inventories, and that these curiosity facets are central to the global trait. The literature that looks upward at curiosity would benefit from connecting to the diverse and expansive literature that looks downward at it, and network science models offer a fruitful strategy for building a hierarchical model of curiosity across these levels of abstraction.
Revisiting the Value of Drains After Low Anterior Resection for Rectal Cancer: a Multi-institutional Analysis of 996 Patients

Intraoperative pelvic drains are often placed during low anterior resection (LAR) to evacuate postoperative fluid collections and identify/control potential anastomotic leaks. Our aim was to assess the validity of this practice. Patients from the US Rectal Cancer Consortium (2007–2017) who underwent curative-intent LAR for a primary rectal cancer were included. Patients were categorized as receiving a closed suction drain intraoperatively or not. Primary outcomes were superficial surgical site infection (SSI), deep SSI, intraabdominal abscess, anastomotic leak, and need for secondary drain placement. Three subgroup analyses were conducted in patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiation, had a diverting loop ileostomy (DLI), and had low anastomoses < 6 cm from the anal verge. Of 996 patients 67% (n = 551) received a drain. Drain patients were more likely to be male (64 vs 54%), have a smoking history (25 vs 19%), have received neoadjuvant chemoradiation (73 vs 61%), have low tumors (56 vs 36%), and have received a DLI (80 vs 71%) (all p < 0.05). Drains were associated with an increased anastomotic leak rate (14 vs 8%, p = 0.041), although there was no difference in the need for a secondary drainage procedure to control the leak (82 vs 88%, p = 0.924). These findings persisted in all subset analyses. Drains were not associated with increased superficial SSI, deep SSI, or intraabdominal abscess in the entire cohort or each subset analysis. Reoperation (12 vs 10%, p = 0.478) and readmission rates (28 vs 31%, p = 0.511) were similar. Although not associated with increased infectious complications, intraoperatively placed pelvic drains after low anterior resection for rectal cancer are associated with an increase in anastomotic leak rate and no reduction in the need for secondary drain placement or reoperation. Routine drainage appears to be unnecessary.
Convex integration for the Monge–Ampère equation in two dimensions

This paper concerns the questions of flexibility and rigidity of solutions to the Monge–Ampere equation, which arises as a natural geometrical constraint in prestrained nonlinear elasticity. In particular, we focus on degenerate, i.e., “flexible”, weak solutions that can be constructed through methods of convex integration a la Nash and Kuiper and establish the related h-principle for the Monge–Ampere equation in two dimensions.
Selection of Human Single Domain Antibodies (sdAb) Against Thymidine Kinase 1 and Their Incorporation Into sdAb-Fc Antibody Constructs For Potential Use In Cancer Therapy

Thymidine Kinase 1 (TK1) is primarily known as a cancer biomarker with good prognostic capabilities for liquid and solid malignancies. However, recent studies targeting TK1 at protein and mRNA levels have shown that TK1 may be useful as a tumor target. In order to examine the use of TK1 as a tumor target, it is necessary to develop therapeutics specific for TK1. Single domain antibodies (sdAbs), represent an exciting approach for the development of immunotherapeutics due to their cost-effective production and higher tumor penetration than conventional antibodies. In this study, we isolated sdAb fragments specific to human TK1 from a human sdAb library. A total of 400 sdAbs were screened through 5 rounds of selection by monoclonal phage ELISA. The most sensitive sdAb fragments were selected as candidates for preclinical testing. The sdAb fragments showed specificity for human TK1 in phage ELISA, Western blot analysis and had a limit of detection of 3.9 ng/ml for 4-H-TK1_A1 and 1.9 ng/ml for 4-H-TK1_D1. The antibody fragments were successfully expressed and used for detection of membrane associated TK1 (mTK1) through flow cytometry on cancer cells [lung ([~]95%), colon ([~]87%), breast ([~]53%)] and healthy human mono nuclear cells (MNC). The most sensitive antibody fragments, 4-H-TK1_A1 and 4-H-TK1_D1 were fused to an engineered IgG1 Fc fragment. When added to cancer cells expressing mTK1 co-cultured with human MNC, the anti-TK1-sdAb-IgG1_A1 and D1 were able to elicit a significant antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) response by human MNCs against lung cancer cells compared to isotype controls (P<0.0267 and P<0.0265, respectively). To our knowledge this is the first time that the isolation and evaluation of human anti TK1 single domain antibodies using phage display technology has been reported. The antibody fragments isolated here may represent a valuable resource for the detection and the targeting of TK1 in tumor cells.
Placental Transfusion, Timing of Plastic Wrap or Bag Placement, and Preterm Neonates.

