cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incidental Findings on Renal MR Angiography

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to assess the incidence of incidental vascular and nonvascular findings in patients undergoing renal MR angiography and to determine the extent to which these findings alter patient management.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Reports from 380 consecutive renal MR angiography examinations performed at a single institution over a 12-month interval were examined. The presence of incidental vascular (i.e., nonrenal artery) and nonvascular findings was noted. Clinical records of patients with significant incidental findings were examined to determine whether additional imaging, biopsy, or surgery was performed.RESULTS. Overall, 151 (40%) of 380 patients had one or more additional vascular findings not related to the renal arteries, and 221 (58%) of 380 patients had one or more additional nonvascular findings. Vascular findings included mesenteric artery stenosis or occlusion in 33% of patients, moderate to severe aortic atherosclerosis in 17%, aortic aneurysms in 7%, and aortic ...
Transposons, DNA methylation and gene control

The issues raised by Adrian Bird and Tim Bestor concerning the role of DNA methylation in mammalian genomes1 and 2might usefully be addressed by revisiting some old ideas in plants. Bestor has proposed that DNA methylation is restricted almost entirely to transposable elements, which constitute more than a third of the mouse genome. The primary role of DNA methylation might thus be to prevent transposition[3]which would otherwise be expected to `lacerate the genome'. Bird points out that, if methylation were to regulate transposon spread, then it has been singularly unsuccessful, as large amplifications of transposons have occurred in recent vertebrate evolution, as well as in those insects, such as Drosophila, that do not have methylation. Bird proposes that the primary role of methylation is to limit `background' transcriptional noise, including transcription from transposons themselves. These points of view might be reconciled by re-examining the role of DNA methylation and transposable elements in plant gene regulation as well as in mammals.
224 EFFECT OF CARNITINE ON KETONE BODY PRODUCTION IN HUMAN NEWBORNS

The importance of carnitine as an intermediary in fatty acid oxidation in newborn mammals is well recognized. In newborn infants who are maintained on diets which contain no carnitine (i.e. soy protein based formulas) there is a significant decrease in the plasma levels of carnitine and acetylcarnitine compared to plasma levels in infants who are receiving diets which contain carnitine(human breast milk and cow's milk based formulas). The plasma concentration of Δ -hydroxybutyrate is significantly lower in the group of infants maintained on a carnitine free diet;moreover plasma Δ -hydroxybutyrate increases logarithmically with increasing plasma carnitine. There is also a direct correlation between the plasma concentration of acetylcarnitine and Δ -hydroxybutyrate. These results suggest that the absence of dietary carnitine during the newborn period results in a less than optimal concentration of carnitine in liver, indicated by decreased ketone body production, in infants whose plasma concentration of carnitine and acetylcarnitine is low. It is not clear at present whether carnitine is increasing ketone body production by stimulating fatty acid oxidation and producing excess acetyl Co A or if carnitine, after conversion to acetylcarnitine, can participate directly in ketone body production. Supported by NIH grant No. HDO4946.
Less salt intake or more salt excretion: is hypertension preventable?

Hypertension is preventable by modification of the common source (i.e., sodium chloride) and by prevention of weight gain and increased consumption of “good” nutrients. Unfortunately, the necessary societal changes are unlikely to occur. Individual behavioral approaches are weak. A pharmacologic approach as a “crutch” for our unsuccessful control of a “common source” epidemic may work and have a major impact on morbidity and mortality due to hypertensive diseases. Once-a-day diuretics may be a better health dose than once-a-day vitamins for our nutrient-rich society.
Onboard detection of natural sulfur on a glacier via a SVM and Hyperion data

Onboard classification of remote sensing data is of general interest given that it can be used as a trigger to initiate alarms, data download, additional higher-resolution scans, or more frequent scans of an area without ground interaction. In our case, we study the sulfur-rich Borup-Fiord glacial springs in Canada utilizing the Hyperion instrument aboard the EO-1 spacecraft. This system consists of naturally occurring sulfur-rich springs emerging from glacial ice, which are a known environment for microbial life. The biological activity of the spring is associated with sulfur compounds that can be detected remotely via spectral analysis. This system may offer an analog to far more exotic locales such as Europa where remote sensing of biogenic indicators is of considerable interest. Unfortunately, spacecraft processing power and memory is severely limited which places strong constraints on the algorithms available. Previous work has been performed in the generation and execution of an onboard SVM (support vector machine) classifier to autonomously identify the presence of sulfur compounds associated with the activity of microbial life. However, those results were limited in the number of positive examples available to be labeled. In this paper we extend the sample size from 1 to 7 example scenes between 2006 and 2008, corresponding to a change from 18 to 235 positive labels. Of key interest is our assessment of the classifier's behavior on non-sulfur-bearing imagery far from the training region. Selection of the most relevant spectral bands and parameters for the SVM are also explored.
Gallium and indium compounds supported by a [ PNP ] pincer ligand