Objective Compare delivery room practices and outcomes of infants born at less than 32 weeks' gestation or less than 1,500 g who have plastic wrap/bag placement simultaneously during placental transfusion to those receiving plastic wrap/bag placement sequentially following placental transfusion. Study Design Retrospective analysis of data from a multisite quality improvement initiative to refine stabilization procedures pertaining to placental transfusion and thermoregulation using a plastic wrap/bag. Delivery room practices and outcome data in 590 total cases receiving placental transfusion were controlled for propensity score matching and hospital of birth. Results The simultaneous and sequential groups were similar in demographic and most outcome metrics. The simultaneous group had longer duration of delayed cord clamping compared with the sequential group (42.3 ± 14.8 vs. 34.1 ± 10.3 seconds, p Conclusion Timing of plastic wrap/bag placement during placental transfusion did affect duration of delayed cord clamping, number of times cord milking was performed, and time to initiate respiratory support in the delivery room but did not alter birth hospital outcomes or respiratory care practices other than the combined outcome of death or necrotizing enterocolitis. Key Points
Slo2/KNa Channels in Drosophila Protect against Spontaneous and Induced Seizure-like Behavior Associated with an Increased Persistent Na+ Current.

Na+-sensitivity is a unique feature of Na+-activated K+ (KNa) channels, making them naturally suited to counter a sudden influx in Na+ ions. As such, it has long been suggested that KNa channels may serve a protective function against excessive excitation associated with neuronal injury and disease. This hypothesis, however, has remained largely untested. Here, we examine KNa channels encoded by the Drosophila Slo2 (dSlo2) gene in males and females. We show that dSlo2/KNa channels are selectively expressed in cholinergic neurons in the adult brain, as well as in glutamatergic motor neurons, where dampening excitation may function to inhibit global hyperactivity and seizure-like behavior. Indeed, we show that effects of feeding Drosophila a cholinergic agonist are exacerbated by the loss of dSlo2/KNa channels. Similar to mammalian Slo2/KNa channels, we show that dSlo2/KNa channels encode a TTX-sensitive K+ conductance, indicating that dSlo2/KNa channels can be activated by Na+ carried by voltage-dependent Na+ channels. We then tested the role of dSlo2/KNa channels in established genetic seizure models in which the voltage-dependent persistent Na+ current (INap) is elevated. We show that the absence of dSlo2/KNa channels increased susceptibility to mechanically-induced seizure-like behavior. Similar results were observed in wild-type flies treated with Veratridine, an enhancer of INap. Finally, we show that loss of dSlo2/KNa channels in both genetic and pharmacologically-primed seizure models resulted in the appearance of spontaneous seizures. Together, our results support a model in which dSlo2/KNa channels, activated upon neuronal over-excitation, contribute to a protective threshold to suppress the induction of seizure-like activity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Slo2/KNa channels are unique in that they constitute a repolarizing K+ pore that is activated by the depolarizing Na+ ion, making them naturally suited to function as a protective “brake” against over-excitation and Na+ overload. Here, we test this hypothesis in vivo by examining how a null mutation of the Drosophila Slo2 (dSlo2)/KNa gene affects seizure-like behavior in genetic and pharmacological models of epilepsy. We show that indeed the loss of dSlo2/KNa channels results in increased incidence and severity of induced seizure behavior, as well as the appearance of spontaneous seizure activity. Our results advance our understanding of neuronal excitability and protective mechanisms that preserve normal physiology and the suppression of seizure susceptibility.
An approach for quantifying the efficacy of ecological classification schemes as management tools

Abstract Rigorous assessments of ecological classification schemes being applied to submerged environments are needed to evaluate their utility as management tools. Verification that a scheme can quantitatively capture habitat and community variation would be of considerable value to individuals responsible for making difficult management decisions relevant to widespread environmental challenges including those in fisheries, preservation or restoration of critical habitats, and climate change. In this paper, an assessment approach that evaluates a scheme by treating it like a quantitative statistical model is presented. It couples two direct gradient, multivariate statistical techniques, multivariate regression trees (MRT) and redundancy analysis (RDA), with a modelling protocol involving model formulation, model selection, parameter estimation, and measurement of precision to produce a very flexible strategy for analyzing structure in ecological data. To illustrate the proposed approach, the assessment focused on benthic infauna and evaluating the Folk grain size classification scheme, along with some alternative grain size models. Analysis of data sets revealed that while it was fairly easy to uncover biotic-environmental relationships that were over-fitted, the community structure inherent in the data tended to be robustly discernible and preserved across all grain size models, but rigidly parameterized models (i.e., a one size fits all approach for grain size characterization with fixed boundaries) were generally ineffective. The proposed approach provided a clear, detailed, and rigorous assessment of Folk and several alternative models and can be used for the quantitative evaluation of existing ecological classification schemes and/or in the development of new schemes.
Child survival and health care among low-income African-American families in the United States.

This paper provides an assessment and analysis of the increasing rates of mortality among the children of low-income African-American families in the United States and the intensifying problem of improper health care that seems to have given rise to it. The paper first documents the nature and determinants of the problem and then addresses the issue of policy prescriptions for eradicating the dilemma. The primary problem underlying the health-care access of low-income African-Americans is that there is neither a system of universal entitlement that ties their health care in with the rest of the population nor an explicit and comprehensive strategy for care outside the dominant private system. (EXCERPT)
An Organizational Concept Space Approach to Knowledge Distribution.

Matching information requirements with available information is an important problem for large organizations. The most commonly used mechanisms to match users and information are information retrieval techniques and information filtering techniques. Information retrieval techniques proposed in literature focus primarily on modeling the content and do not personalize the results to the user. Information filtering techniques, on the other hand, focus primarily on modeling users and ignore modeling the content to be filtered. In this dissertation, we propose a new paradigm for matching users with information by integrating content modeling techniques from information retrieval literature and user modeling techniques from information filtering literature, into a combined mechanism to proactively deliver relevant information to users within an organizational context. Our research contributions in this dissertation are three-fold. First, we develop techniques that automatically model content or domain information in the form of a hierarchical network of concepts called a similarity network, and develop feedback mechanisms that automatically update user profiles for changing interests. Second, we conduct a user study for comparative evaluation of different information distribution mechanisms in distributing relevant knowledge to interested users in an organization. Third, we study the merits of information distribution as a paradigm for informing knowledge workers and study its effects on the productivity of organizational members. The results of this study will open new avenues for knowledge dissemination by helping explore alternative and hybrid models for matching users with knowledge objects.
Predicted fire behavior in selected mountain pine beetle-infested lodgepole pine

Using custom fuel models developed for use with Rothermel’s surface fire spread model, we predicted and compared fire behavior in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) stands with endemic, current epidemic, and postepidemic mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) populations using standardized sets of wind speeds and fuel moistures. We also compared our fire behavior results with those from standard fuel models. Results indicated that for surface fires both rates of fire spread and fireline intensities were higher in the current epidemic stands than in the endemic stands owing to increases in the amounts of fine surface fuels. In the postepidemic stands, rates of surface fire spread and fireline intensities were higher than in the endemic stands owing to decreased vegetative sheltering and its effect on mid-flame wind speed. Total heat release of surface fires, including postfrontal combustion, was also higher in the postepidemic stands owing to heavy accumulations of large diameter fuels. Crown fires were more likely to initiate in the postepidemic stands owing to greater fireline intensities and lower crown base heights. However, the critical rate of spread needed to sustain an active crown fire was higher in the postepidemic stands owing to decreased aerial fuel continuity. We suggest here that crown fire initiation in the current epidemic stands was also greater because of an abundance of dead aerial fuels; although this relationship is unclear. FOR. SCI. 53(6):662–674.
Command Responsibility: The Anatomy of Proof in Romagoza v. Garcia