Abstract The new bis(phosphino)amido ligand, [MePNPPh], that incorporates (i) an ortho-tolylene linker between nitrogen and phosphorus and (ii) phenyl substituents on phosphorus, has been synthesized as its protonated derivative, [MePNPPh]H, via sequential treatment of (2-Br,4-Me-C6H3)2NH with (i) BunLi, (ii) Ph2PCl and (iii) HCl. Deprotonation of [MePNPPh]H with BunLi in THF affords the lithium derivative which has been isolated as both mono and bis THF adducts, [MePNPPh]Li(THF) and [MePNPPh]Li(THF)2. Treatment of [MePNPPh]Li(THF)2 with GaCl3 and InX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) gives a series of [MePNPPh]MX2 complexes in which the [PNP] donor binds in a “T”-shaped manner and the metal has a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry. The reaction of [MePNPPh]Li(THF)2 with “GaI” yields the Ga–Ga bonded complex [κ2-MePNPPh](GaI)(GaI)[κ2-MePNPPh] in which the [MePNPPh] ligand binds in a κ2-P,N manner. The bis(phosphino)amine [MePNPPh]H may also serve as a ligand and treatment of [MePNPPh]H with GaBr3 affords [κ2-{[MePNPPh]H}GaBr2][GaBr4], in which the [MePNPPh]H ligand coordinates in a κ2-P,P manner such that the gallium adopts a tetrahedral geometry.
A Multiscale Transient Model for Combustion of Highly Porous Chars

We develop a transient multiscale model to describe the combustion of chars derived from plastic coals. This model visualizes the pore structure as an interconnected network of large cavities separated by walls consisting of microporous grains containing carbon and ash. The diffusion-reaction problems formulated for the particle and grain scales are solved numerically, and a systematic comparison of model predictions and experimental combustion data is carried out. The main conclusion from this analysis is that the porosity and surface area associated with large cavities can drastically affect the reactivity and ignition behavior of char particles in the regime of pore diffusional limitations. This effect diminishes when combustion takes place in the regimes of kinetic or external mass-transfer control.
Soil carbon dynamics of conventional tillage and no-till agroecosystems at Georgia Piedmont — HSB-C models

This model was designed to simulate the dynamics of soil organic matter (SOM) and biomass change of detritus soil food webs after the application of crop residue in agroecosystems. Background data and literature parameters were used to initialize the model and a short-term field experiment was conducted to calibrate the model. Our model is a synthesis and integration of many others’ previous studies because many others’ ideas on food web or SOM modeling were incorporated into our model. In our model, soil microorganisms were considered to be the major decomposers of organic matter with soil animals playing an important role in decomposing organic matter by controlling the population of soil microorganisms through trophic interactions. Though we did not model the soil food web into species or functional groups, we attempted to represent the hierarchical structure and trophic interactions of soil food webs as complete as possible. The whole soil food web was conceptualized as a ‘super organism’ to process organic matter in the model diagram. State variables of our model were categorized into soil organic matter pools, inorganic carbon pool, and soil organism pools. Flows were modeled based on first order kinetics. A tillage effect was introduced in our model by assuming that soil microorganisms, microarthropods and earthworms decrease temporarily immediately after the tillage operation. We also introduced a ‘minimum population’ protection mechanism for each group of soil organisms by assuming that predation ceases when energy obtained can not offset the energy expended in prey-searching and feeding. We found that the simulation outputs fitted the measured data very well, the simulation outputs were in the range of field measurements in most cases. However, there was a significant discrepancy in respiration between simulation output and field measurement in both conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT), particularly in NT agroecosystems. We hypothesized that plant roots should be responsible for this discrepancy. The sensitivity analysis of our model showed that the population of soil microorganisms was controlled by resources rather than predators. However, the populations of soil protozoa,
Phase Transitions and Soft Librational Modes in Cubic Crystals

Landau's theory of second-order phase transitions and the theory of lattice dynamics are combined in a presentation of an approach to the understanding of the crystallographic phase transitions of complex fcc crystals. The approach is applied to the antifluorite-type crystal ${\mathrm{K}}_{2}$Re${\mathrm{Cl}}_{6}$, which exhibits four phase transitions. The results of a series of crystallographic and spectrographic experiments are described, and are interpreted in light of the developed theory. Finally, a model based on the theory is constructed and is shown to describe the spectral observations. The resultant model leads to the conclusion that two of the phase transitions are driven by a single branch of a "soft" phonon.
Modeling intermodulation distortion in GaAs MESFETs using pulsed I-V characteristics

A technique has been developed for modeling intermodulation distortion of GaAs MESFETs using pulsed I-V drain characteristics. The technique involves measuring the drain I-V characteristic using short drain and gate pulses from a DC operating point. This pulsed I-V characteristic is used to model the nonlinearity of the drain current source. In addition, S-parameters measured about the DC bias point are used to model the gate capacitance nonlinearity. These nonlinearities are combined into a single model, and the harmonic balance method is used to simulate intermodulation performance. This technique has been used to simulate the third-order intermodulation distortion of a spike-doped MESFET and to investigate sensitivities of source and load impedance and device nonlinearities on intermodulation performance. >
Fast broadband macromodeling technique of sampled time/frequency data using z-domain vector-fitting method