This Essay discusses two significant Alien Tort Statute (ATS) cases in the 11th Circuit involving the doctrine of superior responsibility: Ford v. Garcia and Romagoza v. Garcia. Both cases were brought in the same courtroom against two former Ministers of Defense of El Salvador. Together, the Romagoza and Ford cases are significant as the first modern command responsibility cases in which a defendant testified in his own defense and was judged by a lay jury, as opposed to by a professional judge or military officers staffing a military tribunal. These are also the first cases in which a domestic tribunal closely considered the modern doctrine of command responsibility as articulated and clarified by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia through the vehicle of jury instructions. Furthermore, the Romagoza case is the first case in which civil plaintiffs proved liability under the doctrine of command responsibility in an adversarial setting under federal rules of evidence and procedure. As such, the Romagoza proceedings themselves deserve close attention for what they can teach about the application of the doctrine of superior responsibility and the strategic and evidentiary challenges it presents. Accordingly, this Essay deconstructs the formulation of the doctrine of command responsibility in the jury instructions employed in the two Salvadoran cases. It then discusses the challenges the doctrine poses with reference to the legal and evidentiary strategies employed by the Romagoza plaintiffs to prove command responsibility under the applicable rules of procedure and evidence. In particular, the Essay focuses on the element of "effective command" established by the 11th Circuit as a predicate for the application of the doctrine.
Mortality and morbidity from serial seizures. An experimental study.

Summary Cats and rats were subjected to maximal electroshock convulsions every 30 sec (i.e., status epilepticus). Important factors in death of cats were cardiac arrhythmias, hyperthermia, and severe systemic lactic acidosis. Prevention of acidosis markedly increased tolerance to seizures, and muscular paralysis and ventilation with O2 prevented most serious effects of seizures in cats and rats. Sufficiently many shocks could, however, lead to self-sustaining status epilepticus and death. These results may be relevant to the understanding and treatment of status epilepticus in man. Resume On a produit des etats de mal en soummettant des chats et des rats a des electrochocs repetes toutes les 30 secondes. Les causes principales de la mort des chats etaient l'arythmie cardiaque, l'hyperthermie et une importante acidose lactique systemique. La prevention de l'acidose augmentait beaucoup la tolerance aux crises et la parylise musculaire et la ventilation avec de l' 02 prevenaient les effets plus graves des crises chez les rats et les chats. Un nombre suffisant d'electrochocs pouvaient cependant determiner un etat de mal autoentretenu et la mort. Ces donnees peuvent avoir une importance dans la connaissance et le traitement des etats de mal epileptiques chez l'homme. Zusammenfassung Katzen und Ratten wurden alle 30 Sek. maximalen Elektrokrampfen ausgesetzt (das entspricht einem Status epilepticus). Wichtige Faktoren bei Todesfallen der Katzen waren Herzarrhythmien, Hyperthermic und schwere systemische Lactatacidose. Eine Verhinderung der Acidose erhohte die Toleranz gegenuber Krampfen deutlich. Therapeutische Muskellahmung und Sauerstoffbeatmung verhinderten bei Katzen und Ratten die schwersten Anfallsfolgen. Genugend zahlreiche Elektroschocks jedoch fuhrten zu einem sich selbst unterhaltenden Status epilepticus und zum Tode. Diese Befunde konnen das Verstehen und die Behandlung des Status epilepticus beim Menschen verbessern. Resumen Maximas convulsiones por electroshock fueron producidas cada 30 segundos (status epilepticus) en gatos y ratas. Los factores mas importantes en la muerte de los gatos fueron arritmias cardiacas, hipertermia y severa acidosis lactica sistemica. La prevention de la acidosis aumento considerablemente la tolerancia para las convulsiones. La production de una paralisis muscular con ventilation con O2 evito los efectos mas serios de las convulsiones en gatos y ratas. Sin embargo, multiples electroshocks podian producir un status-epilepticus espontaneo y finalmente la muerto del animal. Estos hallazgos pueden ser pertinentes para la compresion y tratamiento del estatus epilepticus en humanos.
Design and Implementation for Low Network Loaded and Automatically Photographic Surveillance System