The vector-fitting algorithm has been used as the main macromodeling tool for approximating frequency domain responses of complex interconnects and electrical packages (Gustavsen, 1999). In this paper, a new methodology is proposed to fit transfer functions of frequency response data obtained from numerical electromagnetic simulation or measured frequency-domain or time-domain response data. This new method, z-domain vector-fitting (ZDVF), is a formulation of vector- fitting method in the z domain; it has an advantage of faster convergence and better numerical stability compared to the s-domain vector-fitting method(VF). The fast convergence of the method reduces the overall macromodel generation time. The accuracy, numerical stability and convergence speed of VF and ZDVF are compared. Examples are provided to demonstrate the advantage of the ZDVF.
“Early death” and the contraindication of vaccine during treatment of rabies

Abstract Administration of rabies vaccine or rabies immune globulin (RIG) during symptomatic rabies is ineffective, and there are concerns about the phenomenon of “early death” reported in animals that develop rabies after receipt of rabies vaccine or immune globulin. Survival analyses of the original animal data confirm these findings in two species, whereas analyses of human case reports and the Milwaukee Protocol registry suggest lower risk of “early death” in humans. There may be a deleterious interaction of rabies vaccine and RIG with bat rabies in humans. Animal studies of bat rabies virus with bat-origin vaccines and RIG are urgently needed.
Acute hemolytic anemia as a presenting manifestation of Wilson disease.

IT HAS RECENTLY BEEN DEMONSTRATED t h a t a seve re acu te hemoly t i c a n e m i a can on rare occas ion b e an early m a n i f e s t a t i o n o f W i l s o n disease ( h e p a t o l e n t icular degeneration).1-3 D e s c r i b e d in th is r epor t are two pa t ien ts , s e e n wi th in a 2 m o n t h per iod at the C h i l d r e n ' s Hospi ta l Medica l Cente r , w h o i l lustrate tha t Wi l son disease m u s t be c o n s i d e r e d in t he differential diagnosis o f acu te C o o m b s n e g a t i v e h e m o l y t i c a n e m i a in previous ly well ch i ld ren , e v e n in the a b s e n c e of clinically obv i ous l iver disease.
Maternal Beliefs and Parenting Practices Regarding Their Preschool Child’s Television Viewing An Exploration in a Sample of Low-Income Mexican-Origin Mothers

Objective. To explore maternal beliefs about television (TV) viewing and related parenting practices in low-income Mexican-origin mothers of preschoolers. Methods. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 21 low-income Mexican-origin mothers of preschoolers. Interviews were audio recorded and analyzed using a theoretically based thematic analytic approach. Results. Mothers described strong beliefs about the positive and negative impact of TV content. Mothers emphasized the educational value of specific programming. Content restrictions were common. Time restrictions were not clearly defined; however, many mothers preferred short versus long episodes of viewing. Mothers spoke positively about family viewing and the role of TV viewing in enabling mothers to accomplish household tasks. Discussion. These findings have implications for intervening in this population. Interventionists should consider the value mothers place on the educational role of TV viewing, the direct benefit to mothers of viewing tim...
Language Learning with Restricted Input: Case Studies of Two Hearing Children of Deaf Parents.

Two hearing children of deaf parents (initially 3;9 and 1;8) had been cared for almost exclusively by their mother, who did not speak or sign to them. Though the older child had heard language from TV and briefly at nursery school, his speech was below age level and structurally idiosyncratic. Intervention led to improvement in his expressive abilities, and by 4;2 the deviant utterance patterns had disappeared. In later years, his spontaneous speech and school performance were normal, though language testing revealed some weak areas. The younger child initially used no speech, but acquired language normally after intervention, with his brother as model. Implications for understanding the role of linguistic input in language development are discussed.
Cognitive Constraints on How Economic Rewards Affect Cooperation

Cooperation often fails to spread in proportion to its potential benefits. This phenomenon is captured by prisoner's dilemma games, in which cooperation rates appear to be determined by the distinctive structure of economic incentives (e.g., $3 for mutual cooperation vs. $5 for unilateral defection). Rather than comparing economic values of cooperating versus not ($3 vs. $5), we tested the hypothesis that players simply compare numeric values (3 vs. 5), such that subjective numbers (mental magnitudes) are logarithmically scaled. Supporting our hypothesis, increasing only numeric values of rewards (from $3 to 300¢) increased cooperation (Study 1), whereas increasing economic values increased cooperation only when there were also numeric increases (Study 2). Thus, changing rewards from 3¢ to 300¢ increased cooperation rates, but an economically identical change from 3¢ to $3 elicited no gains. Finally, logarithmically scaled reward values predicted 97% of variation in cooperation, whereas the face value of ...
New Fits for the Non-Perturbative Parameters in the CSS Resummation Formalism

We update the non-perturbative function of the Collins-Soper-Sterman (CSS) resummation formalism which resums the large logarithmic terms originating from multiple soft gluon emission in hadron collisions. Two functional forms in impact parameter (b) space are considered, one with a pure Gaussian form with two parameters and another with an additional linear term. The results for the two parameter fit are found to be ${g}_{1}{=0.24}_{\ensuremath{-}0.07}^{+0.08}$ ${\mathrm{GeV}}^{2}$ and ${g}_{2}{=0.34}_{\ensuremath{-}0.08}^{+0.07}$ ${\mathrm{GeV}}^{2}.$ The results for the three parameter fit are ${g}_{1}{=0.15}_{\ensuremath{-}0.03}^{+0.04}$ ${\mathrm{GeV}}^{2},$ ${g}_{2}{=0.48}_{\ensuremath{-}0.05}^{+0.04}$ ${\mathrm{GeV}}^{2},$ and ${g}_{3}=\ensuremath{-}{0.58}_{\ensuremath{-}0.20}^{+0.26}$ ${\mathrm{GeV}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}.$ We also discuss the potential of the full Fermilab Tevatron run 1 Z boson data for further testing of the universality of the non-perturbative function within the context of Drell-Yan production.
Fail-stutter fault tolerance

Traditional fault models present system designers with two extremes: the Byzantine fault model, which is general and therefore difficult to apply, and the fail-stop fault model, which is easier to employ but does not accurately capture modern device behavior To address this gap, we introduce the concept of fail-stutter fault tolerance, a realistic and yet tractable fault model that accounts for both absolute failure and a new range of performance failures common in modern components. Systems built under the fail-stutter model will likely perform well, be highly reliable and available, and be easier to manage when deployed.
Bacteriophages induced from lysogenic root canal isolates of Enterococcus faecalis

Introduction: Bacterial viruses play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of many systemic diseases. They are known to inhabit the oral cavity, both as free virions and as prophages in lysogenic bacterial strains; however, there has been no report of bacteriophages in endodontic infections. In this study, we sought to detect, isolate, and describe temperate bacteriophages harbored by Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated from endodontic infections. Methods: Ten E. faecalis strains were isolated from root canals of teeth undergoing retreatment following unsuccessful endodontic therapy. Mitomycin C was used to induce any prophages present in the bacterial isolates. The induced phages were purified and examined using electron microscopy. The DNA extracted from one of the phage isolates was subjected to restriction endonuclease digestion and agarose electrophoresis analysis. Results: Lysogeny was demonstrated in 4 of the 10 E. faecalis strains. Three of the lysogenic strains yielded phages exhibiting a Siphoviridae morphology, with long, non-contractile tails 130 nm in length, and spherical/icosahedral heads 41 nm in diameter. The virus induced from the fourth lysogenic E. faecalis strain had a contractile tail characteristic of Myoviridae. Restriction endonuclease analysis of NsiI and NdeI DNA fragments from one of the Siphoviridae phage isolates (phage φEf11) indicated a genome size of approximately 41 kbp. Conclusion: This is the first report of lysogenic bacteria and their inducible viruses in infected root canals.
Stable interaction control and coulomb friction compensation using natural admittance control

A new control system design formulation is presented for achieving high-performance, guaranteed-stable impedance control. While the bandwidth of the resulting controller is no higher than alternative techniques, the new formulation significantly improves performance when Coulomb friction is present in the system. The technique requires a careful choice of the target impedance. The resulting feedback compensators are causal and have stable poles, although they are often non-minimum phase. General rules for controller synthesis are derived. Experimental performance results are presented for a two-mass system with internal compliance and Coulomb friction. Results demonstrate that the technique is successful in rejecting internal friction force disturbances while maintaining a passive driving-point impedance. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Host–pathogen coevolution, secondary sympatry and species diversification

The build-up of species locally within a region by allopatric speciation depends on geographically separated (allopatric) sister populations becoming reproductively incompatible followed by secondary sympatry. Among birds, this has happened frequently in remote archipelagos, spectacular cases including the Darwin's finches (Geospizinae) and Hawaiian honeycreepers (Drepanidinae), but similar examples are lacking in archipelagos nearer to continental landmasses. Of the required steps in the speciation cycle, achievement of secondary sympatry appears to be limiting in near archipelagos and, by extension, in continental regions. Here, I suggest that secondary sympatry might be prevented by apparent competition mediated through pathogens that are locally coevolved with one population of host and are pathogenic in sister populations. The absence of numerous pathogens in remote archipelagos might, therefore, allow sister populations to achieve secondary sympatry more readily and thereby accelerate diversification. By similar reasoning, species should accumulate relatively slowly within continental regions. In this essay, I explore the assumptions and some implications of this model for species diversification.
Prey consumption and predatory effects of an invertebrate predator (Bythotrephes: Cladocera, Cercopagidae) based on phosphorus budgets