For the weakness of traditional video surveillance system which over-reliance on human, this paper proposed a design and implementation scheme for a infrared sensor-based and automatically photographic video surveillance system, which better solved the problem of inefficient and taking up too much system space for traditional video monitor system; Besides, this paper worked out two data transmission optimization schemes: infrared trigger and non-infrared trigger, which greatly reduces the network traffic load.
Cortical plasticity contributing to variations in human performance ability

Summary form only given. Studies conducted in developing and adult rats and monkeys have been designed to determine sources of variation in performance ability in infant and young adult brains. They indicate the importance of variations in signal-to-noise conditions. Brain plasticity models have also been applied to identify catastrophic failure modes of self-organizing brain systems. On the bases of these studies, novel rehabilitation strategies have been developed that are designed to ameliorate the symptoms of human developmental impairments and disabilities. For children with language and reading impairments, dramatic behavioral improvements are achieved by this training. Those behavioral changes are paralleled by a substantial physiological re-normalization documented by EEG, MEG and fMRI recording methods.
A Review of Private Regulation: Codes and Monitoring in the Apparel Industry

This article reviews the last decade of scholarship on a leading corporate social responsibility initiative: the use of codes of conduct and monitoring in the global garment industry. The review focuses on three debates in the field: the evaluation of code and monitoring effectiveness, the problematic of various relationships in transnational anti-sweatshop campaigns, and the meaning of private regulation vis-a-vis state enforcement. The article concludes that codes and monitoring do not constitute a solution to the sweatshop problem and certainly cannot substitute for state enforcement or worker organizing. If private regulation is to contribute to a solution in a meaningful way, it must move from a model that presumes compliance and, therefore, focuses on ferreting out violators, to one that assumes non-compliance, and so concentrates on altering the structure of the industry.
Retrospective analysis of community hospital red blood cell recovery procedures: improved utilization needed for effectiveness

BACKGROUND Perioperative blood recovery (PBR) is an important component of patient blood management. We analyzed our experience providing PBR for community hospitals to determine procedure types and clinical variables associated with efficacy and cost-effectiveness. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS PBR cases (>25,000) from January 2008 through December 2012 were analyzed. For each procedure type, the median number of returned red blood cell units (rRBCs) and ratio of cases with at least 1 to less than 1 rRBC unit were calculated. Clinical predictors of rRBC were identified by linear and logistic regression. RESULTS The overall median rRBC was 0.29 units despite median estimated blood loss (EBL) of 350 mL. Only three of 31 common procedure types had ≥1:<1 rRBC ratios near to or higher than 1. In nine of 31 common procedure types, at least 50% of cases had no rRBC return. Linear regression demonstrated significant association of rRBCs with increased EBL, longer operative duration, surgeon, PBR device type (autoLog vs. CS5), and decreasing age. EBL, autoLog use, high surgeon case volume, vascular procedures, and emergent versus elective procedures associated with higher odds of at least 1 rRBC. CONCLUSION Discrepancy between rRBC and EBL and high percentages of cases with no rRBC suggests that PBR technique and case selection need optimization. Identification of procedure types and variables associated with PBR efficacy (≥1 rRBC) should improve utilization of PBR. Association of autoLog use with higher rRBC warrants further investigation.
The enhanced ticket-based routing algorithm

The delay-constrained least-cost routing problem is to find the least cost path which satisfies a given delay constraint. There are two major difficulties to solve in this problem. The first difficulty is the NP-completeness of this routing problem. The second difficulty is that the networking information used for routing may be imprecise. The ticket-based routing (TBR) algorithm, aiming to find a sub-optimal solution, provides a heuristic approach to overcome the above difficulties and solve the routing problem. Although TBR proposes a detailed ticket forwarding method based on imprecise end-to-end information, it does not optimize the ticket probing process so as to find better paths. This paper proposes an enhanced ticket-based routing (ETBR) algorithm. The ETBR improves the effectiveness of ticket probing by two techniques. The first technique uses color-based ticket distribution for tickets of different colors. The tracing information of green tickets and yellow tickets is kept separately to avoid unnecessary ticket dropping. The second technique uses historical probing results to optimize ticket probing, so that redundant probing paths are eliminated. Through extensive simulations, we demonstrate that the ETBR can find paths which have much lower cost than TBR, without decreasing the success ratio or increasing the message overhead.
Compositional effects on densification and microstructural evolution of bismuth titanate