Phosphorus excretion rates, ingestion efficiency, and P content of Bythotrephes at different developmental stages are used to estimate predation rates indirectly from metabolic needs. A growth model is developed to predict P content and weight of this invertebrate planktivore throughout its life. P consumption required to complete one parthenogenic life cycle of the predator is estimated from metabolic rates and weight measurements of individual instars. Based on P requirements and prey stoichiometry, empirical ingestion efficiency of 59%, and assimilation efficiency of 85%, each Bythotrephes consumes the equivalent of 14 Daphnia per day on average and can inflict mortality equal or greater in magnitude to Daphnia recruitment rates during midsummer in offshore waters of Lake Michigan, particularly when predator population abundance exceeds 400 individuals m-2.
Antiquity: exploiting a secure log for wide-area distributed storage

Antiquity is a wide-area distributed storage system designed to provide a simple storage service for applications like file systems and back-up. The design assumes that all servers eventually fail and attempts to maintain data despite those failures. Antiquity uses a secure log to maintain data integrity, replicates each log on multiple servers for durability, and uses dynamic Byzantine fault-tolerant quorum protocols to ensure consistency among replicas. We present Antiquity's design and an experimental evaluation with global and local testbeds. Antiquity has been running for over two months on 400+ PlanetLab servers storing nearly 20,000 logs totaling more than 84 GB of data. Despite constant server churn, all logs remain durable.
Observed and modeled radiobrightness of prairie grass during early fall

The authors' Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT) model for northern prairie tracks energy and moisture fluxes at the land-atmosphere interface, and predicts radiobrightness at the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) frequencies of 19.35, 37.0, and 85.5 GHz. Prairie data were collected during their first Radiobrightness Energy Balance Experiment, REBEX-1, near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, during the fall and winter of 1992-1993. The authors compare the predictions of a simple refractive emission model for prairie grass with observed radiobrightnesses for a snow-free period in October.
The Internet and Economic Growth in LDCs: a Case of Managing Expectations?

The hope is widespread that the Internet will provide a powerful new tool in the battle against global poverty. These sentiments were echoed in the G8’s recent Charter on the Global Information Society that declared: Information and Communications Technology (IT) is one of the most potent forces in shaping the twenty-first century…. IT is fast becoming a vital engine of growth for the world economy…. Enormous opportunities are there to be seized and shared by us all. (G8 2000)
Evaluation of the psychometric properties of self-efficacy and adherence scales for caregivers of patients with a left ventricular assist device

Context—No published instrument has been designed to measure caregivers' self-efficacy for and adherence to the complex home-care regimen of patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Objective—To evaluate the psychometric properties of 2 newly developed instruments: the LVAD Caregiver Self-Efficacy Scale (LCSS) and the LVAD Caregiver Home Management Adherence Scale (LCAS). Methods—A multistage design was employed for this instrumentation study. Of the 125 LVAD caregivers recruited from online support groups, 98 (78.4%) provided complete data. Participants were predominantly female (80%), aged 18 to 79 years, from 4 regions of the United States. They completed the following instruments: LCSS, LCAS, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), and the confidence and maintenance subscales of the Caregiver Contribution to Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (CC-SCHFI). Item analyses, factorial construct validity, convergent validity, and internal consistency reliability of the scales were evaluated. Results—T...
Errors of language in orthopaedics.

The varied influences to which medicine has been subjected, and the ages that it has endured, have produced a language that is in constant flux. The language of orthopaedics includes corruptions that, while they defy the rules of philology, have gained acceptance essentially because they are familiar. An awareness and understanding of such corruptions is useful, both for restoring consistency and accuracy of communication and for providing a window into history. Greek and Latin are inflected languages. Endings are appended to nouns and verbs to confer distinct senses. Nouns belong to declensions and are said to be declined; verbs belong to conjugations and are said to be conjugated. What is achieved by inflection in Greek and Latin is achieved principally by word order and prepositions in English. In Greek and Latin, the endings of nouns identify gender, number, and case. The gender may be masculine, feminine, or neuter. The number may be singular or plural. (A third form of numerical designation, dual, is reserved for things that naturally occur as pairs; this nomenclature does not exist in orthopaedics.) Cases of relevance are the nominative, indicating the subject; the genitive, indicating possession; and the accusative, indicating the object. In Latin, nouns are grouped into five declensions. Excessive inclination toward the midline of the shaft relative to the neck of the os femoris is known by the Latin term coxa vara . In contrast, the Latin term for abnormal shortening of the neck is coxa brevis (and not coxa breva, which has the appeal of being more melodious). The adjectives describing the hip belong to different declensions, so their endings differ1,2. In the Nomina anatomica 3 , the thigh bone is designated as the femur . In Latin, femur signifies “the thigh.” The “bone of the thigh” is …
International Environmental Law and the Global South: The Significance of International Environmental Law Principles in Reinforcing or Dismantling the North–South Divide

The field of international environmental law has blossomed into a separate branch of international law despite its slow start, and is now replete with principles that govern environmental issues. While their legal status varies, these principles are important for several reasons. First, they provide a framework to negotiate new environmental treaties and implement existing ones. Thus, for example, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), quite unprecedentedly, devotes a whole article to "principles" that should guide the parties to the Convention to achieve its objectives and to implement its provisions. Second, they provide guidance to various judicial bodies to resolve environmental disputes. Thus, in the Pulp Mills Case, the ICJ referred to transboundary environmental impact assessment as part of customary international law. Third, they provide a framework for decisions at the national level. Thus, the Indian Supreme Court has applied the precautionary principle, the polluter pays principle, sustainable development, and the intergenerational equity principle in many of the cases before it. Finally, some principles may be useful in integrating environmental issues with other branches of international trade law and international human rights law and vice versa: Trade sanctions have been used successfully in environmental regimes. The ozone regime is a good example. Moreover, some principles embodied in soft law instruments can shape state practice and result in crystallizing a customary international law principle over time, or they could be incorporated into a treaty. Principle 21 of the Stockholm Declaration is a good example of a soft law principle becoming part of customary international law, while participatory rights being incorporated into a treaty, albeit regional, is an example of soft law becoming part of treaty law.
Intermittent wide complexes in a preoperative ECG.

A 54-year-old woman underwent examination prior to a scheduled excision of a small adenocarcinoma of the left breast. The lesion had been detected by routine mammography, and its malignant nature was confirmed by a needle biopsy. The patient was asymptomatic and had no history of significant medical problems.The physical examination was normal, as was the complete blood count, chemical screening panel, and chest radiograph. The ECG is shown.
Starting too soon: upstream reading frames repress downstream translation

Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) are known to regulate a few specific transcripts, and recent computational and experimental studies have suggested candidate uORF regulation across the genome. In this issue, Johnstone et al (2016) use ribosome profiling to identify translated uORFs and measure their effects on downstream translation. Furthermore, they show that regulatory uORFs are conserved across species and subject to selective constraint. Recognizing the potential of uORFs in regulating translation expands our understanding of the dynamic regulation of gene expression.
Dynamics of sperm use in the Mediterranean fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae): reproductive fitness of multiple-mated females and sequentially mated males

Second-male sperm precedence in the Mediterranean fruit fly from a single series of matings is maintained at a uniform rate over the effective female reproductive life span. Male reproductive fitness can drop significantly if a second male also mates with the same female; the magnitude of the drop is a function of the male genotypes. Females mated twice have as many or slightly more offspring over their effective reproductive period as do females mated once. However, twice-mated females have a significantly higher number of progeny during the fourth week after mating. Prolonged progeny production by twice-mated females suggests a possible hypothesis for the continued presence of two mating strategies in the field.
(Il)legitimate transgressions: O.J. and the Los Angeles Sentinel

Sandwiched between a thin red border, bright-blue bands extend across six columns of newsprint. The words “Los Angeles Sentinel” are centered inside the largest band, rendered in bold white letters. Red, white, and blue. The graphic design of the Los Angeles Sentinel's nameplate resonates with the basic American values the newspaper celebrates. First, capitalism: the Sentinel , the nameplate proudly informs the reader, is “the largest black- owned newspaper in the West [emphasis added].” Education, another core value, is (re)affirmed on the nameplate by a simple slogan: “‘Education will lead to the truth.’” Finally, truth, that basic object of American journalism's objectivity ideal, is also celebrated by the slogan. Each week following the Bundy murders, the newsworkers behind the Sentinel negotiated these values and others as they constructed news narratives about the unfolding Simpson case. These narratives would be circulated on Thursdays, the day of the week that issues of the newspaper hit the streets. Underscoring the power differentials between the mainstream and alternative press, the Sentinel had a paid circulation of only about 25,000, – puny compared to the Los Angeles Times 's daily circulation of over 1 million (see chapter 5). But the newspaper did have significant influence in the black community. As the only black-oriented news organization to share a regular seat in Judge Ito's courtroom, the Sentinel quickly became the eyes and ears of other black media in Los Angeles and beyond.
Importance of Protein Vibration Directionality on Function