The effects of small compositional variations on the densification and microstructural evolution of bismuth titanate (Bi4Ti3O12) powder compacts were investigated during sintering and during hot forging. For a nominally stoichiometric Bi4Ti3O12 composition, sintering commenced at ∼870°C, leading to a relatively dense microstructure (relative density >97% of the theoretical value) with randomly aligned elongated grains after 1 h at 1100°C. Small additions (1 weight percent) of Bi2O3 or TiO2 to the nominally stoichiometric Bi4Ti3O12 composition shifted the onset of sintering to lower or higher temperatures, respectively, but did not significantly alter the final density. Hot forging produced a microstructure of aligned, elongated grains. The small compositional variations did not seriously influence the ability to develop the elongated grain alignment. However, subsequent annealing of the hot forged materials produced significant changes in the aligned grain microstructure. The elongated grain alignment in the nominally stoichiometric Bi4Ti3O12 composition was destroyed during subsequent annealing for less than 2 h at 1100°C.
Amorphous Ta-Si-N diffusion barriers in Si/Al and Si/Cu metallizations

Abstract Thin films of amorphous Ta-Si-N alloys were deposited by reactive RF sputtering of a Ta5Si3 target in an Ar/N2 ambient. These alloy films were tested as diffusion barriers between Al and Si, as well as between Cu and Si. Electrical measurements on Schottky diodes and on shallow n+p junction diodes were used to evaluate the thermal stability of the 〈Si〉 /W48Si20N32(20 nm)/Ta36Si14N50(80 nm)/Al(1000 nm) metallization. The amorphous W48Si20N32 contacting layer was added to raise the Schottky barrier height of the metallization on n-type Si. Both the shallow junctions and the Schottky diodes are stable up to 700°C for 20 min (above the Al melting point of 660°C) which makes this material the best thin-film diffusion barrier on record. Furthermore, the same Ta36Si14N50 amorphous film maintains the integrity of the I–V characteristics of the shallow n+p junctions with the 〈Si〉 /TiSi2(30 nm)/Ta36Si34N50(80 nm)/Cu(500 nm) metallization up to 900°C for 30 min annealing in vacuum. The TiSi2 contacting layer was added to assure an ohmic characteristic of the contact. For comparison, the same shallow junctions with 〈Si〉 /Cu metallizations were shorted after annealing at 300°C.
Success and complication rates of endoscopic third ventriculostomy for adult hydrocephalus: a series of 108 patients

Abstract Background The clinical response to ETV of adult patients with noncommunicating hydrocephalus may differ from that of children because of such factors as chronicity of hydrocephalus, physiologic differences in CSF dynamics, and changes in brain viscoelastic properties. We sought to determine which factors might predict clinical success and failure. Methods A retrospective single-surgeon case series analysis was performed. This was a consecutive case series for which the goal of the ETV procedures was shunt independence. One hundred ten ETV procedures were performed in 108 adult patients (mean, 48 years; range, 17-88 years). There were 52 cases of idiopathic aqueductal stenosis, 47 cases of mass lesions causing noncommunicating hydrocephalus, plus 9 other miscellaneous obstructive etiologies. Results Long-term shunt independence was achieved in 77% of patients. Two additional patients, who initially failed, later achieved success after reoperation and remained shunt free for the duration of their follow-up. Therefore, after reoperation, shunt independence was achieved in 79% of patients. Of the patients who ultimately failed, 11 failed within 1 month. Therefore, 52% who ultimately failed had more than 1 month of shunt-free existence (mean, 10 months). There were 6 surgical complications, including 2 deaths related to intracranial hemorrhage from brain tumors (not directly related to ETV per se), and 10 medical complications. The median hospital length-of-stay was 3 days. The median follow-up was 8 months (range, 0-95 months). Conclusions Endoscopic third ventriculostomy is an effective treatment option for adult patients with noncommunicating hydrocephalus. Although most procedures resulted in long-term shunt independence, more than half of the eventual failures were delayed, and therefore, appropriate follow-up is required.