Global protein vibrations have long been associated with protein functionality. Long-range intramolecular vibrations have been measured in proteins using anisotropic absorption in the terahertz frequency range [1,2]. These measurements directly correspond to the directionality of vibrations and show large changes in the directionality of the vibrational displacements for free chicken egg white lysozyme (CEWL) and inhibitor bound CEWL. Normal mode ensemble analysis (NMEA) and quasiharmonic analysis (QHA) calculations of the free and tri-acetylglucosamine (3NAG) bound CEWL dynamics were performed and also show large changes in vibration directionality with binding. This in spite of the calculated energy distribution showing very little change, in agreement with neutron scattering measurements. We investigate the importance of the protein directionality by extending the calculations to a double deletion mutant (DD CEWL) with an activity rate 1.4 times that of WT [3]. The deletions are far from the active site, indicating that the increased activity arises from changes in the dynamics. The calculated anisotropic spectra show large changes with mutation, whereas the energy distribution show practically no change from the WT. Similarities in the bound WT, free DD, and bound DD CEWL NMEA spectra indicate the mutation may be changing the directionality of the vibrations toward more efficient motions. Projections of the low frequency vibrations, from QHA, on the functional displacement show higher overlap of residues around Glu35 and Asp52 in the mutant system. These residues are known to be critical in CEWL functionality. The results reveal that the mutation may be steering the protein toward more functional dynamics without significantly affecting the energy distribution. [1] K.A. Niessen, et al. (2015) DOI: 10.1007/s12551-015-0168-4[2] G. Acbas, et al. (2014) DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4076[3] S. Mine, et al. (1999) DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1999.2572. Supported by NSF (DBI 1556359, MCB 1616529) and DOE (DE-SC0016317).
The importance of probability theory in the airport and air traffic control sectors

Uncertainty is pervasive in airport and air traffic control (ATC) planning, operations and design. This paper describes various types of uncertainty and the underlying causes, and discusses the need for dealing explicitly with probabilistic models and outcomes. Several examples of problems involving short–, medium– and long–term uncertainty are presented. In recent years, significant progress has been made in training airport and ATC specialists at the planning and managerial levels to deal with decisions in a probabilistic context. However, much remains to be done with respect to similar training at the operations level.
(Online Appendix) Marshall-Olkin Distributions, Subordinators, Efficient Simulation, and Applications to Credit Risk

This document contains complementary material of section 6 of the article "Marshall-Olkin Distributions, Subordinators, Efficient Simulation, and Applications to Credit Risk". In particular, we provide the time-inhomogeneous extensions of Theorems 4.1 and 4.2 of the main document. These results are given in Theorems A.1 and A.2 where Levy subordinators are replaced with additive subordinators. We also present additional extensions to the MO distribution which incorporate stochastic dynamics and extend the traditional default intensity factor model. The paper, "Marshall-Olkin Distributions, Subordinators, Efficient Simulation, and Applications to Credit Risk" can be found at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1702087.
Design and Comparison of Cascaded H-Bridge, Modular Multilevel Converter, and 5-L Active Neutral Point Clamped Topologies for Motor Drive Applications

This paper presents the design procedure and comparison of converters currently used in medium-voltage high-power motor drive applications. For this purpose, the cascaded H-bridge (CHB), modular multilevel converter (MMC), and five-level active neutral point clamped (5-L ANPC) topologies are targeted. The design is performed using 1.7-kV insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) for CHB and MMC converters, and utilizing 3.3- and 4.5-kV IGBTs for 5-L ANPC topology as normally done in industry. The comparison is done between the designed converter topologies at three different voltage levels (4.16, 6.9, and 13.8 kV, with only the first two voltage levels in case of the 5-L ANPC) and two different power levels (3 and 5 MVA), in order to elucidate the dependence of different parameters on voltage and power rating. The comparison is done from several points of view such as efficiency, capacitive energy storage, semiconductor utilization, parts count (for measure of reliability), and power density.
Initial clinical observations of intra- and interfractional motion variation in MR-guided lung SBRT.

Objective:To evaluate variations in intra- and interfractional tumour motion, and the effect on internal target volume (ITV) contour accuracy, using deformable image registration of real-time two-dimensional-sagittal cine-mode MRI acquired during lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments.Methods:Five lung tumour patients underwent free-breathing SBRT treatments on the ViewRay system, with dose prescribed to a planning target volume (defined as a 3–6 mm expansion of the 4DCT-ITV). Sagittal slice cine-MR images (3.5 × 3.5 mm2 pixels) were acquired through the centre of the tumour at 4 frames per second throughout the treatments (3–4 fractions of 21–32 min). Tumour gross tumour volumes (GTVs) were contoured on the first frame of the MR cine and tracked for the first 20 min of each treatment using offline optical-flow based deformable registration implemented on a GPU cluster. A ground truth ITV (MR-ITV20 min) was formed by taking the union of tracked GTV contours. Pseudo-ITVs were generated ...
An Information Retrieval Framework for Contextual Suggestion Based on Heterogeneous Information Network Embeddings

We present an Information Retrieval framework that leverages Heterogeneous Information Network (HIN) embeddings for contextual suggestion. Our method represents users, documents and other context-related documents as heterogeneous objects in a HIN. Using meta-paths, selected based on domain knowledge, we create graph embeddings from this network, thereby learning a representation of users and objects in the same semantic vector space. This allows inferences of user interest on unseen objects based on distance in the embedding space. These object distances are then incorporated as features in a well-established learning to rank (LTR) framework. We make use of the 2016 TREC Contextual Suggestion (TRECCS) dataset, which contains user profiles in the form of relevance-rated documents, and demonstrate the competitiveness of our approach by comparing our system to the best performing systems of the TRECCS task.
Cardiac CT Before and After Bypass Graft Surgery

Because of their size and limited mobility, bypass grafts can be visualized well by cardiac CT. Compared with invasive angiography, its diagnostic accuracy in detecting graft failure is very good. Advantages of cardiac CT are its ability to image the grafts without selective contrast injection and to depict their anatomy in relation to the structures around the heart. The clinical utility of cardiac CT is currently limited by its inability to assess the functional significance of obstructive disease.
Racial/ethnic variation in incidence rates for anal cancer in New Mexico.

601Background: Anal cancer comprises only 2.5% of all digestive system malignancies in the United States; only 8200 new cases are diagnosed annually, nevertheless, an increasing incidence rate has ...
Economic Eddies and Their Dynamic Equilibrium

Continuing the presentation in the previous chapter, in what follows we will model in Sect. 9.1 each commercial firm as a specific, abstract spinning yoyo, referred to as an economic yoyo. Then, on the basis of the evolution of a flow of such yoyos, we can see how these economic yoyos interact with each other through combinations and breaking-ups. This end shows why there exist companies of different sizes in each economic sector or industry. Similar analysis shows why at any chosen moment of time in history, there are economic sectors and industries of various scales. In particular, we employ figurative analysis and relevant methodology to show how small economic entities could be inevitably bullied and destroyed by business empires.
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in men and women: An outcome analysis comparing gender

Purpose: Recent studies have shown that female athletes suffer a higher incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears than comparable male athletes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect gender has on outcome in ACL reconstruction using bone–patellar tendon– bone autograft. Type of Study: Retrospective case review and outcome study. Methods: A retrospective review of a single surgeon’s practice revealed 279 ACL reconstructions that met our criteria for inclusion. Two-hundred forty-nine of these patients (91%) were contacted. Two-hundred (72%) were evaluated with physical examination, KT-1000 testing, functional testing, and radiographic evaluation. Outcome was assessed with Tegner, Lysholm, modified HSS, and Cincinnati Knee rating scales, as well as the SF-36 health survey and a self-administered questionnaire. There were 137 men and 63 women. Data were evaluated with Wilcoxon rank sum testing, analysis of variance testing, -square analysis, and the Student t test. The level of significance was set at P .05. Results: Postoperatively, no differences were noted on Lachman, anterior drawer, pivot shift, or functional testing in either groups. Male patients had a significantly greater mean prone heel height difference (1.80 v 1.10 cm, P .0018) and mean KT-1000 maximum manual side-to-side difference (0.76 v 1.73 mm, P .014). However, no differences were noted in the percentage of patients with greater than 5-mm side-to-side difference, with 5 men (4%) and 2 women (3%) classified as arthrometric failures. No differences were noted in mean Tegner, Lysholm, Noyes Cincinnati, and modified HSS scores. Men had significantly lower HSS radiographic scores (24.98 v 26.22, P .0016). Men and women were compared with gender-matched controls for SF-36 testing, and women scored higher compared with controls than did men in the Role Physical, Body Pain, and General Health categories. No differences were noted in either group regarding donor-site pain, patellofemoral crepitance, or problems with stair climbing. Ninety-six percent of men and 98% of women would have had the surgery over again given similar circumstances. Conclusions: Objective criteria failed to detect clinically significant differences in physical examination and arthrometric results between men and women. Knee rating scale scores were similar. Comparable outcome with high satisfaction and equal success can be expected in both men and women undergoing ACL reconstruction using bone–patellar tendon–bone autograft. No basis exists for the inclusion of gender as a determining factor regarding the decision to perform ACL reconstructive surgery with bone–patellar tendon–bone autograft. Key Words: Anterior cruciate ligament—ACL reconstruction— Female ACL.
A 16-bit 12-GS/s Single-/Dual-Rate DAC With a Successive Bandpass Delta-Sigma Modulator Achieving <−67-dBc IM3 Within DC to 6-GHz Tunable Passbands

This paper presents a hybrid digital-to-analog converter (DAC) architecture with a tunable bandpass delta-sigma modulator (DSM) to synthesize channelized signals over a wide frequency range with high linearity and a low in-band noise floor. Due to the mostly digital architecture, this DAC topology favors technology scaling. The DSM uses a successive pipeline structure with time-interleaving techniques to achieve a 12-GS/s data rate and overall 16-bit DAC resolution. To improve the linearity at high frequencies, an inverse-sinc-shaped digital pre-distortion (DPD) scheme is used to better approximate and compensate the timing errors. The DAC can be configured for single- or dual-rate operation modes to tradeoff different input data rates with DAC linearity and spectral images. The prototype was fabricated in 65-nm CMOS technology with an analog area of 0.1 mm2 and 60 dBc up to a 4.2-GHz signal frequency at 12 GS/s in the single-rate mode thanks to the hybrid structure and proposed DPD techniques.